Unknown Men in Military Uniform Forcibly Seize Dormitory in Kyiv, Residents Thrown Onto the Street. What Is Happening?

Tear gas was used against residents. People's Deputy Roman Hryshchuk, medics and police arrived at the scene.

In the morning of November 7, in Kyiv, unknown people in military uniform with their faces hidden behind masks attempted to seize a dormitory at 19/8 Polevaya Street. Residents were forcibly thrown out onto the street and not allowed into the premises, and tear gas was used against them. It is reported that police arrived only an hour after the calls.

Video from the scene was published by blogger Aleksandr Baraboshko. The video shows a woman coordinating the seizure refusing to communicate when the People's Deputy asks her to introduce herself and explain on what legal basis the premises are being forcibly seized, while people accompanying her try to knock Aleksandr's mobile phone out of his hand and prevent him from filming.

According to residents, personal belongings disappeared while the seizers were in their rooms. In the video, an unknown man with his face hidden under a mask refuses to show a bag which, according to residents, contains the stolen items. 

As of 13:52, residents managed to repel the attempt to seize the premises.

Activists of the organization Virok also arrived at the scene.

Who is behind the attempt to seize the building?

As stated by People's Deputy Roman Hryshchuk from the 222nd constituency, the owner of the building is PrJSC Trest Kyivmiskbud-2. The company plans to evict the residents and demolish the house, building a new high-rise in its place. According to the People's Deputy, the residents of the dormitory are former employees of the company Kievgorstroy and their families, who worked for the company for a long time. Many of them have lived in the dormitory for 15-20 years. Earlier, at the initiative of the building's owner, the house was cut off from utilities and deprived of electricity. Unknown persons also broke open the gas meters, which, according to a statement by Kievgaz, put the residents at risk of an explosion. The conflict between the residents of the dormitory and the owner of the building has been going on for more than one year.

Why does this matter?

Although the owner of the building is Trest Kievgorstroy-2, 32 families live in the dormitory, for whom it is their only place of residence. Instead of settling the dispute by legal means and offering the residents an alternative, the company resorts to illegal forceful actions, intimidation, hooliganism, hiring private security firms and the use of special means.