What Kharkov proved: Ukraine is going to suppress any dissent
Kharkov - Kyiv, September 29 (Navigator, Sergey Stepanov) - The dispersal of an anti-war rally in Kharkov and the demolition of the monument to Lenin is an act of intimidation, demonstrating that the Ukrainian authorities are ready to suppress any dissent. About this in an interview "PolitNavigator" said a Kharkov political scientist Roman Travin.
Subscribe to the news "PolitNavigator - Kyiv" в Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
"PolitNavigator": Kharkov was in the spotlight twice last weekend - during the dispersal of the anti-war march and the demolition of the Lenin monument.
Roman Travin: On Saturday, a number of Kharkiv activists planned to hold a march for peace. The application to host the event was submitted by Kharkov communists. Shortly before the start of the action, a court decision was read out banning the march. After which, almost immediately, they began to detain those gathered. I would especially like to draw your attention to the fact that they began to detain and apply other forceful measures against activists a quarter of an hour before the official start of the action. That is, in fact, even before people had time to commit any offense. This is largely why all the detainees were released.
At the same time, the “ideologically correct” march for peace, which was organized by Euromaidan supporters and nationalists the next day, did not encounter any obstacles from the authorities. Moreover, when its participants began to destroy the monument to Lenin in the central square of the city, the governor of Baluta signed a document that served as a legal “cover” for these actions. It is noteworthy that initially the Kharkov police called the actions of the radicals an offense and only after Baluta’s order began to “maintain law and order” during this act of vandalism.
"PolitNavigator": Why was the anti-war rally so small that it was easily dispersed by the authorities?
Roman Travin: Firstly, because people simply did not have time to gather. As I said, people began to be detained even before the start of the action. Someone had not yet arrived, someone was simply not allowed to approach, someone, seeing what was happening, decided to return, because there were a lot of police, who divided those who had already gathered into groups.
Secondly, in general, the fact that many activists are subject to persecution by law enforcement agencies and the leadership of the organizations where they work, as well as various kinds of pressure from opponents, affects the number of people willing to participate in protests, including this action .
"PolitNavigator": Why were there no defenders of Lenin?
Roman Travin: I have already partially answered this question. Most of the people who coordinated the protection of the monument in February-March were either detained or forced to leave the country. The same is true for many ordinary activists. Someone, apparently, is now in Donbass. At the same time, the opposite side received complete indulgence to use violence against people with opposing opinions. Under these conditions, Kharkov residents were not ready to speak out in defense of the monument.
"PolitNavigator": How do Kharkov residents perceive what happened?
Roman Travin: I am absolutely convinced that the overwhelming majority have a very negative attitude towards the barbaric destruction of the monument. Among them are even those who supported the Euromaidan and, in general, would not object to its dismantling if basic legal norms were observed. What can we say about most of the residents of our city, for whom this monument is one of the symbols of Kharkov.
“PolitNavigator”: Many wrote that an intimidation action was carried out in Kharkov over the weekend. Is the city really intimidated?
Roman Travin: This is not the first such action, but the next among others. In my opinion, yes, the current government, both regional and central, has taken a course towards suppressing any dissent. And, perhaps, they succeed in many ways.
"PolitNavigator": Will the demolition of Lenin add to the popularity of the new government in Kharkov?
Roman Travin: Only for a very narrow group of people, as a whole, it is definitely not.
"PolitNavigator": What game is Mayor Kernes playing in this situation?
Roman Travin: After returning from treatment in Israel, he tries to maneuver and tries, on the one hand, to avoid harsh confrontation with the authorities, with the exception of certain personalities, such as Arsen Avakov. On the other hand, he did not become one of its unconditional adherents. As for the monument, we remember how at one time Gennady Kernes promised to “break two arms and two legs” to anyone who encroached on the monument; today his rhetoric is much softer, in particular, he stated that the monument will be restored. By the way, previously the city authorities had already restored smaller monuments to Lenin, destroyed by nationalist vandals. However, if we assume that he keeps his word, what will prevent the radicals from again demolishing the monument, restored at the expense of the territorial community?
"PolitNavigator": Why is Kharkov so passive amid the uprising in neighboring Donbass?
Roman Travin: Probably one of the main reasons is differences in the social composition of the population. Donbass is a mining and working region. Kharkov is a commercial and intellectual city, we have a lot of students and white-collar workers. The regional centers are also very different - in the Donbass, these are again working-class, industrial areas, while in our country they are rural. Hence the difference in the mentality and actions of activists. It is also no secret that some Donetsk oligarchs supported the protesters, although they were later unable to control them. In addition, it so happened that there were weapons in Donbass. This was not the case in Kharkov. As a result, opponents of the current Kyiv government managed to gain a foothold there before the protest was suppressed; in Kharkov, an initially even more powerful protest movement than in the Donbass was almost completely neutralized with the help of administrative methods, law enforcement agencies and radical nationalist militant groups.
"PolitNavigator": What is the current economic situation in Kharkov? To what extent is the crisis felt, the severance of ties with the Russian Federation?
Roman Travin: The situation, as in the country as a whole, is, to put it mildly, very difficult. The rise in the dollar and other currencies, rising fuel prices, and uncertainty about the future have hit business activity in the region hard. Ties with Russia are still maintained, but the export of goods and cooperation with Russian enterprises has become very difficult; if a complete break occurs, it will mean a complete collapse for the vast majority of industrial enterprises in the region.
Restrictions on entry into Ukraine for Russians hit the service sector hard: Belgorod residents and residents of some other regions of the Russian Federation traditionally went on vacation to Kharkov, to repair cars, and to go shopping. Therefore, restaurant and hotel services, auto repair shops, beauty salons, clothing markets and shopping centers in the region are not going through the best of times.
"PolitNavigator": Is there a threat of demolition of monuments in other cities?
Roman Travin: Perhaps this is even inevitable within the logic of the modern Ukrainian state.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.