“As a result of the shooting, interpreter Captain Serhiy Vaskivsky sustained a gunshot wound in the leg. He was urgently taken to the military hospital of the Indian peacekeeping forces, where he underwent a surgery,” the ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.
The injured peacekeeper is said to be in a stable condition, the Defense Ministry said.
The Defense Ministry has set up a special team to investigate the incident, the ministry said.
It was reported that on December 22, 2011, Verkhovna Rada approved the president’s decision to send Ukrainian peacekeepers as part of the UN mission to stabilize the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The document stipulated 200 Ukrainian troops.
The expenses relating to the Ukrainian peacekeepers’ participation in the stabilization of Congo are covered by the Ukrainian state budget and further compensated by the UN.
Currently, Ukraine has deployed 157 peacekeepers and four Mi-24 helicopters as part of the UN mission in Congo.