Police on Jan. 11 said nine members of a nationalist organization, Tryzub (Trident), have been arrested in western Ukraine.
Ivano-Frankivsk regional police said members of the group were picked up on on Jan. 10 after they arrived armed. Evening news coverage on Inter TV, the country’s most watched television channel, showed a confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle, three pistols, ammunition, nine walkie-talkies, knives, two grenades, two sniper rifles, and a pump-action rifle from the activists.
Police say the group had planned to carry out anti-government acts in the region. They said the activists were being questioned.
Tryzub leaders said almost a dozen members of the group were arrested this month in connection after the group claimed responsibility for beheading a Stalin statue in Zaporizhia region. Tryzub claimed responsibility for knocking Stalin’s head from the bust using a heavy object, posting a video of the decapitation. The Stalin monument was blown up three days later on Dec. 31.
Tryzub members actively participated in nationwide protests against adoption of the new Tax Code, which drew tens of thousands to Kyiv from Nov. 22, the 6-year anniversary of the Orange Revolution. Members of the group are expected to participate in anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv scheduled for Jan. 14, Jan. 17 and Jan. 22.
