{"id":111343,"date":"2014-04-04T16:46:48","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T16:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?p=111343"},"modified":"2014-04-04T16:46:48","modified_gmt":"2014-04-04T16:46:48","slug":"ukraine-fascist-coup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/ukraine-fascist-coup\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine, a Fascist Coup?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Andre Vltchek\u00a0<\/strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/rinf.com\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ukraine is burning, it is going to the dogs; it has been taken over by an illegitimate government engorged with fascists, neo-Nazis and simple pro-Western opportunists, as well as countless EU and US-sponsored members of various NGO\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The West has destabilized an entire nation, supporting right-wingers and fascists. Then it began spreading anti-Russian propaganda, even before Crimea had voted to join its historic homeland.<\/p>\n<p>Everything was well planned, with Machiavellian precision. The EU was hoping to get its hands on the abundant natural resources, heavy industry and a well-educated and cheap labor force. In exchange, it was willing to give\u2026 nothing. No sane government would be willing to accept such a deal. Therefore, the only way to push through its agenda, the West began supporting violence and terror, as well as the fascist, neo-Nazi groups. A similar approach is being used by the US and EU in Venezuela, Syria and even Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>Just a few days ago, I concluded my 2,000-kilometer drive, from Kiev to Odessa, and then to the border with Transnistria and Kharkov. I visited destroyed and abandoned villages \u2014 a result of the \u2018collapse of the Soviet Union\u2019 and Ukrainian flirtation with the market economy, its obedience to the IMF and World Bank. I spoke to workers at an enormous steel plant in Krivoi Rog, located in the country\u2019s industrial heartland. I met several leading intellectuals at the university city of Kharkiv, and I stood on the Ukrainian-Russian border, observing and photographing several Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>All that I witnessed will be included in my in-depth report, which will be published, next week, in CounterPunch.<\/p>\n<p>But right now, I would like to share some images with our readers. Those that I took, and those taken by two brave Ukrainian reporters: Andriy\u00a0Manchuk and Andrey Nedzelnitsky.<\/p>\n<p>I took the photographs very recently, this week and last week, while both Manchuk and Nedzelnitsky worked in Kiev in January and February 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Andriy Manchuk wrote for this photo essay:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The photos were taken by me, and by the Kiev-based activist Andrey Nedzelnitsky, between January &amp; March 2014, during the armed political confrontations in the center of the capital. I took some photos on 19<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0January, and 18<sup>th<\/sup>-20<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0February, in the periods when the intensification of events were at their peak. During those days, supporters of the opposition backed by the EU and US turned to violence, with the EU and US directing attempts to seize power. The result of these actions was the establishment of a new government \u2014 a coalition of neoliberals and ultra-right politicians, as well as the unleashing of a rightwing terror campaign \u2014 unseen in the history of independent Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>You can see in the photo series, the most significant moments of the last three months in Ukraine: the violent clashes between units of rightwing football fans and far-right militants and the police; burning barricades, marches by far-right paramilitaries with Nazi symbols, the moments of the demolition of the monuments to communists, and participants of the workers uprising of 1918, the public desecration of the communist red flag seized by the neo-Nazis in the offices of the Communists Party of Ukraine. You can also see the moment of the brutal assault and beating up of the anti-Maidan supporters \u2014 it took place on the Maidan itself and as a result of my work, the right-wing fighters grabbed my camera. There is also one photo of Arseniy Yatsenyuk \u2014 the current acting PM of Ukraine \u2014 who recently met with President Obama in Washington, and negotiated the possibility of obtaining loans while agreeing to implement brutal anti-social, neoliberal reforms that will affect millions of Ukrainian citizens. This was the very price of the victory of the rightwing and neoliberal politicians that organized and controlled the Euro-Maidan movement.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The photos of my Ukrainian comrades were mainly taken by their mobile phones, as cameras were often destroyed or \u2018confiscated\u2019 by those self-proclaimed and later glorified by Western media, pro-European \u2018democrats\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The maliciousness and brutality of the Empire, the propaganda and lies that the mass media are spreading, are reaching top gear. They are increasingly determined, but also progressively primitive and desperate. It must be obvious even to a child that the Emperor is naked!<\/p>\n<p>Photos: Andre Vltchek, Andriy\u00a0Manchuk and Andrey Nedzelnitsky:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Russian-Ukrainian-border-all-quite.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Russian-Ukrainian border - all quite\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Russian-Ukrainian-border-all-quite-e1396564850548.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Russian-Ukrainian border \u2014 all quiet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/right-wingers-are-proud-of-this.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"right-wingers are proud of this\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/right-wingers-are-proud-of-this-e1396564868227.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wingers are proud of this.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/police-protecting-court-house-where-left-wing-anti-government-activist-is-being-tried.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"police protecting court house where left-wing,  anti-government activist is being tried\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/police-protecting-court-house-where-left-wing-anti-government-activist-is-being-tried-e1396564882929.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Police protecting courthouse where left-wing, anti-government activist is being tried.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Maidan-from-above.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Maidan from above\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Maidan-from-above-e1396564895372.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Maidan from above.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Kharkiv-is-anti-Western-pro-Russian-and-pro-Soviet.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kharkiv is anti-Western,  pro-Russian and pro-Soviet\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Kharkiv-is-anti-Western-pro-Russian-and-pro-Soviet-e1396564909637.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Kharkiv is anti-Western, pro-Russian and pro-Soviet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Fascism-and-religion-hand-in-hand.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fascism and religion hand in hand\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Fascism-and-religion-hand-in-hand-e1396564922455.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Fascism and religion hand in hand.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/EU-is-interested-an-oil-rig-in-central-Ukraine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"EU is interested - an oil rig in central Ukraine\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/EU-is-interested-an-oil-rig-in-central-Ukraine-e1396564935740.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>EU is interested \u2014 an oil rig in central Ukraine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Adverisement-used-by-snipers-to-tune-up-their-weapons.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adverisement used by snipers to tune up their weapons\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Adverisement-used-by-snipers-to-tune-up-their-weapons-e1396564948162.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Advertisement used by snipers to tune up their weapons.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/what-is-left-of-Ukrainian-village.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"what is left of Ukrainian village\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/what-is-left-of-Ukrainian-village-e1396564960559.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>What is left of a Ukrainian village.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Ukrainean-tank-on-Russian-border-north-of-Kharkiv.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ukrainean tank on Russian border,  north of Kharkiv\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Ukrainean-tank-on-Russian-border-north-of-Kharkiv-e1396564974624.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Ukrainean tank on Russian border, north of Kharkiv.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Doing-business-with-EU-flags.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Doing business with EU flags\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Doing-business-with-EU-flags-e1396565385163.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Doing business with EU flags.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/burning-barricades-on-Maidan-during-18-February-2014-clashes-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"burning barricades on Maidan during 18 February 2014 clashes\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/burning-barricades-on-Maidan-during-18-February-2014-clashes-.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"720\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Burning barricades on Maidan during 18 February 2014 clashes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Arseniy-Yatsenyuk-current-acting-PM-of-Ukraine-joins-right-wingers-during-their-attack-on-police-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arseniy Yatsenyuk - current acting PM of Ukraine joins right-wingers during their attack on police\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Arseniy-Yatsenyuk-current-acting-PM-of-Ukraine-joins-right-wingers-during-their-attack-on-police--e1396565412324.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"305\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Arseniy Yatsenyuk \u2014 current acting PM of Ukraine joins right-wingers during their attack on police.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Two-Maidan-protesters-in-the-time-of-calm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Two Maidan protesters in the time of calm\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Two-Maidan-protesters-in-the-time-of-calm-e1396565425272.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"281\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Two Maidan protesters in the time of calm.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-wing-activists-and-football-fanatics-attacking-on-19-January-2014-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Right-wing activists and football fanatics attacking on 19 January 2014\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-wing-activists-and-football-fanatics-attacking-on-19-January-2014--e1396565439236.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"305\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wing activists and football fanatics attacking on 19 January 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Maidan-protesters-brutally-beating-up-a-man-they-accused-of-supporting-the-government.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Maidan protesters brutally beating up a man they accused of supporting the government\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Maidan-protesters-brutally-beating-up-a-man-they-accused-of-supporting-the-government.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"720\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Maidan protesters brutally beating up a man they accused of supporting the government.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Texas-supports-Maidan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Texas supports Maidan\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Texas-supports-Maidan.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Texas supports Maidan.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Righ-wing-group-_Self-defence-of-Maidan_-behind-a-mob-ravishing-October-Revolution-monument-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Righ-wing group _Self-defence of Maidan_, behind a mob ravishing October Revolution monument\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Righ-wing-group-_Self-defence-of-Maidan_-behind-a-mob-ravishing-October-Revolution-monument--e1396577198620.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"383\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wing group.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/right-wing-on-barricaden.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"right-wing on barricaden\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/right-wing-on-barricaden-e1396577183167.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"342\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wing on barricaden.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-Sector_-and-right-wing-football-fans-are-attacking-police-in-Kiev-on-19-January-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"_Right Sector_ and right-wing football fans are attacking police in Kiev on 19 January 2014\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-Sector_-and-right-wing-football-fans-are-attacking-police-in-Kiev-on-19-January-2014-e1396577166150.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"384\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wing football fans.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-wingers-are-encouraging-passers-by-to-clen-their-shoes-with-a-banner-of-the-Communist-Party-of-Ukraine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Right-wingers are encouraging passers-by to clen their shoes with a banner of the Communist Party of Ukraine\" src=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/Right-wingers-are-encouraging-passers-by-to-clen-their-shoes-with-a-banner-of-the-Communist-Party-of-Ukraine-e1396577112475.jpg\" width=\"510\" height=\"343\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Right-wingers are encouraging passers-by to clen their shoes with a banner of the Communist Party of Ukraine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2014\/04\/police-protecting-court-house-where-left-wing-anti-government-activist-is-being-tried-e1396564882929.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Counterpunch<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><i><b>Andre Vltchek<\/b><\/i><i>\u00a0is a novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. His discussion with Noam Chomsky<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i><i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.plutobooks.com\/display.asp?K=9780745333878\">On Western Terrorism<\/a>\u00a0is now going to print. His critically acclaimed political novel\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0977459071\/counterpunchmaga\">Point of No Return<\/a>\u00a0is now re-edited and available.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1409298035\/counterpunchmaga\">Oceania<\/a>\u00a0is his book on Western imperialism in the South Pacific.\u00a0His provocative book about post-Suharto Indonesia and the market-fundamentalist model is called \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0745331998\/counterpunchmaga\">Indonesia \u2014 The Archipelago of Fear<\/a>\u201d. He has just completed the feature documentary, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.strikingly.com\/rwandagambit\">Rwanda Gambit<\/a>\u201d about Rwandan history and the plunder of DR Congo. After living for many years in Latin America and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides and works in East Asia and Africa. He can be reached through his\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/andrevltchek.weebly.com\/\">website<\/a><\/i><i>\u00a0or his\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreVltchek\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andre Vltchek\u00a0 Ukraine is burning, it is going to the dogs; it has been taken over by an illegitimate government engorged with fascists, neo-Nazis and simple pro-Western opportunists, as well as countless EU and US-sponsored members of various NGO\u2019s. The West has destabilized an entire nation, supporting right-wingers and fascists. Then it began spreading anti-Russian [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[487],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-111343","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}