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 SERIAL:   91UN0196B
 PASS:     ATTN BBC PRESS                                                  I.
 COPY TO UD
 COUNTRY:  USSR
 SUBJ:     TAKE 1 OF 2--POLITICAL SITUATION IN LUGANSK
 SOURCE:   MOSCOW LITERATURNAYA GAZETA IN RUSSIAN 31 OCT 90 P 10
 TEXT:
 //((ARTICLE BY S.  KISELEV,  LITERATURNAYA GAZETA SPECIAL
 CORRESPONDENT FOR THE UKRAINIAN SSR:   "LUGANSK... IS SEPARATING--
 SOCIOPOLITICAL PORTRAIT OF THE CITY  IN THE EPOCH OF PERESTROYKA"))
 ((TEXT))   TODAY,  THE SITUATION THAT HAS DEVELOPED IN THIS
 500,p00-POPULATION CITY REMINDS ONE OF A FIGHT BETWEEN A HEAVY-
 WEIGHT BOXER WHO IS MANAGED BY AN EXPERIENCED TRAINER AND A NOVICE
 WHO RELIES FOR HIS SUPPORT ON THE AUDIENCE.   THERE IS THE
 CNSERVATIVE OBLAST SOVIET UNDER THE WARDSHIP OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY
 OBLAST PARTY COMMITTEE,  AND OPPOSNG IT IS THE CITY SOVIET,  WHERE A
 STRONG DEMOCRATIC BLOC HAS BEEN ORGANIZED--WHO WILL WIN?   AND WIL
 THE CITY BE DELIVERED A KNOCKOUT BLOW,  IF THE OBLAST SUDDENLY TAKES
 LUGANSK IN AN ECONOMIC BLOCKADE ENCIRCLEMENT?
 A VERY COMPETENT PUBLIC OPINION POLL,  CONDUCTED BY THE LUGANSK
 VOTERS'  ASSOCIATION,  ELOQUENTLY SHOWED THE FOLLOWING:   ONE AND FOUR-
 TENTHS OF A PERCENT OF THE LUGANSK RESIDENTS AE PLACING THEIR HOPES
 ON THE CPSU;  FIVE PERCENT,  ON NEW PARTIES,  AND A--SLIGHTLY LARGER
 NUMEER OF PEOPLE,                         ON STRIKE COMMITTEES.   THE REMAINDER OF THOSE
 POLLED DO NOT BELIEVE IN ANYTHING.
 THIS IS ON THE ONE HAND.   ON THE OTHER HAND,  THERE IS THE WARFARE
 POSITION BETWEEN THE RUKH  ((UKRAINIAN PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT FOR
 PERESTROYKA)),  UKRAINIAN REPUBLCAN PARTY,  AND UNION OF INDEPENDENT
 UKRAINIAN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS,  AND THE CPSU. BOTH SIDES ARE
 SHOOTING AT EACH OTHER FROM A CORNER.    SALVOS FROM HE LEFT:   WE DO
 NOT BELIEVE THE COMMUNISTS    SALVOS FROM THE RIGHT:   BANDERA AND
 PETLYURA SUPPORTERS    FROM THE LEFT:   THE FIGHT WITH THE PARTY
 APPARATUS THAT AT TIMES SLIPS INTO A FIGHT WITH RANK AND FILE
 COMMUNISTS--AN EFFORT NOT TO LET GO OF POWER THAT BORDERS ON
 HYSTERIA OF THE DOOMED.   BOTH SIDES,  ALAS,  ARE FIGHTING NOT FOR
 SOMETHING,  BUT AGAINST SOMEONE,  WHICH,  VERY LIKELY,  CAN LEAD TO THE
 APPEARANCE OF A THIRD FORCE--THE STREETS.     BUT FURTHER--EVERYTHING
 ACCORDING TO A WELL-KNOWN SCENARIO:    INSUBORDINATION,  RIOTS,  TROOPS,
 A SPECIAL SITUATION,  ETC.
 PASSIONS,  IT IS KNOWN, GET AROUSED.   SOMEONE WANTS TO STIR UP THE
 RUSSIANS AGAINST THE UKRAINIANS.   SOMEBODY,  WANTS TO STIR UP THE
 WORKERS AGAINST THE COOPERATORS.   LUGANSK RESIDENTS AGAINST THE
 MINERS  (AN ANNOUNCEMENT WAS HANGING IN THE DEPARTMENT STORE:
 "CARPETS ONLY FOR MINERS.")).   MINERS AGAINST DEMOCRATS:   IT IS SAID
 THAT UNEMPLOYMENT  IS EXPECTED WITH THE TRANSFER TO THE MARKET.   THIS
 ALMOST LED IN SEPTEMBER TO A MINERS'  STRIKE IN SUPPORT OF THE
 PROGRAM.. .OF RYZHKOV.   AND WHEN THE FAMOUS WRITER AND ECONOMIST
 VASILIY SELYUNIN VISITED LUGANSK IN OCTOBER,  WHEN HE GAVE FOUR
 LECTURES HERE ABOUT THE MARKET,  ON THE EVENING BEFORE"}1'I'.f"A0IVAL,
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 THE OBLAST PARTY COMMITTEE SENT INSTRUCTIONS TO THE VUZ  ((HIGHER
 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION))  PROPAGANDISTS:   GIVE BATTLE TO SELYUNIN
 DURING HIS SPEECH AS SOMEONE WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO DESTABILIZE THE
 SITUATION IN LUGANSK.   AND SOMEONE TRIED TO GIVE BATTLE.-
 IN GENERAL,  IT COULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO THINK THAT EVERYTHING
 THAT  IS HAPPENING IN LUGANSK IS OCCURRING IN ALMOST THE ENTIRE
 COUNTRY,  IF  IT WERE NOT  FOR ONE FEATURE. SOMEWHERE,  ABOUT'HALF A
 YEAR AGO SUDDENLY,  LITERALLY LIKE A UFO,  THERE BEGAN TO APPEAR,
 WELL,  HOW CAN THIS BE PUT,  NOT QUITE RUMORS,  NOT EVEN CONVERSATIONS,
 BUT SOMETHING SOMEWHAT TELEPATHIC, A KIND OF TRANSMISSION OF IDEAS
 OVER A DISTANCE.   WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE IDEAS WERE BEING
 TRANSMITTED FROM,  BUT THEIR GIST SOON BEGAN TO BE KNOWN RATHER
 WIDELY:   AUTONOMY.   AND THEN  IT WAS IN WHISPERS:   AUTONOMY.   AND
 THEN IN A LOUD VOICE AMONG OUR OWN:   AUTONOMY.     TERRITORIAL
 AUTONOMY.   THIS SPLASHED OUT ONTO THE STREETS.
 IT WAS SUDDENLY RECALLED IN LUGANSK THAT THE DONETSK-KRIVOROG
 SOVIET REPUBLIC,   HEADED BY ARTEM  (F.A.  SERGEYEV),  EXISTED IN 1918,
 AND THAT ON THE LAWS OF FEDERATION,   IT LEFT THE UKRAINE FOR RUSSIA.
 IT WAS ARTIFICIALLY CREATED BY THE BOLSHEVIKS  (THE CONGRESS THAT
 APPROVED THIS DECISION CONSISTED OF 74 DELEGATES),  WHO NAIVELY
 SUPPOSED THAT THIS WOULD SAVE THE REGION FROM THE INFLUENCE OF THE
 CENTRAL RADA AND WOULD PREVENT GERMAN OCCUPATION OF THE DONBAS.   THE
 REPUBLIC LASTED FROM 30 JANUARY TO 19 MARCH 1918,  AFTER WHICH IT
 ONCE AGAIN BECAME PART OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE UKRAINE AS A
 TERRITORIAL-PRODUCTION AUTONOMY.
 AND SO TODAY  INLUGANSK TA.LK BAS__ON.C.4 AGAIN STARTED ABOUT THE
 RESTORATION OF THE DONETSK-KRIVOYROG REPUBLIC,  AND,  ABOVE ALL, ABOUT
 TERRITORIAL AUTONOMY WITHIN THE RSFSR  ((RUSSIAN SOVIET FEDERATED
 SOCIALIST REPUBLIC))  SYSTEM.   NOW, WHY THIS?   PERHAPS THE FACT THAT
 LUGANSK OBLAST,  IN FACT,  BOYCOTTED THE DECISION OF THE UKRAINIAN
 PARLIAMENT ON THE SWITCH TO KIEV TIME  (THE TIME HERE AS,  BY THE WAY,
 IN THE CRIMEA,  HAS REMAINED MOSCOW TIME),  AND THAT IT WAS A
 PRECURSOR OF THE FACT THAT LUGANSK IS SEPARATING?...
 "HISTORICALLY,  THE DONBAS WAS NEVER A PART OF THE UKRAINE,"
 EXPLAINED V.  CHEKER,  HEAD OF THE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF THE
 LUGANSK AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE AND THE COCHAIRMAN OF THE
 SOCIOPOLITICAL ORGANIZATION "PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT OF THE LUGANSK AREA
 FOR PERESTROYKA   (THIS MOVEMENT WAS ESTABLISHED APPROXIMATELY ABOUT A
 YEAR AGO TO COUNTERBALANCE RUKH).   "THEREFORE,  WE ARE AGAINST THE
 UKRAINIZATION OF OUR REGION,  AND WE THINK THAT GRANTING THE DONBAS A
 NEW ECONOMIC,  POLITICAL,  AND SOCIAL STATUS WOULD BE WARRANTED.   OUR
 MOVEMENT IS FOR AUTONOMY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE UKRAINE,  OF
 COURSE,  IF THE REPUBLIC SIGNS A UNION TREATY.   AND IF THIS DOES NOT
 OCCUR,  THEN WE CAN TALK ONLY ABOUT A CHANGE TO'RSFSR JURISDICTION."
 "BUT HOW IN YOUR OPINION WILL THE RESIDENTS OF LUGANSK OBLAST
 FEEL ABOUT THIS?" WE INQUIRED.
 "I THINK THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE LUGANSK RESIDENTS WILL
 SUPPORT THE IDEA OF AUTONOMY WITHIN THE RSFSR SYSTEM.
 BUT HERE IS THE OPINION OF YU.  KOZOVSKIY,  A LEADER IN THE KRAY
 ORGANIZATION OF RUKH AND AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF THE PHILOSOPHY
 DEPARTMENT OF THE LUGANSK TEACHERS'   TRAINING INSTITUTE:
 (MORE)               05/1607Z NOV
 BT
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