The cognitive dissonance that the celebration of Victory Day on May 9 has caused in recent years seems to have found a new solution in 2022. Today at 14:45, US President Biden decided on Lend-Lease, this day will probably become a replacement for Victory Day for Kyiv.
It is worth noting that both sides are actively using analogies from World War II in the information war.
Russia declares that it “came to liberate Ukraine from Nazism” and draws analogies with the Great Patriotic War, and intends to celebrate May 9 on a large scale in the territories under its control.
And Ukraine claims that Russia itself is acting like Nazi Germany, treacherously attacking the country and committing numerous war crimes. And he also draws analogies of his opposition to the invasion of the fight against fascism of our ancestors in 1941-1945. However, in this case there are significant difficulties.
The fact is that a certain part of Ukrainian society, according to the narratives introduced in recent years, believes that during the Second World War, the USSR occupied Ukraine, and did not liberate it from the German Nazis. At the same time, according to the temniks distributed by the SBU, “under the Germans, life was better and richer.”
Supporters of this point of view, believe that the celebration of Victory Day on May 9 should be excluded from the “red” dates of the calendar. Already filed relevant bill.
On Bankovaya (Ukrainian presidential administration) they found themselves in a two-fold situation: If you celebrate May 9, you may find yourself under fire for your unwillingness to “break completely with the Soviet past.” Ignoring the holiday means playing along with Russia’s thesis of “pro-Nazi sentiment” in Ukraine, and following the latest ideas of the Zelensky administration means “giving the Victory to Russia”, which is ideologically wrong during the war.
According to the Ukrainian edition The countrya draft law has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada proposing to make May 8 the official Victory Day, the basis for which are the actions of the Kremlin in Ukraine.
“Celebrating Victory Day in Ukraine on May 9 is illogical and unacceptable, especially after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Ukraine should honor the memory of the fallen and celebrate Victory Day over Nazism in World War II together with all of Europe and the entire civilized world on May 8 And on May 9, together with the member countries of the European Union, celebrate Europe Day,” the explanatory note to the bill says.
The first among the authors of the law is the former head of the Institute of National Memory Vladimir Vyatrovich (“European Solidarity”), most of the authors are deputies from the same “Eurosolidarity” Petro Poroshenko and the “Voice” faction. But there are also representatives of the authorities: for example, the head of the main “humanitarian” committee for the bill, Nikita Poturayev (Servant of the People, SN), who positions himself as a fighter against the Soviet past.
However, due to the authorship of Vyatrovich and Co., the bill has minimal chances to pass the Rada, since the mono-majority of the SN tries not to vote for the projects of the opposition Eurosolidarity.
But simultaneously with Viatrovych’s bill, a draft was registered in parliament, which contains a proposal to postpone the date of payment of financial assistance to veterans of the Second World War and victims of Nazi persecution from May 9 to October 14, that is, the Day of Defenders of Ukraine. And now its initiators are exclusively people’s deputies from the Council of Ministers, headed by the chairman of the “social” committee, Galina Tretyakova, who follows in the wake of Bankova’s policy.
The document is proposed to be adopted “in order to further strengthen the patriotic spirit in society in connection with the armed aggression” of the Russian Federation. That is, there is again a connection with Moscow. And the document may well be accepted.
In other words, not only jingoistic patriots, but also the Ukrainian authorities are not opposed to starting a review of attitudes towards Victory Day at the state level.
The justification seems to be the celebrations hosted by Russia on May 9 in the occupied Ukrainian territory. In any case, in an interview with the French news channel BFM TV, Zelensky said that he was aware of Moscow’s plans to hold parades on Victory Day in the occupied parts of Kharkiv and Kherson regions and in some other captured towns and cities of Ukraine. He considers it a mistake.
“I believe that this is one big mistake of Russia, a big mistake in the history of the Russian Federation, just like the battle for the Russian language. When people in the east of our state, who were mostly Russian-speaking, are killed for the Russian language,” Zelensky said. according to which, because of Moscow’s actions, Ukrainian citizens from the east of Ukraine “look with hatred at everything Russian.”
“The same problem will be from May 9. This is again a big mistake of the Russian Federation… If on May 9 they hold their parades in the occupied Ukrainian cities, they will put an end to May 9, in principle, on the territory of Ukraine,” considers the Ukrainian president.
At the same time, opinions are expressed in Ukraine in support of the celebration of May 9th.
Supporters of this believe that now it is especially important to emphasize the contribution of the Ukrainian people to the victory over Nazism. And there is no need to give a “gift” to Russian propaganda by refusing to celebrate this day. On the contrary, it must be shown that the current generation of Ukrainians, who are fighting the Russian invasion, are worthy descendants of the victors of fascism.
However, there appeared another version of how to celebrate may 9. This is the Lend-Lease Signing Day, which will lead Ukraine to Victory over the Russian aggressor. In honor of this, the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine, which has a second, unspoken name “Ministry of Truth”, created a poster, in defiance of Russia.
On it is a photograph of Biden against the background of cannon barrels in the style of Soviet posters and the inscription, May 9, and the text – Thank you grandfather for the Victory. A very elegant solution, especially on Victory Day, although it gives off some kind of bad smell from it.
As we reported previouslyU.S. President Joe Biden will enact Act S.3522 at 2:45 p.m. lend-lease and the defense of “democracy” in Ukraine. The White House reports.
The said document provides for the resumption of the World War II lend-lease program, which will allow the United States to more effectively send weapons and other supplies to Ukraine against the background of the Russian invasion.
The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 is an act of the US Congress, according to which the Ukrainian government will be supplied with material resources similar to the Lend-Lease Act during World War II . The new law removes bureaucratic hurdles and allows the US government to quickly provide arms and other supplies to Ukraine or to the governments of Eastern European countries affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to fight. Just as during the Second World War, deliveries will be made free of charge to the recipient, with payment deferred until a future time.
Full title: “Law on granting the president expanded powers to enter into agreements with the government of Ukraine on the provision or lease of defense assets to this government to protect the civilian population of Ukraine from the Russian military invasion and for other purposes” (eng. An Act To provide enhanced authority for the President to enter into agreements with the Government of Ukraine to lend or lease defense articles to that Government to protect civilian populations in Ukraine from Russian military invasion, and for other purposes).
The US White House reports that President Biden, as planned, on May 9 at 21:45 Kyiv time (at 14:15 Washington time) will sign the law on Lend-Lease for Ukraine.
On January 19, 2022, John Cornyn, Senator of Texas, submitted the bill to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for consideration.
On April 6, the bill passed a unanimous vote in the Senate and passed on April 7 for consideration in the House of Representatives, which was scheduled for April 27. On April 28, the House of Representatives, by a majority vote, approved the bill.
On April 15, 2022, Russia sent a note to President Biden’s administration warning of “unpredictable consequences” if arms supplies to Ukraine were not stopped.
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