KYIV. Feb 26 (Interfax) - One of the reasons why no tough steps have been made to find and arrest Viktor Yanukovych in the Crimea was the desire by senior law enforcement officials to avoid armed conflicts, Ukraine's Acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said.

"I think we must not allow any military standoff or conflict to happen. I shall be extremely candid with you: it was one of the reasons why on the night when Valentyn Nalivaichenko (the head of the Ukrainian Security Council) and I were in Sevastopol, in the Crimea, we chose not to continue tough actions with respect of Viktor Yanukovych