Twenty years ago, when I was first a Peace Corps Volunteer
in Ukraine, May 9th meant nothing to me. Only after a friend came up
to me later that day, breathlessly describing how she and her friends had
cheered, yelled, and threw flowers at the veterans, did I realize I missed an
important Ukrainian holiday. Victory Day (День Перемоги) celebrates the Allied
Victory over the Nazi’s in World War Two, or as Ukrainians called it, The Great
Patriotic War (In Russian: Великая
Отечественная Война). As with many countries in Central and Eastern
Europe, Ukraine has forever been surrounded by belligerents on both sides,
usually Germany and Russia/USSR. Therefore, when hostilities broke out, Ukraine
frequently became the prime battleground as wars ebbed and flowed in either
direction. In the case of World War II, when the Germans initiated Operation
Barbarossa in June 1941, the initial hope of some Ukrainians that the
conquering Nazis would soon offer Ukrainian independence was quickly and
harshly dashed. Throughout the course of the war, Ukraine was devastated as
cities and towns were scorched not only by the Nazis but by retreating Soviets
as well. When the war finally ended, as many as eight million Ukrainians lay
dead (5.5 million civilian and 2.5 million military), according to some
accounts. Anyway you slice it, Ukrainians suffered tremendously under the Nazis
and the Soviets. For this reason, May 9th has always been a day of
remembrance, a potent mix of joy and sadness. That I missed the parade twice
when I was first in Ukraine, made me determined to celebrate the holiday this
time around. With more veterans dying every year, soon these days may be a
memory.
But times have changed and so has this important holiday. As
Ukraine is embroiled in another war, May 9th has taken on a new
significance. There are now pointed connections made between the Great
Patriotic War and the war simmering in Donbas. The name of the holiday has also
changed from Victory Day to Victory over Nazism in World War II (День перемоги над нацизмом у Друній світовій
віній). In fact, the term “Great Patriotic War” was removed from
Ukrainian legislation altogether and replaced with the term World War II. Due
to recent legislation, as of 15 May 2015, Communist and Nazi symbols are no
longer allowed in Ukraine. Instead of the Hammer and Sickle flags and the
Ribbon of St. George (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_of_Saint_George)and other Soviet symbols, Ukrainians now wear a red poppy. (http://uatoday.tv/society/ukraine-celebrates-daly-of-victory-over-nazism-in-world-war-ii-645162.html)
So how have these changes affected the citizens of Ukraine?
From new reports and my own observation, feelings seem to be mixed. Many of the
older citizens, especially veterans, do not want to forget the Soviet Red Army
who saved them from Nazi aggression. How can people turn their backs on history
and forget how this country was saved by German domination by the Communist
Party and the USSR despite some other unpleasant history? There are many others
who see it differently. Ukraine was forcibly taken over by the Soviet Union,
and then by Germany, followed by a return of the USSR. What is there to celebrate? So it may take many years and the deaths of
the last veterans to finally dictate the future of this holiday. It seems to
reason it will also take a definitive answer to the war in Donbas as well.
Perhaps the victory of 1945 will be superseded by a new victory and a united
nation in the coming years.
But what is still important is for people to remember loved
ones. That is why citizens still were leaving flowers by the tank monument in
Victory Square. They also walked up the hill to lay more flowers and listen to
the bands playing at the Eternal Glory Memorial. Everywhere you could see the
remaining veterans, smartly dressed in uniform with chests full of medals. For
those who were no longer alive, loved ones carried pictures. What astonished
and heartened me the most was the respect shown both the living and the dead.
Citizens would walk up to soldiers and ask to take a photo or went up to a
widow to offer condolences. And I guess that was the message of the day in
Zhytomyr. Remember and respect those who came before even though time and old
ideals have passed. I think there is a lesson here for all countries dealing
with their pasts.
Living Memory
Non-Forgotten Soldier
Tanks for the Memories
Pictures from the Past
Victory Column
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