The Revolution that Shook the World Panorama

This programme includes footage of protesters being shot.

Tonight, Panorama is on the front line. I think those are warning

shots but we should keep back. Ahead trigger situation where one mistake

could lead to war. -- hairtrigger situation. We are inside a Ukrainian

military base as it is surrounded by Russian soldiers.

It all began here, protesters in Kiev being fired at by special

police. The Russian occupation that followed, threatens to reignite Cold

War tensions. You just don't in the 21st century behave in a

19th-century fashion by invading another country. But Russia says it

is protesting its own interests protecting a Ukraine that is being

taken over by extremists. It is a revolution that began on the streets

of Kiev and has shaken the world. We just want to get some shots of this.

Sir? We are already in a state of war.

A square in central Kiev, the Maidan, where protesters were gunned

down by police and snipers. They were ordinary people, students,

office workers, pensioners, angry over their Government's rejection of

a trade agreement with Europe. It ended in bloodshed. Never in the

history of post-Soviet Ukraine did the police act with such brutality.

There were many different demonstrations, big and small, and

sometimes they were dispersed, but never with such bloody brutality.

Two weeks before the shootings, the Ukrainian President, Viktor

Yanukovych, had flown to Sochi for the opening of the Winter Olympics.

Russia's President Putin and he had much to talk about. Yanukovych had

chosen a multibillion-dollar deal with Russia instead of closer ties

with Europe, and that had sparked the protests back home. Back in

Kiev, when the police moved in to clear the Maidan, the protests were

no longer just about Europe but about removing the Yanukovych

Government. They forgot about the European association. They started

to insist that this Government should resign and especially the

Interior Minister under whose command the riot police were

acting. Riot police were sent into the Maidan on the 18th of February.

But the crackdown met with stiff resistance from ordinary citizens

who sensed the moment for change was upon them. And from militia units

fighting alongside them. The violence escalated. 18 people lost

their lives, including seven police. There was no going back for either

side. On the 20th of February, armed police were deployed.

They took up positions on the roads leading to Independence Square, the

Maidan. Snipers moved to rooftops looking onto the square.

The new Ukrainian Government believes this is a recording of the

snipers coordinating with the specialist police unit called the

Berkut. The Berkut, wearing yellow armbands, began firing.

These remarkable pictures show how the snipers opened fire as some

protesters pushed up the road towards them. They tried to protect

themselves with makeshift shields against a barrage of gunfire.

The snipers picked them off, one by one, but still the protesters

stayed. Some moved back and forth into the

line of fire to help injured friends.

This is Vitali Derekh, walking into the path of the snipers' bullets.

Panorama tracked him down. He took me to the place where he crouched

behind the wooden shields, unarmed. Snipers were shooting from that side

and bullets came from the window. When I first heard the shots, I was

stumbling and falling down. I started hiding behind trees. Then I

ran to the next set of trees where there were wounded people being

carried away. This man was there, too. He still does not want to show

his face in case the old regime returns and tries to punish him. I

had a shield just like this one. Did you think that the wooden shield

would stop the bullets? I thought it would stop plastic bullets.

I had no helmet and no shield. I told the rest of the guys to throw

away their shields because most of the people getting shot had helmets

and shields. By the end of the 20th of February, 98 people were dead in

two days of violence. Among them, at least 12 police. A small number of

protesters did have weapons, hunting rifles and pistols, but the vast

majority were unarmed. Investigators are now collecting evidence of a

possible -- for possible criminal prosecutions. There are several

unanswered questions. It is reported some snipers were shooting both at

protesters and police, raising suspicions there was a third force

at work. Some in the new administration are pointing at

Russia. Some in Russia are pointing at the new regime. As for

Yanukovych, he is denying he gave the orders to shoot. This criminal

investigation is in its early days yet high-ranking members of the

former Government led by Yanukovych have already been placed on a wanted

list. After the shooting, hundreds of Government officials and their

families fled through this airport. The former regime was melting away.

President Yanukovych himself went missing. His residency, once highly

secure, was left abandoned. Look at this! Yanukovych had amassed

a fortune. Paperwork found in his home is now being examined to

discover the extent of his corruption.

You know, you can see why people in Ukraine, now some of these images

have come to light, are looking at how their leader has been living,

and you can understand why there was such enormous resentment by the end.

Goodness me. Panorama spoke to the President's former head of

security. He believes Yanukovych planned his escape during the

shootings, meaning that the peace deal afterwards just bought him

time. Was there an escape plan in place when you were his head of

security? Of course. There were plans in place for an evacuation.

How quickly could your team get him out of the house? And into a

helicopter? Four minutes. This is the CCTV footage of Yanukovych

fleeing in his private helicopter. The camera captures his pet dog and

his live-in girlfriend, but his former head of security believes

this escape at all the hallmarks of longer term planning. I am sure the

evacuation plan was developed three days in advance. He would have put

everything he wanted to take in a small case which would have been

brought beforehand to the luggage area. All the rest could have been

transported on the ground. Moscow says the overthrow of

Yanukovych was an illegal act. It blames nationalists and right-wing

extremists. These are the sort of right-wing

militia Putin blames in Kiev. They did fight police in the Maidan, for

which they have been rewarded with three Cabinet posts, but the numbers

of far right are still relatively small. The revolution certainly

occurred as a result of the actions of ordinary Ukrainians, not because

of hundreds of thousands of right-wing supporters. In reality,

it happened because both in Kiev and elsewhere ordinary people are

unhappy with what was going on took to the streets. We took a stand for

two or three days. During the clashes, we helped. Moscow,

monitoring events in Ukraine closely, also had concerns about the

protests, seeing them as a threat to their wide interests. Russia was

against the violent coup which was masterminded mostly by Americans,

whose goal is to bring Ukraine into NATO, and that is the endgame. For

Russia it is a red line. Russia regards this as an existential

threat and will do what it takes. And nowhere is more sensitive than

Crimea, the region of Ukraine closest politically to Russia.

Nearly 60% of its population are ethnic Russians, and the Russians

still lease part of the Crimean coast at Sevastopol for their

strategically crucial Black Sea fleet. We arrive in the Crimean

capital of Simferopol, and the outskirts are quiet. But in the

centre, everything we saw in Kiev is flipped on its head. The Crimean and

Russian flags flying side-by-side. Demonstrators chanting pro-Russian

slogans. And they support the Berkut, the special police who in

Kiev are blamed by most for the massacre. Taking their lead from

Russian television, these people see the Kiev protesters as extremists.

Men form brigades on the streets, orange and black ribbons signalling

support for the Russian military. Against other Ukrainians? No.

Against two? Against extremists. But in Kiev they think you are

extremists. That is not true. You can see our city, not flaming, not

extremist. Our police, many from Crimea, were killed by peaceful

protesters. Crimea's Parliament building is surrounded by masked men

with guns. They have no insignia, nothing to identify where they are

from. Protecting them, a line of locals, who say the armed men are

here to protect them. Is it located do some filming? We have to meet

somebody. No. Let me explain. We just need to meet somebody. OK, OK.

Why are you protecting Russian soldiers who seem to be occupying

gradually your country? And the presence of Russian soldiers

outside their bases on you crape anyian soil is still -- on Ukrainian

soil is still denied by Russia. When we try and film a convoy of military

vehicles with Russian registration plates, a local defence force

volunteer intervenes. We want to get some shots of this. Sir, Sir, no! At

a major air base, Russian soldiers have seized control.

They have forced the Ukrainians back into their barracks.

One of the you crape anyian officers a-- of one of the Ukrainian officers

talks us to the positions. Sergei is not happy. How does it make you feel

to have these Russian soldiers standing behind you, occupying your

air base? Remarkably Sergei decides to

challenge his Russian adversary. Who are you? Go home.

Go home. Please, go on. We should go on. It is a tense situation. You can

see this is a Russian-controlled area now. You know, this is right on

the front. You can see how fractured this is and how these people are

absolutely determined not to give into this Russian occupation.

Moscow says the ousted Ukraine President requested Russian military

help to restore order. We would have had a blood bath in

Crimea if the troops didn't stop it - Russian troops, plus the

volunteers. Now, at the moment, we did not have a single dead person in

Crimea. The local population is very happy. This is not an invasion. Then

come rumours of an ultimatum from Russia to Ukraine. Your forces must

surrender by 5am or face attack. Well, the light is starting to go

here now. All the soldiers behind me are very much aware that when night

fall, that is when the Russians are most likely to do something. One of

them came over to me and said, "Please, don't leave us."

At the barracks, the men begin to prepare for a Russian assault.

Can you show us around? Shall we walk? So, these men are sitting in

the dark, down here, with guns all ready? Yes.

They have positioned themselves in small groups around the perimeter

fence. They know the Russians surrounding them have high-velocity

rifles and rocket launchers. Do you have your weapons here?

OK, what is up here? Is it OK to approach them? At another position,

young men, without body armour or helmets. They are airmen, not

trained infantry. What are you preparing for?

Are you scared about what might happen tonight?

Outside the base, the soldiers' wives are acting as human shields,

anxiously waiting for the deadline. Aren't you scared standing here

tonight? The vigil went on all night. At 5am

there was no attack. The women had stood by their men and their men

were still guarding the barracks. How close is your country to war

with Russia? TRANSLATION: According to the laws

which govern military operations, technically we are not at war with

Russia. However, considering their military forces have been deployed

in Ukrainian territory, clearly we consider that we are already in a

state of war. Tired men had come through the night

unscathed, but national pride had been wounded. They had lost their

airfield without a fight and lost it to the Russians - recent allies.

I wouldn't want this to reach the level of a confron trags, that

innocent people die for political interests. One has to solve this

around the table, diplomatically. Instead of waiting for Russians to

attack, they decide to meet them head-on. They march on, unarmed,

carrying the flag alongside an old Soviet army flag. An appeal for

comradeship among fellow soldiers. The Russians have obviously seen

these Ukrainian soldiers on the move and they have positioned themselves

in armoured vehicles just over the brow of the hill.

It is quite tense here. You can tell, what they were doing then was

asking for somebody to come and negotiate with them.

The Russians agreed to allow a small group of Ukrainians back into their

base, but they were now firmly in control. Next Sunday, Russia's

allies here plan a referendum, asking whether Crimea should leave

Ukraine all together and rejoin Russia.

We will not surrender Crimea, it is part of the Ukraine and is

recognised as such by all the countries in the world. Crimea still

is and will remain the territory of Ukraine W the help of the

international community, we will manage to force Putin to withdraw

his troops. Russia is already in clear breach of an agreement to

respect Ukraine's borders. The West has been able to do very little

about it. Threats of economic sanctions do not impress the

Russians. If there are sanction, there'll be

counter sanctions. We are living in a very united world. I would not

really recommend anyone to try sanctions on the Russian Federation,

because the consequences may be bad, not just for Russia, but for

everyone. It is not just Crimea where Kiev is losing its grip. In

Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, we found evidence of more worrying

divisions. Russian speakers are in the majority here. Many feel the new

Government is treating them as second-class citizens, even

attempting to remove Russian as an official language. We feel like

Russians. And living in the Ukraine, we feel like we are not in our place

because the official language is Ukraine. We all claim to be

Ukrainians, but we are really not. Many now want to be ruled by Russia

and there have been violent demonstrations against the new

Ukrainian Government. Some have said that your Government

was quite provocative by reducing the status of the Russian language

in the east. Is that one of the causes of this? No. The problem is

different. Russia has not accepted that Ukraine became an independent

country. They have a manic desire to restore the empire and believe it

cannot happen without Ukraine. It is only an excuse in order to return

Ukraine to the full influence of the Russian Federation.

Creating a new empire, which is Vladimir Putin's dream.

The Kremlin sees it differently. Many Ukrainians dream of a better

future, with closer links to the West. Some gave their lives for it

in the Kiev protests. The patriotic spirit is very high

among Ukrainians. We have seen this at Maidan and in the military bases

at Crimea. Therefore, the Russian Federation hasn't got a hope of

victory. But brave deeds and words may not be

enough. Ukraine finds itself in the middle

of a new balancing act, involving the world's great powers and it is

the people of Ukraine who may well end up the losers.