US Warns Americans To Avoid Demonstrations As Ukraine Celebrates Unity Day - Embassy

US Warns Americans to Avoid Demonstrations as Ukraine Celebrates Unity Day - Embassy

The United States is warning US citizens in Ukraine to avoid large scale demonstrations on Tuesday celebrating Unity Day - the 100th anniversary of the unification of eastern and western Ukraine, the US Embassy in Kiev said in a travel alert

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2019) The United States is warning US citizens in Ukraine to avoid large scale demonstrations on Tuesday celebrating Unity Day - the 100th anniversary of the unification of eastern and western Ukraine, the US Embassy in Kiev said in a travel alert.

"Avoid crowds and demonstrations; expect heavier than normal police presence; be aware of your surroundings; Follow local law enforcement instructions; monitor local media for updates," the alert said on Tuesday. "Some nationalist groups are expected to take part in events."

Human rights groups have warned that nationalist groups in Ukraine have increasingly embraced neo-Nazi ideology since a US-backed coup in 2014 that sparked a drive for autonomy by Russian-speaking regions in the nation's east.

Supporters of ultra-right organizations opened the new year by staging torch marches in Kiev and other cities across Ukraine to mark the 110th birthday of Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, according the media reports.

In Kiev, the torch march was organized by the extremist organization Right Sector (outlawed in Russia), Svoboda and the National Corps and reportedly drew about several hundred people.