Power swap?

(Baonghean) - Temporary hospitals in Maidan, Ukraine are in a state of emergency, World Times reporters said when talking to Tarass Semoushchak, who is responsible for a field hospital set up just a few hundred meters from Independence Square, Kiev. In a white blouse, he looked tired but still listened attentively, guided and provided information to those who visited the hospital.

The religious icons, the peaceful statues of Saint Michel lining the shelves behind the doctor, seemed to calm the tense atmosphere. The emergency center had been set up since Tuesday in a small white church, located in the grounds of the golden-domed Saint-Michel monastery. But make no mistake, beneath the calm white robe that Semoushchak wore was a rebellious soul, no less violent than those with grenades strapped to their belts.

A volunteer is shot in the throat by snipers in Independence Square, Kiev on February 20.

The leaders of the rebels reached an agreement with President Viktor Yanukovych on Friday, February 21, which offered hope of a way out of the bloody crisis. But the Maidan crowd booed the signatories and demanded Yanukovych’s resignation. At least 77 people have died in the past three days, including a friend of Dr. Semoushchak. He has lost faith in the government’s promises since he saw gunshot wounds to the neck and head, leaving no chance of survival for the victims. In his ambulance, he volunteered to treat a wounded policeman. But if he were out there, in the crowd, “face to face, I would kill him.” In any case, from Friday onwards, there will be no police in the city.

On Thursday, temporary medical centers began to be reorganized, in case of renewed bloodshed. The protesters retook the October Palace from the Interior Ministry guards. For five days now they have occupied the conservatory hall, moving emergency posts from the partially burned-out trade union building to the upper floors of the monastery. By Friday, it was estimated that about 12 emergency posts had been set up around the Maidan. Each emergency post had only a few first aid tables, a few splints, cabinets and chairs with boxes of medicines and tablets that volunteers had brought during the day. Doctors and nurses were on duty in shifts, arriving from all over Ukraine in the past few days. Most of them were from the west, mainly Lviv, the opposition's second stronghold. The violence and bloodshed did not deter them, but they continued to arrive. Doctors from the provinces will return to their hospitals in the coming days. But many people plan to return to Kiev.

Marta and Ivan Khavounka finished their shifts at the October Palace shortly after the announcement of the deal. They were clearing up the debris left by the clashes, each wearing a metal helmet and body armor thick enough to withstand blows, and carrying a knife. Their 20-year-old son had given them the knives—knives distributed in a church. “I cried when I saw the first dead on TV,” Marta, 36, said. “I knew that the police had deployed snipers this week, but a massacre of this magnitude… I had absolutely no idea.” And next time? Marta hoped there wouldn’t be a next time. Another civilian, Oleg, hoped that Yanoukovitch “would resign himself.”

According to the latest information, the opposition has gained control of most positions of power in the government. President Yanukovych is in western Ukraine, at a meeting with pro-Russian regions. The new speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Olexandre Tourchinov, who is also the right-hand man of the opposition leader Yulia Timochenko, has said that the opposition’s goal is the return to “normal functioning of the state apparatus.” Rumors of the incumbent president’s departure began circulating on Friday evening, and confirmation of his departure from Kiev on Saturday morning added to the credibility of the rumors.

His whereabouts remain a mystery, and the presidential office and residence where he lives are no longer under the same strict security as before. Crowds of protesters have flocked to “see what conditions the president lives in.” In addition, there have been reports of a number of figures from the Yanukovych faction resigning for “health reasons.” The Ukrainian police have also expressed their support for the opposition, with a statement declaring that “the police are ready to serve the people and share their excitement about the changes that are coming…” This weekend is expected to see many important changes in Ukraine, including convincing parliamentarians to vote to dismiss the incumbent president.

It seems that a power swap will take place in Ukraine, will this be the way out of the long-lasting bloody crisis in this country? It is still unknown who will play the political role, how, but perhaps this is too much pain and loss for the Ukrainian people. Let's wait and pray for the Ukrainian people!

Ganoderma