What is "Berkut"? What did the "Berkutites" do on the Euromaidan?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

In connection with the recent events in Ukraine, many have wondered what the "Berkut" is, which is constantly talked about in the news. Members of this unit took an active part in the actions that took place in a variety of brawls on the territory of the state. But they became known after the events on the Euromaidan - the main square of Ukraine.

General information

In fact, the Berkut is a police unit similar to the Russian OMON (Special Purpose Police Detachment). The service was officially created in 1988, but under the name OMON, later, in 1992, it was given its current name. The functions of the division remained the same. "Berkut" monitors the maintenance of order, that is, it works as a patrol service, preventing and suppressing possible potential conflicts.

Activities

The unit consists of only one regiment, which is divided into seven battalions stationed in the largest citiesUkraine. Employees of "Berkut", whose number reaches 3 thousand people, are divided into 19 companies. The unit has a wide variety of military equipment, ranging from tear grenades to armored personnel carriers.

In 1995, Berkut took an active part during clashes between Crimean Tatars and police, after which two of the employees were prosecuted for beating and extortion.

In 2004, the fighters of the unit kept order throughout the orange revolution. In 2007, "Berkut" twice participated in major brawls: first during the actions dedicated to the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, then during the match, after which service members were accused of beating teenagers and girls. The network even got a video in which the fighters beat the girl.

Euromaidan

But the whole world learned what Berkut was only in 2013, when the first dispersal of a peaceful protest of students who gathered on the main square of the country in Kyiv took place, which caused a real revolution.

Starting from January 19 of this year, there have been serious clashes on the basis of political views, as a result of which many people suffered both from the protesters and in the ranks of the Berkut. The confrontation began on Hrushevsky Street in Kyiv, where the first protester, Sergei Nigoyan, was killed. Immediately it became known about the first victim of the Euromaidan, which was reported by all the media. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine confirmed that Sergei Nigoyan was killed by an unknown personsniper, but everyone blamed the Berkut unit for his death.

Confrontation

It really became clear to everyone what Berkut was on February 18, 2014, when the Euromaidan and all its activists were stormed. On this day, many people died, according to various sources, at least 100 people. Most consider the employees of the unit to be guilty of this, on whose shoulders the responsibility for the rivers of blood spilled on the main square of the country fell.

Disbandment

Shortly after these events, the military unit was disbanded, as witnesses and participants in the event claimed that the employees showed excessive brutality during work. Since then, a lot has been said about what Berkut is and whether its representatives were authorized to clean up the Euromaidan, but nothing can change the fact of the killings.

Conclusion

Now, when quite a bit of time has passed and it is difficult to determine what information is true, it is difficult to judge how right or wrong the unit's employees were when storming the Euromaidan. On the one hand, Berkut, special forces and riot police are forced to follow orders, on the other hand, a huge number of people died in the brawl. Therefore, the question remains how lawful and moral the actions of the unit were.