The court acquitted those accused of killing Maidan protesters near the Khmelnytskyi SBU in 2014

The Khmelnytskyi City District Court acquitted the former head of the regional SBU department Viktor Kraytor and a soldier of the "Alpha" special unit in the case of the murder of local Maidan activists near the SBU building on February 19, 2014.

This is written by Suspilne Khmelnytskyi.

The court acquitted Kraytor under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: abuse of power, negligent homicide, and negligent grievous bodily harm. The seizure of his property, namely 1/3 of his apartment in Kyiv, was also lifted.

In addition, the court acquitted one of the "Alpha" soldiers who was accused of shooting.

The court also canceled the preventive measure in the form of a personal bond for both defendants.

Maidan in Khmelnytskyi

In Khmelnytskyi, a peaceful protest took place near the Security Service building on February 19, 2014. After the situation escalated, unknown individuals began to break the windows in the glass doors of the SBU building, which led to the security forces being ordered to use weapons, allegedly due to the threat of an assault.

The activists were shot at with a Kalashnikov machine gun from the SBU headquarters. Then 71-year-old Liudmila Sheremet was mortally wounded, and later that night another activist Dmytro Pahor was killed by gunfire, and about a dozen people were injured.

On February 20, the then head of the SBU department in Khmelnytskyi region, Viktor Kraytor, twice publicly took responsibility for giving his subordinates the order to use weapons: the first time at a rally on the central square of Khmelnytskyi, the second time speaking from the rostrum of the regional council. At that time, he wrote a report for dismissal, and was later arrested.

The investigation of the case lasted 11 years. On February 17, 2020, the criminal cases of Viktor Kraytor and the "Alpha" member were merged into one. The time limits for bringing them to criminal responsibility expired in 2024, but the judge in the case decided to continue the proceedings.

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