Ukraine's richest oligarch has come down firmly on the side of Kiev authorities, calling on thousands of workers at his plants across the east to attend workplace protests against the armed separatist movement in the east of the country.
In a video address released late on Monday, Rinat Akhmetov appeared emotional and angry, and after months of equivocating between the separatists and the new Kiev authorities, launched a savage attack on the armed rebels, who have declared independence from Kiev as the Donetsk People's Republic.
"What have they [the separatists] done for our region, what jobs have they created? Does walking around Donbass towns with guns in hands defend the rights of Donetsk residents before the central government? Is looting in cities and taking peaceful citizens hostages a fight for the happiness of our region? No, it is not! It is a fight against the citizens of our region."
In recent months, Akhmetov had turned sitting on the fence into an art form, putting out a series of statements of lukewarm support for Ukrainian unity while rumours were rife that he was actually helping to fund the separatist movement.
Now, he has finally put his cards on the table. Akhmetov said in his video address that he was calling on workers in all his factories to carry out a mini-strike each day at midday until the situation is brought under control.
At the metal plant in the town of Enakievo on Tuesday, however, there was no real protest or even any visible emotion as midday struck. A few hundred assembled workers listened patiently while the factory director gave a speech about the danger of production numbers falling if the railways were disrupted, presumably by separatists. There was no mention of the Donetsk Republic, Akhmetov, Kiev or anything political. After a few minutes the workers trudged back to the factory's cavernous halls to continue their tough labour.
Most of them, when questioned, said they actually supported the Donetsk People's Republic, though they also expressed worry that the current situation could impact jobs and regional stability.
"Some people are for joining
Russia and others are for staying in Ukraine," said Vladimir Sadovoy, the head of the factory trade union. "But everyone is against the current Kiev government."