Maidan cases: the former SBU leadership and 20 employees of the Russian FSB were declared of the suspicion

Author:
Sofiia Telishevska
Date:

The prosecutorʼs office declared the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Oleksandr Yakymenko, his first deputy, the head of the Anti-Terrorist Center of SBU Volodymyr Totsky of suspicion of treason and violation of the equality of citizens (part 1 of article 111, part 2 of article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The suspicion was also declared to 20 employees of the Federal Security Service (known as FSB) of the Russian Federation, who assisted the SBU leadership at the time. Six generals are among the suspects:

  • Army General Viktor Zolotov — former head of the security service of the President of the Russian Federation, deputy commander-in-chief of the Internal Troops (for now he is the director of the Federal Service of the National Guard of the Russian Federation);
  • Colonel-General Oleksiy Syedov — head of the 2nd service (service for the protection of the constitutional order and fight against terrorism) of the FSB of the Russian Federation;
  • Lieutenant General Oleksiy Zhalo — deputy head of the 2nd Service (Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order and Combating Terrorism) of the FSB of the Russian Federation — the head of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional System;
  • Major General Serhiy Ehorov — first deputy head of the Department for the Protection of the Constitutional System of the 2nd Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation;
  • Major General Volodymyr Pavlik — the first deputy head of the operational information department of the 5th service (operational information and international relations) of the FSB of the Russian Federation;
  • Major General Andriy Yatsenko — a former employee of the 2nd Service (Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order and Combating Terrorism) of the FSB of the Russian Federation; for now he is the deputy head of the Department of the FSB of the Russian Federation in Moscow.

From December 13 to 15, 2013, a delegation of these 20 employees of the Russian special service was in Ukraine. They helped SBU employees create a negative image of Euromaidan participants and representatives of opposition forces.

Later, on the instructions of the Security Service of Ukraine, they created and posted 257 videos discrediting social and political events in Ukraine.

Previously, Yakymenko and Totskyi were accused of being responsible for the shootings of demonstrators on February 18-20, 2014 in the center of Kyiv.

  • On November 21, 2013, Euromaidan began in Ukraine, after Viktor Yanukovych stopped preparations for signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Protests turned into anti-government protests and became larger after November 30, when the police brutally dispersed the students. In February 2014, the shooting of demonstrators led to the overthrow of the Yanukovych regime.
  • The Euromaidan events were called the "Revolution of Dignity", and the dead were called the Heavenly Hundred Heroes. According to the prosecutorʼs office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 107 people died during the revolution. Another 2.5 thousand people were injured.