Volodymyr Zelensky. IMAGE: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
The current state of the Ukrainian state has been the laughingstock of the entire Europe and the tragedy for people living in this territory. Recently, the Kiev government has released a new batch of nationalistic fairy tales.
During an August 24 speech, President Volodymyr Zelensky gat a chance shine a light into the ‘historic truth’ and the role of the modern Ukraine in the world history.
“Thanks to you, we are celebrating the 28th anniversary of Independence Day today.
Although it is not quite correct to say that Ukraine is 28. After all, we have done a lot by the 91st year. Baptism of Kyivan Rus’ took place, Ivan Fedorov published the Apostle in Lviv, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was founded, the Cossacks led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Ivan Sirko conquered the Dunkirk fortress, the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was born. Ukraine was one of the founders of the UN, and Serhiy Koroliov made a significant contribution to the conquest of space by humanity. These are just a few of the highlights of the vibrant history of our centuries-old and at the same time young country,” Zelensky stated.
He further claimed that Ukraine’s ‘struggle for indepence’ was active “in times of the Soviet Union”.
“Because, as Levko Lukyanenko said, the desire for independence is embedded in our [Ukrainian] genetic code,” the Ukrainian President noted.
Zelensky’s speech was surprising. It is interesting to note how the nationalistic propaganda hysteria employs mutually exclusive claims.
According to Zelensky, the modern Ukraine, the entity that had never existed as an independent state until 1991, is somehow related to the baptism of Kievan Rus. It should be noted that separatist entities temporarily appeared in territory of the modern Ukraine during the Russian civil war (1917-1922) couldn’t be considered as ‘states’. Nonetheless, this does not prevent Zelensky from claiming that there are some mysterious links between the modern Ukrainian state and the baptism of Kievan Rus.
Another historical anecdote is the participations of ‘Ukrainians’ in the seizure of the Dunkirk fortress (XVII century). This fairy tale has never been confirmed by the historical science. Nonetheless, the official Ukrainian propaganda continues to employs this myth as a part of the campaign to create and promote the mythical history of ‘Great Ancient Ukraine’. Furthermore, Zelensky used in his speech own invention by claiming that Bohdan Khmelnytsky (Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host) participated in this mysterious event.
‘The Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk’ (1710) is just another myth created by the Ukrainian propaganda to claim that the modern Ukraine had some ‘democratic roots’ and a kind of state before 1991. However, this ‘constitution’ was not a really ‘constitutional document’. It was a deal between then-Hetman of pro-Mazepa forces Orlik and his colonels (including forces led by them). The original name of the document in clearly states about this.
Another interesting fact is the context of the document creation. After the Battle of Poltava, when Charles XII of Sweden’s army and forces of Hetman Ivan Mazepa (that betrayed the Russian Empire) were defeated by Peter I of Russia, Pylyp Orlyk remained with Mazepa. Orlyk and Mazepa fled towards Bessarabia in the Ottoman Empire. This is where the so-called ‘consitution’ was written.
A part of Zelensky’s speech on the creation of the UN openly condradicts the official Ukrainian nationalistic propaganda. The Soviet Union was one of the founders of the United Nations. Three Soviet republics – the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic – became UN members representing the USSR in the organization. Since 2004 (the first Maidan coup) and especially 2014 (the second Maidan coup), Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly claimed that the modern Ukraine has no historical and ideological links with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
The nonsense of this kind is Zelenky’s attempt to link great Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer Sergei Korolev with the modern Ukraine. Claims in these fields are based on the fact that Korolev was born in Zhytomyr, the capital of Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire. This territory is now located in Ukraine thanks to the policies and decisions of the Soviet leadership. The scientific work of Korolev has never been linked with Ukrainian territory. Korolev was not Ukrainian and did not consider himself being Ukrainian.
The most insane claim is the quotation of some Ukrainian nationalist Levko Lukyanenko that claimed that “the desire for independence is embedded in our [Ukrainian] genetic code”. Zelensky appeals to questions of the genetic. So, it would be interesting to know what kind of ‘genetic links’ to the Ukrainian nation does the ethnically Jewish president have?
