Ukrainian Interior Minister Says Shooting In Kyiv Region Linked To Corruption

KYIV -- Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that a mass shooting incident in the town of Brovary near the capital is linked to corruption among Kyiv city and regional authorities.

Avakov wrote on Twitter that 10 people were arrested and more are expected to be apprehended for their involvement in the shooting incident on May 29.

"The shoot-out in Brovary this morning is an echo of corruption with regard to the definition of quotas for transportation services and the involvement of gangs in the war for passenger routes.... Executive authorities of Kyiv and the region...something is rotting," Avakov tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Avakov's deputy, Anton Herashchenko, wrote on Facebook that three people were wounded in the shoot-out, which he called "a criminal settling of scores" between businesses providing transportation services with the involvement of local officials.

"The [transportation] routes must be distributed legally and in a fair way, not under the table or for bribes," Herashchenko wrote, adding that "a significant number of firearms was confiscated" from people involved in the shoot-out.

Media reports quoted police in Brovary as saying that some 100 people, many from other regions of the country, were involved in the incident and that a probe into "hooliganism" had been launched.