The city council in Kharkov, eastern Ukraine, became the scene of radical action as protesters carrying Right Sector flags attacked official Vladimir Skorobagach, throwing him into a dumpster and pouring green paint on his face.
A former member of the pro-Yanukovich Party of Regions, Skorobagach was attacked after a local parliament session on Wednesday in Kharkov, which is loyal to the Ukrainian government. Several dozen people were rallying in the square, waving flags of the Right Sector radical movement, according to RUPTLY news agency.
The protesters seized Skorobagach near the city council entrance and tried to make him publicly insult President Vladimir Putin. The official first managed to escape and take shelter in a pharmacy.
However, the crowd found him and offered Skorobagach the chance to “get into the trash himself.” When he didn't, several masked men took him by force and put into the dumpster, pouring green paint on his face. The crowd chanted “Lustration!”
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Police eventually came to the official’s rescue. Skorobagach was taken to hospital, as he said someone sprayed him with unknown liquid in eyes and he could not see.
Мой лучший кадр за сегодня ) #Скоробагач #Харьков #люстрацияpic.twitter.com/FikWlHf7YQ
— Паша Мескалин (@PashaXVI) 24 декабря 2014
Харьков. Скоробогача кинули в мусорный бак pic.twitter.com/fg3ftpL3ql
— IT Sector Харьков (@itsector) 24 декабря 2014
“Lustration” of power was one of the demands of the Maidan winter protests; a law to cleanse Ukraine’s governing structures of people associated with former President Viktor Yanukovich was signed by Ukraine’s current leader in September.
The law is said to be aimed at restoring “trust in the authorities and creating conditions for building a new system of power bodies in line with European standards," President Petro Poroshenko’s press service said.
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Meanwhile, mob rule has gained wide popularity in recent months among Ukrainian radicals, who have been attacking various officials in streets, beating them up occasionally, and at times throwing them into dumpsters, performing what they call “junk lustration.”
The head of the Chernovtsy municipal hospital for war veterans was “lustrated” in October. Dr. Manolya Migaychuk was accused of not fulfilling his responsibilities and was forced to resign, according to local media.
Украина. Черновцы. Люстрация в мусорном баке. pic.twitter.com/v0EPnBj5MW
— Гурьянов Сергей (@Segozavr) 1 октября 2014
Right Sector radicals also “trashed” the head of the emergencies service in Nikolayev and Party of Regions member Petr Kaminsky. The radicals met him after his court hearing on October 6, where he was tried for drunk driving. The court ruled that he was not guilty.