UKRAINE: Far-Right Groups Protest Against President

The Associated Press reports:

As police watched warily, far-right and nationalist groups protested Monday in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, expressing anger at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his long-awaited peace plan for eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy paid homage Monday to Ukrainians killed in the five-year conflict with Moscow-backed separatists, holding a moment of silence at a Kyiv monument. Later he will visit Ukrainian military forces on the front line in the east, where fighting has killed at least 13,000 people since 2014.

Authorities expect tens of thousands of protesters at nationalist demonstrations planned throughout the day to mark Defense of the Homeland Day. Zelenskiy urged participants to avoid violence and warned of potential “provocations” from those who want to stoke chaos.

Zelenskiy has warned rally participants for the October 14 Defenders Day holiday not to provide Russian TV any material they could use to portray the country in a negative light. https://t.co/2QnIcwgAnR pic.twitter.com/pxt5PlqtZ1

— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) October 14, 2019