Ruslana Lyzhychko, Maidan volunteer
January 11, 2014, 4:30    Ukrainian Pravda Blogs
original: http://blogs.pravda.com.ua/authors/ruslana/52d0acdc26f07/

Ruslana

I have a very bad headache and am in a bad state from tear gas.

I still do not understand who released it on people in front of the bus? Berkut officers or so-called, certain ones of “ours”?

I’m very concerned about WHAT is happening, and even more so, HOW it happens!

Some, whom we occasionally call “provocateurs” really don’t think of themselves in the same way.

In their eyes they are “heroes”, “soldiers”, “real” as opposed to “false” fighters, Ukrainians, and so on.

They have their right to their truth, but I will say what I see and feel.

The behavior of these people is extremely dangerous.

They always say, “If not us, who would have defended you,” but their defense never protects. It’s always the opposite.

A dozen or several dozen boys in bandanas spring upon you, provoke Berkut to fight, and then disappear amongst people whom they, in reality, “supplant.”

Among the crowd into which they disappear, are real unarmed, unequipped ordinary men, women, old, young, journalists.

Today at the bus was a “classic maneuvering” of theirs – around a bunch of vulnerable people, and these “real” people beat Berkut on the feet, trying to hit Berkut over the heads of regular people but remaining out of reach and actually hiding behind people, and still trying to provoke to fight those who were holding onto their last effort not to lynch the non-humans in uniform. This is what we call a provocation.

Would we have had the same result, if we had started a forceful scenario? Possibly we would have had an even bigger fight than during the day. Possibly there would have been an attempt at a total cleansing of the conflict. Or maybe an emergency, or in the worst case – civil conflict, ie.: war.

For us, either result is a loser. Because we are not ready for military confrontation, read: the offensive. Those who call themselves “true”, are never as true as warriors, did not come with open visor face to face with someone there to slaughter anyone they call civilians.

Their actions are on the hands of Zakharchenko, Pshonka and company. Because for criminal authorities it’s not enough unless they suffocate the protest finally with force.

Our strength lies in peaceful opposition, and millions of protests, in national solidarity, in faith and in following through until the end. When people are an unconquered power, power stops being powerful.

My appeal is not an appeal to a particular organization or force. In each of them  are honest people, true patriots, ready to defend the country and their own people from injustice at the price of their own health, their own blood and even their own life.

My appeal is an appeal to those who are trying to be “real” AT THE COST OF ANOTHER’S BLOOD.

P.S. Among those who were seriously injured and arrested during the November 30th massacre, the confrontation on December 1st, the attempted dispersal on December 11th, and the last fight on January 10th, those “real” people were completely unnoticeable. At least officially. But on the “revolutionary Internet” in every post they write that they were in the forefront.

So who are you, gentlemen, if not provocateurs? For us, with you it is a very DIFFERENT fight, and we have very different concepts of LOVE TOWARDS ONE’S OWN PEOPLE.

My words are not addressed to any political party, movement, association, organization, only extremists who try to draw people into bloody carnage.