The Yanukovych Appearance: Monty Python Meets MacArthur
Yanukovych held a public appearance today, his second since absconding from Kiev. It wasn’t a press conference, because he didn’t take questions. After the last episode, a wise choice.
He repeatedly reiterated that he is alive. It sort of reminded me of the Bring Out Your Dead Routine from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where the old man that John Cleese is trying to get hauled away on the dead cart says: “I’m not dead. I feel happy! I think I’ll go for a walk.”
Then he went on about the fascist, Banderaist coup in Ukraine, and the illegitimacy of the scheduled election. He claims to be still the legitimate president of Ukraine.
He then did his MacArthur turn, swearing that he shall return.
Put together the MacArthur bit and the legitimate president bit and things aren’t all that humorous. Perhaps this is just bravado, but it dovetails all to well with the Putin counterrevolutionary agenda, in which Russian forces invade Ukraine (well, they already have, but the rest of it) with the excuse of restoring the legitimate government, and Yanukovych rides into the country in their baggage train.
You know Yanukovych would not have appeared without Putin’s consent, and that Putin (or his people) wrote Yanukovych’s script. This is Putin talking, using a big, ex-zek marionette. (And what is it about Putin and criminals as his political puppets?: the self-declared ruler of Crimea is another one, in his case a mobster with the nickname of “Goblin.”) This is Putin signaling his intentions.
Other than his colorable legitimacy, Yanukovych is totally useless to Putin. Absent his role as the excuse for a restorationist intervention, Yanukovych would have no doubt played out the rest of the Python routine. “You’re not fooling anyone, you know” followed by a bash on the head.
That will come later, either after Putin succeeds in his objective and Yanukovych is no longer needed, or Putin fails, and Yanukovych is no longer needed. Either way, don’t try to sell the big dummy any life insurance policies.
Kokoity in South Ossetia is another criminal put into a position of power, that was after Putin forced Chibirov and Sanakoyev (former president and pm of South Ossetia) from office after they dared to agree to returning to Georgia in a federal arrangement.
Sanakoyev went on to be head of the pro Georgian administration in villages north of Tskhinvali that were later destroyed by the Russian army during 2008. He currently works on behalf of Georgians and Ossetians forced out of S.O. by the Russians in 2008.
Comment by Andrew — March 11, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
Putin may be considering putting the Ukraine question under the control of Kadyrov. He is a known quantity with a proven track record in troublesome regions.
Great post professor he definitely is at risk of the Putin Plague that kills the seemingly healthy so quickly.
Comment by pahoben — March 11, 2014 @ 2:00 pm
History repeats itself!
Putler appoints a gangster known as the Goblin as the head of the Crimean parliament:
http://www.ecfr.eu/blog/entry/ten_things_you_should_know_about_crimea
4. The new Crimean “Prime Minister” Sergey Aksionov was a local gangster in the 1990s. His nickname was “goblin”. His Russia Party won only 4 percent at the last elections in Crimea
Comment by elmer — March 11, 2014 @ 2:02 pm
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/videos/#65331
Comment by elmer — March 11, 2014 @ 8:06 pm
> Then he went on about the fascist, Banderaist coup in Ukraine, and the illegitimacy of the scheduled election.
“Fascism, Banderaism” in Maidan?!! Who would think of that?!!
Maybe they:
http://www.ibtimes.com/euromaidan-dark-shadows-far-right-ukraine-protests-1556654
Euromaidan: The Dark Shadows Of The Far-Right In Ukraine Protests
The most controversial element of the anti-government alliance is Svoboda (Freedom), an extreme right-wing political party that not only has representation in parliament, but has been dubbed by its critics as a neo-Nazi organization. Britain’s Channel 4 News reported that Svoboda has assumed a “leading role” in the street protests in Kiev, with affiliated paramilitary groups prominently involved in the disturbances. Svoboda flags and banners have been featured in the demonstrations at Kiev’s Independence Square. During the continuing street riots, one Svoboda MP, Igor Myroshnychenko, created an iconic moment of sorts when he allegedly helped to topple the statue of Vladimir Lenin outside a government building, followed by its occupation by protesters.
However, despite its extremist rhetoric, Svoboda cannot be called a “fringe” party – indeed, it currently occupies 36 seats in the 450-member Ukrainian parliament, granting it status as the fourth-largest party in the country. Further, Svoboda is linked to other far-right groups across Europe through its membership in the Alliance of European National Movements, which includes the British National Party (BNP) of the United Kingdom and Jobbik, the neo-fascist, anti-Semitic and anti-Roma party of Hungary. The leader of Svoboda, Oleh Tyahnybok, who has appeared at the Kiev protests, has a long history of making inflammatory anti-Semitic statements, including the accusation during a 2004 speech before parliament that Ukraine is controlled by a “Muscovite-Jewish mafia.” Miroshnychenko also called the Ukrainian-born American film actress Mila Kunis a “dirty Jewess.”
Tyahnybok has also claimed that “organized Jewry” dominate Ukrainian media and government, have enriched themselves through criminal activities and plan to engineer a “genocide” upon the Christian Ukrainian population. Another top Svoboda member, Yuriy Mykhalchyshyn, a deputy in parliament, often quotes Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, as well as other Third Reich luminaries like Ernst Rohm and Gregor Strasser.
Ukrainian presidential election, 2014
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In May 2013, Batkivshchyna (Tymoshenko), UDAR (Klitschko), and “Svoboda” (Tyahnybok) vowed to coordinate their actions during the presidential campaign, and they promised “to support the candidate from among these parties who wins a place in the run-off election”.[4] In case the election format changes to a single round, the three parties have vowed to agree on a single candidate.[4]
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 1:58 am
http://www.channel4.com/news/kiev-svoboda-far-right-protests-right-sector-riot-police
Ukraine: far-right extremists at core of ‘democracy’ protest
Ukraine’s far-right is gaining support and confidence through its role in the street protests, with the Svoboda party assuming a leading role in the movement and paramilitary groups leading the street fighting.
In December US senator John McCain traveled to Ukraine to offer his support to the opposition, appearing on stage with leaders of the three opposition parties leading the protests – including the far-right Svoboda party.
Svoboda is currently Ukraine’s fourth biggest party and holds 36 seats in parliament. Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok is one of the faces of the protests, appearing regularly along with opposition leader and former boxer Vitali Klitschko voicing opposition to Putin’s influence over the region.
However, Tyahnybok has provoked controversy in the past with his anti-Semitic claims that a “Moscow-Jewish mafia” controls Ukraine. His party was registered in 1995 and initially used a swastika-style “wolfsangel” rune as its logo. It restricted membership to ethnic Ukrainians. Until 2004 it had a paramilitary wing called Patriots of Ukraine, and though it ended its link to the group in 2005, the two continue to be closely associated and to participate in protests together.
Svoboda has played a leading role in the protests. Its member of parliament, Igor Myroshnychenko, claimed responsibility for the toppling of the statue of Lenin, and it led the occupation of the city hall.
In December inside city town hall, an organisational hub for the protests, a white power logo was displayed in the centre of the stage alongside Svoboda party flags.
Fascism (nazism) is like a fashion now with more and more people getting involved.
/Sergey Kirichuk/
It has helped to revive 1930s Ukrainian nationalist chants, which even Vital Klitschko has now adopted, shouting “Glory to Ukraine!”, to which the crowd reply “To heroes, glory!”.
Svoboda flags have been a permanent fixture in Independence Square, with pictures from clashes also revealing the presence of militant far-right groups carrying neo-Nazi flags and the red and black Ukrainian “insurgent army” flags.
Hooligans strike
As violent scenes played out in recent days, groups of “autonomous nationalists” separate from Svoboda, who recruit from far-right football hooligan groups, have taken a leading role in the fighting.
Acting under the name Pravy Sektor, they are reported to have 500 militants inside government buildings seized by the protesters.
Sergey Kirichuk, a member of the group Borotba, which publishes and anti-fascist magazine in Ukraine, told Channel 4 News that these neo-Nazis are the most violent elements on the streets.
“These people are separate from Svoboda, though they will have many links through activists – but they are not controlled by any one group,” he explained.
“They are the ones throwing molotovs and trying to kill policemen, the most violent element fight at European Square.
“When left-wing groups tried to join the protests they were attacked and beaten by fascists. Svoboda are leading ideologically now. Fascism is like a fashion now, with more and more people getting involved.”
(Above: militants carry shields marked with neo-Nazi logos)
Paramilitaries from the Patriot of Ukraine group, Svoboda’s former paramilitary wing, have been present throughout the protests. Their masked activists, wearing distinctive yellow armbands, have been pictured carrying chains and bricks through the crowd and leading attacks on riot police.
In 2012 the presence of a violent and highly organised far-right in Ukraine and Poland became global news ahead of the Euro 2012 tournament.
The dominance of racist chants, Nazi salutes and neo-Nazi banners among football fans provoked controversy ahead of the tournament, prompting President Yanukovych to promise matches would be closely watched by security services.
Anti-Semitic attacks
The World Jewish Congress has called for Svoboda to be banned for its hardline anti-Semitic stance, and public Jewish events celebrating hanukkah were cancelled last month due to fears of violence, with Jewish leaders urging people to “increase security everywhere”.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish student, Dovbear Glickman, was stabbed while leaving a synagogue last week, suffering massive blood loss. It is the second anti-Semitic assault this month after a Hebrew teacher was followed home from synagogue by a gang before being beaten.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 3:23 am
When investigating which Maidan leaders actually hired the snipers responsible for the Maidan bloodshed with 100+ deaths, here ar ethe biggest suspects:
As violent scenes played out in recent days, groups of “autonomous nationalists” separate from Svoboda, who recruit from far-right football hooligan groups, have taken a leading role in the fighting.
Acting under the name Pravy Sektor, they are reported to have 500 militants inside government buildings seized by the protesters.
Sergey Kirichuk, a member of the group Borotba, which publishes and anti-fascist magazine in Ukraine, told Channel 4 News that these neo-Nazis are the most violent elements on the streets.
“They are the ones throwing molotovs and trying to kill policemen, the most violent element fight at European Square.”
Paramilitaries from the Patriot of Ukraine group, Svoboda’s former paramilitary wing, have been present throughout the protests. Their masked activists, wearing distinctive yellow armbands, have been pictured carrying chains and bricks through the crowd and leading attacks on riot police.
http://timer.od.ua/news/praviy_sektor_prizivaet_vihodit_na_evromayda_s_ognestrel_nim_orujiem_965.html
18 февраля 14:30
«Правый сектор» призывает выходить на «Евромайдан» с огнестрельным оружием
February 18 2014 14:30
“Right Sector” calls on militants to bring firearms to the Euromaydan to fight the police.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 3:29 am
What a great group of people for the US and NATO to support! Almost as “nice” as Bin Laden, whom the CIA funded and trained in the 1980s in the previous anti-Russian campaign of terror.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 3:33 am
UPA: Controversial partisans who inspire Ukraine protesters
By Stuart Williams (AFP) – Jan 30, 2014
Kiev — “Glory to Ukraine!” Ukraine’s opposition leaders bellow at supporters from the stage in Independence Square. “Glory to the Heroes!” thousands of protesters thunder back.
The slogan has become one of the chief motifs of the opposition protest seeking to unseat President Viktor Yanukovych and bring Ukraine closer to the European Union that has rocked the country.
But for Ukrainians it also carries a far wider resonance as a slogan of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) who battled Poles, Soviet and Nazi forces for control of Western Ukraine in World War II and subsequently.
The OUN and UPA’s leaders are still idolised by Ukrainian nationalists as champions of independence who waged an astonishingly durable guerrilla war against Soviet forces that lasted up to the mid 1950s.
Yet the UPA is hated in Poland for its campaign of slaughter against Polish civilians in the Volhynia region in 1943 and then in Galicia in 1944, now condemned as ethnic cleansing.
The rebels on occasion collaborated with occupying Nazi forces as well as fighting them.
Most controversially, some of its members served in the Galicia branch of the SS.
Yet the wartime insurgents have provided a huge inspiration to the Ukraine protest movement.
The red and black flag of the UPA flies from many of the tents of protesters who have been camped out on Kiev’s central Khreshchatyk Avenue for the last weeks.
In an action that for some had uncomfortable echoes of Nazi Germany, hundreds of activists largely from nationalist Ukraine opposition group Svoboda (Freedom) on New Year’s Day held a torch-lit procession through Kiev to mark the 105th anniversary of Bandera’s birth.
‘Problematic heroes for Ukraine’
The cult of Bandera has always been strong in the west of Ukraine, where his statue has pride of place in several cities. But with the protests, the UPA imagery has now spread to Kiev.
“Bandera and other radical nationalists from the 1930s and 40s are problematic heroes, not really suitable for unifying all Ukrainians around them,” said Serhy Yekelchyk of the University of Victoria in British Colombia.
“Moreover, they are poor symbols of the European choice,” said Yekelchyk, author of “Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation”.
“The reason for the sudden prominence of Bandera’s portraits in Kiev is that it is the strongest possible expression of protest against the pro-Russian orientation of the current government,” he said.
In a sign of the divisiveness of Bandera over half a century after his death, the “Hero of Ukraine” award that was bestowed on him by president Viktor Yushchenko in 2010 was swiftly revoked under Yanukovych’s rule.
Ukraine’s interior ministry meanwhile said it was checking a claim by an organisation calling itself the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) that was responsible for the deadly shooting of a riot policeman in Kiev on January 24.
Meanwhile, the catchy slogan “Glory to the Heroes!” is here to stay.
“Street protests reappropriated it as their own and I would predict that it is going to stay as part of mass discourse,” said Yekelchyk.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 3:41 am
Nice to see the new “pro-democracy” government show its true fascist nature. Yesterday I read the list of presidential candidates for the May elections. The only candidate, whose position defends Eastern and Southern Ukraine’s interests is Mikhail Dobkin, a Jew, a Party of regions member and the former governor of the industrial and intellectual Kharkiv region. But today he was arrested on charges of “supporting federalism” (read: holding pro-Yanukovich views). The other Jewish politician, Hennadiy Kernes, appears to have also been arrested on similar charges.
So, all the opposition is now jailed and eliminated, and the right-wing extremists and nationalist will decide between themselves in May who will rule Ukraine. Long live democracy! President Obama, please send the troops to defend the new totalitarian regime in Ukraine!
https://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/dobkin-former-kharkiv-oblast-governor-who-opposed-euromaidan-revolution-arrested-338993.html
Yanukovych’s Kharkiv duo in legal trouble: Dobkin arrested, Kernes named as suspect
Dobkin, meanwhile, is being held on suspicion of violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity and, according to Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency, “activity aimed at decentralization of state power in Ukraine through its transformation into a federation.”
Dobkin and Kernes were publicly and militantly opposed to the EuroMaidan Revolution that sent Viktor Yanukovych fleeing as Ukraine’s president on Feb. 21. Yanukovych is now a fugitive from Ukrainian justice, facing mass murder charges, living in exile in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
It was, reportedly, a roundtable on “Ukraine After Crisis” in Kharkiv on Feb. 12 when Dobkin talked about federalization of Ukraine’s oblasts.
“Federalization is not a fear, not separatism, not a treason, this is just different form of ruling the country… Ukraine has failed as an unitarian country. And if we fail, let’s look for a better form. Anyone has better ideas? Let’s move on to it,” Dobkin said at the roundtable. He also said that federalization is the most acceptable way of decentralization of power in the country.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 5:58 am
I wonder if when the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela and President Obama visit Ukraine, they too will be arrested on charges of defending “federalism”.
Comment by vladislav — March 12, 2014 @ 6:03 am
Yes Vladislav, that explains the Jewish and Russian speaking members of the current cabinet very well doesn’t it?
As to fascism and anti Jewish behavior, funny how the Jewish community in Ukraine have denounced Russian propaganda and stated the real threat to Jews in Ukraine is from Russia and the pro Russian thugs.
Comment by Andrew — March 12, 2014 @ 7:45 am