Russia uses probably notorious special unit in occupied territories - "kidnapping and torture"

Created: 07/27/2022, 13:27

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

The logo of the Berkut riot police.

(Archive photo) © Sergei Malgavko / Imago Images

In the Ukraine war, Kremlin chief Putin apparently deployed the notorious special unit "Berkut" in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Kyiv/Munich - In the Ukraine war, the troops of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin occupy areas in the east and south of Ukraine.

The entire Luhansk region was captured by Russia's military.

Moscow also wants to bring all of Donetsk under control.

In Cherson in southern Ukraine, there are already thoughts about a referendum on the annexation.

According to the Ukrainian secret service, the Kremlin is deploying the notorious special unit “Berkut” in order to be able to keep the occupied territories firmly under Russian control.

The task of the unit: Smashing any resistance - if necessary by force.

Ukraine-News: Kyiv reports activity of Putin's notorious "Berkut" unit in Kherson

In a statement on Monday (July 25), the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) provided an update on intelligence activities on the southern front.

Several people were found who had joined the pro-Russian Cherson "Ministry of the Interior".

This is an institution that was formed after the Russian occupation.

According to the Ukrainian SBU, the "pseudo formation" aims to crush the Ukrainian resistance in the Kherson region and intimidate the citizens of the "temporarily occupied territories".

For this purpose one uses "massive repression, persecution and illegal arrest of citizens".

This is exactly where the special unit "Berkut" comes into play.

Victims of the unit's activities would suffer "psychological blackmail, violence and death threats," according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Kidnappings and cases of torture were also reported.

However, this information cannot be independently confirmed.

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Ukraine-News: "Berkut" special unit withdrew to Crimea after Ukrainian revolution

In its origins, the special unit "Berkut" is actually not a Russian, but a Ukrainian force.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Soviet predecessor "Omon", founded in 1988, was renamed "Berkut" in Ukraine and re-established in 1992.

A “Berkut” unit was stationed in each Ukrainian region.

Although the initial task was to fight organized crime, "Berkut" gradually became a kind of riot police to suppress demonstrations.

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Her intervention in the Euromaidan protests in 2014 caused an outcry.

“Berkut” members violently attacked demonstrators with clubs, tear gas and rubber bullets and defended the ousted President Viktor Yanukovych until the last moment.

To this day, the force is held responsible for the deaths of numerous civilians during the demonstrations.

After the revolution, "Berkut" was dissolved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The remaining members of the unit retreated to Russia-annexed Crimea and were received there

with flowers, according to a report by

They also apologized: not for acts of violence, but for the defeats against "fascists whom we could not stop".

Already in March Russia probably used the Omon troops in Ukraine.