Grenade and self -government

How Ukraine reacted to clashes by the Verkhovna Rada

From the grenade rupture during clashes at the Verkhovna Rada, three people were already killed-21 years old Dmitry Slastikov, 20-year-old Alexander Kobyne and 25-year-old Igor Debrin. Street riots caused by voting for amending the Constitution became one of the most resonant since the Maidan. The Ukrainian journalist Ekaterina Sergaskova, at the request of "Medusa", tells what and why did various political forces reacted to Kiev and how riots reacted to the riots.

It all started with the fact that on August 31, 265 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading voted to amend the Constitution. The most important thing in these changes is the expansion of the powers of local “communities”, which the Verkhovna Rada can create and liquidate. The executive branch in the ground will now be exercised not by state administrations, but by prefects. They, like the heads of local state administrations, will be appointed and removed from his post by the President of Ukraine on the proposal of the government. In the transition provisions to the draft changes, it is stipulated that the features of the implementation of local self-government in certain administrative-territorial units of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions are determined by the law on the special order of local self-government.

The vote went hard: some of the deputies from the “radical party” blocked the stands, shouted “shame!”, Turned on the siren and pounded with plastic bottles, and the representative of the faction, Yuri Shukhevich, said that Europe betrayed Ukraine, as he had once betrayed Czechoslovakia in front of Hitler. The head of the Self -Help faction Oleg Berezyuk also announced the “betrayal of Ukraine”. By the way, five deputies from “self -help” nevertheless voted to amend the Constitution, after which they were expelled from the faction. The head of the Fatherland faction, Yulia Tymoshenko, also opposed, stating that this is not the road to the world and the constitution is changing in the interests of Russia. In general, the bill voted against him deputies regard the betrayal of national interests: the change in the Constitution was recorded in the Minsk agreements, which means, according to their logic, it serves the interests of Russia.

The speaker of the Rada and one of the initiators of the decentralization process Vladimir Groysman insisted on adopting the bill. He argued that neither the Donbass nor the other region would receive any special rights, but local communities will be able to better dispose of their resources. The changes were also supported by the Opposition Bloc faction, which consisted of mainly former deputies of the Party of Regions. The head of the faction, Yuri Boyko, said that constitutional reform will open the way to resolve the situation in the east of Ukraine. And the head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, Yuri Lutsenko, called the “spinal-brain Bolshevism” against the patients (this is a quote from the writer Oksana Zabuzhko) and stated that the Maidan demanded decentralization and that the BPP would vote “for” to “bury the corpse of the USSR”.

Immediately after the vote, the meeting of the Rada ended, and those who disagree with the decision of most deputies began to be tightened to the parliament building. People with the flags of the All -Ukrainian Association “Freedom”, “Radical Party of Oleg Lyashko”, as well as representatives of the “Right Sector”, “Republican Platform” and the Ugrop party, the financial businessman and the former head of the Dnipropetrovsk region Igor Kolomoisky came to the parliament. In general, among the protesters were representatives of mostly radical nationalist parties, many of whom position themselves as the “patriotic forces of Ukraine”. The organization of provocations and clashes during rallies is associated with “Freedom” and “Radical Party”.

Some of the dissatisfied began to attack the representatives of the National Guard, beat them with batons and lambs of flags. Journalists recorded how the former People’s Deputy of Freedom Yuri Sythyuk struck the police with a club, and the ex-deputy Oleg Gelevere grabbed a shield from the hands of the guardsman. In addition, in the clashes, the leader of Freedom Oleg Tyagnibok and the current deputy Yuri Levchenko were noticed ).

The tension was growing, the protesters began to be transferred to smoke bombs, and tear gas began to be used. At some point, a man from the Mariinsky Park threw a combat grenade towards a police cordon. A grenade fell under the feet of one of the guards, who stood with a fire extinguisher. After the grenade explosion, the fire extinguisher also exploded . As a result of the injury, the guardsman died on the spot. The death of two more victims became known the next day.

Who is to blame

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a man who abandoned the grenade was a fighter of the Volunteer Battalion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “CIC”, who recently wrote a report on his own free will and was going to go to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the battalion, the personality of the fighter was confirmed . He was detained, investigators are already interrogated. Grenades were seized from the suspect, including a grenade of maximum lesion F1.

According to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, after the clashes near the radit, about 30 people were detained . Later, adviser to Minister Zoryan Shkiryak said that 18 people were actually detained, and another 13 were released, since information about their fault was not confirmed . According to the events of August 31 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyiv, a criminal case began under Articles 293 (group violation of public order), 294 (mass riots), 345 (threat or violence against a law enforcement officer), 348 (an encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer) and 263 (illegal treatment of weapons, combat supplies or explosive substances).

Avakov accused the activists of the All -Ukrainian Association “Freedom” of what happened, and, in turn, they stated that they were responsible for the events of the current power and law enforcement agencies and demand the resignation of Avakov. According to them, “the authorities, together with the pro -Russian“ Opposition Bloc ”, provoked Ukrainians to protest, putting on the agenda of the parliament and voting in the first reading of changes to the Constitution.” Also, “Freedom” claims that the first power was applied by police, not protesters, and they are to blame for “did not take appropriate measures to neutralize provocateurs. Obviously, the use of an explosive device that unknown to law enforcement officers is a pre -planned provocation directed against Ukrainian patriots, ”the freedom report said.

Suspicion of provocation

“I have seen many acquaintances since the time of Euromaidan,” the deputy from the party “Self -help” and the former commander of the Donbass battalion Semen Semenchenko wrote on his Facebook. - Most of the people were outraged, but the main fights were carried out by small groups of people who acted quite organized. I accidentally stumbled upon several people who took part in pro -Ukrainian rallies in Donetsk, in March last year. Some of them worked for the split of Donetsk self -defense, accusing its active participants of various “crimes before the revolution”. These people behaved extremely aggressively and kept very united. I agree with the opinion that, against the backdrop of popular indignation, a well -organized provocation has been arranged today. ”

Member of the Volunteer Council under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Tatyana Rychkova also considers the incident a provocation. “As far as I know, representatives of the Freedom party positioned themselves patriots who help the ATO warriors. Or is it all farce? How can you help with one hand and cripple with the other? While in a peaceful city, we lose fighters. Tell me, it was worth it, what did you achieve? Who will be responsible for this? Or now it turns out that “freedom” “has nothing to do with it,” she wrote on Facebook.

The deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the "Bloc of Petro Poroshenko" Mustafa Nayyem called the terrorist attack. “Grenade under parliament is terrorism. Any political force whose involvement in these events will be proved should disappear from the country's political map. And her leader is to bear personal responsibility for the wounded and injured. I did not vote for changes to the Constitution, and no one prevented me from having its position. This was my right and I did not have to shoot at someone or throw a grenade for this, ”he believes .

The head of Freedom himself Oleg Tyagnibok spoke out briefly about the tragedy that had occurred: “The fact that Avakov so quickly“ appointed the perpetrators ”testifies to one thing - the provocation was planned and planned. Putin's way go! For he also arranged terrorist attacks ... ". Now the police will interrogate ) Tyagnibok as a share involved in the organization.

So far, politicians and law enforcement agencies understand what happened to the Verkhovna Rada, the adopted amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution will go to analyze the Constitutional Court. If he approves the bill, at least 300 deputies will have to vote for it - only in this case amendments to the Constitution will be adopted.

Ekaterina Sergaskova

Kyiv