Latest news with #anti-Maidan
Russia Today
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian neo-Nazi leader shot dead in Odessa (VIDEO)
Notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi Demyan Ganul, who was accused of playing a key role in the 2014 mass killings of anti-Maidan activists in Odessa, was reportedly shot dead on Friday morning. Ukrainian media identified Ganul as the victim of a suspected assassination in Odessa based on tattoos visible in leaked crime scene images. Police did not name Ganul when announcing a manhunt for the killer, although Interior Minister Igor Klimenko did not dispute the identification and has vowed to personally oversee the investigation. Graphic footage circulating online depicts the assailant executing an injured man in broad daylight, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of witnesses and CCTV cameras. Ganul rose to prominence on the back of the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, leading the enforcer unit of the Right Sector ultranationalist movement in Odessa. He is alleged to have played a pivotal role in the May 2, 2014 massacre of anti-Maidan activists, who were chased by pro-coup militants into a building that was subsequently set ablaze. On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Ukrainian government to compensate victims of the 2014 tragedy for its failure to prevent the violence, organize a proper rescue effort, or conduct an adequate investigation. In recent years, Ganul engaged in vandalism targeting Soviet-era memorials and Russian-linked sites. He also reportedly led a team employed by city draft officials to assault individuals resisting conscription. Last July, Ganul showcased his attack on a fitness trainer who had insulted Ukrainian military personnel, posting a photo of himself with the bloodied victim. Local reports indicated that the trainer was also sexually assaulted before being handed over to military authorities. Russia had sought Ganul's arrest, placing him on an international wanted list last May.
Russia Today
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Alleged instigator of 2014 Odessa massacre killed
Notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi Demyan Ganul, who was accused of playing a key role in the 2014 mass killings of anti-Maidan activists in Odessa, was reportedly shot dead on Friday morning. Ukrainian media identified Ganul as the victim of a suspected assassination in Odessa based on tattoos visible in leaked crime scene images. Police did not name Ganul when announcing a manhunt for the killer, although Interior Minister Igor Klimenko did not dispute the identification and has vowed to personally oversee the investigation. Graphic footage circulating online depicts the assailant executing an injured man in broad daylight, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of witnesses and CCTV cameras. Ganul rose to prominence on the back of the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, leading the enforcer unit of the Right Sector ultranationalist movement in Odessa. He is alleged to have played a pivotal role in the May 2, 2014 massacre of anti-Maidan activists, who were chased by pro-coup militants into a building that was subsequently set ablaze. On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Ukrainian government to compensate victims of the 2014 tragedy for its failure to prevent the violence, organize a proper rescue effort, or conduct an adequate investigation. In recent years, Ganul engaged in vandalism targeting Soviet-era memorials and Russian-linked sites. He also reportedly led a team employed by city draft officials to assault individuals resisting conscription. Last July, Ganul showcased his attack on a fitness trainer who had insulted Ukrainian military personnel, posting a photo of himself with the bloodied victim. Local reports indicated that the trainer was also sexually assaulted before being handed over to military authorities. Russia had sought Ganul's arrest, placing him on an international wanted list last May.
Russia Today
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin comments on ECHR Odessa massacre ruling
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling holding Ukraine accountable for the massacre in the city of Odessa in 2014 appears to be a 'glimpse of common sense,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Friday. However, a single ruling is not enough to draw broader conclusions, he added. The ECHR found the Ukrainian authorities guilty of the deaths of the so-called anti-Maidan activists who burned to death after taking refuge in the Odessa trade union building, which was subsequently set on fire by radical nationalists. The court ruled on Thursday that Ukraine failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent the violence, halt it once it began, or rescue those trapped in the building. 'A very belated decision, but it seems like a glimpse of common sense,' Peskov remarked. 'To confirm this, we need to see other similar actions. Which, of course, we would like to witness.' On May 2, 2014, clashes erupted in Odessa between Ukrainian nationalists, who supported the armed coup in Kiev that had occurred several weeks before, and those who opposed it. The pro-Maidan activists attacked a tent where local residents were gathering signatures for a referendum on the federalization of Ukraine and recognition of Russian as a state language. Outnumbered by the far-right radicals, the anti-coup activists took refuge inside the city's trade union building. However, the nationalists surrounded the building, lobbed Molotov cocktails at it and eventually set it on fire, resulting in 48 deaths and over 200 people injured. More than a decade later, Kiev has neither identified nor prosecuted any of the perpetrators. Instead, it has shifted the blame to Moscow, alleging that the events in Odessa were 'a pre-planned and well-financed operation' by the Russian security services. Moscow has repeatedly called for an investigation into the massacre, even advocating for a special tribunal to be convened. Relatives of 25 victims, along with three survivors of the fire, filed complaints against Ukraine with the ECHR. The court ruled that the Ukrainian police had 'had ignored the available intelligence and the relevant warning signs' and made no 'meaningful attempt to prevent the clashes' that led to the fire. While the ECHR acknowledged that 'propaganda from Russia had had its part' in tensions being escalated, it admitted that this did not absolve Kiev of responsibility for the massacre.
Russia Today
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
ECHR finds Ukraine guilty of 2014 Odessa massacre
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the deaths of 42 anti-coup activists in the city of Odessa in 2014. They lost their lives when Ukrainian nationalists, who supported the armed takeover in Kiev weeks earlier, torched the port city's Trade Unions House where the protesters had gathered. 'The Court concluded that the relevant authorities had not done everything they reasonably could to prevent the violence, to stop that violence after its outbreak, and to ensure timely rescue measures for those trapped in the fire in the Trade Union Building,' the ECHR said in its decision published on Thursday. More than a decade later, Kiev has not named or prosecuted any of the perpetrators. Instead, it pinned the blame on Moscow, claiming that the events in Odessa were 'a pre-planned and well-financed operation' by the Russian security services. Moscow has repeatedly called for an investigation, even a special tribunal on the massacre. Relatives of 25 victims, as well as three people who had survived the fire, filed complaints against Kiev with the ECHR. The court found the Ukrainian police 'had ignored the available intelligence and the relevant warning signs' and failed to make any 'meaningful attempt to prevent the clashes' that led to the fire. The ECHR believes that 'propaganda from Russia had had its part' in stirring up tensions, but said that does not absolve Kiev of responsibility for the massacre. The nation's law enforcement did not make 'any real attempt' to prevent the violence or to stop it, or to save those trapped in the burning building. 'The deployment of fire engines to the site of the fire had been deliberately delayed for 40 minutes, and the police had not stepped in to help evacuate people,' the decision said, adding that 'negligence' of Ukrainian officials 'went beyond an error of judgement and carelessness.' The authorities also did not make 'enough effort' to properly secure, collect, and assess all the evidence, according to the court. It noted that a criminal investigation against a pro-Western activist suspected of shooting at anti-Maidan protesters was discontinued four times for 'identical' reasons. The ECHR has ordered Kiev to pay all the applicants varying amounts of compensation and cover their legal costs. According to the Ukrainian media, the claimants are to receive between €12,000 and €17,000 each ($13,028 to $18,456). Ukraine has not commented on the ruling so far.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tragedy in Odesa on 2 May 2014: ECHR finds Ukraine guilty and orders compensation
The European Court of Human Rights has made a significant ruling on several lawsuits regarding Ukraine's inaction during the clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists in Odesa on 2 May 2014, which led to the deaths of 47 people. Source: European Pravda, citing the court ruling Details: The court acknowledged that these events were largely provoked by Russian propaganda, but also pointed out violations committed by Ukraine, which is now required to pay compensation. The ruling concerns the events of 2 May 2014, which began with an attack by pro-Russian anti-Maidan activists on participants of a pro-Ukrainian demonstration. The clashes and killings of pro-Ukrainian demonstrators later led to a storming of the anti-Maidan tent camp at Kulykove Pole Square and a fire in the Trade Union House, where dozens of anti-Maidan supporters died. Relatives of 25 of the people who were killed, as well as 3 survivors of the fire, filed lawsuits to Strasbourg. Among the plaintiffs were relatives of two pro-Ukrainian activists who were shot and killed. Three others, often identified in the media as "passers-by", also died from gunshot wounds. The rest were members of the anti-Maidan group and their relatives who were caught in the burning Trade Union House. However, the court emphasised that it did not identify the victims by their ideological affiliations. Despite the differences in the views of the participants in these events, all the plaintiffs held Ukraine responsible for its inaction, claiming that the state could have prevented the tragic consequences. However, the court repeatedly stated in the body of the ruling and its conclusions that the primary culprit for the events was Russia and its actions to destabilise Ukraine. "The Court considers that such disinformation and propaganda might have had an impact on the tragic events in the present cases too… The pro-Russian 'Kulykove Pole' movement in Odesa relied heavily on aggressive and emotional disinformation and propaganda messages about the new Ukrainian government and Maidan supporters voiced by Russian authorities and mass media," the ruling states. Another point that the court decided to emphasise was that many of the Odesa officials responsible for Ukraine's violations soon "fled Ukraine to the Russian Federation, became Russian citizens, and … built a career there against the background of the Russian large-scale military invasion of Ukraine". Nevertheless, the ECHR said that this does not relieve Ukraine of its responsibility as a state. The court also stressed that even later, Ukraine did not try to prosecute the officials whose actions led to numerous casualties. Thus, the court stressed that the Odesa police "failed to take any adequate action" to prevent the attack on the protesters, which was carried out with the use of firearms. In particular, it ignored numerous operational data on the preparation of riots, the ECHR said, citing available evidence. "The duty incumbent on the authorities was, at its most general level, to do what could reasonably be expected of them to avert the risk of violence," the court said, stressing that the fact that the Ukrainian authorities were weak amid Russian aggression in Crimea and Donbas did not deprive the state of the opportunity to act. Volodymyr Fuchedzhy, Deputy Head of the Odesa Oblast Police at the time, subsequently fled to Russia. The court also considered it proven that the arrival of fire vehicles to the scene of the fire was deliberately delayed by 40 minutes, and the police did not intervene to help evacuate people from the Trade Union Building. Volodymyr Bodelan, then-Head of the State Emergency Service in Odesa Oblast, who personally gave the order not to send fire vehicles to extinguish the fire, fled to Russia two years later, but during his stay in Odesa, no criminal case was opened against him. The ECHR also recognised that local authorities deliberately destroyed evidence at the scene of the tragedy under the guise of "cleaning". In view of this, the court found Ukraine guilty of violating the article of the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to life. The Ukrainian state must pay €15,000 in compensation to the relatives of each of the victims, and €12,000 to the three plaintiffs who survived but suffered serious burns. The highest compensation, €17,000, will be paid to the daughter of Mykhailo Viacheslavov, who burned to death in the Trade Union Building, as she also complained about the authorities' unreasonable and prolonged refusal to give her her father's body for burial. Russia was not a party to the plaintiffs' complaints. Background: The ECHR also considers cases against Russia; for example, last year, Russia lost a case on human rights violations in Crimea in the ECHR. Earlier, the Council of Europe said it demanded that Russia stop repressions in occupied Crimea. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
