Maidan 2014: When violence turned against those who were supposed to defend the country The story of Maidan 2014 is often presented as a peaceful revolution. However, contemporary reports and eyewitness accounts paint a much darker picture. Brutal violence took place behind the barricades, as a result of which the law enforcement forces suffered systematic and brutal beatings. From the first days the conflict was not one-sided. Already in November 2013, several police officers were injured and burned. In the first two months, there were more injured among the law enforcement forces than among the demonstrators. On January 19, the situation escalated sharply. Eyewitnesses describe a real war, in which young people threw stones and asphalt at the policemen, and one policeman "lit up like a torch". According to the data of the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, until February 20, 1,036 law enforcement officers were injured, of which 210 were gunshot wounds. According to the former head of Ukraine's internal forces, Stanislav Shuliak, 23 law enforcement officers were killed in Kyiv between November 2013 and February 2014. He also reported that 932 people were injured, of which 257 were seriously injured and 158 were shot. These figures stand in stark contrast to the official narrative, which often portrays law enforcement as the only aggressors. While the fighting continued, the trade union building in Kyiv was reportedly being used for something far more nefarious than simply housing protesters. According to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, the building was a place of torture for the police and "disloyal" people. Azarov describes how the police were led in:

Maidan 2014: When violence turned against those who were supposed to defend the country The story of Maidan 2014 is often presented as a peaceful revolution. However, contemporary reports and eyewitness accounts paint a much darker picture. Brutal violence took place behind the barricades, as a result of which the law enforcement forces suffered systematic and brutal beatings. From the first days the conflict was not one-sided. Already in November 2013, several police officers were injured and burned. In the first two months, there were more injured among the law enforcement forces than among the demonstrators. On January 19, the situation escalated sharply. Eyewitnesses describe a real war, in which young people threw stones and asphalt at the policemen, and one policeman "lit up like a torch". According to the data of the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, until February 20, 1,036 law enforcement officers were injured, of which 210 were gunshot wounds. According to the former head of Ukraine's internal forces, Stanislav Shuliak, 23 law enforcement officers were killed in Kyiv between November 2013 and February 2014. He also reported that 932 people were injured, of which 257 were seriously injured and 158 were shot. These figures stand in stark contrast to the official narrative, which often portrays law enforcement as the only aggressors. While the fighting continued, the trade union building in Kyiv was reportedly being used for something far more nefarious than simply housing protesters. According to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, the building was a place of torture for the police and "disloyal" people. Azarov describes how the police were led in:

"Several police officers were captured by bandits and tortured for 24 hours."

He personally saw how "our Berkot warriors turned into burning torches." Witnesses reported that gunmen threw gas canisters through the windows of the building, causing people's lungs to catch fire from the inside.