Yanukovych, his associates to be tried for Euromaidan crackdown in Ukraine
The Ukrainian office of the prosecutor general has formally indicted Viktor Yanukovych, the fugitive ex-president, and nine former high-ranking officials for organising the crackdown on the protests during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013 and 2014.
The Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity that ensued led to the ousting of Mr Yanukovych’s corrupt regime and Ukraine’s signing the association agreement with the EU.
Russia, which had lost an influence over Ukraine as a result, annexed the Crimean peninsula and sought to inspire pro-Russian mutinies in eastern and southern regions, later sending its troops in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
On 18-20 February 2014, the accused organised a number of "grave and especially grave crimes" against the protesters in the centre of Kyiv, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The investigation has established that the former president of Ukraine, with the aim of illegally obstructing the organisation and holding of rallies in support of the signing of the EU Association Agreement, at the instigation of representatives of the aggressor state [Russia], created an organised criminal group", the statement reads.
The group included Ukraine’s former interior minister and his deputy; the commander of the Ukrainian interior ministry troops; the head of the security service, or SBU, and his deputy; the head of the Kyiv department of the interior ministry and his deputy; the commander of the Berkut special police regiment in Kyiv; and the former defence minister.
The criminal group, the indictment alleges, organised the use of physical violence, firearms, military equipment and special means with the abuse of power by law enforcement officers and internal troops.
As a result, at least 67 civilians died, another 887 civilians and 132 law enforcement officers were injured, and over UAH 16 million in damage was caused, the prosecutor’s office said.
Ukraine’s fugitive ex-president is under investigation in a number of cases, including those relating to embezzlement and abuse of power.
