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Ukraine explained: a nonviolent victory

Peter Ackerman, Maciej Bartkowski, and ack !u"all, # March $%&' !ramatic words or (iolent acts were not how the )krainian people ousted an authoritarian leader and his cronies. *i(il resistance shredded the le+itimacy o, a repressi(e and corrupt +o(ernment. -he non(iolent mo(ement dissol(ed the consent o, the people and the loyalty o, re+ime de,enders on which "ictor .anuko(ych depended. ////////////////////////////////////// About the authors ack !u"all is the President o, the 0nternational *enter on 1on(iolent *on,lict. 2e was the 34ecuti(e Producer o, the two5part 3mmy5nominated PB6 tele(ision series, 7A 8orce More Power,ul 9 and co5author o, the companion book o, the same name (Pal+ra(e/6t. Martin:s Press $%%&). Maciej Bartkowski is Adjunct Pro,essor at ohns 2opkins )ni(ersity, ;rie+er 6chool o, Arts and 6ciences, and his edited book <eco(erin+ 1on(iolent 2istory. *i(il <esistance in =iberation 6tru++les, was published by =ynne <ienner Publishers in $%&#. Peter Ackerman is one o, the world:s leadin+ authorities on non(iolent con,lict. 2e holds a Ph! ,rom -he 8letcher 6chool, -u,ts )ni(ersity, and he is co5author o, two seminal books on non(iolent resistance, A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict (Pal+ra(e/6t. Martin>s Press, $%%&) and Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: The Dynamics of People Power in the Twentieth Century (Prae+er, &??'). ______________________________________

@n 8ebruary $A, Reuters News declared that 7a $B5year5old who learned combat skills in the army cadets may be recorded as the man who made up "iktor .anuko(ich>s mind to cut and run.9 -he youn+ man had taken the microphone at a rally in ;yi(, denounced )krainian politicians ,or shakin+ hands 7with this killer,9 when they si+ned a deal with .anuko(ych earlier that day, and demanded that 7tomorrow, by &% o:clock, he has to be +one9 5 which some took to be a death threat. As always, the news media were en+or+ed with scenes o, barricades and burnin+ tyres. But while (iolence was eye candy ,or the tele(ision networks, it was the e4ception and not the rule in the CC5day stru++le that placed )kraine back on the road to +enuine democracy. 8rom the start o, the protests in ;yi( on 1o(ember $', $%&# until the day .anuko(ych ,led the capital on 8ebruary
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$&, $%&', )krainians were continually usin+ an impressi(e array o, non(iolent tactics that brou+ht the +o(ernment to its knees.

Protesters discuss current affairs in the Maidan, Kiev. Demotix/Maxim Golubchikov. All rights reserved.

The Maidan -hree days a,ter the +o(ernment announced on 1o(ember $& that it was cancellin+ a pendin+ a+reement ,or the nation to become a,,iliated to the 3uropean )nion D pro(okin+ a hu+e public backlash D &%%,%%% )krainians marched across ;yi( carryin+ 3uropean ,la+s, and a mass occupation o, 7the Maidan,9 the central sEuare in the capital city, commenced. -he 7maidan,9 as the nonstop protest was itsel, called, consisted o, se(eral thousand re+ular campers and tens and then hundreds o, thousands o, standin+ and sittin+ ci(ilians who joined it ,or major demonstrations or on the weekends. !urin+ three months o, resistance, )krainians created a +enuinely deliberati(e and sel,5or+aniFed political community in the open winter air. -he @pen )ni(ersity o, Maidan o,,ered hundreds o, lectures and discussion ,orums throu+hout the occupation in order to in,orm and educate people. =awyers launched the initiati(e 73uromaidan 6@69 that e4tended le+al and ,inancial aid to detained acti(ists. Many people came and o,,ered money, ,ood, clothes, blankets and tents. Medical ,acilities 5 some with eEuipment that local hospitals could en(y 5 and ,ood kitchens with hundreds o, (olunteers spran+ up across the site. Music was heard o,ten on the Maidan. @ne o, the son+s 7"itya *iao9 (or Goodbye "ictor, a clear re,erence to "ictor .anuko(ych) was posted on .ou-ube at the be+innin+ o, !ecember, went (iral and +athered close to one million (iews. 0n ;yi( hundreds o, people would stop to sin+ the national anthem, which was also repeatedly heard on the Maidan. 2andicapped protesters went on the streets and online with si+ns that read, 7Are you +oin+ to shoot us tooH9 in re,erence to the police (iolence that led to the death o, acti(ists in anuary.
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Maidan was a beacon, but its li+ht was re,lected by many others elsewhere in the country. By the end o, anuary, the protests had appeared in a number o, cities e(en in the eastern part o, the country. -hey attracted students, intellectuals, pro,essionals, workin+ class people, atheists, *atholics, @rthodo4 *hristians, and ews. !n "#essa in the south $the city that was consi#ere# a %anu&ovych stronghol#'( there were a num)er of #emonstrations( inclu#ing one in which thousan#s of people carrie# a flag of *&raine that was half a &ilometre long+ Accor#ing to the ,,C( -!n the north eastern city of Sumy( protesters occupie# the city.s council )uil#ing an# an MP for the opposition Fatherlan# party/assume# the lea#ership of the council+0 The -falling 1enin0 campaign( which sym)oli2e# the en# of an out#ate# ruler( spanne# the entire country+ As the occupation became a ,act o, daily li,e and the centre o, re,erence ,or opposition to a president who had plainly lost public ,aith, resisters ,urther broadened their tactics. A boycott was be+un o, products and companiesowned by or known to ha(e close business ties to the oli+archs who supported .anuko(ych and members o, the parliament ,rom his political party. -he or+aniFers tar+eted more than $%% businesses all o(er )kraine includin+ banks, restaurants, hotels, shoppin+ malls, car dealerships, online and print media, alcohol products, and dairy companies. 6ome companies repacka+ed their products without brand names, to try to lure back buyers. -he main boycott:s 8acebook +roup had more than AI,%%% members. -he stru++le Euickly transcended the ori+inal issue D .anuko(ych:s rejection o, 3urope D that had initially an+ered the public. 0t was not primarily ,ramed by ri(alry between the east and west o, the country, but by whether )kraine would be open and pro+ressi(e, or a relati(ely closed and corrupt domain run ,or the bene,it o, a sel,5ser(in+ elite. 0n ,act, the initial +oal o, the protesters to pressure .anuko(ych into si+nin+ the association a+reement with the 3) represented a pro,ound rejection o, a ,uture in which the country seemed headed ,or sta+nation. 0t is not uncommon ,or mass non(iolent mo(ements to pro(oke the public to re5e4amine their (ery identity, and it happened this winter in )kraine.

Protestors in the Maidan. Photo: Alex Ko achenko. All rights reserved.

Repression and backfire 0n the early mornin+ o, 1o(ember #%, police o,,icers swin+in+ truncheons and sprayin+ tear +as cleared out the Maidan. 8urious at the brutality, thousands more poured into the sEuare callin+ ,or .anuko(ych:s resi+nation. 0n broachin+ the use o, (iolence, the +o(ernment soon ,ound that that would only Euicken the mo(ement, because ordinary people were disturbed by seein+ people just like themsel(es bein+ beaten up without ha(in+ posed any physical threat. -he state:s (iolence was automatically disproportionate to anythin+ they ,aced, so lon+ as the people:s tactics were always non(iolent. -he muscle o, the de(elopin+ mo(ement became ob(ious on !ecember &' when two lar+e but di,,erent masses o, people occupied public sEuares less than a Euarter o, a mile apart in ;yi(. @ne was the mammoth anti5+o(ernment assembly that had staked its +round the month be,ore, and the other was a smaller rally in support o, the embattled president. @ne was becomin+ a mo(ement, and the other was not. @n anuary &B, the +o(ernment du+ its e(entual +ra(e a little deeper. -he )kraine parliament passed sweepin+ anti5protest laws, which included hea(y ,ines on those who set up tents, sta+es or ampli,iers on public property. -hree days later, with con,rontations between protesters and police becomin+ more ,reEuent, the ,irst Moloto( cocktails were thrown and a police truck was set on ,ire. 6ome o, the perpetrators were youn+ radical acti(ists ,rom the <i+ht 6ector. -hree days a,ter that, the ,irst protesters died ,rom the use o, li(e ammunition. Becomin+ uneasy about how all this would end, the parliament repealed the anti5protest laws, and .anuko(ych dismissed his prime minister. But only three days later, a protest leader was kidnapped and tortured. 6el,5 +enerated (iolence was comin+ ,rom +roups on both sides. Jhile the risin+ (iolence diminished ci(ilian participation in protests D a common occurrence in predominantly non(iolent stru++les D it still +enerated 7back,ire9 a+ainst the .anuko(ych re+ime. 2i+hly mechaniFed di(isions o, interior security troops +oin+ a+ainst radical5,lank
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acti(ists eEuipped with medie(al5era weaponry were still seen as usin+ e4cessi(e ,orce. 0n ,act, most i, not all the protesters who were shot and killed or beaten to death durin+ the con,lict in )kraine had no lethal weapons. -he number o, casualties in the mo(ement was more than ten times hi+her than that o, the police. *i(ilians: use o, social media ensured that (ideos were widely seen, showin+ the killin+s o, protesters who were eEuipped only with shields easily pierced by li(e ammunition. Public outra+e about shootin+s o, unarmed demonstrators +rew with each incident. <emarkably, in the midst o, this turmoil, non(iolent resistance became more ima+inati(e. @n 8ebruary $%5$&, people placed themsel(es on railway tracks and blocked a train with A%% interior security troops headed to ;yi(. -he troops were ,orced to disembark and ,orced to return to the barracks, ne(er reachin+ their ori+inal destination. People in other cities and towns alon+ the major hi+hway in )kraine set up blockades and stopped buses carryin+ +o(ernment5paid thu+s (titush&i), pre(entin+ hundreds o, them ,rom reachin+ the capital. 6ome ta4i dri(ers in ;yi( were known to o,,er a pick5up ,or unsuspectin+ +roups o, thu+s that came ,rom outside o, ;yi( only to ,ind themsel(es dri(en ri+ht into the center o, the Maidan and handed o(er to the ci(il resisters. <esidents also set up nei+hbourhood watch +roups in order to neutraliFe and contain the thu+s. Jith a militant spirit in the air, protesters resorted to more disrupti(e but still non(iolent actions by seiFin+ and occupyin+ +o(ernment buildin+s in ;yi( and elsewhere in the re+ions. -his tactic pro(ed to be troublesome ,or the authorities because it was di,,icult to recapture the buildin+s that became well5barricaded without committin+ si+ni,icant manpower. At the same time, the occupation o, central +o(ernment buildin+s by acti(ists was sendin+ a power,ul messa+e that the +o(ernment was losin+ control. Perceptions can sometimes precipitate reality. -he automai#an or the )krainian car mo(ement that at its peak consisted o, more than &,%%% cars, aided communications, (iolence pre(ention and de5radicaliFation. 0t o,ten ser(ed as the ears and eyes o, the Maidan, to learn about the mo(ement o, security ,orces and +o(ernment thu+s. 0t was used a number o, times to block the entrances to the sites o, the interior security ,orces that hindered the latter:s deployment. 0t led the blockade o, the presidential residence in MeFhyhirya, just outside o, ;yi( which +reatly upset .anuko(ych. 0t also protected hospitals where wounded acti(ists were taken ,or treatment a+ainst police and thu+s. And it patrolled the capital and other cities to block maraudin+ titush&a, brin+in+ them to the Maidan where they were publically re5educated, shamed and e(entually released with the promise that they would return home D which most o, them did. -hese disrupti(e non(iolent tactics were so e,,ecti(e that the re+ime came down hard on the automai#an, whose members were re+ularly stopped by the police, ha(in+ their cars burned, (andaliFed or con,iscated. Radical flanks, radical restraint 0, (iolence by the re+ime and the titush&a back,ired on the +o(ernment, (iolence by armed opponents o, the re+ime D a phenomenon in ci(il resistance called 7radical ,lanks9 D did not, on balance, si+ni,icantly hurt it. Althou+h a small radical ,lank 5 represented by some sel,5de,ense units and the <i+ht 6ector on the Maidan 5 mi+ht ha(e played a tactical role in de,endin+ the sEuare on one occasion, these
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+roups were not necessarily e,,ecti(e in shieldin+ the Maidan ,rom re+ime provocateurs. 8or e4ample, the march on "erkho(na <ada on 8ebruary &C led by some radical elements in the mo(ement was considered a strate+ic mistake that le,t the Maidan (ulnerable to police attacks. Jhen the re+ime a+reed to en+a+e in ne+otiations in the second hal, o, anuary a,ter (iolence ,lared up on both sides o, the barricades, this was hailed by some acti(ists as a clear (ictory ,or radicals. But it is now known that .anuko(ych did not ne+otiate in +ood ,aith and used the truce to prepare ,or a (iolent crackdown in 8ebruary. 0ronically, the heroic moment o, maidan radicals in the eyes o, the public may ha(e been a ,unction o, their restraint, not their (iolence. -here was a si+ni,icant de+ree o, discipline on the part o, radicals, whose maidan sel,5de,ense units o,ten +uarded policemen and thu+s who had been captured. -hey were shamed by paradin+ them in public, but at the end o, the day their sa,ety had been assured. =ikewise, in some crucial moments durin+ the stru++le in ;yi(, e(en the leader o, the <i+ht 6ector, !mytro .arosh, showed a sense o, limits. 2e issued one o, the most important declarations on 8ebruary ? where he called ,or decisi(e action a+ainst the re+ime that had ,ailed to release all political prisoners as promised and drop their criminal char+es. -his meant the end o, an in,ormal truce between the +o(ernment and the opposition that had been in e,,ect since the end o, anuary. 0n the declaration one looks in (ain ,or a call to arms or threats o, physical (iolence. 0nstead, the most radical action enjoined was toK block +o(ernment buildin+s. -he lar+er irony about (iolence in )kraine was not supplied by riotous mo(ement hitchhikers but by the hyperbolic media co(era+e de(oted to them. 0t raised unplanned but ,ri+htenin+ street ,i+hts to the apparent le(el o, +rand strate+y, which they were not. @n anuary $', Fo3 News breathlessly reported that, 7hu+e ,ireballs lit up the ni+ht sky in central ;ie( and plumes o, thick black smoke rose ,rom burnin+ tires at +iant barricades erected by protestersK*lashes resumed at the barricades, which are just yards ,rom lines o, riot police andKan+ry demonstrators hurled ,irebombs, rocks and ,ireworks at o,,icers.9 All o, this happened, but none o, it determined the con,lict:s outcome. 0n most instances, (iolent radicals in )kraine were less impressi(e than the armed win+s o, other mo(ements, such as the A,rican 1ational *on+ress (A1*) in its resistance in the &?C%s to the apartheid re+ime in 6outh A,rica. But in that con,lict as well as in )kraine, the radical ,lank mainly used an 7icono+raphy o, (iolence9 (a term coined by A1* (eteran 2oward Barrell) to boost morale and enhance the heroism o, radicals, more than it resorted to serious military plannin+ or armed en+a+ements. 3(entually, what politically wounded .anuko(ych was not the physical blows o, radicals throwin+ Moloto( cocktails, but CC days o, painstakin+ ci(ilian mobiliFin+ that persistently kept the re+ime o,, balance. -he mo(ement ensured back,ire e(ery time the state resorted to serious repression. 0t enlar+ed its public base, put the re+ime in positions to dele+itimiFe itsel,, and ultimately spurred de,ections o, the re+ime:s en,orcers and supporters. -his happened not as a result o, limited (iolence used by some protesters, but because the mo(ement made it impossible ,or the +o(ernment to demonstrate that it retained the consent o, the people.

An overvie! on the "rotesters in the Maidan. Demotix/Maxim Golubchikov. All rights reserved.

Defections !e,ections ,rom the .anuko(ych administration, includin+ the diplomatic corps, as well as ,rom the police and ,rom his rulin+ party, be+an a,ter the re+ime used brutal ,orce a+ainst the peace,ul students on 1o(ember #%. .anuko(ych:s own chie, o, sta,, submitted his resi+nation immediately a,ter that attack (a resi+nation that was not accepted) and then resi+ned a+ain a,ter his boss si+ned the anti5democratic laws on anuary &I. A number o, mayors and +o(ernors all o(er )kraine (oluntarily resi+ned or were ,orced to resi+n by the people. <epeatedly protesters called on local security ,orces and the army to declare in public whether they were with the people. 0n !ecember, retired Berkut o,,icers and (eterans called on their ser(in+ collea+ues to act accordin+ to the *onstitution and not use (iolence a+ainst demonstrators. 6ome Berkut police D particularly ,rom western )kraine D re,used to ,ollow the orders o, their superiors at the interior ministry. @thers in ;yi( came out carryin+ si+ns that .anuko(ych was no lon+er their president. 0n one publiciFed instance, a youn+ man who ser(ed in Berkut de,ected because, as he e4plained, he did not want to shoot his ,ather who was on mai#an. =ocal business leaders re,used to pay ta4es to the +o(ernment ar+uin+ that their money should not be used to pay ,or thu+s or police repression. 3(en in the stron+hold o, the Party o, <e+ions D !nipropetro(sk D two businessmen rebelled and allowed the uncensored news o, their de,ection to be broadcast on local -" stations. 0n the ,inal days o, .anuko(ych in ;yi(, thirty5si4 members o, his rulin+ Party o, <e+ions (a number that +rew to se(enty) decided to de,ect and join the parliamentary opposition in "erkho(na <ada, to (ote ,or the law that ordered the withdrawal o, security ,orces ,rom the streets o, ;yi( and their return to +arrisons. .anuko(ych could no lon+er rely on an obedient majority in parliament. @n the same day, .anuko(ych:s main henchman, "italiy Lakharchenko, the minister o, interior ,led to Belarus, and was joined by .anuko(ych:s personal banker, 6er+ey ;urchenko.
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-heir departures seem to ha(e been hastened by a more serious de,ection: that o, the )krainian army. !urin+ three months o, ci(il resistance, .anuko(ych had tried desperately to ensure the loyalty o, the armed ,orces. 2e reportedly asked )krainian army o,,icers to si+n loyalty oaths to him, and anyone who re,used was ,ired or reassi+ned. But in the end, loyalty oaths were not worth the paper they were written on. Jhen +enerals re,used to carry out .anuko(ych:s orders, he demoted and reassi+ned the chairman o, the joint chie,s o, sta,, on 8ebruary &? and appointed a new chairman D a na(y +eneral 5 considered to be loyal to the re+ime. @n 8ebruary $%, the admiral ordered an immediate mobiliFation o, ,our elite army bri+ades (two airborne and two na(y) D all in all $,A%%5#,%%% soldiers stationed in the southeastern parts o, )kraine, and their immediate dispatch to ;yi(. @n the same day the orders were issued, the deputy chairman o, the joint chie, o, sta,, resi+ned in protest a+ainst the re+ime:s attempts to +et the armed ,orces in(ol(ed in the domestic con,lict. 3(entually, only one bri+ade o, A%% troops le,t their location in !nipropetro(sk on the day the orders came but the train that carried them was stopped by acti(ists. -hey later blocked the roads to ,end o,, another attempt to transport the same troops, this time by buses. @ther bri+ades remained in their barracks. @nce the parliament enacted the law to withdraw interior security ,orces ,rom ;yi( in the late e(enin+ o, 8ebruary $%, the o,,icers commandin+ the bri+ades used it to justi,y their decisions not to mo(e their troops to ;yi(. 0t became ob(ious that .anuko(ych had lost the means to put down the mo(ement. Collapse Between 8ebruary &C and $%, almost &%% protesters were killed on the Maidan in ;yi(. Jith mayhem ensuin+ on 8ebruary &? as Berkut police and other interior security ,orces swarmed the capital, the +o(ernment declared an all5out 7anti5terrorist9 operation a+ainst the demonstrators. -he ne4t day, howe(er, the +o(ernment be+an to crumble with increasin+ de,ections, and in the e(enin+ o, 8ebruary $&, .anuko(ych ,led ;yi(. 0n terms o, the ,undamental dynamic o, how ci(il resistance can shred the le+itimacy o, an abusi(e +o(ernment and then induce de,ections ,rom its own en,orcers and supporters, there is no serious discrepancy between the narrati(e o, the collapse o, the power o, "ictor .anukoy(ch in $%&' and the ,all o, 8erdinand Marcos in the Philippines in &?CB, Gen. Au+usto Pinochet in *hile in &?CC, the communist politburo in *Fechoslo(akia in &?C?, 6uharto in 0ndonesia in &??C, Milose(ic in 6erbia in $%%%, or Mubarak in 3+ypt in $%&&. -hese re+imes were (ery di,,erent, much less the societies in which success,ul ci(il resistance was or+aniFed and mobiliFed. But the ,orces that took the ,orm o, non(iolent mo(ements in these countries and the action they took were similar: an eclectic but united political coalition, +rowin+ and persistent numbers o, ordinary people participatin+ in coordinated tactics, challen+in+ the re+ime:s le+itimacy, capitaliFin+ on the back,ire ,rom repression to accelerate the momentum o, e(ents, and spurrin+ de,ections ,rom the military and other leaders, e(en amon+ those who were loyal almost to the end. 0n most success,ul non(iolent stru++les, three kinds o, (iolence at the tactical le(el can complicate the plans o, the mo(ement: ,ree rider (iolence by bands o, bellicose sympathiFers, street (iolence by sel,5mobiliFed radicals, or or+aniFed radical ,lanks tryin+ to embellish the narrati(e o, a re(olution they could then claim to ha(e partly led. -wo dan+ers are posed by
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undisciplined (iolent +roups: (iolence in public space diminishes participation by the broader public and can there,ore sap the ,orce o, a mo(ement, and (iolence tar+etin+ re+ime de,enders can annul the possibility o, de,ections, without which ,ew mo(ements succeed a+ainst repressi(e +o(ernments. -hese e,,ects were a(erted in )kraine, because the claim o, the mo(ement that had taken shape in the Maidan last 1o(ember 5 that it represented the authentic will o, the )krainian people 5 could not be ,or+otten or dismissed by most onlookers. Jith that credibility and its resilience intact, the mo(ement in )kraine was not undermined by (iolent intruders be,ore it succeeded in its primary mission: dissol(in+ the consent o, the people and the loyalty o, re+ime de,enders on which the authority and capacity o, "ictor .anuko(ych to remain in power depended.