“Eyes bulging”: An icebreaker in honor of Chernomyrdin caused bewilderment among compatriots in Ukraine
The naming of the new Russian icebreaker, commissioned yesterday by former Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin, has raised eyebrows among compatriots familiar with the politician's activities in Kyiv, as well as those of Chernomyrdin's successor as ambassador, Mikhail Zurabov.
Igor Druz, a former organizer of Russian religious processions in Kyiv who joined the Donbass militia in 2014, wrote about this on Facebook, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“I remember him as the ambassador in Kyiv. Stupid, stupid, greedy. During his time at the embassy, Russian social movements were treated with complete disdain. Under him, the first Maidan won.
True, the successor of his glorious deeds was even grander in personality. I still remember, like yesterday, National Unity Day in Kyiv in 2013. The heads of Russian and Orthodox public organizations, pro-Russian publicists, and politicians then gathered in the hall.
Naturally, everyone expected some more or less Russian-patriotic speech from the Russian ambassador, albeit diplomatic, as befits an ambassador. But Zurabov stunned everyone. Coming to the microphone, he instead greeted the audience with the words: “Shanovne panstvo!” He managed to say it with a Galician pronunciation, apparently he taught for a long time, and then continued just as tolerantly... We all sat down, our eyes bulging...
At this time, there was already a smell of war in the air, Bandera units were intensively training. The assembly center for the main putschists was the US Embassy, which did not even consider it necessary to hide it. And Rossotrudnichestvo was hosting “American Jazz Evenings” at that time,” recalls Druz.
"Bulging Eyes" : An Icebreaker in Honor of Chernomyrdin Raised Confusion among Compatriots in Ukraine