The ex-president of Ukraine gave the order to shoot Maidan (video)

The investigation established that the order to use firearms on the Maidan was given by the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

IN interview Prosecutor Denis Ivanov told Ukrinform who and how gave the order to shoot on the Maidan on February 20, 2014. Investigators have established that when the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych ordered to open fire – he instructed the then Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Zakharchenko to use firearms against Euromaidan participants at about 7 a.m. on February 20, 2014, while at the Mezhyhirya residence:

“During the investigation, we found out that on February 20, 2014, Yanukovych, while at his Mezhyhirya residence, had government contact with Zakharchenko from 6:52 a.m. to 7 a.m. The investigation has reason to believe that it was during this conversation, which lasted approximately 8 minutes, Yanukovych instructed Zakharchenko to use firearms by units subordinate to him in the direction of protesters in the central part of Kyiv.”

The investigation data also shows that after a conversation with Yanukovych, Zakharchenko, through government communications, had two telephone conversations with the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

Starting from 9 o’clock. 16 min. until 17 o’clock, employees of the special unit “Berkut” of the internal troops with service firearms – Kalashnikov assault rifles, Fort pistols, Dragunov sniper rifles and Fort-500 shotguns, loaded with live ammunition – fired shots in the direction of unarmed participants in mass protests in the area Independence Square and the lower section of Institutskaya Street.

The details of the tragedy were scrupulously examined in the Svyatoshinsky District Court of Kyiv, during the consideration of the case of five Berkut officers. They were accused of killing 48 protesters. Ivanov emphasized that the executions of protesters on the morning of February 20, 2014 were broadcast live. He noted:

“The question is, why didn’t Yanukovych stop this? Why didn’t he order Zakharchenko to withdraw the Kyiv Berkut unit from Instytutska Street? Such actions indicate Yanukovych’s direct intent to have police officers commit these crimes.”

The prosecutor said that the ex-president did not sign written orders to the security forces to use violence, since this is not provided for by the powers of the head of state. However, after changing the constitution in 2010, Yanukovych personally appointed the Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Zakharchenko, the head of the SBU Alexander Yakimenko and the Minister of Defense Pavel Lebedev, and therefore the heads of the security forces were close to him and accountable to him.

The investigation established that numerous operational meetings were held in the Presidential Administration on Bankovaya Street on February 18, including with the participation of the head of the SBU Yakimenko and the Minister of Internal Affairs Zakharchenko. Then the corresponding meetings were already held in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the SBU, where the tasks set by Yanukovych were announced to subordinates. Ivanov says:

“The circle of participants is quite wide; not everyone fled Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity, and not everyone refused to testify against the former president. Therefore, we have enough evidence.”

He notes that in the period from February 18 to 20, when active security measures were carried out to oust protesters from the central part of Kyiv, there were numerous telephone connections between the government and the president’s telephone communications with the heads of law enforcement agencies. At least 10 connections between Yanukovych and Yakimenko and Zakharchenko have been recorded. With each of them. There were 5 connections each with Defense Minister Lebedev and Internal Troops Commander Shulyak these days:

“What they were talking about, the investigation did not establish. But with the help of numerous video recordings that were then made in the central part of Kiev, the connection is monitored, as after the next call from Yanukovych to Zakharchenko, the police begin an active assault on a specific area and use excessive physical violence, special means, grenades, rubber batons, shoots from pump-action shotguns. And before all this starts, five to ten minutes later, a connection takes place. What are they talking about? Perhaps this particular operation.”

“Cleansing” of Maidan November 30, 2013

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