Ukraine points finger at ex-president and Russia in sniper deaths

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By Pavel Polityuk and Alessandra Prentice KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday ousted President Viktor Yanukovich was involved in drawing up plans under which police snipers shot dead dozens of anti-government protesters and hinted at a Russian role in the violent crackdown. The head of Ukraine's security service blamed the killing of more than 100 protesters in mid-February on the 'Berkut' riot police, a turning point in the Moscow-backed leader's ultimately doomed struggle to keep power. He also said representatives of Russia's FSB security force had been seen at the Ukrainian security service's headquarters during the protests that began in November and that a Russian plane had flown a large amount of explosives into Ukraine. The hints of Russian involvement could further strain ties with Ukraine's former Soviet master, which annexed the Crimea region after Yanukovich's removal from power in what has become the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.




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