Public discontent caused by the procrastination in the search of the guilty in mass murders of people during the Euromaidan is growing. The recent press conference of the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Security Service of Ukraine, and Prosecutor General of Ukraine was designed to subdue the fever of public wrath. Obviously, the investigation is under way now (and secrecy must be maintained) and these are just the preliminary results of the investigations.
***
Arsen Avakov, head of the MIA: “The so-called Berkut ‘black company’ operated in Instytutska Street and was led by Major Dmytro Sadovnyk. All the participants of these events were identified, the degree of their involvement is being clarified. The investigation determined the situation in which we established a relation between the former foreign minister Zakharchenko with Zubrytsky, head of the Contact Media Holding. The latter carried out the whole coordination and communication of titushkos, who assisted law-enforcement bodies in the repressive actions against protesters. Zubrytsky contacted Stanislav Rohozin, former head of the Main Department on Combating Organized Crime, and Yurii Fedko, former deputy head of the State Service for Combating Economic Crimes. Yevhen Zhylin, who represents organization Oplot, is also a prominent figure in this scheme.
“On the night of murder of Vesti journalist Viacheslav Veremii, members of the same gang killed five more people. Titushkos, who committed the murder, were staying in the office of the MP who is commonly known by his nickname Yenakiievsky. They were given weapons and ammunition. Utterly cynical is the fact that half an hour before the murder took place, the shooter (captured on video) was present at the Ministry of Internal Affairs building at 10 Bohomoltsia Street, where he was given the weapon. Also, a group of 10 people was identified, who regularly beat up Maidan activists, and these persons are also involved in kidnapping people (10 cases of this kind were registered, including the kidnapping of public activists Ihor Lutsenko and Yurii Verbytsky),” Avakov emphasized.
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, head of the SBU: “Overall 108 armed fighters of Alpha special unit intended to storm the Trade Union Center on Independence Square on February 18, where the headquarters of the protesters was located. They were prevented by the ignition of the building and therefore forced to retreat. The next day, Alpha snipers operated in the buildings at 6 Kostiolna Street and 7/11 Khreshchatyk Street. They continued operating on February 20 as well, having additionally established sniper posts on the Presidential Administration building. Some members of the special unit are cooperating with the investigation, another part of Alpha fighters along with Berkut fighters have fled to Crimea. The so-called anti-terrorist operation was launched by the former SBU head Oleksandr Yakymenko in a close cooperation with Vitalii Zakharchenko and with direct involvement of the former president Viktor Yanukovych.”
Nalyvaichenko also confirmed the “Russian trace” in all those events: “Between December 20 and 30, 2013 26 agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation were staying at the training base of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and in mid-January 2014, 6 FSB agents. We have well-grounded reasons to believe that these groups, which had been staying at one of the SBU training bases, took part in planning and implementation of the so-called ‘anti-terrorist operation.’ Twenty-six FSB officers… directly participated in mass killings. On January 20, 2014 several Russian transport planes from Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow landed at Hostomel airfield near Kyiv, carrying weapons and 5.1 ton explosives on board. Russian secret service agents participated in the developing and implementation of operations Khvylia (“Wave”) and Boomerang, aimed at the clearing of Maidan.”
Oleh Makhnitsky, chief of the Prosecutor General’s office: “The investigation is checking this version as the main one, concerning the arson of the Trade Unions Building by members of Alfa. As to Asaveliuk, the investigative actions are being carried out, and official investigation is under way. At present, there are no grounds for imposing any restraint measures.”
***
Not all the journalists were able to ask their questions, the press conference was interrupted due to a lack of time. What is the point of such a press conference following a long silence? And the main question: who is the incumbent government going to try when all the key figures behind these crimes have left the country? Even half of the performers are not to be found (which the press conference virtually confirmed).
