Yushchenko: Why Should We Forget the History of Represssions?
by Natalya Hyshnyak and Oles’ Konashevych
BBCUkrainian.com, 13 June 2007
[Translated by Olga Bogatyrenko for the Ukraine List]
President Yushchenko insists that Ukraine must know its modern history more in-depth
In particular, he believes that Ukrainians must know about the Soviet era, which was characterized by the bloody civil war, by millions victims of the Soviet government, especially of the Famine of the 1930s.
He said he did not understand why history of so many victims should remain under-researched and half-forgotten.
“How do we evaluate the pages of our history that have for many years been hidden from us? We are going to become a country without a future if we do not recognize the truth in our history. Besides, when the “Memorial” society – a non-governmental institution – comes up with an initiative to create a museum of political repressions, quite frankly, I don’t know a single reason for why I would not welcome this. Who is afraid of this truth?” – Mr. Yushchenko asked.
The presidential statement was preceded by a statement made by the Chair of the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine, Olga Ginzburg, who said that a museum devoted to tragic pages of the Soviet history was unnecessary. Ginzburg argued for closing access to documents on communist repressions.
She mentioned that making public the names of those who participated in the repressions, including the Famine of the 1930s, could hurt their children and relatives.
Olga Ginzburg also stated that she does not intend to hand archival documents on the Soviet occupation over to the Kyiv Museum of Soviet Occupation because it was unnecessary for Ukraine. [The Museum of Soviet Occupation opened in early June, see below – UKL]
Not too long ago, somebody broke museum’s windows, destroyed a stand and stole the book “Collective Farm Slavery” (Kolhopsne rabstvo). [The book was written by the underground UPA commanding officer Vasyl’ Kuk in 1951-52 and discovered last year in the archives of the secret police (spetssluzhb). It was recently republished – UKL] Journalists wrote that the book went missing after the museum was visited by Progressive Socialists (PSPU) with Volodymyr Marchenko, a close ally and deputy of Nataliya Vitrenko.
On Thursday, June 7, the PSPU delegation attended the museum, photographed with their banners in front of the exhibit and left harsh remarks in the museum’s guestbook. Museum’s windows were broken the following night, on Friday. Museum’s workers believe that it was a PSPU’s doing.
They, in turn, deny the fact of theft and broken windows. According to them, they visited the Museum to express their negative position to the museum’s creators.
The exhibit “It Must Not Be Forgotten” (Zabuttiu ne pidlahiaie) was re-named the “Museum of Soviet Occupation”, which was opened in Kyiv in 2001 in a space offered by the Vasyl Stus “Memorial” society.
The exhibit is dedicated to communist crimes committed in Ukraine during the 1917-1991 period. The main archivist of the country stated that she did not want to hand any documents over to the museum:
“We should not have such a museum in our country at all, which is why the archives had not given any documents for the museum. My position on this issue is very negative. Who needs this? My generation does not need this. Which generation needs to hear about the communist occupation?”
Only about 3% of archival documents remain classified in Ukraine, the rest are open to the public.
Representatives of the “Memorial Society” express concerns that the intentions of those in charge of the National Archives to keep the documents about communist crimes classified may lead to their destruction. It is remembered that during 1917-1991, the KGB and the Soviet Commissariat of Foreign Affairs eliminated dozens of millions Ukrainians.
The director of the Kyiv “Memorial” Society, Roman Krutsyk, told the BBC that the refusal by the Communist representative to hand over the documents to the Museum of the Soviet occupation is predicated on the communist ideology of covering up the crimes. [The “Communist representative” refers to Olga Ginzburg, the Chair of the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine, who is listed in her official biography, as a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU). She was a CPU deputy in the Rada between 1998-2006. –UKL] Mr. Krutsyk also advocates lustration, which had taken place in some European countries, because he believes that without lustration no rehabilitation of victims of communist repressions can ever take place.
“Obviously, we won’t be able to do it under this government, but we do plan to show not only the victims but also their torturers. We have Germany and Poland as examples of countries that implemented lustration and where it did not hurt any relatives of those who had committed the crimes. De facto, we cannot have a true rehabilitation of victims of repressions until we make public the lists of those who committed the crimes. Unfortunately, our fifth column is still strong. And the truth is, political crises will continue until we tell the truth and condemn that period.”
Mr. Krutsyk believes that despite the calls of leftist forces to shut down the Museum of the Soviet Occupation and despite the attacks, broken windows, ruined stands and theft of museum’s documents, the Museum will not cease to exist as a public organization and will continue telling the truth.
Russian Ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin declared that the creation of the Museum is insulting to the Russian people.
President Viktor Yushchenko, speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday, expressed his support for the creation of the Museum of the Soviet Occupation and promised to hand his private archival documents that pertain to the crimes against Ukrainian people over to the museum.
In the past, museums of the Soviet Occupation were created in the Crimea and in Rivne. Similar precedents exist in Tbilisi, Vilnius and Tallin. Speaking at the dedication of the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington D.C., George Bush called this ideology murderous and mentioned Ukrainians among its victims.
BBCUkrainian.com, 13 June 2007
[Translated by Olga Bogatyrenko for the Ukraine List]
President Yushchenko insists that Ukraine must know its modern history more in-depth
In particular, he believes that Ukrainians must know about the Soviet era, which was characterized by the bloody civil war, by millions victims of the Soviet government, especially of the Famine of the 1930s.
He said he did not understand why history of so many victims should remain under-researched and half-forgotten.
“How do we evaluate the pages of our history that have for many years been hidden from us? We are going to become a country without a future if we do not recognize the truth in our history. Besides, when the “Memorial” society – a non-governmental institution – comes up with an initiative to create a museum of political repressions, quite frankly, I don’t know a single reason for why I would not welcome this. Who is afraid of this truth?” – Mr. Yushchenko asked.
The presidential statement was preceded by a statement made by the Chair of the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine, Olga Ginzburg, who said that a museum devoted to tragic pages of the Soviet history was unnecessary. Ginzburg argued for closing access to documents on communist repressions.
She mentioned that making public the names of those who participated in the repressions, including the Famine of the 1930s, could hurt their children and relatives.
Olga Ginzburg also stated that she does not intend to hand archival documents on the Soviet occupation over to the Kyiv Museum of Soviet Occupation because it was unnecessary for Ukraine. [The Museum of Soviet Occupation opened in early June, see below – UKL]
Not too long ago, somebody broke museum’s windows, destroyed a stand and stole the book “Collective Farm Slavery” (Kolhopsne rabstvo). [The book was written by the underground UPA commanding officer Vasyl’ Kuk in 1951-52 and discovered last year in the archives of the secret police (spetssluzhb). It was recently republished – UKL] Journalists wrote that the book went missing after the museum was visited by Progressive Socialists (PSPU) with Volodymyr Marchenko, a close ally and deputy of Nataliya Vitrenko.
On Thursday, June 7, the PSPU delegation attended the museum, photographed with their banners in front of the exhibit and left harsh remarks in the museum’s guestbook. Museum’s windows were broken the following night, on Friday. Museum’s workers believe that it was a PSPU’s doing.
They, in turn, deny the fact of theft and broken windows. According to them, they visited the Museum to express their negative position to the museum’s creators.
The exhibit “It Must Not Be Forgotten” (Zabuttiu ne pidlahiaie) was re-named the “Museum of Soviet Occupation”, which was opened in Kyiv in 2001 in a space offered by the Vasyl Stus “Memorial” society.
The exhibit is dedicated to communist crimes committed in Ukraine during the 1917-1991 period. The main archivist of the country stated that she did not want to hand any documents over to the museum:
“We should not have such a museum in our country at all, which is why the archives had not given any documents for the museum. My position on this issue is very negative. Who needs this? My generation does not need this. Which generation needs to hear about the communist occupation?”
Only about 3% of archival documents remain classified in Ukraine, the rest are open to the public.
Representatives of the “Memorial Society” express concerns that the intentions of those in charge of the National Archives to keep the documents about communist crimes classified may lead to their destruction. It is remembered that during 1917-1991, the KGB and the Soviet Commissariat of Foreign Affairs eliminated dozens of millions Ukrainians.
The director of the Kyiv “Memorial” Society, Roman Krutsyk, told the BBC that the refusal by the Communist representative to hand over the documents to the Museum of the Soviet occupation is predicated on the communist ideology of covering up the crimes. [The “Communist representative” refers to Olga Ginzburg, the Chair of the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine, who is listed in her official biography, as a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU). She was a CPU deputy in the Rada between 1998-2006. –UKL] Mr. Krutsyk also advocates lustration, which had taken place in some European countries, because he believes that without lustration no rehabilitation of victims of communist repressions can ever take place.
“Obviously, we won’t be able to do it under this government, but we do plan to show not only the victims but also their torturers. We have Germany and Poland as examples of countries that implemented lustration and where it did not hurt any relatives of those who had committed the crimes. De facto, we cannot have a true rehabilitation of victims of repressions until we make public the lists of those who committed the crimes. Unfortunately, our fifth column is still strong. And the truth is, political crises will continue until we tell the truth and condemn that period.”
Mr. Krutsyk believes that despite the calls of leftist forces to shut down the Museum of the Soviet Occupation and despite the attacks, broken windows, ruined stands and theft of museum’s documents, the Museum will not cease to exist as a public organization and will continue telling the truth.
Russian Ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin declared that the creation of the Museum is insulting to the Russian people.
President Viktor Yushchenko, speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday, expressed his support for the creation of the Museum of the Soviet Occupation and promised to hand his private archival documents that pertain to the crimes against Ukrainian people over to the museum.
In the past, museums of the Soviet Occupation were created in the Crimea and in Rivne. Similar precedents exist in Tbilisi, Vilnius and Tallin. Speaking at the dedication of the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington D.C., George Bush called this ideology murderous and mentioned Ukrainians among its victims.
Dan McMinn
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