107-799: Altogether, 108 civilian protesters and 13 police officers were killed in Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity (or the 'Maidan Revolution'), which was the culmination of the Euromaidan protest movement. The deaths occurred in January and February 2014; most of them on 20 February, when police snipers fired on anti-government activists in Kyiv . The slain activists are known in Ukraine as the Heavenly Hundred or Heavenly Company ( Ukrainian : Небесна сотня , Nebesna sotnia ). By June 2016, 55 people had been charged in relation to
214-558: A quick reaction force with a focus on combating organized crime . The Berkut was a reserve unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVS) and subordinates to the regional (oblast) departments of the MVS. Until 1997 it was under the direct supervision of HUBOZ (Chief Directorate in Fight against Organized Crime). Due to formation of another quick reaction force unit Sokil (Falcon) under HUBOZ, Berkut
321-457: A raptor historically associated with falconry on larger mammals, particularly foxes . It is probably a Turkic loanword , compare Chagatai (börküt), Kazakh "бүркіт" ( bürkit ), Tatar "бөркет" ( bөrket ), Bashkir "бөркөт" ( börköt ), Kyrgyz "бүркүт" ( bürküt ), Uzbek "burgut". The Berkut was founded on 16 January 1992, three weeks after the dissolution of the Soviet Union , as
428-517: A Ukrainian court convicted three former Berkut police officers in absentia for their part in the killings. The three were in hiding in Russia. Oleh Yanishevsky, a deputy commander of a Berkut regiment, received life imprisonment for murder, while the two others were sentenced to 15 years each for murder. The court ruled that at least 40 of the 48 protesters were killed by the Berkut. In the remaining eight cases,
535-474: A bridge along Instytutska Street. Throughout the day of 18 February 2014, protesters lit tires, threw and launched Molotov cocktails, bars of steel and other projectiles at lines of Berkut police. At 17:04, armed Berkut untied the wire at the Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street barricade gate near Dynamo Stadium and penetrated with some surprise. EuroMaidan protesters were watching a drone hovering from
642-620: A building, lobbing stun grenades at the crowd and shooting, when protesters stormed the building and set part of it on fire. The protesters forced their way to the roof, forcing the police to retreat. The building on Instytutska Street was described as the scene of the day's most violent clashes. Berkut and Internal Troops servicemen opened a full-scale assault, firing directly into the crowd. There were reports of police using water cannons to break through. By mid-afternoon, police officers using tear gas drove as many as 10,000 protesters from Mariinskyi Park, where barricades had been built earlier in
749-591: A deluge of Euromaidan protesters stormed the embassy and occupied the main lobby, using the embassy as a safe haven from Berkut. The embassy was used to treat the wounded during the evening of 18 February. Euromaidan protesters later left the embassy voluntarily, leaving flowers. Unnamed European allies later asserted, that given the prolonged occupation and lack of resistance by Canadian foreign service officers, Canada played an intentional and deliberate role in enabling Euromaidan protesters. Contemporary media sources argue that Prime Minister Stephen Harper never acknowledged
856-700: A memorial complex "to the heroes of Heavenly Hundred" in February 2015, on the occasion of the anniversary of the death activists. On 1 July 2014, the Verkhovna Rada (the parliament of Ukraine) established the Medal "Order of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes" . On 25 August 2014, President Petro Poroshenko claimed he had called the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election in order to purify parliament of MPs who had supported "the [January] Dictatorship laws that took
963-775: A secret resolution to increase the size of the Berkut force sixfold to 30,000. They were given more power and a reserve fund was set aside for additional ammunition. Former head of Security for the Ukrainian president, General Viktor Ivanovich Palivoda, stated in early February 2014 that those officers standing in the front lines of riot control received pay bonuses, and that they received bonuses for capturing protesters, included added years of service. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed witness accounts of voters being blocked from access to polls and being attacked along with local election officials who tried to frustrate
1070-490: A wave of large-scale protests known as "Euromaidan" began in response to President Yanukovych's decision not to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia . Euromaidan soon developed into the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989. Earlier that year the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) had overwhelmingly approved finalizing
1177-407: Is a great crime against the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state." General Prosecutor of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka said: "Organisers of mass protests will be held accountable. We will demand the heaviest punishment both for those who revved people up to take part in today's action and for those who organised and controlled them." At 01:35 the next morning, street lights were switched off around
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#17328549767411284-457: Is accused of "controlling actions of a group of people and directly participating in the arson" of the Party of Regions office building. As of 2 March, The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported 18 officer fatalities related to the conflict. Two deaths that occurred during the crisis were considered by The Interior Ministry's as having no relation to Euromaidan or civil unrest. In addition, according to
1391-613: Is compulsory for Ukrainian TV channels to display a flaming candle or a similar stylized image, and, at 12:00, a minute of silence must be observed. Revolution of Dignity [REDACTED] Maidan People's Union [REDACTED] Government of Ukraine Law enforcement in Kyiv: Pro-government/anti-EU demonstrations: Post-Minsk II conflict Attacks on civilians Related The Revolution of Dignity ( Ukrainian : Революція гідності , romanized : Revoliutsiia hidnosti ), also known as
1498-543: Is in control of Ukraine." According to Ukraine political expert Taras Kuzio in November 2013, in recent years the force had been increasingly used to intimidate anti-government demonstrators and to influence the electoral process. On 25 February 2014, acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov signed a decree on the dissolution of the Berkut, as by then the agency had become synonymous with police brutality for many pro-Euromaidan protesters and sympathizers. The Berkut
1605-523: Is known in Ukrainian history as the Black Tuesday. On 24 August ( Independence Day of Ukraine ) 1998, Berkut participated in dispersing the picketing of miners in front of the Luhansk "House of Soviets" (administration building of Luhansk regional government and legislation). The picketing of miners from Krasnodonvuhillia was caused by salary indebtedness for the last 2.5 years. At that time Luhansk Oblast
1712-618: The BTR-70 armoured personnel carriers . Some units are issued with the SPG-9 recoilless rifle and RPG-7 on a need basis. The Berkut has increasingly developed a reputation for engaging in political-related violence, including acts of police brutality and extrajudicial punishment against anti-government protesters, activists, and voters. On 25 June 1995, during mass riots of Crimean Tatars who started so called " turf war " against Crimean gang " Bashmaki ", policemen of "Berkut" from Poltava on
1819-506: The Kyiv Conservatory (music academy) on the morning of 20 February. The sniper said he was recruited by "a retired military officer". These morning shots are said to have provoked return fire from police snipers that resulted in many deaths. One Maidan leader, Andriy Shevchenko , said police commanders called him to say they were being shot from areas controlled by protesters. Another Maidan leader, Andriy Parubiy , said his team searched
1926-577: The Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution , took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych , the return to the 2004 Constitution of Ukraine , and the outbreak of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War . In November 2013,
2033-575: The Maidan square to protest against the turn. The rallies were initially peaceful but became violent in January 2014 after parliament, dominated by Yanukovych's supporters, passed laws intended to repress the protests. The European Union and the United States urged Yanukovych to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict and said they would impose sanctions on government officials if they were found responsible for violence. In mid-February, an amnesty agreement
2140-576: The Orange Revolution . After the revolution, the new government held the Berkut responsible for most of the Heavenly Hundred civilian deaths . Acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov dissolved the agency on 25 February 2014, replacing it with the National Guard of Ukraine . In March 2014, Berkut units stationed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol defected to
2247-543: The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs during the annexation of Crimea by Russia , after the territories were approved as federal subjects . There, the Berkut effectively became a Russian agency. Units were allowed to preserve their old name and now serve within the National Guard of Russia as the gendarmerie for Crimea. Berkut means golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) in the Ukrainian language , referring to
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#17328549767412354-794: The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs . In June 2014, an armed pro-Russian separatist group fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk in the war in Donbass called the Donbass Veterans' Union claimed to be composed of "more than 1000" former Berkut officers and other former servicemen and police officers. On 5 April 2016, Berkut was transferred from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to the newly created National Guard of Russia . The Crimean Berkut unit has 400 members with subunits in Kerch and Yalta . At
2461-545: The Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs . After Ukrainian independence, it was decided to organize OMON units in every oblast ( province ) center as part of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs . The new agency was fully implemented by the start of 1993, and inherited Ukrainian OMON's functions, including responsibility for high-risk police operations including hostage crises and riot policing , but primarily as
2568-563: The Yushchenko administration to curb Berkut abuse of citizens, whereupon the special force "upped its brutality." On 30 November 2013, Berkut units in Kyiv violently dispersed protesters during the Euromaidan protest movement, and have since been involved in many other instances of brutality in suppressing the movement. On 27 January 2014, the Ministry of Defense announced sharp pay raises for military personnel. The Cabinet of Ministers adopted
2675-882: The "Berkut" Separate Special Assignment Unit(s) of Militsiya to serve the newly independent Ukraine as the replacement of the Ukrainian SSR 's branch of the Soviet OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit). The order to organize the OMON in the Ukrainian SSR had been issued on 28 December 1988, over a year after the establishment of the Soviet OMON back in 1987 and almost three months later after the issue of official order on 3 October 1988. The first OMON units in Ukraine were formed in Kyiv , Dnipropetrovsk , Odesa , Lviv , and Donetsk and were based on selected units of Soviet Internal Troops of
2782-418: The "peace offensive", which student unions had agreed to join as well. The Maidan Union reported on the morning of 18 February that columns of protesters would begin a march on parliament at 08:30. That morning, around 20,000 demonstrators marched on the parliament building as that body was set to consider opposition demands for a new constitution and government. Around 09:45, the demonstrators broke through
2889-404: The 'Maidan Uprising'. In January and February 2014, clashes between protesters and Berkut special riot police resulted in the deaths of 108 protesters and 13 police officers , and the wounding of many others. The first protesters were killed in fierce clashes with police on Hrushevsky Street on 19–22 January. Following this, protesters occupied government buildings throughout the country, and
2996-509: The (then) opposition parties ( Batkivshchyna , UDAR and Svoboda ) stated "To hold talks with the regime, the policies of which led to the deaths of many people, is an extremely unpleasant thing but we must do everything possible and even the impossible to prevent further bloodshed". On 21 February, the Maidan held a memorial for the slain protesters who they named the Heavenly Hundred. During
3103-829: The 2004 Constitution , which had been repealed by the Constitutional Court after Yanukovych was elected president. The Berkut blocked their path. The confrontation turned violent. BBC correspondents reported that each side blamed the other. The security forces fired guns, including automatic weapons and sniper rifles, loaded with both rubber bullets and, later, live ammunition, while also using tear gas and flash grenades to repel thousands of demonstrators. The protesters fought with rocks and bats, Molotov cocktails , and firearms, and broke into Party of Regions headquarters. Eleven protesters were killed or fatally wounded; three were shot dead by police, eight died of other injuries. Four police officers were also shot and killed. On
3210-602: The 2014 Ukrainian revolution and Euromaidan . Media and Euromaidan demonstrators had accused Berkut of being excessively violent during these events. On 26 February 2014, the newly appointed Russian de facto mayor of Sevastopol , Alexei Chaly, announced the formation of a new Berkut special police force "in order to maintain public order in Sevastopol, to prevent unlawful acts of provocation, riots and looting." Chaly then offered asylum to former Berkut troops in Ukraine, saying "These people adequately fulfilled their duty to
3317-560: The Azarov government resigned. The deadliest clashes were on 18–20 February, which saw the most severe violence in Ukraine since it regained independence. Thousands of protesters advanced towards parliament, led by activists with shields and helmets, who were fired on by police snipers. On 21 February, Yanukovych and the parliamentary opposition signed an agreement to bring about an interim unity government, constitutional reforms and early elections. Police abandoned central Kyiv that afternoon and
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3424-443: The Berkut away from the Maidan and back up Instytutska Street . The Berkut fired indiscriminately on the protesters from ground level, while snipers fired on protesters from above. By midday, 48 protesters had been shot dead on Instytutska Street, as had two other Berkut officers. In response, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament (equivalent to the office of speaker in other countries' parliaments), Volodymyr Rybak , announced
3531-591: The Berkut shooting at protesters. On 2 April 2014, law enforcement authorities announced they had detained nine officers of the Kyiv City Berkut unit as suspects in the shootings, and verified the Alfa Group 's involvement. Officials also said they planned further arrests, but had been hindered because the Yanukovych regime destroyed documents and evidence. The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that Yanukovych gave
3638-413: The Berkut's practice of falsifying voters' ballots in favor of Yanukovych 's Party of Regions candidates. Individual cases have been reported of citizens grouping together and fighting back against the Berkut in order to preserve election integrity and results. Bernard-Henri Lévy noted that in its last days before the end of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the Berkut's disbandment, on its website
3745-478: The Canadian embassy. On the same day, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson acknowledged that protesters had taken "shelter" and were "peaceful and have not caused any damage or harm to staff." In 2015, it was revealed that the embassy had deliberately opened its gates after spotting a Canadian passport-wielding Euromaidan protester being chased by Berkut. Upon entry of the unknown passport-wielding Euromaidan protester,
3852-489: The Conservatory but found no snipers. He confirmed that many victims on both sides were shot by snipers, but they were shooting from other, taller buildings surrounding the Conservatory and was convinced they were snipers controlled by Russia. In 2016, Maidan protester Ivan Bubenchik admitted having fired on the security forces from the Conservatory on 20 February, killing two Berkut commanders. He said he acted in response to
3959-570: The EU demanded major changes to Ukraine's regulations and laws, but Russia did not stipulate regulatory or legal adjustment of such nature or scale. Russia also applied economic pressure on Ukraine and launched a propaganda campaign against the EU deal. Yanukovych's decision meant the country was turning towards the Russia-proposed Eurasian Economic Union , which was more popular in Ukraine's East. Western-oriented Ukrainians went to
4066-495: The Maidan headquarters. Another protester and a journalist were killed by titushky (government loyalists). The five police officers died from gunshot wounds. Political commentators suggested that Ukraine was on the brink of a civil war. Some areas, including Lviv Oblast , declared themselves politically independent of the central government. In protest at the deaths of civilians, Maidan activists began occupying regional state administration (RSA) buildings . On 19 February,
4173-680: The Minister of Internal Affairs, another police officer, 30-year-old captain of the Internal Troops of Ukraine Dmytro Donets, died from a heart attack. On 18 February, six officers were killed in action against protest camps in Kyiv. Ukrainian sources refer to the activists who died during Euromaidan as "The Heavenly Hundred". In April 2014, the Kyiv City State Administration and Culture Ministry of Ukraine stated that they expected to open
4280-537: The acting chief of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Yakymenko , and acting Interior Minister Zakharchenko issued a public warning to protesters to clear the streets within two hours, saying, "If by 18:00 the lawlessness doesn't cease, we shall be forced to use all legal means to bring order." At the October Palace, visible from Independence Square, riot police threw bricks down the hill at protesters from
4387-687: The agreement, thousands continued to protest in central Kyiv, and the security forces withdrew, leaving demonstrators in control of the city's government district: the parliament building, the president's administration quarters, the cabinet, and the Interior Ministry. The evening, Yanukovych secretly fled the capital, without informing parliament of his whereabouts. On 22 February, parliament voted 328–0 in favour of removing Yanukovych from office and scheduled new presidential elections for 25 May. Parliament named its chairman, Oleksandr Turchynov , as interim president. An arrest warrant for Yanukovych
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4494-532: The agreement; Russia had pressured Ukraine to reject it. The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government . Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption and abuse of power , the influence of Russia and oligarchs , police brutality , human rights violations , and repressive anti-protest laws . A large, barricaded protest camp occupied Independence Square in central Kyiv throughout
4601-505: The anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv ended abruptly on 18 February 2014, when deadly clashes broke out between protesters and riot police (known as the Berkut militsiya ). At least 82 people were killed over the next two days, including 13 policemen. More than 1,100 people were injured. On 18 February, some 20,000 Maidan protesters marched from Independence Square towards the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) in support of restoring
4708-427: The armed police officers in black with yellow armbands were part of a Berkut unit that had been deployed to help evacuate the interior troops. Protesters re-occupied City Hall. At 15:45, hundreds of riot police officers advanced toward Maidan, attacking protesters. An officer grabbed the gas mask of a Kyiv Post journalist on Instytutska Street and said of the police advance: "I love it! We love it!" At 16:00,
4815-533: The association agreement with the EU at a meeting of the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius, Lithuania , choosing closer ties with Russia instead. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had asked for €20 billion (US$ 27 billion) in loans and aid. The EU was willing to offer €610 million ($ 838 million) in loans, but Russia was willing to offer $ 15 billion, as well as cheaper gas prices. In addition,
4922-420: The attackers to provide an exit route for the women office workers and was mortally struck in the head with a bat. According to the Ukrainian news site Censor.net , Zakharov died of carbon monoxide poisoning while taking money from the office safe. On 10 April 2020 Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations handed a murder suspicion notice to a former People's Deputy of Ukraine Tetiana Chornovol . Chornovol
5029-403: The average Ukrainian police officer. Depending on the region, the Berkut's units ranged in manpower from 50 to 600. Also depending on its dislocation, the unit could have been commissioned as a company or regiment. As of January 2008, the force consisted of two regiments, six separate battalions, and 19 companies totaling 3,250 members. One of the regiments was located in Kyiv, and the other one
5136-403: The basic foundation of democracy. The line had been crossed when they called people to arms." On 18 February, three opposition parties ( Batkivshchyna , UDAR , and Svoboda ) said in a statement: "We never have and never will call people to arms. This is our principled position. The death of each person is a personal tragedy for each of us." Later that day, the parties said, "To hold talks with
5243-541: The city of Simferopol . By 21 March 2014, the date the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol were granted accession as federal subjects of Russia as a result of the referendum in Crimea , the Berkut units based in the territory were still active despite the agency being dissolved. Three days later, Russia announced that the Berkut units in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol would preserve their name and would be incorporated into
5350-457: The column neared the parliament building at 10:08, it met resistance from another cordon of police officers. There were reports that the number of protesters had swelled to 50,000. At 10:18, according to other reports, explosions and smoke were seen on Instytutska Street as people started to tear up roadway paving blocks . Protesters started to throw the pavement blocks at the police, while officers defending themselves with shields tried to subdue
5457-519: The country, have shown themselves to be real men, and are now abandoned to the mercy of this rabid pack of Nazis. For faithful service, today criminal cases are brought against them. At this difficult time our city needs decent men who could form the basis of self-defense groups, and in the future the municipal police. We are ready to provide for them if they join us in our struggle, and to offer safety to their families.” On 28 February Russia started to issue pro-Russian Berkut members Russian passports in
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#17328549767415564-504: The country, held several briefings with the agents. Russia's FSB rejected this as "groundless accusations". On 31 March 2014, The Daily Beast published photos and videos which appear to show that some of the snipers were members of the Ukrainian Security Service's "Alfa" group , who had been trained in Russia. In 2015, BBC published a story based on an interview with an unnamed man, who said he fired at riot police from
5671-496: The crackdown on protesters. Valentyn Nalyvaichenko , the interim head of Ukraine's Security Service, said the FSB agents had flown large quantities of explosives into an airport near Kyiv, that they were based at a compound in Kyiv throughout the Maidan protests, were provided with "state telecommunications", and were in regular contact with Yanukovych's security officials. He said that Yanukovych's SBU chief Oleksandr Yakymenko , who had fled
5778-498: The crowd with stun grenades. Protesters who had barricaded themselves near the Dynamo Stadium colonnade began setting fire to tires. At about 10:30, parliament was set to vote on whether to restore the 2004 constitution. However, it did not happen as Chairman Rybak did not register the bill. At 10:33, the street fights between protesters and the police shifted to Shovkovychna Street. Protesters started to wave ₴ 200 banknotes in
5885-432: The crowd, but the protesters attacked back. Two minutes later, the first report came that protesters were breaking down the doors of the Party of Regions headquarters on Lypska Street. At 11:30, protesters—including the journalist Tetyana Chornovol —sacked and set fire to the building. Two persons died as a result, including a programmer who worked at the headquarters. At 12:12, Minister of Healthcare Raisa Bohatyriova
5992-424: The day. Demonstrators threw stun grenades, filling the park with smoke. Other anti-government activists tried to keep the pro-government and anti-government forces apart. Multiple news outlets published photographs showing the police armed with AK-74 assault rifles. Former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Hennadiy Moskal speculated that they were Alpha Group units. A Berkut leader, Vladimir Krashevsky, said
6099-432: The deaths of protesters, including 29 former members of the Berkut special police force, ten titushky or loyalists of the former government, and ten former government officials. On 21 February, the Ukrainian parliament ( Verkhovna Rada ) passed a law to provide assistance to the families of the protesters who were killed. On 21 November 2014 a decree by the new Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko posthumously awarded
6206-468: The evening on 18 February and into the early hours of 19 February, the security forces launched an operation to clear Independence Square, and stormed the main protest camp. Clashes broke out, resulting in the deaths of seventeen protesters and five riot police. Most of the protesters were shot dead by police. Two others died when riot police set the Trade Unions Building on fire, which served as
6313-543: The event, a mourning Lemko song " A Duckling Swims in the Tysa " was heard ( Ukrainian : « Пливе́ ка́ча по Тиси́ні…» ). On 24 February, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) decided to propose that the next Ukrainian president award the title Hero of Ukraine to protesters killed in the clashes. In June 2016, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that forensic examinations had matched bullets removed from
6420-495: The face of some of Yanukovych's police forces—saying that they were mercenaries—in Mariinskyi Park . An activist, Oleksandr Aronets, reported that snipers were targeting civilians. By 11:00, protesters had sustained serious wounds. Molotov cocktails were thrown by the protesters, and on Shovkovnycha Street, a barricade of dump trucks was set on fire. At 11:23, the Berkut special police forces tried to launch an assault on
6527-561: The government told her an investigation had begun. In April 2014, Ukraine's new interior minister, Avakov, presented the findings of the initial investigation into the shootings. It found the Berkut responsible for shooting the protesters, and identified twelve of the officers involved. It also identified some of the firing positions. Avakov said the previous regime had tried to hinder any inquiry by destroying weapons, uniforms and documents. The investigation also found that more than 30 Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) agents were involved in
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#17328549767416634-588: The group accused Euromaidan leaders of being Jewish ; one such accused was Ihor Kolomoyskyi . Berkut had posted a picture with a superimposed Star of David and Swastika in order to depict an alliance of Nazis and Jews against pro-Russians in Eastern Ukraine . Writing in Business Insider in February 2014, Harrison Jacobs noted: "The Berkut ... has had a long history of brutality, abuse, torture, and other measures in service of whatever political regime
6741-462: The highway near Sudak , ( Autonomous Republic of Crimea ) opened fire with the intention to kill from automatic weapons which resulted in seven people being wounded and two killed. On 18 July 1995, Berkut was involved in a partially successful attempt to prevent the burial of Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk) on the territory of St.Sophia monastery (surrounds the Saint Sophia's Cathedral ). That day
6848-465: The ideology of the (old) regime," he said, citing forensic evidence. Hennadiy Moskal , former deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine and Ministry of Internal Affairs , suggested that snipers from the Security Service and Militsiya were responsible, who acted on contingency plans dating back to Soviet times: "Snipers received orders to shoot not only protesters, but also police forces. This
6955-486: The independent states of Donetsk and Luhansk , sparking the Donbas war . The Ukrainian parliament restored the 2004 amendments to the Ukrainian constitution . An interim government , led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk , signed the EU association agreement and disbanded the Berkut. Petro Poroshenko became president after winning the 2014 presidential elections . The new government began a removal of civil servants associated with
7062-447: The latter being Ukraine's biggest trade partner at the time. Yanukovych believed that the complications could be addressed, and he said that he intended to enter the agreement, but continued to postpone. This was interpreted as an attempt to back out of signing this agreement, and led to a wave of protests which came to be known as the " Euromaidan " movement. Protests originally erupted in November 2013 after Yanukovych refused to sign
7169-458: The lives of the Heavenly hundred". Kyiv City Council renamed a part of Instytutska Street into Heavenly Hundred Heroes Avenue on 20 November 2014. President Poroshenko decreed on 11 February 2015 that 20 February will annually be commemorated as "Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes". His decree established [an action plan to accomplish] a museum in Kyiv dedicated to Euromaidan . On 20 February, it
7276-510: The local or regional level. The term "Berkut" came to be used for any professional special police unit in Ukraine. Prior to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution , the Berkut had a history of illegal activities against Ukrainian citizens, such as racketeering , terrorism , physical violence , torture , anti-Ukrainian sentiment , voter intimidation and other secret police tactics against those who would elect non- Yanukovych candidates. It committed violence against protesters during Euromaidan and
7383-496: The next day that he had signed a parliamentary decree condemning the use of force and urging all institutions such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cease immediately all military actions against protesters. Parliament also suspended Zakharchenko from his duties. On 21 February, President Yanukovych signed an agreement with opposition leaders . It promised constitutional changes to restore certain powers to parliament and called for early elections to be held by December. Despite
7490-513: The opposite direction, with their backs turned to the police. Hundreds of Berkut began throwing grenades, two of which injured U.S. photographer Mark Estabrook and countless others while discharging their pistols and shotguns. Euromaidan protesters and civilians began a mass retreat toward the next gate in a barricade on Khreschatyk Street. There were many injuries and several deaths. At 20:00, pro-Russian sources had reported that 50 unknown or presumably pro-Russian assailants were trying to break into
7597-457: The opposition force the protesters to leave Maidan Nezalezhnosti . He reportedly threatened opposition leaders with criminal prosecution. In a message on Ukrainian television , Yanukovych told the opposition leaders, "Separate yourself from the radical elements that seek bloodshed and conflict with law enforcement agencies," and said that if they did not do so, he would "talk differently" with them. He added: "The opposition leaders have ignored
7704-577: The order to fire on protesters on 20 February. Many of the identified alleged perpetrators fled to Russia after the revolution. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the Russian Federation granted citizenship to 18 police officers suspected of killing protesters, and has refused to extradite them to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in 2020 that prosecutions were difficult because "evidence and documents have been lost, while
7811-520: The overthrown regime. There was also widespread decommunization and de-Sovietization of the country . Successive Ukrainian governments in the 2000s sought a closer relationship with the European Union (EU). The government of President Viktor Yanukovych had been negotiating an association agreement with the European Union since 2012. Such a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU would have impacted Ukraine's trade agreements with Russia,
7918-489: The perpetrators could not be determined due to lack of evidence. According to the Kyiv Independent : "In many cases, it was impossible to identify which Berkut officer shot specific protesters because they wore face masks or their images in photographs and video footage were of poor quality. ... the court effectively considered the officers' actions individually rather than collectively, thus dropping murder charges where it
8025-446: The phone call was authentic, but denied blaming the opposition and said he was merely relaying rumors he had heard from a doctor. A spokesperson for the US state department said the leak was "Russian tradecraft ". The doctor, Olga Bogomolets , said she had not told Paet that policemen and protesters had been killed in the same way, that she did not blame the opposition for the killings, and said
8132-563: The police barricade of several personnel-transport trucks near the building of the Central Officers' Club of Ukraine and pushed the cordon of police aside. The clashes started after some two dozen demonstrators moved a police vehicle blocking their path to parliament. At 10:00, a member of parliament representing Batkivshchyna, Lesya Orobets , reported that police armed with Fort-500T shotguns had begun to attack with flash and stun grenades from Shovkovychna Street and Lypska Street. As
8239-427: The police to retreat 200 meters up Instytutska Street and urged both sides to call a truce until morning. Protesters on the square stacked tires and other burning debris to create a wall of fire between themselves and security forces. The TV channel 5 Kanal 's broadcast was shut down countrywide but remained available via satellite (with a brief interruption) and a live feed on YouTube. At approximately 22:00, it
8346-564: The protesters took control. Yanukovych fled the city that evening. The next day, 22 February, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Yanukovych from office by 328 to 0 (about 73% of the parliament's 450 members). Yanukovych claimed this vote was illegal and asked Russia for help. Russian propaganda described the events as a " coup ". Pro-Russian, counter-revolutionary protests erupted in southern and eastern Ukraine. Russia occupied and then annexed Crimea , while armed pro-Russian separatists seized government buildings and proclaimed
8453-513: The protesters were shot by police. Two others died when police set the Trade Union building on fire, and another was found dead with his throat slit. A journalist, Viacheslav Veremii , was beaten and shot dead by titushky for filming them. The five police officers died from gunshot wounds. On the morning of 20 February, riot police massed at the edge of the Maidan camp on Independence Square. At around 9am, two Berkut officers were shot dead. Around
8560-479: The protests—told the Associated Press that the similarity of the bullet wounds suffered by both protesters and police suggested the shooters were trying to stoke tensions on both sides and spark greater violence, with the goal of justifying a Russian invasion. "I think it wasn't just a part of the old regime that (plotted the provocation), but it was also the work of Russian special forces who served and maintained
8667-584: The regime, the policies of which led to the deaths of many people, is an extremely unpleasant thing, but we must do everything possible and even the impossible to prevent further bloodshed." They said that dissolving the protests would be "counterproductive and unrealistic" and stated: "It was not we who brought Maidan together, and it is not for us to disperse it! People will decide themselves what to do depending on when and how their demands are satisfied." Berkut (Ukraine) The Berkut ( Ukrainian : Беркут , Russian : Бе́ркут , Byerkut ; " golden eagle " )
8774-453: The regular Ukrainian Army against pro-Russian separatists in the concurrent War in Donbass . Five days before the dissolution of Berkut by the Ukrainian government, Russia began annexation of the Crimean peninsula and seizing control of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol . A sizeable Berkut unit had been stationed in Crimea, and took part in maintaining public order during
8881-520: The request of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2014 after the publication on the website of the newspaper Salidarnasts about the fact that former employees of the Ukrainian "Berkut" are employed in the Belarusian OMON, the press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Konstantin Shalkevich responded negatively, since "the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not comment on low-quality essays on
8988-432: The rest died of other injuries. Four police officers were also shot and killed. Later that evening and into the early hours of 19 February, the security forces launched an operation to clear Independence Square. Small groups of titushky (government loyalists) also gathered nearby. Clashes broke out between the security forces and protesters, resulting in the deaths of seventeen protesters and five police officers. Most of
9095-490: The right to defend their lives. So I think it's right that these four people were killed. Moreover, I believe that you need to be stricter." On 18 February, protesters attempted to march from Independence Square to the parliament building, to urge politicians to vote for constitutional amendments. Clashes broke out as their path was blocked by riot police, who tried to push them back to Maidan. Eleven protesters were killed or fatally wounded. Three of them were shot dead by police;
9202-517: The rooftops around the protest area. He stated that the shooting of protesters was a provocation by extremist forces aimed at escalating violence. Party of Regions MP Arsen Klinchayev stated during a memorial service in Luhansk for those killed on 22 January by police, "These people were against the government. Nobody has the right to use physical force against police officers. And then they have their sticks, then stones, then something else. The police have
9309-505: The same day, the dead body of activist Yuriy Verbytsky [ uk ] was found on the city outskirts; he had been kidnapped a day before with Ihor Lutsenko , who was released. These were the first victims to die in demonstrations in Ukraine since it gained national independence in 1991. The deaths caused widespread protests . On 23 January, then Prime Minister Mykola Azarov in a BBC interview said that police had not been issued firearms, and said no police officers were located on
9416-516: The same time, protesters tried to push the security forces away from the Maidan and back up Instytutska Street. The security forces fired indiscriminately on the protesters from ground level, while snipers fired on protesters from above. By midday, 48 protesters had been shot dead on Instytutska Street, as had two other police officers. According to the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda , special forces ( Berkut ) and Interior Troops snipers shot at people on Maidan and/or snipers located in nearby buildings, with
9523-464: The scene of the crime has been tampered with and 'cleaned up'". He could not say when those who gave the orders would be found, but gave assurances that the matter is being "dealt with faster than several years ago". Later in 2020, an investigation by the Ukrainian Bureau of Investigations concluded that the assault on the Maidan protesters was ordered by Yanukovych and his subordinates. In 2023,
9630-516: The security forces set up checkpoints and announced restrictions on public transport and school closures in Kyiv, which the media referred to as a de facto state of emergency . On 20 February, Internal Affairs Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko announced that he had authorised the use of live ammunition against protesters. On the morning of 20 February, riot police massed at the edge of Independence Square. Clashes broke out, and two Berkut officers were shot dead. At around 9am, protesters tried to push
9737-428: The special forces firing AK-47 assault rifles. 20 February was the bloodiest day of the clashes, with at least 21 protesters killed. The final death toll from these clashes in late February was 103 protesters and 13 police. According to Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Oleh Zalisko [ uk ] in February, 184 people sustained gunshot wounds in Kyiv and over 750 suffered bodily injury. On 20 February,
9844-429: The square. The activists believed that this heralded the beginning of a decisive assault. Emerging from a meeting with President Yanukovych, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko told Hromadske TV that the talks had not been successful. Klitschko said that opposition leaders had listened for more than an hour to Yanukovych's claims that they were to blame for the 20 deaths on 18 February. The president also demanded that
9951-731: The title " Hero of Ukraine " to the slain protesters. Three non-Ukrainian citizens killed in the revolution were each posthumously awarded the title " Knight of the Order of the Heaven's Hundred Heroes ". Since 2015, the deaths have been commemorated each year in Ukraine on 20 February, which is "the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes". The first deaths occurred on Unity Day , 22 January, during riots on Hrushevskoho Street in Kyiv , where three activists: Serhiy Nigoyan , Mykhailo Zhyznevskyi and Roman Senyk [ uk ] were shot dead by security forces. On
10058-454: The true extent of the security breach. Following the warning, the police advanced on thousands of protesters on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) with guns, a water cannon, and an armored personnel carrier. Tents housing protesters were burned in the main square. The police justified their actions as part of an anti-terror campaign against "individuals who had clearly armed themselves". Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk called on
10165-550: The victims' bodies with the assault rifles of the Berkut . In the years since the revolution, the Office of the Prosecutor General has identified 27 Berkut officers involved in the 20 February shootings of protesters. However, in most cases, investigators have been unable to identify which Berkut officer shot specific protesters. In the immediate aftermath of the revolution, the new government's health minister, Oleh Musiy —a doctor who helped oversee medical treatment for casualties during
10272-515: Was all done to escalate the conflict, to justify the police operation to clear Maidan". The new Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov , said in March 2014 that the shootings were provoked by a 'non-Ukrainian' third party, and that an investigation was ongoing. Russian state media reported in March 2014 a leaked telephone call in which Estonia's foreign minister, Urmas Paet , allegedly accused the opposition of shooting both police and protesters. Paet acknowledged
10379-521: Was attacked by protesters as she left Mariinskyi Park , but she escaped unharmed. By 12:30, the police had regained control of the Party of Regions office. By 13:00, thousands of police officers had encircled the government district and begun chasing down protesters. One protester with a head wound told the Kyiv Post that charging police officers had "smashed everybody" in their path. Around 13:30, four officers on Instytutska Street were stationed atop
10486-457: Was dissolved only four days after the opposition forces that had supported Euromaidan (including Avakov) had taken control of the Ukrainian government , and replaced with the restored National Guard of Ukraine on 13 March 2014. Many pro-Ukrainian Berkut servicemen opted to join the National Guard of Ukraine, which is partly composed of former Euromaidan activists, and began fighting alongside
10593-473: Was governed by Oleksandr Yefremov and Viktor Tikhonov . In 2004 and 2005, Berkut teams participated in many actions of Leonid Kuchma 's government against the opposition during the Orange Revolution . Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych has been accused, including by Amnesty International , of using the Berkut to threaten, attack, and torture Ukrainian protesters. Upon coming to power, Yanukovych had reversed oversight measures established during
10700-536: Was impossible to prove which officer killed which protester". Unidentified activists were reported killed. On 18 February militants from the Social-National Assembly and the Patriots of Ukraine seized and burned down the central office of the ruling Party of Regions . A 57-year-old IT engineer Vladimir Konstantinovich Zakharov died in the fire. According to Party of Regions ' statement, Zakharov proposed to
10807-596: Was incited, and I'm incited to use various methods and ways how to settle the situation, but I want to say I don't want to be at war. I don't want any decisions made using such a radical way." He called on all politicians to refrain from radicalism and to understand that "there is a line that shouldn't be crossed, and this line is law". The protests that began on the night of 21 November 2013 in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv were still ongoing by mid-February 2014. A period of relative calm in
10914-575: Was issued by the new government on 24 February. Over the next few days, Russian nationalist politicians and activists organised rallies in Crimea and urged the Russian government to help defend the region from advancing "fascists" from the rest of Ukraine. The night before the clashes, Right Sector called on all of its members to ready themselves for a "peace offensive" on 18 February. The Maidan People's Union also urged all concerned citizens to take part in
11021-606: Was later reassigned under the supervision of the Directorate of Public Security of the MVS. The main duty of the unit was the security of the general public and enforcement of civil order, especially during mass public events (demonstrations, parades, sport or concert events, etc.), or in places of increased criminal activity as part of the fight against organized crime. The Berkut have also been assigned to provide protective custody of certain individuals, such as witnesses in criminal trials. Berkut members were paid 1.5-2 times more than
11128-567: Was made with protesters under which they would be spared criminal charges in exchange for leaving occupied buildings. The demonstrators vacated all occupied Regional State Administration buildings , and activists in Kyiv left the Hrushevskoho Street standoff ; Kyiv's City Hall was also released back to government control on 16 February. All those previously jailed for taking part in protests were scheduled to be released after 17 February. On 14 February, Yanukovych said: "I want to say that I
11235-406: Was reported that the police had broken through the protesters' barricades on the eastern side of the square. Officers then tried to retake the occupied Trade Unions building but failed. Presidential adviser Hanna Herman said that negotiations between the government and the opposition would not happen until peace was restored and the crowds retreated, and that "calling further for armed conflict
11342-468: Was stationed in Crimea . During the maidan protest movement Berkut members from Western Ukraine (a region leaning towards pro-Euromaidan) complained to the media that they were "mistrusted" by top commanders. The Berkut militia were distinguished by their maroon berets (also known as "krapovy beret"), an honorary headgear. Standard Berkut equipment includes AKM assault rifles , PK machine guns , Dragunov SVD sniper rifles , UAZ-469 jeeps and
11449-581: Was the Ukrainian system of special police ( riot police ) of the Ukrainian Militsiya within the Ministry of Internal Affairs . The agency was formed in 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union , as the successor to the Ukrainian SSR 's OMON . Initially specialized in fighting organized crime , Berkut transitioned into a gendarmerie used by the Ukrainian Militsiya for public security , operating semi-autonomously at
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