"Last chance" of the Ukrainian opposition

"Million march" in Kyiv

On December 8, the “Million March” is held in Kyiv - a mass action of the opposition, which collected, according to various estimates, 300-500 thousand people. The manifestants crashed into small groups and blocked all 90 buildings of the central authorities in the capital

"Million march" in Kyiv on December 8, 2013

On the eve of the Sunday, “Million Millions” in Kyiv, civil activists handed over to passers -by color “invitations” to a rally, in which they emphasized: “This is our last chance.” That is how Kiev residents belonged to this action, realizing that if there are fewer people in Kyiv than last Sunday, and the opposition would not present a clear plan of action to change the authorities, the protest will inevitably “fade”.

On Saturday evening, the New Times correspondent was on the Square Square, where at that moment there were about 15 thousand people. It was obvious that the basis of the tent town is protesters from the Western regions of Ukraine. The Kyivians were protested only in the evenings: “caring” local residents came to the main square of the country for an hour or two and diverged home. Politics who performed on Saturday on the stage, it seems, no longer hoped for solidarity from the capital's residents, constantly pointing in their speeches that on Sunday several tens of thousands of their supporters from the regions would come to Kyiv.

The opposition restrained the word: from seven in the morning in the Kiev metro it was not to push through. Coordinators of protest in an organized metro were in an organized metro: without them, it would be very difficult for people who arrived on buses and personal cars to Kyiv.

By the beginning of the procession planned for noon (14:00 Moscow time), about 100 thousand people gathered in the center of Kyiv. An hour later, the number of protesters increased to 300 thousand. A couple of hours after the start of the Millions Millions, various estimates sounded, but most journalists agree that a rally against the current government gathered at least 500 thousand people in Kyiv.

The opposition gathered people on the Maidan and presented a plan of action: it is necessary to break into columns of several thousand people and block approaches to all administrative buildings of the authorities. In theory, if this action lasts several days, this should seriously exhaust government officials and lead to some paralysis of power. This plan seemed to have only one drawback: he did not take into account that most of the protesters took to the central streets of Kyiv for only one day. Those who want to hold an unlimited protest on the streets were a maximum of 10% of the total number of protesters on Sunday.

The authorities also prepared for the rally of the opposition thoroughly. A large column of soldiers of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to protect the Cabinet building from a possible capture. Special forces took under protection and other administrative buildings.

Negotiations or Get?

What to do, what and how to achieve from the Ukrainian authorities, the protesters do not know. On the stage of Euromaidan, completely different calls sounded today. Thus, the famous Ukrainian philosopher Miroslav Popovich said that on December 1 an initiative group was created, which should organize negotiations between representatives of the Euromaidan, opposition leaders, President Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov, three ex-presidents of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko. The purpose of these negotiations is to "stabilize the situation in the country."

During Popovich’s speech, many protesters were indignant. “People who do not want any revolution are allowed to the stage and say terms that our power constantly uses. If you have already agreed there about some negotiations, then why drive hundreds of thousands of people in the cold? ” - 44-year-old entrepreneur from Kyiv Vladimir was perplexed. He was supported by an accountant Natalya, who was standing right there. “They didn’t know what to do a week ago, they don’t know now. What the hell are negotiations? " she says.

The daughter of Yulia Tymoshenko Evgenia also performed on stage. She read a letter to her mother in which the opposition leader calls people to “drive Yanukovych away” and in no case do not agree with him. This call on the Maidan was met with much greater cordiality. Dozens of people noted: if Tymoshenko were among the leaders of the opposition, "the revolution would have already occurred."

The protest of the regions

In parallel in the Mariinsky Park, the Party of Regions held its action in support of President Yanukovych. According to journalists, about 3 thousand people took part in it, although the PR website indicated 15 thousand. At least 10 camps without symbols were installed in the park - the protesters were offered to spend the night there until the situation stabilizes and the Euromaidan was dispersed.

It was impossible even for reporters to get to the rally on Sunday: the entrance to the rally was allowed only if there was a special pass-alignment.

The protesters themselves admit that for a 12-hour participation in a rally in support of the president they pay 200-230 hryvnias. The authorities are brought to the action from the regions - Donetsk, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk and the surrounding villages.

Opposition - Power: 0-0

The “Million Marsh” promised by the opposition did not work. Despite the fact that several hundred thousand people reappeared on the streets of Kyiv again, the opposition leaders could not offer their supporters a clear plan of action and a clear agenda. And Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Vitaly Klitschko, and Oleg Tyagnibok repeated the beaten slogans from the rostrum and criticized the power of the very words as a week ago.

For example, the former Minister of Internal Affairs and the political prisoner Yuri Lutsenko said that in 2004 he believed that "if the patriot president came to power, everything would change for the better." Now he, they say, realized that it was necessary to change not the president, but the entire system of power as a whole. The politician turned to the inhabitants of the eastern regions of Ukraine and called on Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk to join the Euromaidan.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk called Yanukovych on the stage “an interesting person”, who has already gathered two Maidan for nine years. ” The politician thanked people for the "non -political Maidan" and added: "Thank God that the people have seen." Yatsenyuk said about what to do next: daily picket government buildings. When and what success will take, he did not specify.

The deputy from the Fatherland, Alexander Turchinov, who had been following him, called on part of the audience - 30 thousand people - to break the tent town under the walls of the Cabinet.

The purpose of the opposition is to force the authorities to let the detainees a week ago, to punish those responsible for the hard acceleration of the Berkut, to dismiss the Cabinet of Ministers and achieve a “complete restart” from it. Klitschko did not talk about the resignation of the president and early elections.

Thus, the list of opposition requirements for the authorities has become significantly shorter.

The people present on the Maidan, after a few hours, began to speak among themselves that a leader who was ready to take responsibility for a state coup did not appear, and therefore the protest will inevitably bend, because "people are not suckers" and "understand when they are foolish." “It is obvious that there is nothing to catch on the Maidan next week,” the young guy in pure Ukrainian said to one of his Lviv comrades. Barely restraining his tears, he added to the interlocutor: "Probably, I'm going home tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the leader of the Nationalist Party "Freedom" Oleg Tyagnibok urged supporters not to lose heart. “I want the conversations to stop that our standing here does not give anything. We are standing together. There should be a lot of us to win. We must stand, block and put pressure on this power and no quarrels among ourselves, ”he said.

Update from 19:10 (Moscow time) 08.12.2013

The Security Service of Ukraine began an investigation in connection with the actions "aimed at the seizure of state power." This was officially stated in the press service of the department. Activists on the Maidan are waiting for a new round of repression, although some are indifferently shrug: “They just want to intimidate us. What should we lose? ”

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the authorities are going to introduce a state of emergency in the country. The opposition was supposedly known about this from its sources on Bankova.

On Grushevsky Street, where the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is located, as well as on Bankova Street, where the presidential administration is located, activists began to install military tents. People here are ready for a possible night acceleration, but promise to defend themselves and are more than decisively configured. In their opinion, you need to stand here on weekdays and block the entrances to the administration.

Update from 20:00 (Moscow time) 08.12.2013

The monument to Lenin near Bessarabskaya Square in the center of Kyiv was demolished by nationalists. The police could not interfere with this. People on the Maidan chant: “Lenin is no more. There will be no Yanukovych. " Thousands of people run to look at the scene. “They ran for the souvenirs. We will analyze the devil for spare parts. "

Photo: Reuters/Gleb Garanich