Over 1,000 anti-vaccine protesters rally in Ukraine capital
More than 1,000 anti-vaccine demonstrators have rallied in the Ukrainian capital to denounce coronavirus restrictions, in the second such protest this month
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than 1,000 anti-vaccine demonstrators rallied in the Ukrainian capital Wednesday to denounce coronavirus restrictions, in the second such protest this month.
The protesters, many of them members of radical nationalist groups, gathered outside the parliament building and marched across downtown Kyiv carrying placards reading “Down with anti-constitutional bans!” and “The pandemic of lies!"
The Ukrainian government has required teachers, doctors, government employees and other groups of workers to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 1. It has also begun to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results for travel on planes, trains and long-distance buses.
“We are protesting against the compulsory vaccination and demanding (that the government cancels) restrictions,” said Mykola Kokhanivskyi, the protest organizer who leads the OUN Volunteer Movement nationalist group. “The constitution guarantees freedom from medical experiments to every Ukrainian and doesn't require any COVID certificates.”
Ukraine has reported record numbers of infections and deaths, a surge blamed on the slow pace of vaccination. The country has reported over 3.3 million infections and 82,913 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Four coronavirus vaccines are available in Ukraine — Pfizer-BioNTech Moderna, AstraZeneca and Sinovac — but only 23% of its 41 million people are fully vaccinated. The Ministry of Health reported that 96% of patients with severe COVID-19 weren’t immunized.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said the government has a goal of fully vaccinating at least 40% of the country's adults by the year's end.
The authorities further tightened restrictions Wednesday, cutting the validity of a certificate given after the first vaccine shot from 120 to 30 days to prevent people from delaying getting a second dose. Such certificates are required for access to public transport.
The restrictions have spawned a black market for fake vaccination documents, which sell for the equivalent of $100-$300. A phony government digital app for smartphones is reportedly available, complete with fake certificates installed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government has promised every fully vaccinated Ukrainian a payment of 1,000 hryvnia ($38), about 5% of the average monthly wage, but widespread hesitancy remains.
“I will not allow anyone to force me to take drugs containing microchips, undermining health and provoking thousands of illnesses,” one of the protesters, 36-year-old entrepreneur Olena Alkon, said, referring to long-debunked conspiracy theories about vaccines. “I will not allow pharma mafia that invented a myth about the coronavirus to manage my health.”
Speaking at the rally, Yuriy Ovsiykenko, a lawyer, denounced the vaccination as a cover for the “destruction of the Ukrainian nation.”
It was the second such demonstration this month. Following the previous protest on Nov. 3, authorities arrested Ostap Stakhiv, the leader of the anti-vaccine movement. A court ordered him to stay in custody for two months pending trial on charges of trying to destabilize the situation in the country.
___
Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic