Posted on 07/01/2023 3:19:27 PM PDT by delta7
Abstract This study analyzes revelations from the trial and investigation in Ukraine concerning the mass killing that took place in Kyiv on 20 February 2014. This Maidan massacre of protesters and police led to the overthrow of the Yanukovych government and ultimately to the Russian annexation of Crimea, the civil war and Russian military interventions in Donbas, and the Ukraine-Russia and West-Russia conflicts which Russia escalated by illegally invading Ukraine in 2022. The absolute majority of wounded Maidan protesters, nearly 100 prosecution and defense witnesses, synchronized videos, and medical and ballistic examinations by government experts pointed unequivocally to the fact that the Maidan protesters were massacred by snipers located in Maidan-controlled buildings. To date, however, due to the political sensitivity of these findings and cover-up, no one has been convicted for this massacre. The article discusses the implications of these revelations for the Ukraine-Russia war and the future of Russian-Ukrainian relations.
Keywords: Political violence; conflict; Ukraine; Maidan; Euromaidan; Russia; massacre; Ukraine-Russia war; justice It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets; it is the rule’.1
Voltaire …
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.2
John Adams at the Boston massacre trial ∵
The massacre of protesters and police during the ‘Euromaidan’ mass protests on February 20, 2014, in Ukraine was a tipping point in the conflict in Ukraine and in the Ukraine-Russia and the West-Russia conflicts.3 This mass killing led to the overthrow of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and launched spiral of conflict escalation which included the Russian annexation of Crimea and the civil war and Russian military interventions in Donbas.4 Russia escalated these conflicts on February 24, 2022, with its illegal invasion and the war with Ukraine, which has become a proxy war with the West.5
The Maidan massacre is important not only because it is a crucial case of political violence, but also from the perspectives of human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and conflict resolution. This study analyses the evidence revealed by the Maidan massacre trials and government investigation in Ukraine. The research question is as follows: what does the evidence made public by the trial and government investigation reveal about which party of the conflict was involved in this mass killing?
The dominant narrative in Ukraine and the West attributes the Maidan massacre of the protesters to the Yanukovych government and mostly ignores the killings of the police.6 With some exceptions, the Western and Ukrainian media also did not report the Maidan massacre trial and investigation revelations concerning snipers in the Maidan-controlled buildings.
The official investigation by the Prosecutor General Office of Ukraine (GPU) charged the Berkut police with the massacre of the Maidan protesters on February 20 on the orders of President Viktor Yanukovych and his heads of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The GPU arrested and charged two Berkut commanders and three members of this police unit with terrorism and the murder of 48 out of 49 killed Maidan protesters and attempted murder of 80 out of 157 wounded protesters on February 20 on Yanukovych’s orders. In 2019 the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that the investigation of the Maidan massacre had been completed.
Yanukovych along with his heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Internal Troops, and the Security Service of Ukraine, and Berkut commanders were then charged in absentia for ordering the Maidan massacre of the protesters, but no such orders were revealed. Yanukovych, his ministers, and Berkut commanders denied that they had ordered the massacre and stated that the protesters and the police were shot by Maidan snipers. However, they did not produce specific evidence in support of their claims.
In contrast to the dominant narrative in the Western media, a German television channel ARD presented evidence showing that snipers had been based in the Hotel Ukraina, and that the government investigation was manipulated.7 An investigative report by the BBC presented similar evidence, along with a confession by one of Maidan snipers who had shot at the police from the Music Conservatory.8 Subsequently, several other protesters from far-right-linked Maidan company admitted in the Ukrainian media and social media to shooting and killing the police.
In later interviews for the American, Italian, Israeli, Macedonian and Russian media seven Georgian self-admitted members of Maidan sniper groups testified that they and other sniper groups from Georgia and the Baltic States and the far-right-linked sniper group from Ukraine received orders, weapons, and payments from specific members of the Maidan leadership and former Georgian government leaders to shoot at both protesters and police in order to prevent a peace agreement from being signed by Yanukovych and Maidan leaders. They stated that snipers shot the police and protesters from the Music Conservatory and the Hotel Ukraina.9
The Prosecutor General Office of Ukraine, Maidan victims’ lawyers, self- styled ‘fact-checking’ websites, and, with rare exceptions, the Ukrainian media claimed that these Georgians were fakes or actors.10 To corroborate their testimonies, most of these Georgians provided their names, passport numbers and border stamps, copies of plane tickets, photos from the Georgian military, and a video of one of them in the Trade-Union building during the Odesa massacre. They stated that they had entered Ukraine during the “Euromaidan” with forged passports, using false names and were not stopped at the border. The head of the Georgian Legion de facto confirmed that one of these Georgians, whose identity and testimony were dismissed as fake because of spelling error in his Georgian Ministry of Defense id, served as an adviser in this ministry.11
Despite of its central importance to the conflicts in Ukraine and the world, only a few academic studies have analyzed the Maidan massacre. Most studies found that the Maidan massacre was a ‘false flag operation’ organized and covertly conducted by elements of the Maidan leadership and the far right in order to win the asymmetric conflict during the ‘Euromaidan’ and seize power in Ukraine. Analysis of synchronized videos, eyewitnesses, and bullet holes and wound locations showed that both the police and the protesters had been shot at from Maidan-controlled buildings.12 These Maidan massacre studies were cited by over 100 other studies, overwhelmingly favorably.13
Based on secondary sources, Serhiy Kudelia has argued that the violence was initiated by the far-right Maidan protesters, who killed and wounded many policemen and that the Berkut police then massacred unarmed protesters in turn.14 At least two other studies also found significant involvement of the far right in violence during the Maidan but did not examine the Maidan massacre specifically.15
Some studies attributed the massacre to the Berkut anti-riot police, or snipers from the Security Service of Ukraine and Internal Troops. However, they did not research the massacre specifically and relied uncritically on claims made by the Maidan politicians and sympathetic Ukrainian and Western media concerning perpetrators and organizers of this massacre.16 Some studies relied on a 3D model reconstruction of the killings made by a New York architectural company.17 However, this model misrepresented the wound locations specified in the forensic reports and consequently the location of the shooters.18 The SITU Research head stated that “… eventually, there is a consensus that there was a third party acting,” “it is clear from forensic evidence that people were shot in the back,” and “somebody was shooting from rooftops.”19
Most importantly, previous studies did not examine comprehensively the evidence revealed by Maidan massacre trial and investigation.……
More….
Little wonder the Russians had enough.
Founded in 1683, Brill is a publishing house with a rich history and a strong international focus. The company’s head office is in the Netherlands, with offices in Germany, Austria, the USA and Asia. Brill was listed at the Amsterdam Stock exchange in 1896. Brill shares have been publicly traded since 1997. Summarized market details for Brill can be found on Euronext.
Brill’s publications focus on the Humanities and Social Sciences, International Law and selected areas in the Sciences. Brill publications also include several major imprints with a distinguished history of publishing high quality and successful titles.
It fails the test of biased, especially towards Russia's favor. If anything it slightly favors Ukraine.
No responses to the overthrow of the pro- Russian President of Ukraine? Well, that is where the roots of this war began.
Buried by the western MSM, again.
“ Well, now we have that evidence.
In the November 16 article in the Italian journal Il Giornale, and repeated on Italian TV Canale 5, journalist Gian Micalessin revealed that 3 Georgians, all trained army snipers, and with links to Mikheil Saakashvili and Georgian security forces were ordered to travel to Kiev from Tbilisi during the Maidan events. It is two of these men that are now being called to testify in Kiev.
On the 18th of February they were given weapons and two of them took up positions at the Hotel Ukraina overlooking Maidan Square while the third was positioned in the Conservatory. Other snipers were positioned in other buildings to fire into the square. Prior to that they met with, among other people, an American soldier in uniform, a claimed “former” member of the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, who gave them orders on what to do, which it turned out to be was to shoot into Maidan Square randomly targeting people, protestors and police alike, to create fear and confusion, to implicate the government forces as the shooters, to create the chaos necessary in order to undermine the government of President Yanukovych, who fled shortly after the event realising his own life was in danger. The name of the American soldier, or the alias he used, was Brian Christopher Boyenger. He showed up later as an adviser to the Ukrainian Georgian Legion. One of the snipers stated,
“Once, I guess around February 15, Mamulashvili personally visited our tent. There was another guy with him wearing a uniform. Mamulashvili introduced him to us and told us he was an American military guy and will be our instructor.”
Another stated,
“This American was Brian Christopher Boyenger, a “former” soldier, a sniper, from the 101st Airborne Division.”
“He was the one who gave us orders.”
Questions naturally arise on how this “former” American soldier entered the country and took command of a murderous sniper unit and it is highly probable that the word “former” was used to give the Americans plausible deniability if their men were found out, as has now occurred. No one can seriously doubt that his presence was known to the US ambassador in Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, who, according to then Vice President Joe Biden, was in hourly contact with Andriy Parubiy, the Ukrainian fascist who was in charge of “self defence units” made of heavily armed fascist thugs at Maidan. According to the Italian report, Parubiy was going in and out of the Hotel Ukraina from where many shots were fired and was aware of the presence of the American soldier so the American ambassador must have been aware and his government. The Americans have yet to explain Boyenger’s presence or what rank he held in the US Army. Parubiy’s role in the events has never been explained either but Poroshenko appointed this mass murderer as head of Ukraine security and intelligence forces after the coup and he now sits as President of Ukraine’s parliament since April 14, 2016, in which position he can use to give the Germans and Americans the cooperation they want.
The massacre at Maidan, therefore, is revealed to be a carefully planned military operation organised in detail, with teams of snipers brought in from various NATO allied countries, unknown to each other, but organised on arrival, given orders and assignments and each sniper team being assigned spotters to help in their deadly work.…”
Russia had enough of what?
Thanks to the neo-liberal war mongers, America has blood on its hands...again.
“Thanks to the neo-liberal war mongers, America has blood on its hands...again.”
Don’t sweat it, it’s coming to an end, DESPITE the best efforts of the Neocons for even more blood.
Well, the article is focused on the Maidan massacre specifically, which is why they don’t go there.
In later interviews for the American, Italian, Israeli, Macedonian and Russian media seven Georgian self-admitted members of Maidan sniper groups testified that they and other sniper groups from Georgia and the Baltic States and the far-right-linked sniper group from Ukraine received orders, weapons, and payments from specific members of the Maidan leadership and former Georgian government leaders to shoot at both protesters and police in order to prevent a peace agreement from being signed by Yanukovych and Maidan leaders. They stated that snipers shot the police and protesters from the Music Conservatory and the Hotel Ukraina.
I have no clue who the former government officials were or when the government changed. Just providing what the article states.
Yes, I see.
Sounds like some of the prosecutors running around in this country, most of whom are Soros controlled prosecutors.
I knew this was going to be trouble. Like Libya and Syria.
I have no doubt soreass was heavily involved in Maidan.
https://nonzero.substack.com/p/an-exchange-about-the-maidan-massacre
"The Snipers' Massacre in Kyiv"
Euromaidan Event Reconstruction.
Among others.
When will the Russian NeoCons in the Kremlin decide to stop the warmongering?
When will they stop invading Ukraine and Georgia? Two sovereign countries.
When will they decide to halt their violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty after shipping nuclear weapons to Belarus?
Putin admitted for the first time yesterday that the Kremlin was actually the one paying WAGNER since the very beginning! Wagner (thus Russia) is helping all the dictators in Africa, and suck the gold out of Africas homelands. When will that stop?
When will Russia refrain from threatning the West with nukes on live Russian TV nearly every week? They have done that for over a year now.
Having watched some of the live-feeds at the time, it was clear both protestors and police (i.e. both sides on the front line) were being shot. At the time I suspected that the Maidan side were using the tried and tested tactic employed by the IRA and others: send the kids out to the barricades; use snipers in the background to shoot at the security forces; some of the security forces are bound to shoot back at what they can see - the kids; Bingo!
However, it was also very clear from the live footage was that some military-type groups were moving about openly on the upper levels (walkways, connecting balconies etc) seemingly with little fear of being targetted themselves... at the time this was always difficult to explain.
Every Soviet-style dictator or would-be dictator will say “They shot themselves to make me look bad”.
Russian propaganda claimed that Maidan was a power grab by a “Junta”. What that junta did ... the first thing they did was elections. By now there have been even one more election in Ukraine in 2019 and the incumbent president lost.
Meanwhile Putin has been in power in dictator for life status since 1999 and his butt-buddy Lukashenka since 1994.
No, the first thing they did after violently overthrowing the democratically elected Ukraine president was install a hand-picked US puppet government...whose first act was to ban Russian as an official language, followed on by declaring the Eastern dissidents "terrorists".
If all it takes to enact "democratic" regime change is a violent mob, than France should have a new leader shortly.
You’re retarded and you get your wrong information from retarded sources.
Your current boogieman Zelensky is a native Russian speaking Jew, who was elected overwhelmingly to be the president of what you call Nazi-Russian-Speaking-Banning Ukraine.
You remind me of Comical Ali, because you faithfully spew nonsense, but you get the clue of what the Russian official propaganda line is much later than the Russians here. That’s how you end up often saying the opposite lies of what the Ruskies want to spread.
😂😂😂
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