The SBI announced the suspicion of the ex-head of the KMDA Makeyenko for the decision to stop the Kyiv subway during the Revolution of Dignity
State Bureau of Investigation announced suspicion of the former head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Volodymyr Makeyenko, for his unprecedented decision to completely stop the work of the Kyiv Metro during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014.
Makeyenko has been a member of the Party of Regions since 2005 and in 2007–2014 held the position of People’s Deputy. The investigation believes that he had special trust among his colleagues in the party and on the part of the then president Viktor Yanukovych. That is why in January 2014, Makeyenko was entrusted with the management of the capital.
On February 18, 2014, according to the investigation, Makeyenko, in collusion with the SBU, which was preparing to disperse the protesters by force, signed a separate order to “stop the work of all Kyiv metro stations from 3:55 p.m. until the order is canceled.” The official explanation was a reference to a terrorist threat. As a result, subway traffic in Kyiv was completely blocked for two days – from 4:05 p.m. on February 18 to 5:05 p.m. on February 20, which made it impossible for citizens to reach the central part of Kyiv by using underground transport.
Two employees of the SBU, who were constantly in the office of the operative on duty, made sure that the subway did not resume operation without approval.
“Due to the shutdown of the Kyiv Metro on the evening of February 18, 2014, a transport collapse occurred in the city of Kyiv, residents of the city could not get home, passengers piled up at public transport stops, and heavy traffic jams formed on the roads, the suspect says.
Makeyenko is indicted under Part 2 of Art. 28, Art. 340 (illegal obstruction of the organization or holding of meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrations), Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 279 (blocking of transport communications), Part 5 of Art. 27, Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 3 of Art. 365 (abuse of power) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
