In Ukraine, 8 February launched an information campaign aimed at debunking myths about the Ukrainian insurgent army (UPA). The information campaign has already received the name “the Answer unconquered people”, and its initiator was the Institute of national remembrance. Why should the government (which is what the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers established the Institute naramata), decided to scale to lift one of those sensitive issues that a permanent cause of unrest in society, to understand “Apostrophe”.
Exhibitions and festivals
According to the ex-Minister of education Serhiy Kvit, a nationwide campaign “the Answer unconquered people” is necessary in order to bring the Ukrainians themselves the truth about the activities of the UPA. “A definite lack of information really is. One thing is Kiev or Western Ukraine, and another thing is that our regions, which has always dominated the Soviet propaganda,” explained “Apostrophe” APR.
Accordingly, the second objective of the campaign is to debunk the old Soviet and the new Russian myths about the rebel army. Indeed, the Pro-Kremlin news agencies and TV channels covering all the events and anniversaries associated with the UPA, even more than the Ukrainian media. This is not surprising, because in this way the professional propagandists are trying to seek out the historical roots of Ukrainian “fascism”. The titles are relevant: “the Knife behind his back as the fighters of the UPA and OUN “cry” for the dead at Babi Yar” (TV channel “Star”) or “Genocide in “the glory of Ukraine” (TV channel “Russia-1”).
“This campaign will deprive the Russian propaganda argument in the discussion about the UPA, after all the talk about the place of UPA in our history still going on, and not so much between the historians, as in the social and political environment, says Director of the Institute of national remembrance Vladimir viatrovych. — This means that there is a need to disseminate information about this structure, about its struggle during the Second world war and after the Second world war.”
The information campaign will be divided into two stages. The first phase will be spread information about the struggle of the UPA with Nazi Germany. For this purpose, the Institute of naramata may 8, will present an exhibition where the history of the activities of the UPA will be served in the context of European anti-Nazi movements in Poland, France, Yugoslavia. “It is necessary not only to fill white spots in our history, and to refute one of the key myths of Soviet propaganda about the collaboration of the UPA,” — said vyatrovich.
In the second phase, the Institute will tell about the UPA resistance to the Communist regime and will open another exhibition dedicated to the struggle against the Soviet power of warriors and peoples of the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. In addition, throughout 2017 will be published in scientific-popular publications on the rebels, will host an international conference and will play host to the all-Ukrainian film festival.
Change the laws
But only historical events is not limited. At the Institute of naramata hope to make changes in the laws of Ukraine. So, Vladimir vyatrovich has rewritten the law “On rehabilitation of victims of political repressions in Ukraine” and to submit to Parliament a new bill.
“The job of the bill to deprive the Ukrainian rebels and the stigma of criminals, which on the legal level on most of them. The fact that Ukraine still has a law on rehabilitation of victims of political repression, which was adopted in Soviet times, in April 1991, and, according to this law, people who are openly with weapons in their hands fought against the Soviets, and we are talking about the rebel 20’s, 40-ies and 50-ies, still not rehabilitated,” — said vyatrovich.
Indeed, the law States that rehabilitated are considered to be the Ukrainians, who were convicted for anti-Soviet propaganda and agitation, the spread of false information that discredits the Soviet state and social system, for violating laws regarding the separation of Church and state, and those who, for political motives, forcibly placed in a medical institution. Those Ukrainians who “organized armed groups” (and the activities of the UPA falls under this phrase), are not considered to be rehabilitated. At the same time, Ukraine has another law No. 314-VIII, according to which soldiers of the UPA are equal to fighters for independence of Ukraine. It turns out that the independence fighters in Ukraine is not rehabilitated.
But if the government will commit to the renewal of the “historical justice”, and the Parliament adopt a new law “On rehabilitation of victims of political repression”, it is unclear what policy will be in respect of those Ukrainians, who in the days of the Soviet Union fought against the UPA in the composition, for example, the assault battalions. Now these men are equated to participants of operations and shall enjoy all benefits and pension allowances that they are entitled to them by law. It is logical that if the country’s decommunization, reabilitarea the UPA, the attitude of those who actively cooperated with the Soviet authorities, would need to be revised.
“In this matter we could learn from the experience of Poland, where there are processes for cancellation of special pensions for people who worked for the Communist totalitarian regime”, — said viatrovych.
If this is done, it is easy to imagine what a huge scandal breaks out in the community and how successfully they can use the Kremlin to once again talk about “junta”, which denies pensions to veterans. And Ukrainian politicians never miss an opportunity to capitalize on the scandal political dividends.
Why do it
It is clear that the UPA is another factor, splitting the Ukrainian society. If this were not so, there are no information campaigns conduct would not be required. “We need society to sew and not try to impose on Ukraine a regional concept and to turn the country into a big Galicia. This concept causes the rejection of a large part of Ukrainians, especially in the East,” confirms “Apostrophe” political scientist and historian Kost Bondarenko.
In that case, why to tease society? Experts interviewed by “Apostrophe”, I believe that the need for awareness-raising campaign came on the background of harsh statements of Polish politicians. So, the President of Poland Andrzej Duda in one of his last interviews in early February said that the glorification of UPA is a glorification of the killers. Duda admitted that he had asked Poroshenko to change the law, according to which the OUN and UPA were fighters for Ukrainian independence. “These issues have a significant impact on the Polish-Ukrainian relations. They will not be good until these things are resolved,” — said Duda.
Even more sharply expressed, the leader of the ruling Polish party “law and Justice” Jaroslaw Kaczynski. “We can’t accept the fact that in recent years Ukraine has built a cult of personality around a man who carried out the genocide against the Polish people. And though the Germans were hard to beat, they did it. I clearly told President Poroshenko that Bandera in Europe they will not be included. For me it’s clear because we have shown great patience, but there is the border,” snapped the politician.
According to political analyst Eugene Magda, the information campaign on the UPA is a member of the diplomatic game, which could balance the Ukrainian-Polish relations.
“Only viatrovych — not a diplomat. It is obvious that the reaction of Viatrovych tied to the recent statements of the Polish authorities: Andrzej Duda and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, in which they try to convince us that Ukraine is not going to Europe with Bandera. Why viatrovych, as someone who promotes historical knowledge about the UPA, makes corresponding movements. But I don’t remember that the Institute of national remembrance could be the subject of submission of bills. Will have to work with the President, the Cabinet or deputies. But the problem is that a significant part of Ukrainian historical documents located abroad, so we, unfortunately, are always going to be hostages of the situation when different historical events will be to evaluate it from abroad”, — told the “Apostrophe”.
But Serhiy Kvit noted that the overtures to Poland is not to blame. “The Ukrainian government is fighting for independence and defending not only its borders but also the borders of the Western world. Ukraine is a self — sufficient state, which has its own independent look at its own history, and we don’t need to pay attention to any political campaign, no matter where they were. If we want to have their future, we need to mobilize all forces to build an effective state and to protect, and it cannot be done, if we do any fraud in favor of anyone,” — said the former Minister of education.
