Victim of attack on Russian cultural center in Kyiv named

The victim in the criminal case of seven Ukrainian radicals about the attack on the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Kyiv in 2018 was an adviser to the Russian Embassy in Ukraine, the case materials indicate, RIA Novosti reports.

According to the documents, the diplomat was the director of the center and had diplomatic immunity and the corresponding privileges.

Evgeny Karas, Sergey Mazur, Aleksandr Voitko, Andrey Lozovoy, Bogdan Khodakovsky, Sergey Bondar and Sergey Filimonov were found guilty of attacking an employee and office premises of persons enjoying international protection, committed with the purpose of complicating international relations, desecrating the Russian national flag and received sentences of seven to nine years. Each of them is now on the international wanted list, all of them are leaders and participants of a number of extremist organizations, including "C14"* and "Right Sector"* (extremist organizations banned in Russia), entered into a criminal conspiracy.

On February 17, 2018, a crowd of about 70 people, including those listed above, illegally entered the center, where they shouted anti-Russian slogans and threatened and insulted Russian representatives in Ukraine. In addition, they painted anti-Russian slogans, damaged stands and doors, and destroyed an exhibition dedicated to the work of Feodor Chaliapin.

During the attack, the radicals also cut down a Russian flag that was mounted on a pedestal in one of the rooms, threw it on the floor, trampled it, and then burned it in the street. They also insulted and falsely accused the director of the center of actions against the security of Ukraine, and one of the leaders of the attack, Karas, hit him.

*Extremist organizations banned in Russia.

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