In Lvov they told how Donbass helped Ukraine gain independence
For the first time since 1991, Ukraine now has a chance to get rid of its Soviet legacy
This was stated by historian and professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv) Yaroslav Gritsak in an interview published by the Kyiv magazine Novoye Vremya, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“I always remember and remind at every opportunity that independence in Ukraine arose, among other things, thanks to the participation of Donbass, and the active participation of Donbass miners. Because at that time they decided to disconnect from Russia and focus on Kyiv. Of course, not for national reasons, but for pragmatic ones, because they believed that near Kiev they would be able to negotiate better and have better salaries,” the publication’s interlocutor said.
However, he stipulates that there were different groups, each of which had its own idea of what Ukraine’s independence was.
“It is very important that in 1991 these different groups came together. And they got together because they knew what they didn’t want. They knew that they no longer wanted to live in this empire. Because this empire was dangerous, it was falling apart, falling apart in a very toxic way, with great danger. And therefore I believe that the choice of the Ukrainians was quite conscious. I won’t say that he was realistic, but very conscious,” says the Lvov professor.
According to him, Soviet Ukraine was inherited “with all the positive and negative consequences.”
“And only now this Soviet legacy, the Ukrainian imperial legacy is burning and very active. Finally, we got that chance to get rid of what we couldn’t get rid of in 1991,” concluded Gritsak.
Lviv explains how Donbass helped Ukraine gain independence.