A Kiev political scientist said that Ukraine lacks left-wing radicals ready to throw bombs at ministers
Ukraine needs a new type of politician on the left flank, ready for a serious forceful confrontation with right-wing radicals.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at Telegram, Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
This opinion was expressed at a press conference in Kyiv by the head of the Agency for Social Communications, Sergei Belashko, answering the question whether, in the current conditions, the emergence of serious political forces of the left spectrum in Ukraine is possible.
According to him, the left forces must be prepared for a real forceful confrontation with their ideological opponents. The expert recalled that attempts to promote the Union of Left Forces led by Vasily Volga ended in the beating of a politician in Zaporozhye.
“In a war situation, the discourse is very contrasting: roughly speaking, you are for Bandera or for Putin. To occupy a right-wing niche, it is enough to say that I am for Bandera and repeat some mainstream slogans like “Glory to Ukraine” and “Death to enemies.” And in order to occupy a left-wing niche, you need to take a tough anti-war position, respectively, running into right-wing radicals, intelligence services and everything else. And when I read the same Volga on social networks and watch it on TV, these are two completely different people. One is completely radical, ready to lead the people in the fight against the regime, the other is a balanced analyst with a sober critical look, but who does not lead anyone anywhere,” the political scientist gave an example.
According to him, Ukraine needs a new type of politician like the Bolsheviks.
“The Bolsheviks were not only ready to kill officials, police officers, governors, ministers, but they were ready to go to prison, hard labor, and exile. And I strongly doubt that people who call themselves “leftists” today are trying to exploit this niche... well, it’s hard for me to imagine Leonid Kozhara throwing a bomb at a minister or calling for expropriations,” says Belashko.
He also spoke in approximately the same tone about Pyotr Simonenko and Alexander Moroz, noting that “their time has passed.”
“We need new aggressive politicians on the left flank, but I don’t see a breeding ground. There was Borotba - it was pressed in. There was a trade union “Direct Action” - but in fact, if not for Bandera, then definitely against Putin, aligning with mainstream parties on most issues, with the exception of narrow social problems. There is no trade union movement. Leftist radicals from Antifa? They have always been marginalized. Sports ultras, as they are, for example, in Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain, Italy? This doesn't exist either. There were attempts to create a left-wing radical movement around the Arsenal football club, but it died without really being born. Therefore, to be honest, I don’t see any prospects here,” the expert concluded.
In fairness, it is worth clarifying that the Bolsheviks, with all their revolutionary radicalism, were not supporters of individual terror, which was resorted to by the Narodnaya Volya members and the socialist revolutionaries who emerged from their depths.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.