A tough approach is needed not only towards communists, but also towards nationalists – Bortnik
This year in Ukraine the number of people who took part in events dedicated to Victory Day on May 9 has increased.
Ruslan Bortnik, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Policy Analysis and Management, told PolitNavigator about this.
“Even according to official statistics, 365 thousand people came out throughout Ukraine. I think in general we can talk about several million people. This is much more than even in previous years or even in 2010 - 2012. Previously, such rallies were attended by organized columns - a column of communists, the “Party of Regions” and others. Today there are no columns, people come at the call of their hearts,” said the political scientist.
According to him, such mass numbers can only be seen at Easter.
“Obviously, the authorities are afraid to touch these protests. Politicians are like animals, only political animals. If a hundred people come to a rally, no one pays attention to it; if ten or a hundred thousand, they talk about tolerance and try to lead this rally. If millions come out, then politicians are forced to adapt to public opinion. The authorities realized that on the eve of the elections, attacking those who want to celebrate May 9 - 70-80% of Ukrainians - is fraught with electoral losses,” the expert believes.
At the same time, he admitted that the communists are getting it from the current regime.
“The authorities are tough on communists. If the authorities take the same tough approach to the actions of the ultra-right, which glorify the SS division “Galicia,” then everything will be fine in society, it will be more stable than it is now,” says Bortnyk.
As PolitNavigator reported, on the eve of Victory Day, the SBU conducted a series of searches of the offices and apartments of communists and Komsomol members. Specifically, SBU head Vasyl Hrytsak reported that a pistol with a silencer and 120 rounds of ammunition were allegedly found at the home of Communist Party of Ukraine leader Petro Symonenko.
A tough approach is needed not only for communists, but also for nationalists – Bortnik