Members of the Russian Presidential Council for Development of the Civil Society and Human Rights made a statement regarding the events in Ukraine yesterday. They believe that our states were on the edge of a war when the Federation Council allowed the president to use the Armed Forces in Ukraine. The excuse for their deployment is threats to Russian citizens and compatriots. Indeed, there are cases of disorder and violence caused by different political forces. “However, the use of foreign military force violating the sovereignty of a neighbour state, contradicting international obligations of Russia, in our opinion, is absolutely inadequate for the scale of the violations. In particular, information regarding attacks, disorders and murders in the territory of Crimea is false and exaggerated. According to a member of the HRC in Crimea Andrey Yurov, there were no victims and wounded people amongst the peaceful population and the military the Federation Council has been talking about the past two days.”
Human rights activists remind that the use of the Armed Forces always brings the risk of further escalation of violence and graver violations of human rights. “The problems in Ukraine should be resolved via political settlement and a constant search for compromise in the most controversial issues (for example, status of languages), but by deployment of forces.”
Western leaders have a similar opinion. British authorities say that it would be wrong to attend the Paralympic Games in Sochi in the context of current situation in Ukraine. The US president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have expressed their concerns over the events in telephone conversations with Vladimir Putin last weekend. The Russian president drew their attention to threats from ultra-nationalist forces to the lives and legal interests of Russians and the Russian-speaking population.”
Many Russian experts talk about the threat of Ukrainian nationalism. Marina Petrova, a Vestnik Kavkaza observer, told The Voice of Russia that “the key role in pogroms in Kiev, where both protesters and law enforcers died, was played by extremists uncontrolled by the systemic opposition. In order to organize such disorders with violence, you need specially trained people. It is hard to imagine ordinary peaceful citizens without training knowing what to do when storming buildings, or throwing Molotov cocktails. In order to form a crowd effect, you need leaders that would show people in the crowd what to do, how to act, be an example. The role of radicals and nationalists in the events in Ukraine should not be concealed. The uncontrolled radical nationalistic element is the biggest threat for Ukrainian statehood.
Nationalistic groups in Ukraine are direct heritors and successors of the ideology of Ukrainian nationalistic organization directly cooperating and supporting the fascist regime in WWII. The most adamant leader was Stepan Bandera. The Banderovtsy were cruelly disposing of local residents suspected of ties with the Soviet Army, helping fascists in concentration camps in the West Ukraine, sabotaging Soviet troops in exchange for financial and military aid. Not only were they sabotaging Soviet soldiers, they were also raiding their own peaceful population to intimidate it, so that it would not help the Red Army. Now, followers of Stepan Bandera continue to realize his ideas. Radicals and nationalists have not only provoked the police into clashes and direct fights, but they also used snipers to kill police officers on duty. Such acts are a direct continuation of the Bandera policy and fascism. This all alarms the population of Ukraine. The Ukrainian economy is on the edge of a collapse. Transportation infrastructure has almost been destroyed in the capital. Geopolitical players follow their own interests while ordinary people suffer. The picture is black and white, where the government is depicted as evil and the opposition as the good. There are smart forces behind both sides of barricades. They are trying to settle the situation for the sake of the Ukrainian people. On the one hand, there are people trying to wreck havoc and gain benefits all over the country.
The only people who know what to do are the radicals. This is the worst thing. Though Western partners criticize Russia for interference in Ukrainian home affairs, Russian authorities do not impose their the Ukrainian people. It is time for Russia, EU and the US to unite forces and help the Ukrainian people find a solution because it is obvious that it cannot be done alone.”
