‘Venezuela gets its Maidan’: Ukrainian minister makes connection between regime change ops

The current attempt to depose the president of Venezuela is similar to the toppling of the Ukrainian leader in 2014. Or at least that’s the view of the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin.

In 2014, Ukraine’s elected President Viktor Yanukovich was forced to flee the country after months of mass protests in the capital Kiev. The opposition, publicly supported by Western dignitaries like late US Senator John McCain, seized power, declared the president illegitimate and sent the army to suppress rebellion in the east, where Yanukovich had his power base.

Ukraine's former President Yanukovich © Reuters / REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

According to Pavlo Klimkin, the current foreign minister for Kiev, those events, dubbed the Maidan protest after the Ukrainian word for ‘square’, are similar to what is happening now in Venezuela, where an opposition leader declared the incumbent president an “usurper” and himself the legitimate leader of the nation. All with vocal support from Washington, which threatened to intervene militarily, if the Venezuelan government tries to use force against the opposition.

“The fight of the Venezuelans is in some regards reminding of the drive we had during the Maidan. We have to support the spirit of freedom and justice and those, who are defending their right for a free future,” the minister tweeted.

Well, Klimkin may not have the reputation of the smartest cookie in the jar, but one can’t deny he is quite right this time. There are plenty of similarities.

For instance, the opposition in Venezuela wants the country to realign politically with Washington. This will result in the lifting of US sanctions against the country, open its economy for foreign investment, and trigger a rapid growth that would benefit the common people.

Similar promises were made by the Ukrainian opposition, who managed to get people to the streets by accusing the president of standing between Ukrainians and integration with the European Union. Maidan was standing for European wages and pensions, European quality of healthcare and legal job opportunities in European countries, as much as for domestic political rights.

Five years on, the promises are yet to materialize, but at least Ukrainian guest workers can now pose as tourists when they go to Poland to work illegally.

Here is another similarity. Western media really don’t like mentioning that the opposition forces in both countries are engaged in acts of despicable violence. Like burning a man alive because since he has dark skin he must be a government supporter. Or – allegedly – shooting random people in the streets to reignite clashes between protesters and security forces in Kiev.

The crisis in Ukraine hurt Russia and benefitted the West. The crisis in Venezuela is likely to do the same (though in this case China arguably has more to lose). In both countries far-right groups and politicians are getting a boost in influence and power.

There are obviously differences too. Venezuelan people, for example, suffered for years from economic hardship, partially stemming from US sanctions, while Ukraine under Yanukovich was in a relatively good economic shape. Venezuela’s crisis is not only about geopolitical alliances but also about ideology, unlike Ukraine’s. And Barack Obama didn’t threaten to send in US troops, which is on the table for Donald Trump.

But one can safely assume, that Venezuelans, who wish to topple the government now, will find someone to blame when the outcome fails to meet their expectations, just like in Ukraine.

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