Mikheil Saakashvili, who openly declares his intention to oust the president by the New Year has declared himself the savior of Ukraine and has dubbed the camp at the walls of Verkhovna Rada as a new "Sich", which is an independent, military, feudal structure.
Mikheil Saakashvili: "I know that people want dynamic actions. We will have them. But we also have to learn to counter-attack. That's why I declare this place our Sich. The Ukrainian Sich on this very square. We will expand. We'll prepare to repulse their attacks. I suggest creating the Sich, going here, expanding, bringing more donations, propagandizing, organizing on Sunday three times as many demonstrations as during previous times. We should expect them to play a nasty trick on us. And we mustn't forgive them their first nasty trick. This is my plan".
He's worn out, hoarse, homeless... A Sich Rifleman! ...but he's still struggling, Saakashvili turned out to be a warrior. Vladimir Vladimirovich, here's the Ukrainian, or even Kievan, Sich. Well, you know everything about the Ukrainian Sich. Would you cast the Georgian Cossack, the hoarse Saakashvili, in the role of Taras Bulba?
Vladimir Bortko, deputy chairman of the State Duma Cultural Committee: No, I wouldn't.
- Is he a bad actor?
- It's not about that. He is a good actor. I'd like to ask our guests from Ukraine. Does he have Ukrainian citizenship?
Maksim Yali, research officer at Ukraine's Institute of World History: He's been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship…
Vladimir Bortko: So, he doesn't.
Maksim Yali: Wait...
Vladimir Bortko: Yes or no?
Maksim Yali: In fact, he's been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, but not legally yet.
Vladimir Bortko: How can a person who doesn't have a country's citizenship freely pass the frontier, and call for toppling the president? It's not that I'm supporting the president, I'm just I am amazed at what's happening there.
- He's wanted, actually. But he doesn't care.
- What Sich can there be? What's going on there? I personally can't understand it. Well, it all should appeal to us, to me. The longer it lasts, the better for us. I'm waiting for Ukraine to end up home, to return to us and be with us. Thus, I'm fully satisfied with all this. I only wonder what Poroshenko and his team are doing there.
-Well, it's a legitimate question. Answer, Maksim.
Maksim Yali: What I can fully agree with you on is that the main beneficiary of the situation is Russia. This circus, you can't find a better word, is beneficial to Russia.
- Maksim, it's your state.
Vladimir Bortko: It's the destruction of your own statehood.
- Isn't that so?
Maksim Yali: I agree that nobody is right in this situation. Neither Poroshenko, who's using law enforcement bodies for his personal purposes, nor Saakashvili, who's undermining the legitimacy of the state, is right." It's strange that you don't accuse us of setting it up.
Vladimir Bortko: Can you imagine someone coming here and organizing a Sich? What would happen to them just for breaching the state border?
- They'd have a tough time.
Maksim Yali: The situation has deescalated a bit when compared to Tuesday when Saakashvili got on the roof, his attempted arrest and further liberation. Then, the first impression was a deja vu. I'm drawing parallels with November 30, 2013 when a student rally was dispersed.
- Did you think that another Maidan had started?
- Well, at first, probably...
- Did you hope for it?
- Of course I didn't. Ukraine as a state won't survive a third Maidan. That's why I am opposed to another Maidan. Later, when tensions ease up a bit, I will wonder if it was a rigged match between Saakashvili and Poroshenko all along. It's the third time that Poroshenko actually reanimates Saakashvili.
- What do you mean by a rigged match? Like, it's so boring, let's have fun?
- I'll explain. I mean that the first time when Poroshenko revived Saakashvili's political career was when he invited him to Ukraine. The second time was when he tried to detain him for breaking the frontier. And now comes the third time. As you know, on Monday I asked you if we'd discuss the Veche held by Saakashvili on Sunday at the Maidan, which gathered 2,000-5,000 people. You said it was pointless because few people had taken part in it. About 3-4 days ago there was no result, no support, several months after it started at Verkhovna Rada. Having analyzed the situations, the facts, the footage, I understood that this performance was Poroshenko's attempt to distract the attention from a far more serious attempted blow against the only independent law enforcement body, NABU. As you know, a bill has been initiated by a so-called coalition of Pyotr Poroshenko Bloc and People's Front which would grant them the right to dismiss the head of NABU by a simple majority. A big scandal among law enforcement agencies has broken out. It was the main reason.
- To clarify, NABU is the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
