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Updated December 18th, 2021 at 14:22 IST

Ukraine continues drive to move beyond Soviet past

In a secluded corner of Ukraine not far from the border with Russia, dozens of monuments to ex-Soviet leaders like Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin stand in neat rows in the snow, occasionally photographed by the wayward tourist.

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In a secluded corner of Ukraine not far from the border with Russia, dozens of monuments to ex-Soviet leaders like Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin stand in neat rows in the snow, occasionally photographed by the wayward tourist.

The spot sports a tongue-in-cheek entrance sign reading "Park of the Soviet Period," and it's a visual representation of Ukraine's recent attempts to draw a clean break with its Soviet past.

Many of the monuments that now stand in the open-air museum were once seen by millions in city squares across the country but were torn down in 2013 at the start of Ukraine's 'Revolution of Dignity'—an assertion of Ukrainian independence that toppled the authoritarian-leaning regime of Victor Yanukovych.

"We want to destroy the Soviet narratives of history that are still in the minds of many of our compatriots," said Ilia Denysenko, head of the Soviet monument museum opened in 2016.

He said the goal was to "replace them with Ukrainian narratives."

According to observers, that effort is in line with a broader state policy in Ukraine to create new narratives about the country and shed Soviet-era symbols and legacies, like the 2015 law that banned Communist symbols in the country.

Among post-Soviet nations, this process of de-Sovietization has been one the most rampant, and has seen everything from the removal of Soviet statues to a rejection of the Russian language.

"The political course is toward Ukrainization and Europeanization," explained Kyiv-based political scientist Vadim Karasev.

"This is a conscious and deliberate course that the government has taken," he added, pointing to recent initiatives such as a controversial 2019 law which made the Ukrainian language mandatory in all state settings.

Other laws have sought to promote the publication of Ukrainian-language books and Ukrainian-language television content in the place of once dominant Russian-language media.

Critics of the drive say it discriminates against the country's sizeable Russian-speaking minority, which according to polls accounts for more than a quarter of the population.

Meanwhile, supporters say the laws are a necessary step toward reasserting the Ukrainian language and identity, which were largely sidelined in favor of Russian when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union.

In the world of literature, it's evident that the number of Ukrainian-language books produced and sold is on the up.

"An interest in Ukrainian books is growing every year," said Kyiv-based publisher Dana Pavlychko at her bookshop in the Ukrainian capital.

She said the trend had been bolstered by laws giving preference to Ukrainian-language publishers, as well as restrictions on Russian-language books.

"If you want to get any kind of support, you know, from the local or national government, you have to publish in Ukrainian," she explained.

Pavlychko said there were additional licences required and import fees levied on Russian-language literature.

"Ukrainian books are cheaper, which also helps," she said.

Industry experts say these efforts have had their effect.

According to a survey by the Ukrainian Book Institute in 2020, more Ukrainians said for the first time they felt comfortable reading in the Ukrainian language than in any other.

 

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Published December 18th, 2021 at 14:21 IST

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