Posted on 08/30/2023 2:28:28 PM PDT by MeganC
Kharkiv is one of the cities in Ukraine eliminating traces of the country's Soviet past by removing Russian art, symbols, books and language.
Few cities in Ukraine are making as much effort as Kharkiv, a city with a Russian-speaking tradition, to erase its past.
Hundreds of streets with Soviet names have been renamed, dozens of monuments demolished and countless books written in Ukrainian have replaced Russian ones on bookshelves.
"These books have a therapeutic effect on people," explained historian and book publisher, Oleksandr Savchuk. "That is, a person seems to get some protection by reading that in fact, Ukrainian culture exists, Ukrainian art exists, the state of Ukraine exists, and there are outstanding artists, painters, architects, sculptors, and public figures among Ukrainians. All of this is about us. This is to acquire identity. That's why people buy these books."
Russia's full-scale invasion prompted many citizens to turn to the Ukrainian language.
"When I said something in Russian (at the beginning of the invasion), it felt like an unpleasant taste in my mouth, as if I had eaten something rotten," said Mykola Kolomiets, an artist and teacher.
Natalya Denisova is the artistic director and puppet creator at the Kharkiv State Academic Puppet Theatre. She admits that after 18 months of war, it is difficult to hold a calm debate on the use of the invader's language, but she's not in favour of wiping it out:
"People have lived with this language. Sometimes it was strongly imposed. It so happened that, willingly or unwillingly, people mostly spoke Russian. And if we say that it happened by force, that the Russian language was forced here, I doubt we should force it out. Then we are no different from each other."
Fuelled by Russian bombs and by the Ukrainian authorities, the war accelerated the derussification process that began after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“I’m not regurgitating anything.”
Yeah, you are; whether you know it or not; whether you intend to or not.
“I don’t want the US involved in wars anymore that doesn’t benefit its citizens.”
You mean, you don’t want the US involved in wars that don’t benefit its citizens according to YOUR criteria. That’s fine. Just say that; you don’t have to vilify and demean Ukraine for fighting for its very existence. Hell, I opposed our action against Serbia in the 1990s, because it didn’t meet MY criteria.
“Giving Ukraine billions of taxpayers’ dollars and our military equipment doesn’t help the American people at all.”
That’s EXACTLY what the appeasers and isolationists here in the US said in the 1930s and early 1940s; that is, until reality kicked them in the butt.
Russia is the aggressor in the current war; yet, you say nothing negative about Russia.
“Not sure how clear this is, do I need to break out the puppets and crayons for you?”
Too funny! This, from the guy who is on record saying he only cares about wars that affect WHITES! Your screen name describes you to a T: You are indeed an extremely extreme extremist.
My enemy is in D.C., not Moscow.
“My enemy is in D.C., not Moscow.”
Please do elaborate on this. Who in DC is your ‘enemy’ and why are they somehow worse than the regime in Moscow that threatens us with nuclear war two and three times a day?
Megan, you cannot be this obtuse.
Pro-lifers and those who were at the Capitol on J6 are being given lengthy federal prison terms.
Our government is effectively what the Soviet Union was in post-war WWII.
Neocon rage is hilarious especially since Ukraine is getting it’s butt handed to it right now
“My enemy is in D.C., not Moscow.”
You’ll get no argument from me on that score.
Russia’s #1 propagandist Solovyev was on TV yesterday wearing a CCCP tracksuit. More evidence that the Soviet Union never really died. The USSR must make way so a new Russia can rise in its place.
Rage? I’m cheering because Ukraine used a few hundred dollars worth of drones to destroy over $100,000,000 worth of Soviet aircraft yesterday!
Not just impotent rage but major cope as well. So was all this Russian equipment destroyed by the ghost of kiev? LOLOLOLOL
If you turn off Cartoon Network and maybe watch some news you’d see this.
Sorry unlike you I don’t watch CNN
RT News is covering this.
Because Ukraine doing terror attacks with drones is totally a sign of winning and not desperation, right?
Destroying over $100m worth of Soviet aircraft for a few hundred bucks is indeed winning, yes.
Putinistas’ rage is hilarious when it just exposes how ignorant they are about history and how willing they are to lie about it.
Ukrainians may believe they are fighting for National Sovereignty, but the are really fighting to be in NATO, which is in reality part of Les Scwaub, Earl Shaub, or is it Klaus Schwabs NWO/WEF/WHO/UN bunch of fascists. Americans should be fighting against the Internationalists in the US and not worrying about enslaving others in the same trap we are in.
Stop posting your hateful, genocidal wishes for Russia and we’ll have no reason to communicate.
Otherwise, if you want a website that you absolutely control, go start one. That way you can post all the hateful content you wish and allow only your fan club members to reply.
This is now five times I’m asking you to stop posting to me.
You were the little kid who tortured kittens and puppies, weren’t you?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.