.
BBC report sniper shooting from media centre Ukraine Hotel, which later became an infirmary for treating the injured.
Through a Polish national, I found more footage of the black-ops with yellow armbands for recognition. Now I could locate their position: in front of the International Center of Culture and Arts (October Palace). This is the very setting across from the Ukraine Hotel where a group of protesters became victim from snipers.
Yes, it’s clear the opposition groups possessed firearms, pistols and rifles. Later, evidence shows they also possessed sniper rifles seen in BBC report and a local report of a Ukrainian MP from the Fatherland party caught with a sniper rifle in the trunck of his car. Opposition security allowed him to pass.
In sequence, apparently the black-ops were a regular security unit, armed and returning fire from the protest area of Maidan Square. One of the men had been shot and the black-ops carried the wounded man to safety. The group was quite large, from the footage we see 25-30 men plus a glimpse of a Berkut official in camouflage. From the available footage, it appears they were retreating and escaped along Instytutska Street towards the intersection with Bankova Street where more video footage was shot.
In the next sequence, the protesters moved up beyond the overpass and came near the Ukraine Hotel when they came under deadly sniper fire. There is no concrete evidence which group(s) were responsible and no one was apprehended as far as I know.
In the end I found footage from Polish television station TVN24 with an expert analysis in the Polish language. I would like to know what was said, so please react with a comment.
Preliminary conclusion: the RFERL footage was distributed as propaganda to make the case for blaming the government forces for the murder of protesters on Instytutska Street, between the overpass and the Ukraine Hotel. This is false, the video of the group of black-ops was shot BEFORE the victims seen in the footage being killed by sniper fire. The Guardian, the BBC and other broadcasts should have been clear on this issue.
Below the fold the various videos I found all dated on Thursday 20 February 2014 …
I Retreat of Security Forces (Black-Ops) [RFERL video]
Snipers and soldiers on the Maidan – 0:31
Snajperzy i wojsko na Majdanie
[Polish] Siły specjalne i snajper ostrzeliwują najprawdopodobniej demonstrantów. Majdan (Kijów, Ukraina).
Special Forces and sniper fire at protesters likely. Maidan (Kiev, Ukraine).Militias with firearms near Maidan Square in Kyiv
[Ostrzał z broni palnej przez Milicje w Kijowie na Majdanie]A comment: Firearms by militias in Kiev Maidan
Sorry, but this is bad provocation. Please note that these people dressed up as policemen, have yellow armband, for the purposes of recognition. In addition, the use of weapons which no one uses in governmental institutions (even the police) or Kalashnikov. Probably the same foreign intelligence agents, or even ultra-nationalist Bandera henchmen of Right Sector organizations.Ostrzał z broni palnej przez Milicje w Kijowie na Majdanie
Niestety, ale to jest kiepska prowokacja. Proszę zwrócić uwagę, że ci ludzie poprzebierani za policjantów, mają żółte opaski na ramieniu, do celów rozpoznawczych. Poza tym, używają broni której nikt już nie używa w rządowych instytucjach (nawet policja) czyli kałasznikow. Prawdo podobnie agenci obcych służb, lub nawet siepacze ultra nacjonalistycznej banderowskiej organizacji Prawy Sektor.TheDecepticon39
more videos
II BBC Report – Maidan protests: Sniper fire from Ukraine hotel
20 February 2014 Last updated at 23:42 GMTIn the bloodiest day of clashes yet, at least 21 anti-government protesters died in Kiev on Thursday. Officials said that one policeman had also died. Snipers were reported to have fired on protesters, and some armed demonstrators were also reported to be firing towards security forces. Video
Reporting for Newsnight, Gabriel Gatehouse said he saw what looked like a protester shooting out of a window at the BBC’s Kiev base, the Ukraine Hotel [4 Instytutska str, Ukraine, 01001 Kyiv].
Remarks by Oui: Is this a BBC journalistic report? Look at video, from 1:20 an 8 sec. piece from RFERL/RadioSvoboda.org is inserted in BBC report. This is exactly what The Guardian pulled off in it’s report of sniper fire along Instytutska Street. The BBC report comes from area closer to Maidan Square and looks the protesters in the back as they try to advance. At 2:50 the reporter has crossed the street [International Center of Culture and Arts] and points to the media Ukraine hotel 5th floor where a sniper fired from open window. From that position, a sniper could fire at the police line near Barkova Street and has a clear shot at the protesters.
Interesting to find sniper firing from media hotel Ukraine – location via Google maps – under overpass.
As I recall, a few protesters who were hit by sniper fire didn’t fall backwards or to hte right, but sideways. An indication that could have been from hotel window, the very line of fire. The group of protesters were surprised by the accurate and deadly hits and had no idea where the shotswere coming from. See here original video next.
III Report of Victims Under Deadly Fire
Events in Kiev on the street. Instytutska February 20, 2014. From 19:27 overs can hear the commentator Russian TV channel. Comments, as they say, too many casualties for a small gain of territory …
For more comment see my earlier post with transcript of video.
IV Shooting at demonstrators plus interview firearm analysis
Until now, it was just a suspicion – today they are hard evidence: in clashes on Kiev’s Maidan was used firearms and ammunition acute. Our cameras registered dressed in uniforms with the words Berkut figures with rifles firing Kalashnikov, the pictures can be seen also sniper weapon. The authorities officially confirmed this afternoon that the police got firearms and has the right to use it.
Identification of reporter from Poland
WIECEJ: tvn24.pl
http://kontakt24.tvn24.pl/artykul,wiecej,1951831.html
2013-10-14 05:07 | Polskawiecej
Tagi: brak
wit.tvn24
www.facebook.com/LangustaNaPalmie
pozdrawiam siwyStrzelają do demonstrantów.
Dotychczas były to tylko podejrzenia – dziś są twarde dowody: w starciach na kijowskim Majdanie została użyta broń palna i ostra amunicja. Nasze kamery zarejestrowały ubrane w mundury z napisem Berkut postacie strzelające z karabinków Kałasznikowa, na zdjęciach widoczna jest też broń snajperska. Władze oficjalnie potwierdziły po południu, że milicja dostała broń i ma prawo jej użyć.
