In the days when the fifth anniversary of Maidan is celebrated, it is customary to write about the inevitability of popular protest, the impending doom of the regime, the impossibility of enduring more, and so on.

Few people remember that even before the outbreak of events most of the citizens did not believe in any protest and were not going to participate in it.. And the majority of politicians, both from the government and from the opposition, were sure that after the first Maidan, it would not be possible to bring people to the second and Yanukovych had all the trumps.

I was one of the few who consistently argued that giving up power on European integration would lead to a sharp destabilization in the country - and that is why I enjoyed the well-deserved reputation of a city madman among government officials, opposition politicians, and which we have strong hindsight. That is why I would venture to assert that the scale of this protest and its results are connected not only with the actions of the protesters, but also with the inadequacy of power.

My colleague Yanukovich Serzh Sargsyan managed to do everything the way Putin wanted. And refuse to sign an association agreement with the European Union, and enter the Eurasian Economic Union. And even to sign a new agreement with the EU, which does not affect the geopolitical choice of Armenia. And even after the revolution in this country, its new leadership has to reckon with total dependence on Moscow..

It may be objected that in 2013 Armenia Sargsyan depended on Russia much more than Ukraine Yanukovych. It is indisputable. However, even a few years before Maidan, Yanukovych managed to force through the shameful Kharkov agreements that were a prelude to the occupation of the Crimea.. The arrests of opposition leaders, the appointment of Russians to positions in power structures - all this turned out and did not meet with opposition. By 2013, Ukraine has become a classic mafia state, which was ruled by the family of Yanukovich.

This is what predetermined the victory of the Maidan. The transformation of the country into family ownership, the concentration of corruption and privileges in one hand had little effect on the interests of the majority of people who used to live in a corrupt country and who were not very interested in the final beneficiary. But on the other hand, it affected the interests of the entire vertical of power - from oligarchs to officials..

So, by 2013, total consensus was formed in the Ukrainian society imperceptibly for Yanukovych and the majority of the country's citizens.. People wanted to live better, not really understanding how this would happen - but many pinned their hopes on Europe.. The opposition wanted to prevent Ukraine from becoming a Russian colony headed by Gauleiter Yanukovych. The oligarchs and many officials wanted to dismantle the mafia state and restore corruption flows.

In this sense, the victory of the Maidan is the victory of Ukraine over Russia, democracy over authoritarianism, the European choice over the Eurasian, corruption over the mafia.

Of course, there is a great temptation to say that without the victory of corruption over the mafia, Maidan would have won. But I'm not sure. The consolidation of the power vertical could lead to committed other results.. Well, for starters, it would not have been possible to disperse the students - that is, there would not be a mass protest on December 1. And there would be no Maidan itself.

But it is now - guesses. It happened as it happened. Won those who did not want to turn Ukraine into a colony of Russia, who supported the European choice, for democracy. And together with us, corrupt officials defeated Yanukovych’s mafia and destroyed his system..

And an ordinary person who just wanted to live better? He now recalls the “hryvnia by 8 ?, resents about the tariffs and believes that riding the old“ badge ”is his compensation for the Maidan. What shall we tell him?.

If we are honest, let's say that we have created a chance to build a normal stable country in which there will be no jumps in exchange rates and in which there will be equal rules of the game for all. How he will take advantage of this chance is a question, but he has. And corruption is much easier to reduce than to defeat the mafia - especially when Europe is looking after you, not Russia.. Just roll up your sleeves and work.. The victory of the Maidan is not a fish, it is a fishing rod..

And you can, of course, lie to this man, promise to reduce tariffs, raise wages, stop the war - let him only vote. Well, to deceive such a person is not very difficult.. Only for the realization of such promises will again have to build a mafia state and negotiate with Russia.

So, there will again be Maidan.

Original.