Enemies Within Ukraine

“With friends like that, who needs enemies?” A common adage that many have heard more than once when someone earlier considered a friend betrayed a person. The theme of treason has to be brought to the fore in contemporary Ukrainian society that has far too many enemies within. When the USSR began to crumble in the late 1980s and finally collapsed in 1991, there was a great deal of work Ukraine needed to do in order to ensure the transition from a command to market economy. That took much longer than it should have for many reasons, though there was even a more damning factor which retarded Ukraine’s development in my opinion. With Ukraine’s independence referendum on December 1, 1991 things took time to change, particularly the rewriting of the old laws of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. 

Some of Ukraine’s first enemies within appeared in 1993 when the sitting Verkhovna Rada voted for Law Number 3623-12. In particular it was Paragraph 2, of Article 2, which reads: “A Deputy can be chosen by a citizen of Ukraine, who has the right to vote, and cannot be less that 25 years of age on the day of elections”. The stipulation to become a deputy under Soviet law was the age of majority, which in Ukraine is 18 years of age. 

I consider those deputies and Leonid Kravchuk, president of the day, as enemies of Ukraine. In passing that law, they shut out the youth of Ukraine who had sacrificed their health and well being during the Revolution on Granite, which marked it’s 30th anniversary this year from October 2nd through 17th. What was Zelensky thinking on July 30th of this year when he appointed octogenarian Leonid Kravchuk, modern Ukraine’s first elected president, to be the head of the delegation of the Minsk Trilateral Contact  Group on the peaceful settlement on the situation in Donbas. 

I believe Zelensky seems to be out of touch with the realities of Ukraine and seems to have little respect for Ukrainians and Ukraine’s history. That lack of respect stems back to 2010, when his comedy program mockingly used the Holodomor in one of their sketches. The lack of empathy for this historic fact has often been ignored and dismissed by Zelensky and his team of his groomers have taught him how to skirt his past and act presidential. Unfortunately, there is nothing presidential about his behaviour and actions, nor is much respect shown for the Ukrainian language by his string of candidates running in local elections on October 25, 2020 from his Servant of the People’s party. Since the day of his inauguration, I’ve wondered, “Which people he and his party members are serving?” 

Ignorance, Indifference and Disrespect

Billboard and election literature of many different the party’s candidates are fraught with Google Translate errors, and Russian-isms. Many of these errors are ones that Ukraine’s elementary school pupils could easily pick out and laugh at.  In preparing their election campaign materials, candidates are required to follow the party’s brand book. This book acts as a guide for many things, from the colors they can or can not use to standard templates for all their published materials. However I wonder where’s the gray matter between the ears of the candidates when it comes to using language. A number of these cock-ups started appearing on social media quite regularly within hours after billboards appeared, and within days of the official start of the campaign on September 5, 2020. 

The one that first caught my eye within the first two weeks of the election campaign was the campaign poster of a Servant of the People’s candidate running in the Obolon district of Kyiv, who took hyperbole to the level of absurdity. Yevheniy Vandin’s poster reads: “We will make Obolon the Capital of Kyiv.” So I wonder if Mr. Vandin even has a clue of the meaning of the word “capital”. The definition of the
word I know is as follows: “n. 1. The capital city of a country or town of a country, state, etc.; seat of government”. As journalist and popular Ukrainian blogger, Maria Madzigon said in a video on the same topic on October 15: “You should have attended your geography classes, Vandin Yevheniy!”

While the foolish mistakes by native Russian speakers is quite understandable, the error of their linguistic ways will clearly reveal to astute voters where their sympathies truly lie. However, when it comes to the former comedian Zelensky the language and form of address he used to the citizens of Ukraine is totally unacceptable. To readers who have studied languages other than English, I’m certain you are aware of the two different forms of the pronoun you. Ukrainian is one those languages that used the two different forms. The common form ty, which would be tu in French as an analogy, and the more formal form vy, or vous in French. Though this really wasn’t Zelensky’s fault – his fault in fact was that he was addressing more than one individual – the citizens of Ukraine and in doing so he should have used vy or in French this would be vous.

The address in question has to do with Zelensky’s way of obfuscating the real problems that Ukrainians should be asking their president right now and this is verbatim what he said, “Hello! Yes, yes, I am directly addressing you [in the singular form], on October 25th at the polls, I will be giving you five important questions. By the way what will be the questions, about this later.” By now citizens of Ukraine have heard these five questions that will be not part of the balloting process as Ukraine’s electoral law does not have a provision for carrying this out during elections. However, as explained by the Presidential Administration, the five questions will be posed to voters outside the polling stations by pollsters from a private polling firm. If so, to quote a post of a good friend mine, Oleksandr Chernenko’s [VRU member 2014-2019, political expert, journalist] Facebook page on October 13, 2020:  “Why is the president involved in this at all?  If the "poll" is a private initiative, then why does Zelensky announce it? If it is an initiative of the president, then which law or which article of the Constitution provides for such powers? After all, he, as an official, must act exclusively within his powers. Everything else is an abuse of power.” 

Health issues at this time are a problem throughout Ukraine, and the questions that Zelensky had no damn business in stepping beyond his prescribed duties as the questions he has posed are nothing but a smoke screen for his administration’s incompetence and corruption. Of the the 65 billion hryvnia earmarked to fight the pandemic, 35 million of this was transferred to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, for pet projects such as road construction, while the people of Ukraine suffer. According to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine’s Corona epidemic monitoring system Ukraine has had 303,648 confirmed cases of the illness; 5,673 deaths; 126,489 recoveries; 171,476 existing and a suspicion of 373,276 illnesses [https://covid19.rnbo.gov.ua/].

Questions to Zelensky

A day after Chernenko’s statements of October 14, Madzigon addressed Zelensky’s use of language as I did above and she also pointed out to Zelensky, that in a democracy it is not the president who should be asking questions of the country’s citizens, but it is they who should be asking him the questions. With that as a prelude she began with addressing some extremely poignant questions, while also addressing Zelensky’s election campaign promises, most of which he has not even come close to accomplishing. Before I continue with some of the questions she posed, let me add this about democracy and democracy building, something I’ve been involved in for more than three decades. Democracy isn’t just about going to polling stations to exercise one’s franchise. Democracy is about holding those the electorate has voted for accountable for their actions or inaction. This is just what Madzigon does and I will for you touch on just a few of her questions and statements below:

    • Why did it cost your administration 12 billion to construct 30 km of highway, while under Poroshenko that same money build 80 km. Thirty and eighty do you recognize the difference?;

    • Why did you spend the money from the anti-Corona virus fund, from the anti-Corona virus fund not for a battle against the pandemic but for roads? It’s brilliant! [she says while clapping];

    • Why under Zelensky, under you, has the clear cutting of forests increased seven-fold?

    • Why was the law on land passed without going through a referendum?;

    • Why did you? You promised us that you would do everything without nepotism, and more than thirty of your friends in some way received positions. How do you explain this?;

    • Why out of all of Ukraine’s previous presidents do you have the largest motorcade of 52 cars. Think about it? Fifty-two. I'm already silent about twenty guards around;

    • Why is Medvedchuk free? Why is Medvedchuk still free?;

    • Why didn’t you declare five million in income? In general, this is a violation of the law, you yourself said that you would resign once you violated the law. 

While we will never know what Zelensky’s response would be to these questions one thing is clear Madzigon’s video in English translation is called: “WHAT WAS THAT??? #fivequestions” and clearly she touched a nerve with at least 14K Facebook users sharing the video and 954 users making comments. 

I’m sure readers can well imagine that how users would have responded in their comments. One comment was as follows: “It makes no sense to ask Zelensky questions, because we saw his inappropriate behavior, false primitive answers and hysterical laughter when he was asked questions by British journalist Stephen Sackur.” This is in reference to Zelensky’s interview on HARDtalk, during his state visit to the UK. Watch and see if you agree with the comment made by one of Madzigon’s followers.

There was one question she asked which touches a nerve in me more than any other. “Why is Medvedchuk still free?” Ukraine watchers who understand the notoriety of Viktor Medvedchuk in the case of dissident Vasyl Stus, who was sent to the Gulag never to return, may have the same sentiments that I have to the “great traitor”! Medvedchuk, in my opinion, was always a crony of the Soviet system, and clearly raised in the spirit of the Komsomol and the Communist Party. I can not remember where I may have either read or heard that as the Soviet Union was collapsing, there were orders from the Kremlin, that Komsomol members must find a way to create a niche in the new reality that was upon them. In short, this meant that they must pillage what they can in order to become wealthy and Medvedchuk did so in Ukraine, just like many of those mentioned in Chrystia Freeland’s book The Sale of the Century did in Russia in the early 1990s. 

Then and Now: Medvedchuk vs Kipiani

While I’ve never met Viktor Medvedchuk, though his behavior in working close to Leonid Kuchma, never invoked any confidence that he was working for the good of Ukraine and its people. Both he and Kuchma ingratiated themselves through their official positions during Kuchma’s two consecutive terms in office. On the other hand, I met Vakhtang Kipiani in the summer of 2003 a number of months after he had become the host and editor-in-chief of a program called  Podviyniy dokaz [Double proof] on the 1+1 television channel. We met at the Writers House at 2 Bankova in Kyiv, with a group of other Ukrainian journalists. At the time I was working in local print media, and as a foreign radio broadcaster for Ukrainian Time, the oldest Ukrainian-Canadian broadcast based out of Montreal. Though what really tied us together the most was our different types of involvement in the Revolution on Granite, in short we are both part of the same brotherhood. Since then I’ve been a friend of Kipiani’s and have followed him in his historical research particularly on the Istorychna Pravda [Historical Truth] website and most recently the YouTube channel of the same name. 

In 2019, after a great deal of research Kipiani published a book on the entire legal procedures against Ukrainian dissident Vasyl Stus [1935-1985], in which Medvedchuk was supposed to be acting in Stus’ defense, though Stus refused his him as a lawyer, which was within his legal rights, though Medvedchuk continued to act as his public defender, against his client’s will. 

Kipiani based his publication on archival material and presented facts.  The complete title translated is as follows: Characteristics of the case of Vasyl Stus. Collection of documents from the archives of the former KGB of the USSR. Then the good old defender of Ukrainians Medvedchuk, got a little pissed and decide to take both Kipiani and his publisher, Vivat, to court in order to ban the books’ publication and distribution. In particular Medvedchuk took offense with one chapter of the book that he considered to degrade his honour and dignity. 

On October 19, 2020 the Darnytsia District Court in Kyiv handed down their decision against Kipiani and his publisher Vivat, and the must cease publication and distribution of this book. The entire legal process has possibly backfired on the “great traitor”.  The court decision had a definite impact on the sale of the book and it may just backfire on “enemy number one of Ukraine”. Kipiani wrote the following two significant comments on his Facebook page. During the afternoon he posted the following: “ I received 157 phone calls today. I didn't have time to react to the majority of them, I'm sorry. Four radio broadcasts plus three television interviews, plus a dozen comments for media. (It's hard to be a superstar, yeah) P.S. In the evening, Facebook also forbade me writing comments and replying in Messenger, because it thinks that I produce spam 😉. Thank you to everyone for their support. Hugs to you all.  I love Ukraine.” About three hours later he posted the following: “More than a thousand people wrote to me in  Messenger about the book. I managed to answer somewhere in the hundreds. After that, the system began to issue an explanation that in order to protect against spam, my ability to respond is suspended. Though they did not say for how long. It may be some type of beacon. But please be patient - I will answer everyone.” 

While much of Medvedchuk’s position in “defending” Stus is in the past and when he was but 26 years old working in Soviet system, dealing with dissidents, few know that his father was considered a Nazi collaborator and maybe his motivation to collaborate with the KGB in order to pay back a debt to the Soviet. That aside. Let’s look at his current behavior and who he is. 

At the current moment Medvedchuk leads a political party that calls itself the Opposition Platform – For Life. The history of this “platform” has been nothing but a manner of disrupting Ukraine’s democratic and economic development. I have no other word than “douche bag” for the members of this party that is in the pocket of the Kremlin. Let’s not forget that Putin is the “godfather” of Medvedchuk’s daughter, and this is the greatest form of nepotism. 

A Possible Key Response

The following is what was reported by RFE/RL regarding the Presidential Administration’s response to the court decision: 

"Most of the content of the book is an exact reprint of the criminal case. That is, the purely documentary basis of the book does not cause the slightest doubt. Thus, it is by this logic of the book that VV Medvedchuk is a participant in a real process that took place in history, and not just a "character of the work." The participant's behavior is analyzed solely on the basis of documented facts, which are not a product of the authors' literary work and literary fiction.”

At the moment it seems like an appropriate response from Zelensky’s administration, that still has many questions to answer. Maybe they are listening on such a politically charged historical issues to the point that they understand that these things matter to many culturally aware Ukrainians, be they in Ukraine or beyond its borders.

I hope readers take the time to read the hyperlinks. As a professional librarian I love to provide value added information to the things I write. Particularly to what is close to my heart and soul. The questions posed by Maria Madzigon are all valid! My one wish now is that all Ukrainians who read English and have learnt something new will share all this information with their colleagues, family and friends. 

 
Vasyl Pawlowsky 

Independent Consultant

Call out to President-Elect Petro Poroshenko

Exit polls are not an exact science, though from my years consulting with Democratic Initiatives Foundation, the first Ukrainian NGOs to ever use such a tool as form of control over elections, they are pretty damn accurate when properly designed and with an appropriate sample size. Given all the problems cause by one man by the name of Vladimir Putin. He can be considered one of the greatest threats to peace and environmental destruction in this world, and is clearly turning out to be a product of his dictatorial past as an agent of the KGB.

Today's elections in Ukraine where historic in many different ways. With two of Ukraine's eastern oblast of Luhansk and Donetsk being under the control of Russian sanctioned terrorists, voting in the industrial heartland of the country was next to non-existent – in Luhansk oblast only 2 of twelve Territorial Commissions have been able to set up and run, and in Donetsk there were only 7 of twenty-two according to official figures of the Central Electoral Commission on the morning of May 25 on election day.

In the mean time the newly formed independent region of Novorossia, led by pro-Russian anti-democratic and nothing short of criminal backed Oleh Tsariov, decided to burn ballots, destroy ballot boxes and continue to use terror to keep people from voting. This had been the modus operandi of those who have wanted to be self-proclaimed leaders in different districts of Eastern Ukraine.

The people have spoken - Moscovy continues with lies

Regardless of all the difficulties Ukrainians turned out en masse to vote. As I pen this voter turn out was sitting at 60.44% of all eligible voters. Let's just think of what it may have been if all those heavily armed people were wreaking havoc in the highly populated eastern oblasts of Ukraine. I have no doubt that number may have reached 67-72% of the eligible electorate. In Donetsk oblast only 12.04% of eligible voters were able to cast there ballots for a new and legitimate president.

Those stifiling the vote in Eastern Ukraine being three different types of individuals/groups. Firstly, they traitor/criminals who want to carve up the regional territory, this includes the douche bags like Tsariov and others elected to the Verkovna Rada. Though there are also the criminals who don't believe in the rule of law, and have no value for anything including life! Having had a few friends killed in Ukraine since independence it really doesn't surprise me how few valueless people live in Ukraine. The second group, are really those who shipped in to the region, just like in Crimea, by Moscovy – with top-of-the-line armaments and wearing the uniform of the Colorado Potato Beetle, in one simple little ribbon – which really means nothing but oppression to Ukrainians – regardless of the language they speak. The third group are the lazy good-for-nothings who have been brainwashed by Moscovy's propoganda, or are decendants of Russians suplanted in Ukraine after Stalin conducted his genocidal program against Ukraine and its people in 1932-33!

As in many elections before in Ukraine there were many, what are called technical candidates, though this seemed not to matter in any way at all. The most comical of these technical candidates where not those that were really as such, but which turned out to be a great slap in the face to the propoganda coming from Moscovy over the last six months!

'The hunta government of Kyiv is filled by fascists from the Right Sector and other fascists!”

All of Russia has been deprived of any type of independent media and this media has been the main source of information for many Russian speakers. The fear mongering from Moscow has been a seventy-year old story about people who fought for an independent Ukraine. They talk about Nazi-collaboraters. Yet according to some sources, the full report of the Nuremberg Trials were not publishes in their entirety by Moscow in order to discredit Ukrainian patriots.

There were a number of volumes which dealt with Nazi-collaborators which exonerated Ukrainians – members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists both of the Bandera and Melnyk factions, though these were never published in the USSR!

Unlike, in Moscovy over the last nearly quarter of a century many of Ukraine's youth have been exposed ot their history. From the Holodomor, to the valiant efforts of those who fought both against the Nazi's and the Red Army and those who simply wanted to destroy the Ukrainian nation. I have friends amonst that group - including the acting MFA of Ukraine Andriy Deschytsia, and former diplomat Bohdan Yaremenko whom I both have known since before Ukraine's independence. I know many others individuals who are competent and have to be engaged now, and not used by political parties and exploiters. Unfortunately, there were political parties that tried to use this last Maidan in such a manner – and the resuls reveal who they are!

Yes, I've digressed! Though exit polls show us is that the “rabid facists” have garnered a great deal fewer votes then the propoganda machine of Moscovy predicted.

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

If you really believe the propoganda of RT – the “soft power” project of the Kremlin then let's take things one step further!

Today, Russia's first national televison program took their lies oe step further. Today, during a live broadcast and declared that the Right Sector presidential candidate Dmytro Yarosh had received 37% of the popular vote and the he had in fact won Ukrainian Presidential election.

Russian First National stating that Dmytro Yarosh won Ukraine's Presidential Election of May 25, 2014 with 37% of the popular vote![

This is so far from the truth that I have to wonder just how much is Tsar Putin going to try to continue his lies? Though this is not just directed to the world's newest dictator! I think that most of the independent media in the world to also understand the bullshit that you have been fed by Moscovy and even some of the big press agencies, who were never ready to tell the truth but to pull Moscovy's line. Calling those with Russian supplied armaments pro-Russian separatists, with gun-handling abilities that are only afforded to those with many years of military experience. In short, those media who have been misrepresenting what has really been going on in Crimea, and now in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts – forget it you are not jounalists but pawns of Mosovy!

When people are terrorized? What do you call those that terrorize them? Answer it yourselves!

I know that there are many journalists out on the line who can see this, but it is time for the editorial boards and management of media to start being honest! Unless of course the Kremlin has a controlling interest in your media.


All hoping for a new direction

One of the biggest problems in Ukraine in its nearly twenty-three years of independence has been the lack of reforms and following the rule-of-law. While they are still counting the votes I know Petro Poroshenko will be President. Though I have some questions to him as new leader and I hope he will do something to change it. Some journalists have been attacking him about divesting of his television company.

To a very great degree I can see where they are coming form, but they are being very narrow minded. Twenty years ago I spoke with young Ukrainian leaders and spoke to them about a number of pieces of legislation that would be a positive move towards a more demo-economic system. This included such things as anti-nepotism laws, conflict of interest laws, and transparency in all transactions. For Poroshenko to simply sell this media holding may in fact cause more problems then they can imagine without all the other legislation in Ukraine in place and being enforced.

Asking Poroshenko, or others who are politically involved under the current legislation of Ukraine to give up their control of any form of media would be a very dangerous and foolish step! Without the legislation in place that can properly contol many different problems in the sphere of press freedoms, conflict of interest, nepotism and other matters this would be detrimental to Ukraine's development.

Calling for a new generation

While Petro Poroshenko is not one without skeletons in his closet, I do have some reservations of the things I heard regarding much of the electoral campaign. Much of this was from people who would make statements that were very much along the lines used in Soviet times in order to discredit individuals.

This same method was used to vote for Petro Poroshenko. Why you ask? Many key intellectual persona would state – “He's a good person from the information I know!”

In this case, this was true – though Ukraine needs a total reformation and I hope that Poroshenko can make it happen.

In contemporary Ukrainian society it is just as easy as it was to disseminate a lie and a rumour during Soviet times. Say something to people in the metro or in a local watering hole and everyone will think you are either an informant for the FSB or CIA.. I know this form personal experience.. Thank you to an incopetent diplomat or someone on the payroll form Moscow from the EU.

However, a new generation must be built upon those who spent time working for Ukraine. There has to be revision of those who are trusted.

There has to be a review of what dual citizenship and privleges of those who want to build a nation has to function. Individuals who come into the country to discredit it should be arrested and eventually deported. We have a clear example of a sex-pat from the UK, who did nothing but look at Ukrainian women as those to exploit. We should all know who he is, and if you don't – ask here I'll you. However, I have a bit of a bias.

Mr President call on all specialists

Petro Oleksiyovych, we met once in passing in 2005 and I have pictures wth you. You know me from Adam, but I think I speak a great deal for many Ukrainians who grew up beyond Ukraine's borders. No one every really valued Ukrainians abroad! Do you? Do you care about how Ukrainians who are still Ukrainian citizens, and those who have been supporting Ukraine form as second and third generation Ukrainians? I hope you do!

You are very much aware of the unofficial anti-diaspora program that existed in order to ensure that transparency in business didn't exist in Ukraine. I personally understand this much better than many, I hope you can start ensuring business works on the basis of transperency.

I hope that this changes a great deal. I hope that young students, who are thoses who followed me in leadership positions in SUSK (Soiuz Ukrainskoho Studentsva Kanady). I was denied such opportunities because of the damn bureaucracy that existed and still exists – hiring incompetent idiots in Ukraine, and all the other, fucked up beauracracy that exists for individuals to invest in Ukraine.

I expect that you find a way to integrate Ukrainians from throughout the world who are top in their line and that the be conpensated for their speciality!

I know there are plenty of very qualified Ukrainians, though there is also a necessity to recompense those who have been screwed by other political leaders. I know many qualified indivduals in that sphere...

You have shown from what I have heard of paying employee's officially and not an envelope – time for all of Ukraine to work that way.

Dealing with Liar from Moscovy

It has become very clear that Moscovy has become a land of propogandistic lies. How should we be dealing with this? For the most part it will be the same way that the people of Ukraine have dealt with the lies and bull shit that thier polititions spew to them. While I was against Yanukovych's method's and non-judicial means of throwing Yulia Tymoshenko in prison, Ukrainians have clearly understood that her populusim was a lot of bullshit. I hope they from this day forward hold every politician from this day forth accountable for every single action they take.

Though the most important aspect of any democracy is the accountabilty of elected officials, and this being the case – the not yest president-elect has to introduce a bill which would eliminate the bullshit which has existed for the entire period of Ukraine's newly-found independence in 1991 – this concept of immunity of persecution of elected officials. That really has to be the first decision! With that decision – Ukraine will start to move forward – at least I an many others hope it will.

Once the rule of law is put into place and starts to function, then dealing with those liars to the northwest will be extremely easy. Petro Oleksiyovych – make these things happen. Find those who want to move as far away form Sovedepia as possible and help all Ukrainians to prosper. In doing so the motion will be set as an example and our neighbours will understand that this will come through a more liberal and all inclusive democracy, regardless of its limitations.

Today was not only a great day for Ukraine but for all the people in its neighbouring countries.

Yes, democracy is still not perfect, nor is capitalism for that matter, but if Ukrainians are open and extremely progressive – they will set a great number of examples for the entire planet. Particularly in the area of renewable resources – and in doing so giving Moscovy a good kick in the crotch for it's arcaic attitude of global affairs. If you understand where I'm coming from – there is no need for explanation. If you need an explanation – you are a simply a sovdep dinosaur and I could talk to you until I'm blue in the face – and that is not my desire! I've been doing this for the last quarter of a century!

Vasyl Pawlowsky
Independent Consultant
The commentary of this was first published on the wpawlowsky.com site.

Another digression... Rule of Brute Force

Once again I diverge, as there is just no other thing to do when the situation in Ukraine is as it is. To say the least it things are a little tense. For the most part the taxi drivers I talk to in this city and there are plenty of them are usually a pretty good pulse of what is going on in any metropolitan city in the world. Last night one of the drivers, Dima, who I have known quite well for a number of years said to me. "The guys from Donetsk do not want to give up power, and right now they seem to be doing what they want with no respect of any accepted principles!"  This led to a short but brief conversation on democracy, the way Canadians understand it, and the way most of the civilized world understands it.

Well it may seem that I am saying that Ukraine is not part of the civilized world and to some degree I am saying just that, but really it is not directed at the thousands who froze on Maidan for the principles of democracy and fairness, but it is directed at those individuals who for the last two days have been sitting in the Verkhovna Rada with the sole intent of maintaining the power which came to be theirs through lies, deceit, bribery and a number of other mechanisms which are far from being considered as democratic means.

Just a few minutes ago I came across an article on Ukrainska Pravda by Serhiy Balan. Many of the points he made, drew me back to my discussion with Dima the taxi driver the other night and what he had said. In particular Balan's following observation:

У демократичній країні уряд, який згідно з Конституцією є відповідальним перед президентом, ніколи б не порушив його указу, а самостійно пішов би у відставку.

Провідні партії – члени парламентської коаліції – продемонстрували повне нерозуміння й онтологічне неприйняття норм демократії про відповідальність партій перед своїм електоратом.

Given the way many of them ended up in the Verkhovna Rada, or their loyalty to the Party of Regions, the Communists or Socialists it is no surprise whatsoever that they would have no respect for the law. We have good old Pyotr Symonenko who denies that the Holodomor ever took place, Moroz who sold out to the Party of Regions, and the Party of Regions which is backed by a clan of criminals with a rapist in the seat of Prime Minister.  These people are not only immoral they can only think one way. They use brute force to get what they want. The people living in Donetsk region are captives of these thugs - a word against the Party of Regions is dealt with brutally.