Thursday, May 24, 2007

Turbulent day in Kyiv

A turbulent day today in Kyiv as the political crisis grows with sacking and subsequent defiance of Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun [photo from 'Ukr.Pravda]

A video of the sacking, rather limply delivered by NSDC secretary Plyusch, Piskun's response, and the storming of the P-G's office by 'Berkut' special forces and the Minister of the Interior Vasyl Tsushko, who threatened to arrest anyone getting in his way, here . SBU officials were not allowed to enter the building. PoR fraction leader Raisa Bohatyryova and Communist leader Petro Symonenko turned up for company too.

Later the new deputy head of the NSDC Oleksandr Turchynov and acting head of the SBU Valentyn Nalyvaychenko were at first refused entry into the building of the P-G, but were later admitted.

Piskun left the P-G's office 'clutching two icons', saddened "not by his sacking, but what what happening in this civilized country". Hardly convincing..

Meanwhile PoR Parliamentary Deputy Taras Chornovil said that the Security Service of Ukraine has sent several busloads of Alfa troops in the direction of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Yushchenko called Tsuskho's behaviour 'criminal' and characterised the situation in the country as "a creeping seizure of power - a silent state revolution."

He also said that the ruling coalition has broken agreements, and is dragging out matters on fixing the date for early elections.

Minister of Defence Anatoliy Hrytsenko warned in a local TV broadcast that the army could be used in the event of forcible resistance.

And PM Yanukovych in an appeal said, "Isn't Viktor Andriyevych living according to the principles of dictator Franco - for friends - everything, for enemies - the law?"

Yesterday the State guard had blocked the Constitutional court and had hindered some of the judges dismissed by the president when entering the building. so maybe there is a bit of 'tit-for-tat' going on.

Piskun had attended a football match with Yanukovych and Akhmetov Wednesday.

LEvko say this serves Yush right for appointing such a devious and discredited man as Piskun to the position of P-G yet again. There are now two unsustainable, parallel power 'verticals' in the country. The two Viktors have to get together and take some heat out of the situation, or things could conceivably, perhaps for the first time since the start of this political crisis on April 2nd, spin out of control..

As I write, Yush is meeting his 'sylovyky'. Presidential adviser Taras Stetskiv states that a decision will made which will ensure full working of the new 'HenProkuror', Viktor Shemchuk. "One chance remains for Yanukovych - to sit down tomorrow at the negotiation table and sign under the date of the early VR election," explained Stetskiv. He noted that there has been no telephone calls or any contact between the pres. and premier.

PoR 'mouthpiece' Taras Chornovil says 30,000 'Maidan-arbeiters' are on their way to Kyiv and that, "there is information, after today's annihilation of the HenProkuratura, the president may go for liquidation of the Cabinet of Ministers.."
My impression is that Yush may not be bluffing..

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

elmer here.

Let's see - oh, yeah, the issue was to set up for elections.

That was, of course, when the Constitutional Court was "in the bag," and before the public disclosure of what the political insiders already knew - Stanik's mom got $12 million worth of property.


Now we have the unseemly spectacle of riot police, Berkut, taking over a building so that a sacked Prosecutor General, the odious Piskun, can physically stay in his office, even though he has no job.

So where was the riot? Which riot were the riot police stopping?

These people have no decency, no honor, no dignity, no shame, no grace, no morals, no conscience, no sense of responsibility, no sense of accountability.


Piskun is a loathsome slug, and so are the people backing him.

Seems to me that Yanuk and his slugs ought to re-think their slogans about Franco.

Because they are not playing by the rules - they are playing with the rules.

And when the game doesn't go their way, and they get called for cheating, they resort to violence.

This is sick. Very, very sick.