The campaign against pro-government businesses, which was initially launched in Lviv, has not inflicted significant losses on their cash flows, Deutsche Welle reports.
More than a month has passed since the announcement of the economic boycott, but the numbers of people buying goods from pro-government businesses has not rapidly decrease, and the Party of Regions lawmakers do not feel the need to leave the party.
Lviv residents allegedly support the campaign, but in reality they are not ready to turn away from goods and services. Experts say that the campaign could have achieved success if the campaign had had widespread promotion and if there alternatives to boycotted goods were available.
Oleh Balyash, a Lviv businessman and PR legislator, said that the campaign had not inflicted any serious economic damage to his business so far. “These are more brand losses and political pressure, but we do not want to accelerate the process and tolerate this campaign,” the businessman said.
However, he notes that his business can seriously resist such an initiative. “Our companies are some of the biggest taxpayers in Lviv Oblast. If this pressure continues, we can merely change our legal address to, let’s say, Kyiv,” Balyash said.
According to Balyash, the boycott campaign discredits EuroMaidan protesters because more than 1,500 people work in his companies. “I could address the court or file a complaint with the law-enforcement agencies that I am under pressure as a politician and a businessman but this would invite confrontation”.
The lawyers are convinced that it is impossible to affect the process through the court or the police.
In a related development, all Party of Regions legislators in Lviv City Council left the fraction after calls by the general public.
