No games with nationalism

The member of Kharkov City council, historian Vladimir Lushnitsky: all that they are up to in the Western Ukraine might be a preparation towards a coup d’etat.

When it comes to Banderovites, I can personally say this. In the summer of 1944, my father, sergeant of the Red Army, was received a serious wound not from those with the swastika, but from those “Ukrainian brothers” with a trident. It was a miracle that he survived. He underwent a surgery for “purification of consciousness”, they thought him to be hopeless, but he survived. Then he was sent to Siberia, to Omsk in order to continue his treatment and he ended the war in the Far East. For me, the Banderovites also mean my personal impressions, my father’s stories about what they represent. At the same time, as a historian I naturally wanted to know about it and gathered and still gather materials about the Banderovite movement and would like to say that a government that lists the gaubt-sturm fuehrer of SS Roman Shukhevich and major of German Intelligence Abver Stepan Bandera among its heroes is a government that preaches and supports fascism.

Because we cannot play with Neo-Nazism. Things they do in the Western Ukraine at the moment can be a preparation for a government coup. The fact that Germany also had gunships, paramilitary troops before 1933 now Ukraine has the same "Trident" named after Stepan Bandera, "Freedom" and other ultra-nationalist, and in fact, fascist organization. They train the youth, which pass a “viyskovy vyshkil”, which is military science in fact, they are already preparing those battle-planes for Ukraine of 21st century. The fact that paramilitary forces conduct military training and the government is calm about their games, causes great fears that they would end up with a terrible tragedy. Ukraine will literally appear on the verge of a civil war and some kind of terrorist attacks.
When it comes to Banderovites, I think that it is necessary to create an international commission, which would include both communists and nationalists of Ukraine and invite representatives of Poland. Why are they so concerned with Katyn and so little interested in the fact that several hundred thousands of Poles have been brutally killed in the Western Ukraine? The facts that I possess, and any normal clear-headed person can find them, show that the OUN-URA (organization of Ukrainian nationalists – Ukrainian rebel army) was an organization that cooperated with the fascists and fought against the detachments of the Red Army.

We can also remember the intelligence officer Kuznetsov, who was killed by them, and Army General Vatutin, who was also killed by them. But against which of the German officers or generals did they carry out a successful terrorist act? They can’t name one, because history has no record of such thing. Those were allies, who, in fact, did not much highlight their union. That is why, it is absolutely essential to discover the truth that would once and for all put a period in regards to this question about the essence of Banderovites. That is why, it requires a commission, moreover and international commission, so that the people could trust their opinion and which nevertheless has to restore the historic truth.

And the fact that crimes of the Banderovites are still concealed today, according to Polish information up to 300 thousand and 100-200 thousand Poles according to our information have been killed only in the Western Ukraine, arises a question who is responsible for this? For some reason they remember Katyn and they remember Kharkov. I was interested in this, especially because my former classmate was dealing with the issue of Polish burials of these, so to say, victims. That is why I want to say that those who were executed in Kharkov, I don’t want to talk about the Smolensk Region, because there is other information, but I am absolutely sure that they were not executed by the People’s Commissariat of Home Affairs in April of 1940, but by the fascists in September of 1941, when the fascists took over the Smolensk region. I will mention only the Polish military men: why does nobody speak of these executed Polish officers, who were they, what was their military rang, what was their service record? Well, I was interested in it…

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to obtain this information – only partial facts. In the Kharkov prison also included those Polish officers, who in 1920 and early 1921 were in the administration of those camps, where up to 70 000 soldiers of the Red Army were brutally killed! I am sorry, but shouldn’t they be responsible for their crimes? Why shouldn’t those, who organized attacks on Petlur followers from the territories of Poland to the territories of Western Ukraine and Belorussia and killed our prisoners, be responsible? Why shouldn’t they be held accountable for their crimes? And they answered…
I can name another example. General Anders, who led the Polish Army, formed by the Soviet government in 1942 and equipped with our own weapons, upon the order of England and Polish-London emigrant government through Iran to the Near East, was the commander of a regiment in Ukraine in 1920. He did not distinguish himself with any acts of bravery, but he did not have any crimes as well. So, General Anders, who was a colonel back then, was not prosecuted only because the soviet law enforcement bodies did not find any incriminating evidence in his actions of 1920. He did not command to shoot or execute them, so he was not arrested and was released after the checkup, even if he fought against the Soviet government… In reality, he received ammunition for several thousands of people, which, by the way, our front needed desperately and took the army to the territory of Near East. That is also a fact.

Moreover, the history is now rewritten by whomever who wants to take the trouble and to fit the ruling regime. There are certain hopes that the current Minister of Education Tabachnik will take steps to somehow restore the historic memory. I know that there are such ideas jointly with Russian historians, although there are few different Russian historians, of writing a history textbook on some of the periods jointly, so that it represents both points of view.

Maybe it will be a little more objective in comparison with what we have in the schools and universities at the moment, because one can read those textbooks only with a validol, because they are scary. I couldn’t stand it, I would demonstratively leave when some of the questions were told at the exams. I will demonstratively not listen to this nonsense, I will wait in the corridor until the questions are answered and then enter the room again. It is impossible to take them calmly…
Indeed it is an absurd situation… Not long ago Yushchenko, when he was the president, used to come to the Babi Yar, laid flowers, gave kind of anti-communist and anti-soviet speeches, but no one spoke about the fact that almost three quarters of those who were killed in the Babi Yar were not fascists or Germans, they were the Ukrainian nationalists from Bukovina, namely: Bukovina kurin of Peter Voynovsky. And there was a monument installed in honor of him in Chernovtsy…
One of the nationalistic members of the regional council in early 90s, Chervony, said such phrase – I am proud of the fact that three quarters of those who executed the order in Babi Yar were my fellow Ukrainians. It was said by a Ukrainian nationalist.
And now we are facing a question of who are those, who along with Tyagnibok erect monuments in the Western Ukraine and commemoratives to those people? At the same time they destroyed the only monument in the territories of Ukraine in honor of Stalin, the Supreme Commander in Chief in the Great Patriotic War. Some representatives of the government are still blind to the manifestation of neo-fascism and they might end up in a bad way…

Indeed, in substance the Banderovites joined forces with the Crimean Tatar nationalists, when Crimea is, of course no Russian Chechnya, but still a dangerous region, because Turkey sometimes announces that it has not forgotten that the Crimean Khanate used to once be under the control of the Ottoman Empire and for this reason the influence of Turkey, which is at the moment the strongest power in the Black Sea in military-naval sense, still grows, when the Ukrainian fleet is almost inexistent. I was on the ships several years ago and was a part of the official delegation on our sponsored ship “Captain-Lieutenant Olshansky” and saw what was left from the Ukrainian Navy. It is not navy, but shame. When it comes to the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, its combat power and strength are also great. However in reality the real power in the Black Sea is Turkey.

Besides, when it comes to relations of our cave nationalists towards Russia – it is just Russophobia. They hate Russia and for them only the words “Russian” and “Moscow” are synonyms of curse. You probably all know about the infamous Farion, who is now a member of the regional council in Western Ukraine. In kindergarten she used to find out the ones who among the children had Ukrainian names and the ones of those who had the “Moscal” ones, which means Russian names. And she abused small 5-6 year old children in every way she could – there can be no Mashenka, you have to be called “tilki Marichka”. Mashenkas should go to Moscow. Such cave Russophobes are now in “Svoboda” and other political powers of nationalistic and pro-fascist orientation.

At first, the neo-Banderovites attacked the regional committees of the Communist Party of Ukraine. But now, they attack the offices of the Party in the regions. That is why we should not put up with it and should fight it. Someone said in the 19th century: “…the womb that bred the cattle can still propagate…” And in order to not to allow the development of Ukrainian fascism, first of all it is necessary to put them where they belong, to demand that they function within the framework of law, and if they do not wish to do so – bring them to justice. It is necessary to do something otherwise the further indulgence of fascism will lead to extremely sad consequences.