Investigation of cases related to the events of the so-called Euromaidan in the Ukrainian regions turned out to be blocked due to the fault of the former head of the organization and procedural management of the pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation (SSI), Sergey Kizya. This was announced on the air of the Ukrainian Internet TV channel “Gromadske” by the head of the department of special investigations of the Prosecutor General’s Office (GPU) Sergey Gorbatyuk.

“In fact, this investigation is not carried out in the regions today. A large number of criminal proceedings are closed, and closed without justification, ”said Gorbatyuk, adding that the work had not been carried out for the past six months, after Kiz was appointed as the head of the department.

It should be noted that in early July, Serhiy Kiz was promoted, becoming the fifth deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, recommended to the post by the Prosecutors Council.

Crime without punishment

Recall that Sergei Gorbatyuk and previously stated intentional delay in the investigation of crimes committed during the days of the “revolution of dignity”. So, at the end of 2017, he made loud accusations against the leadership of the country.

“I blame (for delaying the investigation. - RT ) the heads of law enforcement agencies and the leadership of the state. (Guilty. - RT ) Attorney General Lutsenko, Minister of the Interior Avakov, head of the SBU Gritsak and, accordingly, the head of state who is responsible for this, ”Gorbatyuk quoted UNIAN.

Nevertheless, a year later, at a briefing in Kiev, the head of the special investigations department of the GPU reported on the disclosure of most of the "crimes" committed "against the Maidan" in 2013-2014.

“To date, of those 4.7 thousand crimes, most of them have been solved, that is, the circumstances of these crimes have been established,” said Gorbatyuk.

At the same time, only 13 people were in custody in such cases at that time.

  • Fire in the House of Trade Unions, Odessa, May 2, 2014
  • Reuters
  • © Yevgeny Volokin

“They could have been much more, but there are repeated cases of a change in the measure of restraint, even to individuals who were suspected of having committed three murders and 33 attempted murders,” he said.

So, among those who were appointed a preventive measure, not related to deprivation of liberty, are Sergey Khodiyak, suspected of shooting opponents of the Maidan in Odessa on May 2, 2014. In 2015, a criminal case was initiated against him, but he was not sent to the SIZO and to this day continues to conduct active public and political activities, leading the organization “National Resistance”. At the same time, the consideration of a criminal case is constantly postponed.

Political scientists note that this case is far from the only one: supporters of the “euromaidan” often escape responsibility for the crimes committed, while their former opponents may languish in prisons for years.

The circumstances of one of the most resonant episodes of the “Maidan” - the shooting of the so-called heavenly hundreds remain unclear.

Recall: from 18 to 20 February 2014 from the bullets fired by unknown snipers, 104 protesters were killed, who were later called the heroes of the “heavenly hundreds”. In this case, the victims were among the militiamen who had dispersed the Maidan.

This incident was the catalyst for a coup in Ukraine, experts believe.

Trying to stop the uncontrolled development of the situation, on February 21, Yanukovych signed an agreement to resolve the crisis with the leaders of the protesters mediated by the German and Polish foreign ministers, as well as the head of the continental Europe department of the French foreign ministry Eric Fournier. However, by that time the situation was completely out of control, and in a matter of days, there was a change of government in the country.

"The investigation is not completed"

As political analyst Anna Aryamova said in an interview with RT, the version of the leaders of the “euromaidan” about Viktor Yanukovych’s involvement in the shooting of protesters and employees of the “Berkut” does not hold water.

“Yanukovych kept then all the agreements concluded with the protesters, it did not make sense for him to arrange such a provocation, because the consequences were too obvious. For the crimes are those who then came to power. By and large, even if Poroshenko personally had no relation to this tragedy, he had to be responsible for these events, because it was he who later headed the state that arose on the ashes of the “Maidan”, the expert believes.

  • Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych (right) in the Rostov Regional Court
  • © Sergey Pivovarov / RIA News

But for the new political elite, who occupied the highest state posts on the wave of those events, it was beneficial to continue to support the legend about the involvement of Yanukovych in the shooting of protesters, despite the lack of evidence, experts say. The investigation, which has been going on for the sixth year, has still not come close to the final.

In October 2017, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said that the pre-trial investigation into the shooting of protesters was completed and will be submitted to court.

“This is what society has been waiting for all these years. This is what, when appointed in parliament, they set me as assignment # 1. Now I can report: the investigators and prosecutors have done their huge, gigantic work, ”he said.

The defendants were ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, ex-Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko and former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Alexander Yakimenko, as well as a number of other officials.

However, the trial was never launched. Once again, Lutsenko said about the completion of the investigation already in February of this year, stressing that there are about 160 people suspected in the case, including Viktor Yanukovych.

But soon Sergey Gorbatyuk denied this information.

“The investigation is not completed,” he said.

The trial of five former employees of the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine “Berkut” - Sergey Tamturoy, Alexander Marinchenko, Oleg Yanishevsky, Sergey Zinchenko and Pavel Abroskin, is currently ongoing. They are accused of killing 48 people on "euromaidan".

At the same time, the court refuses to interrogate the key witnesses - the citizens of Georgia Koba Nergadze, Alexander Revazishvili, Georgy Bezhitashvili and Cezari Badzhaladze, who were participants in those events.

  • Former fighters of the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Berkut", accused of executions on the "Maidan" in February 2014, during a meeting in the Svyatoshinsky District Court of Kiev
  • RIA News

For the first time, the “Georgian trace” in the shooting on “Maidan” was started up already in April 2014, when retired Georgian general Tristan Tsitelashvili announced involvement in the provocation of four former employees of Mikhail Saakashvili.

“There were four Georgians. We know their names and surnames, we know where they worked in power structures during Saakashvili’s time, ”he said.

Subsequently, the Italian journalist Gian Mikalesin managed to find these people and talk to them, their story was included in the documentary. They reported that the order to shoot was given by former military adviser to Mikhail Saakashvili Mamuka Mamulashvili, and the weapons and ammunition were delivered by the Ukrainian people's deputy Sergey Pashinsky and the activist of the “euromaidan” Vladimir Parasyuk.

"The probability is low"

Despite all the efforts of the authorities, many Ukrainians consider the official version of the development of events implausible, analysts say.

“Yes, some part of society believes what Kiev says: the alleged perpetrators of the tragedy are Viktor Yanukovych and his entourage. Others doubt all the hypotheses. But there are those who are convinced that in 2014, provocations were organized by people like Parubiy and Pashinsky, ”explained Mikhail Pogrebinsky, director of the Kiev Center for Political Studies and Conflictology, in an interview with RT.

According to Anna Aryamova, it will be possible to rely on a relatively objective investigation of the execution of the “heavenly hundred” and many other crimes committed during the “revolution of dignity” as Ukrainians begin to soberly assess the consequences of the 2014 coup.

“When the Ukrainians came out on Maidan, there was objective fatigue in society, bordering on extreme antipathy towards the authorities. But after years the understanding comes that "euromaidan" was a mistake after all. I do not rule out that soon people will understand how this coup was actually carried out, ”says Aryamova.

At the same time, political scientists state: it is impossible to conduct an objective investigation while the direct participants of those events are in power. Experts do not exclude that the situation will change under Zelensky.

“The probability of this is small. Most likely, Zelensky and his team will not begin to promote this story. However, if they want to seriously flagellate the previous regime of Petro Poroshenko, real customers of the 2014 shootings can be called, ”Aryamova said.

Mikhail Pogrebinsky adheres to a similar point of view. According to him, in theory, Zelensky could turn in his favor an investigation into the shooting of the "heavenly hundred" and other high-profile crimes of that period, but for this he needs to get real power and show political will.

“This will be possible if Zelensky’s party gains control over parliament and is able to appoint loyal ministers, including the heads of law enforcement agencies. True, so far the Ukrainian president is not impressed by a politician capable of taking such steps, ”Pogrebinsky summed up.