Interior Ministry denies claims of involvement of men dressed as police in scuffle near government

17:40

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry's collegium has denied allegations by presidential candidate and Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych that men dressed as police officers were involved in a scuffle with participants in a protest held outside the building of the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday.

"One of the candidates for the Ukrainian presidency said publicly during his election visit to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea that men dressed as police officers had beaten retirees who were protesting near the Cabinet of Ministers. The Interior Ministry's collegium states that these allegations are untrue. Quite to the contrary, thanks to their professional work, police officers prevented a conflict between participants in various public organizations who began to quarrel and hurl mutual insults," reads the statement by the collegium, which was posted on the official Web site of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry on Thursday.

As reported, Yanukovych said in Simferopol on Wednesday that men dressed in police uniforms had beaten the participants in a protest against measures being taken by the government in the social sphere, which was held near the government on Wednesday.

"You know that 30 athletic men dressed as police officers beat retirees who were protesting opposite the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv [on January 13]. We have been informed about that," he said.