15,000 volumes of Maidan cases: Sapian tells about the stage of the investigation

The investigation into crimes committed during the Revolution of Dignity is entering its final stage. The Maidan cases comprise 15,000 volumes of evidence, with over 2,500 episodes of crimes currently identified. 147 indictments against 279 individuals have already been submitted to court, and 14 defendants have received guilty verdicts.

This was stated by Tetiana Sapian, communications advisor to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), during a telethon, as reported by UNN.

Details

As early as November 2023, the State Bureau of Investigation announced that it had reached the final stage in the investigation of the Maidan cases.

The main task of the SBI as a pre-trial investigation body is not only to bring to court all indictments involving suspects and those involved in the tragedy that occurred during the Revolution of Dignity, including the killings of people, but also to achieve justice.

She reported that only in 2020 were the cases transferred from the prosecutor's office to the SBI, and at that time, as far as she knew, more than three hundred Ukrainian citizens involved in offenses had been brought to justice.

At the same time, she clarified that it would be better to clarify the exact number of such persons with the prosecutor's office. Regarding the SBI's work, she noted that over four years, 11 guilty verdicts had been handed down against 14 individuals who were also involved in crimes.

The SBI has notified more than three hundred Ukrainian citizens of suspicion, and one hundred of them received suspicion notices only in 2024. 147 indictments have been submitted to court, involving 279 Ukrainian citizens involved in these offenses.

Sapian emphasized that these figures represent a huge amount of work.

The Maidan cases comprise over 15,000 volumes: these are two and a half thousand episodes of criminal acts, dozens of expert examinations, interrogations, witnesses, victims, and analysis of conversations.

To prove guilt in court for just one person, enough evidence must be gathered so that they are not acquitted, but convicted, and that this verdict is fair.

Of course, we must remember that 840,000 people participated in the Maidan, 60,000 law enforcement officers, and in the course of the investigation, it is necessary to establish the guilt or innocence of all these people.

Unfortunately, it so happened that since 2014, some of the suspects managed to flee from the territory of Ukraine. When we talk, in particular, about officials, the indictments concern the leadership of the state of that period – from the ex-president to the former head of "Berkut", as well as former heads of the SBU, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is a category of high-ranking officials who made decisions, and there is a category of perpetrators, for example, "titushky". For the investigation, it was important not only to identify all those involved but also to submit indictments to the court.

Sapian noted that very often the consideration of cases is delayed, but today the agency can confidently state that the persons involved in the shootings on the Maidan have been identified.

She also reminded that the investigation has been completed regarding 12 former police officers of the "Berkut" special unit, who were subordinate to the main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and directly carried out mass shootings of activists.

Among them are 11 "Berkut" officers and one serviceman of the internal troops. One of them will be brought to justice in person, and 12 in absentia.

If we talk about what part of the sentences will be in absentia, for now I can state that most cases are considered precisely in absentia.

Recall

11 years ago, on February 18, a confrontation began in Ukraine on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv, as a result of which more than 80 people died within 3 days.