Relatives of soldiers surrounded in Donbass block roads in Kyiv (PHOTO, VIDEO)
Kiev, August 28 (Navigator, Vladimir Raichenko) – The immediate unblocking of the “cauldron” and the defeat of the enemy near Ilovaisk was demanded by the relatives of the encircled Ukrainian soldiers and public activists from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who today blocked Vozdukhoflotsky Avenue in the capital, where the defense department is located, the Navigator correspondent reports. .
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In total, about 500 people came to the rally. Many came from other regions. In addition to the relatives of the surrounded fighters, Maidan and Right Sector activists took part in the picket. Those gathered called for properly arming the volunteer battalions, sending tanks to rescue them near Ilovaisk, declaring martial law, and also demanded a meeting with the leadership of the General Staff.
“I am sure that there are Kremlin provocateurs here, and therefore we must behave peacefully,” social activist Yegor Sobolev, who headed the Lustration Committee after the Maidan victory, told the audience. “But we must act in such a way as not to create problems for our General Staff during the war.”
Sobolev also announced a list of demands for the Ministry of Defense, among which, in particular, there were proposals to unblock the “cauldron” near Ilovaisk and immediately defeat the enemy, the transfer of heavy weapons to volunteer battalions and the resignation of Defense Minister Valery Geletey.
At the same time, relatives of those surrounded also called for the resignation of Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko for, in their opinion, mediocre planning of military operations. The commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Gennady Vorobyov, came out to the protesters and tried to explain the current situation. Yegor Sobolev called on him to give him the floor and listen.
“Let's give him a machine gun and send him to the front line,” was the counter-demand from the protesters.
“I want to say that together with the units in Ilovaisk there is the head of sector “B”, who directly manages the operation there and will release these units,” Vorobiev tried to justify himself.
However, the general did not have a constructive dialogue. They constantly interrupted him, not allowing him to speak. Periodically, protesters demanded that the leadership of the General Staff be sent to the front line, chanting “General Battalion!”
In the end, they formed a group of seven women who, making their way through the crowd, managed to enter the territory of the military department for a conversation with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense.
The agency's correspondent spoke with one of the fighters of the Donbass battalion who took part in the action. He confirmed on camera that things were not going well for those surrounded and complained about the Ukrainian artillery, which his comrades had previously come under fire from.
In turn, another representative of the battalion, who spoke at the rally, tried to reduce the intensity of passions. “They are giving us weapons, there is no need to repeat propaganda lies,” he shouted into a megaphone. “We were given a company of tanks, we have grenade launchers, machine guns and guided missiles. Calm down for God's sake."
The protesters greeted this speech with disapproving shouts, after which one of the Donbass members asked the crowd to “shut up.”
“Where did you come from here, trash,” came the answer.
After some time, the negotiating group came out and reported on the results of the meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense.
“Nothing is happening,” said one of the women. - Nobody sent help. A cleanup has now begun in Ilovaisk. Relatives have already received messages that the wounded have arrived. There is nothing to shoot back with. And the generals sent us “six”, who could not explain anything to us. They are just stalling for time. All negotiations are useless if you don’t start blocking all the roads in Kyiv.”
Note that the protesters, who had not previously entered the roadway, blocked Vozdukhoflotsky Avenue, where a traffic jam formed. The police officers tried to negotiate to let at least public transport pass, but they failed.
“Let there be a collapse,” the women told law enforcement officers. “We won’t let anyone through and will block everything.” This is just the beginning. Tell the management that the third Maidan is beginning.”
It is also worth noting that, in addition to the security forces, complaints were also made against the president. A banner was seen with the inscription “Poroshenko, haven’t you played with the devil?” There have also been calls to begin impeachment proceedings against the president in parliament.
To be fair, it is worth noting that the situation near Ilovaisk for Ukrainian units is further complicated by the fact that in recent days the “front line” in the southern direction, as a result of a successful offensive, has moved tens of kilometers away, and a double ring has actually formed around Ilovaisk.
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