Post-Maidan Suicide of Ukrainian Small Business

By Rostislav Ishchenko
Translated by Ollie Richardson and Angelina Siard
cross posted with http://www.stalkerzone.org/rostislav-ishchenko-post-maidan-suicide-of-ukrainian-small-business/
source: https://ukraina.ru/opinion/20181025/1021545197.html

In February, 2014, on the day that Yanukovych fled, the Ukrainian state not only refused the monopoly on violence, but also in principle ceased to carry out the functions of the state. Small and medium sized business very much rejoiced. But they shouldn’t have…

It seemed only from aside that, by discharging the incumbent president from his position under the barrels of the machine guns of militants – contrary to the Constitution – and appointing the speaker and president and declaring early elections, the parliament “restores order”.

In reality it (the parliament) handed over state power to bandits. And these bandits haven’t disappeared anywhere since. Yes, some were killed (but by these same bandits), some were jailed (like “Tornado” militants), but more influential bandits who didn’t share out their income from arms and drug trafficking across the line of demarcation remained.

Yes, now the bandits pretending that they are the state authorities try to hold elections in Ukraine. And I don’t doubt that not only Tymoshenko, who is going to legitimately ascend to the presidential throne, but even Poroshenko, who has no chance of staying in power without the use of force, nevertheless count on solving their problems in a quasi-constitutional field. I.e., they want their coming to power (or holding onto it) to take place within the framework of constitutional procedures.

They won’t actually be able to do it. During the previous parliamentary elections (the presidential ones were “consecrated” by the US Embassy and its sociology) the counting of votes was controlled by armed gangs. The only persons to gain seats in parliament were those who were allowed to do so by gangs, at the order of the authorities and in coordination with the US Embassy. But since then several years have passed, and today the US is indifferent to who will win in Ukraine. Any local kinglets will suit the Americans, because it is from them that the former will buy extremely expensive “muskets” and to them that Ukraine will “sell slaves” on the cheap. Moreover, whoever comes to power in Ukraine will be the enemy of Russia (at the same time the US will even say that it is precisely this person that was “appointed by the Kremlin”).

Today candidates for the presidency fight not for approval ratings and not for the support of the West, but for the support of militants who can dictate the “correct results” to election commissions. And militants understand this. It is precisely for this reason that Yarosh, who hadn’t shown his face anywhere for a long time – stated that he is withdrawing 5 battalions from the frontline (from 1,000 to 2,5000 people) in order to bring order in the rear: “If it is necessary to take them down (to kill) — we will take them down”.

And just yesterday Biletsky – the informal leader of the nazi regiment of the National Guard “Azov” and the mass of structures affiliated with him (in the sum of over 10,000 militants) – stated that it is necessary to allow militants to open carry “trophy” weapons. I.e., Biletsky recognised that they have military weapons, that they constantly possess them, and now, in his opinion, the time has come to legalise these weapons.

In fact, in an interval of a few hours the two most known and popular leaders of militants, who have earned a packet from the coup of 2014, again put up their physical resources for sale. Whoever will pay more will be the “legitimate” president. The difference with 2014 is that Washington doesn’t interfere with local infighting any more, there is nobody to rein in militants, and they can thus offer their services for free auction – whoever pays more is the president.

But according to the Ukrainian tradition, the leaders of militants don’t share out their fee with gangs – small bandits are allowed to “earn” from robbery. In 2014 they robbed Mezhigorye, the estate of Pshonka, and two-three houses of very known and leading regionals [Party of Regions members – ed] who didn’t want to or couldn’t pay the racket.

This time, besides the houses of Poroshenko and Lutsenko, there isn’t even anything to rob. Even Medvedchuk has the most attractive property either in Crimea or even further away. What is within reach in Ukraine can satisfy the requirements of no more than a couple of hundred bandits.

So-called pro-Russian forces and the local servile left had already been robbed back in 2014, and, in addition, since then they have been thrown out of public politics. It’s possible to rob them once again, but it’s impossible to take a lot from them and to sell it to the people as the restoration of social justice. It is impossible to rob oligarchs, as the experience of 2014 has shown.

Firstly, they have private armies, which aren’t any weaker than the combat groups of the Ukrainian special services. And, should the need arise, unlike state law enforcement officers, private ones don’t hesitate to shoot.

Secondly, they control the economy of several regions and at any time can crash social stability in their regions, shifting responsibility onto the government in Kiev.

Thirdly, it is impossible to accuse them of playing any complex political games, since none of them have spoken publicly. In addition all of them held secret negotiations with Tymoshenko and obtained guarantees of future immunity (and in the present they have guarantees from Poroshenko anyway). Of course, they will be dispossessed all the same, but not immediately tomorrow.

It is possible to hire oneself out for the capture of temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, but the main bonuses there are received by Filaret, and all expenses, including a very probable rigid physical repulse by Orthodox Christians, fall on the shoulders of militants, who can actually receive a disability, instead of the opportunity to plunder.

Who remains? Yes, medium and small sized business. Clever people left long ago. The stupid ones fight for Ukrainian European integration. The people won’t intercede for such ones: they aren’t Russophiles, they aren’t communists, and they aren’t Ukrainian patriots. It is possible to say that they are Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Vanderbilt, and Soros rolled into one, available for pogroms.

Social networks are struck with hatred towards business half-and-half with primitive anti-Semitism. Society in general believes that business equals Jews, and Jews “stole everything”. Moreover, a considerable part of nationalist, pro-Russian, and even the part of the Ukrainian society that feels nostalgic for the USSR suffers from a sharp form of anti-Semitism. Businessmen, like Jews at the time of inquisition, are alien to all. Even the patriotic ones. Even those who partially “begun to see clearly” and criticise the current authorities from a “Euro-integration” position.

In practice everything is simple. Both camps have to pay militants, who already outlined their intention to earn money on the back of elections. Both don’t want to do it at their own expense, and the property of potential losers available to plunder is even less than what remained from the regionals who fled. It isn’t possible to take a lot from ordinary folk, and it’s better not to even try, because they are already angry. So it is business that is left, which isn’t capable of defending itself — small and average sized.

“Kristallnacht” didn’t enrich the storm troopers, although some nazi leaders indeed made a fortune on it. But freedom to commit pogroms gave storm troopers the chance to feel the salt of the earth and even to grab some stuff.

For Ukrainian storm troopers it is all the same who will win in local elections. The most important thing is that they will have the opportunity to “earn”. And they aren’t to blame if someone didn’t hide themselves.