Regarding the photo, Russia Today claims it shows protesters, but I only see a silhouette that could be a policeman, too. The image is from AFP+Getty Images rather than RT's own sources, and the original caption doesn't identify the sniper: there is only a generic text re-used as caption for several other images.

Anti-government protesters clash with the police during their storming of Independence Square in Kiev on February 18, 2014. Flames engulfed the main anti-government protest camp on Independence Square on Tuesday as riot police tried to force demonstrators out following the bloodiest clashes in three months of protests. The iconic square turned into a war zone as riot police moved slowly through opposition barricades from several directions, hurling stun grenades and using water cannon to clear protestors. AFP PHOTO/ GENYA SAVILOV (Photo credit should read GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)

There are clearer photos that show guns and non-sniper rifles, though:

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}