Pro-Government Protesters Turned Up in Kiev This Weekend

The pro-government protest at Mariinsky park

All photos by Phil Caller.

As anti-government protesters enter their fourth week on the streets of Kiev, this weekend saw the arrival of another group in the Ukraine capital: those who had come to show their support for the country's embattled president, Viktor Yanukovych.

On Saturday, some 15,000 pro-government supporters rallied in Kiev. The gathering took place in Mariinsky Park, not far from the Maidan—the square in the city that has become the hub of anti-Yanukovych protests. Many on the Maidan were concerned that sparks would fly, offering a pretext for a crackdown by the authorities. Yet the weekend passed without any major incident.

By evening, the square where the pro-government rally had taken place was empty. As one observer remarked, all that remained were the porta potties. Meanwhile, the Maidan was packed throughout the night.

Where did these government supporters come from? Yanukovych is not universally hated; after all, he was elected president. But evidence is beginning to emerge in the country's media that many at pro-government protests have been paid for their presence.

Ivan, a young office worker in Kiev, received text messages offering to pay him to attend a demonstration. “At first, I though they meant the Maidan and I was angry,” he told me. “But then I checked who was sending the texts and I realized it was a pro-government organization.”

Busloads of Yanukovych supporters were brought in to Kiev from across the country. On one of these trips, people were offered 1,000 UAH (about $120) to start a fight on the Maidan, one of the participants claimed while speaking to Radio Svoboda. The source told the station that in his region, everyone knows that “the [pro-government] rallies in Kiev are an easy way to earn money… They load the buses to such an extent that there is nowhere to sit.” But when they saw the Maidan, he and his friends changed their minds. They returned to their hometown, covering the cost of their journey themselves.

The Ukrainian media has also reported that people are being forced to go to Kiev to attend pro-government rallies. They are paid for attending, but they can't say no. They fear that if they refuse, they will lose their jobs.

What do Yanukovych's supposed fans think about big issues like the EU? The previous weekend, a Russian reporter spoke to some of them at one of their favorite hangouts, Mariinsky Park. “They say that people are paid to attend these kinds of rallies,” she says to a group of young men. “No, of course not,” one of them smirks. “Why are you here?” she asks another. “To get some fresh air,” he says, walking away [0:58]. She then approaches another youth sitting on a curb and asks: “Are you against the EU?” “We're for it, but not against it,” he replies, ambiguously. The video, which currently has over 160,000 views, also features a young girl who seems to believe she's at a pro-EU rally.

Since the pro-European protests began last month, a new term, titushky, has spread to describe a certain sort of pro-government goon, usually young men dressed in sports clothing. These were the guys who blocked the EU's Kiev HQ last week, remember? There is already a Wikipedia entry for them. The word comes from Vadym Titushko, a sportsman who attacked Ukrainian TV journalists earlier this year.

Almost four weeks into the Euromaidan protests, there is no sign of compromise between the protesters and the authorities. Following the police attack on the Maidan in the early hours of Wednesday, protesters have strengthened the barricades around the square, building towering walls out of snow-filled sacks. The last few days have been calm, but who knows when the riot police will return?

The new and improved barricades on Maidan square

On Friday, Ukraine's three opposition leaders, Arseniy Yatseniuk, Vitali Klitschko, and Oleh Tyahnybok, held talks with Yanukovych, but to no avail. It turned out that a student leader at the talks who was supposedly representing the students at Euromaidan was a fake, and actually a member of the youth wing of Yanukovych's Party of Regions. After the roundtable, Yanukovych rushed off, refusing to answer journalists' questions. (Watch this video of him escaping from a reporter.)

The next day, Yanukovych suspended Kiev mayor Oleksandr Popov and another senior official, in connection with the crackdown on November 30 when police attempted to clear the Maidan. However, it looks an awful lot like Yanukovych is scrambling for a scapegoat.

Over the weekend, Kiev greeted another major visitor from abroad, Republican Senator John McCain. “Your peaceful process and peaceful protest is inspiring your country and inspiring the world,” he said, speaking before the huge crowd on the Maidan on Sunday. “We are here to support your just cause.”

A banner that reads, "Europe yes, disorder no" in Russian and Ukrainian

Meanwhile, the EU seems to be growing tired of Yanukovych's maneuvering. Last week, a Ukrainian government delegation traveled to Brussels to discuss the deal but it seems no headway was made. On Sunday, the EU's top official for neighborhood policy, Štefan Füle, announced that Brussels was suspending talks with Ukraine over the unsigned trade deal, the Association Agreement. He tweeted: “Words & deeds of President & government regarding #AssocAgreement further & further apart. Their arguments have no grounds in reality.” As usual, the Ukrainian authorities acted as if nothing had happened. The prime minister's spokesman said that the Ukrainian government intended to continue talks with the EU about the deal, even as the EU were publicly suspending them.

Yanukovych seems to have other plans. He is jetting off to Russia for another meeting with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. There is concern in Brussels—and on the Maidan—that he will sign economic deals with Russia there.

Still, Kiev's protesters are standing firm. On Saturday, 200,000 people were filmed singing the Ukrainian national anthem, flashing their mobile phones to form a sea of light on the Maidan. As another week has failed to lead anywhere in terms of the EU deal, the Euromaidan protests do not look set to finish any time soon.

@AB_Chapman