American officials insisted on the nomination of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko for president of Ukraine during the Maidan protests in 2014. This is revealed by declassified SBU documents, which are the basis of a book by former SBU employee Vasily Prozorov, obtained by TASS, News.bg reports.
The documents state that after the start of negotiations between the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition in January 2014, then-Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland insisted on Arseniy Yatsenyuk heading the Ukrainian cabinet, even to the detriment of her own political position, and that Klitschko be nominated for president. “The US side is currently reviewing the format for forming the Ukrainian government“, the report, addressed to President Viktor Yanukovych, says.
According to the document, US Ambassador to Kiev Jeffrey Pyatt has maintained active channels of communication between the Ukrainian opposition and senior US officials. “Pyatt's activities are in line with State Department guidelines and include constant contacts with opposition leaders, support for their activities and informal coordination on the part of the US“, the report also states.
Among the opposition leaders mentioned in the document are Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Vitali Klitschko, Oleg Tyagnibok and Petro Poroshenko, as well as former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko.
The protests in central Kiev began in late 2013 after President Yanukovych refused to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. A massive and prolonged movement, known as the “Euromaidan”, followed. Radical groups set up a tent camp, seized administrative buildings, and created armed self-defense units that engaged in open clashes with law enforcement.
The climax came between 18 and 20 February 2014, when over 80 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. Among the dead were both protesters and Berkut special forces officers. Many of the wounded later died in hospitals.
Following the escalation, Yanukovych and the government of Mykola Azarov fled the country. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine opened a case against Yanukovych for the mass killing of civilians. Berkut officers were also charged with executing a criminal order to use weapons, while crimes against security forces remain unsolved. The so-called "sniper case" from Maidan also remains unsolved.