Yanukovych, Zakharchenko, Kliuyev suspected of Euromaidan crackdown

Head of the Prosecutor General's Office specialized investigations department Serhiy Horbatiuk said this at the briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The suspects are ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, ex-interior minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko and ex-secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kliuyev.

"As you know, November 21, the former leadership of Ukraine, acting solely in their own interests, not related to the interests of the state, decided to abandon the path of European integration. As a result, exclusively peaceful protests in support of the European integration of the country started in Kyiv. However, that situation did not satisfy the former leadership of the country, and the protesters were dispersed in violent way at night of November 30. The people, directly responsible for the crackdown on Maidan, were commander of the Kyiv special operations regiment Kusiuk and deputy [Kyiv police chief] Fedchuk," he said.

According to Horbatiuk, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has established the direct organizers of the crackdown on Maidan. In particular, personally Yanukovych made the decision while Zakharchenko and Kliuyev organized the implementation of the plan.

"The investigation established that the decision on the crackdown of Maidan by means of force was made directly by former president [Yanukovych]. The instructions to implement this plan were given to Ukraine's former interior minister [Vitalyi Zakharchenko] and [former] National Security and Defense Council secretary Andriy Kliuyev," he said.

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