There will be no mass protest demanding a reduction in gas tariffs in Ukraine, but people will not pay the new tariffs either.
Political scientist, director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadim Karasev said this on the NEWSONE TV channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I don’t see there being a mass protest. It is more local, in the regions. These are more local riots. Therefore, I think that there will not be any large nationwide protest movement demanding a reduction in tariffs. Moreover, the authorities made proactive moves - they promised to reduce it from 10 to 6 [hryvnia per cubic meter of gas]. This may have reassured some people. Let's see what happens on February 1st. And there, maybe the winter won’t be as cold as it has been for the last two weeks,” the political scientist said.
He predicts that people will receive huge gas bills, but people simply will not pay them.
“People have a choice - they won’t pay. And the state will turn a blind eye - as long as they don’t rebel. Let them not pay for now, but we’ll sort it out. This is also a form of protest,” Karasev believes.