This week was difficult for the country, as though the negative influence of the lunar eclipse turned out not to be just the astrologers’ invention. The presidential candidates have been showing excessive activeness, the judges have brought in the verdict for Yanukovych, and something like our Maidan have been taking place in Venezuela. Briefly about the main events – in the traditional digest from DUMKA.
We selected the paintings by the Ukrainian artist Sonia Delaunay for the visual accompaniment of the text. She moved to Paris at a young age, where she fell under the influence of van Gogh, Gauguin, and Henri Matisse; Picasso and Kandinsky were among her friends. Unfortunately, none of her works are left in Ukraine, the country where she was born, although her name is among the top world’s avant-garde artists. However, she has always remembered about the land that gave her life and the ability to see all colors of the world. “I love bright colors,” Sonia Delaunay wrote in her book of memories with the symbolic title We Shall Go Up to The Sun. “These are the colors of my childhood, the colors of Ukraine.”
Sonia Delaunay and her husband, a Parisian Robert Delaunay, are considered the founders of simultanism – the concept of the reflection of art through circular colorful shapes.
In 2019 Russia has three possible ways to return Ukraine to its orbit – from influencing presidential and parliamentary elections to open military aggression. The Chief of the Foreign intelligence service Yehor Bozhok talked about it in an interview for Ukrinform.
“All Russian intelligence services are faced with a specific task to ‘close the Ukrainian issue’ in 2019. To ‘close the issue’ means to return Ukraine to the orbit of the influence of the Russian Federation, and to ensure the impossibility of any future ‘color revolutions’ in Ukraine,” he said.
According to Bozhok’s words, the Kremlin has three scenarios for the development of events.
“The first one is the revenge of pro-Russian forces on presidential or parliamentary elections,” Bozhok said. “In event of the failure of pro-Russian or tolerant forces on the presidential run, the second scenario will be applied – namely, internal destabilization or so-called “controlled chaos” to force Ukraine to accept the conditions imposed by the Kremlin,” he added.
The third scenario is a military operation. “If it is impossible to use the first two scenarios, the Kremlin does not exclude the possibility of open military aggression against Ukraine,” the intelligence service Chief said.
The intelligence believes that the probability of any of these scenarios’ implementation is high. “The probability of implementing the second or third scenario is very high. No one knows Putin’s plans except for him himself,” Bozhok summed up.
It is for you to choose whether you believe it or not. But do not forget that Russia has interests everywhere: from the Kerch Strait to faraway Venezuela. And the attack on our sailors is just a drop in the Russian sea of blood and violence.
Speaking of Venezuela. There is something like our Maidan happening there. On January 23 the speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guido proclaimed himself the interim President of Venezuela amid mass demonstrations of citizens against Maduro’s government. In one of the first tweets after the opposition leader’s presidency proclamation, the latter asked for the patronage of the Virgin Mary, and it seems is already hiding somewhere.
After the protests began in the states of Portuguesa, Barinas, Tachira, Amazonas, Bolivar and in the Metropolitan area, 16 people were killed in clashes, as of January 24. People took to the streets because they were tired of building socialism under the lead of the local Yanukovych and Putin’s strategic bombers.
The crisis in Venezuela escalated after the death of Hugo Chavez. In 2013, his ally Nicolas Maduro took over the presidency and continued the policy of his predecessor. By the beginning of 2014, the country’s economic problems increased (in 2017, 93% of the population complained about malnutrition), which led to sharp criticism of the ruling regime, social and political crisis.
On January 23 the speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guido proclaimed himself the interim President of Venezuela amid mass demonstrations of citizens against Maduro’s government. The President of the United States Donald Trump recognized Guido’s presidency. Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Canada followed his example.
But Russia is already dispersing propaganda about the influence of the US and the illegitimate leadership of the state (quite a familiar plot, right). Turkey also spoke against it. A few years ago, Erdogan suppressed the military uprising, and has been gradually turning into a “little Putin”. And what about the Ukrainian politicians?
In Ukraine, the presidential campaign is already in its full swing. The leader of ratings Yulia Tymoshenko has publicly announced her campaign for the presidency in the Kyiv Palace of Sports. On January 22 about ten thousand members of her party from all regions of the country arrived to listen to her speech.
“I believe in Ukraine” – this is the main slogan that Tymoshenko’s team will use in this presidential race. Billboards with this motto are already appearing in each town, – Ukrainska Pravda wrote in their report.
Her staff involved heavy-duty leverage: they invited Kravchuk, Saakashvili, and even Filaret as the speakers. Although the latter ingenuously thanked Poroshenko for Tomos, which caused a long silence among the supporters of Yulia Tymoshenko.
She shifted the emphasis of her speech from her legendary “impoverishment” to promises of making the life of Ukrainians better. “There is no such force that is able to make me serve the offshores, dividends or Maldives. I have always served and will keep on serving only you! Be sure of that!” pronounced Tymoshenko as if casting a spell. “From today, we are starting a new era – an era of success, happiness, and prosperity. Today is the start of Ukraine’s progress to her real mightiness!” she added even more emotionally.
“Make Ukraine great again” – Tymoshenko said as if parroting Trump. But despite all jokes and fears, Trump has won. Will Ms. Yulia repeat his success?
A little more about the presidents. But the ones with the ex prefix. The court found Yanukovych guilty of high treason. Also, the judge announced that the prosecution proved that he contributed to Russia in waging an aggressive war against Ukraine.
On January 24 the Obolon district court of Kyiv sentenced the ex-President Viktor Yanukovych in absentia to 13 years in prison. Let’s congratulate Mr. Viktor on his third term (fortunately, not presidential).
At the same time, the judge noted that the investigation didn’t prove that Yanukovych acted for the sake of separatism or tried to change the state border, therefore he was found not guilty of the encroachment of territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine.
There is a joke going viral now that if Yanukovych didn’t run away, then according to the “Savchenko Law” and due to his other “achievements” he could have come out of the prison and take part in the upcoming presidential race. But there is much truth behind this joke: many politicians, officials, and oligarchs of the formation of the Party of regions still live in Ukraine, use corruption schemes and turn our country if not to Russia, then to Venezuela. And we should already forget about the “convict”, who has no plans to come back here. Ukrainians need to look back and see who is standing next to the ruler’s mace and finally decide what to do with them: to leave here or to kick them out to Rostov.
By Kostyantyn Rul
