Thousands gathered on Kyiv’s Independence Square on June 29 to protest against President Petro Poroshenko’s decision to extend a ceasefire by Ukrainian forces battling Kremlin-backed separatists forces in the east. It was the biggest demonstration there since the EuroMaidan Revolution ousted President Viktor Yanukovych in February.
The ceasefire started on June 20 and was supposed to last only one week. On June 27, Poroshenko extended the ceasefire until 10 p.m. on June 30.
But there has been fighting and casualties despite the announced ceasefire.
According to Defence Ministry spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskiy, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and at least 17 wounded over the weekend.
The protest in Kyiv began at 10 a.m. outside the Presidential Administration building, where members of the volunteer Donbas Battalion who
had arrived from the conflict addressed Poroshenko. They demanded an
end to the ceasefire, introduction of martial law and provision of weapons to volunteer
units.
Battalion
commander Semyon Semenchenko was greeted by loud cheers from the crowd before a
speech in which he called for a calm and civilized demonstration.
“We are not
smashing or throwing anything. This is our government, our elected president.
Let’s deliver our message in a civilized way. Please excuse us for wearing
balaclavas – many of us have families in the east. Those not from the Donbas,
don’t be shy, remove your balaclavas,” Semenchenko said, referring to a group
of young men in tracksuits who were covering their faces.
A brief
appearance by Gennady Zubko, deputy head of the presidential administration,
was drowned out with shouts of “shame!” from the crowd.
At around
mid-day, the demonstration moved to Independence Square, where it was joined by
thousands of people bearing Ukrainian flags and banners. From the stage
overlooking the square, Semenchenko demanded the resumption of the government’s
“anti-terrorist operation”.
“They say
on TV that we are weak. It’s not true. Those who have no fighting heart are no
longer among our ranks. We can put a stop to this invasion, and put things in
order quickly. Don’t believe what they tell you,” Semenchenko said.
“Europe
will not help us. I’ll tell you why. They’re
good people, but they have their own interests. Noone apart from us is really
interested in Ukraine. They’re interested in Putin’s generosity, in trade
relations with Russia. They live sweet lives. That’s why we must rely only on
ourselves,” he added.
After his
speech Semenchenko wrote on Facebook: “Maidan was alive today. They say this
was ‘the last peaceful demonstration’. It seems they’re right,” apparently in
reference to an earlier speech by a Maidan activist which elicited cheers from
the crowd.
Kyiv Post staff writer Matthew Luxmoore can be reached at mj[email protected] and on Twitter at @mjluxmoore.
