Ukraine: Nationalists to demonstrate in central Kyiv Feb. 27 to denounce imprisonment of former leader

Event

Nationalist activists are planning to protest in central Kyiv Feb. 27 to denounce the imprisonment of Sergei Sternenko, the former leader of the Odesa cell of the Right Sector movement. Participants will likely gather outside the Presidential Administration building on Bankova Street.

Related demonstrations turned violent at the same location the evening of Feb. 23, with police resorting to tear gas and baton charges to disperse an estimated 2,000 protesters; dozens of people were injured and at least 24 protesters were arrested. A similar attendance is likely Feb. 27; police will deploy in large numbers, and related security measures will likely cause disruptions, particularly on Bankova and Institutskaya streets. There is a high likelihood of unrest at nationalist protests, and police will likely respond forcefully to any disorder, including with batons, water cannon, and tear gas. While bystanders are unlikely to be targeted in any violence, they would face a significant indirect threat in the vicinity.

Context

The Primorsky Court of Odesa sentenced Sternenko to seven years’ imprisonment Feb. 23 on kidnapping charges. Related protests were reported in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr, with the demonstrations in Kyiv and Zhytomyr being marked by violence. Further protests are likely to be announced in the short term.

Advice

Avoid any protests as a routine security precaution and to mitigate any associated disruptions. Anticipate security-related movement restrictions in the vicinity of the Presidential Administration building until at least Feb 28. Leave the area immediately at the first sign of a confrontation.