To the Head of the City of Kharkiv, Ukraine
Copy: to the social organizations of Russia and Ukraine
Copy: to media
The government of Ukraine is committing another act of disgrace to the memory of heroes killed in the Great Patriotic War. The government gave the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (an autonomous Church within the Russian Orthodox Church) 0.47 hectares of land in the Victory Park to build a temple there. This act offends veterans and once more highlights the pro-Western and openly reactionary essence of today’s government of Ukraine.
The Church wants to construct its building in the Alley of Komsomol heroes where there are monuments to Mikola Ostrovsky, Zoya Kosmodemianska, Oleg Koshevoy, Alexander Matrosov, Galina Nikitina, Lala Ubiwowk, Ivan Minailenko and Alexander Zubarev. Capitalists hate the memory of the young defenders of the Fatherland. They are trying to destroy this memory by the hands of the Church which imposes “new values” and completely suppresses in the people any thoughts of resistance whatsoever. Especially repulsing are the ideas of making these monuments of the Civil and Great Patriotic War “guides to the temple” and renaming of the Victory Park into the Park of Newlyweds.
With rage, we condemn all attempts of the bourgeois Ukrainian rulers and the Church clergy to revise the history of the Great Patriotic War, to dare to disturb the holy memory of those who died for their Soviet Motherland. We demand that any work in the Kharkiv Victory Park be stopped and the foundational stone for new construction be removed. We express our support to all progressive forces of Ukraine who fight against the vandals of the government and the Church. We call upon all left and patriotic organizations and well as the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine to join in the struggle for preservation of the memorial and saving of the Alley of Komsomol heroes from desecration.
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| Victory Park, Alley of Heroes |
No building of the temple on the blood of Soviet patriots!
Glory to those who conquered fascism!
Revolutionary – patriotic Union of Krasnoyare (Siberia):
Volodimir Komarov , Trudove Krasnoyarie
Leonid Kuznetsov, Regional Committee of VKPB
Evgeni Postovski, Regional Committee of RKRP-RPK
Katerina Fatianova, Krasnoyarsk National Bolsheviks
Alexanfer Kisilev, KPO ALL-Union Young Guard of Bolsheviks
Denis Stiazhkin, Vanguard of Red Youth (AKM)
September 25, 2008
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
From the translator:
A simple Google and visit to the Wikipedia will
add much needed context to the story. In fact, the church was
there first, since the 17th century. It had been reconstructed on
several occasions. After the Soviet power was established in the
area, in 1930 when the idea was to make Kharkiv Ukraine’s capital,
Mirnositskaya Church was torn down in the middle of the night. In
its place the government of those days planned to build a Musical
Theatre for the Masses with circus, theatre and cinema. Despite
the efforts, when the state changed its mind and established the
capital in Kiev, all these entertainment plans vanished. A trolley
garage was built in the place of the church instead. It was
after WWII that the Victory Park was developed in place of the trolley
depot and the Alley of Komsomol Heroes was built.
Recently, Kharkiv Eparchy and the City of Kharkiv decided to
rebuild the church. During the discussion of this project a question
arose about the monuments to the Komsomol heroes located along the
Alley leading to the location of the former and the future
church. First it was proposed to move the busts of Komsomol
heroes to the Freedom Square closer to the Lenin monument.
However, after some discussion it was decided to leave the busts where
they are, in the Alley. The busts are supposed to be restored and
either sculpted in marble or cast in bronze on granite pedestals.
They will remain aligned as presently along the Alley, which will be
leading to the church.
Since it is the Orthodox Church who leads the idea of reconstruction of the church, it is rather incorrect to look at the action as manifestation of pro-Western tendencies. Wouldn’t it be more correct to call this a pro-Eastern development? Those who call themselves progressive should welcome “new values” shouldn’t they? For what is being restored in Kharkiv is old values. And how much right do people of Krasnoyarsk have to demand anything about construction in Kharkiv? Perhaps advise, suggest, maybe recommend... but “demand”?
Other than the hideous idea of renaming the Alley of Komsomol Heroes into the Alley of Newlyweds, the plan to restore this kind of past may just as well help towards a healthier future.
LS
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