New Territorial Defence commander Plakhuta was in charge of Internal Troops during Maidan dispersal - media
Ihor Plakhuta, the commander of the Territorial Defence Forces appointed by Zelenskyy, worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs during Euromaidan and led the Air Force forces that dispersed the Maidan.
On the night of 10 December 2013, law enforcement officers cleared the government quarter of the Euromaidan barricades.
Later, Plakhuta, then head of the Southern Territorial Command of the Interior Ministry's Internal Troops, said that about 400 soldiers of the Internal Troops and the Berkut special forces were involved in clearing the streets.
According to him, "the people in black who were dismantling the barricades were communal workers".
At the same time, Plakhuta reported on two allegedly injured Berkut officers.
On 21 January 2014, according to media reports, an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came out to the protesters for negotiations, and that it was the current commander of the Territorial Defence Forces.
What we know about Ihor Plakhuta
In 2005-2008, Plakhuta served as the commander of the Separate Presidential Brigade.
As of 2009, he was the commander of the 169th Training Centre. Later, he was the head of the department of the Southern Territorial Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
