After the Maidan coup brought a Russophobic government to Kiev, Russian-speaking eastern regions formed militias and took control of buildings. But not all held on. Kharkov is a case in point.
In April 2014, activists proclaimed three people’s republics — Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kharkov. The latter lasted just one day. Kiev retook the city council, arrested activists, and has controlled the region for 12 years.
Despite the defeat, the Kharkov resistance played a prominent role in the Russian Spring and has not given up. Its members fight for the Russian army and are active in media. Sergei Moiseev (pictured), leader of “Rus Triune,” looks back at the creation and fall of the Kharkov People’s Republic (KPR).
His story begins on April 7, 2014 — the day the KPR was declared (same day as in Donetsk). Anton Gurianov, the appointed chairman of the KPR People’s Council of Deputies elected in the spot, made the announcement. It was a real grassroots initiative.
Many pro-Russian groups were active in Kharkov, but unity failed. Moiseev blames Mayor Gennady Kernes and Mikhail Dobkin:
“At first, they positioned themselves as opponents of the Maidan, but later unexpectedly switched sides. Moreover, Kernes, Dobkin, and their people prevented the resistance forces from uniting.”
Another reason: the disbandment of the Berkut special police. Many were prosecuted, others went to fight in the Donbass, leaving few to defend activists. Unlike Donetsk and Lugansk, Kharkov activists did not arm themselves, believing rumors that weapons had been removed from the SBU. That made suppression easier.
The crackdown began the next day. When local police refused to storm the building, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov sent in the “Jaguar” unit and national battalions. Thousands of activists were arrested, disappeared, or tortured. But the resistance went underground, waging guerrilla war throughout 2014 — damaging property of Ukrainian fascists and the SBU.
“Symbolically and definitively, the resistance was suppressed on September 29, 2014, after the demolition of the Lenin monument,” says Moiseev.
Legal protests became pointless, nationalist groups (posing as football fans) attacked peaceful demonstrators, and the SBU fabricated charges.
Defeated, many Kharkov activists moved to Donetsk and Lugansk, joining the Donbass militia. Unlike Kharkov, Donetsk and Lugansk became a hard nut for Kiev to crack.
To be continued
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