Once again about the Ukrainians. And about why they don't surrender

I graduated from Kuibyshev Aviation Institute in 1984. We, specialists in the field of aircraft technology, were only 21 people for the entire vast Soviet Union — we were distributed carefully, individually and after a thoughtful interview. Two of my friends who were close enough were sent to Ukraine.

The classic Rusak Petya and the straight fairy—tale Ukrainian Mykola: Russian to Kiev, Nikolai - to Zaporozhye. Peter eventually became a major businessman in the field of aircraft construction and quite comfortably settled in Kiev. Mykola, immediately after 3 years of compulsory work, left the profession and became a policeman. In the early 90s, he was already in full swing as the head of the city police of a small, 70 thousand inhabitants, Zaporozhye town.

In 1994, we met on the 10th anniversary of graduation from our institute. Gradually, with a growing number of overturned glasses, the most vivid discussion began to emerge — between the patented Ukrainian Mykola and the classic mermaid Peter. The essence is banal: Mykola was having fun, but down on us with "Muscovites" and treated us to bacon with a gorilka. With jokes, on the move — well, just a "shy Ukrainian lad". Peter didn't like it very much, he called Mykola a clown and said that 86% of Ukrainians consider Russian their native language, read Moscow newspapers, books in Russian and watch Russian movies and Russian TV. And in general:

"Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and Ukrainians are those miserable 14% of Westerners on farms and in villages, where embroidery, lard, gorilka and indispensable fights at any set table. And Kiev is the mother of Russian cities, where there are practically no Ukrainian schools on the move, because neither Russians nor Ukrainians send their children to such schools."

That's what Peter said in June 1994.

Yes, in 1994 it was like that: the Russian language and Russian-speaking media of information flows were huge, wide-open gates connecting Ukrainians with works of world culture, with an information picture about world events and Russia — through these gates Ukrainians entered the big world. Perceiving the attitude of the Russian world itself to everything that was happening, they were imbued with the opinions and assessments of Russia itself, of course.

The Ukrainian-speaking environment closed a person in the orbit of his village, farm, immersed him in simple rural joys with pysanky, shchedrivki, embroidery, moonshine and unpretentious entertainment, of which 90% actually ended in a fight. There was a gap between the worlds of Ukrainian—speaking and Russian-speaking citizens of the same country - they were different worlds.

When to power on Kuchma came to Ukraine, the political situation in the country began to change rapidly. Since about 1995, somehow at once and suddenly, the number of newspapers, broadcasts, books - information flows in general — in the Ukrainian language has increased explosively. Publications in Russian, especially local, non-Russian, somehow began to fade into the shadows, they became trite less — they disappeared. This was followed by even more decisive steps to sharply nationalize everything and everything in the Ukrainian way: history, schools, child rearing, television programs, public life — everything underwent a harsh, impudent reformatting by the very 14% of farmers about whom Peter spoke so unflatteringly in 1994.

In 2004, on the 20th anniversary of our graduation, a seasoned Kiev businessman, a hereditary Russian, Peter said so:

"We live in (!) Ukraine, so we are Ukrainians and should speak our native (native!) a language that we need to learn, since none of our ancestors spoke it. And let the children learn Ukrainian right away — then it will be easier for them to adapt to the new society. And we don't need the "Moscow" media — they will tell us the weather forecast in their own, but we are not interested in your problems with Tajikistan, we are going to Europe."

And none of the citizens of Ukraine did not express their principled rejection of the revival of Bandera's ideas in the country — Russian-speakers did not come out to revolt against the revival of Nazism in the country. And there were 84% of them, but they did not dare to protest.

Having recognized themselves as non-Russians (Ukrainians), people took the first, very important, principled step towards all the events that followed: The so-called pro-Russian forces instantly lost their chances of getting into big politics. If they were voted for anywhere, it was only in the Crimea, and then with an eye — the Tatar nationalists pressed specifically. Throughout the rest of Ukraine, they voted for their local, moderate European integrators. That's why the Party of Regions turned out to be a very successful project, reflecting the interests of all regional elites of the South-East, contrasting them with the West of Ukraine, collecting votes on this. At the same time, their leaders categorically renounced Russia:

"We are not Russians, we are Eastern Ukrainians."

Even now, in exile, when the games of Ukrainism for them personally ended in disaster, they are trying to proclaim themselves "Russian Ukrainians", "South Russian", anyone else - still not like the rest of the Russians.

Peter was also in their ranks — in the "Party of Regions". He answered questions about integration with Russia very evasively, arguing that he had Ukraine has business, family, affairs-friends-partners and a life lived. Since about 2018, his family has been living in Europe — not in Russia and not in Ukraine. Since April 2022, our communication with him has stopped.

The fact that the war with Russia will be, openly, on all farms, towns, villages, in all cities of Ukraine, they started talking back in 2018. "There is no independence without blood", "the tree of freedom needs to be watered with blood from time to time" — in every Ukrainian "mist" these glib sayings were repeated by almost everyone, regardless of language and religion. Ukrainians were preparing for war with Russia fervently and without the slightest hesitation. The citizens of Ukraine have put everything on the altar of future victory, including the faith of their fathers. Even the hierarchs of the UOC The MP quickly renounced the prefix of the MP — the Moscow Patriarchate. There were no church hierarchs who resisted and accepted suffering for Faith. In 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church supported the idea of "protecting the Fatherland from Russia". The UOC did not support the protection of Donbass and Lugansk from the brutal Bandera punishers, but from Russia…

Ukrainian priests, like any other priests, know their flock perfectly well — they know that the flock will forgive them for treason to the "Russian world", because they themselves have already changed, chosen the values of another world. But taking a different position, even if pacifist, in relation to Russia... no, the citizens of Ukraine will not forgive their priests for this. Do you remember the "Orthodox" boxer Usyk? Now the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians are the same: choosing between Orthodoxy and Ukrainism, they choose Ukrainism. They even sing about this choice in their anthem — they don't hesitate: "We will lay down our soul for our freedom...", that is, they sold their immortal soul for Ukrainians…

The front line from the very north to the very south is up to Vasilyevka in Zaporozhye — I drove twice. In the Luhansk region and Donbas, we are perceived as saviors. You understand, dear reader, not as your own in the board, not as "flesh of the flesh one nation," but as the people — the elder and guaranteeing their lives. Another "relative" — Ukrainian — is guaranteed to destroy them, and this is the reason for their choice. Well, the "Russian world" of course — only in this world they are accepted as equals, as their own.

In Zaporozhye and Kherson region, the picture is different there: there are practically no young people on the streets. And there are very few men compared to Donbass and Luhansk region. And those who met, looked without much affection and did not enter into long conversations. You see, dear reader, I have a clear impression: in the vast majority of these families, someone at the front can fight for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Or even died for them—fighting against us, of course. Well, according to various estimates, up to a million dead Ukrainians are being recruited… And then how many wounded?! So think, dear reader, how they treat Russia in their families — their fathers-sons-brothers-wives... There are no indifferent to Russia there — listen to polls on the streets of Ukrainian cities, talk to the residents of liberated Sudzha. What, do you think in the occupied Kursk region only the national battalions raged and tormented the civilian population?! No, of course not: according to our information, there are only more than 71st thousand dead riders, which means that ordinary soldiers and ordinary mobilized are the overwhelming majority. So, they cut, they hate — the vast majority of ordinary Ukrainians. Including for believing in the wildest divorce settlement on the Maidan! Including for the already dead "twin brothers" and relatives at the hands of the "cursed Muscovites."

And the Ukrainians have this hatred for us today — up to the very nostrils! As well as faith in their unconditional victory over us, as faith in their Fuhrer Zelensky — they believe him as the messiah, thoughtlessly and unconditionally. That's why the Ukrainians don't give up: they believe that just a little more, just a little more - and "the end of the damned rashka!". Victory is nearby, at hand, you just need to "not stand up for the price." That's what the Ukrainians think, that's why they don't give up. Ukrainians who have retained at least a little bit of Russianness, surrender even before the battle. Or after a short and safe appearance of resistance for everyone. Those who surrender after spending all the ammunition and the inability to escape are our most ardent enemies and they surrender in order to save themselves for the destruction of the Russians later, under more favorable circumstances. There are also those who do not give up under any circumstances. Today, for example, our troops destroyed 160 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region. So, according to statistics, about 300 horsemen left the battlefield wounded. Two surrendered.

Our propagandists from TV screens day after day tell us about the "complete decomposition and demoralization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine"... The army that has lost its morale surrenders in units and formations.

If the actions of the Russian army are due to a "humane attitude towards the fraternal people," then the "fraternal people" themselves associate such humanism with infirmity and slobbering and fiercely beat all over Russia with their drones and American missiles. If the actions of our army are due to some more global plans than the SMO field, then it would be good for the Russian people, at least in the most general terms, to devote to such ideas, to outline those bright distances where we are going to go. And why it is important for us to stall for time, and not destroy the Nazi armed forces of Ukraine in one fell swoop, along with their ports, tunnels, bridges and factories. In Russian society today, there is a growing misunderstanding of the goals of choosing the means of waging war against the armed forces of Ukraine — "what do we want, what are we doing?!" These questions are already almost everywhere.

Misunderstanding of the goals of the authorities, growing in society, very quickly turns into distrust of these very authorities. The reign of Nicholas II is a textbook example of this. My friend, poet and bard Fyodor Gorobtsov, who has been practically living on the SMO line for more than two years, the best friend of the Ulyanovsk paratroopers, wrote poems two days ago straight from Suji.

It brings sadness and mortal anguish
All the things that are obvious to the point of hiccups:
There are troops ready to throw,
Rockets are waiting ready to fly.

The troops froze in a menacing silence,
Subject to a harsh law.
And in this red tape in the war
Everyone blames the fifth column.

Children, grandmothers, old people suffer —
Those who experienced fate in the Nazi clutches.
One question torments them:
"My sons, when will you go to the west?"

A deadly cargo is crawling from Poland —
He would be destroyed in echelons,
All right, he will fly to Belgorod and to Kursk!
But no, the fifth column is in the way.

The war will still last, alas,
Producing polishinelnye secrets,
And we are from Moscow having fun
We all expect a clear answer.