More than 10,000 people rallied in Kyiv to celebrate 70th anniversary of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) on Sunday, two weeks before the Oct. 28 parliamentary election. The march was organized by ultra-nationalist All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda and was joined by other political and non-governmental organozations as well as citizens.
People gathered near Taras Shevchenko monument and then marched along
central streets of Kyiv with the sounds of drams and trumpets. They
carried banners of Svoboda, red-and-black flags of UPA and
blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine. A few activists burned flags of the
ruling Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine. A few dozen
communists came to the Vladimir Lenin monument at Taras Shevchenko
Boulevard at the same time. Participants of both events were divided by
several units of police and special units of Berkut. Svoboda’s leader
Oleh Tiahnybok announced on Sunday that his political force is ready to
create a coalition with United Opposition Batkivshchyna and Vitali
Klitschko’s Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms in the next
parliament. Latest polls showed that Svoboda has its best ever chance to
get to the parliament.
