Recent Maidan Snipers' Testimony 'Most Detailed and Crucial So Far' - Analyst

© Sputnik / Andrey Stenin / Go to the mediabankPolice officers are seen on Maidan Nezalezhnosti square in Kiev, where clashes began between protesters and the police. (File)
Police officers are seen on Maidan Nezalezhnosti square in Kiev, where clashes began between protesters and the police. (File) - Sputnik International
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A recent investigation by Sputnik journalist Andrei Veselov revealed new facts behind the killings during Ukraine's Maidan. In an interview with Sputnik, Polish publicist Janusz Niedwiecki commented on the testimony by Georgian snipers who claimed Ukrainian opposition leaders ordered them to fire on police and ordinary people during the protests.

The latest testimony regarding the Maidan shooting is "shocking," Polish public figure and writer Janusz Niedwiecki told Sputnik.

"It is difficult to assess the veracity of these statements. This, of course, should be handled by a Ukrainian court; the case is in its competence. However, the very fact that someone, without hiding his name, decided to make a confession and tell in detail about how these events took place should certainly cause deep concern on our part, since it is the most detailed and most crucial testimony in this case so far," Niedwiecki said.

Earlier, Sputnik correspondent Andrei Veselov met with the purported snipers who said they were responsible for firing at people in Maidan.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE:'Shoot at All Targets on Maidan': New Evidence of Georgian Snipers

The agency has obtained the interrogation records of Koba Nergadze and Aleksandre Revazishvili.

Both Georgian nationals, ready to testify in a Ukrainian court, insisted that they were taking orders from Maidan leaders. Moreover, they said they had direct orders to fire at police officers and protesters in order to enrage the crowd and provoke a political crisis.

"I have a strong impression that there are forces in Ukraine that don't want this case to be properly investigated. Just like with the Odessa murders — that case has been blocked and came to a deadlock. Maybe it's because its ultimate resolution is against the interests of those who came to power as a result of the Maidan events," Niedwiecki said.

During their testimony, the two ex-mercenaries also mentioned snipers of other nationalities who acted at Maidan, including several Poles and Lithuanians.

Commenting on the issue, the publicist said that he doesn't believe that Polish authorities could have been involved in the crimes.

"Messages about Poles and Lithuanians being in the second group [of snipers] are very disturbing. Of course, it's hard for me to believe that the Polish authorities could have participated in political crimes despite their uncompromising and ill-conceived support for the Maidan coup," Niedwiecki said, adding however, that the possibility of involvement of some Polish individuals can't be excluded.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: What Strikes Fear Into Ukraine: Sputnik Publishes Evidence by Georgian Snipers

According to the analyst, the Polish public is unlikely to learn the truth behind the shootings as the country's mainstream media, referring to Western journalists, have claimed that there were Russian nationals among the snipers.

"Unfortunately, there is no big hope for this. Until the issue is resolved in Ukraine, the Polish media won't say anything fundamentally new on the matter. As for the topics concerning Ukraine, major media outlets in Poland mindlessly repeat the Ukrainian ones, justifying this by the need to support the Ukrainian authorities," the analyst concluded.

On February 20, 2014, unknown snipers shot at people who stood gathered on Kiev's central Maidan square, killing 49 protesters and four police officers. Local opposition leaders, as well as US and EU representatives, were quick to point a finger at the "regime of Viktor Yanukovych." An official investigation failed to produce any results with the culprits still at large.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.

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