Sergey Markov, Director of the Moscow-based Institute for Social and Political Research, commented to Zamyatina on the ominous political trends that are running parallel to the social cuts. „The authorities won’t allow these protests to take on a mass scale,“ he said. „The Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill considerably expanding the powers of the Council for National Security and Defense in resolving the crisis situations. This expansion allows it to isolate trade union leaders and organizers of protests from society, while the protests will be suppressed toughly.“

„Ukraine is turning into a police state,“ he said.