divided on unity day

what’s a ukrainian national holiday without a little controversy?

unity day (den sobornosti) on jan. 22 is no exception. a little hornet’s nest is lodged in this year’s celebration, which will be observed differently in ukraine’s eastern and western regions, as well as among government officials and their critics in kyiv.

it was on this day in 1919 that the ukrainian national republic united with the western ukrainian national republic to form a short-lived state. former president viktor yushchenko used the occasion last year to grant the status of hero of ukraine to world war ii-era nationalist leader stepan bandera, who headed the organization of ukrainian nationalists and fought for ukrainian independence.

"we have information that protests planned on unity day provide for the shedding of blood. bloodshed. [protest leaders] are talking about staging a protest to attract world attention to what is happening in ukraine."

- anatoliy mohyliov, interior minister of ukraine

in the run-up to this year’s celebration, president viktor yanukovych’s administration declared that stepan bandera is no longer a hero, saying on jan. 12 that a court had cancelled the honor. two days later in parliament, interior minister anatoliy mohyliov said that government critics are planning to use the national holiday to boost their popularity and make the country’s ruler’s look bad.

“we have information that protests planned on unity day provide for the shedding of blood. bloodshed. [protest leaders] are talking about staging a protest to attract world attention to what is happening in ukraine,” mohyliov said. “i warn everyone that we are documenting these facts and have the strength and means to hold those responsible to account.”

in an interview appearing on jan. 17 in the politychna dumka (political thought) journal, ukrainian writer yuriy andrukhovych said the regime is scared stiff. “they have driven themselves in a situation where the only option for them is fear and, naturally, instilling fear in their opponents. the more fear the regime generates in society, the more afraid it is.”

former prime minister yulia tymoshenko, now the opposition leader, expressed similar sentiments. she has announced the largest planned gathering for 2 p.m. on kyiv’s st. sophia square, where the act of unification of the ukrainian people’s republic and the western ukrainian republic into a single ukrainian state was declared on jan. 22, 1919.

some 10,000 people are expected to attend, according to mykhailo ratushny, who is coordinating the rally on behalf of the people’s committee for the protection of ukraine, an ad hoc group that was created in april after yanukovych struck a deal with his russian counterpart to extend the lease of sevastopol to the russian black sea fleet in exchange for cheaper russian natural gas supplies.

the kyiv city administration has reported receiving 20 applications for holding rallies in kyiv on jan. 22. city officials and mohyliov are scheduled to meet rally organizers on jan. 20. deputy kyiv administration chief oleksandr puzanov said on jan. 19 that it’s the job of city officials and the police to ensure law and order and the safety during the rallies. he stressed that unity day is a national holiday marking the unification of ukraine, calling on all participants to behave in a politically correct manner and respect the rights and views of others.

accompanied by prime minister mykola azarov and parliament speaker volodymyr lytvyn, yanukovych is scheduled to lay a wreath at the taras shevchenko monument in front of the national university named after the ukrainian writer who lived from 1814-1861. yanukovych and his entourage will then attend a unity day holiday concert at the palace of ukraine.

kyiv officials have announced temporary outdoor food markets in most of kyiv’s districts and an all-day concert on independence square, starting at 11 a.m., followed by a fireworks display after it gets dark.

short-lived statehood declared on jan. 22, 1918

on jan. 22, 1918, the fourth universal of ukraine’s first government, central rada, was announced, when ukraine was declared an independent state, the ukrainian people’s republic. over the same period, as a result of the split of the austro-hungarian empire, the western ukrainian people’s republic was formed in halychyna (west ukraine), with its center in lviv.

planning protests

just like more than six years ago, during the 2004 orange revolution, protest-minded government critics are again crowding into small kyiv apartments to develop a strategy to challenge what they see as an oppressive and undemocratic regime.

the orange revolution prevented viktor yanukovych from becoming president in a fraudulent election, leading to the election of viktor yushchenko on dec. 26, 2004. today, demonstration leaders are targeting yanukovych for his allegedly anti-democratic policies. longtime pro-democracy campaigner and consultant dmytro potekhin on jan. 16 held a training session in kyiv for activists on how to avoid provocations from authorities and violence during protests.

the activists who attended were from the committee of orange revolution particpants, known by its ukrainian acronym kupr. it is one of several groups that organized last autumn's protests against the government’s plans to sharply increase the tax burden on small- and medium-sized businesses.

activists plan protests in coming months. during his training seminar, potekhin urged activists to stick to peaceful demonstrations. he said any violence, be it provoked or planned, would be used by authorities to legitimize the arrests of protestors and ban public demonstrations. interior minister anatoliy mohylov last week warned that oppositionists were planning “bloodshed” during the upcoming jan. 22 and future protests, charges the organizers deny.