And I'm not talking just about Pravyy Sektor here. "People are ready to do anything for this to happen. Many Ukrainians are watching with dismay as the initially peaceful rallies escalate into vicious street fighting.Īfter two months of fruitless protests, however, Tarasenko claims increasing numbers of Ukrainians are embracing Pravyy Sektor's radical methods. "Authorities are using all possible methods against people, why shouldn't people be able to defend themselves with truncheons, too?" says Igor Mazor, a member of the group. Instead, it has used the VKontakte social-networking website to prepare its sympathizers for battle and call for donations of items such as slingshots, steel balls, gasoline, laser pointers, glass bottles, chains, and pyrotechnics. Unlike mainstream opposition leaders, it firmly rejects any negotiation with authorities. The group has demanded that Yanukovych step down, saying it would give him and his family 24 hours to leave the country safely. Tarasenko says Pravyy Sektor's goal is to oust the current government and "build a nation state" in Ukraine. Pravyy Sektor was formed in the early days of the protests, sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's abrupt decision in late November to walk away from a landmark association deal with the EU. "Guerilla warfare will begin in Ukraine." "If they attack and try to carry out a bloody crackdown, I think there will be a massacre," he told RFE/RL.
At least two demonstrators were shot dead on January 22.Īndrei Tarasenko, Pravyy Sektor's coordinator, warned of a full-blown civil war if police continued to use force against the protesters:
As Ukraine's pro-European protests descend into violence, with demonstrators sustaining their first fatalities, attention has focused on the far-right youth group many have blamed for radicalizing the protest movement.Īctivists from Pravyy Sektor (Right Sector), a loose alliance of nationalist organizations, have been at the forefront of the bloody clashes that have pitted protesters against police since January 19.
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