Three lawmakers within the political bloc backing Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have called for an investigation to determine whether President Victor Yushchenko’s son, Andriy, was involved in a shooting incident in Kyiv late on June 27.
In retaliation, the Our Ukraine party backing the president has accused Tymoshenko’s party of trying to wage a smear campaign against the president.
Citing unnamed internet reports, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on June 28 that Yushchenko’s son may have been involved in a dispute at a Kyiv restaurant called Kozachok late on June 27. One unidentified individual involved in the dispute reportedly shot his gun into the air in a warning fire. No injuries were reported. Police confirmed they were investigating the incident. Interfax reported that police downplayed the possibility that Yushchenko’s son may have been involved without clearly denying he was present during the incident.
“There was a shooting, but not with Yushchenko’s son. This is a lie,” a police official told Interfax-Ukraine.
