Ukraine: Kiev snipers reportedly hired by opposition leaders not Yanukovich according to 'bugged call'

The conversation was allegedly between Baroness Ashton and Estonia’s Foreign Minister

Kiev's Independence Square pictured on Sunday 23 February, where the shootings took place. (AFP/Getty Images)

Protesters in Ukraine were shot on the orders of their own leaders it has been alleged in a phonecall apparently between Estonia’s Foreign Minister and EU Foreign Policy Chief Cathy Ashton.

During the conversation, the callers discuss claims that snipers who shot protesters in Kiev’s Independence Square were hired by opposition leaders rather than acting on the request of the ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The allegations reportedly emerged from calls tapped by Ukraine’s special services, allied to Mr Yanukovych, on 26 February before the President fled Ukraine, state-controlled Russia Today ( RT) reported.

The voice that is thought to be that of Urmas Paet says in the conversation that he spoke to a doctor’s leader called “Olga”, a name that the voice believed to be Baroness Ashton appears to recognise.

He goes on to say that Olga told him that “all evidence shows that the people were killed by snipers from both sides - among policemen and people from the streets - that they were the same snipers killing people from both sides.”

He continues: “And it's really disturbing that now the new coalition [government], they don't want to investigate what exactly happened, so that there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers it was not Yanukovych, but it was somebody from the new coalition.”

Baroness Ashton allegedly responds: “I think they do want to investigate, and I didn't know... pick that up - gosh.”

Mr Paet says the evidence “discredits from the very beginning” of Ukraine's new leadership.

The video was released by RT as western leaders met Ukraine’s new government in Paris.

Michael Mann, Baroness Ashton's spokesperson, told Channel 4 News: “We do not comment on alleged phone conversations.”

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