By Isis Wisdom, Voices of Ukraine
24.02.2014  Drugoi, Other Journal
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“Berkut” fighters in Lviv ask forgiveness for participating in actions against EuroMaidan in Kiev.

VIDEO: Berkut on their knees ask forgiveness from the residents of Lviv
The crowd is asked to quiet down by the priest on stage.

“Today I stand on this stage for the second time. I want to say I’m sorry for all those people. I don’t know who did this. We mourn along with you. I want to ask forgiveness for all of them, for those who killed our people, Ukrainians. We don’t support that, we will never support that. We never took weapons in our hands against the Ukrainian people.” (shouting and heckling from the crowd. The priests says “Quiet! I ask you, very much, if you are civilized people, give a person the chance to speak his peace”).

“We swore allegiance to the people, and when the question came to go to Maidan, we left all of our documents in Kyiv and on our own came back here [to Lviv]. This is the truth, if someone does not believe it, whoever knows our families can ask them.” (From the crowd someone yells: “Where are your wounded and how many of them are there? Tell us.” While numerous other things are being yelled from the crowd, the priest once again says: “Quiet, respect each other.”

“And today, standing on this stage on our knees, we are asking forgiveness for all those who created that evil, not only in front of you but in front of all of Ukraine. I think they also understand that and they will take the necessary steps toward it. And in the future, if the same situation were to happen again, we will be amongst the first ready to mobilize on the side of the people, and to stand.” (more crowd heckles – ‘we will stand it out ourselves – etc. Priest again says, “Please let’s have quiet. Dear Ukrainians, let’s respect one another”). “And finally now, I’d like to say, that all of these victims, they are not justified – we condemn those who were killing those people. And that’s why, in their memory, we will get on our knees in front of them, in front of those who are in heaven. (All of the Berkut officers on stage get down on both knees. More heckling from the crowd to which the priest again says, “Quiet. Dear Ukrainians, let’s be civilized.)”

Each of us is ready to put our hand on a bible to prove that we did not kill, did not shoot into people. That’s why I’ll repeat, when it was about murder we returned directly from there. (Crowd yells, “You returned after the deaths,” and “When did you return, yesterday?”). He replies, “We arrived before that, before the shootings. The proof of that is that I stood on this stage together with Yuriy Vitalyovych [Lutsenko, MP and former dissident]. I thank you for your attention, please understand us and forgive us. Forgive us for all those who created that evil.” (And the crowd starts yelling, “Who beat up the [AutoMaidan] cars?”

An announcer takes the microphone and asks for Self-Defense to open a human corridor for the Berkut men to leave through, and reminds the crowd not to touch them, that this is a civilized city).

RELATED INFORMATION:

Soldiers of “Berkut” seek asylum in neighboring countries
February 22, 2014 18:59
“Vyesti” reports that requests such as the following from Berkut troops are posted on their social networks pages:

The administration of the Berkut Vkontakte page writes: ” Friends , because our Ukrainian brothers and sisters need help, many are asking for shelter (at least temporarily ) in Russia and Belarus. There are a lot of requests posted for assistance (not material ) but help with finding a physical residence. If there are villages in Russia or Belarus with vacant houses or places where to hide – write to the administrator. There are many women with children! The situation is critical, so women and children must be evacuated.
Translated by Jurij Homziak
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RELATED INFORMATION (for better or for worse):

Lutsenko gathers together law enforcement to protect the Square

20.02.2014, 23:37 Ukrainska Pravda:
Source: http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/02/20/7015348/ 

Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko is in Lviv to gather current and former law enforcement officers with weapons to defend Maidan in Kyiv.

He announced this from the EuroMaidan stage in Lviv, the press service of “Third Ukrainian republic” reports.

“When in war, as at war. Two days ago on Maidan there appeared a not too big number of weapons. And it’s only because of this that Berkut stopped 50 meters from the stage. They stopped because they learned that we have weapons. Only because firepower appeared did they stop and sent curses to their superiors who ordered them to attack,” said Lutsenko.

The former Interior Minister said that at present, Ukrainian protesters on Maidan protest not only the current government, but “the Kremlin host” of Viktor Yanukovych. The struggle, in his words, is difficult as the “Empire threw all its power against Maidan.”

“Against Maidan, Ukrainians fight their own. It so happened that they believe in the fables of the “Bandera revolution” – said Lutsenko.

During his speech, Lutsenko called all men from the city of Lviv, who are able, to leave in a column for Kyiv on Thursday at 22:00.

In his speech he stressed that he encourages travel to Kyiv with weapons not to attack someone, but only to defend Maidan.

With Lutsenko on stage were the first deputy head of the regional council, the former head of the Central Department for the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Lviv, Vasyl Pisniy, and the head of Lviv’s “Berkut” [who is in the video above].

Pisniy said that the Lviv “Berkut” unanimously decided to return to the city of Kyiv. And gave assurances that the men did not perform, and will not carry out, criminal orders.

The former minister also said that the peaceful protesters are being shot by employees of the Department of Civil Protection, who have Russian citizenship.

He said that in Ukraine there are no representatives of the Russian special services. “The Department of Civil Protection incorporates a staff of Russian citizenship and it is these snipers who are shooting,” – said Lutsenko.