Ukrainian Nationalists Vandalize Soviet-Era Monument in Kiev

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s hard-line nationalists have vandalized a monument to a Soviet military officer and engaged in scuffles with army veterans and other opponents.

Activists of the Right Sector group splashed red paint Friday on the monument to Nikolai Vatutin, a Soviet Army general killed during WW II.  They also engaged in scuffles with Soviet army veterans and supporters of an opposition party who attempted to lay flowers at the monument in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Police moved in to end the brawl, detaining one person.

Many Soviet-era monuments have been torn down in Ukraine following the 2014 ouster of a Russia-friendly former president, while others have caused controversy.

Russia and Ukraine have remained in a tug-of-war after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.