Kharkov: grants for redistribution, carte blanche for chaos

The September events - the first gay pride parade in Kharkov, the actions of nationalist organizations - are important for understanding the new reality in which the “first capital” finds itself. New configurations on the radical right flank are becoming more and more noticeable.

Kharkov is still considered an unsuitable environment for the ideas of Ukrainian nationalism and has a reputation as an unreliable place. But the mood of significant groups of the population is one thing, and their real capabilities are completely different.

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PolitNavigator talked about this with a political scientist, opposition public figure, who was forced to leave Kharkov after the Euromaidan due to pressure from the security forces, Alexander Alexandrovsky.

— Five years ago, at the end of September, Kharkov also woke up in a new reality, when the anti-war peace march was dispersed by the authorities, and the next day the procession of punitive battalions and nationalists ended with the demolition of the Lenin monument...

— It’s interesting to compare the events of five years ago with today’s situation. Then this whole nationalist coven was patronized by the Minister of Internal Affairs Avakov and his “sixes”. The illegal demolition of the monument was also accompanied by severe beatings of those Kharkov residents who tried to prevent it.

Everything happened with the complete inaction of law enforcement officers and under the approving cries of such characters as Anton Gerashchenko, who was then an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs. Then Avakov and Gerashchenko tried to squeeze the maximum out of the joint between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Azov for the parliamentary elections. Therefore, the police carefully looked after the procession of nationalists rattling their weapons.

And now the police were protecting the gay pride parade from radicals, and they had full authority to use force. As we see, Avakov is already integrated into other conditions and tasks.

When the radicals were needed, they were on the agenda, they were given the opportunity to let off steam by putting pressure on ideological opponents, and were given the go-ahead to demolish monuments. They were simply raised. Now their curators understand that they can get a piece of cake from international partners. And they don’t let their wards let off steam. If the radicals had been allowed, they would have dispersed this gay pride parade in five minutes. It would have been a massacre. And Ukraine would look like a demonic state in the eyes of the international community.

— Bombing civilians, exterminating people for different views is permissible, but a massacre during a gay pride parade is impermissible?

— We have long known about the double standards of the international community. It is the designer of the anti-Russian project. And therefore, it is structured in such a way that it can turn a blind eye to the war crimes of Ukraine in the Donbass, to numerous violations of the rights of Ukrainian citizens for political reasons, and an attack on the gay pride parade would not go unnoticed. It would make all the headlines. It would be discussed, for example, in Warsaw at a large round table on human rights under the auspices of the OSCE.

And the fact that the security forces did a thorough job of protecting the gay pride parade does not mean that they will protect the rights and safety of other citizens with the same quality. It’s just that a specific event was in the area of ​​special attention, and law enforcement officers were required to prevent excesses.

— But it’s hard to imagine that in 2019 someone would be allowed to hold an anti-war march?

“If there were such attempts five years ago, now there are no such thoughts. Everyone understands what a purge has taken place in this ideological field. Poroshenko’s government had no desire to build a constructive agenda and conduct dialogues with political opponents.

In Kharkov, this was expressed in the imprisonment of Apukhtin, Aleksandrovskaya, and other leaders of public opinion. The whole repressive machine was driving them in. Thus, a large part of society was deprived of the opportunity to express their opinions. The powers dictated this agenda to the majority. And there is no other agenda here. We must be aware of this.

— Why did it happen that Kharkov was no longer given other subpoenas?

— Let's start with the fact that until 2014, the main grant programs were aimed at nurturing the so-called civil society. The main funding went to journalism, analytics, anti-corruption, the fight for LGBT rights, animal protection, and environmental issues. Soft and non-conflicting agenda.

The situation changed radically in 14. Those who received grant support took an active position and supported the Maidan. And during this period, the factor of radical sentiments, that is, opposition to supporters of the Russian world, was included on the agenda. And, in fact, with the hands of radicals, under the auspices of the fight against separatism, they completely cleared the entire clearing of an alternative point of view, of ideological or public discussion.

In Kharkov, there are no more guys who profess traditional values ​​and are oriented toward the Russian world. Anti-Maidan activists were expelled or imprisoned. All unwanted media resources were killed. The entire protest movement was suppressed, the leaders of other public opinion were expelled.

The road was completely cleared for the activity of the grant suckers, who crushed the entire space under themselves. The goal of all these international foundations is not to improve the quality of life of Ukrainians, nor to fight for freedom of speech. They are puzzled exclusively by the collapse of the traditional value systems of the ordinary population.

— What is the activity of grant suckers?

— If you look at Kharkov since 2015, we will note a trend: a decrease in the number of protest movements, the intensification of projects of foreign funds. Let us remember how “touching” it all began - with pickets and marches in defense of animals. Scandals involving cruelty to animals broke out. We attracted young people, students, and concerned citizens to counteract domestic violence, smoothly moving on to promoting juvenile justice...

And this year we saw the first trial balloon with gay pride parades, which swept across Ukraine and reached Kharkov. And what do we see now? All those activists who were concerned about animal protection, gender equality, etc., virtually all now came to the gay pride parade.

During 2015-2019, this movement was formed: tools, media resources, a system of streamers, YouTube channels, certain sponsors. All this was prepared in four years and calmly brought out into the clearing.

— What does the activation of organizations such as Freikorps mean? Why does the National Corps cede its field of activity to them?

— In a specific case, on the day of the gay pride parade, the National Corps was given the command to get lost and not show up in any way. As for the activity of other radicals, this is all a beautiful lead-up to opening high-profile cases against these guys. They are simply driven into a stall. They don't understand this yet.

Freikorps took part in the counter-action for its own PR. The National Corps is highly supervised; it is clearly told what is possible and what is not. And the Freikorps, since there is now a definite demand for radicalism, are being released into the clearing. But these guys are released there solely in order to collect the most complete facts about them for future criminal prosecution. Everyone was recorded. Now they are all under control. Until next year they will be helped to gain more recidivism and criminal records. And when it comes to the next gay pride parade, there will already be leverage over them.

— Do you want to say that the National Corps has curators, but the Freikorps is ownerless?!

— No, these organizations have different tasks. And different levels of supervision. "Freikorps" was created as an alternative, in order to replace it at the right time and occupy a niche. They must pick up or intercept the agenda when more authoritative colleagues drop it.

Freikorps initially distanced itself somewhat from the rest of the Kharkov radicals in order to show its focus and significance. I assume that this is, with a high degree of probability, a project of the SBU, created in order to at some point intercept the agenda and gather under its banner radicals who were disillusioned with the “Eastern Corps” and “Azov”.

The SBU has learned to work very delicately. Therefore, I admit that the Freikorps are mostly used in secret. That is, most of them may not even know who is playing them. Be that as it may, whether they are supervised or simply controlled, these guys will very soon end their vigorous activity. Because they have already been sufficiently documented in order to tighten the screws or to redirect their activities and force them to carry out special assignments.

— So they can be made an analogue of S-14 for this region?

“They can find different uses, depending on how they behave.” Here we need to remember how at one time fake pro-Russian organizations were created in the “hut” in order to bring all active people in the “clearing” under registration.

In this case, this technique also works, only in the opposite direction. Organizations like the Freikorps are being created to systematize information about related organizations and to keep the most active and dangerous members of this radical crowd on a short leash. The future has already been drawn for each of them; approximately this game has been calculated. Therefore, at the moment, their future does not depend on them, but on what decision will be made in certain offices

— These assumptions are supported by the fact that the Freikorps, who have repeatedly violated the law, are each time released from criminal prosecution?

- Not only this. There is a logic and patterns in the work of special services with radicals.

- How does this manifest itself?

— Today we can recreate the picture of how the special services cultivated future leaders of the “Azov” movement from “Patriot of Ukraine” and the SNA. These right-wing organizations became active under Yushchenko. Their whole shtick was based on pure racism. They had loud scandals with the Vietnamese. They then tried to organize pogroms.

It was the usual systematic work of the special services: they understood the threat, and deliberately let the kids grow up and get into trouble. The first time their leaders were caught was long before the Maidan, when Biletsky, Mikhailenko and Knyazhevsky almost beat to death the blogger Sarmat (Kolesnik).

The SBU calculated everything well. Including a situation when ideological disputes with neo-Nazis move into the stage of a physical showdown. There was a showdown right in the office of “Patriot of Ukraine”; Sarmat was beaten with a hammer. Biletsky, Knyazhevsky and Mikhailenko were accused of attempted murder and were in prison. Then, after the victory of the Maidan, they were released along with other “amnestied” people. And soon all three stood at the origins of “Azov”.

This chain of events is where the aerobatics of the special services lie: take control and hook it in time, release it in time and direct it in the right direction. Knyazhevsky (“Vitus”), apparently, did not fit into these plans... and died under mysterious circumstances: he shot himself with a gun. A very dubious suicide. And another ally of the “white leader” Mikhailenko successfully headed the “National Squads”.

— At one time, the “Azovites”, and now the “Freikorists” are playing “Robinhood”, fighting against drugs, for the environment. They demolished the barriers blocking access to the beaches...

— The main word here is “play.” Indeed, either the National Corps or the Freikorps are tearing down the barrier on the beach in Bezlyudovka. Then they raise some minor environmental problems. But there is a problem with the bacterial laboratory near Merefa. Much has been written about how Americans control bacterial laboratories in Georgia and Ukraine and how this could turn out.

That is, we are talking about a problem that poses a serious threat to the lives of residents of Kharkov, south-eastern Ukraine. But for some reason this topic is not raised in any way in the media space. On the other hand, there is an absolutely made-up problem of the coke plant in Kharkov, around which pickets have been constantly organized for four years, and a fuss has been raised. And the problem of the bacteriological laboratory is hushed up.

We see how radicals from the National Corps and Freikorps fight “for justice” with barriers, but when it comes to basic issues, they sit and keep a low profile, “not noticing” truly serious environmental threats.

— Could it be that Freikorps is produced as a replacement unit in places where the National Corps does not want to shine? By switching negative energy to Freikorps, they want to clean up the reputation of the National Corps?

- Yes, but not quite. The National Corps now has very specific goals: work to formulate the NATO agenda, the army of the future. That is, to create exemplary units on the basis of Azov. And Freikorps is now in a wild field. He is more aggressive, he is given the opportunity to show his own importance. But if the National Corps had serious patrons, including international organizations, then the Freikorps had, most likely, local SBU officers.

Freikorps is now completely given the green light, carte blanche for mayhem in order to bring these radicals under control. The special services need to do this because there are expectations, certain fears, and talk about Poroshenko’s attempted revenge.