Andriy Parubiy: Special forces unit from Belarus “worked” at Maidan

They fired not only at protesters, but at “Berkut” as well.

A former commandant of Maidan, the first Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, is convinced that Russian snipers were in Kyiv on February 20, 2014, and three Russian and one Belarusian group of special forces.

“I am not an investigator of the prosecutor’s office, but to my mind, they were there. And notably, they were engaged not only in actions against Maidan, but Berkut as well. I saw with my own eyes as guys, participants of Maidan, fell from bullets at barricades on that day, and at the same time Andrij Shevchenko (a people’s deputy of the 6th convocation) was sending me SMS messages, informing that Berkut fighters were falling as well,” Andriy Parubiy said in an interview to RBK-Ukraina news source.

Parubiy told that on February 2o he returned to Maidan and at about 8 a.m. he heard the first shots. “Shooting was carried out towards Ukraina hotel, or, as it seemed to me, a little bit to the right, if you look at the hotel from the stage. Later I learnt that fire nests were established on the roof of the presidential administration, as well as on the roof of the National Bank. But when I was standing near the stage, I had an impression that shots were made from Ukraina Hotel. I must stress I was not following all details of the investigation, that is why I express only my opinion,” he said.

The former commandant of Maidan informed that last winter a man came up to him and wanted to have a secret meeting. “As said by him, four groups acted against us, one from Belarus, three from Russia. Their aim was to destabilize the situation at maximum, to trigger confrontation, to incite crisis situations near diplomatic missions. One of these groups was to liquidate me, and that man came to warn me. Thus, I believe that a third side was engaged there, and it worked to stir up confrontation, worked to cause blood. We see the same scenario in eastern Ukraine now,” he said.

“I am sure that Russian special forces acted against us. I was warned about them several times during the Maidan,” Parubiy said.

We remind that on November 21, 2013 on the day when the former president Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the EU Association Agreement in Vilnius, Ukrainians took to the streets in central Kyiv and in other cities of Ukraine. This rally in Kyiv was called Euromaidan.