Research concludes the Maidan Square snipers were anti-government militants.

[karynnj]

97. The paper is not all that impressive

It is poorly written and in the summary in the beginning contains leading comments like:

On November 19, 2014, the Prosecutor General Office claimed during its pressconference
devoted to this issue that their extensive investigation produced no evidence of
“snipers” at the Hotel Ukraina, Zhovtnevyi Palace and other locations controlled by Maidan.
However, no evidence has been made public in support of such findings, with the exception of
videos that show them shooting with AKMs.

Seriously - he is arguing that it is problematic that there is no evidence in support of something they say their investigation found no evidence of. He then speaks of "missing" evidence. It is also frustrating to read because of things like dates without the year and references to the "Ukrainian government" when it is not clear which Ukrainian government.

As to critical analysis, here is part of his proof -- note the op regularly cites the western media as not covering any of this correctly -- yet, articles in exactly those sources are listed as his proof.

However, a Reuters investigation uncovered that the prosecution case against three
Berkut members charged with the killings primarily relied on videos and photos, and some key
pieces of such evidence were misrepresented or ignored.12 Monitor, a German TV program,
presented evidence during its investigation that shooters were based in the Hotel Ukraina and
that the government investigation was manipulated.13 Investigative reports by the BBC and
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung almost a year after the massacre confirmed the presence of
armed protesters at the Music Conservatory and their shooting of the police at Maidan.14 A New
York Times investigation concluded that the police forces and Yanukovych himself fled because
of their fear that protesters could use weapons that were seized during the attacks on the police
and SBU headquarters in several regions of Western Ukraine.15 However, they did not produce
similar investigations into the killings of the protesters and assumed that the police massacred the
protesters in reaction to the killing of the policemen. Similarly, the Daily Beast reports that
presented videos and photos of the armed SBU Alfa unit are proof that the Alfa snipers killed the
protesters, even though the photos and videos were made at the SBU headquarters after the
massacre had already unfolded.

Note that this is all the prequel to his study, which he describes as follows:


This study relies on the rational choice theoretical framework and the Weberian theory of
rational action, and it employs interpretative and content analyses of a variety of sources. The
rational choice theory views people as acting in a calculated and self-interested manner.17
However, rational choice assumes that people have perfect information to make such decisions
and that all of their actions are rational. In contrast, the Weberian theory of social action regards
instrumentally-rational type of action as one ideal type of action alongside value-rational,
traditional and affectual types of action, and that such actions can be interpreted and understood
by scholars. The instrumentally rational type of aМtion involves “the attainment oП the aМtor’s
own rationallв pursueН anН МalМulateН enНs.”

So, in essence, what follows is based on BOTH his view of the facts - which are even from his summary - are still in question. What is clear is that he really has no new proof of anything -- and does not claim to. Any model is only as good as the assumptions and the degree to which it fits reality.