The first shots were fired at the protesters on February 20, 2014: the SBI identified two "Berkutov" and informed them of the suspicion
Kyiv • UNN
A former Berkut company commander in Sevastopol and one of his subordinates were the first to open fire on protesters on February 20, 2014, killing three and wounding three others, which provoked further deadly shooting by law enforcement.
The law enforcement officers who fired the first shots from pump-action rifles at the protesters on February 20, 2014, have been identified. This is reported by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General, UNN reports.
... reported the suspicion to the former company commander of the "Berkut" special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the city of Sevastopol and one of the policemen of this unit. They were the direct perpetrators of the mass shootings of Maidan activists and were actually the first to start shooting at the demonstrators.
Details
The investigation established that on February 20, 2014, on Instytutska Street in Kyiv, these police officers of the Berkut special company executed an order from their superiors and used firearms fitted with lead shot cartridges against protesters.
"... the company commander of the Berkut special forces and his subordinates were on February 20, 2014 at about 9 a.m. on Instytutska Street in Kyiv, near the pedestrian bridge. Acting in coordination with law enforcement officers of the Kyiv Berkut special company, they used firearms against the protesters - Fort-500 pump-action rifles, equipped with lead shot cartridges," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, three protesters were killed directly because of them, and three others sustained gunshot wounds of varying severity.
"Their shots actually became an impetus for the continuation of premeditated murders of protesters, already with the use of rifled automatic and sniper firearms, by members of the special forces of the Kyiv Berkut (the so-called "black company") and the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine," the statement said.
The SBI emphasizes that 48 protesters were killed by law enforcement officers and another 90 sustained gunshot wounds.
In addition, after these events, the commander of the Sevastopol Berkut, together with the employees of the unit he led, fled to Sevastopol to avoid responsibility, where they later went over to the enemy and contributed to the annexation of the peninsula. The pre-trial investigation into this episode of criminal actions is ongoing.
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"For committing these crimes, the commander of the Sevastopol Berkut and his subordinate face a sentence of imprisonment from ten to fifteen years or life imprisonment," the SBI summarized.
