In Kharkiv, 50 young thugs wearing masks and wielding bats destroyed hardware room of ATN TV company

In Kharkiv, pro-Russian activists wearing masks and wielding bats broke into the ATN TV company, the company website informs.

Around 50 young thugs broke all window panes on the floor, where the channel office is located, and destroyed the hardware room; they demanded to put them on live broadcast.

Police arrived to the floor, yet failed to take any action, the editorial office notes. The thugs pressure the ATN director general Oleh Yukhta.

One of the activists, who broke into the office, said: "We came to tell the ATN journalists how to write news". The invaders warned the company employees that they intended to control their work, and would stay in the premises.

  The damage to the property was significant: hardware, doors, glass and prizes were broken and damaged. The company was unable to broadcast on that day. Some of the attackers stayed in the building, for reasons unknown. The police filled in the forms registering the damage, but did not detain any of the attackers.

According to the ATN editor Natalia Didentko, pro-Russian activists were forcing the director general to write a resignation letter and to secure for them a live broadcast. "They did not leave any visible traces of beating, yet they strangled and pushed him", Didenko said.