West and Russia should co-operate to help Ukraine end conflict
Violent altercations continue in Kyiv between protesters and riot police (Berkut) backing the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych in the city’s central square, the Maidan.
In the renewed outbreak of clashes, which have left more than 100 dead and 500 wounded, the most notable factor is the complete lack of compromise on either side.
On the sidelines are several players: the European Union, which threatens sanctions against Ukrainian government leaders; Russia, which regards the protests as a coup attempt backed by the West; and leaders of the opposition, who ostensibly represent the “Euromaidan,� but in reality have reacted to events as they occur.
How did the situation reach this stage and are there possible solutions?
The Euromaidan began in late November, after Yanukovych reneged on an agreement to sign an association agreement with the EU at a summit in Vilnius. That decision led to a massive civic protest of up to one million people.
It was fuelled also by the president’s decision to accept a $15-billion loan from Russia, which suggested that Ukraine would likely join the Russian-led Customs Union, with Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The protests were catalyzed by violent attacks by police to clear peaceful demonstrators from the Maidan on the night of Nov. 30 and on Dec. 1. The unprovoked attacks caused widespread anger.
Hardline groups, many from western regions, replaced the predominantly youthful protesters, including some extreme elements from the political party Svoboda, the militant Right Sector, and others prepared to establish local militias and carry out a “national revolution.�
The third stage of the protests occurred after Jan. 16, when Ukraine Parliament, without a quorum, rushed through a series of laws intended to restrict freedom of speech, outlaw public protests, curb non-government organizations and inhibit personal freedom.
Those laws, subsequently repealed 12 days later, inflamed the situation. A solid phalanx of revolutionaries established a quasi-permanent camp in the square.
The government has behaved reprehensibly from the outset. Grossly corrupt and supported by oligarchs — whose wealth appears obscene at a time of financial hardship — the government has resorted to brutal methods to halt the protests. These have included beatings, arbitrary arrests, kidnapping, and the disappearance of many who took part in the protests. At least two protesters died from bullet wounds.
As a result, the two sides are now polarized.
The extreme violence manifested on Feb. 18 and 19 came on the eve of proposed compromise talks in Parliament. The president sought the removal of people from the Maidan as a prelude to such negotiations. He wishes to deal from a position of strength.
On the other side, the civic protest is now a political one. Initially confined to the centre of Kyiv, it has spread to most western regions, where anti-government forces have taken over local administrations.
The city of Lviv — a frequent destination of many of Edmonton’s Ukrainians — is the bastion of the opposition. It represents also the most pro-Europe part of Ukraine.
Elsewhere the situation varies.
Kharkiv, for example, has a violent pro-government force, Oplot (Stronghold), which is aiding government forces in Kyiv. Donetsk in the east is the home of most of the current cabinet, and Yanukovych’s base. Crimea to the south has an ethnic Russian majority and little sympathy for the Euromaidan.
Suggestions that Ukraine is about to split or descend into civil war, however, are far-fetched. The president is losing support in his home bases. Many deplore the corruption, exemplified by his huge mansion home at Mezhyhirya, linked to Kyiv by a road built with funds intended for the Euro-2012 soccer competition.