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Ukrainian Interior Ministry accuses Svoboda party, its leader of organizing riots in Kiev

According to the Interior Ministry, about 100 law enforcers were injured in the clashes near Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, more than 10 police officers are in grave condition

KIEV, August 31. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has accused the Svoboda (Freedom) party and its leader Oleg Tyagnibok of organizing the riots near the Verkhovna Rada building on Monday, which have left more than 100 people injured.

"I accuse Tyagnibok and Svoboda [party]. This is a crime, not a political action," Avakov said. "Tagnyabok has brought not the protesters. He brought the bandits who killed and maimed our soldiers."

He also noted that he had "watched the video and saw photos, where Tyagnibok was standing nearby when National Guard soldiers were beaten."

For its part, the Svoboda party demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.

"It was the police that used force against picketers provoking numerous clashes. Law enforcers failed to take appropriate measures to neutralize agent provocateurs," the party’s official statement says.

Svoboda believes that the use an explosive device that the unknown persons threw at law enforcers "is a pre-planned provocations aimed against Ukrainian patriots."

More than 3,000 opponents of amending the Ukrainian Constitution from various regions picketed the parliament building earlier on Monday, where the voting was underway on the draft amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution. Then an unknown protester from the crowd threw a grenade at the police cordon near the parliament building.

According to the Interior Ministry, about 100 law enforcers were injured in the clashes near Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, more than 10 police officers are in grave condition.