Statement by YABLOKO’s Bureau, 01.03.2014

The Bureau of the Russian United Democratic party YABLOKO consider the bloodshed and the death of people in Ukraine a tragedy common to both Ukraine and Russia. From now on everything possible should be done not allow the use of violence and weapons for solving political issues in Ukraine as well as in Russia.

We believe that the persistent unwillingness of the people set in authority to carry on a dialogue with the civil society, to react to the peaceful mass actions of protest and the demands of the citizens adequately became the direct reason of the political impasse which lead to the escalation of violence and a tragedy. Even the emergence of more radical forces in the political areana represents a result of long-term suppression of the natural social development by the authorities, as this development has been continiously curbed and restricted by the authorities for the sake of maintaining the power, and thus is channeled in an unnatural direction.

We think that Victor Yanukovich in person and all the government institutions of Ukraine including the deputies of the parliament take full political responsibility for the development of the situation according to the force scenario up to the bloodshed on February 18-20.

We also think it necessary to investigate the use of force and weapons which lead to the death and injury of people in December 2013 – February 2014. The provisional government of Ukraine should take all measures to conduct an independent international investigation.

We call for the return of the political process in Ukraine to the parliamentary course  and also to the realisation of the European vector of development without  substituting it with nationalism. Particularly, we pay attention to the necessity of the return of the law on regional languages.

Russia shouldn’t favour the further  escalation of the situation in the neighbouring state by its overseas actions. All should be done for the  establishment of the peaceful constructive intergovernmental relations between Russia and Ukraine. The official recognition by the Russian Federation of Ukraine’s provisional government formed by now would be an important step towards this.

The territorial integrity of both Russia and Ukraine can be impeached by no actions. Moreover, Russia should give up any actions of not only political, but also economic and information character, which aim to destabilise the situation in different regions of Ukraine and in the whole neighbouring state.

At the same time one can’t turn a blind eye on the fact that the realisation of this only reasonable tactics of Russia-Ukraine relations will always be under threat due to anti-European course of the Russian authorities.

In terms of culture and history Russia, Ukraine and Belarus belong to the European civilisation and the only orientation of their further development which really exists is the European one. The only way to keep its statehood for all of our countries is to follow the European course.

An attempt to follow the other direction is a departure from the natural historical development. The Ukrainian crisis and its tragic consequences are the first large-scale display of this departure and the direct result of the breach of the natural process of the historical development of the former USSR.

Therefore ceasing the chase after the “Eurasian” chimera and return to the European way of development is the first and foremost domestic policy task and its solution is extremely important for both the future of Russia and the neighbouring post-Soviet states, Ukraine in the first place.

Despite the authorities’ policies for retaining the power and reprisals against the opposition the most effective method of solving this task is the evolutionary process of peaceful transformation. The provocations which aim to destroy the governmental institutions don’t bring our goal closer, but hold it away.  YABLOKO consider all the political forces which follow the parliamentarism principles our allies.

Russia should become a modern powerful European state where one can stand up of their position and, at the same time, make a compromise where possible.

We believe that despite all hardships, the peoples of Russia and Ukraine will keep their historic and civilizational fraternity notwithstanding all their inevitable differences.