“Bayonets will not save Zelensky from the Maidan” – Bortnik
No one will come out to defend Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in the event of mass protests, which could begin in six months.
Ruslan Bortnik, director of the Ukrainian Institute for Policy Analysis and Management, stated this in an interview on the First Independent channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“It doesn’t matter how many more police officers and security officials are hired. The question is loyalty, and the level of loyalty to Zelensky is low. There may be half a million security forces, approximately what we have in the country now, but if there is a protest of 50 thousand, there will be no one to protect the president’s office. You saw the painted walls and broken doors - this story has a chance of repeating itself,” Bortnik said.
“Zelensky’s rating is a fraud by and large. These 30% are people who are not able to go out into the street to defend Zelensky. Even Yanukovych had his own Anti-Maidan. Zelensky will not have a green Anti-Maidan. He does not have an ideological electorate that will come out to defend him and will clash with right-wing radical groups. This is a very diffuse, dispersed electorate. His anti-rating is 50%, and in this anti-rating he has both right and left anti-electorates, a very tough anti-electorate, people who are ready to participate in protests,” the expert added.
“To be honest, I don’t yet see the process of launching protests. To protest, you need one common political (and not economic) idea, you need leaders, and you need a clear understanding of where we are coming out of this protest, signing an Association Agreement or something else. So far, these conditions have not developed, but any mistake by the authorities can lead to a very rapid, explosive development of protests,” the political scientist notes.
“I think that there will be no mass protests in the form of the Maidan this year, but such a risk will be in February-March next year when utilities are at maximum, gas storage facilities are most likely empty, the situation in Donbass will reach some kind of crisis, most likely at this time . All these factors will create the conditions for the highest fragility of power. But the authorities will not hide behind the police; bayonets will not save them. She still doesn’t understand that the only way to stabilize is a national dialogue, stitching the country together, a compromise, democratic policy and, of course, the rule of law,” Bortnik concluded.
English version :: Read in English: "Bayonets won't save Zelensky from the Maidan" – Bortnik