The Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to compensate for moral damages to victims of the Maidan
Kyiv • UNN
The court ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pay 200,000 hryvnias to a victim of the Berkut's actions. The state will be held liable for moral damages caused during the Maidan.
The state must compensate for moral damages to victims during the Revolution of Dignity. The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine made the corresponding decision, reports UNN with reference to the Advocacy Advisory Group.
Details
On May 27, 2026, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine put an end to the question of "whether the state should be held liable for damage caused by its representatives, in particular 'Berkut' officers, during the Maidan." This refers to the case of the former deputy commander of the Crimean "Berkut" - Chief of Staff Serhiy Marchenko, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The verdict against Marchenko confirmed the illegality of the actions of law enforcement officers during the storming of the Maidan on the night of December 11. It also provided an assessment of the high treason of the former law enforcement officer who, contrary to his oath to serve the People of Ukraine, defected to the side of the aggressor country. The court established that on the night of December 10-11, 2013, during the storming of the Maidan, as a result of the illegal actions of the Crimean "Berkut" under Marchenko's leadership, 20 protesters suffered bodily injuries of varying degrees of severity and physical pain
The victim's lawsuit against the State, represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, for compensation of moral damages was granted.
The Chamber announced the operative part of the decision:
To satisfy the victim's claims against the State, represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and to recover from the State, at the expense of the state budget of Ukraine, 200,000 UAH in favor of the victim as compensation for moral damage caused as a result of the crime.
To partially satisfy the cassation appeal of the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
To deny the victim's civil claim against the convicted Marchenko (the decisions of the first and appellate instances provided for joint compensation from the convict and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the verdict was changed in this part).
Thus, it follows from the decision of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a state body, is the proper defendant in cases where damage to a victim was caused by "Berkut" officers during the Revolution of Dignity and this has been proven by a court