Vasily Anisimov: “Svoboda” is the real face of hatred...

The head of the Press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchy Vasily Semenovich Anisimov tells about “political Orthodoxy”, results of elections, the reasons and consequences of passing of nationalist party “Svoboda” to the Ukrainian parliament.

- Vasily Semenovich, it is considered to be that Church and policy are the incompatible concepts. Is it so?

- The church is a meeting of orthodox Christians and they make the most part of the population of the country. All of them aren't struck in the civil liberties and the rights including the right to be engaged in vigorous political activity, to head the state. The church doesn't supervise the political convictions of the believers and in this plan it is apolitical. Moreover, the Church treats the politicians with special respect as to competitors of the power as in church understanding the power is a laborious, competent, sacrificial service to the person, to the people and the Fatherland. Those, who seeks to bear this cross is worthy respect. And in such understanding of sense of the power the Church brings up the ruling elite for the millennium, since the time of sacred, equal to the apostles prince Vladimir.

- And why one is allowed and another is forbidden to participate in political life, elections?

- Orthodox Church is not the totalitarian structure, everything is based on the principles of voluntariness in it. Restrictions are imposed by the Church and they concern only priests who make a percent share from all its members. The priests shouldn't be the members of parties, participate in political propaganda and can be chosen in local authorities only on hierarchy blessing. Our priests are in regional, city, regional councils where they, as a rule, work in the social, cultural and educational and other commissions – where the wishing to work traditionally is not very much. The way is ordered to priests to the Supreme Council, a place of the main political fights and squabbles, as the parliament is politically rigidly structured. The God’s to God and Caesarean to the Caesar.

- But you are considered as the representative of so-called “political Orthodoxy” …

- It is nonsense. If I, say, on presidential election was accredited as the journalist in the press centre of the Party of Regions and before wrote tens articles and even two books published against anti-church policy and practice of the orange power that, of course, is nominated by “political Orthodoxy”. And if I, as our some priests, wouldn't get out of elective staffs of orange, would establish the tents on the Maidan, would be on the meetings firstly at Yushchenko and in 2010 – Tymoshenko together with the cardinal Guzar and anathema Philaret-Denisenko, branding Yanukovych as “darkness and bondage”, then I would be apolitical, deeply church patriotic publicist! By the way, my articles and books were issued when the orange were at the power instead of that it is accepted: at first to lick the power in all holes and when it leaves, to start after a cobble-stone – what silly persons head us! We honestly polemicized with the power both at Kuchma and at Yushchenko, proved in what it was wrong.

- And don’t you polemicize with the present power?

- Thank to God, it made nothing anti-church yet. Moreover, it as though the long-awaited: it is the first power since 1917 which doesn't interfere with internal affairs of Church, doesn't dictate it the will as it was both in the Union, and in Kravchuk, both in Kuchma time, and at the orange. Another thing is that it doesn't carry out the promised. We have the same politician being in opposition or in the power, – different people, as they say, it is necessary to get acquainted with him for the second time. I met Nikolay Azarov and Victor Yanukovych when they were in opposition, on the eve of presidential election they assured that when they will come to the power, all church problems will be solved. Nearly three years have passed and things haven't got forward an inch. Something prevents them to solve all the time: the ruin left by the orange, an economic crisis, Anna Herman, preparation for Euro-12, preparation for parliamentary elections – God knows. As, I believe, they keep also the promises, made to the electorate.

- How the Church treated the results of parliamentary elections?

- It is correct to say – how the Church belonged? Differently, who voted for whom. I think that the results were unexpected both for voters and for the power and for opposition. The sociology “failed”, the polls predicted one, but the other turned out. The low appearance of the East and the South, electorate of the Party of Regions, predetermined the results. Though, the members of the Party of Regions won, but not with that result on which they counted. They fawned before the orange, lost own voters lost and didn't find the strangers. As in Leonid Danilovich’s time. Also the Galician ultra-nationalists were attracted to Kiev and now they become from a regional problem to all-Ukrainian.

- However “Svoboda” positions itself as the European party …

- What is the European in it? I looked the responses to passing of the members of Tyahnybok in parliament on the European and world channels. The leaders of the world Jewish organizations acted firstly who as you understand, feel fascists by the nape. They were struck how the people and party with such ideologies could be allowed to elections in the European country in general. The records of speeches of their leaders were shown on the television and in the Internet – a gloomy picture: the people are defective, spiteful and the lexicon is corresponding – “Moskals”, “Jews”, “shitcrats”, “suitcase, station – Moscow”, etc. Present “face of hatred”! And what is curious, that there is the Uniat priest near the member of Svoboda who kindly listen. They were in such cohesion - union and fascists since “Nachtigal” and SS divisions “Galician”. It is possible to watch the documentary newsreel of those times. By the way, cardinal Guzar, the present head of the members of the Uniat Church on pension, those years scrammed together with receding fascists as his parents cooperated with invaders and were afraid of retribution. He reached America. And now learns on sites what the deputies of the newly elected Verkhovna Rada should be. It would be better if he explained what is the Christian in the members of Tyahnybok, whom the union dragged in parliament. And now all this brotherhood made the way to Kiev. And further can go according to Albert Camus scenario: at first there are the rats, then – plague.

- But after all the members of Svoboda found support not only in Galicia, but also in other regions...

- It is explainable too. People were tired, they are humiliated with problems to which the end isn't visible, the patience runs low. In such conditions the radicalism is demanded promising all problems to solve “by a boot on teeth” as one cultural figure told. By the way, Klitschko used the aggressive slogan too – it is the time of UDAR! - and found many supporters. In Europe the economic crisis leads to a society leftward shift, to search of the united relations between rich and poor, mutual support, consolidation. And we, as in Africa –the eagerness to fight, aggression, thirst of violence. Very few people want to grow up the bananas, but many are ready to select them and to divide.

- It is necessary to notice that the ultra-nationalists appeared in Ukraine not today …

-Of course, two decades of Russophobia, rewriting the history, the rabid nationalism bearing its fruit. In Galicia even the streets were named in honour of SS men in Kravchuk time. Because of that “50 shades of brown” were raised. 20 years ago they started with the pogroms of the Orthodox Church, then switched over to the veterans of the great Patriotic war, Russian culture, and language. Kiev belonged to this problem lordly: they beat, destroy, make Russophobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and etc., but don't kill. Anything for a quiet life, just not hang. So they said. They sought to locate within Galicia, believing, when the life will get better, the being determines the consciousness, everything will resolve itself: get into rage and calm down. Of course, they made attacks in Kiev, but were give the battle by the members of Vitrenko, the Cossacks or the police.

- And today they are released outside of your region?

-In my opinion, it is clear to everyone that the members of Tyahnybok were used like a dirty political technology. And Kiselev, and Schuster, and someone else made PR to them on all the Pro-government TV channels, as they could, pulled ratings with only one purpose - to make them to take the votes away from the members of Tymoshenko as many as possible, but don’t passed themselves. Remember the last “great” policy of Evgeny Kiselev, where the leaders of the only four parties were invited, which, in the opinion of the authorities, will be in the Parliament. Tyahnybok was not implied there. But they have miscalculated: the technology was out of control. And now and the power and the society have the headache: the ultra-nationalists are in Parliament, in the city-hero!

- But the political elite something quietly reacted to the current situation...

- Of course, you can pay no attention to them. But, I think, they will not do it. Will organize provocations and fights, march with torches, etc. - in short, do what they only know how to do. Here is sign up, get immunity and dance the province. The disease got out.

- In your opinion, what is the reason of this disease?

-You see, every generation has to give vaccinated against fascism, totalitarianism. Many people, especially young people, may think that it is not so terrible, even attractive. Take that the United States – they are as we the country -winner. But it could not have survived the small proportion of the disaster, which has become the fascist occupation for Ukraine. For us, as for the other occupied states, this is hardly the greatest tragedy from the day of existence, as has led to total destruction, millions of innocent victims, has affected almost every family. However, the anti-fascist ideology is present everywhere in the USA. Even in the film industry for the last 20 years, so many prominent anti-fascist films came out - from “Schindler's List” by Spielberg to “Inglourious Basterds” by Tarantino. The great directors turn to this problem, as any of the bastards, wherever they appear, do not have a desire to be nice and among the people will trust the power to them.

As you know, we have quite a different picture: the last 20 years the authorities gave the humanitarian policy at the mercy of the nationalists who only have that destroyed the historical consciousness of the people, planted Russophobia. So, let's say, Kiev gave the world three outstanding writers -anti-fascists, whose books have been translated into dozens of languages of the world, - Ilya Erenburg, Viktor Nekrasov, Anatoly Kuznetsov. Have someone remembers about these Kiev citizens? Maybe they are studied at schools?

-I think that they are not studied...

- Take the classical Ukrainian Soviet literature - Malyshko, Sosyura, Stelmakh, Gonchar and all the others – it is anti-fascist, it was created by the veterans. How much have they the followers today? The bust of the writer -anti-fascist was in the foyer of our Union of Writers, best Ukrainian publicist all the times of Yaroslav Galan and there was the prize of his name. The writer was killed in Lviv by the Uniates in 1949. So the prize was canceled, the bust was thrown away somewhere. Out of sight, out of mind. But instead – the glorification of Nazis and their accomplices, they say, they were patriots and even kind inside.

-But the patriotic rhetoric of the members of Svoboda is the central...

- The fascists had also the central: “Deutschland uber Alles!”. But the love to the native land is not beaten with a hammer into the mouth and not cry about it with distorted face from the hatred. Europe already has suffered from totalitarian ideologies. And the fact that we have this ideology is being revived is not a breakthrough to the future, but a return to the past, the cave, the pre-Christian. Because if there are human community, united by xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Russophobia and other hates, then Christ is not among them. And to support these communities can only the structures, which lead the system fight with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine - splits, union, sects. Excommunicated from the Church Mikhail Denisenko (Philaret) has already managed to hang Tyahnybok with the orders. He declared Viktor Yushchenko as “messenger to Ukraine by God” and now, I think, will pronounce Tyahnybok.

- How in this situation do you attitude to the initiative of the Orthodox community about the unification of the Eastern Slavic people?

- They have been one for centuries, create a common civilization. The unity was destroyed not by the nations, but by the greed of national elites, who sought to drag in the pockets the giant state property of the superpower, created by generations of people - grab more, go away. All surveys of the last 20 years shows that the idea is supported by the majority of citizens of Ukraine, but because of the elites are still against. They need the Western Europe: they keep their capital there, buy the property, teach children - their future is there. The same picture is in Russia. Remember, I commented Evgeny Primakov, by the way, the resident of Kiev too, so he puzzled me with a strange question: “where have you seen the pro-Russian Russian oligarchs”? And we couldn’t find neither the pro-Ukrainian, nor pro-Byelorussian among them. They all settle in London, but not in the mother of the Russian cities. So the urgent task is to train the elites, first of all, economic, that they were the aspirations of our people, but not only of its capital, for whom the Motherland is where the big profits.

- Can the Orthodox Church oppose something to the right nationalist trends, which will intensify in Ukraine after the elections?

- The church has always resisted the evil that may be in person or people. It opposed with the help of the word, sermon of the commandments of Christ. The Orthodox Church is the visible embodiment of the unity of our people in their thousand-year truth, historical, and spiritual. This truth has the multimillion shoulders, carrying it today. They should be more widely spread and it is not to be afraid of all these spirits of deception and wickedness in the heavenly places, in whom they would have been embodied - in the splits, union or ultra members of Tyahnybok.