Veterans gathered for a peaceful protest near the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration, demanding an objective investigation and accountability for those involved in the tragedy in the village of Nekhvoroshch, Korsunshchyna, where four police officers and veteran Serhiy Rusinov died, UNN reports, citing Oboz.ua.
The protesters also demand that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and National Police Chief Ivan Vyhivskyi return the body of the deceased Rusinov to his family and dismiss Oleg Hudyma, the head of the National Police in Cherkasy Oblast.
Before the rally near the Regional Military Administration, a large convoy of cars with veterans drove to the building of the regional police department, where the veterans also voiced their demands.
Co-organizer of the event Serhiy Koval noted that people from almost all over the country gathered for the rally in Cherkasy to jointly demand an objective investigation into the events.
"Our primary demands are to pay attention to veterans, second — accountability for the perpetrators, and to remove the regional police chief. The person in charge of this, the regional head, knew what was happening. He knew what could happen, and he sent police officers there, they were shot, our comrade was killed, also shot, and it hurts," said Serhiy Koval.
Another participant in the action, veteran Andriy Zozulya, said that on January 27, he was near Serhiy Rusinov's house and wanted to help.
"We wanted to settle everything, without an assault, because they were preparing for an assault. I volunteered to go to negotiations with him so as not to escalate the situation. I approached the house, shouted my call sign, his, so that he understood who he was talking to," Zozulya said.
According to the veteran, he did not find Serhiy Rusinov at home then.
Andriy Zozulya says that he does not condone Rusinov's actions, but believes that everything could have been settled without shooting.
It will be recalled that on the morning of January 27, in Cherkasy Oblast, during an arrest, a man opened fire on law enforcement officers. As a result of the shooting, four law enforcement officers were killed, and a fifth was wounded. After that, police special forces eliminated the shooter.
The local resident, former serviceman Serhiy Rusinov, opened fire on law enforcement officers. He was shot dead.