Kermit Heartsong - Ukraine - ZBIG's Grand Chess Board & How The West Was Checkmated

On December 15, 2014, US Senators John McCain and Chris Murphy gave speeches at the Maidan, further claiming that the US supported their bid to join Europe, via the Association Agreement.

From January 19–27, 2014,the Pravyi Sektor engaged in violent clashes with security forces, where over 300 people (mostly police) were injured on Grushevski Street. On January 22, 2014, the Svoboda activists violently overtook the Brody State Administration in Lviv Oblast. During this time and under the supervision of Svoboda, the “People’s Self-Defense” groups and the “People’s Councils” were formed for the purposes of armed rebellion, the stockpiling of ammunition, and the seizure of power. Also during this time, the movement Obschee Delo attempted to violently seize the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Coal. The various opposition groups to Yanukovych would go on to seize regional administration buildings in all areas of Western Ukraine, except for the Transcarpathian region (Meyssan 2014).

Between January 29—February 1, 2014, further interference came from Elmar Brok, the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and Henri Malosse, President of the European Economic Social Committee. Brok called upon President Yanukovych to fulfill the demands of the protestors as he met with Victor Klitschko. Malosse, who visited the Maidan twice, called on his first visit for the Ukraine to focus on the EU; while on his second visit proclaimed to the Maidan crowd, “We will always be with you!” (Meyssan 2014).

From February 14–19,2014, further violence ensued. Maidan opposition parties would set the house of A. Herman, Deputy Party of Regions,’ on fire. Pravyi Sektor protestors would forcibly take over the Party of Regions in Kiev, while brutally murdering two men — one hit by a Molotov cocktail would die of burns and suffocation, while the other man’s head was smashed in and he was thrown down a flight of stairs. Women, who happened to be in the building, were stripped naked to their waists while their backs were painted with symbols and slogans. They were then kicked into the street. A number of buildings in Kiev, including the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, Central House of Officers, House of Trade Unions, and others were burned and destroyed. The protestors then severely beat and publicly tortured the Governor of the Volyn Regional State Administration, A. Bashkalenko, in an attempt to force his resignation (Meyssan 2014).

On February 21, 2014,President Yanukovych and opposition leaders, Vladimir Klitschko (Udar), A. Yatsenyuk (AUU Batkivshchyna), and Oleg Tyagnibok (Svoboda), signed an agreement to end the crisis. Present at the signing were the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and Poland. The terms of the agreement were a—

[A] Return to the 2004 Constitution, constitutional reform (to be carried out before September 2014), the organization of early presidential elections no later than December 2014, the formation of a national unity government, the end of opposition occupation of administrative and public buildings, the surrender of illegal weapons, and the renunciation of the use of force on both sides. (Meyssan 2014)

That very same day, representatives of the newly formed Maidan Self-Defense coalition rejected the agreement. One of the demands put forth by a representative of the Maidan Self-Defense force was the immediate resignation of President Yanukovych or else the Self-Defense coalition would storm the Presidential Administration and the Verkhovna Rada. Dmitry Yarosh of the Pravyi Sektor, who had not been present at the agreement’s signing, refused to abide by it.

It is important, however, to reflect upon these events in light of the September 2013 trainings in Poland, where members of the Pravyi Sektor were trained for the purposes of overthrowing Yanukovych’s presidency.

So while President Yanukovych negotiated in good faith with opposition leaders, the various “self-defense” forces of the opposition leaders and their Western sponsors were in the process of overthrowing Yanukovych. Twelve hours after the agreement had been signed, the legally elected President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, would be illegally and unconstitutionally overthrown in a coup d'état and forced into exile.

February 22, 2014. Within twenty-four hours and amidst rising violence and a coup spearheaded by neo-Nazi militias, the US recognized the coup government as the legitimate government of the Ukraine. As detailed below—

The US announced the removal of the legitimately elected President of Ukraine as a fait accompli and recognized the legitimacy of the self-proclaimed authorities, headed by Oleksandr Turchinov and Arseniy Yatsenyuk. On March 4, 2014, the Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev to pay his respects and show his support. (Meyssan 2014)

Upon the new coalitions’ ascension to office, numerous acts of violence and intimidation continued in the face of the previous day’s signed agreement. Nestor Shufrich, deputy from the Party of Regions, was captured by the Euromaidan activists as he was leaving the Verkhovna Rada and was nearly lynched. Only the intervention of Vitali Klitschko saved him. R. Vasilko, first secretary of the city committee of the Communist Party of Lviv, was detained by EuroMaidan supporters, illegally sentenced, and tortured. As explained by Meyssan (2014):

According to eyewitnesses, he had needles pushed under fingernails, his right lung pierced, three ribs, nose, and facial bones broken. The rioters also threatened to destroy his family. After the severe torture, R. Vasilko was taken to hospital, where the threats continued. Eventually, Vasilko had to flee Ukraine with the help of his relatives. (Meyssan 2014)

Vasilko would be one of the first members in the Communist Party to come under attack. Also targeted would be Communist newspapers and district and regional Communist committees that would be sacked, seriously damaged, and illegally occupied.

The Communist Party, remaining a legal parliamentary party, was actually forced to shut down. Given the threat of deadly violence a large majority of the Communist Party faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine moved to the Crimea or Russia. (Meyssan 2014)

On the same day, V Rybak, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Party of Regions), tendered his resignation as did I. Kaletnik, the first vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Communist Party). The reason for their resignations and the subsequent resignations:

It is significant to note that the entire subsequent period was marked by massive intimidation of Verkhovna Rada deputies from the ruling Party of Regions and the Communist Party members by the supporters of Euromaidan. (Meyssan 2014)

On February 23, 2014,the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, purged of members from the Party of Regions and the Communist Party, voted to appoint O. Turchynov as interim President of Ukraine until May 25, 2014, despite the fact that President Yanukovych was still the democratically elected President of Ukraine, still in the country, and that the appointment of Turchynov was unconstitutional. President Yanukovych soon thereafter left the country.

On the same day, the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada and leader of the Radical Party, Oleg Lyashko, introduced a draft decree to ban both the Communist Party and the Party of Regions, in a clear violation of the law.

On February 23, 2014,Pravyi Sector members began to extort local shops in Kiev for “protection fees” and tied the regional administration head of customs, S. Harchenko, to a pole and threatened him with violence (Meyssan 2014).