“In some heavenly Nuremberg Russia will be rewarded for it.” – Kharkov writer Yaskov about life in independent Ukraine, “the first capital” and the Ukrainian language

Ukrainian Russian-language writer and translator Vladimir Yaskov: “…In my memory (i.e. year 1961) Ukrainian language and Ukrainian culture in Ukraine, i.e. in your own home has NEVER been the hosts; the hosts here have ALWAYS been Russian language and Russian culture: ordered, commanded, prescribed, something allowed, but most of all, I was prohibited…”

Historically: born from Russian mother, Ukrainian father in the Ukrainian village near Vinnitsa, to five years who did not know Russian, for five years (from 5 to 10) completely Russified at home mother, I return to Ukraine — in the Ukrainians never returned.

The only thing that remains, — sensitivity to the prosody and the semantics of my Muttersprache (more correct to say Omasprache: I was raised by my Ukrainian grandmother with great-grandmother). Ukrainian I’m at school and University, at work and at home not used

(in Ukraine it was useless),

a quarter of a century wrote poetry in Russian, in General, was a fairly typical product of the cultural policy of the Moscow metropolis…

…and this is why I state with full responsibility: in my memory (i.e. year 1961) Ukrainian language and Ukrainian culture in Ukraine, i.e. in your own home has NEVER been the hosts; the hosts here have ALWAYS been Russian language and Russian culture: ordered, commanded, prescribed, something that is permitted, but more than anything else is prohibited…

If anyone, can tell differently: Ukrainian language and culture in Ukraine for as long as I can remember, retreated, surrendered almost without a fight (and those few, who are the battles waged, and enjoyed the special hospitality of the colonialists in the Mordovian and Perm camps: “Ukrainian nationalists” Russian always hated as a particularly fierce), passed on the position of the winner, shrinkage as shagreen, — Russian language and culture in Ukraine has NEVER been anything that even remotely resembled or with a stretch, could be called persecution harassment or persecution.

Not one time in all my 60 years I have been in Ukraine in a situation where I would be embarrassed for my Russian language, and has repeatedly faced with a contemptuous, suspicious attitude to the Ukrainian language. He was driven into a ghetto in the villages of Central and Western Ukraine, in the cities on Wednesday (really tiny enclaves) opposition of the intelligentsia.

To this day in Kharkiv, I’m living for 44 years, the Russian-speaking majority — the mayor-the gambler before his horrific electorate has not given up the dream about the structure of clone East Somalia (I’m on “DNR-LNR”, if someone does not understand) — and continuously lying, lying, lying in each other’s eyes and me — happy life, the terrible Bandera around every corner, and most importantly — about how vile some of the always pursued the Russian language and culture, and today really let himself go.

Suggest: maybe not overwhelmingly, but many of its inhabitant city muffled unhappy that some people on the streets and especially indoors (where they like, and nowhere to run) suddenly dare to speak Ukrainian. If this happens in the bus, even now, after three years of liberation war, there comes a kind of instant surprise — in the presence of crazy (well, maybe not as strong). Everything fades for a moment as if suddenly all about something thought. But this reaction is not intellectual — it is the body’s response. More recently, here and there flashed the curves would smirk, heard comments (“Oh, Oh, you listen to it: showing off”). Now mostly muffled silence, but that silence speaks volumes. It is a power that I, with my quite decent Ukrainian, not risk, are ashamed to speak Ukrainian without an external cause. Happy to answer, to respond, but the conversation in Ukrainian not looking, not initiating, not provoke.

And that’s what is remarkable: these haters of the Ukrainian language in most cases, lack sense and understanding, to notice the smallest sometimes awkwardness, irregularity in Ukrainian pronunciation or word usage daredevil (bugger), desecrated their society its verbal obscenity. That is, the Ukrainian language they know, sometimes it’s nice — but they speak Ukrainian will not be for nothing! And genuinely outraged at being forced from time to time to hear. Sometimes it is difficult to understand what exactly is so outraged by these people: the fact that people dare to what dare they do? the fact that it is just a shame with his “Ukrainian type”? Or there’s still more hatred for those who always walked with his head down, and now dared her to slightly raise? Has not yet risen, but already raised. And stares in my eyes. Askance — but watching the look does not give.

And mangles the observation of this strange awkward, uncomfortable freedom. They themselves were slaves. Here, it seems, to feeling violated domination mixed feeling insulted aesthetic sensibilities. Their “Russian” too, most are far from perfect, but after decades of collaboration, they learned fluent Russian hybrid kantselyarita and give a damn, which he opened to local Pro-government scum… now what are they supposed to do — to give up so painstakingly acquired skills?

…I’m not so much about language skills, but about the skills of another kind: about the habit feel “human”, that is, toe the line, bluffing, chasing bullshit, to seize what is bad, and most importantly — be or at least appear to be (for them it became indistinguishable: habit is a second nature) is trustworthy. And now these skills are not in demand: the Ukrainian government (which it may have) do not care for their ideological consistency and loyalty.

They instinctively feels that these talking ALOUD in Ukrainian, show off, do it for some incomprehensible understanding reasons. These disgusting “okregowej” not doing this to suck up to power (as did they themselves, EN masse, to sign up at the time in Russian), not for the sake of career, convenience, comfort, benefits, benefits, not for the approval of others, but… it is not clear why. Free fucking — only the normal person to spoil the mood.

One of these typical half-Russian, laboratory “Department patolog henna” (!), taking me several books and pamphlets of well-known Ukrainian human rights activist, longtime prisoner of the Soviet camps, Yuri, Bajio, glanced at the title — and spoke in an indescribable tone: “Svidomo” And so this word was genuine hatred, as human resentment… So I can only say the man publicly humiliated, spat in the face.

I even understand that this is their sense of rastoptannoe. “Who was all, he was a nobody”. The most ridiculous thing is actually, they always were nothing, crushed by Soviet citizens, a clam, happy “and a wife, its Constitution curtailed”. But in hindsight they imagine how happy the owners they were on THEIR land. And they similarly imagine that now their prejudice, abused, humiliated. That from somewhere nor was polypoidal some disgusting dill — and boldly walk in THEIR streets and zavout something publicly on his “move”.

And it all happens in the “first capital” of Ukraine. Most of all, these people remind me of some Irish people in three Irish counties of Ulster, but the soul and body belonging to Northern Ireland. They somehow understand Gaelic, but out of principle only speak English; they, of course, Protestants… And they’re still ninety-five years later, I can’t accept the fact that their homeland after semitecolo British rule became independent. How so?!

…Please consider this an official certificate in some heavenly Nuremberg, where Russia will be rewarded for it:

But there is God’s judgment

confidants of debauchery!

There is menacing court:

he waits…

Vladimir Yaskov, writer, translator.
born in 1957 in Humenne S. Vinnytsia region. Graduated from chemical faculty of Kharkov state (now national) University.

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