You're reading: Ultra-nationalist group holds public meeting in central Kyiv

Representatives of a radical organization called the Revolutionary Right-Wing Forces came to Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv’s central square, on the evening of Feb. 21 to hold what they described as a national public meeting.

Speaking from the rally stage in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people, one of the speakers, political scientist Roman Lypynskiy, listed the main demands of the Revolutionary Right-Wing Forces, saying that “the current authorities have betrayed the ideals of the Maidan.”

The group’s demands include the release of political prisoners, the resignation of the government, the dismissals of the head of the National Bank of Ukraine, the secretary of National Security Council, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces, the heads of the security agencies, and a ban on holding a post in government for anyone who was in power in the last 10 years and who “robbed the country.”

The group also demanded an investigation into actions of the president and government.

Calling for “a full reset of the government,” Lypynskiy said that top posts should only be open to people who were born in Ukraine, and not foreigners under any circumstances. Attendees at the rally applauded and voted to approve the groups’ demands with a show of hands.

“I see that is unanimous,” Lypynskiy said as the demands were approved.

“The ruling class is Ukraine’s oligarchs and politicians who continually (work in) the interests of the oligarchs and are unable to reform the country, establish public order, fight corruption, achieve economic recovery and ensure the welfare of Ukrainians,” Lypynskiy said. “Once again I declare that I do want anything for myself… but I will work constantly for the country until my last day.”

The public meeting started at 5 p.m. and appeared quite disorganized. Activists passed a microphone from one to another, making contradictory statements. One activist said in microphone that the equipment they had brought for the meeting had been blocked by the National Guard at the entry to Maidan Nezalezhnosti. A priest read a prayer and blessed the meeting.

Many attendees looked confused, apparently expecting concrete decisions on action from the organizers. They yelled out slogans, criticized the current authorities, and gathered in groups to discuss what to do next. “It just hurts people – the fact that two years have passed, and nothing has happened,” said one attendee, Nazar Mukhachov.

Earlier, on the evening of Feb. 20, the group’s activists set up a large army tent near the monument of independence on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. As of the evening of Feb. 21 there were at least seven tents around the monument. The activists lit fires in metal trash bins, and brought wood for heating, tea and food. Some of Kyiv’s homeless people also gathered around the fires for warmth.

Meanwhile, little remains known about the radical group that held the rally. Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) representatives told Hromadske TV online media that there are approximately 80 known active members of the Revolutionary Right-Wing Forces.

“As far as we understand, their main task is to organize a provocation, so as to be detained, and to get people to stand up in their defense – to demonstrate that they are oppressed,” an SBU source told Hromadske TV, adding that some of the leading persons at the rally were wanted by the authorities, and the SBU was investigating them now.

Kyiv Post staff writer Yuliana Romanyshyn can be reached at [email protected]