Protests in Kyiv, Ukraine began in earnest in November 2013 after then-President Yanukovych refused to sign a trade agreement with the EU, which the citizenry had counted on for improved economic relations with Western Europe. Initial peaceful protests by students centered around Independence Square in Kyiv were brutally suppressed by the Berkut special police, injuring many people and shocking a large portion of the population into action. Over the coming weeks, protests continued to grow as tens of thousands of Ukrainians marched against the corrupt Yanukovych government.
Violence escalated until February 2014 when the Berkut and other government agencies began firing live rounds into the protestors. More than 100 people were killed in just two days in mid-February, in events that stunned the world as protestors bled to death on the sidewalks in front of cameras. Within days, President Yanukovych and most of his ministers fled the country, eventually settling in Russia under Vladimir Putin’s protection.
Just as celebrations broke out and the protestors thought themselves to be victorious, Russian military forces invaded the country and occupied the areas around Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. These occupations set the stage for the 2022 conflict that is now ongoing.
Amidst the chaos of the burgeoning revolution and the surprise invasion, a handful of Marines from the Defense Attaché Office at the US embassy in Kyiv were on the ground, reporting on the escalating conflict from within the protests themselves. These reports were passed almost directly from non-commissioned officers on the street up to the White House within hours. These trained intelligence collectors were perhaps the best sources of accurate and up to date information.
For episodes 40 and 41 of the Spycraft 101 podcast, I spoke with former assistant attaché Shane Partlow. We talked about the role played by the DAO in US embassies worldwide, and how these officers and NCOs responded to events with world-changing implications taking place in Ukraine in the winter of 2013-2014.
Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spycraft101
Spycraft101 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spycraft101
The Ultimate Spycraft and Espionage Reading List: https://amzn.to/3XkWRNh
Find the Spycraft 101 book series here: https://shop.spycraft101.com/products/spy-shots-volume-i-101-true-tales-from-the-world-of-espionage
