13:07 19.02.2016

Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office looks into Russian representatives' role in Maidan events, no info on snipers yet

2 min read
Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office looks into Russian representatives' role in Maidan events, no info on snipers yet

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) is evaluating the degree of influence from representatives of the Russian Federation, on the events that took place in the Maidan two years ago, head of the PGO's specialized investigations department Serhiy Horbatiuk has said.

"We are saying that there was certain influence by Russian representatives on the administration of Ukraine and the law enforcement agencies. There were visits by officials from the Federal Security Service, and the Russian presidential administration, there were meetings on the issue of the events in the Maidan, and we are investigating the consequences of this influence," Horbatiuk told a briefing on Thursday.

According to his information, Russia then provided to the administration of Ukraine reinforced munitions, which did not pass tests in Ukraine, free of charge as humanitarian assistance. Ukraine only paid the customs duties, which were paid for from the budget of the Interior Ministry.

"These were also actions taken by Russia, which tried to help the law enforcement agencies in their tough actions on the protesters," Horbatiuk said.

He said the investigators do not have any information on the presence of Russian snipers in Kyiv.

"The last visit [by a group from Russia] was at 19:00 local time on February 20, [2014]... They were accommodated at the SBU base, and on February 21, a Ukrainian special services official saw in a FSB official's room a coffer, which he believes could have contained sniper weapons. However, the sniper weapons and the coffer were not identified, and there is no information that it could have been carried on that plane. And, that took place after February 20 [the date of the Maidan shooting]," a Prosecutor General's Office official said.

Horbatiuk said that Russian officials would be suspected of having committed a crime if it is determined that some of their actions, or advice, led to serious consequences.

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