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Excerpt from a dialogue with one of my friends from Kyiv, very sensible thoughts IMHO: I: Well, what's the general mood in your society in Dnipro? P: I can't speak for everyone, but in my circle, opinions are mixed; some support it, others don't care. I: It's bad that they don't care. There has never been such lawlessness. The police and bandits are acting together openly. This is a complete disaster. I: People are simply being kidnapped by the police and handed over to the bandits. Then they are found beaten or killed. How can one live like this? P: Well, this lawlessness has been going on for a long time, that's why people rebelled. I: My father is a colonel in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is already retired. I grew up and was proud that he was a policeman. But now, law enforcement officers are some kind of freaks. It's offensive. And they are still paid salaries from our taxes. What a mess... P: I've already gotten used to the fact that the current generation of police officers is 98% just not the same people anymore; I'm not at all surprised by what's happening. I: And how can one live in this country? As long as you don't step on anyone's toes, you won't be bothered, but if you cross someone, you're screwed. And why is this crap acceptable to the residents of Donbas? P: Because they were just pulled out of the mud; it's a subsidized region, what did you expect? They will tear it apart until the end. I: Yeah... They are all arguing with each other, proving that they are feeding the whole country. Ugh... Pathetic people... P: The main message for those who don't care is that they don't believe that anything will really change. P: They say that they will continue to steal, there will always be scoundrels, and in general, what kind of democracy is there if our destiny is a harsh authoritarianism, only that will bring order, and it's useless to prove anything, you won't prove anything, I'm tired. P: The proportion of undecided, apathetic people is very large in our country. I: The problem is not in the theft. Their golden toilets don't bother anyone. The problem is that they wanted to abolish the principle of the change of power. Like, they elected the people from Donetsk, and that's it - it's forever. P: Yes, we have many problems. Not everyone sees and understands them. I: Everything else can be solved. The change of power is the most important thing! And if the power comes to stay forever, it will relax, become complacent, and become unaccountable. Then everyone is screwed. I: The last elections are indicative. It doesn't matter how people vote - it matters how they count. The courts are controlled. There are no legal ways. The vote in the Rada on January 16 shows that you can pass anything you want, and there are no legal ways to change anything. That's why the only ways to change anything are illegal. P: But wasn't it the same before? I: Of course, it wasn't. There were abuses of power at the local level, but not on such a scale. Before, the courts and the police were much more honest. There wasn't such a strong merger of power and crime. Where have you seen police protecting criminals who beat and rob ordinary people? P: Whoever has more power wins the elections. When Yushchenko won after the unrest, it just meant that power was not sufficiently usurped by one side. Yanukovych played better, IMHO. I: You're right that power wasn't usurped before. Now, the chances of a legitimate change of power are zero. P: It became obvious to me right after the elections. None of my circle voted for him, but he won. How is that possible? I: I repeat: the most important principle of a normal country - the change of power - has been violated. Otherwise, we will turn into Turkmenistan. And for hundreds of years, the Yanukovychs will be in power, they will pass power on by inheritance. That's why all sensible and forward-thinking people are fed up with this. Except for Donbas! P: Well, it's the same in Russia and Belarus. P: Why can't it be the same with us? Ordinary people don't even worry about it. I: Don't confuse. It's a different picture. Russia is very diverse. There are many nationalities and mental differences. They cannot act as a united front. Only the Caucasus is united. But there is a war there. Belarus is also different. 70% of the people love Batka, but 70% of us hate Batya. Lukashenko was a former collective farm worker and turned Belarus into a big collective farm. And our president is a thug and turned Ukraine into a zone. I: Russia has driven the struggle for power underground. Hence, the terrorist attacks. Why do we need this? I: I'm just saying that we have a different situation. The main thing is not to be passive. They will disperse hundreds of times, arrest thousands, but they will not be able to cope with tens of thousands. The main thing is not to be indifferent and apathetic, and to think that you will be spared.

Added 8 minutes ago

What was it like before? A hundred years ago? Yes, there was trust. In Europe, they accepted tsarist rubles for payment. They no longer accepted Soviet tens, but they could be exchanged. Which was also not bad. But now, Ukrainian hryvnias cannot be exchanged even in Russia. I hope the trend is clear.

I'm sorry, but we're speaking different languages. It has always been difficult to sell hryvnias in Russia, not just now during the Maidan. I don't understand what tsarist rubles have to do with trust in the hryvnia before and after the Maidan? You are discussing the tip of the iceberg, while all the problems are deeper and wider. According to your logic, you can safely say that Gorbachev is to blame for the collapse of the USSR, etc. Let's not waste time. Thank you.