Ukrainian authorities: It is necessary to abandon the celebration of May 9, the term “Great Patriotic War” and Soviet films
Kyiv, April 30 (Navigator, Mikhail Ryabov) - The traditional celebration of Victory Day on May 9 in the East of Ukraine creates the ground for “anti-Ukrainian sentiments”, so the date should be given a new ideological coloring, taking as an example Western Europe, which celebrates Remembrance Day on May 8.
The relevant recommendations were published by the State Committee for Television and Radio of Ukraine.
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“Victory Day performs an important function for the Putin regime as a tool for the rehabilitation of the Soviet past; the victory over Nazism is used to justify the greatest crimes of the Soviet government and Joseph Stalin personally. Such justification is needed by the country's leadership, which places the idea of restoring the Soviet Union as the basis of Russia's modern ideology.
Consideration of the Second World War as the Great Patriotic War, the revival of Soviet traditions of celebrating Victory Day are also used to restore and strengthen Russia’s ideological influence in the post-Soviet space. As recent events in Crimea and the East of Ukraine have shown, this ideological influence becomes the basis for pro-Russian and anti-state sentiments in Ukraine,” the report says. on the website of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting.
“In 2011, an attempt was made to legalize the use of Soviet flags during events - the law was passed by parliament, signed by the president, but the Constitutional Court of Ukraine recognized it as not in compliance with the Constitution. Attempts to use Soviet symbols resulted in civil confrontation in the country. In general, the re-Sovietization of Victory Day, carried out against the backdrop of the formation over the years of independence of a national point of view on the place and role of Ukrainians in this war, became an additional source of tension in the country, another fault line between citizens,” officials say.
“To get rid of ideological influence, Russia should abandon the celebration of Victory Day in the Soviet format. The main emphasis should be on honoring all victims of the war: this day should be a tribute to the memory of fallen soldiers. Focus attention not on military parades, which is a unique form of war propaganda, but on helping veterans and commemorating the dead. Strengthen the social aspect of support for veterans both from the state and from the public. Translate the Soviet cult of war, of which Victory Day was an important instrument, into the tradition of remembering soldiers who died for their homeland (as in the original - Motherland - with a small letter - editor's note),” the new Ukrainian authorities say.
“Given the country’s European integration aspirations, the end of World War II in Europe should be celebrated together with other European states on May 8 and held in the format of a day of remembrance. At the same time, given the complexity and ambiguity of the attitude of Ukrainian citizens towards May 9, we should not abandon the celebration of May 9 as the Day of Remembrance of all victims of the war,” officials clarify.
“We should abandon the Soviet propaganda concept of the Great Patriotic War, talk about the Second World War of 1939-1945, emphasizing that Ukrainian territories fell into the maelstrom of hostilities from the first days of the war in 1939, talk about that period of the conflict (1939-1941) when The USSR was an ally of the Third Reich,” says the recommendations for state television channels.
Officials also recommend “introducing a European campaign of wearing awards in the form of red poppies (or Ukraine’s own symbols in the shape of a brush of red viburnum, rather than the Russian “St. George’s ribbon”), which are issued to everyone who donated funds for the care of military graves.”
Also, according to the authors of the document, it is necessary to “develop our own ritual, different from the Soviet one, to honor the memory of those killed in World War II, in which the highest leaders of the state and veterans will take part.”
Ukrainian officials also publish a list of films recommended for showing on TV during the holidays:
