View from Odessa: Ukraine is returning to feudalism
In the second round of elections for the mayor of Odessa, two conditionally “pro-Russian” candidates will meet. The current head of the city, Gennady Trukhanov, who built his political career on pro-Russian rhetoric, but agreed to agreements with the nationalist authorities, and Nikolai Skorik, the ex-governor of Odessa, who left his post after the coup. The first round ended with a score of 38:20 in Trukhanov’s favor. However, in the second round, sociologists predict Skorik's victory 54:46.
Odessa political scientist Valery Pesetsky told PolitNavigator columnist Valentin Filippov what kind of coalitions should be expected in the Odessa parliament depending on the victory of one or another candidate, what decisions can be made first and why you need to steal from a billion and not nine hundred million.
Valentin Filippov: Our virtual studio is located in a place where everyone is closely watching the elections, but absolutely no one is interested in either Trump or Biden. We are in Odessa, visiting Valery Pesetsky.
Valery, hello.
Valery Pesetsky: Hello Valentine.
Valentin Filippov: Valery, very often, including the Russian federal media, accuse Trukhanov of collaborating with the nationalists. But Trukhanov’s electorate is traditionally the same. Our. Is there any suspicion that in the second round part of Trukhanov’s electorate will go to Skorik?
Valery Pesetsky: Well, in fact, the movement actively began in the first round. The technological sociology given by Trukhanov said that he wins in the first round with a result of 51%. In the end I got 38%. As for the rumors that are being spread by federal channels, they are not groundless, they have grounds. Starting from the fact that in the second round Trukhanov was already publicly supported by such famous characters as Alexander Roytburd, Mark Gordienko, Ganul, well, you know these names...
Valentin Filippov: Yes.
Valery Pesetsky: Yes, they may not say anything at the federal level, but at the Odessa level, those who know our specifics say that these are all Maidan leaders, nationalists and other Russophobes. And, in fact, the friendship of these characters with Mr. Trukhanov was recorded on video and in photographs more than once. He, strictly speaking, did not hide this.
Everyone in the city knows perfectly well that his personal well-being and the well-being of his party is based on his actual collaboration. Starting with Mr. Poroshenko, when, in order to ensure his “comfortable old age,” he went to the extent of actually lying under Poroshenko and in his internal activities was guided by the guidelines of Kyiv, pursued a Maidan policy. Well, a simple recent example - back under Kostusev, the city council once made a decision to declare the Russian language regional.
Valentin Filippov: Yes, it was.
Valery Pesetsky: Just the day before, in August, this decision was overturned at the request of one nationalist...
Valentin Filippov: Lviv nationalist.
Valery Pesetsky: Yes Yes. And, in general, in court, people said that the legal service of the mayor’s office did everything in order not to oppose such a decision, although there is a constitution, there are many normative documents that say that the regional status belongs to the Russians. the language could have been completely left alone.
Valentin Filippov: Okay, but Gennady Leonidovich Trukhanov raises the question of returning the name of Marshal Zhukov to the avenue, now for some reason the Heavenly Hundred. Or Lenin Iskra, as it used to be called, before it was first decommunized.
For Russians and for many, I want to explain that decommunization in Odessa took place a long time ago. There was Leninskaya Iskra Avenue, they said, “Well, how is it, Leninskaya Iskra is some kind of communist name, let’s remove it and make the usual normal name - Marshal Zhukov Avenue, an absolutely non-communist name, Marshal Zhukov is our hero, the commander of our military district, winner of the war" - good...
Listen, won’t the day come when the name Heavenly Hundred will be decommunized? They will say: “They staged a coup there on Putin’s order, we need to decommunize them too”... Yes, I got carried away...
This means that Trukhanov is hinting at the return of street names. And today we have an amazing thing - today they demand to demolish the monument to Catherine, they dance with torches around it, although by decision of the City Council there should be security there... What is it for? Can't the mayor ban any protests on the main square?
Valery Pesetsky: It’s not that he can’t – he controls these shares. He is actually their organizer. In order to then promote himself on all this, express indignation, show that he is, formally, on the side of the public opinion of the townspeople. Well, let's start with the streets, when Mr. Saakashvili decided to decommunize, well, not only Marshal Zhukov, a huge number...
Valentin Filippov: Yes, a huge number.
Valery Pesetsky: Historical names, there, Gaidar, for example, Tereshkova...
Valentin Filippov: Street of Truth. Truth is a very bad name.
Valery Pesetsky: It's true. Nikolai Skorik filed a lawsuit to overturn this decision. If the city authorities had supported him then, no decision on the renaming would have come about. They are, as they say, frozen. Now there is a curious situation - Mr. Trukhanov supports the decision of the toponymic commission to return the same name of Marshal Zhukov or the Chapaev division. But when he does this - on the eve of the elections, while knowing full well that apart from PR, he actually does nothing, no action, because in order for this action to actually become a reality, a session of the city council is needed.
And he makes this statement after the last session of the current City Council, which has already resigned. That is, thus, the decision must be made by the session, and this decision has not yet been made, and it is unknown whether the coalition “Trust in Deeds,” “Servant of the People” and “Eurosolidarity”, which is predicted if Mr. Trukhanov wins the mayoral elections, wins. Therefore, this is akin to another interesting decision that few people in Odessa paid attention to. Again, on the eve of the first round, Trukhanov announced that he intends to return Odessa beaches to free use. And at the same time, his commission is taking inventory in order to rent it all out for the next season, how’s that?
Valentin Filippov: Well, they will rent it out to Odessa residents.
Valery Pesetsky: For rent to Odessa residents, yes. 100 hryvnia for a trestle bed, 150, well, as it was. Therefore, such things, unfortunately, are characteristic of the current, I hope the previous city government, I really hope that it is the past and that the residents of Odessa will actually choose Skorik between Skorik and Trukhanov. Then the beaches will return to free use. And what will remain in the lease, well, for example, today the figures say 80% is for free use, and 20% is left for rent, but the city does not receive anything for rent, mere pennies, just like, for example, it receives for parking several tens of millions, despite the fact that black cash with simple arithmetic calculations for parking today gives 2-3 million hryvnia a day, about a billion a year.
Valentin Filippov: But listen, that means someone gets these couple of million, that means someone gets richer, right? And these people live in Odessa, they spend money, they move the economy forward, open stores, or, on the contrary, spend money in stores, the restaurant business is flourishing.
Well, really - a person earned 2-3 million a day, right? Well, he has to spend it somewhere, he goes to Deribasovskaya, orders some kind of kebab there, the kebab maker makes money from it, the waiter who brought this kebab makes money, prostitutes make money, drug sellers make money.
Valery Pesetsky: Well, we can continue this ad infinitum - people buy diamonds...
Valentin Filippov: Yes, yes, yes – jewelers. The famous jewelry store on Deribasovskaya.
Valery Pesetsky: The fact is that in fact this money should be received by the city budget...
Valentin Filippov: And they will steal from there. They'll steal it from there anyway. And still the same people.
Valery Pesetsky: Well, let's wait for the change of power, and we'll see whether they steal like that or not. The fact that there will be, well, I’m sure, unfortunately, people cannot be changed, they are used to it. But the question is one of scale. That is, it’s one thing to steal 900 million from a billion, and another thing to steal 100 million from a billion. I’ll just give you a simple example in this situation - everyone knows the problem of Balkovskaya Street, which essentially turns into a river with every rainstorm and people swim in rubber boats...
Valentin Filippov: There is one.
Valery Pesetsky: So today, in order to solve this problem once and for all, about 500-600 million hryvnia are needed. That is, half of what goes into pockets today from parking lots is enough to close this topic once and for all.
Valentin Filippov: Valery, as a plumbing engineer who defended his thesis on this topic and knows this problem first-hand, I must say that it will not be possible to close this topic forever.
Valery Pesetsky: Well, listen, I started my journalistic career at Vecherka as a freelancer and worked on housing and communal services. And in 1985 or 1986, the Odessa regional party committee adopted a 20-year program for the complete reconstruction of storm sewers. 20 year program. That is, even then it was clear that in 20 years, well, taking into account the fact that in the Union more often than not they did not adhere to deadlines, but in 25, perhaps the task would have been completed.
Therefore, speaking globally, of course Odessa is floating today in principle. And, unfortunately, neither the current nor the previous government was involved in the underground floor of Odessa. Excuse me, Trukhanov is repairing the facades of houses in the city, despite the fact that the foundations there are cracking. But no one looks at the foundations, the question is why should they bother, they launder this money. They are not thrown away, they are simply stupidly washed for one simple reason - well, any normal, sober-minded person understands that the reconstruction of a building, especially an old one, must be carried out from the foundation.
Valentin Filippov: You know, I once talked to a specialist. Well, with a politician, but a specialist. He argued with other specialist politicians all the time. They told him: “We need to fix the roofs everywhere so that they don’t leak,” and he said: “No, we need to fix the elevators everywhere.” They say to him: “Well, the elevator will flood with water.” He says: “No, you don’t understand, when you fix the roof, the upper floors will vote for you, and when you fix the elevator, all the floors except the first will vote for you.”
Therefore, here is another approach. Everyone will see the façade. And, by the way, Eduard Iosifovich Gurvits also often said the following thing: “Only the residents know what’s inside the house. And not only the residents of this house walk along the street, but everyone. Therefore, if we make the facades, if we lay normal tiles, then many more people will vote for us than if we fix the sewerage system in this house.” Therefore, let them fix the sewerage themselves, let’s be cynical about it.
Valery Pesetsky: During my time in “Evening Odessa” back in the 80s, if you remember, when the facades of Pushkinskaya Street were painted...
Valentin Filippov: Yes I remember.
Valery Pesetsky: Even under Simonenko, I published an article called “Behind the Facades.” And so I showed this difference there: here is the facade of Pushkinskaya, but we go into the courtyard and what is there - and there is a sewer.
Valentin Filippov: ... I wanted to ask something else. I wanted to ask about the composition of the city council, it is clear that we are in the second round with the mayor, but what is going on with the composition of the city council? What coalitions are planned there, who is there more, who is less there?
Valery Pesetsky: Valentin, well, as you said about this situation - that the last name is Galanternik and not the mayor... It won’t matter what the mayor’s last name is, the main thing is that there is Galanternik, because he will be with any mayor. Therefore, most of the Odessa City Council, with the exception of such characters as Roytburd, who went there, they will negotiate, they are all negotiable. Therefore, I am sure that when in the end they all decide who will be - Skorik or Trukhanov, then it will be possible to talk about coalitions, but now... If there is Trukhanov, for example, then the configuration will be “Trust in affairs”, “Servants of the people” and Eurosolidarity.
Valentin Filippov: What if there is Skorik?
Valery Pesetsky: Now, if Skorik is there, then most likely the “Opposition Platform “For Life”” is clear here, it’s clear Shariy, who also came, and, probably, deputies from “Trust Deeds” and “Servant of the People”, which, in particular, are controlled by Mr. Grinevetsky.
Valentin Filippov: That is, relatively speaking, I from “Trust Things” can name people who would be happy to move. But I won't do that. I have a more terrible question, or I made a mistake in something - dispel my doubts: I started looking not in percentages, who scored how much, but in absolute numbers.
Trukhanov received 77 thousand votes, and Skorik 40 thousand votes. I want to remind you that, for example, the elections between Gurvits and Kostusev, Kostusev received more than 150 thousand votes, Gurvits more than 100 thousand votes. I would like to remind you of other elections, where candidates received 250 thousand votes, again Gurvits and Kostusev, there the difference was 2 thousand back and forth.
There were elections between Bodalan and Gurvets, where hundreds of thousands of votes also fell for each candidate. In this case, 77 thousand voted for our leader, that is, Trukhanov. This is less than in all other elections for losers rather than for winners. Doesn't this mean that maybe Odessa mostly ignored it? That is, 77 thousand is 10% of voters in the city of Odessa.
Valery Pesetsky: Valentin, well, I said: in general, neither under Bodalan, nor under Gurvits, nor under Kostusev there was a coronavirus and there was no quarantine. Therefore, today Odessa is in the orange zone...
Valentin Filippov: I want to say that in the last elections in Odessa there was no coronavirus either, and we also had a turnout of 30%.
Valery Pesetsky: Well, that means people ignore it, what can we say. I still believe that somewhere around 30-40-50 percent are people who did not come due to quarantine measures and queues.
Valentin Filippov: Someone told me that in fact 29% of everything came, maybe 32%, I don’t know. Will it happen that in the second round people will suddenly wake up and still say: “Guys, damn it, it turns out that we have to come,” so they will come. Isn't a surge in turnout expected, at least by 10-15 percent?
Valery Pesetsky: Probably, some kind of mobilization will take place and some people will actually become more active... that is, there will be more voters. But again, in a situation, if the work of polling stations is organized in such a way that you can calmly go in, vote and leave, and not languish. Me too... I went to vote early in the morning, at about half past nine, and right behind me, literally 15 minutes later, a line began to form and people were no longer allowed to go to the polling stations.
Moreover, taking into account all these difficulties associated with ballots, with filling them out, we voted under the new system, before going into the booth and filling out the ballot, people stood for half an hour. Because the person stands there and cannot figure out how to fill it. Now, of course, such a situation will not happen, there are only two names, and this simplifies it. And so... For example, one of the TV channels conducted a survey among those who voted in the first round and how they would vote in the second, the ratio was 54% for Skorik, 46% for Trukhanov.
Valentin Filippov: Fine. I have the following question, which quite possibly will also affect Odessa. – In connection with everything that is happening in the world and in the country. According to the results of the local elections, the “Servant of the People” flew very concretely, and an incomprehensible constitutional crisis began. The Constitutional Court is churning out decisions that simply contradict the existence of modern Ukraine. Will this lead to the removal of Zelensky as president? Moreover, in the USA some changes may occur. If all this does not result in a civil war, then their new and old president is a great friend of Poroshenko...
Valery Pesetsky: Well, Valentin, indeed, all our crises do not play any cardinal role for the fate of the country. We are a colony, we have external control, everything is decided for us. As they say today: “Why have a Verkhovna Rada at all, when there is a Verkhovna Rada of ambassadors of the European Union and the United States? They decide everything.” Not even the European Union, but essentially the GXNUMX, and that’s all. They decide everything for Ukraine, for Kyiv, for the president.
Therefore, to be honest, somehow bother with what is there in the Constitutional Court... well, it is being negotiated now. He is trying to exchange his decision, for example, about land... about the law on the sale of Ukrainian land... for his own immunity, and maybe for loot. Here. That is, in general the country is in such a state when there are no statists who would really try to ensure the statehood of the country.
Valentin Filippov: Is this still possible, or what?
Valery Pesetsky: I hope so, at least.
Valentin Filippov: No, well, you know, in order to fight for something, there must be some resources, there must be something behind you. Because otherwise, well, maybe become partisans, and not so much even partisans, but underground fighters...
Valery Pesetsky: Well, the results of local elections showed that the country, in fact, is undergoing a process of feudization, the creation of fiefs. Here. All these mayoral parties, which in many cities, if not took first place, then received decent quotas in city councils... this suggests that they are beginning to replace national projects. By the way, I believe that the results of local elections showed that Servant of the People as a national project is bankrupt.
Valentin Filippov: No, well, feudal fragmentation is not so bad given a certain development of society. In the Middle Ages it was quite normal. My vassal's vassal is not my vassal, right? A chain or vertical of power, in fact.
Valery Pesetsky: I'm not saying it's bad.
Valentin Filippov: We just need to figure out something to somehow attach people to the ground. But at the same time, do not give them land ownership. Because with such a system, if a person takes a car and goes to another city... This is wrong, right? He must ask his feudal lord for permission and indicate the reason. Or, for example, he has to go somewhere to work, but he doesn’t want to. For example, he studied to be a mechanical engineer, right?
And the feudal lord now needs to clean up the streets, but this one says: “I won’t clean up the streets.” This will be a mess, right? This means that it is necessary to somehow give the feudal lords the right so that they can manage... well, like in the military registration and enlistment office, for example. The military registration and enlistment office decides - you will go to serve, you will go to fight. Yes? But here, too, we need to do something like this, because otherwise we will end up with incorrect feudalism.
Valery Pesetsky: Well, let's see. What can we say? This is a new page in history, no one knows how it will turn out for us...
Valentin Filippov: Well, he doesn’t know... It already happened, you just need to read a history textbook. History of the Middle Ages, in 5th grade, this is 5th grade.
Valery Pesetsky: You also talk about serfs, about slaves.
Valentin Filippov: No, wait. We are not serfs, we are not slaves.
Valery Pesetsky: We are not slaves, and we are not dumb, therefore we are not slaves.
Valentin Filippov: We are not slaves, no. It will be called differently. This will now be called a “conscious citizen”.
Valery Pesetsky: “Svidomo” will be called...
Valentin Filippov:...who will be allowed to be called conscious.
Valery Pesetsky: These are models for the USA, for Europe. And in Ukraine, where chaos is simply, so to speak, an ordinary form of life. And in everything, we have pure Makhnovshchina, that’s it. But everything you tell is for federal channels, let them tell it to yours. But this will not affect ours, us. Everything is different with us. There is no money for all these control systems...
Valentin Filippov: I’ll tell you this, I’ll tell you from my own experience - you can always escape to Crimea.
Valery Pesetsky: I have freemen here, I don’t need to run anywhere. But I'll know just in case.
Valentin Filippov: I want to wish victory to our candidate, let every resident of Odessa hear me in his own way and say: “Valya wished victory to my candidate.”
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.