NEW YORK, February 1. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities are conducting interrogations and gather evidence in an attempt to prove that three people, detained on suspicion of plotting an unrest in the country, have ties with Russia, Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Yenin has told CNN.

This latest plot "appears to be the most serious attempt yet to destabilize Ukraine," the report quoted Yenin as saying.

The three detainees are Ukrainian citizens with close ties to armed groups in the east of the country, he said.

According to the Ukrainian official, the group planned to protest outside the Ukrainian president’s office and in eastern Ukrainian cities bordering Russia.