Interior Minister: Third Party is at Fault in Kyiv’s ‘Bloody Thursday’ Events

Kyiv, March 7, 2014. A third party, non-Ukrainian, is to blame for the dramatic bloodshed which took place in Kyiv on February 20, 2014. Such statement was released by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov during his briefing in Kharkiv region, as reported by Interfax Ukraine. Earlier, Russia Today speculated about the involvement of snipers hired by Maidan leaders.

During his recent visit to Kharkiv region Ukraine’s Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov shared some of the insights of the ongoing investigation pertinent to sniper shootings of more than 60 people on February 20, 2014, on Instytutska (Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Ed.) Street in Kyiv. He assured of the importance to go public with the results of the investigation once finalized, which “turned the country upside down and put it in a state of a shock”. Nevertheless, he revealed that there was “the third force and it was not Ukrainian.”

Minister Avakov stressed that it was not a question of political confrontation. “It is unacceptable when a third force allows itself to manipulate us,” he added.

In addition the minister noted of the attempts to destabilize the situation in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine which followed the same scenario referring to six different demonstrations happening in six different cities where the pro-Russian protesters used the same slogans and consisted of the same groups of people

In the meantime, Russia Today released the leaked phone conversation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Paet and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton where they discussed that allegedly somebody from new coalition but not Yanukovych was behind the snipers. During the conversation Estonian Foreign Minister referred to some Olga. Apparently they’ve been talking of Olga Bohomolets who was the doctor at Euromaidan mobile clinic during violent clashes in Kyiv.

Russian media claim that Olha showed Minister Paet photos suggesting that as a medical doctor “she can say that it is the same handwriting, the same type of bullet”. Interestingly enough in an interview to the Telegraph Olha Bohomolets stated that didn’t have access to the riot police officers who were shot to compare the wounds. She also denied the fact that a professional doctor could determine the type of weapon by treating the wound.

“No one who just sees the wounds when treating the victims can make a determination about the type of weapons. I hope international experts and Ukrainian investigators will make a determination of what type of weapons, who was involved in the killings and how it was done. I have no data to prove anything,” she said.

Notably, on the morning of Thursday, February 20, 2014, Ukrainian capital witnessed the deadliest day throughout the whole three months of the protest leaving more than 60 dead and hundreds injured. Several International media including an AP cameraman saw snipers shooting at protesters and captured video footage showing a sniper wearing a Ukraine riot police uniform.