The Ukraine I Know

A few thoughts about Ukraine and Ukrainians, while in Kharkiv

I enjoy articles and essays I read about Ukraine here and across the board, and mostly agree with many of the notions put forward, and learn, too from others. But today I’d like to plunge in a little deeper. It seems to me that Ukraine is presented as one block: a big country with Ukrainian speakers and Russian speakers. Such a wide brush sometimes misses details that may give just a little more information about this country; firstly, Elon Musk, Putin, Gabbard and noticeably Trump jr’s talk of Russian speakers and their needs is just total hogwash. There are not, first of, two “ethnic” groups in Ukraine; UKrainian and/or Russians speakers, and there certainly is not one group. In fact ethnicity and language are not necessarily what is most important to many Ukrainians and their history, traditions, culture and ways of life.

They vary, greatly, these customs, region by region. Granted, the area around Lviv is fervent about the Ukraine language, and define’s its customs and way of life by the enimaty to their savage invader. However, ask an Odesan what they think of Western Ukrainians, and invariably, you will get comments relating to their desire to prove they are the standard bearers of all things Ukrainian. Ask those western Ukrainians what they think of Odesans, and they tell you to watch out, that they will sell you your own shirt off your back.

Others in Kyiv may say that Kharkiv are Russians speakers, and Donetsk, and Mariupol, but on fact the latter city is a Greek city, and Kharkiv, a city of apparently “Russian speakers” is one of the cities resisting Russian brutality the most. And as I just mentioned Odesa, I would add that last century road signs in the cosmopolitan city were all in Italian.

As for the so-called Russians speakers there in Odesa and eastern Ukraine, are they Ukrainian? Let’s dig a little here: the Ukrainian woman from Kharkiv who married Russian men. After all, Russia is 25 miles away. Would the archtypical Russian husband bother to learn Ukrainian? Never. That is one of the many reasons Russian is often spoken on the area, or was, because ask the Ukrainian women who married Russian men if they are still married — You must be kidding. When the Russians invaded Ukrainians, quite a few Russian residents told their Ukrainian wives to pack their bags; it was time to go, to move to the safety of Russia. Personally I do not know of one Ukrainian woman who followed her Russian husband to Russia, whatever language they speak. No way. Ukraine came first; and conversely, quite a number of Russian husbands sought the sanctuary of Mummy Russia rather than stand by their wives and stay in a country they had often been brought up in, even born in, and certainly lived in for decades, often taking their Russian parents with them, who themselves had been inhabitants of Ukraine.

I certainly look forward to meeting a Russian person who did not feel the necessity to run to the Russian morhterland’s dictatorship instead of standing by the country’s democracy he lived in. What is this bizarre ‘Russianness’ that demands this self-sacrificing show of supposed loyalty? Fear in Russian society certainly is a strong motivator, and it is sure that Russians living in areas outside Russia realise taht they will be targeted by Eussian secret police should the Russian troops arrive, as more than a few thought, or even predicted. But this Russian Mir is not limited to areas near Russia. A short visit to Switzerland last year revealed a few Swiss citizens of Russian descent who were formal bellierant Putin supporters. Why? What is atractive about a brutal dictatorship hat you personally do not stand to gain anything from? It seems to me that at one level, one can yet again never underestimate stupidity.

But surely being pro-Russian does not automatically mean being anti everything else? In my experience it very much does, especially due to the fact that pro-Russian means having a strong imperialistic streak as well as a zealous belief that the Russian language itself is sacredly ordained, some thing extremely few English speakers wouldbelieve of our Anglosaxon language. An example of this destructive Russiannness is exemplified by what I saw in Odesa, which once was a popular holiday destination of Russian holiday makers, who benefitted from generous hospitality of Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Again, the break, the schism was immediate. Old friends, long-term acquaintances, family members who visited Odesa almost yearly every summer, and I say this about countless occasions, snapped all contact with Odesans who were apparently and previously friends and relatives, other than to inform then they would soon be part of Russia itself so they had better behave.

And what of these Ukrainian friends and relatives from Odesa? The city prides itself on it’s multicultural background, citing a large number of nationalities as residents, and is a prime example of the rejection of purity in identity: The idea that in the city one can separate Ukrainians into Ukrainian or Russian speakers is absurd, as is the notion that those who normally used Russian, be it at work or at home are somehow attached to Russia is galling, seeing as they are being bombed by Russia daily, and in fact lived in cities and towns in Ukraine that have been razed to the ground by Russian forces, sometimes comprising of ex-husbands or so-called “friends.”

Ukraine has a large number of minorities that include Muslim groups like Uzbeks and other religions like wine-worshippers the Georgians. Alright, it’s not a religion; it’s more important than that, but for these people, in addition to the Romanian, Korean, and other language speakers, and many of the Hungarian speakers not being bribed by the Orban government to forment as much trouble as they can, Ukraine is very much home. And home is very hard to leave. I have met a few who agonise about leaving, who are worried for their children, whose apartement has been destroyed in a Russian missile attack, whose husband has been killed in action, and they agonise constantly about whther they should just leave. Many come back. How many shopkeepers do I know that after a breif sojourn in a European country felt compelled to come home again.

Despite some unwary, or malicious propaganda one finds in media of all kinds, becoming a refugee is by no means easy at all for these Ukrainians, and does not offer an easy life, by any means, usually starting with dormitory life and constant re-evaluation.

As for the favourite cutry of many Ukrainians outside Ukraine? Again and again it is…Colombia, a country they may never get to, purely on the love they feel for the many Colombian fighters who came to defend their country, though with numerous hugs and thank you messages to all foreign volunteers, one feels appreciated here in Ukraine among thise welcoming populace.

I just wish more would come. Ukraine is a special country.