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Ukraine far-right nationalists attack parliament building

28 March 2014 00:56 (UTC +04:00)

On Thursday evening, members of the so-called Right Sector smashed windows of the building and demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov for failing to restore stability in the crisis-hit country.

The protesters said Avakov was responsible for the death of one of their leaders, Aleksandr Muzychko, who was shot dead in a police raid in the western city of Rivne on Monday.

Muzychko was known for his radicalism, attacks on local officials in Kiev and refusing to give up arms after the new authorities came to power.

The Ukraine crisis began last November, after the country’s then president, Viktor Yanukovych, refrained from signing a deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with neighboring Russia.

The refusal triggered months of unrest that led to the ouster of Yanukovych on February 23. He then travelled to Russia, where he was given sanctuary.