How much old is there in the new parliament?

Euromaidan and resistance to Russian aggression brought a lot of new faces to the political arena. Voters brought the majority of them to the Verkhovna Rada. Volodymyr Parasiuk is one of them. The public first remembered him after the ultimatum to Yanukovych in February, 2014. After the Revolution of Dignity Parasiuk joined Battalion Dnipro and fought in the east of the country. Later he was elected MP in the 122nd constituency in Lviv oblast. He is not a member of any parliamentary faction as of today. What are his impressions from working at the Verkhovna Rada? Has the system changed? How important is it to bring high-profile cases to an end? Our conversation with Parasiuk took place at the parliament lobby right before the vote for recognition of Russia as an aggressor and LNR and DNR as terrorist organizations.

“WE ARE STRONGER THAN THE AGGRESSOR”

Parliament embarks on this question with delay, but it is good that it finally arose at all. What can the results of this decision be?

“Ukraine needs to determine that our final victorious goal is to drive the enemy across the border. And in order to achieve this, we must know who our enemy is. So, we state who is a terrorist, who is an aggressor, and that there is war in our country. I have heard for almost a year that supposedly Russia can launch a full-scale attack after such decisions of ours. But if the aggressor wishes, it can do it without our statements. Putin hits the Malaysian plane, carries out terrorist attacks in Ukraine, moves troops in, that is why it is impossible to foresee his future actions. But we must not be afraid, because we are stronger. In general, the adopted resolutions are the country’s positional steps and they will add more moral power and faith in our victory.”

But why did our country leadership not dare call things by their proper names before?

“Perhaps, there was no political will for that. We have the president of Ukraine, who was elected by more than a half of the country’s population. But today I can see how great the disappointment is, since the president is not just a figure who goes to international meetings, but he is also the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army.”

“YOUNG POLITICAL ELITE IS BEING BORN NOW”

Do you know the degree of interest of the soldiers in the east in what is going on in Ukrainian political life?

“Of course, they follow the events and feel everything that happens in their country. They want to express their protest, but they understand their duty: the existence of Ukrainian statehood depends on them. That is why Ukrainian soldiers continue holding back the invasion of occupants. If there were no Putin’s troops in the east, we would have already cleansed the current government, all these ministers, prosecutors, judges, and officials in general who violate the law.

“However, a lot of men come back during rotation, demobilize, and take an active part in countering corruption. Young political elite is being born now. Ukraine is not just some populated territory anymore. Every citizen starts taking a clear stand and acknowledging their interests. We understand that we all bear the responsibility for our state and elect our government. This is the victory of Maidan.”

“NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN THE GOVERNMENT UNTIL WE BREAK THE SYSTEM OF POLITICAL COVER UPS”

The process of collecting signatures for resignation of Prosecutor General Vitalii Yarema continues among MPs. What is your attitude towards this?

“Both Yarema and Makhnitsky have not been acting in the interest of the Ukrainian people. No one has been punished for murders on Maidan, ridiculous appointments take place at oblast public prosecutor’s offices. People who are involved in corruption and crime are appointed there. As of now, about 130 signatures for Yarema’s resignation have been collected. But there are MPs who do not want to support the prosecutor general’s resignation, saying they do not want to get in a conflict with the president. But if the society accuses Yarema of inaction, I do not want to be accused of inaction as well. Therefore, we support his resignation.”

What is your assessment of the MIA’s activity headed by Arsen Avakov?

“I do not have any personal grudges against Avakov, but in my opinion, he is not suitable to be a head of the MIA. From the first days, when there was a threat of separatism on the local level, it all could have been stopped by the police’s efforts. There were inquiries for personnel changes in the establishment, but too little has been done in this direction. If you take a look at the ministry staff now, you will be shocked: these are not the honest people that will change something. Moreover, investigation of crimes committed on Maidan is sabotaged. And all this is presented to the Ukrainian society with the false air that allegedly Avakov alone cannot change anything. Now I wished his new deputy from Georgia Eka Zguladze not to trust anyone at the MIA, because they all are wolves who can win her trust, fool her, and set her up.”

As for overcoming corruption and impunity in Ukraine. Recently, the Gongadze case was covered on a new, larger scale. How fundamental and necessary is the punishment for old crimes in our country?

“This is not just necessary, but mandatory. Firstly, it should be understood that Kuchma goes to negotiations in Minsk to legalize himself, receive immunity as a negotiator, and gain international support. But everyone knows perfectly well who Kuchma is: the head of one of oligarchic clans, which has been stealing from our country since the restoration of Ukraine’s independence. Everyone also knows who is guilty of Gongadze’s murder.

“We see where Yushchenko is now. He sunk to the political bottom not only because he brought Yanukovych to power and lost the country in the economic sense. In the first place, he lost people’s love and respect, since he did not punish the guilty of Gongadze’s murder. And Yanukovych’s unwillingness to bring this case to an end has turned into a great tragedy for the Ukrainian people, let alone the ending of his own career.

“If Poroshenko does not investigate the murders on Maidan, put Kuchma to jail, and punish those guilty of nationwide crimes, he will end up where Yushchenko is now. There is no need to say then that somebody else is guilty of the failures. So, he should just open the Gongadze case in court, declassify the information, let people see how the case is processed, and punish Kuchma – there are all grounds for it now. The same applies to Maidan.

“So, it is up to the president: either to tie a stone around the neck and sink, or gather his will, become a hetman, and be remembered in history as a strong leader, who can make fundamental decisions.”