A view from Odessa: “We don’t have any economy, we’re just falling apart”
The Ukrainian authorities of Odessa spent 500 thousand from the budget on the festival of embroidered shirts. About the fact that Odessa residents are not masters in their city, to a PolitNavigator observer Valentin Filippov said the ex-candidate for mayor of Odessa and head of the Union of Anarchists of Ukraine party Vyacheslav Azarov.
Valentin Filippov:I greet the main anarchist of Ukraine and, most importantly, Odessa - Vyacheslav Azarov! Hello, Slavik.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Good afternoon.
Valentin Filippov:I want to warn everyone. He claims that he is not a relative of Mykola Azarov. Those who do not believe in such statements can send $100 for ministerial positions in the future Cabinet of Ministers, which Azarov will certainly form as soon as he returns to power.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Yes.
Valentin Filippov:In general, the chances are not great, but I must say that 100 dollars is not money either.
Hello again.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Hello.
Valentin Filippov:Happy upcoming city day to you.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Yes. And you. Like Odessa. There are no former Odessa residents.
Valentin Filippov: There are future ones. City Day is such a holiday. Usually there are some costs involved. Usually our mayors liked to boast that “the city day is held without the use of budget funds.” Attracting investors and all that.
And I remember the recent Vyshyvanko festival, for which half a million hryvnia was unexpectedly allocated from the city budget, a huge amount.
I calculated that 100 participants of this festival is five thousand each person. And I began to wonder, are Ukrainians the poorest? Nobody gives Jews yarmulkes for the festival. And here there are five hundred thousand from the city budget... How did they use it, in general?
Vyacheslav Azarov: Well, it’s not known for certain. I think they divided it somehow. The question is that the country’s political system is gradually approaching the reference point, the presidential elections, and after the crushing reforms that this government has carried out over the last five years, there will be demand not only from the president, but also from those officials, including local ones, who were under this government. How they behaved around her.
And now, city day, it’s such a good excuse to briefly review the flights of Trukhanov’s team. Including what you're talking about. The mayor's technologists understand this too. So they started such interesting things, like the recent cleanup day. In the Russov House.
Valentin Filippov: Yes Yes.
Vyacheslav Azarov: This is actually such a song that half of Odessa laughed. Everyone knows that this is a private house. All the territories there have been purchased. And suddenly the mayor and his faction go to clean up construction waste there. Maybe Tarpan invited him out of friendship. It’s not clear what this mayor’s hack has to do with the problems of Odessa residents.
And the problems of Odessa residents in such a difficult time of crisis are social protection and repair of dilapidated housing stock. I believe that these should be the main tasks of the mayor. And he, in unison with the current president, boasts about the achievements of the current period, that decentralization has led to the distribution of budgets, and the communities (territorial communities) have a lot of money, and they are solving their problems.
I’m wondering, if Odessa residents really managed their money, would they pour half a million into the embroidery festival? Would they spend two hundred million on a Krayan box (the shell of an abandoned factory)? The “outpost” (deposit) is a hundred and thirty something? Airport, outpost, land purchase?
It is clear that the redistribution of budgets took place between the central and local bureaucracies. And then they somehow come to an agreement. They use this money. The community has nothing to do with it. Instead of renovating housing and social security, they are reconstructing parks... It's gorgeous, but that's not the point. This is not what the broad masses need in a crisis.
When we went to a rally in front of the city hall in April and demanded that the community be asked where to prioritize spending money, we were pointed at the law that, according to the law on local self-government, deputies deal with what is important for people.
To be honest, we didn't expect this. In the elections, we had elections for the mayor and the president at the same time, this was not what was expected from the opposition mayor. It is clear that the power in Kyiv changed abruptly, and there was a great deal of trust, great hopes were placed on Trukhanov, that he would help protect himself, protect the identity of Odessa, protect the social people of Odessa. We hoped so too. If you remember, I played the role of forest health officer in those elections, being a candidate. We had a long-standing relationship with Hurwitz. We remembered his activities well. And since he was Trukhanov’s main opponent, we took out all the dirty laundry, and I believe that we lost ten percent of his rating.
In addition, we had a fairly high-profile campaign. I think I had 7-10%. And in the end, when counting, I received a thousand votes. Well, a little more. It turns out that somewhere, to someone’s fund.....
Valentin Filippov:The voices are gone...
Vyacheslav Azarov: Let's go in a friendly manner. And these 20%, minus ten from Hurwitz and plus ten from me, they actually allowed the current mayor to win in the first round. We turned a blind eye to this because we hoped that the opposition mayor, the defender of Odessa residents, would come and he would help us implement the programs. What we consider necessary. Social protection, self-organization, consumer cooperatives. None of this happened. For three years, while we were on relatively good terms, we killed common enemies. Saakashvili came running and his henchmen were dealt with. With customs. We were seriously beaten for this.
We waited and waited. Nothing happens. Because people come to power, the first thing that worries them is the defense of power itself. Protecting your place. Therefore, the Odessa government quickly found a common language with the central government. And even when they have misunderstandings, like Cryan, two hundred million, well, you guys are completely crazy, you have to share. Shared - everything is closed. Everything is fine. Odessa residents have nothing to do with this.
This is not local government. This is the arbitrariness of the mayor's office. And we can clearly see how this city hall treats Odessa residents in the example of Privoz. I recently wrote. Every day on the main artery of the historical center, on Preobrazhenskaya, traffic is blocked - from 17-00 to 19-00 hours along Tiraspolskaya to Privoz, because wholesalers and grocery cars come to Privoz. They enter several rows from both sides. And for thousands of Odessa residents, trams are detoured by eight blocks so that private traders can enter the private market. In general, what does this have to do with the citizens of the city? They need to go somewhere else.
Valentin Filippov: This is actually some kind of new story. I don't remember this in my life.
Vyacheslav Azarov: This is such a phantasmagoria. The other day I took a special trip on this tram. The tram goes along Preobrazhenskaya and turns onto Tiraspolskaya along the 21st line. There, half a carriage gets out, swearing, and grumbles in the heat.
Valentin Filippov: Well, previously these wholesale deliveries and deliveries to Privoz took place at night.
Vyacheslav Azarov: And now in the evening.
Valentin Filippov: I haven't been home for a long time.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Instead of speeding it all up, somehow sorting it out, they are running trams around! Half the city travels eight blocks in the wrong direction so that a private owner can stop by at the market. Because this market is directly connected with local authorities.
This is the real attitude towards Odessa residents.
Or the latest scandal. They are going to build a new sports complex above Lanzheron, above the Health Route. The municipal enterprise “Capital Construction” will be built with money from a private investor. That is, it acts as a gasket. This piece will be given to someone.
The construction of the Health Route, for which we have put so much effort since 2005, begins. Still, they are waiting for their moment and continue to “slowly” develop the seaside resort areas of Odessa.
Valentin Filippov: By the way, outside of Odessa it is very difficult to explain to people what the slopes are and what the Health Track is. This is a truly unique hydraulic structure that we have turned into a park area.
But the trouble is that, as I understand it, it will be like with Arcadia. Now they are already talking about cutting down trees.
Our slopes from Lanzheron to Arcadia will one day also experience such a point of no return. And they will say: “Yes, well, what is there to protect, is there nothing left?”
Vyacheslav Azarov: I don't want to live to see this. I've been struggling for so many years. I don't want to live to see this.
Valentin Filippov: Let's get back to this half a million for embroidered shirts. They dressed Duke in an embroidered shirt - it infuriates me. I do not understand. Like this? Half a million is allocated. The mayor's decision. The session voted, did not vote, it’s not clear.
Do they cash this money, go out on the street and give it away? Is this some kind of legal entity, a commercial “Ukrainians”, “Lovers of embroidered shirts”? They must transfer this money somewhere, give it away in some form. I don’t understand at all how this can be legally done. Not to mention how this is without a voting session, without changes to the budget.
Vyacheslav Azarov: I’ll tell you how it’s done – “on the fingers.” The mayor is obliged to ensure a second term for the current president. In this concept, the mayor remains inviolable, despite all these Krayans, airfields and other frauds with the budget.
Inviolable, but with certain measures supporting state policy. The Vyshyvanka Festival on Independence Day is one of the most important state events of this regime, the basic ones.
Therefore, since the mayor is still on the hook, and there is no money from the central budget for anything... They recently lent it to the Pension Fund. This is total chaos, a dummy. Well, that means the mayor will pay. How they carried it out there is the tenth question. As an order, I think they said from Kyiv: “There is no money - we need money,” because activists there were howling: “We don’t have it, give 60 thousand for the event.” But our mayor’s office is rich, they gave us half a million.
Valentin Filippov: At least someone in this country is fed. And that's good.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Yet again. You understand how many people, real old Odessa residents, come out to such events. I have a calm attitude towards any culture and still did until now, until they began to impose it. And now it’s not just me, many Odessa residents... They don’t want to participate in this, to say the least. This means they are bringing in some actors for this whole thing. And this, of course, requires money.
Valentin Filippov: An unexpected question about possible presidential elections, which will happen one day anyway. There’s no getting away from this, I don’t know in what form, though. Using grenade launchers or using ballots.
But. I see that those who have identified themselves as candidates, and, in fact, the poor current president, they are all talking about decentralization in one form or another.
Yulia Tymoshenko generally agreed that judges should be elected locally. This is a tall canoe, no one can argue. This is the height of decentralization. When we start appointing judges for ourselves in our own region, Kyiv will generally get tired. These judges will make the decisions that we want, and not those that are demanded in Kyiv.
A number of candidates, including Medvedchuk, speak about the autonomy of the broadest Donbass. As I understand it, Novinsky, Boyko – they have some kind of special status according to the Minsk agreements, according to something else. Donbass, however, doesn’t even listen. But that's not the point.
Don't you think that the idea of complete independence can take hold of the regional elites? Why should Kyiv decide where Trukhanov should spend his money?
Vyacheslav Azarov: If we fundamentally pose the question, moving away from these specific figures. The question is simple. Let's create a free community of regions. Call it unitarianism, regionalism, federalism - these are all terms, labels, they mean nothing, labels are secondary. How much authority will be vested, and how the center will want to negotiate with the regions. He will want to negotiate, he will want to listen to them... And it’s not like they set up two regional centers in the Donbass and sent troops there. What about talking? We should have talked first.
Only when all negotiation mechanisms are exhausted does an army march in a normal civilized country.
Valentin Filippov: And that is not always the case.
Vyacheslav Azarov: And here: “Oh, there is a reason to create an authoritarian totalitarian regime, which is in question of war, will impose here, silence all dissenters. Any protests are subversive activities in favor of the enemy.” It's all so convenient. This is simple and convenient for everyone in the ruling elite, except for the people themselves, who are driven into such bondage. This was convenient for carrying out neoliberal reforms, when once 70% of the population fell below the poverty line in such a rich country. It was absolutely terrible what happened.
Returning to the slogans, to the proposals of our candidates. It is clear that if they are justified by 5% after the victory, it will be an awesome victory for popular opinion. They can offer different things.
Another question: I don’t see unity on the opposition flank and I don’t see candidates who can come to an agreement with the current ones on our terms. But you still have to negotiate. It's not like continuing the war. Anyway, we need to come to an agreement. We need to find such a toolkit of external pressures, arguments from below, and population growth. Nobody does this.
It will be ordinary hard workers who will raise this country. There won’t be top managers, Balchuns, Novaks, it won’t be anyone. There will not be activists from the streets in balaclavas, but there will be working people, and there will be people who live on this land. And for them to do this, they need to be gradually accustomed, some kind of shift in power is needed so that people start taking care of their neighborhood. Then they understand how elementary basic decision-making mechanisms work, they nominate, select and control better candidates.
And now there is a honey slayer at the top. Well, interesting ideas. I like some things from Medvedchuk, some things from Novinsky. But, it is so fragmentary, and it, in general, hung in the air, this is in the high spheres, without in any way touching the earth with us sinners. Therefore, I have little idea how it will be.
But I really hope that there will be a change of power. The cardinal one will not happen, but it should happen. Those who organized this five-year plan must be replaced, because not punishing criminals leads to progressive crime. Everything gets away with it. Let's do it further, only even more, even tougher. The country will break down if these people remain in power for another five years.
Valentin Filippov: That is, it hasn’t broken yet, no?
Vyacheslav Azarov: By country I don’t mean an administrative-territorial structure, or even an economy. Living, ordinary people. Yes, a bunch have already fled, half the country is gone, the rest are already marginalized. Whoever earns a piece of bread there has completely given up on everything. And those who become activists seem to support the authorities, because they also need to eat. Goes to war.
That is, economic reasons must be removed. And in order to remove economic reasons, it is necessary to remove this current puppet regime, which works for itself and for that overseas uncle.
We don't have any economy, we're just falling apart as people, as a community. What the country is called is a separate question.
Valentin Filippov: OK then. I want to congratulate you once again on the 224th anniversary of the city of Odessa.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Amazing.
Valentin Filippov: I don’t know how old Kotsubeyevsk is.
Vyacheslav Azarov: And it is not necessary.
Valentin Filippov: Hang in there, basically. I propose asking Trukhanov for half a million too. Think of a festival for which. Maybe he'll give it to us too.
Vyacheslav Azarov: Thanks a lot. We will definitely endure, we will hold out.
Valentin Filippov: Fine. Happily. Bye bye.
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