The Berkut was the special riot police force of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1992 to 2014. Named for the golden eagle, the Berkut was founded on 16 January 1992 to replace the Ukrainian SSR's branch of the OMON police unit. The Berkut initially specialized in fighting organized crime before transforming into a gendarmerie used by the Ukrainian militia for public security. Under President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian regime, the Berkut engaged in racketeering, terrorism, physical violence, torture, anti-Ukrainian sentiment, voter intimidation, and violence against the protesters of the Orange Revolution and the Euromaidan protests. Following the Euromaidan revolution in 2014, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov dissolved the Berkut, which was replaced with the National Guard. However, the Crimean branch of the Berkut became an agency of Russia following the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014, serving as Russia's gendarmerie in Crimea.
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