Twelve Berkut officers detained on suspicion of killing demonstrators in Kyiv on Feb 20

11:51, 03.04.2014 1 min read

Twelve former employees of the Berkut special police force have been detained on suspicion of being involved in the killing of protesters in the center of Kyiv on February 20, Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office spokesman Vasyl Zoria has said.

"Twelve people have been detained," he said on Thursday.

He said that the detainees included the commander of the so-called "black company" of the Berkut police force, which gave out firearms to shoot at demonstrators.

Earlier, Acting Ukrainian Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnitsky said that fighters of the Berkut's so-called "black company," intended for special operations, were involved in the killing of demonstrators on February 20.

Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Bahanets, in turn, said: "Berkut officers, including those from Kyiv, did not receive firearms. Only a special company received [firearms]. Their task was, they explain now, but we do not fully believe them, to shoot at attacking protesters and allow the Berkut's main forces, who were unarmed and had only non-lethal weapons, to retreat along Instytutska Street towards Bankova."