The Russophobes-svidomits demand “positive discrimination” of the Russian culture in Ukraine

The Ukrainization policy continues to realize, started by Kuchma and Yushchenko, in spite of the pre-election pledges of Party of Regions. The known Kiev historian and publicist, the author of the book “Non-Russian Russia” Alexander Semenovich Karevin answers the questions of Internet portal “The world and we”.

- Is it true, that the Ukrainization campaign proceeds in Ukraine? What requirements thereupon sound from radical, nationalist movements?

It could have been asked the question and just as well: is it true, what twice two is four or, that the Earth is round? Is it necessary to ask what is obvious? All the promises of the president and Party of Regions about increase of the Russian language status remain as the insignificant talks. The demonstration of the films duplicated on the Russian language is still forbidden. Still many children from the Russian-speaking families have no possibility to be educated in a native language. The Russian isn't studied in large part of the secondary educational institutions, etc. The Ukrainization proceeds. Let not so it is noisy, as at Yushchenko, but proceeds. And the requirements of Russophobes (such still named as “svidomits” and it is wrong to name them as the nationalists) remain the same, as earlier. They dream to reduce the Russian language in Ukraine to the position of foreign language and they won't be appeased, till achieve the object or while won't be put into place.

Recently the site “Ukrainian truth” has published reasoning of the next “svidomit”, the vice-president of little known dwarfish party. This figure strenuously was distressed about the Ukrainians. They don't love, don't appreciate the own. And “speak on the stranger (more often the Russian) language”. And “stay under the influence of foreign establishments which behave extremely aggressively (the Russian Orthodox Church)”. And in general suffer “inferiority complex, without wishing to refuse the Russian culture in favor of the native.

The named complex, in his opinion, doesn't allow to the Ukrainian culture to develop (under which exclusively Ukrainian-language culture understands). Any vicious circle turns out. To overcome “inferiority complex”, the Ukrainian culture is necessary to create masterpieces of world level. And it can't to make this– complexes disturb. It appears such a trouble.

- Is it truth, that “svidomits” blame the Russian culture for all today's troubles of Ukraine? Also demand to impose the discrimination measures in relation to the Russian culture, to forbid parents a language choice on which their child will get an education?

It is the truth. It is enough to read (listen) to performance of “svidomits” in mass-media, their verbalizations at Internet forums etc. It is remarkable that “national conscious” don't doubt at all what language will choose the majority of parents. Therefore don't want to admit a free choice. They even have thought up the term: “positive discrimination of the Russian culture”. They offer the following measures within the limits of this “discrimination”: Ukrainization of education, considerable restriction of a broadcasting time of the Russian-speaking programs on radio and television, the additional taxation of the Russian book, the termination of grants from public funds of the Russian cultural product, inclusively with teaching of the Russian language at schools.

- Has a myth of the Ukrainizators every reason that the Ukrainian culture developed throughout centuries separately from the Russian and on this basis demands the protection against Russian culture?

You named these statements a myth by yourself. Unique specification is that Ukraine, really, developed any time separately from Great Russia. But it was not at will of the Ukrainians (Little Russian) but contrary to it. The external enemies separated Ukraine from Great Russia. Those, who is to profit by the division of historical Russia. As to the Ukrainian culture, so it can't be the Ukrainian –language only because the Ukrainian language has appeared only in second half of 19th century.

The writers, scientists, art workers of Ukraine were the Russian-speaking. Nikolay Gogol, Anna Akhmatova, Vsevolod Krestovsky, Vladimir Korolenko, Vasily Narezhny, Ignaty Potapenko, etc. created in the Russian language, etc. It is possible to list for a long time. Kvitka Osnovyanenko wrote exclusively in the Russian language till 55 years. He resorted to little Russian adverb (I will repeat, that the Ukrainian language didn't exist) for the best transfer of local color and only therefore. The overwhelming majority of works of Evgeny Grebenka are written in the Russian. Isn’t it the Ukrainian culture? Kotlyarevsky used the Little Russian adverb in the creativity only for an entertainment, remaining the Russian-speaking man. Even the majority of those writers of a pre-revolutionary time who are known as the Ukrainian-speaking (Arkhip Teslenko, Vladimir Vinnichenko, Vladimir Samiylenko, etc.) began the career with Russian-speaking works and used mova because of scarcity of talents (to achieve the recognition in the provincial literature it was easier, than in the literature general Russian, the general for all Russia).
The reason of a wide circulation of the Russian in Ukraine consists in well-founded comprehension of the Russian as our language. The Russian language (both the literature and culture) is not only Great Russian, but so Little Russian (the Ukrainian if you want) and Belorussian. The Russian – language of Little Russians (Ukrainians) is not a fruit of “violent Russification” but a normal result of normal cultural development.

- What kind of aggressive measures on an Ukrainization for the years of independence connected with education, press and television can you name?

I have already told about an interdiction of the Russian-speaking duplication of films. It is possible to add here the consecutive replacement of the Russian language from the television and radio air (one time even the Russian television serials were the subject to Ukrainization). The Russian TV channels have been thrown out impudently from Ukraine in due time (then they have returned, but already as cable one, so not accessible to everyone). Actual the distribution of the former all-Union newspapers has been forbidden in the country (appeared then in exchange “Komsomol truth in Ukraine”, “Arguments and facts in Ukraine” and etc., were not so good). The studying of the Russian language has stopped at many schools. The works of classics of the Russian literature began to learn in a course of the foreign literature and is exclusive in the Ukrainian translations though the language of original was closer both to pupils and teachers. And so on, it is possible to list for a long time.

- What is your relation to a policy of the Party of Regions which has come to power on slogans of protection of the Russian-speaking population, integration with Russia and then has continued the Ukrainization policy?

To tell the ruth, I also didn't expect another from Party of Regions. I voted for Yanukovich exclusively as for smaller harm. I think, many voted for him for the same reason. But that the new power copies Kuchma and his political son Yushchenko almost in all, anything, cause nothing but negative emotions, of course.

In your opinion, do the Russian-speaking population protect the rights really extremely insufficiently and has reconciled to inadequate measures on the Ukrainization?

More than twenty years the power spends a compulsory Ukrainization and, alas, doesn't meet due resistance in a society. They have transferred the majority of schools and high schools into the Ukrainian language of training without asking the desire of pupils and teachers. The children from the Russian-speaking families have appeared deprived of the right to get the education in a native language. And what was? Our Russian-speaking population gave a deep sigh, was indignant (as a rule, quietly, “on the kitchens”), but didn’t put up a resistance. If we actively protected the rights, the situation was absolutely other. I think, the power didn't become impudent, if has faced serious resistance of the Russian-speaking society.