For the past several days the situation in Ukraine the situation has been developing so fast that the reporters barely had time capture it. Wile public opinion leaders have been trying to comprehend and digest events, there is only one thing we all can be certain of, upcoming week promises us still many unexpected developments that might easily change our life beyond recognition. However, it's certainly not going to be worse than it was. There are some prerequisites for that.
So what do we have at the bottom line? Yanukovych regime overthrown and he took to his heels; his location is currently unknown. Crowds of onlookers walk around his country house in Mezhgorye, that being protected from marauding by EuroMaidan's self-defense squads. Its luxury became a shock not only to Ukrainians, but also for the whole civilized world, who after having seen that unprecedented scale of consumerism began to treat Ukrainian protest with an even greater understanding.
Private vintage car collection of Viktor Yanukovych. Photo: Eugene Feldman
Meanwhile Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on Yanukovych self-removal from the President position and called early elections on 25th of May. This document was approved by 328 (which is a lot!) MPs, including, of course, those who earlier voted for dictatorship laws. And although in the video statement of Yanukovych, that recently appeared in the Internet, he dejectedly expresses his disagreement with the decision of the Parliament and speaks of "rebellion" and guarantees of the international mediators, the essence of his message is the following: "I do not know what I will do".
One by one Yanukovych associates give up on him. Last Saturday Verkhovna Rada Speaker from the Party of Regions Volodymyr Rybak tendered his resignation due to the undeclared illness. Head of faction Oleksandr Yefremov "leaked" that "millionth party was held hostage one corrupt family". And the representative of the ex-President in the Parliament Yuriy Miroshnychenko was crying on the live air on TSN channel. And even odious mayor of Kharkiv Gennady Kernes, who until recently had been spreading separatist moods, at recent meeting with journalists said that "Yanukovych – is already a history".
All these days Euromaidan mourns and says goodbyes to the "Heavenly Hundred" (Nebesna Sotnya) – activists killed on Maidan. About one hundred people were killed in the last days of confrontation. Mournful veche (public meetings) and memorial ceremonies are being held all across the country. People see their dead heroes to their last journey with the words " Glory to Heroes!" (Heroyam Slava!). To honor them Kyiv citizens are going to rename Institutskaya Street on behalf of Heroes of Heavenly Hundred.
One of the highlights of previous days was the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, who at once came to Maidan with a fiery speech just from the Kharkiv Central clinical hospital of Ukrzaliznyzya. Though her declamatory fuse was perceived by people at Maidan as premature beginning of her election campaign and therefore met little enthusiasm.
"Many of us are sincerely glad that Yulia Tymoshenko is no longer in prison. But let's be honest with ourselves: those who wish to see her back in politics are not many. She can be the symbol of repressions of the Viktor Yanukovich era, an example of determination, the respected leader of her party – anything other than an active politician. Yulia Tymoshenko has to remain in the past, a past with we parted so painfully. We all paid too dearly to step on that rake again. With all due respect", – wrote on his Facebook page Mustafa Nayem, very precisely expressing aspirations of Maidan.
Protesters demonstrate even less confidence in the trio of so-called opposition and elected Acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov. Who, by the way, immediately after his appointmen, announced about the return of the country to the European integration course, by defending which Maidan had started. But the point is that as of today the list of Maidan's demands has significantly changed and now includes authority lustration. In order not to repeat the mistakes of the Orange Revolution, this time Maidan is not going to be satisfied with reshuffling of the names and positions, which makes little difference, and intends to seek the change of the political system.
Headline photo: The Public Sector of EuroMaidan
Автор: upogau.org
