Secret meeting with Yanukovych. Excerpt from Turchynov's book about the events of the Revolution of Dignity

February 2014. There were a few days left before the shooting on Instytutska. Yanukovych gave the order to prepare an anti-terrorist operation, and the generals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service of Ukraine realized that they were being pushed into a massacre that would make them international criminals. And then they turned to Oleksandr Turchynov with an unexpected request – to talk to the president. In private. Without witnesses. In his office on Bankova Street.Oleksandr Turchynov has published a book "Revolution" dedicated to the Revolution of Dignity and the events that became decisive for the country. LIGA.net quotes an excerpt from it.NegotiationsTo defeat the enemy, you need to understand him.After the evening meeting of the Maidan Headquarters, Arsen Avakov stayed in my temporary office and closed the door tightly:- "I have to talk to you," Arsen Borysovych sat down next to me, "I spoke to two generals today: one from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the other from the Service... They have a big request for youAvakov's contacts with high-ranking security officials and obtaining information about their plans and actions are his staff assignment. But what can the generals have to ask me?- "You know," Arsen continued, "Yanukovych gave the order to prepare an anti-terrorist operation and the introduction of a state of emergency throughout Ukraine. The countdown has already begun. There are only a day or two left..- Do you think they are really ready to flood Kyiv with blood? Who will take care of all this?- "That's the point!" Avakov emphasized, "The police and FSB generals realize that Yanukovych and his gang are pushing them into a bloody slaughter. They are well aware that Maidan will not surrender and will not scatter even after the declaration of a military operation. The number of victims may reach thousands, but it will all end with the entire civilized world declaring them – the generals – criminals.- They teach logically. But how can I help them? Sympathize with them?- They want you to meet with Yanukovych and explain all this to him.- Я?- Yes. They themselves are afraid to talk to him. And he is unlikely to listen to them. He will simply dismiss them from their posts and replace them with more bent on power. And they will fulfill all orders.- But why should I be the one to explain to him the terrible consequences of the bloody massacre?- "Who else?" Avakov was surprised. "You are the Chief of Staff. Generals and senior officers have a very respectful attitude towards you. Some of them served in the SBU under your leadership.- The Maidan Council authorized political leaders Yatsenyuk, Tiahnybok and Klitschko to negotiate with the government. They already had experience with Yanik-I still didn't see any point in meeting with Yanukovych.- "Alexander Valentinovich, give it a rest," Avakov was pestering me, "these negotiations have reached a dead end. He will no longer meet with the troika. The security forces know that it is the HQ that leads the resistance in the center and on the ground. You have to tell him in a way that he can hear. Try to stop the slaughter.- When is this meeting offered?- Tomorrow at 12:00. Can I confirm your participation?- Hold on. I need to talk to Arseniy, Oleg and Vitaliy.The Troika immediately supported the new format of negotiations, hoping that this was a small but still a chance to stop the tragedy.The next day, at 11:45, Avakov drove me to the agreed place, where a black Mercedes was waiting. There was no one in the car except the driver. I sat in the back and the driver silently pressed the gas. "The Mercedes quickly drove to the Bessarabian market and then up to the presidential administration.After passing a powerful police checkpoint and a defensive line of security forces, the car dove into an archway from the side of Lutheranska Street and emerged in the courtyard of the Presidential Administration, which was closed on all sides by a fence and houses. "The Mercedes smoothly blended into the open iron gate, which immediately slammed shut behind us like a gaping maw.Two officers of the State Security Department were waiting at the door leading to the personal elevator. After a thorough search, one of the officers entered the elevator with me and pressed the button. On the fourth presidential floor, I was taken to the office of Yanukovych's personal security and, after being asked to take off my jacket, was searched again with a portable metal detector. Assuming that I would have to undergo such procedures in Yanukovych's lair, I had prudently left my cell phone, watch, and even a fountain pen at the headquarters. After the search, I was taken to one of the rooms next to the presidential office.We didn't have to wait long. In just a few minutes, Yanukovych entered, accompanied by a bodyguard. The president pointed to the round table and we sat down opposite each other. The bodyguard stood behind me.- "You've gone crazy on the Maidan," the president began, "crossing all imaginable and unimaginable boundaries. These are not protests, this is banditry! You are beating up law enforcement officers, shooting at police officers, seizing government offices. Your chemists are making some hellish mixtures that cannot be extinguished. I have Berkut members lying in hospitals with terrible burns.I was listening to this offensive passage, looking into his eyes and trying to understand the main thing – is he ready to shoot the Maidan?- "You are criminals who threaten the security of the country!" Yanukovych burst into tears. "And you are pushing me to take extreme measures!These were the key words. He tried to keep his usual confident and arrogant demeanor. But the dull look in his eyes, red from insomnia, and the subtle nervous twitch of his cheeks indicated his exhausting internal struggle and doubts. He wants to put an end to the Maidan, but he is afraid of the consequences..Most likely, the security forces demanded a written order from Yanukovych to conduct a military operation, and he did not want to leave his written traces in the history of the bloody confrontation. Yanukovych was nervous and hesitant.- "I don't know who is giving you this information, but it is completely untrue," I began when he finished his tirade, "It is our activists who are being beaten by Berkut, our guys are being shot at point blank range on Hrushevskoho Street. Hundreds of my comrades are imprisoned. Criminals hired by the security forces are kidnapping, injuring and killing Maidan activists. Seizure of administrative buildings in the regions is a response to your terror...- We are the government! The opposition has created a "lawlessness" in the country! We can't stand it any longer! We will put an end to it once and for all!" Yanukovych boiled.- I know about the preparation of an anti-terrorist operation, about your desire to throw all forces, including troops, at the Maidan, about lifting restrictions on the use of weapons..The president tensed, his face twisting into a grimace that looked like a disdainful smile. But there was no confidence or determination in the look in his faded eyes.- You can send troops against us, you can send tanks," I continued to raise the temperature, "but we will not retreat. We simply have nowhere to retreat to. To destroy the Maidan, we need to cover the capital in blood. Are you ready to take responsibility for the fact that the center of Kyiv will be knee-deep in blood? What will the world's reaction be and how will you live with it?At my mention of blood, Yanukovych suddenly turned pale. I recalled how, in 2004, during a visit to Ivano-Frankivsk, a student shot him with an egg. When he felt a viscous liquid on his chest and thought it was blood, Yanukovych fainted and fell like a dead man."Does the president react to blood like a conservatory student?" I thought, "He's so harsh, ruthless, and unprincipled..."I immediately threw a few more crimson strokes on the picture of the bloody apocalypse in Kyiv that would be inevitable if the ATO was launched. It worked.We talked for about half an hour. Toward the end, Yanukovych's tone softened. He seemed open to negotiations, ready to give the opposition the opportunity to form a government, willing to repeal the latest laws, release the arrested Maidan activists, and seek compromises that would unblock the situation, but only if the protests were completely stopped..All of this was, to use his slang, "nothing." The main thing is that he realized that the Maidan protesters might not flinch or run away. That the ATO would result in hundreds and thousands of dead and wounded. That he would be condemned and persecuted for life in all civilized countries. And he will not be able to wash himself of this stigma of a murderer..The same Mercedes drove me to where Arsen Avakov was waiting for me in his car. At the Headquarters, our top three leaders were anxiously and eagerly awaiting my report.- In the coming days, he will not go to shoot the Maidan," I announced the result of the negotiations right from the doorstep.He exhaled and, sitting down in a comfortable chair, briefly recounted the details of the conversation on Bankova Street. My comrades were sincerely glad that Yanukovych had postponed the start of the bloody massacre.Yatsenyuk immediately made a proposal:- If Oleksandr is so successful in talking to Yanik, let him do all the negotiations with him now.I was tense. the "pleasure" of talking face-to-face with Yanukovych is too ungrateful. It was impossible to negotiate with him to fulfill the terms of the Maidan. Fortunately, Klitschko killed this initiative.- "Why should Turchynov negotiate instead of us?" Vitalik was sincerely indignant. "I believe that only political leaders can negotiate. I am not going to delegate my powers from UDAR to anyone...- I fully support Vitaly!" I drove out of the gloomy prospect of a negotiating yoke.Read alsoBudanov heads the Presidential Office – first conclusions and forecasts

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