Vidsich (Anti-Russia)
By Benjamin Hayes
Vidisch's first success was the removal of Viktor Yanukovych from power, but how much repsonible Vidsich alone holds in that development is up for debate. While in any movement it can be difficult to attribute how much credit any one factor deserves in achieving social or political changes, there are certain factors that can help determine just how widespread the ideals of a specific movement were. For example, Vidsich directly advocated for strictly nonviolent means to put pressure on the Ukrainian government of Viktor Yanukovych. They pursued unique strategies that both informed and engaged the public in ways to resist a government that was not listening to its populace. However, in the eventual ousting of Yanukovych’s government, there was considerable violence in the leadup to the event. Such violence is evidence that many of the protestors were not following the ideals laid out by Vidsich. While any widespread protests, especially against an oppressive government, are prone to feature violence or riots, the degree to which violent clashes between protestors and police occurred suggests that Vidsich occupied a more supporting role in the takedown of Viktor Yanukovych’s government.
Perhaps the most well-known of Vidsich initiatives against Russian aggression was the “Do Not Buy Russian Goods” initiative, which urged ordinary citizens across the country to act against a Russian economic blockade of Ukrainian goods and Russian military intervention into the country. Vidsich, through traditional and social media, spread the message across the country to boycott all kinds of goods produced in Russia. This is Vidisch’s most successful movement because it highlighted their strengths in organizing, informing a populace and providing calls to action that all citizens could participate in. The “political protest” was one of consumer decisions, making an active choice in the purchasing to make sure they boycotted a foreign power that was attempting to exert an unwanted influence in their country. Citizens could participate without facing threat of violence or retaliation for their actions, and their decisions would still have considerable economic costs for Russia. These citizens would also stand in solidarity with their fellow countrymen who would be negatively affected by Russia’s own boycott of Ukrainian goods. This is arguably the most successful anti-Russian campaign undertaken by Vidsich because its rollout played to the organizing strengths of the nonviolent movement. |
The success of arguably their most famous initiative, the “Do Not Buy Russian Goods” campaign, can be much more easily defined, as there exists data points to both assess how widespread participation was and how much monetary damage the boycott inflicted on the economy of Russia. The boycott, which spanned the years 2013 to 2014, had two major peaks of activity. The first coincided with the economic blockade of Ukrainian goods entering Russia, the second with the conflict involving the Russian military in Crimea. More data is available for the second peak in activity of the boycott, where a number of studies and polls analyzed the effects of the boycott in both the Ukraine and in Russia. In terms of participation, one poll by a Ukrainian pollster found that 52% percent had a favorable opinion in support for the campaign, while 39% were actively involved in boycotting Russian goods. These number reflect a campaign that was well-run and could spread its message to large portions of the Ukrainian population.
The success of Vidsich can be measured in a number of different ways. While Vidsich played a supportive role, among a large number of other group, in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, it can be hard to quantify just how much of a success some of their other tactics were in fighting Russian aggression in the country. Many of the protestors did not follow the ideals laid out by Vidsich, particularly the duty to be nonviolent while protesting the government. However, several data points suggest that other campaigns undertaken by Vidsich, especially the “Do Not Buy Russian Goods” campaign, were successful in achieving at least some their stated goals. Overall, Vidsich is a positive force in the continuing fight against an aggressive Russian government, and can continue to do important work in the near future, especially if Russia continues on a path of increasing aggression towards its eastern European neighbors. |
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