Usually known to be one of the most discreet men in Ukraine – in addition to being, by far, the richest – the steel magnate Rinat Akhmetov allowed himself on February 16 a publicized stroll in Mariupol , a port and industrial city located less than 15 kilometers from a front line which, since 2015, has separated the Ukrainian army from pro-Russian separatists supported by Moscow.
→ ANALYSIS. “De-escalation”, Moscow’s new weapon in the Ukrainian crisis
Flanked by Vadim Novinsky, another wealthy businessman nicknamed “the Orthodox oligarch” because of his support for the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Rinat Akhmetov showed his patriotism by praising a ” common goal “ : “A safe, peaceful and beautiful Mariupol in a safe, peaceful and beautiful Ukraine! »
Avoid panic
A publicity stunt designed to coincide with a decree by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky making February 16 the “Unity Day” in Ukraine. The date is itself a snub to information published by some Western media regarding the possibility of a Russian invasion that same day: “They told us that February 16 will be the day of the attack, we will make it a day of unity”, thus declared the Ukrainian head of state when announcing, two days earlier, the signing of the decree.
While the Russian army remains deployed in large numbers on the Ukrainian border and Western countries still say they fear an invasion, Kiev is thus pursuing a delicate balancing act by avoiding dwelling on the danger of invasion, without minimize the threat. Sign of a still tense situation, Ukraine denounced a cyberattack a few hours earlierhaving targeted the websites of several banks as well as the Ministry of Defence. “Perhaps a diversion, or a preamble”, evokes from Kiev a Ukrainian specialist in cybersecurity.
→ REPORT. Ukraine tries to keep a cool head, between Moscow and Washington
Nevertheless, this first Unity Day took place in calm, characterized, in the absence of spontaneous demonstrations, by a series of events organized by the government, from the display of blue and yellow Ukrainian flags in the streets of the country until the launch of a “unity train” which will cross, on February 17, the country in its width, over 1,800 kilometers.
The embarrassing departure of Westerners
Specials produced by all of the country’s television channels also saw presenters and guests discuss the best way to defend themselves, praising in particular the recent emergence of “territorial defense forces” made up of civilians. “The defense of the country does not depend only on Zelensky or an incompetent government”, thus harangued former President Petro Poroshenko on Priami, a television channel controlled by… himself.
The desire of the power to form a common front had come up once morest, in recent days, a wave of departures and evacuations of Western personnel frightened by the possibility of an imminent Russian invasion. The US embassy is largely empty, its staff having been moved to Lviv, not far from the Polish border. Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States also announced over the weekend the departure of the military instructors present there, while a series of Western embassies at the same time called on their citizens to leave the country urgently. “It makes Ukrainians feel like they have been abandoned,” worried the Ukrainian ambassador in London, Vadim Pristaïko.
Another wave of departures, on February 13, particularly made Kiev cringe: that of regarding twenty private jets belonging to some of the richest men in the country. Volodymyr Zelensky had coldly summoned them, a day later, to return “within 24 hours”. Leaving Ukraine at the end of January but visibly concerned regarding his image, Rinat Akhmetov complied.
