Ukraine: Coup Staged, New Order Established, First Steps Taken, Tendencies Taking Shape
Pavel Dmitriev
Authoritarian aggression: A protester breaks up a manne-
quin on the roof of the burned truck during clashes with
police in central Kiev (Photo: Sergei Grits/AP Photo)
The world community should fully realize that Ukrainian Neo-Nazis have become an instrument of US foreign policy.
The coup in Ukraine has taken place. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament) has voted to set early presidential elections for May 25 and done so in violation of Constitution and established order. The former President escaped from Kiev having betrayed his voters, the party, those who stood on guard of law and order and the people. Kiev and a larger part of Ukraine, including Volyn and Galicia regions, have moved under the control of rebels.
The south-eastern part of Ukraine and the Republic of Crimea, excluding the Dnepropetrovsk region, are still loyal to the Constitution and have actually refused to recognize the new regime. At that, it is unclear how long will the local powers in the country’s south-east be able to keep the situation under control…
The Kharkov (or Kharkiv) local governors’s meeting took place on February 22; the final document vaguely stated loyalty to the Constitution and refused to recognize the rebels’ rule…
The regional councils are only legal power structures in the south-eastern part of Ukraine unconditionally recognized by local population that have authority within the limits of their territories. The fates of the people who counter the coup depend on how decisive and resolute the local powers will be. These are the structures that can organize local population and militia to make it maintain law and order and prevent the attempts to seize local administrative buildings.
Until now, the situation in the south-east has been under local powers’ control. Anti-fascist self-defense formations are actively formed in Donetsk, Kharkov and Lugansk, the population there is adamant in its desire to resist. It’s relatively calm in the autonomous Republic of Crimea. The legal powers are strongly determined to repel the attacks of Bandera movement gangs which spread their activities across the country like cancer metastasis.
The main driving force of the coup is not opposition parties which have representation in the parliament (UDAR, Batkivshchyna), but rather neo-Nazi militants from Galicia, Kiev and the central parts of the country. Well organized, they did their dirty job on the streets and barricades while the opposition used the results of their activities to its advantage.
Now these radical-nationalist elements are strongly committed to the idea of having a representation in the new government. Though until now the inclusion of Bandera movement activists into the Ministry of Internal Affairs structures has not been considered, Minister A. Avakov said the police forces would maintain law and order together with Pravy Sector and Maidan self-defense units. It’s easy to see that the Bandera movement’s goal is a “national revolution” meaning the establishment of “revolutionary dictatorship” and terror against dissidents.
Pravy Sector is ready to promote the goals of coup much further that the moderate opposition parliamentary forces may want the process to go. The head of Maidan neo-fascists posted an instruction of the Pravy Sector headquarters saying that the Party of the Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine are criminal organizations and their activities should be stopped. The immediate aim of neo-Nazi is to get through into the parliament. If there is no early parliamentary election, they will demand it.
A part of population is on edge, and there is some support for fascist ideology influencing the Ukrainian politics. There is blood on the hands of neo-Nazi militants and their Western sponsors – they are responsible for the Party of Regions and the Communist Party offices pogroms, beatings up and tortures of prisoners, killings of armless policemen and Berkut soldiers.
The gap between the Maidan Nazi on the one hand and UDAR and Batkivshchyna political parties on the other hand has become wider. There is also a gap between the Nazi and Svoboda political party which does its best to look respectable in the eyes of Europe. The main problem for the opposition is finding a way to disband the militants and make them disarm without the use of force.
Svoboda has already stated that it won’t support Yulia Timoshenko as a candidate for the position of Prime Minister. Perhaps that was the reason Timoshenko refused to run for the office as it was formally stated.
Having staged the coup, the West has made Ukraine destitute of its sovereignty. The country is ruled from outside. Washington and Brussels are consulted before taking any decision of significance. First of all it has relation to the issue of the association agreement with the European Union. It’s worth to note that Karel De Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade, confirmed the EU readiness to conclude an association agreement with Ukraine. He believes the agreement will be signed but refused to tell the date. According to him, the issue could be considered after the government is formed, democracy guaranteed and stability restored.
Washington needs the Nazi militants to use them as a leverage over the powers in Kiev if need be. The world community should fully realize that Ukrainian Neo-Nazis have become an instrument of US foreign policy.
Along with that The West and the proxy opposition face serious problems after the Pyrrhic victory. The country is on the verge of default. Any attempts to rectify the situation boil down to the need for credits and the coercion into the association with the EU.
The West realizes the way the events unfold may endanger the power of the puppet regime in Kiev. It’s worth to note that on February 22 the West started to talk about economic aid to be granted to Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund aid package is almost imposed on the new regime. U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said the U.S. is ready to help Ukraine get aid from the International Monetary Fund. According to him, Ukraine’s close and fruitful cooperation with the IMF is extremely important. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in his turn that the international community should help Ukraine to find the ways for stable development. He discussed the issue of granting financial aid to the country with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski. The officials agreed that Ukraine badly needs substantial aid to stabilize the situation.
Probably, the West’s efforts to tackle the issue without Russia will be fruitless. Germany’s Social Democrat politician Gernot Erler, who holds the position of Coordinator for German-Russian Intersocietal Co-operation, called on the European Union to come with urgent economic aid package for Ukraine to prevent the country’s bankruptcy. He stressed the importance of making the International Monetary Fund take part in the process. Karl-Georg Wellman, a member of German parliament, made an unexpected proposal. He said that only sanctions or only the dismissal of the President is not a concept. But a political and economic concept is required to tackle the issue of Ukraine. But even that may not help. There is no long-term solution without bringing Russia in. (bolds by author).
No doubt, Russia is still to say its word. The main motive behind its actions will be the desire to lend a helping hand to the brotherly people made face severe hardships by adventurists and incompetent politicians.
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Article published here: Strategic Culture Foundation. Photo: The Independent
URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2014/02/25/ukraine-coup-staged-new-order
