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Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bykivnia
Yesterday Catharina took me to Bykivnia - a beautiful pine and birch forest just outside Kiev.
This beautiful forest unfortunately witnessed terrible events in 1937 -1938.
One of the historians calls it “Kiev Killing Field” as it is a mass grave of Stalin victims during the Great Terror years.
Unofficial estimates put the number of bodies in the grave at 200,000 to 300,000.
For decades the official soviet history blamed Nazi’s for a mass grave.
In 1944 the Bykivnia graves were qualified by a Soviet war crimes commission as ones belonging to inmates of the Darnytsia [Nazi] POW camp. This sounded convincing as the camp where 75,000 Red Army officers and man had died was located nearby. However, talk about mass shootings prior to the war continued. In 1971 a new governmental commission studied Bykivnia. It confirmed the findings of the previous one. Ditto the third commission that studied the place in 1987. To make the picture even more convincing, a gravestone was placed with the legend, “Buried here are Soviet soldiers, partisans, and civilians massacred by the fascist aggressor in 1941-43” in May 1988. However villagers protested calling previous investigations “cover ups by blaming Nazi’s” and in December 1988 forced Ukrainian authorities to establish the fourth commission.
The graves turned out to contain the remains of victims of purges before WW II.
So finally official history confirmed what villagers knew but could not say for five decades. Finally elderly witnesses could talk about trucks dripping blood en route to the site in the 1937, before the Nazis occupied the area.
In March 1937 Politburo with its resolutions signaled the launch of a “cleanup” throughout the country where Stalin’s socialism now reigned. Month after month the Cheka/NKVD methodically closed their cases of “enemies of the people” using the method of mass shootings.
In big cities thousands were massacred and the authorities found themselves faced with a serious problem: what to do with the material evidence, bodies? The NKVD leadership decided to bury them in the suburbs and place the sites under special control. With time the security details were withdrawn and no one seemed to remember the victims. When the Wehrmacht occupied a part of the Soviet territory the Nazis tried to demonstrate to the rest of the world the scope of Stalin’s atrocities. The Soviet media immediately blamed the Nazis for the mass executions.
As a memory to victims trees are wrapped with “rushnyki” – ceremonial embroidered towels. On some trees family survivors put small plate.
Surrounded by beautifully trees I had a somberly walk.
This beautiful forest unfortunately witnessed terrible events in 1937 -1938.
One of the historians calls it “Kiev Killing Field” as it is a mass grave of Stalin victims during the Great Terror years.
Unofficial estimates put the number of bodies in the grave at 200,000 to 300,000.
For decades the official soviet history blamed Nazi’s for a mass grave.
In 1944 the Bykivnia graves were qualified by a Soviet war crimes commission as ones belonging to inmates of the Darnytsia [Nazi] POW camp. This sounded convincing as the camp where 75,000 Red Army officers and man had died was located nearby. However, talk about mass shootings prior to the war continued. In 1971 a new governmental commission studied Bykivnia. It confirmed the findings of the previous one. Ditto the third commission that studied the place in 1987. To make the picture even more convincing, a gravestone was placed with the legend, “Buried here are Soviet soldiers, partisans, and civilians massacred by the fascist aggressor in 1941-43” in May 1988. However villagers protested calling previous investigations “cover ups by blaming Nazi’s” and in December 1988 forced Ukrainian authorities to establish the fourth commission.
The graves turned out to contain the remains of victims of purges before WW II.
So finally official history confirmed what villagers knew but could not say for five decades. Finally elderly witnesses could talk about trucks dripping blood en route to the site in the 1937, before the Nazis occupied the area.
In March 1937 Politburo with its resolutions signaled the launch of a “cleanup” throughout the country where Stalin’s socialism now reigned. Month after month the Cheka/NKVD methodically closed their cases of “enemies of the people” using the method of mass shootings.
In big cities thousands were massacred and the authorities found themselves faced with a serious problem: what to do with the material evidence, bodies? The NKVD leadership decided to bury them in the suburbs and place the sites under special control. With time the security details were withdrawn and no one seemed to remember the victims. When the Wehrmacht occupied a part of the Soviet territory the Nazis tried to demonstrate to the rest of the world the scope of Stalin’s atrocities. The Soviet media immediately blamed the Nazis for the mass executions.
As a memory to victims trees are wrapped with “rushnyki” – ceremonial embroidered towels. On some trees family survivors put small plate.
Surrounded by beautifully trees I had a somberly walk.
Photos of this tragic location are at : http://picasaweb.google.com/gordie26/April25?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2AsISxycCJEQ&feat=directlink
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Musings on freedom while dog walking
Walking Igor gives an opportunity to meet interesting people. I do not know persons names - I know dog's names. But irrespective a lack of formal introductions, conversations with these people give me interesting insights.
This morning I spoke with a lady who walks Cubic - a 9 year old schnauzer. She is in her late 60ties and is a retired biologist-zoologist. Today she told me how happy she is the Soviet Union fall apart. She is very happy her children had an opportunity to have a world open to them. She told me how as a zoologist she spent time with her husband in Kuril's Islands. From one of the islands she could see over to Japan and watch Japanese cars, roads, houses... She described the frustration of sensing there is a different world outside USSR - which she could not and was forbidden to experience. Once USSR fell apart she and her family immediately started to travel. Her daughter lives in Germany. Her son is in Sweden. She is strongly convinced people - even with current economic hardships - overall live better now - because there is a freedom of movement and freedom of speech. How true: ultimately the level of freedom determines our quality of life.
This morning I spoke with a lady who walks Cubic - a 9 year old schnauzer. She is in her late 60ties and is a retired biologist-zoologist. Today she told me how happy she is the Soviet Union fall apart. She is very happy her children had an opportunity to have a world open to them. She told me how as a zoologist she spent time with her husband in Kuril's Islands. From one of the islands she could see over to Japan and watch Japanese cars, roads, houses... She described the frustration of sensing there is a different world outside USSR - which she could not and was forbidden to experience. Once USSR fell apart she and her family immediately started to travel. Her daughter lives in Germany. Her son is in Sweden. She is strongly convinced people - even with current economic hardships - overall live better now - because there is a freedom of movement and freedom of speech. How true: ultimately the level of freedom determines our quality of life.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Washing up TV ad in Ukraine
Last week my internet provider decided to make some changes in the protocol/system. As a subscriber to a service I was (of course) not informed about it.
With no internet for few days (apparently considered normal period for fixing the "new protocol") I turned to watching Ukrainian TV. Dancing and skating reality shows with celebrities are in. Of course these top programs are showing "top" ads. One of such top ads is for a washing up product.
We all know ads are about persuasion and working on the magic of "because".
Well - this ad explains you should use "Gala" washing up liquid "because" this liquid works when you have to do washing up without electricity. Power cuts or power shortages are frequent occurrence. Thus - because in Ukraine one frequently has to do washing up by candlelight - using Gala liquid is a solution for your clean dishes.
View Ukrainian washing up by candlelight on following photos:
With no internet for few days (apparently considered normal period for fixing the "new protocol") I turned to watching Ukrainian TV. Dancing and skating reality shows with celebrities are in. Of course these top programs are showing "top" ads. One of such top ads is for a washing up product.
We all know ads are about persuasion and working on the magic of "because".
Well - this ad explains you should use "Gala" washing up liquid "because" this liquid works when you have to do washing up without electricity. Power cuts or power shortages are frequent occurrence. Thus - because in Ukraine one frequently has to do washing up by candlelight - using Gala liquid is a solution for your clean dishes.
View Ukrainian washing up by candlelight on following photos:
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sarajevo
From March 25th to March 29th I was in Sarajevo. Damir, my friend from Moscow decided to celebrate his 50th birthday in his hometown. While some of close Damir’s friends are still in Sarajevo, many are due to the war scattered across the globe. His friends came from Moscow, London, Zagreb, Split, Canada, Australia and Kiev. Not to make his friends to come from far away for one evening only, it was decided to party for three days: “orientation night” started on Thursday, “rehearsal” was Friday and “50th gala” on Saturday. For three days we enjoyed excellent company, delicious food and - thanks to Damir's musical background - superb musicians catared to our musical wishes. Everyone had unforgettable time. When we parted on Sunday it was said this was such a great party that people who had not attended it, will say they have been there.
Last time I was in Sarajevo was sometime in 1986. I remember it as a city full of fun. Kind of Balkan “Dolce Vita”: very relaxing, time is passed talking to friends over turkish coffee, to make talk intersting one might have some rakija, later sing a song about love or (most likely) lack of it, had some delicious chevapchichi, than drink more and sing more. And so on…
I wondered how the city and its people healed after the war. I came back amazed. Some shots of Sarajevo are on http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PgGnXrWiJJPcAfSdbQAv3w?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_N8K6ZlvnP8AE&feat=directlink
Sarajevo developed as a city from a trading post. Where there is a trade there is usually open-mindedness. That’s why Sarajevo was a melting pot – Muslims, Croat, Serbs and other nations lived there peacefully together for many years. That is why it was so painfully surprising to see the brutality against the city and its citizens. I leave explanations on causes of the war to historians. The fact is that for months the city was heavily pounded by over 300 Serb cannons.
Last time I was in Sarajevo was sometime in 1986. I remember it as a city full of fun. Kind of Balkan “Dolce Vita”: very relaxing, time is passed talking to friends over turkish coffee, to make talk intersting one might have some rakija, later sing a song about love or (most likely) lack of it, had some delicious chevapchichi, than drink more and sing more. And so on…
I wondered how the city and its people healed after the war. I came back amazed. Some shots of Sarajevo are on http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PgGnXrWiJJPcAfSdbQAv3w?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_N8K6ZlvnP8AE&feat=directlink
Sarajevo developed as a city from a trading post. Where there is a trade there is usually open-mindedness. That’s why Sarajevo was a melting pot – Muslims, Croat, Serbs and other nations lived there peacefully together for many years. That is why it was so painfully surprising to see the brutality against the city and its citizens. I leave explanations on causes of the war to historians. The fact is that for months the city was heavily pounded by over 300 Serb cannons.
The city center is almost fully restored. On some buildings one can see grenade or bullet holes. But mostly buildings dating from Ottoman or Austro-Hungarian times are enjoying new colors. But that’s the city center. In the city outskirts buildings still wait for a makeover. Some scenes are surreal: a laundry drying from a window scared with bullet holes, satellite antenna positioned above grenade hole. Graveyards are between residential houses.
Everyone I met has an amazing survival story to tell. The shopkeeper whose husband died and she raised her two daughters herself. One dughter finished university one is studying.
A taxi driver "escaped" to the Netherlands (Breda) and there fell in love with a Bosnian girl. They came back. A beautician as an orphan emigrated to UK, finished school there, got UK citizenship, but due to crisis returned to Sarajevo two months ago.
Irrespective of past hardship the Balkan spirit of “dolce vita” is alive in Sarajevo.I lost voice singing “sevdalinke” (traditional Bosnian folk songs). My legs were tired from dancing. I wish I could stay longer. I would definitely come again. I am fortunate to have friends who can organize such an unforgettable celebration of life and friendship. Many, many thanks and I hope to welcome you in Kiev!
A taxi driver "escaped" to the Netherlands (Breda) and there fell in love with a Bosnian girl. They came back. A beautician as an orphan emigrated to UK, finished school there, got UK citizenship, but due to crisis returned to Sarajevo two months ago.
Irrespective of past hardship the Balkan spirit of “dolce vita” is alive in Sarajevo.I lost voice singing “sevdalinke” (traditional Bosnian folk songs). My legs were tired from dancing. I wish I could stay longer. I would definitely come again. I am fortunate to have friends who can organize such an unforgettable celebration of life and friendship. Many, many thanks and I hope to welcome you in Kiev!
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