DONETSK, Ukraine -- It was a non-violent sort of storm, and very hard to work out who was on what side.
Several
hundred unarmed pro-Russian protesters at a rally in Donetsk on April 27 were allowed by security guards through the gate of the Regional
State Broadcasting Company, which controls TV in Ukraine’s most populous oblast with more than four million people.
Several dozen armed militia and former Ukrainian Berkut riot-control police officers sat in their cars and watched, or retreated around the side of the main
building.
There were just three workers of the broadcasting company inside the
building on a Sunday evening.
After General Director Oleg Dzholos arrived, an
agreement was reached that the company could continue broadcasting, while
giving more voice to those who support a referendum to break away from Ukraine and declare an independent People’s Republic of Donetsk.
“It’s not
an occupation, it’s an act of protest. I understand an occupation to be with
arms, when people get hurt. But we came peacefully and reached an agreement,”
said one of the protesters who guarded the occupied building. “All we want is for
us to be heard.”
A commonly shared grievance here — that Kyiv and western Ukraine are refusing to listen to the people of Donbas,
and instead demonize them as terrorists, is fueling ordinary
people’s support here for independence and for the occupation of government
buildings throughout Donetsk Oblast.
“I couldn’t
walk on by,” said nurse Marina Panchenko, explaining why she joined the crowd
that marched on the broadcasting company. “The reason for it is objective
coverage of events in Donetsk region. Ukrainian channels don’t tell the truth.”
Dzholos, the TV company’s general director, said he hoped the state-owned company would continue to work as it has
done since 1956, when it was one of the first television centers, to begin
broadcasting in Soviet Ukraine. He rejected accusations of one-sided
programming. “I guess tomorrow we’ll come and work as the government tells us.
We’re the regional TV and radio company, so we can’t not notice what’s
happening in the region. We already covered what happened in the occupied city
administration and other hot spots, the people who came today have already been
given airtime with us.”
Some
protesters said they wanted to start broadcasting Russian TV channels, or live
TV broadcasts to bolster the Donetsk People’s Republic radio station.
“I guess
they have the right to be heard,” said a weary-sounding Dzholos. “I don’t think
they are not being heard, but everyone has their own point of view.”
Uniformed
young men from Oplot, a Kharkiv-based paramilitary group opposed to Ukraine’s central government, stayed behind after
most protesters left, so as to keep order, they said. Any drunk or unruly
stragglers were ejected from the grounds, and allowed from outside the gates to
cheer the raising of a Donetsk People’s Republic flag.
Militia men
also claimed to be keeping order while not actually supporting the occupation.
“We can’t
support it. We’re outside politics, we obey orders,” said Deputy Lieutenant
Vitaly Orota, a former Berkut officer sitting with three colleagues in a car
outside the main entrance.
The Berkut,
blamed for attacking unarmed protesters in Kyiv in February, have been
disbanded, but officers like Orota continue to work in the militia, wearing
different uniforms. “But sometimes it’s impossible to obey orders,” Orota
continued. “Like now: how could we oppose such a huge number of unarmed
people?”
Instead, he
said, “We’re just checking everything is alright, no one steals anything. As
you can see, it’s all peaceful here.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from the project www.mymedia.org.ua, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action.The content in this article may not necessarily reflect the views of the Danish government, NIRAS and BBC Action Media
