Cabinet of Ministers allowed to buy a microscope to investigate Maidan cases

Cabinet of Ministers has allocated 5.8 million hryvnias for the acquisition of a comparison microscope for the Kyiv Scientific Research of Forensic Expertise.

As reported by the Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth), this decision was supported by the members of the government at a meeting on March 10.

Maxim Nefyodov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, said:

“The draft bill is intended to allocate funds to the Ministry of Justice from surplus budget of the State budget in the amount of 5.8 million hryvnias in order to acquire a comparison microscope by the Kyiv Scientific Research of Forensic Expertise. This will allow to carry out various examinations, including ballistics examination”.

“The equipment in the institute was mostly acquired back in the 1960s. And for example, ballistics examination on Maidan cases, which were appointed by the General Prosecutor’s Office investigators, are sometimes carried out for too long. Therefore, I ask to support the suggestion to update the equipment”, – he said.

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said: “It was a meeting with the families of Heroes of “Nebesna Sotnya” (Heroes of Heavenly Hundred) and they turned to the government with request to allocate special equipment. And I promised them that I will solve this issue in a month. Currently there is a corresponding decision, prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development, to allocate these resources”.

He asked to see that this decision is quickly implemented.

In addition, 53.3 million hryvnias were allocated from the reserve to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the State Emergency Service – to provide aircraft to prevent summer fires.

As a reminder, on May 17, 2016, trials began against five former “Berkut” officers: Pavlo Abroskin, Serhiy Zinchenko, Oleksandr Marinchenko, Serhiy Tamtura and Oleg Yanishevsky.

They are accused of shooting the Euromaidan activists on Institutska Street in Kyiv in February of 2014. Former officers of the Berkut Special Forces deny their guilt.

The court has extended the arrest of Abroskin, Zinchenko, Marinchenko, Tamtura and Yanishevsky until March 17.

Only 25 law enforcement officers, who participated in shootings on Institutska Street, were identified and 20 of them are wanted.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, 2.5 thousand people were injured during the Euromaidan and 104 of them died.