Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko believes that the Ukrainian authorities share the responsibility for the ongoing events in Kyiv.
“The incumbent authorities, if they are the authorities then it is
their task as the authorities to prevent such things, to act in strict
compliance with Ukrainian legislation, within the framework of the
Ukrainian constitution, and to take legal measures in order to avoid
mass disturbances, violence and human casualties,” Matviyenko said,
responding to media questions.
Human deaths were the most terrible thing, which have happened on Maidan, she remarked.
“Everything that is going on in Ukraine is a source of serious
concern and every Maidan action linked to the protest has nothing to do
with any political demands,” Matviyenko said.
“These are organized mass disturbances in which firearms are being
used and the death of civilians, police officers and a journalist shows
that the situation has become critical. Certainly, we kept saying from
the very start that the sides should sit down at the negotiating
table, hold a dialogue and find peaceful solutions to the emerging
confrontation,” Matviyenko said.
She emphasized that Russia would not meddle in the affairs of a
sovereign country no matter what it was seeing some Western countries
doing.
“We have expressed concern about the provocative actions, about a
lack of appropriate evaluations of the violence that is happening in
Kyiv, which looks like a violent attempt to overthrow the legitimate
authorities and which is going beyond the limits of any civilized
process,” Matviyenko said.
In her opinion, Russia will soon express its opinion about the
measures that the international community should take. She criticized
the opposition leaders who, in her words, “were traveling to the West
and meeting with the heads of Western countries.”
“If the appeal for stopping violence had coherently been made at those meetings, the Maidan appeals and actions would have been completely different,” Matviyenko concluded.
