SBI notifies Yanukovych-era SBU leadership, 20 Russia's FSB officers of suspicion under Maidan cases
The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has notified 20 Russia's FSB officers, including former Chief of the Russian President's Security Service Viktor Zolotov, as well as the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), who were in office during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, of suspicion of being involved in the crimes committed during the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv.
"The SBI officers, in cooperation with the SBU, have notified the leadership of the Yanukovych-era SBU and 20 employees of Russia's Federal Security Service of suspicion of being involved in abetting high treason," the SBI said on the Telegram channel on Monday.
According to the SBI, the suspects include General Viktor Zolotov, who is the former Chief of the Russian President's Security Service and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops (currently he is the Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of Russia), Colonel General Alexei Sedov, who is the Head of the 2nd Service (the Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order and the Fight against Terrorism) of the FSB.
Also, the SBI reported suspicion to Major General Sergei Egorov, who is the First Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional Order of the 2nd Service of the FSB, and Major General Vladimir Pavlik, who is the First Deputy Head of the Department for Operational Information of the 5th Service (for Operational Information and International Relations) of the FSB.
The suspects also include Major General Andrey Yatsenko, a former employee of the 2nd Service of the FSB, who is currently the Deputy Head of the FSB Department in Moscow.
"Also, former SBU chief, his first deputy-head of the Anti-Terrorist Center and head of the Department for the National Statehood Protection of the Yanukovych-era Service was notified of suspicion," the SBI said.
The ex-officers of the SBU "incited national, religious hatred and hatred among citizens because of their ideological beliefs by order of their Russian curators."
"By a joint decision of the leadership of the SBU and the Russian FSB, on December 13-15, 2013, a delegation of 20 employees of the Russian special service was in Ukraine. They helped SBU officers prepare video materials and publications to create a negative image of Euromaidan participants and representatives of opposition forces. By instruction from the leadership of the SBU, 257 videos of provocative content were prepared and a YouTube channel was specially created for their distribution. The SBU officers reported to the Russian FSB about the posting of these video files, sending them a link to the published videos," the SBI said.
After the delegation of the FSB left Ukraine, the then leadership of the SBU backdated the documents allegedly inviting them as representatives of the intelligence services within the framework of the Information Security Commission under the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Intelligence Services of the CIS.
"Thus, the investigation has established and proven the influence of the Russian special services on the former leadership of the SBU for the purpose of carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine," the SBI said.