Ukraine officials say Lutsenko was drunk, wasn’t beaten by police

Ukrainian government officials held a closed meeting with the ambassadors of the U.S., EU and Canada to discuss the Jan. 10 beating of former Internal Affairs Minister Yuriy Lutsenko. The Ukrainian side was represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Leonid Kozhara, as well as representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Internal Affairs Ministry, Prosecutor General of Ukraine and Health Ministry, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Jan. 14. The Internal Affairs ministry denied any responsibility for Lutsenko’s injuries, which included a concussion, wounds and head traumas.

Over the weekend, a state clinic released the results of blood tests that alleged Lutsenko was drunk at the time. The government, including the Foreign and Internal Affairs Ministries, based its position on that test, alleging that numerous protesters showed alcohol in their blood and the opposition provoked the conflict with police. His wife, Fatherland MP Iryna Lutsenko, summed up the government’s version as “the drunk Lutsenko beat himself up.” Western diplomats didn’t offer any comment on the meeting, but Lutsenko’s press secretary said the U.S. and German ambassadors weren’t satisfied with the government’s position.

Zenon Zawada: Lutsenko’s beating, and how its investigation is being handled, is the latest significant damage that the government has inflicted upon its reputation in the West. While such claims as Lutsenko being drunk can work within the Party of Regions working class electorate, it won’t find acceptance among Western leaders, who reportedly expression incredulity about the video of Lutsenko’s beating being unavailable (while the night’s other events were recorded). What’s most remarkable is the government entrenchment in its Soviet-style tactics and inability to adopt constructive methods of handling the crisis.