Two journalists in a boat and Berkut officers in masks

The police are claiming that Friday’s detention of two TVi journalists when they arrived by boat at the Dniprovsko-Teterivsk forest area was due to the men not having documents or life jackets.

This does not, of course, explain the involvement of Special Force Berkut officers in their detention…

The two men were detained at around 13.00 on Friday at a place which is a reserve zone.  The Dniprovsko-Teterivsk forest area is described by Internet sties, such as Ukrainska Pravda, as being controlled by President Yanukovych. 

One of the journalists, Dmytor Hnap says that when they reached the forest area, they were met by men in masks and Berkut gear who did not identify themselves and took them away in the direction of the Kyiv reservoir.

He added that according to Ukraine’s legislation, there is free access to the forestry area. 

They were held for about 40 minutes by the Berkut officers than the water police turned up and accused them of “using a rubber boat without documents and being in it without life jackets”.

From reports at UNIAN and Telekritika