In connection with recent events in Ukraine, many have become interested in what is the "Golden Eagle", which is constantly talked about in the news. The members of this unit took an active part in the actions that took place in a variety of brawls on the territory of the state. But they became known after the events on Euromaidan - the main square of Ukraine.
general information
In fact, the "Golden Eagle" is a police unit similar to the Russian riot police (Special Purpose Police Unit). The service was officially created in 1988, but under the name OMON, later, in 1992, it was given its modern name. The functions of the unit remained the same. "Golden eagle" monitors the preservation of order, that is, it works as a patrol service, preventing and suppressing potential conflicts.
Activities
The unit consists of only one regiment, which is divided into seven battalions stationed in the largest cities of Ukraine. Employees of the "Golden Eagle", the number of which reaches 3 thousand people, are divided into 19 companies. The unit has a variety of military equipment, ranging from tear grenades to armored personnel carriers.
In 1995, the Golden Eagle took an active part in the clashes of the Crimean Tatars with the police, after which two of the employees were prosecuted for beating and extortion.
In 2004, unit militants kept order throughout the Orange Revolution. In 2007, Berkut twice participated in large-scale brawls: first during the rallies dedicated to the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, then during the match, after which service officers were accused of beating teenagers and girls. The network even got a video in which the soldiers beat the girl.
Euromaidan
But all over the world they learned what the "Golden Eagle" was only in 2013, when the first dispersal of the peaceful rally of students who gathered in the main square of the country in Kiev took place, which caused a real revolution.
Since January 19 of this year, there have been serious clashes on the basis of political views, as a result of which many people have suffered both from the side of the protesters and in the ranks of the "Golden Eagle". The confrontation began on Grushevsky Street in Kiev, where the first protester, Sergei Nigoyan, was killed. Immediately it became known about the first victim of Euromaidan, which was reported by all the media. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed that Sergei Nigoyan was killed by an unknown sniper, but everyone blamed his death on the Berkut unit.
Confrontation
It really became clear to everyone what the “Golden Eagle” was, on February 18, 2014, when the assault on Euromaidan and all its activists took place. On this day, many people died, according to various sources, at least 100 people. Most of the blame for this is precisely the employees of the unit, on whose shoulders lay responsibility for the rivers of blood spilled on the main square of the country.
Disbandment
Shortly after these events, the military unit was disbanded, as witnesses and participants in the event claimed that the officers displayed excessive cruelty during their work. Since then, they have talked a lot about what the "Golden Eagle" is and whether its representatives were authorized to clean up Euromaidan, but the fact of the killings can not be changed in any way.
