Panorama S2014E09 The.Revolution.That.Shook.the.World

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Panorama S2014E09 The.Revolution.That.Shook.the.World
Transcript
00:00Tonight, Panorama is on the front line.
00:07I think there's a warning shot, but we ought to just keep at it.
00:11A hair-trigger situation where one mistake could lead to war.
00:22We're inside a Ukrainian military base as it's surrounded by Russian soldiers.
00:30Because both here and there are living people.
01:00This is a scene that's been taken over by extremists.
01:10It's a revolution which began on the streets of Kiev and has shaken the world.
01:15We just want to get some shots of this, sir.
01:18Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, sir, sir, sir.
01:20We are already in a state of war.
01:30Panorama
01:48This is the place a revolution began.
01:52A square in central Kiev, the Maidan,
01:56where protesters were gunned down by police and snipers.
02:04They were ordinary people.
02:06Students, office workers, pensioners,
02:10angry over their government's rejection of a trade agreement with Europe.
02:16It ended in bloodshed.
02:21Never in the history of post-Soviet Ukraine
02:25did the police act with such brutality.
02:31There were many different demonstrations, big and small,
02:35and sometimes they were dispersed,
02:38but never with such brutality.
02:41Two weeks before the shootings,
02:43the Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych,
02:46had flown to Sochi for the opening of the Winter Olympics.
02:50Russia's President Putin and he had much to talk about.
02:54Yanukovych had chosen a multi-billion dollar deal with Russia
02:58instead of closer ties with Europe,
03:01and that had sparked the protests back home.
03:04Back in Kiev, when the police moved in to clear the Maidan,
03:08the protests were no longer just about Europe,
03:11but about removing the Yanukovych government.
03:15They forgot about the European Association.
03:20They started to insist that this government should resign
03:24and that they should leave the country.
03:27They wanted to get rid of Yanukovych.
03:30They started to insist that this government should resign,
03:34and especially the Interior Minister,
03:37under whose command the riot police were acting.
03:44Riot police were sent into the Maidan on February 18th.
03:51But the crackdown met with stiff resistance from ordinary citizens
03:55who sensed the moment for change was upon them,
03:58and militia units fighting alongside them.
04:02The violence escalated.
04:05Eighteen people lost their lives, including seven police.
04:21There was no going back for either side.
04:25On February 20th, armed police were deployed.
04:46They took up positions on the roads leading to Independence Square, the Maidan.
04:52Snipers moved to rooftops looking on to the square.
05:02The new Ukrainian government believes this is a recording
05:05of the snipers coordinating with the specialist police unit called the Berkut.
05:16The Berkut, wearing yellow armbands, began firing.
05:22The Berkut.
05:45These remarkable pictures show how the snipers opened fire,
05:49as some protesters pushed up the road towards them.
05:57They tried to protect themselves with makeshift shields
06:00against a barrage of gunfire.
06:13The snipers picked them off one by one,
06:16but still the protesters stayed.
06:30Some moved back and forth into the line of fire to help injured friends.
06:40This is Vitaly Derik walking into the path of the snipers' bullets.
06:46Panorama tracked him down.
06:49He took me to the place where he crouched behind the wooden shields, unarmed.
06:55Snipers were shooting from that side, and bullets came from the window.
06:59When I first heard the shots, I was stumbling and falling down.
07:03I started hiding behind trees.
07:06Then I ran to the next set of trees, where there were wounded people being carried away.
07:12This man was there too.
07:15He still doesn't want to show his face in case the old regime returns and tries to punish him.
07:20I had a shield, just like this one.
07:23Did you think that a wooden shield would stop the bullets?
07:27I thought it would stop plastic bullets.
07:42I had no helmet and no shield.
07:45I told the rest of the guys to throw away their shields,
07:48because most of the people getting shot had helmets and shields.
07:57By the end of February 20, 98 people were dead in two days of violence,
08:03among them at least 12 police.
08:12A small number of protesters did have weapons, hunting rifles and pistols,
08:18but the vast majority were unarmed.
08:24Investigators are now collecting evidence for possible criminal prosecutions,
08:29and there are several unanswered questions.
08:32It's reported some snipers were shooting both at protesters and police,
08:38raising suspicions there was a third force at work.
08:42Some in the new administration are pointing at Russia,
08:45some in Russia are pointing at the new regime.
08:49As for Yanukovych, he's denying he gave the orders to shoot.
08:56This criminal investigation is in its early days,
08:59yet high-ranking members of the former government, led by Yanukovych,
09:03have already been placed on a wanted list.
09:09After the shooting, hundreds of government officials and their families
09:13fled through this airport.
09:17The former regime was melting away.
09:20President Yanukovych himself went missing.
09:26His residence, once highly secure, was left abandoned.
09:32And look at this.
09:35Yanukovych had amassed a fortune.
09:38Paperwork found in his home is now being examined
09:42to discover the extent of his corruption.
09:50You know, you can see why people in Ukraine,
09:53as some of these images have come to light,
09:55and they're looking at how their leader has been living,
09:58you can understand why, at the end,
10:01there was such enormous resentment. Goodness me.
10:06Panorama spoke to the president's former head of security.
10:10He believes Yanukovych planned his escape during the shootings,
10:14meaning that a peace deal afterwards just bought him time.
10:20Was there an escape plan in place when you were his head of security?
10:26Of course, there were plans in place for an evacuation.
10:30How quickly could your team get him out of the house and into a helicopter?
10:36Four minutes.
10:42This is the CCTV footage of Yanukovych fleeing in his private helicopter.
10:49The camera captures his pet dog and his live-in girlfriend.
10:55But his former head of security believes
10:58this escape had all the hallmarks of longer-term planning.
11:04I'm sure the evacuation plan was developed three days in advance.
11:09He would have put everything he wanted to take in a small case,
11:13which would have been brought beforehand.
11:16All the rest could have been transported on the ground.
11:25Moscow says the overthrow of Yanukovych was an illegal act.
11:31It blames nationalists and right-wing extremists.
11:47These are the sort of right-wing militia Putin blames in Kiev.
11:53They did fight police in the Maidan,
11:56for which they've been rewarded with three cabinet posts.
12:00But the numbers of far-right are still rising.
12:03There's a lot of pressure on the right-wing militia,
12:06and there's a lot of pressure on the left-wing militia.
12:10There's a lot of pressure on the right-wing militia,
12:14but the numbers of far-right are still relatively small.
12:20The revolution certainly occurred
12:22as a result of the actions of ordinary Ukrainians,
12:25not because of hundreds of thousands of right-wing supporters.
12:29In reality, it happened because both in Kiev and elsewhere,
12:33ordinary people who are unhappy with what was going on took to the streets.
12:37We took a stand for about two or three days.
12:40During the clashes, we helped.
12:44Moscow, monitoring events in Ukraine closely,
12:47also had other concerns about the protests,
12:50seeing them as a threat to their wider interests.
12:54Russia was against the violent coup,
12:57which was masterminded mostly by Americans,
13:00whose goal is to bring Ukraine into NATO.
13:03And that is the endgame, and for Russia, it's the red line.
13:06Russia regards this as an existential threat
13:10and will do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening.
13:14And nowhere is more sensitive than Crimea,
13:17the region of Ukraine closest politically to Russia.
13:21Nearly 60% of its population are ethnic Russians,
13:25and the Russians still lease part of the Crimean coast at Sevastopol
13:29for their strategically crucial Black Sea fleet.
13:36We arrive in the Crimean capital of Simferopol,
13:39and the outskirts are quiet.
13:41But in the centre, everything we'd seen in Kiev is flipped on its head.
13:46The Crimean and Russian flags are flying side by side.
13:52Demonstrators are chanting pro-Russian slogans
13:56and their support for the Berkut,
13:59the special police who, in Kiev, are blamed by most for being part of the massacre.
14:10Taking their lead from Russian television,
14:13these people see the Kiev protesters as extremists.
14:17Men form brigades on the streets,
14:20orange and black ribbons signalling support for the Russian military.
14:25Are you ready to fight?
14:27Against other Ukrainians?
14:30No.
14:31Against who?
14:33Against extremists.
14:37But, you know, in Kiev, they think that you're extremists in Kiev.
14:58Crimea's parliament building is surrounded by masked men with guns.
15:03They have no insignia, nothing to identify where they're from.
15:07Protecting them, a line of locals who say the armed men are here to protect them.
15:14Is it OK to do some filming?
15:16No.
15:17We've got to meet somebody.
15:18No.
15:19No, listen, let me explain.
15:20We just need to meet somebody over there.
15:25OK, OK, it's fine.
15:27It's OK.
15:30Why are you protecting Russian soldiers
15:34who seem to be occupying gradually your country?
15:38These are not Russian soldiers.
15:58And the presence of Russian soldiers outside their bases on Ukrainian soil
16:03is still denied by Russia.
16:07And when we try to film a convoy of military vehicles with Russian registration plates,
16:12a local defence force volunteer intervenes.
16:15We just want to get some shots of this, sir.
16:17Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, sir, sir, sir.
16:22At a major air base in Crimea, Russian soldiers have seized control.
16:31Forcing the Ukrainians back into their barracks.
16:37One of the Ukrainian officers agrees to take us up to the Russian positions.
16:43Sergei isn't happy.
16:48How does it make you feel to have these Russian soldiers standing behind you,
16:53occupying your air base?
17:07Remarkably, Sergei decides to challenge his Russian adversary.
17:38Then he pushes things further.
17:47Look at this guy on your right, on your right.
17:51Who are you?
17:52Go on.
17:54Go on.
17:55Please go on.
17:56We should go on.
17:57Because it's actually quite a tense situation.
17:59We have to go on.
18:00We have to go on.
18:01We have to go on.
18:02We have to go on.
18:03We have to go on.
18:04We have to go on.
18:05We have to go on.
18:06Because it's actually quite a tense situation here.
18:08You can see this is a Russian-controlled area now.
18:12But, you know, this is right on the front,
18:14and you can see how fractured this is
18:17and how these people are absolutely determined
18:19not to give in to this Russian occupation.
18:27Moscow says the ousted Ukraine president
18:30requested Russian military help to restore order.
18:34We would have had a bloodbath in Crimea
18:37if the troops didn't stop it, Russian troops plus the volunteers.
18:42Now, at the moment, we did not have a single dead person in Crimea.
18:47The local population is very happy, but this is not an invasion.
18:54Then come rumours of an ultimatum from Russia to Ukraine.
18:59Your forces must surrender by 5am or face attack.
19:07Well, the light's starting to go here now,
19:09and all the soldiers behind me are very much aware
19:12that when night falls,
19:13that's when the Russians are most likely to do something.
19:16One of them just came over to me and said,
19:18please don't leave us.
19:21At the barracks, the men begin to prepare for a Russian assault.
19:27Can you show us round? Shall we walk?
19:33So these men are sitting in the dark down here with guns already?
19:37Yes.
19:40They've positioned themselves in small groups around the perimeter fence.
19:44Hello.
19:45They know the Russians surrounding them
19:47have high-velocity rifles and rocket launchers.
19:50Have you got your weapons here?
19:54OK.
20:00Who's up here?
20:03Is it OK to approach them?
20:05Yes, you can.
20:07At another position, young men without body armour or helmets.
20:11They're airmen, not trained infantrymen.
20:14What are you preparing for?
20:22Are you scared about what might happen tonight?
20:33What are you expecting?
20:37See you. Thank you.
20:38Thank you. OK.
20:41Outside the base, the soldiers' wives are acting as human shields,
20:46anxiously waiting for the deadline.
20:49Aren't you scared, standing here tonight?
21:11The vigil went on all night, but at 5am there was no attack.
21:18The women had stood by their men,
21:20and their men were still guarding the barracks.
21:25How close is your country to war with Russia?
21:30According to the laws that govern military operations,
21:33technically we are not at war with Russia.
21:37However, considering their military forces
21:40have been deployed in Ukrainian territory,
21:43clearly we consider that we are already in a state of war.
21:51Tired men had come through the night unscathed,
21:54but national pride had been wounded.
21:57They'd lost their airfield without a fight,
22:00and lost it to the Russians, recent allies.
22:07I wouldn't want this to reach the level of a confrontation,
22:10that innocent people die for political interests.
22:13One has to solve this around the table, diplomatically.
22:18Instead of waiting for the Russians to attack,
22:21they decide to meet them head-on.
22:23They march unarmed, carrying the Ukrainian flag
22:27alongside an old Soviet army flag.
22:30Among the men, a familiar face.
23:01I don't know how they're going to react.
23:04I don't know how they're going to react.
23:12The Russians have obviously seen these Ukrainian soldiers on the move,
23:16and they've positioned themselves in armoured vehicles
23:19just over the brow of the hill.
23:30There's a warning shot.
24:01We're fighting with you!
24:18It's quite tense here, you can tell.
24:20What they were doing then was they were asking for somebody
24:23to come and negotiate with them.
24:31Stand, stand.
24:33OK, OK, OK.
24:42The Russians agreed to allow a small group of Ukrainians
24:46back into their base, but they were now firmly in control.
24:50And next Sunday, Russia's allies here plan a referendum,
24:54asking whether Crimea should leave Ukraine altogether
24:58and rejoin Russia.
25:02We will not surrender Crimea.
25:04It is part of Ukraine and is recognised as such
25:07by all the countries in the world.
25:09Crimea still is and will remain the territory of Ukraine.
25:13With the help of the international community,
25:16we will manage to force Putin to withdraw his troops.
25:21Russia is already in clear breach of an agreement
25:24to respect Ukraine's borders,
25:26but the West has been able to do very little about it.
25:29Threats of economic sanctions do not impress the Russians.
25:33If there are sanctions, there will be counter-sanctions.
25:36When we're living in a very united world,
25:39I would not really recommend anyone
25:42to try and sanction the Russian Federation
25:46because the consequences may be bad not just for Russia,
25:50but for everyone.
25:53It's not just Crimea where Kiev is losing its grip.
25:57In Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine,
25:59we found evidence of more worrying divisions.
26:02Russian speakers are in the majority here,
26:05but many feel the new government is treating them
26:08as second-class citizens,
26:10even attempting to remove Russian as an official language.
26:14We feel like Russians.
26:16And living in Ukraine, we feel like we are not in our place
26:21because the official language is Ukrainian.
26:24We all claim to be Ukrainians, but we are really not.
26:42Many now want to be ruled by Russia,
26:45and there have been violent demonstrations
26:47against the new Ukrainian government.
26:52They are illegitimate. The governor is illegitimate.
26:55We will never recognise them. Never!
26:58If they want to repeat what happened in Kiev...
27:01Some have said that your government was quite provocative
27:04by reducing the status of the Russian language in the east.
27:07Is that one of the causes of this?
27:10No, the problem is different.
27:13Russia hasn't accepted that Ukraine became an independent country.
27:17They have a manic desire to restore the empire
27:20and believe it can't happen without Ukraine.
27:23It's only an excuse in order to return Ukraine
27:26to the full influence of the Russian Federation,
27:29creating a new empire, which is Vladimir Putin's dream.
27:34The Kremlin sees it differently.
27:51Many Ukrainians dream of a better future
27:54with closer links to the West.
27:57Some gave their lives for it in the Kiev protests.
28:04The patriotic spirit is very high among Ukrainians.
28:07We have seen this at Maidan,
28:10and we see the same at our military bases in Crimea.
28:13Therefore, the Russian Federation hasn't got a hope of victory.
28:21But brave deeds and words may not be enough.
28:25Ukraine finds itself in the middle of a new balancing act
28:29involving the world's great powers.
28:32And it's the people of Ukraine who may well end up the losers.