From the book «Homo-brehun» («Homo-liar»)
(written weeks or months before the russian army’s invasion into Ukraine)
Hardly it is possible to name an aspect of russian ideology not guided by a dirty liar. The russian idea was very well explained at the beginning of the twentieth century by the authors of the famous collection «Milestones» («Vekhi»), the first and most intelligent russian wits of the time. In the Soviet period, the collection was known only for its devastating criticism of Lenin (as such, had to be deliberately read now and then, but the criticised material itself was not available). The idea is primitive, but frankly brazen: «Moscow is the third Rome, and there won’t be any fourth.» Well, the third is more for embellishment. In fact, there were many contenders to pick up the baton of the Roman Empire for one and a half thousand years. In a sense, the Roman Empire only changed its shape and center, without coming undone. It was held as a model for the russian tsars who periodically encroached on European territories (which is why the thirst for expansion was not even quenched with the conquered boundless Siberia). So, the underlying russian idea is the right to Kyivska Rus, one of the powerful empires of the European Middle Ages. Any empire is based on the dual mentality: to take back what is allegedly considered their own, or to enlighten savages. And both are good together. The great lie of the russian national idea began when Muscovy, in the time of Peter the Great, that is, in the eighteenth century, called itself russia, thus appropriating the hereditary rights to medieval Kyivska Rus. But here's the trouble, there are too many cursed swindlers, no matter how you destroy them, no matter how you assimilate. Their very existence threatens to deprive russia of its historic right to be an empire.
The savagely aggressive desire for expansion (the true but timidly silenced legacy of the Golden Horde for russians) must be justified. Firstly, to persuade its own population to be periodically, at the request of the king, cannon fodder, and secondly, to manipulate with rights before the world.
For centuries, russia's policy toward Ukraine has been based on one goal: to instill fear in the Ukrainians. Of course, not only them, it is good to show «Kuzkin's mother» (whatever it takes) to the whole world, but to instill fear in the Ukrainian community is a major task. For its implementation and collectivisation, that is, the first famine was started, and after the war, which somewhat weakened faith in the commune, the second famine. Well, the relocation of the masses from Ukraine to Siberia or Kazakhstan and vice versa from the Urals to Western Ukraine, despite the whole range of ideological tasks, got the civilians accustomed to everyday fear. I'm not talking about all-union phobias, which used to be also instilled to Ukrainians and rebellious Caucasians in the first place. I learned this from the generation of our parents, accompanied by a plethora of indelible fears they had endure during their lifetime.
And surprisingly, it does not work anymore. Although every second Ukrainian, who was ruined, droop their heads in their shoulders, retreat to the swamps, to the farms, then to the light, but they will not learn to be afraid of katsaps. It's even strange somehow they are not afraid in the least. By the way, compare two paintings by Repin, the famous «russian» artist from Slobozhanshchyna (historically the northeastern Ukraine and southeastern russia): «Burlaks on the Volga» and «Cossacks are Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan»: what an iconic opposition! A comprehensive answer to the question of who fears whom.
Ukrainians are a much older people than russians. Therefore, the former are wiser, more civilised, and as a result, more self-sufficient. A developed self-sufficient person differs from a savage by a small detail, self-awareness. But self-awareness, in its turn, teaches adequate self-esteem, neither to lie to yourself and people, nor to cast aggression at anyone, nor to shift guilt on another person and all sorts of other worthy human things. There are self-sufficient and not self-sufficient persons. In the same way, nations can be distinguished. And never will a self-sufficient nation be afraid of an self-insufficient one,
let alone suffer from a phobia. A delusory national idea, the falsehood of which the nation refuses to realise, is the real, true cause of psycho disease at the mental level.
Mariia MOKLYTSIA,
Doctor of Philological Sciences
Professor of the Department of Theory of Literature and Foreign Literature
