kyiv.Ukraine.Ukraine Gate – November 30,2021- On the night of November 30 in Kiev, on Independence Square, a special unit of Berkut violently dispersed students in protest of the government’s decision to suspend preparations for an association agreement with the European Union.
Up to 400 protesters were in Independence Square that night. Even before 4 in the morning, Christmas tree items began to be delivered by truck to the main square in Kiev and Ukraine. At the same time, police units (up to 2,000 people) surrounded the activists – some were tired, nauseous, others were warming themselves with fire, someone sings songs.
This force special operation was called quite prosaically: “clearing the area for the installation of a Christmas tree.”
Videos posted on the Internet showed Berkut pushing people out from under the Independence Monument, beating them with batons and kicks. Some continued to be beaten even after he fell.
For many, the only refuge was the St. Michael’s Monastery, which opened its doors that night to many persecuted.
At least 79 people were injured as a result of the actions of the Berkut special unit. Police detained 35 people but later released them. Two criminal proceedings were opened against the protesters – under the articles “resistance to the authorities” and “hooliganism”. The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained the dispersal of the protesters by provocations on their part. The then leadership of the state dissociated itself from the actions of the security forces; no one was punished, no investigation was launched.
The events of November 30 were a turning point in the Ukrainian protests of late 2013, shifting the focus of the protests from pro-European to anti-government.
The next day, December 1, 2013, one of the most crowded rallies took place in Kyiv, which gave impetus to the further escalation of the confrontation between Ukrainians and the authorities.