“At the end of October, the crisis will break the thread of the patience of Odessa residents”
Odessa, September 28 (PolitNavigator, Artyom Buzila) – One of the most active participants in the Anti-Maidan in Odessa was the Union of Anarchists of Ukraine party - its representatives under black banners supported, first of all, the social, anti-oligarchic theses of the Kulikov Field. What is the situation in the city today? "PolitNavigator" says the main Odessa anarchist Vyacheslav Azarov.
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"PolitNavigator": How is the investigation into the May 2 tragedy going? Will the perpetrators be punished?
Vyacheslav Azarov: It is quite obvious that the culprit of the massacre in the Odessa House of Trade Unions was the local Euromaidan. The mechanism of the provocation itself, which led to the tragedy, is clearly secondary, because the number of victims on the Greek and Kulikovo fields is simply incomparable. At the latter, a mass execution took place. Moreover, the local Maidanists created that extras, a support group, without which the real killers would not have been able to go so far.
In addition, I consider these events in the context of the civil war in Ukraine. Representatives of Euromaidan themselves boasted that they had suppressed the hotbed of separatism in Odessa. Therefore, the events of May 2 can be classified as a war crime that has no statute of limitations and can be prosecuted in any corner of the world.
And this means that the sooner this movement exposes specific murderers from among itself, the sooner it will clear itself and close the issue. Otherwise, he will inevitably rise in every election and drown Euromaidan candidates. I believe that in the end the perpetrators will be punished.
"PolitNavigator": How do you feel about the Maidan and the authorities established after it?
Vyacheslav Azarov: Euromaidan began as a civil society project based on self-organization and putting forward demands similar to ours. Including de-oligarchization of the economy and politics, decentralization of power and the development of self-government. However, in the end, the protest movement was led by a power wing of far-right Nazi organizations, which harshly suppressed all attempts by leftists and anarchists to put forward a social agenda for the protests.
Well, and then, as everyone knows, the slogans of Euromaidan turned out to be a lie, pro-Russian oligarchs were replaced by pro-Western ones, a complete collapse of the economy, unemployment, inflation and a cold winter is on the way. As a result of the coup, Ukraine received a sharp rise in Nazism and the pogrom movement, the suppression of any opposition and a civil war in the Donbass. I am sincerely sorry that our former activist Sergei Kemsky died among the “Heavenly Hundred” for this devastation and dictatorship.
"PolitNavigator": Is there an economic crisis in Odessa?
Vyacheslav Azarov: First of all, Odessa and the region are a trade and transport hub. And trade does not go well with war, falling production and unemployment. The Odessa resort industry also suffered greatly from military operations in the country. With the loss of Crimea, Odessa expected an influx of at least Ukrainian tourists. But this did not happen; in a crisis situation, Ukrainians are saving on their vacation. Like citizens of other regions, Odessa residents were hit hard by inflation, rising tariffs and prices.
“PolitNavigator”: How do Odessa oligarchs feel after the “revolutionary events”?
Vyacheslav Azarov: I think they're doing okay. After all, the Euromaidan coup was carried out not against oligarchs as a phenomenon, but against large pro-Russian oligarchs. In comparison with them, our locals are “small fry”, they simply paid off or ran over to the camp of the winners. “Regional” Klimov is running in the 137th district. Kaufman visits the administration of President Poroshenko at night. There were some complaints against ex-governor Nemirovsky regarding the events of May 2. But I think this game for the public will not end in anything for now.
"PolitNavigator": Why is property illegally taken from the city, for example, the airport, the Passage Hotel, not returned to the community, despite the change of government and promises to fight corruption?
Vyacheslav Azarov: Only the city council can vote on the return of these objects to municipal ownership. But only if his parliamentary groups did not at one time receive bribes for the alienation of these objects. Otherwise, this is against all concepts of corruption, pure chaos. Another option is that the current owners of these objects have new patrons in the capital who can effectively put pressure on the mayor and deputies. Or both options at once.
“PolitNavigator”: In Odessa and the region, despite the deterioration of people’s living conditions, there are no mass social protests yet. Why is this so? Does your organization intend to initiate them in the future?
Vyacheslav Azarov: After the events of May 2, some of the residents of Odessa were intimidated. What, in particular, was shown by our initiation of the anti-war movement in early June. Then, in addition to our activists, only two dozen brave women came to the rally. In addition, the current government behaves much more authoritarian than its regional predecessors and in every possible way interferes with the holding of mass actions. But, most importantly, the socio-economic crisis has not yet hit the masses properly. I think a wave of discontent can be expected from the end of October, when the cold in homes, power outages and food prices will break the threads of patience among citizens. Of course, our Anarchist Union has its finger on the public pulse and will be in the forefront of the protesters, helping them with organization and agitation.
"PolitNavigator": How do you assess the events taking place in Donbass?
Vyacheslav Azarov: This is a civil war, since the basis of the DPR/LPR militia is the local population. There are, of course, volunteers from Russia and some European countries. But the statements of the Ukrainian media, distraught over fakes, that only the Russian army is fighting there cannot be taken seriously. I fully admit that local pro-Russian oligarchs who lost power had something to do with the beginning of the conflict. Russia also has its own geopolitical interest there - it lies in preventing new NATO bases on its borders. But such an uprising could not have been raised by simple mercenaries if it had not been based on widespread discontent among the masses. And the new Kiev regime preferred a punitive operation to negotiations, which means that it is guilty of the war.
Now the uprising in Novorossiya has gained greater independence and is putting forward its own demands that are different from the interests of the Kremlin and local oligarchs. Excluding the slogan of separation from Ukraine, I am impressed by the issues raised of broad autonomy and federalization, redistribution of taxes and nationalization of oligarchic enterprises. At the same time, Russian nationalist sentiments and sympathy for the Putin regime are strong there. Therefore, I do not consider the regime of the Donbass republics as a potential all-Ukrainian alternative to the Kyiv regime. Rather, as a deterrent that does not allow Kyiv to finally establish a nationalist reaction in the country and launch anti-people reforms according to IMF recipes.
"PolitNavigator": Is peace possible in Ukraine, how can it be achieved?
Vyacheslav Azarov: It seems that military peace has so far been achieved by depleting the resources of the ruling regime. Perhaps it will last until spring. If the government survives this period and receives help from Western sponsors, it may well start a war in Donbass again. If we talk comprehensively about the world, both military and political, then the German anarchist Landauer had an article in 1911 with the characteristic title “Cessation of war through popular self-government.” This is a recipe for all times. When citizens themselves begin to manage their lives, they cannot be pitted against their peers by the decision of a handful of oligarchs.
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