Poroshenko Considers Right Sector Shooting in Mukachevo Act of Terrorism

Those behind the recent shootout in the Ukrainian city of Mukachevo are terrorists, President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — On Saturday, several Right Sector militants clashed with police officers and local business structures in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo.

A grenade launcher and machine guns were fired in the incident, which left 3 people dead and 13 injured, according to the latest data.

"Those shooting from machine guns in Zakarpattia [region] are terrorists, no matter what patriotic chevrons they hide behind," Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

The Investigation Department of the Prosecutor's Office of the Transcarpathian Region, where the city of Mukachevo is located, opened a criminal case into the events, on the basis of "a terrorist act" and "the creation of a criminal organization."

The group launched protests in several Ukrainian cities, including Kiev and Lviv, calling for the immediate arrest of Ukrainian lawmaker Mykhailo Lanyo, who, they believe, is linked to the shootout, as well as all the law enforcement officers involved in the incident.

On Monday, Poroshenko said that the Mukachevo conflict had been triggered by a redistribution of smuggling streams.

The Right Sector is a Ukrainian association of radical, ultranationist organizations that took an active part in the anti-government protests that led to the ousting of former President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.