Ukraine 2000–2022 | How to Destroy a Nation: Part 2
The Maidan Massacre
This is the second article that covers all the political and social facts that happened in Ukraine before February 2022.
In the last article, we left Kyiv in the middle of mass protests. Those protests would lead to a bloody day in Maidan Square—an event of historical importance for Ukraine and for the entire world.
In this article, we focus on the day of the bloodbath, mostly following a BBC report. Their team was on the ground in Kyiv and captured much of what unfolded.
February 17, 2014
The far-right group Right Sector orders all its members to head to Kyiv for a “peaceful offensive.” Several other opposition groups join them.
February 18–19, 2014
Tens of thousands of protesters gather early on the 18th and begin putting up barricades. They march toward the parliament building. Clashes with police turn extremely violent. Fourteen protesters and ten police officers are killed. A journalist working for a Russian-language newspaper is dragged from a taxi by masked men and shot.
President Yanukovych urges peaceful demonstrators to distance themselves from violent radicals. He calls on opposition leaders to stop the protest and resolve the crisis through dialogue and compromise.
“Separate yourselves from radical forces that seek bloodshed and conflict with law enforcement agencies.”
— President Yanukovych
The Right Sector refuses any truce and urges demonstrators to stand their ground.
February 20, 2014
Shortly after 9 a.m., the police guarding part of Maidan Square suddenly retreat. As they pull back, video footage captures some officers firing Kalashnikov rifles at the crowd. Several people are killed or injured. Days later, three police officers are arrested by the new government, which places full responsibility for the shootings on the prior administration.
By the end of the day, over 50 people are dead, most of them protesters.
So what really happened?
A BBC investigation discovers the following:
- That morning, opposition leader Andriy Shevchenko receives an urgent call from police officers. They report being fired upon from the Conservatory building, which is under protesters control.
- Around 8 a.m., Ukrainian journalist Evgeniy Maloletka (later a Pulitzer Prize winner) enters the Conservatory and photographs armed men—some with hunting rifles, others with Kalashnikovs—along with snipers positioned behind columns on the second floor.
- One of those snipers, using the pseudonym “Sergey,” later confesses to the BBC. He says he was recruited by a retired military officer weeks earlier and was taken to the Conservatory’s second-floor balcony on the morning of the 20th. Another sniper is positioned beside him.
- Sergey says he fired at the feet of police officers and at snipers located on a nearby shopping center rooftop. He believes his fire caused the police to retreat. After about 20 minutes, he was ordered to stop and escorted out of the city.
- Meanwhile, other snipers are observed shooting from Hotel Ukraine, though it’s unclear who controlled the building.
- Police radio traffic reveals confusion about the location of additional shooters. A senior investigator later tells the BBC that whoever was firing from Hotel Ukraine was targeting both protesters and police. Andriy Parubiy, Maidan’s protesters commander, confirms this.
Despite the BBC’s efforts, the identities of the snipers remain unknown.
Ivan Katchanovski, a Ukrainian professor at the University of Ottawa, analyzes 1,500 videos, 5,000 photos, and extensive media coverage of that day. He concludes that the massacre was a false flag operation, carefully planned to overthrow the government. He identifies involvement from far-right groups such as Right Sector and Svoboda, along with oligarchic parties like Fatherland.
Aftermath
February 21, 2014 — With help from France, Germany, and Poland, Yanukovych reaches an agreement with opposition leaders to:
- Reform the constitution
- Form a national unity government
- Hold early elections by December
Still, protesters—encouraged by far-right groups —demand Yanukovych’s resignation.
February 22, 2014 —Yanukovych flees to Kharkiv, and later to Russia.
Following his departure, protests erupt in eastern and southern Ukraine. These demonstrations soon evolve into a bloody civil war, which will be the focus of our next article.
Article first published on 9 June 2025 here.