Revenge of pro-Russian forces: what is behind Boyko’s statements and why does he need Tik-Tok?
16 December 2024 20:31
He registered on Tik-Tok and promotes propaganda narratives. The former co-chair of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, banned in 2022, and now the head of the Platform for Life and Peace parliamentary group, Yuriy Boyko, published his first post online in late November and immediately started with the heavy artillery of propaganda – the language issue. He accused unnamed “radicals” of forbidding people in Ukraine to speak their native language, go to the church they want, demolish monuments and rename cities. What is the opposition up to today?
Has the election campaign really started and are there any chances that Ukrainians will be loyal to the “fifth column” in the third year of a full-scale war – [Kommersant] looked into this.
The language issue, criticism of a number of bills, a review of rising food prices, promises to help IDPs and restore the economy. These are the kinds of videos launched by opposition politician Yuriy Boyko. It is obvious that a large team is working on the content: we can see the selection of hot topics that can split society, the work of the editing director, who does not neglect the disturbing music of the videos, and the administrators of the Tik-Tok page. After a flurry of negative comments, each subsequent one must be approved by the author.
“This movement continues, violence against people continues. That is why more and more people support us – those who oppose such violence, for unity in the country, for supporting people,” Boyko says in one of the videos.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, responded. He says that it is quite strange to hear Yuriy Boyko in 2024 talking about “radicals”, some “language bans”, theses about the church, which are usually spread by Russians, and violence against people without mentioning Russia.”
“I want to remind Boyko that the only people who commit violence against Ukrainians are Russians. with “Shaheds”, missiles, ammunition, soldiers. They are destroying entire cities. And it would be very useful if the MP (if, of course, he works in the interests of Ukraine) would constantly remind us of this in public. However, we see something else. And this is frankly, to put it mildly, outrageous,” Kovalenko wrote in a telegram.
Pro-Russian narratives and the political game in Ukraine
In the context of the election race and the political activation of pro-Russian forces, expert Dmytro Snegirev, co-chair of the civil initiative “Pravova Sprava,” shed light on dangerous trends in the Ukrainian political space.
One of the examples cited by the expert was the statement by a representative of the regional military-civilian administration that a priest of the Moscow Church with an icon allegedly stopped a Russian landing operation in Odesa in 2022. Snegiryov called this an example of outright absurdity and the dangerous use of religious and propaganda manipulations for political purposes.
“It turns out that it is not the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but Moscow priests who are able to influence the elements, preventing the landing. This is a signal from the fifth column, which is trying to rewrite reality,” emphasized Snegiryov.
Rebranding of pro-Russian parties
Snegiryov also drew attention to the activities of former members of the OPFL, who, despite the formal ban, have rebranded themselves and continue to operate under other political banners. According to him, such political statements have a clear goal – to mobilize the pro-Russian electorate and influence public sentiment.
“This is not just the opinion of an individual politician. It is a signal to his electorate and party base that a new political course may come after possible changes in international politics, such as Trump’s inauguration,” noted Snegiryov.
According to Snegiryov, pro-Russian political forces are taking advantage of the most sensitive issues in Ukrainian society to strengthen their positions. Even after ten years of war with Russia, part of society remains vulnerable to such narratives.
“Despite the loss of the electoral base in the occupied territories, there is a significant demand among IDPs and supporters of the pro-Russian course. This poses a risk to the stability of Ukraine’s political system,” noted Snegiryov.
Attempts by the authorities to take control of the pro-Russian political sector may result in serious problems. According to Mr. Snegiryov, such actions could create a “pocket opposition” that could get out of control and lead to a political crisis under certain circumstances.
All these trends point to the need for consolidation of Ukrainian society in the face of the threat of political revenge by pro-Russian forces, which can use international and domestic factors to realize their goals, Snegiryov summarized.
Public reaction
The statements made by Yuriy Boyko, the former leader of the banned OPFL, in the public space provoked a sharp public reaction. Politicians, experts, veterans, and activists expressed their indignation, pointing to the danger of reviving pro-Russian political projects in Ukraine. In particular, Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the European Solidarity party, even demanded that Boyko be expelled from parliament.
Political expert Andriy Smoliy noted on his Facebook page:
“All the Moscow scum have started to come out and produce Kremlin manuals. Why aren’t racists like Boyko in jail? Their crimes are ignored. We will once again strive to bring to power those who destroyed Ukraine from within,” Smoliy writes.
Vitaliy Shabunin, chairman of the board of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, also reacted to the attempt of Russian revenge in the person of Boyko.
“Boyko is free only because EIGHT post-Maidan prosecutors general failed to imprison him for the “Boyko towers”. […] Russian agents have always used incompetent and greedy “law enforcement officers” – Vitaliy Shabunin
Boryslav Bereza, MP of the VIII convocation, emphasized the political implications of Boyko’s statements. He is sure that this is the start of a new political project for the elections.
“The old Kremlin theses about radicals, language and monuments are being voiced again. […] Most likely, this is the beginning of a project that will look like a coalition in the Verkhovna Rada in the future under the conditional name “For Reconciliation.” And this is guaranteed to happen only with the support of the OP,” Bereza writes.
Oleh Symoroz, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, accused the government of incompetence. He says that the fact that people like Boyko continue to make public anti-Ukrainian calls is the direct responsibility of President Zelensky and the SBU.
“I have a direct question to Mr. Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces – President Zelensky – what are you trying to achieve? Do you expect us to look like savages committing lynching in front of the whole world? Or maybe you expect thousands of soldiers who lost their brothers and sisters because of these scum to watch them again climb into the Ukrainian parliament to poison the population’s brain? Well, well…” – writes Symoroz
Political strategist Oleh Posternak noted that while Arestovych is enjoying his philosophical thoughts somewhere in forced exile, the party of the “former” is coming into play, which is already salivating over the undeveloped and irritated electorate of the south and east. And he described Boyko’s future strategy.
“His goal is 6-7% in the elections, appealing to the electorate in the east and south. Boyko is playing the role of a “simple man” for the Russian-speaking population45 , using manipulations with issues of culture, monuments and language,” Posternak writes.
Aleksey Arestovich allowed himself a sarcastic comment on Boyko’s statement:
“I condemn radicals who prevent people from praying, speaking Russian and protecting monuments. The truth is that this simply does not exist in Ukraine,” Arestovych wrote on his Facebook page.
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk did not stand aside:
“We cannot talk about the ban on going to church without mentioning the more than 500 churches destroyed by racists. We cannot discuss monuments without mentioning the mutilated head of Shevchenko in Borodyanka. And most importantly, the only culprit for this is Putin,” Ruslan Stefanchuk
Will there be a reaction from the special services?
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, promised to deal with the activities of collaborating politicians. At least this is what the commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, Dmytro Yarosh, wrote on his Facebook page.
The public reaction to Yuriy Boyko’s statements indicates the danger of the revival of pro-Russian political forces. Despite the legal ban on the OPFL, its ideologues continue to influence the information space and try to mobilize the pro-Russian electorate. The public demands that the authorities take decisive action to protect national interests. At the same time, the sharp reaction to the emergence of a new political project demonstrates the consciousness of Ukrainians and their unwillingness to tolerate the emergence of a “fifth column” in Ukraine.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
