Spot Report: Incidents at Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Kyiv

On 17 February 2018, the SMM followed up on media reports of an incident at the building where the Russian Centre for Science and Culture “Rossotrudnichestvo" is located, at 2A Borysohlibska Street in Kyiv. At 13:15, the SMM saw multiple phrases (such as "Death to Russia") in Ukrainian language freshly spray-painted on the interior walls of the building on the ground floor and in the staircase leading to the second floor. The SMM also saw scattered chairs and furniture, broken information boards, and the flag of the Russian Federation which had been torn apart.

Four staff members of the Centre, who said they had been present at the time of the alleged incident, told the SMM that at 12:48 about 50 people (young men, aged 15-25, and three women, aged 20-25), most of whom were wearing face masks, broke into the building and started spray-painting the walls and damaging property. The staff members said that the incident happened while classes were taking place and 20 staff members as well as 30 children and around 50 visitors were present in the building. According to the staff members, no one had been injured during the incident. The SMM saw three police officers and a police vehicle parked near the entrance of the Centre. No further incidents were observed while the SMM was present.

The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the OSCE informed the SMM that the Kyiv City Guard Police Division, which had been in charge of guarding the premises of the Centre, informed the head of the Centre through a letter, dated 17 February, that they had decided to stop providing security for the premises of the Centre as of 21:00 on 17 February, citing force majeure circumstances.

On 18 February, at 09:30 the SMM saw two police officers in front of the building. At 15:00, the SMM observed 120 police officers and three police buses in front of the building. Around 15:00 the SMM observed a group of about 70 people (all men), some of whom were wearing face masks, walk from Independence Square in the direction of the Centre. On their way, some of them smashed windows of the Sberbank branch office at 25 Petra Sahaidachnoho Street using stones. At about 16:00, the SMM saw around six members of the group throw stones and eggs in the direction of the building where the Centre is located, breaking three windows and damaging the façade. The SMM saw the police officers present in front of the building cordon it off. Around 16:30, the SMM noted that all activists had left and that approximately 200 riot police officers were present in front of the building. The SMM continues to monitor the situation.