Sniper Fire on Maidan – 02/20/2014

The first reports about snipers appeared on the morning of February 20 via Interfax: “Participants of the protest on Independence Square in Kyiv claim they have caught a sniper.” Later in the day, the outlet reported injuries among security forces: “29 police officers have been wounded, and one died in the hospital from a gunshot wound. There is ongoing fire from automatic weapons and sniper rifles.” By evening, news broke about combat weapons being issued to the security forces: “Targeted fire has been opened on police officers using live firearms… Not only law enforcement but also civilians are dying in the streets; looting has begun in Kyiv and the western regions of the country.”

RIA Novosti provided a timeline of the day’s events involving gunfire in central Kyiv. In the morning, they reported the first fatalities: “A sniper opened targeted fire on police officers, possibly from the conservatory building, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In total, 28 people have died as a result of the unrest in Kyiv, including 10 law enforcement officers.”

They also reported on their colleagues coming under fire: “According to RT correspondent Alexey Yaroshevsky, a bullet shattered the window in his room at the Ukraina Hotel. Another RT correspondent, Egor Piskunov, reported that his crew also came under fire in the same hotel.”

And on the security forces’ response: “In order to protect the lives and health of law enforcement personnel, it was decided to move them to safer positions and, in accordance with current legislation, use weapons in self-defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported.”

TASS presented a chronological report of the day’s events: “11:06 MSK. Protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv 'openly used firearms against members of Berkut special forces,' according to a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. More than 20 police officers were injured.”

Vesti.ru commented on the consequences of uncontrolled gunfire in Kyiv: “The city center is emptying, police cordons have been removed… A temporary truce in Kyiv lasted only a few hours. Around 9:00 AM, extremists resumed active actions. Firearms were used. According to eyewitnesses, shots were fired from automatic weapons. A sniper was also active simultaneously.”

RT Russian reported that the initial gunfire targeted Berkut officers: “According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, targeted fire is being directed at law enforcement officers from the windows of the conservatory located on the main square. More than 20 Ukrainian police officers have already been injured by gunfire. Berkut fighters began using special equipment against protesters. A toxic substance may have been used against law enforcement. An evacuation was announced in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and deputies and staff are leaving the parliament building.”

Izvestia conveyed the reaction of Kyiv residents to the armed clashes: “There’s no public transport, stores are smashed and looted, we have to walk everywhere, there’s shooting outside the windows… We sneak to the post office and the savings bank through police cordons. But now that issue is resolved—they’re closed until the protests end. My mom says the only similar thing in Kyiv was during the Nazi occupation.”
“We’re tired of the constant noise, crashes, and gunfire, but we’re afraid to leave our apartment—the looters will ransack it.”
“Yesterday, they trashed the pharmacy under our window, it’s not operating anymore. The cars in the yard burned down. Pieces of paving stone are lying everywhere. We walk along Khreshchatyk like it’s a minefield.”

The British newspaper The Guardian avoids mentioning casualties among security forces: "Scores of people have been killed and many more injured in what has become the bloodiest day in modern Ukraine history. The violence began shortly before 9 AM when protesters, armed with axes, knives, clubs, and makeshift corrugated iron shields, advanced onto a bridge in the center of the Ukrainian capital and pushed the special forces back from Independence Square… Dozens of people — some wounded, some dying, and some already dead — were carried away on planks or makeshift stretchers. Others were simply dragged on their backs across the ground under fire."

The British newspaper The Telegraph briefly cited a statement from the White House press secretary: "We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people. We urge President Yanukovych to immediately withdraw his security forces from downtown Kyiv and to respect the right of peaceful protest, and we urge protesters to express themselves peacefully."

The American newspaper The New York Times placed the blame for the shooting on law enforcement without trial or investigation: “Security forces fired on masses of antigovernment demonstrators in Kiev on Thursday in a drastic escalation of the three-month-old crisis that left dozens dead and Ukraine reeling from the most lethal day of violence since Soviet times.”

The French newspaper Le Figaro summarized the death toll over several days: "On Thursday, more than 40 people were killed by sniper fire, bringing the number of demonstrators killed since Tuesday, February 18, to 80."

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica provided casualty figures from both protesters and official sources: "This is now a civil war. The truce declared by President Viktor Yanukovych lasted only a few hours in Kiev: on Maidan, the center of the pro-European and anti-government protest, clashes between security forces and radical demonstrators resumed. According to the opposition, more than a hundred people have been killed, and 500 wounded. The official death toll stands at 75."

The Spanish newspaper El País contrasts romanticized snipers in films with the grim reality: "The allure disappears, and this job takes on a monstrous tone when you are told that these ghostly killers are tasked with indiscriminately killing civilians who take to the streets to protest against the government. It is said that these sinister and precise cowards have killed 100 people protesting in Kiev. Some were wearing balaclavas and carrying sticks, bats, stones, and clubs — a defense far too vulnerable against the bullets of an unseen enemy."

The Latvian news website delfi.lv does not focus on the snipers but presents the casualty numbers over several days: "There are no police in central Kiev — security forces have left the 'Maidan territory' as well as the government quarter, retreating to distant positions. There is increasing talk of snipers targeting protesters. Besides the shooters spotted on the roof of the Ukraina Hotel and Instytutska Street, two more were seen on the roof of the Cabinet of Ministers building in Ukraine."

Ukrainian channel TSN initially reported injuries among law enforcement officers from sniper fire:
“As of 9:30 AM, shots from the conservatory building in central Kyiv continue. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, snipers are still firing at law enforcement officers.”

Only around noon did reports of protester casualties begin to appear:
“Fifty demonstrators have fallen victim to snipers.”

Ukrainska Pravda reported rumors about one sniper being captured and relayed exchanges between the rebels:
“On Maidan, they claimed a sniper was caught.”

“Around 9:00 AM, a loudspeaker blared: ‘Don’t shoot our own in the back and don’t throw anything… Guys, be careful, you can’t see anything in the black smoke—our guys are over there, don’t throw anything over the barricades.’”