Vyacheslav Ponomarev: the 'people's mayor' who runs Slavyansk (Ukraine)

[Tommy_Carcetti]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/25/vyacheslav-ponomarev-slavyansk-mayor-ukraine

Vyacheslav Ponomarev: the 'people's mayor' who runs Slavyansk

Public face and apparent leader of pro-Russian separatists in city was previously little-known even in the area
Alec Luhn
The Guardian, Thursday 24 April 2014

The day after pro-Russian armed men seized government buildings in Slavyansk, a man in a black cap appeared on the barricades protesters had erected and announced that mayor Nelya Shtepa had "fucked off" and that he, Vyacheslav Ponomarev would now be running the city.

When citizens asked him who he was, he said, "Quiet!" and continued with his impromptu speech.

Previously little-known even in Slavyansk, the self-appointed "people's mayor" said he had served in the Soviet army in a "special operations unit" of the Arctic-based northern fleet and now owned a soap factory. He has become the public face and apparent leader of the pro-Russian militia and protesters who remain ensconced in official buildings.

Soon after he assumed office, Ponomarev called on Vladimir Putin to send in peacekeeping troops, and later asked him to supply weapons.

Ponomarev's men also captured Ukrainian reporter Irma Krat and Simon Ostrovsky, a reporter for Vice News. "We need a bargaining chip," he said. Both were later released.
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Funny. All the folks who wouldn't stop about how the Ukrainian interim government (comprised of elected members of Parliament) was "illegitimate" and "coup imposed" are pretty quiet when it comes to people such as Vyacheslav Ponomarev.

[The Magistrate]

1. So He Says Himself He Is A Special Ops Fella, Sir?

Some things no one really ever retires from....

"Once in, never out."

[EmilyAnne]

2. This is the man who said he'd "personally put a bullet" in the head of a "faggot."

Just a truly lovely man.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. A hero of the anti-fascist movement!

[GeorgeGist]

4. Putin's gonna have his own Tea Party.

He deserves it.

[Igel]

5. What "gonna."

Read up on the ONF, translated as something like the "All-People's Front" or some such gibberish. "All-Russian popular front". Basically calls for a few things.

Russian victory. Period. Whatever it takes, wherever it is.

Russian cultural imperialism and supremacy. This includes the language. A union of all Russians, with an "international" branch. They're the ones that do a lot of the "opinion surveys" and are a kind of think tank. They were also founded by Putin and aim to be an organization that includes and coordinates all "right thinking" political parties--including Putin's.

It's opposed to the weak, effeminate West that seeks to weaken Russia and destroy its youth by means of a 5th column of culture and political norms that are at odds with Russia.

If you want a conspiracy, here it is. It wasn't very popular until recently--only founded about a year ago, and increasingly organized and institutionalized by 12/13. It's become a frequent feature on prominent stories by pro-Putin or non-anti-Putin papers and is becoming more popular as the jingoistic fervor Putin likes so much is whipped up.

Let's see ... a politico-economic union rooted in a cooperative basis between state and corporations (with power ultimately shifting to the state), based upon race and culture, exalting the ethnicity and state above any opposition or minority groups and focusing on military and economic power.

Yup. It can only mean that the Right Sector are the only fascists around. /sarcasm

It's not easy to find a lot of information about them. They're new. Most of what's available is ultimately from them and their supporters. Much of the negative info that's been gathered is by opponents and sometimes with gaps or not utterly reliable. Wiki has some stuff in English; Wiki in Russian has a lot more, including info about the international branch and the allied "Eurasian front".