Ex-Governor Of Ukraine's Eastern Kharkiv Region Detained

Kharkiv former Governor Mykhaylo Dobkin (file photo)

The former governor of Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv has been arrested in Kyiv.

Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office said on March 11 that Mykhaylo Dobkin was detained in Kyiv the previous day.

Dobkin is suspected of violating the territorial integrity of the country and public calls to decentralize state power.

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Earlier this month, Dobkin, a member of the former ruling Party of Regions, announced plans to run for the presidency in a snap election called by the new authorities in Kyiv for the end of May.

A decision was expected soon from Kyiv's Shevchenkivskiy District Court on whether Dobkin would be held in pretrial detention.

Members of the Party of Regions, formerly led by ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, called Dobkin's detention politically motivated.

Based on reporting by UNIAN, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS