Victory Day ?
May 9th is a Victory Day for several Eastern European countries including Russia and the
Ukraine. It is the date that marks the end of World War Two for those countries. It is the day
when the survived veterans gather for the parade, celebrations and tribute to those who lost
their lives. Also a day of reminder that those horrific events, even so distant and surreal now,
can happen again. This year marks the 69th anniversary of the end of the World War Two.
This year is also different, because it will mark the history as the year the acting Ukrainian
government canceled the holiday. It does not mean that the survivors will not get together to
celebrate their Remembrance Day, they still will as they have done for 68 years. The difference
is that they themselves, their lost comrades, and all other people who lost their lives during the
genocide, will not receive any recognition from the acting Ukrainian government. Instead,
Stepan Bandera was declared a Ukrainian national hero.
For those who do not know who Stepan Bandera is, he is one of the most controversial
figures in the history of Ukrainian nationalism. At the beginning of World War Two, he allied
with Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union. Under his militant leadership, the ultranationalists organized the Ukrainian Waffen SS Galician, Nichtengall, and Roland Divisions that
collaborated with the Nazis and were responsible for the genocide of over 500,000 people.
Following the war, however, Ukrainian Nazis were the only group to escape trial at Nuremburg
for crimes against humanity. Moreover, neither the Banderas, the Ukrainian Waffen SS, nor any
other Ukrainian collaborators have ever apologized for their participation in genocide. In 2010,
then the president of the Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko, awarded Bandera the title of Hero of
Ukraine. The award was condemned by European Parlament, Russian, Polish and Jewish
organizations and was declared illegal by the following Ukrainian government.
This time, the reason for doing it again is probably that the government is trying to keep the
members of the Right Sector (ultra-nationalistic) content. After all, they now gained the title of
the Ukrainian Elite National Guards, and are the primary force in the military operation to
eliminate resistance in the Eastern Ukraine.
The question then is: what really is going on in the Ukraine, and will the dark pages of the
history turn back again? If we forget what had happened, it will happen again…
Nina Verhoef,
Stratford, Ontario