In Ukraine, a wave of attacks on opposition activists and their offices has swept over the past few days.

We are talking about the political forces that constitute the main competition for the Servant of the People in the south-east of the country — the Opposition Platform and the Sharia Party.

The nationalists from the National Corps became the shock force of these attacks. And, although attacks are already reaching very severe excesses, the President’s Office does not react to them in any way. Quite a sluggish response from the police. What made the opposition to announce the creation of people’s guards to counter street right-wing radicals.

«Strana» figured out what the street confrontation could lead to.

They started talking about squads after Sternenko’s meeting

The first talks about the creation of opposition squads appeared in mid-June, after the trial of the radical Sergei Sternenko. These were two days of street lawlessness, during which nationalists several times attacked journalists, police officers and even passing cars with civilians.

At the same time, Sternenko, who is suspected of premeditated murder of a person, was sent under house arrest, although the standard measure of restraint in such cases is detention.

The nationalists, who were raging on trial, were released by the police without opening any criminal cases.

The next day after these events, on June 15, the people’s deputy from the “Opposition Platform — For Life”, Ilya Kiva, announced the creation of the civil movement Patriots — For Life.

On June 19, Kiva posted a video of the movement’s first training camp. These frames show strong young men and men.

What specifically will the patriots do, Kiva did not specify, but later the party said that it could be about creating people’s self-defense squads from street right-wing radicals. Moreover, there have already been attacks on the OPFL — in May, the party’s office in Kiev attacked the National Corps.

And already this week, “Patriots For Life” passed the first baptism of fire, engaging in a battle with the National Corps in the Rivne region, when the nationalists attacked the deputy from the Servant of the People, Litvinenko (he came to the region with Kiva).

Attacks on the «Party of Shariy»

Meanwhile, the “Shariya Party” on Bankova Street held a rally on June 17 with protests against the attacks of radicals and the inaction of the authorities.

Then the column of Shariy’s supporters went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and on the way the nationalists tried to attack it, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs quickly «packed» them. 15 people were detained, but all of them quickly released.

After the end of the meeting, clashes continued in the metro, where fights broke out between the nationalists and Sharia’s supporters. Soon, videos appeared with both beaten Shariites and beaten nationalists.

The latest radicals were especially excited. They said that «pro-Russian forces beat the ATO veterans» and called on the brothers to take revenge. The most active statements of this kind were made by the National Corps.

After that, a series of attacks on Sharia activists began.

On June 24, the head of the Zhytomyr branch of the party was beaten. The video released shows how two strong men, one of whom with a beard, burst into the party’s office and begin to beat the man sitting there. He is trying to «shoot back» from a gas cartridge.

The attacker turned out to be a former fighter of «Azov» (the «National Corps» later came out of him) Roman Borovik, nicknamed «Satan».

His followers on social networks later confirmed that it was «Roma Satan» who beat up Sharia’s supporter.

There were attacks in other regions as well. At the same time, the police either did not detain the attackers at all, or the courts then released them under house arrest or under personal obligations.

The most severe beatings took place on June 25 in Kharkov, where they attacked Nikita Rozhenko, the coordinator of the local cell of the Party of Sharia, who was leading a column at the aforementioned rally in Kiev.

The attack took place on Vesnin Street, where the main investigation department of the National Police is located across the entrance. Here is the crime scene. There are traces of blood on the asphalt near Nikita’s car.

The photo taken to the intensive care unit of Nikita is shocking. Members of the same party do not yet give predictions about his recovery.

“Nikita’s condition is consistently grave. His orbital bone is broken, he sees nothing and hears poorly, his sense of smell has disappeared. Severe edema. Doctors do not give any predictions yet. They say you need to wait at least 5-7 days until the edema subsides. So far, he is in the hospital, doctors are very grateful for their professional work, «Natalia Gordienko, a representative of the Party of Sharia in Kharkiv, told Strana.

Yesterday Nikita was transported from the emergency hospital No. 4 to the regional hospital. The nationalists launched a rumor that he allegedly took a taxi himself. But the party refutes this.

Sources of «Strana» in the police also refute. According to them, Nikita was transported in an ambulance. With reference to the data of doctors, they say that Nikita has multiple hematomas. “Broken nose, fracture of the thumb of the left hand and traumatic injury to the orbit. The spine is not damaged, as shown by computer studies. The patient is conscious, taking sedatives, painkillers, blood-absorbing drugs and an antibiotic, ”the source said.

This is how the activist looked before the beating. In Kharkov, he worked as a fitness instructor.

Shariy showed a document that a few hours before the beating, Nikita had written a statement to the police about threats from the National Corps. This can be seen on the published coupon of the statement, which was later issued to the beaten activist in the police.

Shariy accuses the National Corps of the attack and states that he is doing it by order of the President’s Office and its head Andrei Yermak.

The authorities at the level of the Office of the President did not comment on the situation. The police opened a case under the article «Hooliganism». And in the «National Corps» they said that they had nothing to do with the beating. And they suggested that it was allegedly done either by «unknown patriots» or by order of Shariy himself «for self-promotion.»

It is characteristic that these statements were made by the nationalists on June 25 under the walls of the former office of the Opposition Platform in the same Kharkiv, where they carried out an action against the “cotton revenge” by setting up a symbolic gallows.

At the same time, the National Corps came to the office of the Party of Sharia in Zaporozhye.

On the same day, one of the leaders of the OPFL, Vadim Rabinovich, announced that the party would create self-defense units in view of the attack on Sharia activists and the offices of the Oppoplatform.

“What has happened now is the beginning of a period when pseudo-patriotic, fascist detachments are leading Ukraine to an all-out terror, and all this is happening with the complete inaction of the authorities,” the people’s deputy said.

“I see two options for the development of events: either the authorities will put things in order in the streets, or we must realize that we have no one to wait for salvation from and organize people’s self-defense squads from these bandits ourselves. And we will not allow to intimidate and kill us one by one! » — said Rabinovich on the air of 112 channel.

What is the reason for the chaos

It should be noted that there is still no reaction from the authorities to the beatings of Sharia activists. And the reaction of the police is rather formal.

International organizations and embassies are also silent.

“Let’s imagine that in Russia or Belarus, a pro-government public organization openly announces the opening of the hunt for opposition party activists, after which these activists begin to be really harshly beaten.

Let’s imagine, some members of some «Ours» started attacking Navalny’s activists?

Can you imagine the howl that would be immediately raised by all the handshake Western grant media? All this Radio Freedom and other dandruff?

And now we change the word «Russia» or «Belarus» to «Ukraine», and «Ours» to «National Corps». And what? And nothing. The handshake’s persons  shove their tongues as far down as they can . And especially gifted people even explain why it is good and correct, or at least understandable and forgivable, ”journalist Yuri Tkachev comments on the situation.

It should be noted that among the nationalists, the actions against the opposition and the beating of activists evoke extremely positive emotions — they say, they showed that the «street» is still under their control, and those who try to challenge this will be punished quickly and no one can protect them. The most common thesis of nationalists, addressed to the activists of the Sharia party, is “no one protects and cannot protect you, your leader throws you into an embrasure, and he sits safe abroad and hypes while you are beaten.”

Also, among some supporters of the authorities, there are conspiracy theories that all these clashes are an agreement between nationalists and the opposition for mutual PR, in which the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Avakov may also participate (he is credited with influencing the National Corps). This point of view, for example, is shared by ex-People’s Deputy Sergey Leshchenko, close to the President’s Office.

At the same time, this theory is contradicted by the complete silence of Bankova, which would seemingly not benefit from such a scenario, since it reduces the popularity of the president’s party in the southeast, where Oppo Platform and the Sharia Party are rivals of the Servant of the People …

Therefore, it is possible that it is either about the fact that the government is simply extremely weak and cannot really influence the situation in the country. Or that Bankova really has an interest in attacks and intimidation of opponents.

There is only one way to refute both allegations of the President’s Office — to respond toughly to violence and threats of violence from nationalists.

If this does not happen, then, probably, the opposition will continue to follow the path of creating its own self-defense units. And the state’s monopoly on the use of force will be completely destroyed. With all the ensuing consequences.

Victoria Wenk, «Strana»