Saakashvili confirms deployment of 300 fighters of Azov battalion to Odessa

Nearly 300 militants of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” have arrived in Odessa from Mariupol and many more will arrive within the comings, Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has said.

Actually, the politician confirmed the reports by the Ukrainian Pravda newspaper saying that the militaries of the unit 3012 of the National Guard of Ukraine will be in Odessa on Wednesday. They will be provided with light armored vehicles. According to the source, the national guards started arriving in Odessa yet 2 weeks ago.

As EADaily reported earlier, the Odessa Regional Administrative Court rejected the claims by the Executive Committee of the Odessa City Council to ban large-scale events on Kulikovo Field on May 1-10. The Court said peaceful assemblies cannot be restricted.

On April 26, in response to Odessa Governor Saakashvili’s calls, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko instructed to increase number of police and National Guard patrols to keep public order in Odessa. Prior to that, the government warned Poroshenko against “a danger of the state collapse.”

On May 2 2014, armed clashes happened between the supporters of the new authorities of Ukraine and the opponents. Militants of the Right Sector (a national extremist organization banned in Russia) and football fans destroyed the tented camp where signature campaign was launched for the referendum on federalization of Ukraine and giving the Russian language a status of the state language.  Afterwards, radicals set the Trade Unions buildings on fire. The opponents of “Euro-Maidan” hiding inside the building were shot dead by Ukrainian nationalists while trying to get out of the burning building. Those who were jumping out of the windows were beaten up severely. According to data of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, 48 were killed in clashes and nearly 250 were wounded. The investigation that was held by two parliamentary committees and Ukraine’s law-enforcers has not exposed those guilty yet.