Artists of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Song and Dance Ensemble Hutsuliya reported that six men and three women beat them in Sheptytskyi, Lviv region. This was reported by the artistic director of the ensemble Vasyl Sheremeta on his Facebook page, writes UNN.
Details
According to Sheremeta, the incident occurred at a gas station in the city of Sheptytskyi at 3:00 AM, during curfew. The ensemble members were returning from tours in Poland and Finland.
Our bus became the scene of a brutal attack. A group of about six aggressive young men and three young women in an inadequate state broke into the bus, scattered things, provoked a conflict, and then began physical violence. This was not a "fight." This was a one-sided attack. The artists tried to calm the situation, protecting the female members.
As a result of the attack, as Vasyl Sheremeta writes, the participants suffered physical injuries — broken noses, numerous bruises, including ribs, and a concussion. One of the victims has a complex fracture with displacement, requiring surgery. The ensemble's administrator also suffered — she was pushed, causing her to sustain bruised ribs and severe stress.
The ensemble members have already contacted law enforcement and had their injuries documented.
But there are serious questions about the actions of the law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene. The available video and photos show that after the incident, the attackers were not detained, and the police calmly communicated with them (hands in pockets), despite their obscene language and aggressive behavior.
Lviv police responded to the situation by stating that they are investigating the circumstances of the incident that occurred on the night of December 7 at a gas station in the city of Sheptytskyi. Around 3:30 AM on Lvivska Street, a conflict arose between a group of people and the driver and passengers of a minibus — artists of one of the Carpathian folk ensembles — which escalated into a fight.
According to preliminary data, three artists and the driver, residents of Ivano-Frankivsk region aged 25 to 44, sustained bodily injuries. Doctors diagnosed one of the victims with a fracture, and the rest with bruises and abrasions.
All participants of the incident have already been identified, and investigative actions are currently being carried out with them.
Investigators, under the procedural guidance of the Sheptytskyi District Prosecutor's Office, opened criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (hooliganism). The sanction of this article provides for punishment in the form of restriction of liberty for up to five years or imprisonment for up to four years.