Discord Committee: civil protest or successful provocation?
Gordian knot
The situation in the coal industry in LDNR from the very beginning has been an example of the traditionally crazy management style inherent in Ukraine. While Alexander Zakharchenko (deceased) and the head of the LPR, Igor Plotnitsky, were in power, the coal mined went to Ukraine, workers received wages in hryvnias, and enterprises paid taxes to the Ukrainian budget. Then they introduced the so-called nationalization: at the direction of the curators, they took the mining industry from the Ukrainians and local people and gave it to the fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Sergey Kurchenko, who, as befits the Ukrainian oligarch, immediately engaged in the robbery of the republics. With difficulty, Lugansk and Donetsk pulled coal from Kurchenko’s clutches, but due to their incredible managerial qualities they now run the risk of bringing the situation to even greater insanity. At least, unprofitable mines are already closing down in LNR, miners are on strike in the LNR, and well-known and unknown provocateurs, to the delight of Kiev, are engaged in sublimating protest vapors.
It’s necessary to get rid of unprofitable mines, there’s nowhere to go. The same Nikanor-Novaya scandalized by the miners' revolt is explosive, difficult to develop, and scarce in reserves. Nevertheless, the LPR authorities, at least, have implemented their project of employing vacant workers. But with the payment of salary debts accumulated by Vneshtorgservice CJSC, there were problems (we are talking about billions of rubles), and in order to establish the work of the state unitary enterprise created in exchange for VTS, the miners were cut wages. As a result, there are already two protests underground and no guarantees that there will be no new ones.
Unprecedented scope
The striking miners got their hard earned money, however, the planned events, large-scale media support and other signs attracted the attention of the LGB MGB. As a result, today the network is actively discussing the alleged arrests in Anthracite, during which, according to reports, one of the organizers of the protest was called in for a conversation, and someone remained on it to this day. It is not yet possible to find out exact numbers, facts, surnames, etc.: the number of provocative posts on social networks and outright manipulations of information is off the scale.
Of course, there is nothing surprising in such a development. Moreover, the miners' strike in Anthracite was accompanied by unique events: the Vodafon Ukrainian connection was disconnected in the LPR, access to VKontakte and a number of Russian sites completely loyal to LPR were disconnected, and a second quarantine was suddenly introduced in the city itself. In general, it was immediately clear: something was happening. Yes, and it would be surprising if it did not happen: frankly provocative leaflets appeared in the LPR cities, social networks were teeming with revolutionary calls and even appeals (supposedly on behalf of some mining committee) to Ukraine with a call for help. Which is incomprehensible.
In fairness, it is worth noting that the miners initially acted rather recklessly: having two-month wage arrears, they usually expel union leaders and go to the prosecutor’s office, turn to the authorities, the media, etc., rather than immediately go underground to organize obscure strikes committees.
Whose prodest?
Committees are growing in LDNR like mushrooms, starting in November 2019. At first, the wives of the miners tried to organize them, but then the ex-Minister of Transport of the DPR, Alexander Vaskovsky, who was one of the Russian neo-Trotsky dwarf parties, expelled from the republics, seized the initiative in 2014. Suddenly imbued with love for the miners, he immediately took the initiative and began to write petitions and angry articles on behalf of the miners' wives, according to which it was immediately clear that in the mining business Vaskovsky understands approximately as much as in Sanskrit. Apparently, the revolutionary participated in the events in Anthracite.
Another “committee”, even more anonymous than Vaskovsky’s, is now scribbling dispatches either to Moscow or to Kiev, with calls to "help", "sort it out", etc. True, without concrete proposals (and where do they come from) . Another strange movement takes place in social networks, where they require the immediate release of the miners arrested in Anthracite, the number of which, depending on the degree of sanity of the public, is higher or lower, and the torture applied to them either becomes unbearable or disappears altogether.
Looking at this bedlam, you understand why Ukrainian mobile communication does not work. The only question is, why did they turn off VKontakte? After all, even a child knows how to get there bypassing the lock.
Miners feel sorry
In this whole situation, it is first of all a pity for the miners who suddenly decided to assert their rights by such serious methods and in such a dangerous company. Alexander Vaskovsky sends his revolutionary calls from St. Petersburg, most of the other “committee members” most likely, as always, work from Ukraine. But there are certainly real miners who have heard enough of enterprising agitators and have done stupid things. And what will happen to them next is unknown, although it can be assumed that the case may well end in real terms.
On the whole, in the situation, the LPR authorities and the miners themselves suffered damage, which, most likely, will recall their revolutionary outbursts. Now the main question is how to establish interaction and begin to work for the common good. If only the parties had enough for this mind and patience.
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