'No surrender!': Rallies against ceasefire in the Donbass took place in Ukraine and the USA

Several thousand Ukrainians in Kyiv and Los Angeles rallied against the signing of the “Steinmeier formula” and the granting of special status to Donbass. In addition, such rallies took place throughout Ukraine. Writes about this with the BBC.

Фото: Depositphotos

Several thousand people in Kyiv took to the Maidan to protest against Ukraine’s approval of the “Steinmeier formula”.

After the rally on Maidan, the column moved to the president’s office, where protesters began chanting: “No surrender!”

Among the protesters were the ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with his wife Marina.

This is the first such large protest since the election of President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.

Participants of the rally opposed any actions of the authorities aimed, in their opinion, to surrender and surrender the national interests of Ukraine.

They include the implementation of the “Steinmeier formula” as such, which implies the provision of “special status” to Donbass and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the demarcation line.

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People held Ukrainian flags in their hands, posters with the slogans “Why was blood shed?”, “No surrender”, “No amnesty”, “Servant, come out, the people have come”, “Better run away from here”, “Come here, robber”, “Zemokraturu out!”, a poster with a photograph of Viktor Yanukovych and the words: “Vova, run!”

The organizers of the rally from the Maidan stage called on Vladimir Zelensky not to give up the position of Ukraine in the negotiations to resolve the conflict in the Donbass, not to grant any status to the occupied territories and remember that Russia, according to them, remains an aggressor state.

In addition, protests also took place in Los Angeles. Representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora held rallies against the “Steinmeier formula”. Writes about this "Voice of America".

“We feel threatened. Now is the moment that Putin has been waiting for since 2015. Actually, this “Steinmeier formula” is not a “Steinmeier formula”, but Putin’s formula. He put pressure on Ukraine to agree to it. This did not happen for four years. But now, unfortunately, these sad processes are happening,” says picket organizer Vladimir Dubovoy.

“I want not only the transcript with Trump to be published, but also the transcript of Zelensky’s conversation with Putin must be published,” says Svetlana Kovshilovska, a rally participant.

“Why is such an important document as the Steinmeier formula signed not by the President of Ukraine? Why is he abdicating responsibility and delegating this to Leonid Kuchma?” - says Victoria Dubova.

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“The war has been going on for almost 6 years, a lot of people have died - men who defended their country, their independence, and today the interests of the country are surrendering, we cannot look at this, we must do something,” says Valentina Rodina.

Similar veche today took place in other cities of Ukraine and abroad.

Independence Square # Maidan # Ukraine pic.twitter.com/qysvA93qDa

- Yuliia Nikolaienko (@YliaOliinyk) October 6, 2019

From the scene

BBC reporter Svyatoslav Khomenko was personally present at a rally in Kiev.

Next - from the first person.

If on the Maidan the protesters were forced to silently stand and listen to rather boring speeches of speakers from the stage, then near the office of the president they could give vent to emotions and creativity.

“I’m going to die!” and “Vova to Rostov!” — hundreds of people chanting these slogans is clearly a new picture for Ukrainian politics. And it’s difficult to say whether Zelensky himself is ready for this, who has not yet organized such massive protests against himself.

Screenshot: Twitter / @ poroshenko

The participants of the action with whom we were able to communicate found it difficult to explain what the “Steinmeier formula” was, against which they came out to protest. But they were talking about something else: about the loss of a sense of security, about uncertainty about the future and about the discomfort of secretly, in their opinion, preparing decisions that could affect their lives.

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And they are clearly going to take to the streets again.

And given that the Zelensky team plans to initiate tax changes in the near future, which small businesses are suspicious of, and to lift a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, which is opposed by most Ukrainians, then perhaps the picture is when thousands of people protest against Ze -President will become commonplace in the center of Kiev.

Screenshot: YouTube / Voice of America. Ukrainian

“This autumn will be hot,” one of the speakers at today’s rally promised Zelensky from the stage. It seems that these words may turn out to be prophetic for the president, and in the coming days he will have to correct the PR mistakes of his team and prepare to take on the first truly serious battle against his opponents, who are still scattered, but have already begun a nationwide mobilization.

The rally on the Maidan was peaceful. Many people came there with their children.

Later, some protesters lit smoke bombs. Representatives of the “National Squads”, “National Corps”, and VO “Svoboda” also took part in the rally.

# Maidan Narodne Viche —> Alley of Heavenly Hundreds pic.twitter.com/YSdck5WBTi

- Hadescat? (@Hadescat1) October 6, 2019

Participants of the protest on the Maidan voted for a resolution against the so-called “plan to end the war.”

A statement read out in the square said that the president’s plans were contrary to the will of the people. People were urged to resist the rejection of national interests and organize resistance cells throughout Ukraine.

Similar, but less numerous actions under the general name “No Surrender!” took place in Odessa, Lvov, Kharkov, Uzhgorod, Nikolaev and Dnieper.

Protests against the “Steinmeier formula” have continued in Ukraine since October 2.

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During the protests, President Vladimir Zelensky was accused of betraying national interests and surrendering to Russia.

Later, Vladimir Zelensky responded to the protesters in a video message, assuring that agreeing on the “Steinmeier formula” is not scary. According to him, this was the only opportunity to hold negotiations in the Normandy format and try to achieve peace in Donbass.

“There will be no surrender!”

On the approval of the “Steinmeier formula” Vladimir Zelensky told 1 on October at a briefing in Kiev. He assured that this decision would not lead to a weakening of Ukraine.

“The Steinmeier formula is the approval of a temporary law on the special status of Donbass, which begins to operate on a permanent basis after the publication of the OSCE report that the elections were held according to democratic standards,” Zelensky explained.

Screenshot: Twitter / @ poroshenko

The holding of democratic elections, as Zelensky assured, automatically means that troops will be withdrawn from the Donbass.

“There is no betrayal. We cannot disclose all the details of the negotiations, but I guarantee that everything is fine. For me personally, as for all our deputies, there are red lines that we will not cross,” said David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People faction, about the formula.

Arakhamia explained that agreeing on the “formula” is a technical step to move from the Minsk format to the Normandy format.

However, not everyone agrees with such assessments of the current government. Critics recall that Russia insisted on agreeing to the “formula” for a long time, and this, in their opinion, is not an accident.

What is this formula?

The “Steinmeier Formula” is a proposal made by Frank Walter-Steinmeier, now the President of Germany, and previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, which provides for the simultaneous holding of elections in the Donbass and the adoption of a law on the special status of these territories.

Critics of this “formula” fear that it assumes priority implementation of part of the Minsk agreements.

Screenshot: Twitter / @ poroshenko

They insist that any election and discussion of the special status of Donbass should be preceded by the withdrawal of troops and the establishment of Ukraine’s control over the border with Russia.

According to opinion polls, the majority of Ukrainians do not know what the “Steinmeier formula” is.

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