Filmmaker Stone Accuses U.S. Of Instigating Ukraine Crisis

Oliver Stone

U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone, who is working on a documentary film about recent events in Ukraine, says he believes the February 20 shootings in Kyiv that left dozens dead and injured were carried out by "foreign elements" and the incident had "CIA fingerprints on it."

Stone made the comments in a December 30 Facebook post, saying he just returned from Moscow where he interviewed former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Stone did not say why "it seems clear" that the shooters were "outside third party agitators," but added that details would be included in his film.

Stone also asserted that "well-armed, neo-Nazi radicals forced Yanukovych to flee the country with repeated assassination attempts" and compared the situation to a 2002 attempted coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Yanukovych fled to Russia days after the shootings, following months of protests over his decision to scrap plans for a landmark deal with the EU and bolster ties with Moscow.

Stone said "the West has maintained the dominant narrative of 'Russia in Crimea' whereas the true narrative is 'USA in Ukraine.'" He calls it "a dirty story through and through."

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, in a move condemned as illegal by Kyiv and the West.