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Ukraine’s former PM does not exclude another state coup

The leaders of last year's Maidan protests and field commanders are voicing their discontent more and more loudly, Sergey Arbuzov, who was Ukraine’s PM in a period from Jan 28 to Feb 27, 2014, says
Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kiev EPA Archive/YURI KOCHETKOV
Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kiev
© EPA Archive/YURI KOCHETKOV

ST. PETERSBURG, February 20. /TASS/. Another state coup is not ruled out in Ukraine, with growing popular discontent, including among the leaders of the last year’s protests, Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Sergey Arbuzov told TASS on Friday.

"It is not ruled out that another state coup might occur in Ukraine," he said after a meeting of the Center for Studies of Economic and Socio-cultural Development of CIS Countries, Central and Eastern Europe, of which he is the head. "Maidan (Kiev’s central Independence Square, the symbol of popular protests in Ukraine) leaders and field commanders are voicing their discontent more and more loundly."

Arbuzov said the current situation in Ukraine was characterized by the atmosphere of fear and repressions. "People are afraid to voice their opinion," he said.

"But the problem is not merely in persecution of dissidents. People don’t want to drop erroneous values, they want to keep their faith in the rightfulness of the choice made in Maidan," he said. "The decision-making center is failing our people. Emotions dominate over common sense."

Sergey Arbuzov was Ukraine’s Prime Minister in a period from January 28 to February 27, 2014 after the resignations of Mykola Azarov. Before that, he was governor of Ukraine’s Central Bank.