The court arrested the ex-commander of Lviv Berkut. He is suspected of involvement in the murders of Maidan activists

Author:
Liza Brovko
Date:

The appellate court took into custody without bail the former commander of the Lviv special police battalion "Berkut" Rostyslav Pacelyak in the Euromaidan case.

The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office writes about this.

According to investigation materials, on February 18, 2014, Pacelyak organized a terrorist attack with the help of his subordinates to prevent protesters from moving from Maidan Nezalezhnosti to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament).

The investigation believes that the ex-commander of Berkut unjustifiably ordered employees to use firearms and special equipment against Maidan activists. Three people died because of it. Another 125 people received injuries of varying degrees of severity, including gunshot wounds.

  • On March 22 of this year, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) notified Rostislav Pacelyak of suspicion. He is suspected of exceeding official powers, committing a terrorist act, organizing to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as committing intentional murders and completed attempts to kill two or more participants in protest actions.
  • The "Berkut" special unit was liquidated by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov after the events on the Maidan in the winter of 2014. "Berkutians" are considered to be involved in the murders of peaceful protesters, the disappearance of people and torture.