Ukraine Interim President Blasts Right Sector ‘Destabilization’

Protest Movement Now a Problem for New Govt

Masks, swastikas, and a paramilitary attitude define the “Right Sector” movement in Ukraine, which played a huge role in the protests that ousted President Yanukovych, and installed the pro-West interim government there.

Interim President Oleksandr Turchinov is now angrily condemning the Right Sector himself, insisting the group is a “destabilizing” influence on the country, apparently ignoring that it was this very destabilization that ousted the elected government and put him in power in the first place.

The fact isn’t lost on the Right Sector, which is openly promising to kill the interim Interior Minister after the death of one of their leaders in a police shootout, and is also warning that others in the interim government could face similar retaliation if they don’t give the protest movement what it wants.

The Right Sector’s protests have picked up pace in recent days, and the group is now surrounding parliament once again, mostly demanding the ouster of the Interior Minister and other security officials involved in the shootout.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.