I have been watching the news, reading blogs, reposting reports of all that is going on in Ukraine. It is hard for me to take it all in. Part of me cheers for the Maidan revolutionaries who have made their attempt at throwing off a corrupt government. They chased off the worst offender, but there is still much that needs to be done or undone to remove the corruption from all aspects of the Ukrainian system.
I also weep for what is going on in the eastern parts of Ukraine. I think it would be easy to blame it all on Putin, but I think that is just too simplistic. I am not denying that he is playing a big role in all of this, but there seems to be many Ukrainian citizens who think they would be better off under Russian rule.
When I think about Ukraine, I find that it is a very complex country. I have met the ultra nationalists who said to me, "Why would I speak Russian, I am Ukrainian?" I have met many foreign nationals who have been attacked by skinheads or the police. I have also met people from Slovyansk who feel like the western leaning Kyiv government has tried force them to speak Ukrainian. I was told that shortly after Ukraine won its independence that there was a strong effort to get rid of Russian. Ukrainian was declared the national language, all street signs and business signs were required to be in Ukrainian and 90% of all films had to be either in Ukrainian, dubbed in Ukrainian or subtitled in Ukrainian. It was quite difficult to find films in English while I was there, but more importantly my friends from eastern Ukraine were frustrated that there weren't more films in Russian, their native language.
I have also met many Ukrainians who speak Russian and Ukrainian and who love their country, but have been frustrated by all of the graft or cleptocracy. Many Ukrainians are reluctant to pay their legal share of their taxes because they were sure that it would merely be stolen by all the thieves and thugs in their government.
To further aggravate things many public servants were not paid enough to live on. Bus drivers, conductors and police receive about $150; doctors and nurses a little more than that. This forces the average person to be creative in finding income. The police who hold more power than the average citizen resort to extortion. Many a westerner can relate to being pulled over and then being encouraged to pay their "fine" in cash. Ukrainians even have a name for the police - musor which means garbage. Some Christians don't even believe it is possible for them to be saved.
But not all public servants are corrupt. When I rode public transportation, there seemed to be three types of conductors. The first was completely corrupt; when you paid your fare, they tried to hand you a used ticket, so they could pocket the profit. The second type seemed to be just kind of relaxed about it all. They didn't hand out used tickets, but they didn't validate tickets they just gave them to those who paid, but they would validate (punch) tickets that patrons handed them. The 3rd type were the diligent ones. They are honest and diligent. They make sure that every person has a validated ticket and will check to make sure it is for their bus or trolley.
And I guess there were three kinds of passengers. There were those who did everything they could to avoid paying their fare. There were those who were passive, in that if no one asked them for their fare, they wouldn't pay, but who would readily play if asked. And there were the forthright ones who always payed their fair. As a whole most of the commuters where fairly honest. In 7 years of riding marshroutekas (privately owned minibuses) I only had my change stolen once, and it was by this brash young lady who looked me straight in the eye as if to say, "Now what are you going to do?" It was about 30 cents US, so it wasn't a huge deal for me. But I do know of 2 other cases where someone lost more money. On friend didn't get the change back from a 20 griven bill and another who didn't get his change back from a 50 griven bill. But for me to only be able to remember 3 incidences that is quite remarkable.
The average Ukrainian is pretty honest, but there is also an underground of sorts made up of various kinds to thieves and hucksters. I have seen pickpockets at work on the metro and know a number of people who have been hit buy them. I had three try to get me once but I shoved them off me and lost nothing, Most Ukrainians will not confront thieves. I think that is one of the reasons they can be pretty bold. Some people fear that if they confront the thieves they will be attacked or stabbed.
But that darker side of Ukrainian society which is made up of organized criminal elements is always there. They extort people, they shake down beggars and they even work with the police at times. We know of a Canadian couple who had their new car stolen and the police told them they could get it back for $7000 dollars.
So what am I trying to say about all of this? I'm trying to say that this whole situation in the east is complicated. The criminal elements and those they pay to help them are the one's causing much of the strife in eastern and southern Ukraine. The reason they are so successful, is that first, the average Ukrainian is nonviolent; they would prefer to avoid confrontation. On the other hand the thugs and criminals are used to violence and extortion. They do not represent the average Ukrainian living in eastern Ukraine, but they are the ones most willing to take action.
To add to the problems, some of these thugs have won the loyalty of some local people because they have taken care of them. So these people don't see them has thieves and bandits but rather local heros or friends. This is further aggravated by the years of Russian propaganda that these hapless/foolish people have swallowed. They really believe the west is their enemy, but they are not looking at the actions of this "little green men" and their co-conspirators rather they are merely considering them as people working in their best interests because they are aligned with Russia and against the west.
This makes the whole situation difficult. Ukrainian soldiers do not want to shoot Ukrainian citizens, but there are enough Russian leaning (and this really has little to do with language as it does with politics) citizens who are getting in the way and hindering the antiterrorist actions that the Ukrainian military is attempting to take. Add to this that a significant number of veterans who served in the Afghanistan war faced an enemy armed by the US through its operatives and you have more anti western sentiment.
I think part of all this violence is the result of kicking out Yanukovych. Much like when Tito died and Yugoslavia fell apart, Ukraine faces various elements vying for power each thinking they have the answer and that this is their hour of glory and chance to take power.
In my opinion as someone who lived in Ukraine for 7 years and who loves all Ukrainians, there is no simple way out of this. I think there needs to be a two pronged solution to this situation. The first is an effort to disarm or neutralise these pro-Russian forces; especially the Russian special forces. It is impossible to make peace with men who attack unarmed people and abduct peaceful observers. Then there needs to be an effort to mend fences. We need people reaching across the lines to make friends and to heal wounds. These pro-russian elements in the eastern part of Ukraine are motivated by fear and anger. Some how their western leaning neighbors need to make friends with them and hear them out.
I don't know that can be done about Russia's involvement in this. Ukraine is not equipped to engage Russia in an all out war, but we can continue to pray that as the west steps up their financial pressure for Russia to back down that Putin will finally relent.
I am sure it wouldn't hurt if the west enacted a lend/lease initiative to help arm Ukraine with more effective weaponry like A-10 tank busters and Apache helicopters along with some training on how to deal with these kinds of terrorist/insurgents who have taken over so many building in Eastern Ukraine.
I would gladly encourage any feed back to my insights and suggestions.
Loving and missing Ukraine
Preacher Al
PS... I would like to end on a note of hope. While I was living in Ukraine I met with a number of God fearing, moral and determined people in Ukraine. I was especially impressed with a group of 20 somethings who came to our apartment for a bible study. In their eyes I saw hope. I saw the future of Ukraine in these young people, who were willing to step across denominational lines and who willing to reach out to others with the hope of the Gospel. Putin may be quite the villain, but what I saw in these young people was a courage and determination that cannot be defeated by any dictator, despot or thug.
Praying for Ukraine, that its people may find the path of hope and peace that leads them into a future worth striving for.
