Ukrainian - Special Forces

Ukrainian Alpha Group - Euromaidan Sniper Crisis, 2014

"Snipers were killing protesters in the streets. Alpha Group operators refused orders to fire on their own people. Some paid with their lives."

STORY: February 2014, Kyiv. Euromaidan protests turned deadly when snipers began killing demonstrators in Independence Square. Ukrainian Alpha Group received orders from the Yanukovych government to storm the square and "restore order." Alpha operators faced an impossible moral choice: follow orders or refuse. The unit's commander gathered his men. They voted. Unanimously, they refused to fire on Ukrainian civilians. As protesters and government forces clashed, Alpha operators withdrew from their positions. Their refusal was mutiny—punishable by prison or death. When Yanukovych's government fell days later, Alpha operators were vindicated. But some had already paid prices. Several faced prosecution attempts. Others were targeted by security services. They had been Ukraine's most elite unit; overnight they became political targets. Yet history proved them right. When Russia invaded in 2022, these same Alpha operators defended Ukraine ferociously, fighting Russian special forces. They chose their country over their government—the hardest choice special forces can make.