Workers Take to Streets to Calm Tense Ukrainian City

[Bosonic]

Source: New York Times

MARIUPOL, Ukraine — In what could represent a decisive turning point in the Ukrainian conflict and a setback for Russia, thousands of steelworkers fanned out Thursday over the city of Mariupol, establishing control over the streets and routing the pro-Kremlin militants who seized control several weeks ago.

By late Thursday, miners and steelworkers had deployed in at least five cities, including the regional capital, Donetsk, though they had not yet become the dominant force there that they are in Mariupol, the region’s second largest city and the site just last week of bloody confrontations between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian militants,.

The workers are employees of Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man and a recent convert to the side of Ukrainian unity, who on Wednesday issued a statement rejecting the separatist cause of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic but endorsing greater local autonomy. His decision to throw his weight fully behind the interim government in Kiev could inflict a body blow to the separatists, already reeling from Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s withdrawal of full-throated support last week.

Wearing only their protective clothing and hard-hats, the workers said they were “outside politics” and just trying to establish order. Faced with waves of steelworkers joined by the police, the pro-Russian protesters have melted away, as has any sign of the Donetsk People’s Republic or its representatives. Backhoes and dump trucks from the steelworkers’ factory dismantled all the barricades that had been erected.

Read more: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/world/europe/ukraine-workers-take-to-streets-to-calm-Mariupol.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0&referrer=

[karynnj]

9. If they are keeping the peace - which seems to be their main goal - it is a

huge contribution to his country.

From many accounts, it has seemed that the Pro Russian extremists represent just a moderately small percent of people in the area. It seems that most would simply like peace and being able to live their lives.

Did you question how much Russia gave the seperatists?

[Fred Sanders]

2. I remember when workers in coal mines were forced by the company to stand behind

Mittens in a faux display of support. Your jobs on the line makes for many corporate "volunteers".

The interim government was installed by a coup, why does every Western media mention forget that?

[Duckhunter935]

3. because it was not

That is why.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. So Fred, how did the coup happen?

How did they get Yanukovych out of power and out of Ukraine on February 21-22, 2014?

[Nitram]

13. A legitimate revolution by the people against a currupt leader...

...who has hijacked the country does not a "coup" make. A vote is scheduled for a democratic election of a new government, something that never happens after a coup. Workers taking back their own country from paid Russian provocateurs are heroes. Fred, you can snidely compare what's happening in Ukraine to Romney's presidential campaign if you want, but your obfuscation of the truth is obvious to everyone.

[uhnope]

4. people power vs Kremlin neocon militants

[Fred Sanders]

5. Fox News infiltrator alert.

A group of employees who feared they'd be fired if they didn't attend the campaign rally in Beallsville, Ohio, complained about it to WWVA radio station talk show host David Blomquist. Blomquist discussed their beefs on the air Monday with Murray Energy Chief Financial Officer Rob Moore.

Moore told Blomquist that managers "communicated to our workforce that the attendance at the Romney event was mandatory, but no one was forced to attend." He said the company did not penalize no-shows.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/08/coal_miners_lost_pay_when_mitt.html

Multiple sources say the same, that is how oligarchs and fascism rolls.

[levp]

7. That was in OH, USA

Any citation about Ukraine?

[Nitram]

14. There you go again, Fred...

Try analyzing the situation in Ukraine rather than going on about American workers involved in Romney's campaign. Smoke and mirrors can't replace intelligent discussion.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. Another twisty turn...

[Benton D Struckcheon]

10. Ha!

That is all.

[JackRiddler]

11. Until yesterday news stories accused Akhmetov...

of financing the separatists!

He supports autonomy for the regions within a united Ukraine - just like the majority of those in the East protesting against the current Kiev government. Just like the majority of those who voted in the May 11th referendum.

The peace-keeping effort is great news. May it hold up.

The NY Times is trying to spin it as some kind of defeat for the "separatists", because in the NY Times's world, only the "separatists" could be causing violence (not government forces), and so if order is imposed, the "separatists" lose.

Doesn't matter! Let the NY Times spin it. If this holds up it is a victory for those who desire regional autonomy -- and who have been against the Kiev regime.

[Igel]

12. It was and it wasn't.

There are factions within the militants for whom everything--from stealing of pension money and cars, occupation of buildings, and shooting at police stations--is done in the name of "the people."

Nobody doing anything half-violent in the name of the "people" has a right to be listened to or respected. Just disarmed. In the name of "the people" tens of millions have been killed. Tens of millions of people. Doesn't matter if you're doing it for the "narod" a la URSS or the Volk as did Hitler, or even Mao's value-sized death orgy. The "people" always includes the speaker; those who aren't "the people" and deserve oppression, disenfranchisement, loss of their rights, are invariably those that the speaker doesn't like.

Akhmetov is an arch-oligarch. But paternalism is deeply rooted in the culture, and he's paternalistic. He, like a knjaz', takes from the narod and in return protects them. His men are forming the popular brigades. He doesn't see the Donbas outside of Ukraine. However he also doesn't like the idea of non-Donetchane running the country because they're outsiders. They don't respect him and his many billions of dollars in wealth.

So he's agreed with the DPR in part: more autonomy, federalization, he wants his people to run things the way he wants. What's good for Metinvest is good for the Donbas. But he disagrees strongly with the DPR in part: they want independence, and he there's a Transdniestria kind of situation for his coal and metalworks it's bad. Even if he does have billions, much of it probably (but not provably) from organized crime and corruption, you know how it is--if you have $10 billion, you want at least $15 billion just to keep up with the Jones and Ivan Ivanyches.