The Ukrainian political activist and militia member sat before his party’s flag left little doubt about his readiness for action. The flag depicted two axes crossed against a field of red.
Yes, Yuri Hudymenko said, he is ready to take up arms, but not necessarily against Russia. As the leader of Democratic Ax — one of dozens of right-wing or nationalist groups that represent a potent political force in Ukraine and are fiercely opposed to any compromise with Moscow — his anger will be directed at Ukraine’s government if it grants too many concessions in exchange for peace.
"We’ll deal with Russia one way or another later,” Hudymenko said. With a flair for the dramatic, he added, "If anybody from the Ukrainian government tries to sign such a document, a million people will take to the streets and that government will cease being the government.”