Right-wingers and leftists debate with the aid of songs
Ukrainian Cossack Day and the 66th UPA anniversary marked without brawls
On Oct. 17 both right-wingers and leftists were blessed with good weather. The sun was shining, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. It was a great time for public rallies and marches. But the march commemorating the anniversary of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army did not take place along Khreshchatyk Boulevard to the Presidential Secretariat, as planned, because of a last-minute court ruling. Oleh Tiahnybok displayed an unexpectedly law-abiding attitude and made do with a rally at Shevchenko Park and a concert on the Maidan.
“We won’t be fighting the Berkut special forces. Our actions will be peaceful. We won’t give in to provocations,” he told The Day.
Natalia Vitrenko’s people, who occupied the Maidan and Bessarabka, looked disappointed. They were clearly in a mood for brawling, all keyed up to attack the Banderites. But nothing like this happened and, besides, downtown Kyiv was swarming with police officers.
At around 5:00 p.m., when this report was being filed, the Vitrenko people had left the Maidan. The spokesmen of right-wing organizations said that the Reds couldn’t stand the loud patriotic music.
In the morning, newly enrolled cadets from the Ivan Bohun Military College were sworn in on St. Sophia Square, in the presence of the Ukrainian political leadership.
“As the President of Ukraine and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, I shall do my best to ensure that all our officers and men will be provided with everything to make their lives comfortable, to make them effective defenders of their native land,” Viktor Yushchenko declared.
The head of state said that soon he will sign an edict instituting all-Ukrainian Days of Military Valor to “mark the dates of key victories in Ukrainian history. October 14, the Feast of Mary the Protectress, the patron of the Ukrainian army, occupies a special place on this list.”
On Oct. 17 even Viktor Yanukovych felt like a Cossack. “This is one of our most important holidays. In Ukraine it is traditionally celebrated by the Cossacks, and every man must be a Cossack, so we’ll be celebrating,” declared the leader of the Party of Regions after attending a divine service at the Monastery of the Holy Veil. When queried by journalists, he said that he had offered prayers for the Ukrainian people and his family. “We shall be praying to the Mother of God so that she will protect Ukraine and its people from all those who are encroaching on our state.”
