Ukraine’s MIA believes mayor’s attempted assassination part of larger plot

Plans to destabilize the region are behind the attempted assassination of Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes, said the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Yarovyy at a press briefing Monday, April 28. According to Yarovyy, police are investigating several scenarios for the assassination attempt on Mayor Kernes. One scenario that is being explored is revenge by separatists for recent events in Kharkiv. On April 27, Kharkiv police arrested 13 radical individuals with Molotov cocktails, masks, clubs, containers of explosives and nails. Yarovyy believes the ultimate goal is destabilization of the region. "We see that all this is following a pre-planned scenario. We all know what events are taking place in the Donetsk Oblast: in Arteminsk, Makiyivka, Sloviansk. I believe that these forces will continue pursuing their actions in order to destabilize the situation in Kharkiv," Yarovyy said. He added that law enforcement officers found evidence, including bullet shells. Experts are working at the scene, and results of the investigations will be available in the near future, he said. "The present situation in Kharkiv is complicated, but police are taking all necessary measure to maintain stability in Kharkiv," he concluded. Source http://mvs.gov.ua/mvs/control/main/uk/publish/article/1038168