Is it ‘the first shot’ of civil war?

UKRAINE - In Brief 16 Jan 2014 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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It finally happened. The ruling group approved the law which might legalize Ukraine as totalitarian regime. After almost two months of active mass-protests the authorities put all protesting actions beyond the law. Today MPs voted in the law which: (a) imposes fees or imprisonment terms for unauthorized meetings; (b) imposes fees or imprisonment for defamation; (c) tightens control over Internet communication and cell telephony; (d) announces civil society organization as ‘foreign agents’; And it’s only part of the innovations the authorities intend to use to put the situation at the country under control. It is difficult to say whether the voted law will enter into force. As usual, MPs voted in for package of laws without reading them. And we think there is a high chance that many MPs will withdraw their votes when they realize what kind of legislation they approved. However, we cannot rule out that it will be signed by the president and in few days the authorities will start acting more decisively with respect to protesters. But what does it mean in terms of Ukraine’s future? Unfortunately, it means that ‘civil cold war’ has all chances to translate into a hot one shortly. Thousands of people will not accept the law and are ready to stand for their rights. Given that new law makes them criminals, there is no sense to continue the game of ‘peaceful protests’. And what will happen when police comes to Maidan to make people comply with the law… bloodshed looks hardly avoidable. We want to stay optimistic about potential peaceful solution of the conflict. However, we must make it clear – the law MPs approved today might be ‘the first shot’ of a real military conflict at ...