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Oil depot near Kiev could have been set on fire by owners - Ukraine top security official

Investigators are considering the version that the arson was not accidental but designed to hide oil products the Interior Ministry investigated

KIEV, June 11. /TASS/. Investigators are considering the version that the BRSM-Nafta company’s oil depot in the Vasilkovsky District near Kiev was set on fire by its owners to destroy oil products involved in the criminal case, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Alexander Turchinov said Thursday.

"The oil depot was built by the inner circle of [ex-Ukrainian President] Viktor Yanukovich illegally and without any permits," Turchinov claimed. "Moreover, investigators are considering the version that the arson was not accidental but designed to hide oil products the Interior Ministry investigated."

A fire broke out on Monday evening (June 8) at the BRSM-Nafta company’s oil depot some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kiev. One fuel tank caught fire, then flames embraced other tanks as well. Four people were killed, 14 were injured as a result of the accident. Prosecutors launched criminal proceedings.

Yanukovich was the president of Ukraine until the February 2014 coup, when he was forced to leave the country "due to a direct threat to his life and the life of his close ones." Coup-imposed authorities took over after he left.

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