«Every state consolidated its independence in war,» – Ihor Yukhnovskyi
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Ihor Yukhnovskyi is 96 years old. He is now mainly engaged in theoretical physics. Earlier, the academician took part in politics for more than twenty years and was the leader of the first opposition faction in the Supreme Council of Soviet Ukraine. A deputy of four convocations, he served as the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance and has been working on the new Constitution of Ukraine for many years.
Chairman of the People’s Council Ihor Yukhnovskyi in the session hall next to Les Tanyuk. Photo: zbruc.eu
I ask Ihor Yukhnovsky how he is doing, and he immediately shares his thoughts about the war:
«Once on Sunday, on a Russian TV program, I heard an observer say that they are waging a war to establish historical justice. Of course, the reason is absurd, but we should think about it in order to understand how to proceed.»
What do you mean?
We often talk about our hetmans, Kyivan Rus’, but we do not know so much about, say, hetman Pylyp Orlyk. He appealed to the Zaporozhian Cossack nobility, to those great warriors, and based on their traditions, Orlyk wrote the constitution, which was the seed of our state.
Here I recall what reasons Catherine II had for travelling through Ukraine during the war. The fact is that Zaporozhian Cossacks waged a constant war with the Ottoman state, they attacked Constantinople, plundered to become richer, and were well-known soldiers throughout Europe. When getting older, they took up farming and managed it successfully. Huge farms were spread around Zaporizhzhia and the fighting spirit was all around.
Catherine II was not afraid of Zaporozhian Sich. Instead, she feared these households. The intelligent Russian empress realized that a new state was growing here, having a strong economic foundation. Such farms, being developed by the Cossack nobility, were probably not existent in other European cities. This was the seed of Ukraine.
Catherine ordered to destroy Sich and evict the Cossacks to the Kuban. Thousands of deported owners arrived there on oxen with livestock and weapons.
So many years of struggle... Neighbour-enemy... They were just starting to get back on their feet – and here they receive another blow. Why so?
It’s because we were not yet mature. Fortunately, Europe understands injustice and despises Russia for this banditry. Because what Russia is doing is bandit attacks, it is robbing our lands. The president of Russia began to engage in ordinary political and military robbery, and all civilized humanity rose up against it.
You say we were not mature enough to resist. What is needed for this maturity – self-awareness, roots, spirit, or education of elites?
Domestic upbringing, education of children in schools is necessary for the reconstruction of Ukraine. And it needs to be rebuilt, as Japan was rebuilt after its defeat in World War Two. It’s necessary to take the latest global developments, to build innovative enterprises. Cars should not run on gasoline, but on alternative fuel, on solar energy.
We have a sufficient amount of germanium on our territory, we can establish the production of photovoltaic cells, which will give us the opportunity to use solar energy, for instance. We have intelligent people and those who paid with their blood for our independence.
Yes, we gained independence 31 years ago. We declared our independence according to the article of the Constitution of the Soviet Union, which states that every republic has the right to do so. In a legal sense, our state was created absolutely clearly and honestly. We held a referendum in which more than 90% of the entire population of the Ukrainian SSR voted for independence.
Read also: Ukraine celebrates the 30th anniversary of the referendum for Independence. A history
Over the years, we’ve had different governments and presidents, either weak or strong. Yanukovych, for example, was terrified of Putin and could not work normally.
Do you think we’ve been growing politically all this time? Have we done everything necessary to raise a courageous political elite?
It’s wrong to think that only Russia is to blame for what is happening now, not our laziness. We must build our own regular secondary school, because this is the basis of the state. High school was the most important thing we had to pay attention to. But we didn’t do it...
You know that historically, it mostly was that all the states that became independent, had consolidated this independence in war. We thought that we would become independent on the basis that we took advantage of such a phenomenon as the GKChP in the Soviet Union and declared our independence. But, as it turned out, this independence must be sprinkled with blood, which we are doing now. This war brings us a sense of internal dignity and national pride.
Did you ever think that a full-scale war with Russia would break out?
Maybe I thought, maybe not. You know, my family – daughter, granddaughter, great-grandson – are horrified by the crimes that Russian soldiers are committing in Ukraine. I react to it calmly. Yes, I was a soldier in the Soviet army in World War II. In war, one exists to kill the other. Soldiers are looting. Robbery and murder are war, there is no war without it.
But there are some rules, moral laws...
Well, they only talk about it, but that’s only a romantic hopes. Those rules do not really apply to a person who sees a weapon in front of him. He takes too many risks. Only an inner feeling of pity and conscience makes a soldier more conscientious, so I’m not surprised at the Russians.
Of course, the war must be ended. But we cannot do this until we drive out the enemy. I believe we are the defenders of our state, and therefore our struggle is holy. We protect our families, our land. But that defense must be stronger, it’s worth psychologically influencing the enemy more strongly.
Here we are killing many Russians and will continue to kill. Russians do not feel sorry for their people. I think that if we ask them to take away their dead, they say «we don’t need them», or they prefer to sprinkle lime so that their bodies decompose. So it is worth burying them.
The killed Russian soldier is not our enemy. A killed Russian should be respected more than a living one. Therefore, I would build their graves on our borders. Maybe there will be many of them, maybe they will be a mound, mounds around our borders.
Is this a psychological trick to terrify someone who wants to cross our border again?
Yes. That’s what I didn’t want to say.
August 24, 1991. The Verkhovna Rada adopted the Act of Independence of Ukraine. Ihor Yukhnovskyi delivers a speech
How do you usually celebrate Independence Day, is there any tradition? You played a decisive role in this case, do you remember how it was?
How do you celebrate Independence Day – do you have any traditions? Since you played a major role in this story…
This is a great pleasure for me. I recall that the State Committee on the State of Emergency took control of the entire Soviet Union. All the fighters for the freedom of Ukraine disappeared, they were afraid of being arrested. I was then the chairman of the People’s Council and immediately went to Kyiv. We demanded that Ukrainian Communist Party’s first secretary Leonid Kravchuk immediately convene a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, but he categorically refused. Then, we collected 150 signatures, and the meeting did take place. Without the communists, by the way, it would not have been possible to do this.
Regarding traditions... I’m all in the tradition of this state.
We would add that last year, we published the extended memoirs of 95-year-old Ihor Yukhnovskyi about the preparation of proclaiming Ukraine’s Independence: We only made the last jerk. Ihor Yukhnovskyi on proclaiming the independence.
Victoria Savitska, translated by Vitalii Holich
Photo: «Tvoe Misto», Zbruch, «Voice of Ukraine»
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