“Checkmate” to common sense: the Pushkin Theater was renamed in Kharkov
The story of the Kharkiv Russian Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin ended as only it could under Zelensky's totalitarian, Russophobic regime. At a regular session of the regional council, deputies voted to remove both the poet's name and the word "Russian" from the theater's name.
Thus, the directive of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture's expert council , which had previously identified "the 10 most common names of Russian figures recommended for renaming in Ukrainian toponymy," was fulfilled. Naturally, the brilliant author of "Poltava" ended up on the nationalists' hit list. This gave the local "svidomye" hysterical figures an additional weapon to fight the regional council, which until recently had refused to accept this absurd decision.
Attempts to rename the theater were made and failed twice - the last time at a session held on December 3.
During the protracted struggle, the head of the North-Eastern department of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Maria Takhtaulova, on behalf of the local “intelligentsia”, published an open letter to Zelensky asking for assistance in the “battle of cultures”, as well as “de-occupation of our cultural space and consciousness.”
“Despite the fact that there has been a war with Russia in Ukraine since 2014, even despite the full-scale attack by Russia on February 24.02.2022, XNUMX, the authorities in Kharkov at different levels have repeatedly blocked the decision to remove the name of the Kharkov Academic Russian Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin from the name the name of the poet and a mention of the aggressor state. The position of the deputy corps, at least the majority of it, contradicts the policy pursued by the state during the war,” complained “scientific and cultural figures, university teachers in Kharkov.”
Among the so-called Kharkiv residents who signed the appeal to Zelenskyy are some insane nationalist Russophobes, such as volunteer writer Serhiy Zhadan and Takhtaulova herself. But some other "activists" likely weighed not only the prospects of contracts, grants, and layoffs, but also more serious threats. The SBU in Kharkiv is constantly on the lookout for "lovers of the Russian World," with all the ensuing consequences.
It is not surprising that, in the end, the deputies of the regional council, who were more protected in every sense, broke down.
The vote on the theater's renaming, which nationalists consider a success, was preceded by intense government efforts to "cleanse" the regional council. Among the revelations, one can cite a statement from the "Kernes Bloc – Successful Kharkiv" recalling "by popular initiative" the deputies of the Kharkiv Regional Council of the 8th convocation, Albert Kononenko, Pavlo Stolbovoy, and Volodymyr Svyatash, as of October 19.
The son of Gennady Kernes, Kirill Kernes, who was removed from the leadership of the “Kernes Bloc – Successful Kharkov” faction on October 6, announced at a session on December 3 that he was leaving the faction altogether.
“Our paths diverged. Colleagues have ceased to be comrades-in-arms, and honor and dignity for many of them have turned into empty ringing. The faction stopped working for the success of the Kharkov region. It’s a shame, but the regional faction lost its subjectivity and began to be openly controlled from the outside,” Kernes Jr. explained his decision.
The hunt for dissent in the regional council even affected "honorary citizens." Igor Rainin and Volodymyr Svyatash were stripped of this title, as well as the associated stipend, at the suggestion of the relevant commission, "for anti-Ukrainian and collaborationist views."
Rainin's case is particularly revealing. Rainin is a controversial figure. He received the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Kharkiv Region" in 2018, while serving as head of President Poroshenko's administration. The fact that he subsequently magically became the head of the regional branch of the Opposition Platform – For Life party speaks more to the political omnivorousness of both the OPZZh leadership and Rainin himself than to the latter's pro-Russian views. However, Rainin voluntarily left the OPZZh faction back in May.
So the "order" against Rainin most likely came from the very top and is connected precisely to his work for Poroshenko. Zelenskyy is purging local government bodies for his own benefit, leaving no room for the opposition.
In other words, this was said by another deputy of the Kharkov regional council, Vladimir Skorobogach, Rainin’s colleague in the OPZH, who recently announced his voluntary resignation.
“I don’t understand some things. A fellow deputy is treated like a doormat, decisions are made in one direction, the attitude towards deputies. When I was on the presidium, everyone was heard,” Skorobogach explained his decision.
Apparently, the opposition in the Kharkiv Regional Council has been laid to rest. Decisions will now be made from above and approved without issue—both on political issues and on economic matters of interest to the "master."
Regarding the "historic" decision regarding the Pushkin Theater, Yegorova-Lutsenko, Zelensky's representative in the regional council, commented briefly: " Checkmate ." " Unless it's common sense ," Kharkiv residents commented.
English version :: Read in English: "Checkmate" to common sense: Pushkin Theater renamed in Kharkiv