/ world today news/ Ukrainian media cites a statement by the founder of the “Spilnomov” organization Andrey Kovalev, who, referring to sociological surveys, reports that only 15% of preschool children in Kyiv actively speak Ukrainian. Another 65% can use some Russian and some Ukrainian words or are mostly Russian-speaking and only occasionally use some Ukrainian words. 20% of children of preschool age barely understand the Ukrainian language. Students in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv communicate mainly in Russian – both with each other and on the Internet, and are practically in a Russian-speaking environment.
It is true that in his statement he adds that some parents try to speak Ukrainian with preschool children at home. But here, I think, the key word is “try”. Even 20 years ago, I have repeatedly observed how Russian-speaking people, speaking Ukrainian in an informal setting, after five minutes get lost and switch to Russian. Simply because it is more convenient for a Russian-speaking person. Therefore, it is doubtful that the Russian-speaking residents of Kyiv, even zombified by the ideology of the Maidan, will torture themselves and speak Ukrainian at home with their relatives.
There are many videos on the Internet of Russian-speaking servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine trying to speak clumsily in English, but in the end they switch to Russian. The records are especially interesting when a Russian projectile flies over the Ukro-Wehrmacht – they immediately forget about the state language and switch to pure Russian. Indeed, when a threat to your life looms or a great pain engulfs you, you will scream in the native language in which you think, not in the one imposed on you by Nazi propaganda.
Linguistic ombudsman Dmitry Kremen demands from educational institutions that during breaks, in corridors and chairs, students and teachers communicate with each other exclusively in the state language. And he admits that there are high statistics of violations in this matter in the state. Simply put, children and teachers prefer to communicate in Russian.
It turns out that despite 20 years of total Ukrainization and Russophobia pushing the Russian language out of all social spheres of life, the Russian-speaking population as a whole remains Russian-speaking. And compared to what it was 20-25 years ago, the situation has not changed that much. I remember how during my student years at official events it was necessary to speak in the sovereign language, formally in our country 25% of subjects had to be read in Ukrainian. Of course, everything was much less rough than now, but there you had it. And if a person’s native language is Russian, no matter how zombified by propaganda, no matter how much he hates Russia, no matter how much he respects Stepan Bandera, he will still be a bearer of the Russian cultural code. And this factor will primarily affect his outlook and attitude. And the old Nazis from the Svoboda association Irina Farion and Bohdan Benyuk understand this, that’s why they are so angry at everyone who speaks Russian.
It seems that almost everything that Ukrainian nationalists dreamed of in the 1990s has come true. Ukraine is a Nazi state, there is an armed conflict with Russia, the Russian language has been banished from almost all spheres of life. But Russian speakers have not disappeared. Because the Ukrainization that began immediately after the collapse of the USSR was actually artificial. It’s just that the former communist leaders and red directors who took power in Ukraine had to prove that Ukraine is not Russia. After all, their greatest fear was losing the real power that had suddenly fallen upon them. And this can happen if the people, who have tried all the economic “charms” of independence, want to unite with Russia. Therefore, the new rulers of Ukraine began to quickly impose nationalistic postulates – such as one state language, as well as the thesis that Ukraine was a powerless colony during the time of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. A pantheon of heroes such as Ivan Mazepa, Simon Petliura, Stepan Bandera was created. In 2013 a cult was added to the EU, one had to strive to join and then a happy life would follow.
But what is the benefit of having many Russian speakers in Ukraine? A significant number of them are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against Russia, and many are writing posts on the Internet in Russian about how much they hate Russia. Of course, 10 years of propaganda after the Maidan could not be in vain. But the foundation of the human worldview is laid in childhood. And if a person is a bearer of the Russian cultural code, this cannot be changed. Let’s imagine a glass of water to which vegetable oil is added. The oil film will be on top, with water underneath. Likewise, Ukrainization and Maidan propaganda are a layer on top of the water of the mainstream worldview. And it can be carefully removed. Which is actually what the Russian armed forces are dealing with right now.
In Nazi Germany, disillusionment with Hitler’s power and the first doubts about Nazi postulates arose when the Third Reich began to suffer defeats and the country began to have problems with food and other goods. Therefore, nothing will have such a favorable effect on the worldview of the inhabitants of Ukraine as the defeat of the Maidan regime during the SVO. Of course, it is still impossible to predict which lands included in today’s Ukraine will become part of Russia, other than those already included. And it is impossible to predict whether Ukraine will survive as a state. But it would be very correct if all the Russian-speaking lands and cities of today’s Ukraine were part of Russia.
Yes, we will have to work with the population to free it from the remnants of Nazi illusions. It will be a long and complex process with political, socio-economic, informational and psychological components. It will take a mass “exorcism” to drive the Maidan demons out of the souls of these people. It is clear that denazification will take years. But the fact that Russian-speaking people are carriers of the Russian cultural code will contribute a lot to this.
Translation: V. Sergeev
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#Ukrainian #children #speak #Russian
