Ukrainian PM: Only the Azov Battalion has the capability of organizing a coup in Ukraine
The People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Volodymyr Parasyuk, stated on Ukraine TV Channel 112 that only the Azov Battalion, which is a part of National Guard of Ukraine, could possibly organize a coup in Ukraine. Parasyuk clarified that the assertion is only theoretical, and not an indication that Azov battalion has any intention of staging a coup.
“We had power to organize a coup in Ukraine and this is a fact. I can say that there were many more organizations in 2014 that were able to do this. However, now, there is only one left. It is my colleague in Parliament who created Azov Battalion. It is powerful, well-structured and a primarily ideological organization that is capable of organizing a coup. I can’t tell you whether they would go for it. It depends on their ambitions, their vision,” the People’s Deputy said.
Parasyuk noted that the rest of the volunteer battalions were deliberately weakened or taken under control in order to reduce their danger to the government. “Poroshenko has done all in his power to make volunteer battalions so inefficient that now the rest of battalions no longer pose a threat. Only Azov remained independent of the Presidential Administration. Its survival probably depends on Avakov but he doesn’t have a good dialogue with Poroshenko,” Parasyuk said.
The People’s Deputy noted that the Right Sector (Pravyi Sektor) would have more difficulty staging a coup. “There is also the Right Sector that is now experiencing information war and being discredited every day. The Right Sector has capabilities, it’s a possible option but they don’t have centralized supply of resources like Azov,” Parasyuk stated.
Earlier, Azov Battalion Commander Andriy Biletsky stated that the Ukrainian Fleet could be sunk in under 40 minutes.