Two years ago, on February 18, 2014, the Revolution of Dignity saw the beginning of its bloodiest days in Kyiv, which ended three days later with more than 100 civilians dead – many by gunfire.
More than 10,000 protesters marched on February 18 to the Parliament in hopes of urging the government’s return to the 2004 constitutional amendments. Law enforcement fired stun grenades into the crowd and that set off the escalation of violence. Protesters began to dig up the cobblestones, passed them to the front lines, where activists hurled these broken stones at police. The protesters set fire to buses that blocked the authorities from advancing, as sniper fire could be seen from the rooftops. The protesters responded by firing BB guns and firecrackers at the snipers, who were shooting bullets at the protesters.
The Party of Regions headquarters was attacked by the protesters who threw Molotov cocktails. The event resulted in at least one party employee dead and more than a dozen injured. Police retook control of the building by firing shots at the protesters and striking protesters with metal bars. Other battles raged at Mariyinskyi Park, as police advanced on the protesters, attacking journalists as well.
That night, the Berkut launched its attack on Maidan with more stun grenades and Molotov cocktails that set the tents on fire, and directed water cannons at the protesters. The protesters responded by feeding the fires to create a smokescreen and a firewall to prevent an advance by the government troops and police. Later, assaults included attacks by state-sponsored thugs known as “titushky.”
On the morning of February 19, the Maidan’s headquarters – the Trade Union building – was set ablaze and government responders directed their water cannons at the people rather than the burning building. More than 40 people were injured.
On February 20 – the deadliest day of the fighting between protesters and government forces – more than 70 people were killed.
Since February 18, as Zenon Zawada reported, more than 1,000 people were injured, 77 people were arrested, 19 of them imprisoned for at least two months. Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry claimed that it had suffered 10 deaths of its officers, who were also killed by gunfire, and more than 445 of its agents had been injured.
Other regions of Ukraine – Lviv, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky and others – responded to the government-sponsored violence against the protesters with similar actions and seizure of buildings.
By February 21, President Viktor Yanukovych and most of his entourage had fled from Ukraine to Russia, fearing criminal prosecution. In the confusion of the transitional government, Moscow, through its Russian Security Service agents, seized the Crimean Parliament.
The U.S. State Department issued visa bans against nearly 20 government leaders whom it identified as responsible for the violence against the protesters. The EU Council, after failed negotiations with President Yanukovych before he fled to Russia, issued visa and financial sanctions against those Ukrainian leaders who were determined to be responsible for the use of excessive force against Ukrainian citizens.
Source: “Ukraine becomes war zone as violence escalates,” by Zenon Zawada, The Ukrainian Weekly, February 23, 2014.