A GRAD salvo on Khreshchatyk will instantly heal Kyiv, a view from Donetsk
Mikael Chagalyan, journalist, Donetsk
In conditions of civil war, we will all soon face a historical event - elections. They will take place in the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics, and almost simultaneously with them in Ukraine. De facto, this draws a line under the country’s 23-year recent history. And no matter what Kyiv politicians and the media controlled by them broadcast, a new state entity actually emerged in Donbass.
It’s interesting to watch the campaigning on Ukrainian TV from Donetsk. It seems that the elections in Kyiv are taking place according to the same hackneyed scenario. It’s surprising: the country recently lost Crimea, now Donbass will live its own life, but the technology and overall picture are the same, except that the rhetoric has become more radical, the intonations more hysterical. But the rest remains unchanged: boards with polished faces, endless talk shows, slinging mud at competitors.
Although there are some funny “innovations” in the form of promises and threats to return Crimea, and generally overthrow the “bloody” Putin. I have no doubt at all that a significant part of the electorate will fall for such rhetoric, and Oleg Lyashko’s rating in Ukraine is proof of this. There is a feeling that for truly radical changes, including in election technologies, Kyiv needs to experience the effects of HAIL and TORNDRON, and for several mines to fall on Khreshchatyk. I’m sure everything will change very quickly, sobering up will come instantly, and the freaks will lose their sympathizers.
It is for this reason that everything will be different in Donetsk. Here they know very well what heavy artillery, massive shelling of residential areas, lack of medicine and living in basements mean. Here they know what life can be like, what is good and what is evil. Therefore, residents of Donetsk look at the elections from a different angle, as well as at the candidates. In Donetsk there will be no hysterical screamers earning their ratings from an exalted public, and there will be no stream of demagoguery and empty promises; this simply will not work here. Everyone has already learned to be realistic, and knows perfectly well the difference between word and deed.
Candidates are likely to work with people in the field. The attitude of the candidates towards each other will be emphatically correct, because in fact they all participated and are participating in the struggle and confrontation with Kiev.
The main danger for the elections in Donetsk is that Kyiv may stage provocations, including with the use of armed forces, in order to disrupt or delegitimize the upcoming voting day as much as possible.
They are seriously preparing for this threat. But on the part of Ukraine this will be another mistake and, possibly, fatal. It is more profitable for Kyiv that elections take place in Donetsk and Lugansk. Because in this case, the Kyiv political elite will have a legitimate negotiating party. Without such negotiations, Ukraine will face complete economic collapse and permanent civil war.
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