Semen Semenchenko: We have no right to remain spectators

The commander of the Donbas battalion explains why battalion members run in the election.

Semen Semenchenko writes it on his Facebook page.

“The strange truce goes on,” he notes. “The situation makes us define our position on the election. Being a native of the Donbas region and the commander of Donbas battalion, I am sure we have no right to remain just spectators. We must become participants. In May, Donbas battalion, which was a guerrilla unit at that time, secured the right of citizens to vote at the presidential election in the districts liberated from separatists. We guarded polling stations to prevent provocations and acts of terrorism.

The situation is more difficult now. The remains of local regional mafia and terrorists do their best for enemies of Ukraine, Ukraine as we understand it, to be elected to the Verkhovna Rada, also in the Ukrainian part of Donbas. They will bribe, intimidate and stuff ballot boxes at the barrel of a gun. We should prevent it.

Donbas battalion is ready to support the candidates, whom society trusts and shares their values, who are ready to unite their efforts with other members of the Verkhovna Rada.

We should make the Parliament. We are ready to join our efforts with those wanting honest elections,” Semen Semenchenko writes. “Donbas battalion will propose candidates in majority constituencies. They are patriots who know how to use both a rifle and words, who achieved something in civil life. Donbas battalion is entire Ukraine. All parts. Lviv, Rivne, Simferopol, Donetsk, Lisichansk and Kyiv. If voters from other regions want to nominate a fighter of Donbas battalion, who was born in their region, we are ready to support them. Write us and we will help.

Three fighters of Donbas battalion are on the list Samopomich party with the Reanimation Package of Reforms, Lustration Committee and Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi. Why? Because they like the team, because Lviv, Donetsk and Luhansk should be together and unite the country. Entire Ukraine suffers when they pit us against one another telling us about Bandera supporters and bandits from the Donbas region. We are being robbed, and it ends with DNR and LNR. This team has a clear understanding of further actions and laws. Lustration is inevitable if we want to have a good future for Ukraine.

I think we'll discuss the issue in the battalion and send about 20 our members to majority constituencies. Let me give you an example. A fighter with the nickname Usach. He was a worker and became the director of a small plant. We proposed him to be a candidate. He asked with whom and we said 'with our guys'. He said he didn't have money, but I think he won't need it to be elected. We are ready to defend the result. All together.”

The commander of Donbas battalion said the first meeting of the Ukrainian Military Organisation is due to be held in Kyiv on September 14.