Prosecutor General: Maidan Protesters Were Shot by Berkut Weapons

An investigation has proved that a number of bullets which struck Maidan protesters in Kyiv were shot from the weapons of the ‘Berkut’ special riot police. Roman Psiuk, of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, reported this to journalists following a court hearing on the killings of 48 Maidan protesters on February 20, 2014, Liga.net [ed.: the text of this hyperlink is in the Russian language] informs.

The prosecution submitted findings of ballistic examination of bullets removed from injured protesters. "The examination identified that these bullets had been shot from assault rifles of the ‘Berkut’ special riot police," Psiuk asserted.

The defense attorneys of ex-Berkut officers accuse the prosecution of fabrication of the findings of ballistic examinations. Psiuk countered that the examination had been conducted by independent experts of the Ministry of Interior and Kyiv Forensic Examination Institute, not by the Prosecutor’s Office.

The next court hearing with regard to ex-Berkut officers will take place on June 30.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda