*Andrew Grigorenko.*

*63 Anniversary of Crimean Deportation.*

A history of any nation is always marked by happy and sad road marks. Alas!
The later occurs more often that the first. This is especially true for the
nations who had a misfortune to be under iron fist of totalitarianism.

Today, May 18, 2007, is a 63rd Anniversary of the day when natives of
Crimean peninsula were brought on the verge of total annihilation.

I would avoid repeating what I previously wrote about this tragedy in my
numerous articles and the book "When We Will Return…" I would rather reflect
on the future of Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian statehood.

I was pleasantly surprised by the news that President of Crimean Mejlis
(National Council of Crimean Tatars) and President of Ukraine laid together
flowers at the foot of the monument commemorating the victims of the
deportation. This symbolic gesture gives a hope that the poly-ethnic
Ukrainian nation will recognize that tragedy of a single ethnic component of
the nation is a common national tragedy, understanding that genocide is
tragedy for the entire Humanity. Without such realization we cannot be sure
that genocide will not ever reoccurs.

Unfortunately, there is no such nationwide understanding not only in Ukraine
but allover the post-Soviet territories. Propaganda of xenophobia, some
times masked, some times not, has a free rain in many places and even
sometimes became a new pillar for so called "national idea".

Even taking under consideration rather complicated current Ukrainian
political situation, one would wander why so little done to restore a
historical justice? The repatriation of deportees proceeds with difficulties
including unresolved land distribution, employment and monetary
compensation. The Ukrainian government does not take necessary steps to
recover monetary compensation from Russia for deeds committed by its
predecessor. Ukraine also did not try to negotiate reasonable compensation
from the Central Asian nation were Crimean made a significant contribution
to the economies of those countries. The resources collected from the
above-mentioned sources could be used not only for justifiable compensation
of former deportees but also for the restoration of the unique Crimean
culture.

It is unforgivable that after fifteen years of Ukrainian independence the
historical t*oponymics eradicated from Crimea for the past 63 years are not
restored. There is no excuse that the voluntary or involuntary migrants who
moved to peninsula after the deportation oppose the restoration. It seems
questionable that people who ignorant about native culture and history could
have any saying in the matter. If the present situation will persist, the
new generation of Ukrainian citizens will lose a chance on restoration of
historical justice.*

*The situation is also intolerable with Ukrainian and Crimean languages in
the Autonomous Republic. Those languages are not a part of compulsory
curriculum in every Crimean school. Instead, the foreign language enjoys the
privilege of de-facto state language and therefore serves as indirect
endorsement of the past colonial policies of the Soviet Union and its
predecessor - Russian Empire.*

*The attempt of certain circles of so-called Russian speakers to revise the
history of Crimea and glorify foreign conquerors from Russian Empress
Kathryn to bloody dictator Stalin is also troublesome.*

* May 18 is always be the black day on my calendar. During that day, I prey
for all those who suffocated to death in the cattle cars of the deportation
trains, for those who perished while cultivate uninhabited deserts of
Central Asia and my friends whom I lost in the struggle against totalitarian
monster. *
*Peace to all fallen.*

--
Andrew P. Grigorenko
President of General Petro Grigorenko Foundation
www.grigorenko.org

I am not sure how many people on the territories of former Soviet Union
remember or even know two September dates marking the events, which changed
the world. I bet not so many. Even now after the spectacular collapse of
Communism, the old myths created by Stalin's and his followers propaganda
prevail in the post-Soviet population perception of not so distant past.
Only that can explain that a great majority of the post-Soviet countries
population honestly believes that WWII lasted from June 22, 1941 until May
9, 1945 and they call it "The Great Patriotic War". There is also an
unshakable believe that USSR single-handedly defeated the Third Reich. Never
mind the allied devastating bombing of Germany, invasion in Italy and, even
more important, in Normandy.
The logic does not need to apply. It is absolutely hopeless to ask the
question: how it is possible in the worldwide slaughter to have a separate
war with one of the major players? Do not attempt to ask why occupation of
Czechoslovakia by Nazis is an act of aggression but the occupation by
Soviets of Baltic States is a "brotherly help"? There are tons of unanswered
questions. And I hope that one day they will be asked.

Let me only on the eve of the sixty-eights anniversary of the official start
of the WWII and following on the next day the sixty-second anniversary of
its official end to remind those who forgot: the Third Reich and USSR
started the WWII as allies by attacking Poland and continued curving Europe,
according to the mutual plan signed before September 1, 1939, for first two
years of the war. During those two years the USSR lost to combat casualties
about a quarter million officers and enlisted men killed and unknown number
of wounded.

It also worth to mention that when the original alliance of two aggressors
was dissolved due to turn of arms on each other, the Western democracies
extended the helping hand to their yesterday enemy – the Stalin's empire.
The first shipments of armaments, equipment and food started pouring into
the USSR practically from the first days of Soviet-German combat, even
preceding the official inclusion of the Soviet Union under provision of Land
Lease.

However, after the Germany defeat the USSR was not in any rush to fulfill
its promise to declare war on Japan. Only after the atomic bombardment of
Hiroshima and realization that further delay might prevent Soviet
participation in sharing of the spoils of war in Asia, Stalin unleashed
overwhelming force, which was standing idle on Mandjurian borders for
months. About thirty thousand Soviet officers and enlisted men died in those
last days of WWII. But during these days the Soviets betrayed one of their
allies – the legitimate government of China by arming Mao Zedong rebels with
the armament captured from Japanese. The result of this betrayal cost the
Chinese people of millions of lives and sold them into
international-socialist slavery.

And the last but not least. The WWII changed the face of our planet. It
brought liberty to many new nations but it also put into red
totalitarian night half of the world population. Most of old empires
disintegrated after the WWII except the Soviet empire, which enlarged its
territory by annexing prewar independent states of Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, and Tannu-Tuva. The USSR also annexed the large chunks of the
territories of its neighbors: Western Ukraine, Western Belarus, Bessarabia,
Bukovina, Eastern Prussia, South Sakhalin, South Kuril Islands, and Southern
Finland. It put more than a dozen ethnic minorities on a brink of extinction
during the mass deportation of those minorities from their native lands. All
Eastern Europe and large part of Asia became Soviet satellites governed by
the brutal totalitarian régimes.

Yes, Humanity has a reason to celebrate the end of the Second World War,
but, at the same time, we must not forget that its end did not liberated the
world from totalitarianism, that the benches of war criminals during the
Nierenberg and Tokyo tribunals were too short and benches of prosecutors too
long.

--
Andrew P. Grigorenko
President of General Petro Grigorenko Foundation
www.grigorenko.org