Friday May 2, 2014 is marked as “Black Friday” in Black Sea port city of Odessa. On this day world witnessed the horrific inferno of the Soviet-era Trade-Union Federation building in which ethnic Russian federalist militants were taking refuge and which was set on fire by pro-government mob led by a coalition of ultra-nationalist (Social-National Association, Self-Defense force, Right Sector and Svoboda Party) activists that resulted in the death of 46 federalist militants who were burnt alive to death in the chaos of flames, or were suffocated to death by choking smokes, or jumping out of windows only to meet their death on the street cobblestones. The luckier ones among those federalists who jumped from the burning building and survived found their skulls broken and their bodies bruised and injured by the pro-government crowd besieging the building. Fire Department did not show up until an hour after the tragedy. And at the end police entered the building and arrested the surviving militants inside the building. This event produced the largest death toll so far under the new government.
It must be also be said that in the beginning it was “anti-Maidan” forces which has the support of Communist Party bureaucrats who attacked the “united Ukraine” march of ultra-nationalist coalition and football fans. And by doing that, “anti-Maidan” violated the democratic right of free expression for the marchers. The organized ultra-nationalist coalition that was leading the march took advantage of this and went into a total undemocratic and barbaric offensive. They demolished the “anti-Maidan” encampments, and later burned tens of “anti-Maidan” activists in the Trade-Union building. Black Friday is a proof of bankruptcy of both leaderships on both sides of the political divide.
It happened in the aftermath of Kiev’s biggest military operation so far to reclaim rebel-held territory in and around Slovyansk and in its effort to quell the nationalist movement in the eastern part of the country. The military onslaught is still in progress with two Ukrainian helicopters reportedly shot down and with deaths on both sides and with the offensive stalling in advance by Ukrainian troops in armored vehicles due to local residents’ resistance.
The main actor, perpetrator, and victor of the event, the Right Sector organization, leading a group of a local and Kharkiv football fans - which happened to be its primary social base - committed this outrageous crime while police were apparently unable or unwilling to stop acts of atrocities by Right Sector and to save the lives of protesters inside the building. In the eyes of the interim government the federalist fighters for national autonomy in south-east Ukraine including Odessa were labeled as terrorists. That in-and-of-itself gave the pure Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and football hooligans the moral justification to commit ruthless atrocities against these Russian-speaking federalist militants. And therefore the government in Kiev with ultra-nationalists as its partners and their international supporters – USA and European Union headed by Germany - are responsible and are even considered accomplices in these ruthless actions.
One of the consequences of “Black Friday in Odessa” will be stronger urge and motivation on the part of south-east regions to take arms in order to protect their own lives; hence this event constitutes a significant turning point in the current political situation in Ukraine: It inaugurates a civil war as the new and unfolding moment in the all-Ukraine political movement. At the same time it signals the ultra-nationalist coalition as a significant alternative in the Western Ukraine and this would be at the detriment of the liberal faction of the government. While national independence of Ukraine from Russian domination, which was one of the most important battle cries of Maidan mass movement is still a positive, a progressive and an important aspect of Maidan, armed attacks on Russian-speaking regions who are demanding national autonomy along with the rising atrocities of fascist movement denotes the very fact that the interim government leadership, which came to power on the shoulder of Maidan mass movement is degenerating further to the right.
This also shows the bankruptcy of the interim government in Kiev in coming up with a political solution to a political problem, instead, opting for primarily a military response to handle the current crisis. Since its military expedition was not successful, and as a matter of fact it has brought about several embarrassments for the government, the Odessa tragic incident will register as a successful operation by a future ultra-nationalist coalition against Russian-Speaking nationalist movement. By virtue of that victory, the coalition of ultra-nationalists will emerge stronger against both the democratic opposition to the government and against the liberal faction of the government (Batkivshchyna and UDR) the same time. By besieging and setting ablaze the Trade-Union Federation building, ultra-nationalist coalition are doing a dress rehearsal to two aims: becoming united organizationally and paving the way for burning to ground the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament) building sometime down the road with liberal faction trapped in the flames. In other words, ultra-nationalist coalition’s major victory against opposition on the streets in Odessa is at the same time a victory in their effort for hegemony in corridors of power and against liberal faction of interim government as well.
It is important to note that since February 22, 2014 when Yanukovych presidency fell apart and the coalition of liberal nationalists (Batkivshchyna and UDR) and ultra-nationalists (Svoboda and Right Sector) came to power, the street initiative fell into the hands of ultra-nationalist organization. At the same time the other factions of coalition lost political control of the streets. To put it in different words, there appeared to be a division of labor, a remapping of the political landscape in Kiev and beyond: Rada was for Batkivshchyna and UDR and streets were to be for Right Sector, for Svoboda, for Self-Defense of Maidan and for Social-National Association. In this grand division of things, ultra-nationslists are granted with several portfolios (in security) and is happily enjoying its presence in the Cabinet of Ministers, in the Rada and on the streets.
The tragic incident of Odessa raised street initiative of the ultra-nationalists several notches up on the scale and it has the potential of providing them with “credibility” of a major alternative leadership in the country.
It is time for Kiev government to recognize the nationalism of south-east region of Ukraine. The same way that nationalism of pure Ukrainians vis-à-vis Russian domination was and is to be recognized.
Ideally Maidan was to be the voice of all-Ukraine. American and European imperialism and Ukrainian nationalist parties distorted that ideal. Maidan failed to be the Maidan of center, it failed to be the Maidan of the west, it failed to be the Maidan of the south and it failed to be the Maidan of the east. This present schism between west and east in Ukraine in the form of Maidan and “anti-Maidan” was not inevitable. “Anti-Main” is really the extension of Maidan. So for the purpose of good, for total independence and total freedom, Main must becom “anti-Maidan”. And anit-Maidan must become Maidan. These are the moments of the same underlying movement. For Maidan to be the Maidan of the whole Ukraine it had to recognize on equal footing the nationalism of Ukrainians of the west (independence from Russia) and the nationalism of Russian-speaking people of south-east (national autonomy within a federative system) and local self autonomy for the whole Ukraine which would amount to United Independent Federative Ukraine or in other words United States of Ukraine.
Unfortunately Maidan spoke Ukrainian and failed to speak Russian as well. Maidan was intoxicated with too much of “Slava Ukraini” of Svoboda!
Maidan became the victim of US/EU/NATO geopolitical calculus, the same way that “anti-Maidan” is becoming the victim of Russian geopolitical calculations. One of the casualties of this tragedy is the tragic Black Friday in Odessa.
Without expulsion of the Right-Sector and even Svoboda from government now, the city of Odessa announcement on Saturday of three-day mourning for the victims of the tragedy will become, in essence, a three-day victory celebration for ultra-nationalist atrocities as well!
K. Karo, Monday, May 5, 2014