Ukrainian Ultras: A Global Ceasefire

19.05.2014
Kateryna Sergatskova, Ukrainska Pravda Zhyttia

Photo: bbr.org.ua

The football fans, which had been viewed earlier as radicals provoking mayhem by many, are now setting up grand shows akin to yesterday’s fire-show on the Pedestrian Bridge in Kyiv in support of united Ukraine, protecting the activists from attacks and performing the “Putin – huilo” cheer in unison.

“Ukrainska Pravda. Zhittya” talked to several activists of the ultras movement and found out what now united the football fans who had feuded before.

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The Crimean Ultras

March, 10, 2014

Mariya Dragina, The Ukrayinska Pravda, Life; Photos by Serhiy Morgunov

I got acquainted with the Crimean Ultras while I was for 3 days in Simferopol during the meeting dedicated to the Taras Shevchenko’s 200 hundred anniversary. It is very uncommon to meet pro-Ukrainian Crimean inhabitants. When I saw guys in typical outfits near the Shevchenko monument, I headed to them. I was greeted right away with a question:

– Where are you from? Don’t photograph our faces! – I regret about that because the faces of these guys are handsome and light. – We are not only Ultras, we are the spontaneous autonomous defense of Crimea.

Official statement of all Ukrainian Ultras concerning the latest developments in the country

13/02/2014 14:39

ULTRAS of the Ukrainian clubs have made a truce. “We are brothers and brethren from Luhansk to the Carpathians”

The Ukrainian Ultras posted their official allegations on the official website of the Ukrainian Ultras clubs  ultras.org.ua

We, the Ukrainian clubs’ ULTRAS speak about the following. It is a very complicated situation in Ukrainian society. In particular, some ULTRAS movements have problems with law enforcement forces and the local authorities, only because they publicly expressed their peaceful civil position as is their right. Concerning this, we believe that if we continue our confrontation it will be a crime because it will be used against us and only make the current situation worse. Considering the above-mentioned we took a decision to conclude a truce among all ULTRAS movements for an indefinite time.

The truce includes the following points:

Football ‘Ultras’ Defend Freedom

Photo: 15minut.org

Football fans, especially the so-called Ultras, make up a separate men’s subculture complete with their own strictly enforced rules, laws, initiations, and a code of honor. Every fan community has its own traditions, history, folklore, and symbols. It is believed that the ultras of different clubs are not that interested in politics and have positioned themselves above this, placing a clear accent on the fact that ‘sport has nothing in common with politics’. Football has repeatedly succeeded in achieving one important thing that has been impossible for politicians and public figures, it has united Ukraine, from east to west, and from north to south.

Football ultras unite to defend civilian population

While the world was dazzled by flaring images of Ukraine’s central square, something far more unusual has been happening in the shadows (text and references prepared for interested international media).

A popular saying among protesters on Ukraine’s flaring main square these days is that to many people it actually feels the least dangerous place compared to other streets in the country. While grenades distract cameras, most attacks on the civilian population last week in fact took place on the quite streets of Kiev and in smaller demonstrations in other cities. The perpetrators, freshly labelled as “Titushkas”, are a new and bizarre type: organised groups of muscley young men, looking rather desperate and lumpenised, who admit to have been hired for about 20 Euro a day and equipped to smash cars, windows and people involved in the protests. The fact that police routinely observes “Titushka” attacks without intervening makes most people think that authorities are behind the organisation of these gangs. [Video attached: Police officer covers up one of the titushka helping him to hide his knife].

Ultras of Ukraine safeguarding the Eurorevolution

Over the last few days the Revolution gained unexpected support from the Ukrainian football fans that publicly denounced the actions of the authorities and declared they will assist Maidan in its fight for freedom.

On Tuesday, January 21, 2014, the radicals of Dynamo football club fans known as ‘Dynamo Ultras’ announced that they had formed self-defense groups aimed at protecting Maidan activists in Kyiv from criminal actions of government-hired thugs known as ‘titushki’.

Ultras of Ukraine unite against “Titushkas”

Titushka” thugs in Kharkiv have problems. They are being handled by “ultras” and patriots. “Titushka” recruiters from Kharkiv’s fighting club “Oplot” failed to send to Kyiv the “declared” 400 militants on Monday, December 20th.