The bullets have stopped flying, for now. But investigations into what exactly is being fired at protesters are just beginning.
A report
published on Jan. 25 by Armament Research Services, a specialty arms and
munitions consultancy in Perth, Australia, says the mysterious cufflink-shaped
projectiles presumably fired by riot police on Hrushevskoho Street at
protesters during clashes this week are not meant for riot control, but for
stopping vehicles, busting through doors and piercing armor.
The report was conducted based on photographic evidence in Perth by ARES director N.R. Jenzen-Jones, and physical evidence by a source in Ukraine familiar with government service ammunition and weaponry who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from authorities.
The bullets, writes Jenzen-Jones, who specializes in Eastern bloc weapons, says the bullets are special armor-piercing 12-gauge shotgun projectiles, likely developed and produced by
the Spetstekhnika (Specialized Equipment) design bureau, a facility located in
Kyiv and associated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Interior Ministry press
service could not immediately be reached for comment or confirmation.
‘”The projectiles are comprised
of either a brass or aluminium slug and a core of (likely hardened) steel,
designed to act as a penetrator,” Jenzen-Jones writes. “The design of the projectile
has been optimised for stopping vehicles, and the cartridge is referred to as a
‘car stopper.'”
To that extent, “these
cartridges are not intended for riot control. If they were deliberately fired
at a protestor then they were likely intended to be lethal,” he told the Kyiv
Post.
An ammunition specialist in
Ukraine familiar with government service ammunition and weaponry who asked to
remain anonymous recognized the bullets as those seen at the 2013 Weapons and
Security expo in Kyiv.
According to the display
description of the brass and aluminum versions of the slugs at the expo (see
image below), they are “designed for the forcible stop of a vehicle by damaging
parts and mechanisms while shooting a 12 gauge weapon.”
When images of the rare bullets
first circulated on social media on Jan. 22, they were thought to be Blondeau
bullets, French designed projectiles first developed during World War II to
disable military vehicles. Smaller versions of them are popular with hunters,
who used them on large game. A quick internet search shows that those Blondeaus
start at a few dollars a piece and go up, depending on the size and function.
But the ones gathered by
activists and journalists in Kyiv and believed to be those produced by
Spetstekhnika differ in form.
“Contrary to some information
circulating online, these slugs are not Blondeau type projectiles.
Additionally, the larger ‘end’ of the projectile is the forward portion,” the
ARES report reads. “There also appears to be some confusion as to the purpose
of these cartridges, with the some sources claiming they are primarily used as
breaching rounds. Unlike dedicated breaching cartridges, which make use of
frangible projectiles of sintered metal powder, these slugs are not intended to
disintegrate upon impact.”
The report continues: “Suffice
to say, these projectiles are lethal, and would not generally be fired in the
course of a crowd-control action. Firing such cartridges against human targets
certainly constitutes lethal force and, whilst effective within range
constraints, would be an unusual choice. Other cartridge types would be more
readily available, cheaper, and more effective if lethal force was required.”
At least two anti-government
protesters were shot and killed there this week and dozens more were injured
during explosive clashes with riot police.
The two men died after being
shot with live ammunition, according to Maidan Medical Service Coordinator Oleh
Musiy and prosecutors, who for their part said they had opened an investigation
into the deaths.
Serhiy Nihoyan, a 20-year-old
from the small town of Bereznovativka near the eastern Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk, died after taking hits in the head and neck.
Mikhail Zhyzneuski, a native of
Belarus who reportedly immigrated to Ukraine in 2005 due to political
persecution in his home country, was shot in the heart.
Three days after their deaths
it remains unclear exactly who shot the two men and which type of gun and what
size caliber of bullets killed them. Some reports have said that lead buckshot
is what killed Nihoyan.
There have been no reports of
deaths of protesters at Hrushevskoho Street caused by the large shotgun
projectile described in the ARES report, though numerous injuries caused by the
bullet have been reported by media and medical personnel at the scene.
The Kyiv Post witnessed a man
being shot with one on Hrushevskoho Street. Writhing in pain after falling to
the ground, he was taken away by medical personnel. He condition remains unclear.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola
Azarov has repeatedly said that police forces on Hrushevskoho Street are not in
possession of firearms, though hundreds of images strewn across internet and
print media show interior troops firing at anti-government protesters.
Kyiv Post editor Christopher J. Miller
can be reached at [email protected],
or on Twitter at @ChristopherJM.
