Source: StalkerZone, Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard, 1/16/2019, ukraina.ru

The other day the Central Election Commission of Ukraine at a special meeting gave permission to the public organisation “National Druzhina“ to have their observers at the presidential elections that are supposed to take place on March 31st. In reality this is an unprecedented decision. Actually, a paramilitary, frankly nazi group will observe the presidential elections.

It is characteristic that in parallel the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine refused to give the Russian representatives from the OSCE the right to have observers, and the minister Klimkin even stated that they won’t be registered. The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ukraine considered this decision to be a violation of the Minsk Agreements, and the member of the Human Rights Council and the head of the council of the Russian Public Institute of Electoral Law Igor Borisov noted that the actions of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contradict not only the Minsk Agreements, but also the norms of the OSCE.

In fact, both decisions of the Ukrainian authorities actually supplement each other and say a lot about the character of the authorities in Ukraine.

Neo-Nazis, apparently, can observe elections, and Russian representatives, even from the OSCE, are not permitted.

Besides “National Druzhina”, other neo-Nazi and ultra-right organisations will also want to be present as observers at polling precincts, which will make exercising one’s a caricature of the democratic process. In fact, the ordinary Ukrainian voter will be obliged to pass through the ranks of ultra-right militants who, at minimum, will sharply reduce the number of persons interested exercise their will in conditions that are akin to political violence.

“It won’t be an election. It will be the raping of the Constitution and the electoral right of Ukraine. I.e. neo-Nazis, perhaps, in masks and camouflage will nag at polling precincts and reveal ‘vatniks’ and separatists among voters and members of the precinct election commissions”

commented the Ukrainian political scientist Oleg Bednyak

The recent actions of “National Druzhina” remarkably demonstrate how they help to control the “democratic process”. In June 2018 members of “National Druzhina” rushed into a Kiev council meeting and disrupted it, having used force and trashed furniture.

“Today’s use of physical force towards the staff of the secretariat of the Kiev City Council and the damage dealt to the property and equipment of the sessional hall make holding a plenary session impossible,” reported the press service of the Kiev council. At the beginning of last year “National Druzhina”in masks rushed into a city administration meeting in Cherkassy, having beaten some deputies and forced them to adopt a version of the city budget that suits the nationalists, and then to vote for self-dissolution.

It should be noted that “National Druzhina” in Ukraine always becomes more active after receiving a green light from the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, whose creature or private army they actually are. Thus, it is possible to consider that Avakov decided to throw his militants into the electoral battle, although the ultra-right groups lured by the Administration of the President of Ukraine will probably stand in opposition to them. It’s not for nothing that during the recent reception of Tomos in Istanbul the leader of the neo-Nazi group “C14“ – known for its attacks on Romanis and oppositional journalists – Evgeny Karas popped up near Poroshenko.

The professor of the School of Political Studies of the Canadian University of Ottawa Ivan Kachanovsky considers that such a decision is caused by Avakov’s aspiration to do a favor for Yuliya Tymoshenko and to implore for himself “forgiveness of sins” and the preservation of “everything that was earned by back-breaking toil”, because he expects his victory in elections. However this, according to the professor, will once again emphasise the decisive role that neo-Nazis have played in Ukrainian politics since 2014.

“The ultra-right organisation that is a political wing headed by neo-Nazis of the ‘Azov’ regiment, received the official status of observers at presidential elections in 2019. Both the organisation and the ‘Azov’ regiment are connected to the influential Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. There are reports that Avakov made Yulia Tymoshenko a proposal to use the police and the ultra-right organisations that are under his control in order to ensure her election as the president of Ukraine in exchange for amnesty and the preservation of his huge wealth. It is still impossible to say that he completely distanced himself from the ruling regime, but such cases of desertion are quite possible, because many expect a transition of power to Tymoshenko. During presidential elections the ultra-right will probably again show its huge influence in Ukraine, like during the violent overthrow of the government of Yanukovych,” writes Ivan Kachanovsky.

Thus, different neo-Nazi groups during elections, most likely, will appear on different sides of the barricades, defending the interests of their patrons with their fists, and at the same time feeling full impunity even more and understanding that everything depends on precisely them.

As a result, whoever from these two candidates (Poroshenko or Tymoshenko) wins in elections, they will be obliged to neo-Nazi militants because of their victory. As a result, either Poroshenko or Tymoshenko will be compelled to close their eyes to their excesses for another 5 years at minimum. Feeling their force, militant nationalists won’t allow the adoption of any measures that aim to solve the conflict in Donbass peacefully. Not only the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR, but also all of Ukraine will be the loser.

According to the results of the sociological survey conducted at the end of December by the Social Monitoring Center and the Institute of Social Research of A. Yaremenko, Ukrainians would like to see as future president the person who first of all could stop the armed conflict (55.9% of respondents), defend the interests of ordinary people (44.5%), and be competent in economics (44.1%).

All these qualities are hardly peculiar to the current president — this is already demonstrated by the fact that the armed conflict has lasted for nearly five years, and the economic situation of ordinary people worsens year after year. It is very doubtful that the leader of pre-election ratings Yuliya Tymoshenko with such allies as “National Druzhina” will seek to stop the military conflict, especially since her pre-election rhetoric is no less aggressive than the acting head of state’s.

Concerning the participation of paramilitary structures in the upcoming elections, here a scenario of clashes between groups of the radicals and nationalists representing the interests of different politicians is quite probable.