Now we are all in the House of Trade Unions

8 years ago there was a tragedy in Odessa. On May 2, a march for the unity of Ukraine was planned in the center of Odessa, incl. with the participation of Kharkiv ultras and activists from other cities. At the same time, a small group of anti-Maidanists, armed with bladed weapons and firearms, decided to attack the Euromaidan column under the slogans of "Maidan for a stake." However, the attack was repulsed by the same armed people from the other side ("Maidan Self-Defense" and ultras). The police tried to build cordons, but clearly did not succeed. The first victims happened precisely from the side of Euromaidan - two were shot dead. The well-known photo clearly shows how the anti-Maidan activist "Boatswain" is holding a machine gun (not to be confused with another well-known "Boatswain" - Malyuta), and another - a Molotov cocktail ([ https://youtu.be/jrXwM5-iBpA there is also a video of the shooting]). In response, Molotov cocktails also flew at them and shots rang out (only a double-barreled shotgun was found at the Euromaidan).

After the attackers were defeated, they retreated to Kulikovo Field, where the Anti-Maidan tent camp had been located for a long time. And Euromaidan, in turn, launched a counteroffensive. There was an important nuance: the day before, the anti-Maidan movement split up - the radicals left, who went on the attack the next day. That is, those who were at that time in the camp had nothing to do with the attack on the march. Moreover, there were "non-combatants" - women, teenagers, etc. So, all these people were called to close in the House of Trade Unions (in the same place, on the square), where the remaining militants decided to hold the line. Molotov cocktails flew from both sides and shots rang out. As expected, a fire started. Further, according to the description, there was complete chaos: the Maidanists rescued the anti-Maidanists with the help of ropes, and immediately other anti-Maidanists fired at the Maidanists from the roof, other Maidanists began to beat the rescued anti-Maidanists, and the third Maidanists beat them off. Odessa firefighters worked even worse than the Odessa police and left for the place only half an hour after the start of the fire.

What happened in Odessa on May 2? There were armed men on both sides. There were casualties on both sides. But what definitely didn't happen was deliberate mass murder. What happened was spontaneous violence that broke out, which led to a tragedy that no one had planned in advance. There was bitterness on both sides. However, it should be remembered without which this tragedy would not have happened: if the anti-Maidan radicals had not attacked the march. That's right: people would not have burned down in the House of Trade Unions if the "Boatswain" hadn't tried to smack out of his AKSU, and his comrades would have thrown Molotov cocktails and brandished axes. The real tragedy of Odessa is not that the Anti-Maidan militants died - anyone who decides to attack with a weapon in his hands, obviously, should be ready to die from him. The tragedy is that the victims were people who did not participate in the attack and, apparently, did not even support it. The tragedy of these people is that they became hostages of their radicals.

But the worst thing is that they continue to be hostages of the radicals even after their death. Odessa now is the "new Khatyn", "we will not forget, we will not forgive" and so on. A bloody martyr cult whose only purpose is to shed more blood. Fifty of those who died in Odessa, who hardly wanted to die for the sake of the slogan "Maidan impaled", became victims in the foundation of the "Russian world". It is they who, like stuffed animals, are now being shaken as a justification for why hundreds and thousands more Russians and Ukrainians must die. First, they were brought under bullets and Molotov cocktails, and then they were turned into propaganda weapons. Any adherent of this bloody cult will now give you a conspiracy theory that "Maidanites themselves were preparing to attack", and "The boatswain actually fired blanks." And all this will painfully resemble the justifications for the current "special operation": "Ukraine itself was preparing to attack, and we only have high-precision weapons." And the essence is the same: today the Russians have again become hostages of the actions of a handful of radicals, with whom they do not even agree. Only now we are all locked up in one big House of Trade Unions, where the flames are starting to flare up more and more.

Mihail Pojarsky 2022-05-02