A text of despair

I believe that Maidan was the Ukrainian biggest and the most tragic mistake in the last 20 years. Senseless death of hundreds (god, almost a thousand) persons, lost territories, driven to total collapse the already comatose economy, war, which is unknown when will finish...

I know, I have already heard it a hundred times (I was thinking the same in the past) : «And how differently? We had no choice. They started first. Yanukovich, Yanukovich, Yanukovich. Putin-Putin is a dickwad».

I started to see things clearly after the tragic death of people in Odessa, when brutal crowd started to write comments like «baked coloradoes», «barbeque» , etc. And don't tell me that these comments were written by FSB people. No. They wrote them all by themselves. I started to see things clearly when I almost vomited because of people, that were said to be with all the good things and against the «soviet cattlism», proved to be not better at all. When the confrontation transformed into a war of hyenas and jackals. Then I started thinking. I remembered things that were in plain sight , but I would keep my eyes shut. Because it was Yanukovich...

The problem is still laying here, not in a different dimension, but in a different scale. We were tricked by the megalomania. We thought that in this era of globalization Ukraine weighted somehow as country on the political map (Excuse me if someone is annoyed by my words, but I will speak clearly). But Ukraine weighs only as a piece of land, on which two polar worlds are measuring their muscles. It's an arena. Another chess board. One of many. One must be extremely naïve to believe that any side is intended to help this board. To them both, this board is completely indifferent. To some citizens of these hyperstates maybe not, I agree, especially if they have relatives in Ukraine. But to the corporations, that rule on that all, it is absolutely indifferent. They are interested only in the sales market of production, petrol, gas, weapons, drugs, and also cheap labor force and manufacturing areas. No sentiments. Just business.

I can foresee a barrage of accusations that I am blindly repeating this after the «Russian media» and specifically after Mr. Kisiliov. But let us think. As it is said, if you are paranoid, it doesn't mean that you are not followed.

After the end of the cold war , USA threw Russia out of the big list of opponents. But for their bad luck, in the place of drunk Yeltsen came vivid Putin with a maniac idea of reconstruction of USSR in the maximum possible limits. As not enough, he also enforced his relations with all the globally powerful dictators. Fuckin' shit , something must to be done! And they started acting. But the saint intentions somehow didn't lead to paradise at all.

Let us recall, into what resulted the removal of dictators. Yugoslavia turned into a nest of mini-states, with economy in the plinth level, that still quarrel among themselves. Divided Iraq started to regularly supply the global market with drugs. Afganistan was destroyed. In Egypt to power come, one after another, more and more conservative presidents. In addition, the increasing of islamic fundamentalism, showing it's wild face. In Libya the government can hardly find any strength to restore the destroyed country and in the same time to fight with militants; it seems that the reconstruction will take a decade, not less.

There were some positive cases, as Tunisia from which the memorable spring had started, but they hadn't any impact on the hole picture. I won't even risk to say if there was the state Department influence at all. It is possible, that it just traced Tunisia, as a sample of detonator.

I would like to notice that I avoid to give attention to dictators' personalities. Yes, the most of them are scum, or extremely controversial politics. The case is that the medicine appeared to be worse than the illness: after the fall of dictators, the population life turned to be much harder and the normalization of economy will take decades (and this if another monster won't come to power), and if count the number of deaths during square movements, the number of tortured by tyrants, balance will not be in favor of the «democratic» revolutions. That's all because people are indifferent to the «mocracy» supporters ( I will lend this word from sir Terry Pratchett, who knows will understand), who are looking from the Statue of Liberty. And the eastern dictators, loyal to USA, that are not better at all, do never reach to the list of candidates for removal.

While modeling the situation of Maidan, too many inconsistencies show up and it's difficult to believe in such a nice and simple version as «people against a bloody dictator» (add Putin if you like).

1. The situation evokes many suspicions. Each time the things became calm and people decided to disperse, as if it was ordered, Berkut attacked journalists or some bandits attacked Tania Chornoval. The fire of anger was provided with wood every time it was starting to slake. It can not be explained differently, but by sabotage in the internal organs. Thus, Yanukovich who is pretending that nothing happens , is seemed to be a total cynic (if judging of his intellectual level it's quite questionable) , or really not well informed. Someone filtered the information that came to the ears and eyes of ex-president very well, in order to lead him strictly to the crest of the wave and than gently push him.

2. The combat units of the peaceful Maidan. Oxymoron wins. Guys with Molotov cocktails and chains, who were called either provocateurs or people who had lost their patience, where captured on video and proved to cooperate with SBU. Too many variables are involved and someone is using the method of controlled chaos. People are still peaceful, so they should be incited, but in a tricky way: they should be brought to the point, from were there is no return.

3. Information about snipers that shoot in both sides. Why did current government carved the trees with bullet traces? Why were the evidences destroyed? Why did these gunshots were completely similar to those in Egypt?

4. The legality of Yanukovich impeachment. Whatever may be said, but the voting of deputies under the fear that in any minute armed people can break into the room, is rather a circus then politics. The only legal version of impeachment was unreal due to the lawmakers efforts. Thus Maidan supporters were forced to agree with the re-election alternative. But no, they wanted it all and immediately. As a result- serious violation of Constitution.

At this point I have to leave the modeling of the situation and skip to the consequences of the last point. Because when the most important law of the state is violated by you and thus fixed to the state level- it means that the Constitution is not in power and can be violated by anybody. This fact gave freedom to Putin, as it was exactly the Constitution that guaranteed the territorial integrity of Ukraine and also regulated the issues related to referendums. So, they who violated their own Constitution, how can they complain of it's violation by the Cremea annexation?

The only left is to appeal until the performance of the Budapest Memorandum. But hell, memorandum is signed but not ratified. So, with the Vienna Convention, signers are bound to the terms of the contract only until it won't be ratified or canceled. But Russia once again said cleverly that USA, one of the signers, were first to break the memorandum, while supporting the unconstitutional Yanukovich displacement. Had the American government, that never cares about logic and legality, thought that, when for example motivating it's attack on Iraq by chemical weapons and never finding them, a rook can be outwitted by another rook? On the other side, USA could emphasize on the violation of the international law with the Cremea annexation. If there wasn't a «but» that is called Kosovo, in which independence USA participated very intensively. That's why, they found what they were fighting for.

So who should be considered as responsible? Putin's special services? Putin, with all his disrespect to Yanukovich, could not find a better puppet. What if look at those who were especially annoyed by Yanukovich? At the middle class (including AutoMaidan ), which was hoping so much to set up as soon as possible it's business in Europe- but suddenly such a fiasco? At the oligarchs of Kolomoyskiy wing, whose business was in danger, or even at the Regionals themselves, whose business appeared also in the fund of family help or was just hurt by the improvers ( Liovochkin group and other like them)? These factors are not very important if judge them one by one. But if we put them together... what comes to our mind again is the controlled chaos and an unknown manipulator.

Excuse me, people from Maidan, you are not the players, and not even the pawns. Those who play with you, are pawns by themselves. Recently from the Regionals was heard that exactly Liovochkin was involved in the beating of students on 30 of November. It's a petty that no one tries to spread this information officially. Finally if take into account the influence of Liovochkin on Yatseniuk and Klichko, some new very interesting components will appear in the puzzle.

But let us leave these 4 points. Even if the version of «people against Yanukovich-Putin» had been completely true, still what happened should not be allowed. We launched an anger flywheel of such a strength, that now it cannot be stopped. People are dying on both sides and each side seeks for revenge. This flywheel takes as all inside his cycle and starts grinding us...

It's interesting that Russia is the least considered in the continuation of war – Russia has to sell gas, as the economy is falling, and the sanctions are exasperating. On the contrary USA are keen on catching fish in muddy waters. It's not the first time for them to sell weapons to both sides of the conflict and to harm Russian economy.

So do we have the ethical right to call separatists and disrespect people from eastern regions, who feel the same fear and suspicion for both LPR-DPR and Kyiv government? Who are afraid to abandon their homes and go west, and therefor are dying from the bullets of bandits and occasional attacks of «their» artillery and aviation? To appeal, that in these areas live people with low social, intellectual or cultural level (roughly lumpen proletariat , bandits), is far away from the human dignity. Give me a video camera, and I will make a montage of reportage with all the Lviv's street bandits-alcoholics and than represent them as the «best people of the town».

I want to notice that they are called separatists in the first place by the same mass media that only yesterday obeyed to Regionals. Yesterday they were licking «Donbas guys» and today they are loudly sucking the «chocolate guys». It seems that the last unbiased journalist in Ukraine died a long time ago in the Tarascha forest. And if at the beginning our journalists were not as good as Russian in the nonsense quality spilled on the viewers, quickly enough they found out a simple trick: as more you lie – you become more believable. It's like neighbors who increase the music volume to be heard as loud as possible through the wall. As a result we have in the place of music, white noise and headache.

In the end I will quote Pratchett :

«… They have a new Tyrant every five years and they'do something to him first... - He hesitated. - I think they ee-lect him.

- Is that something like they do to tomcats and bulls and things?. Er... You know. To make them stop fighting and be more peaceful.

Teppic winced.

- To be honest, I'm not sure,' he said. 'But I don't think so. They've got something they do it with, I think it's called a mocracy, and it means everyone in the whole country can say who the new Tyrant is».

That's how we live. We change one tyrant to another, the old yoke to a new one. We want the new president to be better then the previous but in the same time us to be completely unchanged. So let us remember that people have the rulers they deserve. If we want a better government, we have to change first. In order to make the authorities to respect us and our opinion as a default, and not through Maidan, that reminds something like shaking crap in a bucket – no matter how much you shake, it still pops up, unless in a different shape. In our occasion, such an ancient crap has started to emerge, as Kuchma with Medvechuk. The only chance is that someone will get out the crap from the inside. But then even shaking will not be needed. However, firstly we have to get rid of crap in ourselves. 

«Maidan has changed us. We are different now» - I heard it, but I don't believe it. Some persons maybe. The others have been changed to the worse, which is confirmed by the cannibalistic comments to the videos with the Odessa tragedy. Tens of millions of people remained the same, as evidenced the percentage of Klichko voters. It's the same level of adequacy with the voters of Lyonya Kosmos (Leonid Chernoveckiy).

A long road is waiting us ahead. But it's time to start moving. And the first step must be to make our government to stop in any price this fratricidal war. Because, I will remind it again, such wars are continued through decades, by subsiding and igniting time to time. And what is left after them, are only the conflagrations remains, without winners or losers. We will not let those, for whom war is as beloved as mother, to catch fish in muddy waters. Because if you look well, you will see that these fish don't swim in the water, but in the human blood.

Anatoliy Tkachuk

Translated by Tetiana Prydiy