Roshen retail store set on fire in central Kyiv

A Roshen store, part of President Poroshenko’s
national confectionary retail chain, was set on fire on Kyiv’s main boulevard
Khreshchatyk the afternoon on March 18. No injuries were reported. Police
apprehended a suspect, whom they identified as being a member of several
pro-Russian radical networks. These include the “white balaclavas,” whose
leader Yevhen Morenets was arrested on Feb. 18, and the Nadzhak organization
led by Nikolai Dulskiy, a Ukrainian citizen who has been identified by the
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) as an agent for Russian intelligence services
currently in hiding in Russia.

The arson suspect is also being questioned for his role
in another Roshen outlet in Kyiv being set on fire on March 17. Criminal cases
have been opened for destruction of property and hooliganism, the National
Police said. The suspects’ goal was “to destabilize the situation in the
capital and disrupt the elections,” a police spokesman said.

Zenon Zawada: So far, the
pro-Russian radicals – seeking to destabilize Ukraine
during the turbulent election season – have shown themselves to be disorganized
and ineffective. These arson fires could even have the opposite effect of
mustering sympathy for Poroshenko ahead of the vote.

If the elections are held without egregious vote
manipulations (which we expect), and if mass protests draw no more than 10,000
participants (which we also expect), then the pro-Russian forces won’t be able
to stir trouble. At this point, it appears that the presidential elections will
occur, and results will be established, without any threats to national
stability.