Russia refuses to extradite to Ukraine former commander of the Berkut special police suspected of killing Maidan protesters
The Russian Federation refused the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine to detain and extradite Serhiy Kusyuk, the former chief of the Kyiv regiment of the Berkut Special Police Force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
"Russia refused to extradite him," the head of the special investigations department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, Serhiy Horbatyuk, told Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday, October 7. Horbatyuk said the Russian Federation refused to extradite him because Kusyuk is a Russian citizen.
Earlier, Horbatyuk said that the investigation believes that the special unit of the Kyiv "Berkut" was involved in the shooting of protesters during the Revolution of Dignity on February 20, 2014 in the center of Kyiv.
"Based on the results of the investigation, we found that the special unit of the Kyiv "Berkut", whose fighters are suspected of involvement in this crime, used firearms against protesters," he said at a briefing in Kyiv.
Horbatyuk added that the fighters of this company are charged with the murders of 39 protesters on Instytutska Street: "None of [the protesters] were armed and they did not represent a threat to law enforcement."
"In addition, data has been obtained that allow us to affirm the involvement of this same special unit in committing seven more murders and inflicting 48 gunshot wounds on the same day on Instytutska Street," the Prosecutor General's Office representative added.
Based on the results of the investigation, the suspects involved in the organization of these crimes and their commitment are "the former president of Ukraine, Interior Minister Zakharchenko, Ratushnyak, the leadership of the Kyiv police Mazan, Fedchuk and the leadership of the police regiment of the Kyiv "Berkut", the commander of a regiment Kusyuk, one of his deputies, and the commander and fighters of the company of "Berkut" special police force, namely Sadovnik and 22 of his subordinates."
Two of the 22 fighters were arrested and the indictment has already been sent to the court, where it is currently being examined. Serhiy Kusyuk’s deputy and two more fighters of this company are currently in custody.
"The investigation of their activities continues and should be completed," Horbatyuk said, adding that the other fighters of the special company and its commander, Dmytro Sadovnik, have been put on the wanted list.