How do you live, Kiev? ..
It has been a hundred days since the beginning of the "next Ukrainian revolution." The “one-day-old” stereotype, which has long been introduced into our minds, gives a start to some kind of analysis in the spirit of common expression - what did you want and what did you achieve?
The most significant events in Ukraine moved from the capital and its western region to the south and south-east. And now instead of the cities of Kiev, Lviv, Ternopil, Lutsk, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Kharkov, Donetsk, Lugansk became the most widely used in foreign issues. Accordingly, there is a “unobtrusive imposition” of the opinion that if everything is calm in the capital and in the regions of Western Ukraine, the vector of aggression and violence is in the Crimea and in the South-East. Is it true?
Today, when “reports from the fronts” of the Crimea and the South-East are being sent, almost no attention is paid to the frequent cases of armed robberies and murders in the western regions and in Kiev. The brutal killings of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate have become so commonplace that they are only slipping in public attention and passing through the section “statistics”. After all, the main thing for informational “fighters” is not to distract the world and Ukrainian society from the main “theater of military operations” –Crimea ...
What does a Kievite live now, true, not Maidan, who has overcome the reading bar “after a hundred days”? As a native of Kiev, I will try to answer this question, relying on my personal (and therefore, somewhat subjective) impressions. To do this, it was worth going through the streets of Kiev, taking a ride by public transport, visiting Kiev markets and supermarkets and hearing what the people of Kiev themselves think about all this.
Such Khreshchatyk and the main area of the country were in January 2013 th
So they look today ...
On Independence Square
Independence Square became not only the site of the main events of the “new Ukrainian revolution”, but also the main symbol of the “national resistance”. However, it is not a secret for anybody that the main “Maidan’s population” is people who have nothing to do with the people of Kiev. It is enough to walk along Khreshchatyk in the mode of excursion to see the inscriptions on the army tents, lined up along the whole roadway: Lviv, Rivne, Lutsk, Ternopil, Khmelnitsky, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Chernigov. There is one tent with the words "Donetsk", "Lugansk" and "Kharkov". The main slogan here is “Ukraine, first of all”, the main language is Ukrainian. Everything connected with the latest events in the Crimea, in the South-East and in the Donbass is clearly perceived as anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian (which is, in general, the same thing for the inhabitants of Maidan).
All those who were “peaceful activists” yesterday are today ranked as “heroes of the Maidan”, and their “exploits in the name of Ukrainian statehood” are put into official propaganda among the actions of the fighters of the Anglo-American army who defeated the Nazi forces in North Africa. It is clear that with the heroes of Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow and Sevastopol in one row you will not put them.
Particular attention to those who died on the Maidan and listed as “Heroes of Heavenly Hundreds”. The places of their death with photographs and short biographies became the object of honors both for the “residents of the Maidan” themselves and for overseas and European guests. Come to these places and Kiev, mostly younger age. Old men and pensioners - units.
Flowers at one of the barricades on Hrushevsky Street, where blood was shed
At the same time, if they speak about the dead “activists” only as heroes, then there is almost no word about the dead police officers. On the "Maidan" is a taboo. But with gusto and pity guests Maidan view a photo on one of the stands near the central post office - the girl activist holds a rescued puppy with frightened eyes. Here is a frame! Here is this type! This is real suffering!
In recent days, other evaluations of the tragic events of February 21 – 22 have begun to slip, although still timidly. The media ether literally blew up the information that the snipers on the roofs of the houses around the square simultaneously aimed their fire at people on opposite sides of the barricades. An additional faith of information is given by its source - an interview with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who said that “according to all available evidence, people who were killed by snipers on both sides, among policemen and people from the street, were the same snipers, killing people on both sides. And the fact that the new coalition does not want to investigate the exact circumstances of what happened is all the more wary of people. There is a rapidly growing understanding that behind these snipers was not Viktor Yanukovych, but behind them was someone from the new coalition. ”
And if before that the main poster and slogan content were curses against “Russian imperialism” and Vladimir Putin, then recently hand-written posters have appeared, such as “Obama - let's not cheat.” And yet, it should be recognized that the only moral criterion of the “maydanova town” is one - “to die for Ukraine”. Numerous posts of "self-defense fighters" dressed in NATO camouflage with helmets on their heads, with plywood shields and wooden bits brightly speak of their militancy for the sake of Ukrainian unity. Among the “real Ukrainian patriots” there are many children of school (and preschool) age.
Everyone is busy with his business. Some kind of stand on duty. Others play soccer or table tennis. A third of them are telling stories about their exploits. The fourth remind the girls from their troops, who of them with whom today and where.
In a word, the residents of the “Maidan Town” have their own lives, which are very different both from the life of Kiev itself and from their own, former one. Persuading someone is useless, because the new slogan "Maidan" has become this: to stand until the end. And when this “end” will be, neither they nor those who mobilized them know it. On 25 May, special elections for the President of Ukraine were appointed, then appointments — elections for the “next interim government”, then for the Verkhovna Rada. We are waiting ...
On the streets of the city
But the center of Kiev is, of course, not all of Kiev, as well as the population of the “Maidan Town” is far from Kiev. And therefore I propose to walk along Kiev streets, and those that are located far from Khreshchatyk and are not affected by the “revolutionary storm”.
The farther you walk away from the center of Kiev in the streets, the faster the degree of active opposition decreases. And coming up to the entrance of any Kiev high-rise building in a residential area, the first people you see are completely peaceful sources of “valuable truthful information”, which are garrulous grandmothers and grumbling grandfathers. The key words in their conversations include phrases: “trouble in the Crimea,” “Moscow’s aggression in the Donbass,” and “the occupation of Ukraine.” Well, it means that the TV is being watched carefully and the Schusters are listened to. But, as soon as the weekend comes, the same “sources” are wary of their children going to the country or to the country by car. And here there is another conversation, which one cannot get from the blue screen: be careful on the roads - now they are robbing, raping and killing a lot; do not try to ride alone, take Peter and Vasily with you; you will see the voting young guys in camouflage - skip past at top speed; keep a scyra (ax) under the seat; do not turn off the phone; call every hour, etc. And not a word about the Crimea, nor about the Donbass, for they kill, rape and rob here.
In the morning, Kiev streets are filled with rushing to work. In the evening - the movement in the opposite direction with a short entry into the store nearest to the house. Youthful grandfathers and energetic grandmothers began to accompany the children en masse, both to school and home. Fewer children are frolicking in the playgrounds near the houses - the apartment is safer. And after 20.00, the street clock begins to freeze, and only the car traffic reminds of nightlife.
After the massive arson of motor transport, the cars in the yard parking lots diminished noticeably. Who has garages - that hides them there. Who does not, or negotiates parking in the cooperatives, or in a secure parking lot. All new cars have been removed from the areas in front of car dealerships. Owners of auto repair shops are trying to finish the repair of your autocon on the same day, so as not to leave for the night.
And among the old grandmothers and grumbling grandfathers, it is increasingly popular to talk about how much now they will pay for electricity, gas, water, heating. And whether it will be even worse. They ask themselves these questions because no one else can ask them. In the Verkhovna Rada or in the "interim government" - while other concerns.
In public transport
Back in the old Soviet times, it was known that our citizens received primary information about the main events in the country and the world while traveling in public transport. Just look at the contents of any car of the Kiev metro to see the three categories of Kiev passengers.
The first is those who, entering the metro car, immediately open a newspaper and begin to absorb the freshest newsto arrive at the workplace savvy in a news item. The second are those who open the tablet and immediately begin a session of information exchange. And the third - those who have regretted money for a newspaper (or did not have time to buy), does not have a “gadget”, and therefore fixes his eyes on the TV monitor in the car and closely monitors all the “running lines”.
Time passes, and someone does not stand up and loudly exclaims: "Well, you bastards! Well, you bastards! ”The eyes of those sitting and standing are heading towards him. Of course, the questioner is immediately located, and to whom, in fact, is a strong expression addressed? For the most part, exclaims will answer, - to the Russian imperial military machine, a little less - to the "wrong" residents of Donbass. And begins what is known since the time of Gogol, as the famous Ukrainian skirmish. But this is not the end of the discussion. Already louder and more clearly seeps into the "wagon society" the view that "not everything is as we are told", that "all Americans have brewed with Europeans to buy Ukraine." What is and such a profession, as "lying to the air."
And it begins as in the song of the group “Lyube”: “Who is for Stalin. Who is for Yeltsin ... ”But at the same time everyone, as one, is convinced: Yanukovych betrayed everyone, and this instantly reconciled the“ car confrontation ”. And then the train went to the desired station, some disputants came out, new ones arrived, which were still waiting for a discussion about the betrayal of the old and the meanness of the new authorities.
A lot of reasoning in the subway car, on the bus that first the police “betrayed the people”, then the same police was betrayed by Yanukovych and his comrades, and today the police are simply afraid not only to guard the appearance of law and order, you will not see it in the form . There was even such a sharpness as: “My police take care of themselves, and even then, not always ...” Alas, the sad acuity is tragic in its essence. In the wake of the fight against the “gang of Yanukovych,” the labels of the enemies of the Ukrainian people were attached to almost all police units - from district departments to the entire contingent of internal troops. It’s not worth talking about such a “tortured” division as the “Golden Eagle”.
And, of course, at first, the majority of passengers begin to remember the worst that they had at the time of various contacts with police officers. In the course of the conversation, a conciliatory thought arises that the police, in general, are needed, otherwise there will be complete anarchy and lawlessness. And at the end of the “discussion” someone will surely remind you that among those who died during the recent events there are a lot of guys in police uniform. That the police died not only during the confrontation on Independence, but also during the detention of armed criminals on the outskirts of the city, and when serving at road patrol stations, and when going home ... As they recall, in Ukrainian cities, especially Western of the region, on the balconies of the district departments and offices hung stuffed men in police uniform, chanting that they would hang all the "garbage", and then the rest ... They also remember that they, too, have families ...
Effigy of a hanged police officer on the balcony of one of the defeated district departments
What is more remarkable about public transport in Kiev these days is the relative democratism. Each of the participants in the “discussion” knows that in a minute or two or three he will leave the subway or tram car with his own opinion. And the “wagon society” will not allow a forceful resolution of the dispute: everyone is united by a common test, everyone must go and get to the intended point (to work, to kindergarten for the child, etc.) at a fixed time. And what is remarkable, most of the verbal exchanges are conducted in "great and mighty", that is, in Russian: prohibit it - do not prohibit it. But more on that later.
In the bazaar and in stores
Ukrainian markets, bazaars, imports and fairs are inscribed in gold letters in the world history. Dozens of novels and short stories were written about them, films were shot, the whole flavor of the Ukrainian market found its deserved place in the work of satirists and parodists. In short, without a market and bazaar, Ukraine is not Ukraine. And of course, the market does not remain indifferent to the events in the country.
It cannot be said that panic began in the Kiev markets (both food and clothing) and in stores. There is no such phenomenon accompanying all sorts of revolutions, like mass queues for flour, salt, matches, canned food, cereals and other things. But a new line of shopping appeared, which received its own name in Kyiv society - the “election basket”. So, for example, on the eve of spring holidays, the Great Kyshenya (“Big Pocket”) supermarket chain made huge discounts on some types of goods, including red fish, red and black caviar, seafood delicacies, raw smoked sausages and balyks, and sweets. executive class ", etc. This is not accidental, because for the most part these “VIP-products” are currently simply not bought, which means they will lie and will lie. In the language, the well-known expression of Vladimir Vladimirovich (Mayakovsky, of course) spins: “Eat pineapples, chew grouse! Your last day comes ... "
Supermarket "Great Kyshenya", like all the others, in these pre-holiday days decided on the "mischief" (crazy) discounts. But it helps sales a little
The popular project “electoral basket” is gaining momentum, and more and more every day. Among the bulk of Kiev residents, the flour of its own producer (and cheaper), its sugar, unpacked cereals and pasta (from the bags of the State Reserve means relatively cheap), canned food with domestic meat, low-grade quality sausages, bakery products of the “social basket” are especially popular. , Weighed out cookies. Vegetable row in the form of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions bought in supermarkets is not as active as before. It has become more profitable for Kievans to buy all this from their grannies for cheaper grandmas. And on the shelves of supermarkets a powerful wall (although they also take these products) are packed Italian pasta, Polish smoked meats, Spanish canned food, all kinds of oils, jars of seafood. In a word, everything that a simple Kiev resident would prefer to replace with a domestic product is simpler, but cheaper. It is necessary to save, because with such a budget hole, the prospects for personal income are very vague.
It is possible that in these pots instead of flowers they will soon sow onions, radishes, carrots, cucumbers ...
But the rural market is alive, where, of course, they also reacted to a complex political and social state. Today you can no longer just bargain for meat, sour cream, cottage cheese, smoked meats, pickled products, but you can bargain, as one movie heroine used to say, “even very, very”. This was noticeable on the eve of 23 February, when, in connection with the announcement of nationwide mourning, the days passed in grief, without festivities and mass walking to visit. This is especially evident today, when, on the eve of 8 in March, trade, as the sellers themselves say, wants the best, and the “very best”. So, a simple resident of Kiev these days in the markets and bazaars are waiting with open arms in the literal and figurative sense.
Prices for basic foodstuffs (mainly social groups) remained at the same level. But there were interruptions in the payment of salaries to state employees, all allowances to employees of the medical sphere and social rehabilitation were removed (I know this from my family). The first signs of delayed payments to pensioners appeared. There is still unconfirmed evidence that it will not be paid in full to all pensioners (this is a hint of military pensioners, security officials, representatives of other departments who earned it in hot spots. Now, if on the "Maidan" ...).
No less difficult situation in the clothing markets, especially in these pre-holiday days. Like any man, I, of course, prepare for the most tender holiday and look after gifts to my beloved women - mother and wife. The hike to the clothing market horrified me (although in a different setting I should have been happy): it was worth going to any layout or stall, as I was grasped by the hands, almost kissed them, asked to buy something, conjuring them with children also need to be fed. According to one of the sellers, sales fell three times.
I am not an oracle, but if things go on like this, then tomorrow these people will sweep away the Westerners from the “Euromaidan” and create such a Maidan that cannot be justified either by the “Yanukovych’s gang” or “Russian imperialism”. Today, a significant part of the inhabitants of Kiev (not only Kiev residents, for the 2 million 800 thousand citizens themselves, but 3,5 million live in the capital — lived more precisely up to the “Maidan”, and now even more) have images of enemies that can be “written off” certain difficulties. And tomorrow?
About languages
More recently, an ideologically successful provocation was carried out, when Russian and Russian were heard on the radio and television of the western Ukrainian region. All day, what! That, they say, what a multilingual country we are. The primary effect has been achieved. Frankly, when the mayor of Lviv began to read works of Russian poetry in Russian, I squeezed my eyes from the literate and beautiful Russian speech and asked my wife to pinch me: is it a dream? A number of politicians immediately adopted this form and began to speculate "on a given topic." But a day passed and everything fell into place. And my colleague, a journalist, appropriately recalled a terrible photo of the times of fascist Germany, which depicts Goering gently embracing a Jewish boy. Where this child then disappeared - the story does not know the answer.
After the Crimea and Donbass began to speak openly not only about their sympathies for Russia, but also about protecting their native Russian language, preserving Russian culture and Russian traditions, almost all the TV channels posted on the screens the logos of “Edin Krain” - “United Country” . But this is only an “excuse”. There is no law on equal rights for the Russian language in Ukraine. The law on the status of the Russian-speaking population, too. The order of training in secondary schools in Russian is not defined and not approved. Parents of Russian-speaking children have not yet been given the right to determine the language of upbringing of their children in kindergartens.
Speaking honestly and openly, it must be admitted that all these slogans about “unity” are nothing more than ideological provocations aimed at dividing the Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine and then divorcing them on opposite sides of the barricades.
And, perhaps most importantly, this is what they began to openly talk about in Ukraine - about the constant lies of ANY Ukrainian government. On the "Maidan" and on the streets, in transport and in the markets, they say louder and louder: "All these people in the new government have a dirty past." The “dirty past” means not only unjustly acquired capital, but also the whole algorithm of betrayal, the apogee of which was the agreement from February 21 regarding the termination of power confrontation, confirmed, by the way, by a number of leading European politicians. The agreement reached, but then violated.
What then began at the other pole of Ukraine is well known. What can be people's confidence in those who "once lied," and then not once betrayed.
The most significant events in Ukraine moved from the capital and its western region to the south and south-east. And now instead of the cities of Kiev, Lviv, Ternopil, Lutsk, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Kharkov, Donetsk, Lugansk became the most widely used in foreign issues. Accordingly, there is a “unobtrusive imposition” of the opinion that if everything is calm in the capital and in the regions of Western Ukraine, the vector of aggression and violence is in the Crimea and in the South-East. Is it true?
Today, when “reports from the fronts” of the Crimea and the South-East are being sent, almost no attention is paid to the frequent cases of armed robberies and murders in the western regions and in Kiev. The brutal killings of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate have become so commonplace that they are only slipping in public attention and passing through the section “statistics”. After all, the main thing for informational “fighters” is not to distract the world and Ukrainian society from the main “theater of military operations” –Crimea ...
What does a Kievite live now, true, not Maidan, who has overcome the reading bar “after a hundred days”? As a native of Kiev, I will try to answer this question, relying on my personal (and therefore, somewhat subjective) impressions. To do this, it was worth going through the streets of Kiev, taking a ride by public transport, visiting Kiev markets and supermarkets and hearing what the people of Kiev themselves think about all this.
Such Khreshchatyk and the main area of the country were in January 2013 th
So they look today ...
On Independence Square
Independence Square became not only the site of the main events of the “new Ukrainian revolution”, but also the main symbol of the “national resistance”. However, it is not a secret for anybody that the main “Maidan’s population” is people who have nothing to do with the people of Kiev. It is enough to walk along Khreshchatyk in the mode of excursion to see the inscriptions on the army tents, lined up along the whole roadway: Lviv, Rivne, Lutsk, Ternopil, Khmelnitsky, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Chernigov. There is one tent with the words "Donetsk", "Lugansk" and "Kharkov". The main slogan here is “Ukraine, first of all”, the main language is Ukrainian. Everything connected with the latest events in the Crimea, in the South-East and in the Donbass is clearly perceived as anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian (which is, in general, the same thing for the inhabitants of Maidan).
All those who were “peaceful activists” yesterday are today ranked as “heroes of the Maidan”, and their “exploits in the name of Ukrainian statehood” are put into official propaganda among the actions of the fighters of the Anglo-American army who defeated the Nazi forces in North Africa. It is clear that with the heroes of Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow and Sevastopol in one row you will not put them.
Particular attention to those who died on the Maidan and listed as “Heroes of Heavenly Hundreds”. The places of their death with photographs and short biographies became the object of honors both for the “residents of the Maidan” themselves and for overseas and European guests. Come to these places and Kiev, mostly younger age. Old men and pensioners - units.
Flowers at one of the barricades on Hrushevsky Street, where blood was shed
At the same time, if they speak about the dead “activists” only as heroes, then there is almost no word about the dead police officers. On the "Maidan" is a taboo. But with gusto and pity guests Maidan view a photo on one of the stands near the central post office - the girl activist holds a rescued puppy with frightened eyes. Here is a frame! Here is this type! This is real suffering!
In recent days, other evaluations of the tragic events of February 21 – 22 have begun to slip, although still timidly. The media ether literally blew up the information that the snipers on the roofs of the houses around the square simultaneously aimed their fire at people on opposite sides of the barricades. An additional faith of information is given by its source - an interview with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who said that “according to all available evidence, people who were killed by snipers on both sides, among policemen and people from the street, were the same snipers, killing people on both sides. And the fact that the new coalition does not want to investigate the exact circumstances of what happened is all the more wary of people. There is a rapidly growing understanding that behind these snipers was not Viktor Yanukovych, but behind them was someone from the new coalition. ”
And if before that the main poster and slogan content were curses against “Russian imperialism” and Vladimir Putin, then recently hand-written posters have appeared, such as “Obama - let's not cheat.” And yet, it should be recognized that the only moral criterion of the “maydanova town” is one - “to die for Ukraine”. Numerous posts of "self-defense fighters" dressed in NATO camouflage with helmets on their heads, with plywood shields and wooden bits brightly speak of their militancy for the sake of Ukrainian unity. Among the “real Ukrainian patriots” there are many children of school (and preschool) age.
Everyone is busy with his business. Some kind of stand on duty. Others play soccer or table tennis. A third of them are telling stories about their exploits. The fourth remind the girls from their troops, who of them with whom today and where.
In a word, the residents of the “Maidan Town” have their own lives, which are very different both from the life of Kiev itself and from their own, former one. Persuading someone is useless, because the new slogan "Maidan" has become this: to stand until the end. And when this “end” will be, neither they nor those who mobilized them know it. On 25 May, special elections for the President of Ukraine were appointed, then appointments — elections for the “next interim government”, then for the Verkhovna Rada. We are waiting ...
On the streets of the city
But the center of Kiev is, of course, not all of Kiev, as well as the population of the “Maidan Town” is far from Kiev. And therefore I propose to walk along Kiev streets, and those that are located far from Khreshchatyk and are not affected by the “revolutionary storm”.
The farther you walk away from the center of Kiev in the streets, the faster the degree of active opposition decreases. And coming up to the entrance of any Kiev high-rise building in a residential area, the first people you see are completely peaceful sources of “valuable truthful information”, which are garrulous grandmothers and grumbling grandfathers. The key words in their conversations include phrases: “trouble in the Crimea,” “Moscow’s aggression in the Donbass,” and “the occupation of Ukraine.” Well, it means that the TV is being watched carefully and the Schusters are listened to. But, as soon as the weekend comes, the same “sources” are wary of their children going to the country or to the country by car. And here there is another conversation, which one cannot get from the blue screen: be careful on the roads - now they are robbing, raping and killing a lot; do not try to ride alone, take Peter and Vasily with you; you will see the voting young guys in camouflage - skip past at top speed; keep a scyra (ax) under the seat; do not turn off the phone; call every hour, etc. And not a word about the Crimea, nor about the Donbass, for they kill, rape and rob here.
In the morning, Kiev streets are filled with rushing to work. In the evening - the movement in the opposite direction with a short entry into the store nearest to the house. Youthful grandfathers and energetic grandmothers began to accompany the children en masse, both to school and home. Fewer children are frolicking in the playgrounds near the houses - the apartment is safer. And after 20.00, the street clock begins to freeze, and only the car traffic reminds of nightlife.
After the massive arson of motor transport, the cars in the yard parking lots diminished noticeably. Who has garages - that hides them there. Who does not, or negotiates parking in the cooperatives, or in a secure parking lot. All new cars have been removed from the areas in front of car dealerships. Owners of auto repair shops are trying to finish the repair of your autocon on the same day, so as not to leave for the night.
And among the old grandmothers and grumbling grandfathers, it is increasingly popular to talk about how much now they will pay for electricity, gas, water, heating. And whether it will be even worse. They ask themselves these questions because no one else can ask them. In the Verkhovna Rada or in the "interim government" - while other concerns.
In public transport
Back in the old Soviet times, it was known that our citizens received primary information about the main events in the country and the world while traveling in public transport. Just look at the contents of any car of the Kiev metro to see the three categories of Kiev passengers.
The first is those who, entering the metro car, immediately open a newspaper and begin to absorb the freshest newsto arrive at the workplace savvy in a news item. The second are those who open the tablet and immediately begin a session of information exchange. And the third - those who have regretted money for a newspaper (or did not have time to buy), does not have a “gadget”, and therefore fixes his eyes on the TV monitor in the car and closely monitors all the “running lines”.
Time passes, and someone does not stand up and loudly exclaims: "Well, you bastards! Well, you bastards! ”The eyes of those sitting and standing are heading towards him. Of course, the questioner is immediately located, and to whom, in fact, is a strong expression addressed? For the most part, exclaims will answer, - to the Russian imperial military machine, a little less - to the "wrong" residents of Donbass. And begins what is known since the time of Gogol, as the famous Ukrainian skirmish. But this is not the end of the discussion. Already louder and more clearly seeps into the "wagon society" the view that "not everything is as we are told", that "all Americans have brewed with Europeans to buy Ukraine." What is and such a profession, as "lying to the air."
And it begins as in the song of the group “Lyube”: “Who is for Stalin. Who is for Yeltsin ... ”But at the same time everyone, as one, is convinced: Yanukovych betrayed everyone, and this instantly reconciled the“ car confrontation ”. And then the train went to the desired station, some disputants came out, new ones arrived, which were still waiting for a discussion about the betrayal of the old and the meanness of the new authorities.
A lot of reasoning in the subway car, on the bus that first the police “betrayed the people”, then the same police was betrayed by Yanukovych and his comrades, and today the police are simply afraid not only to guard the appearance of law and order, you will not see it in the form . There was even such a sharpness as: “My police take care of themselves, and even then, not always ...” Alas, the sad acuity is tragic in its essence. In the wake of the fight against the “gang of Yanukovych,” the labels of the enemies of the Ukrainian people were attached to almost all police units - from district departments to the entire contingent of internal troops. It’s not worth talking about such a “tortured” division as the “Golden Eagle”.
And, of course, at first, the majority of passengers begin to remember the worst that they had at the time of various contacts with police officers. In the course of the conversation, a conciliatory thought arises that the police, in general, are needed, otherwise there will be complete anarchy and lawlessness. And at the end of the “discussion” someone will surely remind you that among those who died during the recent events there are a lot of guys in police uniform. That the police died not only during the confrontation on Independence, but also during the detention of armed criminals on the outskirts of the city, and when serving at road patrol stations, and when going home ... As they recall, in Ukrainian cities, especially Western of the region, on the balconies of the district departments and offices hung stuffed men in police uniform, chanting that they would hang all the "garbage", and then the rest ... They also remember that they, too, have families ...
Effigy of a hanged police officer on the balcony of one of the defeated district departments
What is more remarkable about public transport in Kiev these days is the relative democratism. Each of the participants in the “discussion” knows that in a minute or two or three he will leave the subway or tram car with his own opinion. And the “wagon society” will not allow a forceful resolution of the dispute: everyone is united by a common test, everyone must go and get to the intended point (to work, to kindergarten for the child, etc.) at a fixed time. And what is remarkable, most of the verbal exchanges are conducted in "great and mighty", that is, in Russian: prohibit it - do not prohibit it. But more on that later.
In the bazaar and in stores
Ukrainian markets, bazaars, imports and fairs are inscribed in gold letters in the world history. Dozens of novels and short stories were written about them, films were shot, the whole flavor of the Ukrainian market found its deserved place in the work of satirists and parodists. In short, without a market and bazaar, Ukraine is not Ukraine. And of course, the market does not remain indifferent to the events in the country.
It cannot be said that panic began in the Kiev markets (both food and clothing) and in stores. There is no such phenomenon accompanying all sorts of revolutions, like mass queues for flour, salt, matches, canned food, cereals and other things. But a new line of shopping appeared, which received its own name in Kyiv society - the “election basket”. So, for example, on the eve of spring holidays, the Great Kyshenya (“Big Pocket”) supermarket chain made huge discounts on some types of goods, including red fish, red and black caviar, seafood delicacies, raw smoked sausages and balyks, and sweets. executive class ", etc. This is not accidental, because for the most part these “VIP-products” are currently simply not bought, which means they will lie and will lie. In the language, the well-known expression of Vladimir Vladimirovich (Mayakovsky, of course) spins: “Eat pineapples, chew grouse! Your last day comes ... "
Supermarket "Great Kyshenya", like all the others, in these pre-holiday days decided on the "mischief" (crazy) discounts. But it helps sales a little
The popular project “electoral basket” is gaining momentum, and more and more every day. Among the bulk of Kiev residents, the flour of its own producer (and cheaper), its sugar, unpacked cereals and pasta (from the bags of the State Reserve means relatively cheap), canned food with domestic meat, low-grade quality sausages, bakery products of the “social basket” are especially popular. , Weighed out cookies. Vegetable row in the form of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions bought in supermarkets is not as active as before. It has become more profitable for Kievans to buy all this from their grannies for cheaper grandmas. And on the shelves of supermarkets a powerful wall (although they also take these products) are packed Italian pasta, Polish smoked meats, Spanish canned food, all kinds of oils, jars of seafood. In a word, everything that a simple Kiev resident would prefer to replace with a domestic product is simpler, but cheaper. It is necessary to save, because with such a budget hole, the prospects for personal income are very vague.
It is possible that in these pots instead of flowers they will soon sow onions, radishes, carrots, cucumbers ...
But the rural market is alive, where, of course, they also reacted to a complex political and social state. Today you can no longer just bargain for meat, sour cream, cottage cheese, smoked meats, pickled products, but you can bargain, as one movie heroine used to say, “even very, very”. This was noticeable on the eve of 23 February, when, in connection with the announcement of nationwide mourning, the days passed in grief, without festivities and mass walking to visit. This is especially evident today, when, on the eve of 8 in March, trade, as the sellers themselves say, wants the best, and the “very best”. So, a simple resident of Kiev these days in the markets and bazaars are waiting with open arms in the literal and figurative sense.
Prices for basic foodstuffs (mainly social groups) remained at the same level. But there were interruptions in the payment of salaries to state employees, all allowances to employees of the medical sphere and social rehabilitation were removed (I know this from my family). The first signs of delayed payments to pensioners appeared. There is still unconfirmed evidence that it will not be paid in full to all pensioners (this is a hint of military pensioners, security officials, representatives of other departments who earned it in hot spots. Now, if on the "Maidan" ...).
No less difficult situation in the clothing markets, especially in these pre-holiday days. Like any man, I, of course, prepare for the most tender holiday and look after gifts to my beloved women - mother and wife. The hike to the clothing market horrified me (although in a different setting I should have been happy): it was worth going to any layout or stall, as I was grasped by the hands, almost kissed them, asked to buy something, conjuring them with children also need to be fed. According to one of the sellers, sales fell three times.
I am not an oracle, but if things go on like this, then tomorrow these people will sweep away the Westerners from the “Euromaidan” and create such a Maidan that cannot be justified either by the “Yanukovych’s gang” or “Russian imperialism”. Today, a significant part of the inhabitants of Kiev (not only Kiev residents, for the 2 million 800 thousand citizens themselves, but 3,5 million live in the capital — lived more precisely up to the “Maidan”, and now even more) have images of enemies that can be “written off” certain difficulties. And tomorrow?
About languages
More recently, an ideologically successful provocation was carried out, when Russian and Russian were heard on the radio and television of the western Ukrainian region. All day, what! That, they say, what a multilingual country we are. The primary effect has been achieved. Frankly, when the mayor of Lviv began to read works of Russian poetry in Russian, I squeezed my eyes from the literate and beautiful Russian speech and asked my wife to pinch me: is it a dream? A number of politicians immediately adopted this form and began to speculate "on a given topic." But a day passed and everything fell into place. And my colleague, a journalist, appropriately recalled a terrible photo of the times of fascist Germany, which depicts Goering gently embracing a Jewish boy. Where this child then disappeared - the story does not know the answer.
After the Crimea and Donbass began to speak openly not only about their sympathies for Russia, but also about protecting their native Russian language, preserving Russian culture and Russian traditions, almost all the TV channels posted on the screens the logos of “Edin Krain” - “United Country” . But this is only an “excuse”. There is no law on equal rights for the Russian language in Ukraine. The law on the status of the Russian-speaking population, too. The order of training in secondary schools in Russian is not defined and not approved. Parents of Russian-speaking children have not yet been given the right to determine the language of upbringing of their children in kindergartens.
Speaking honestly and openly, it must be admitted that all these slogans about “unity” are nothing more than ideological provocations aimed at dividing the Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine and then divorcing them on opposite sides of the barricades.
And, perhaps most importantly, this is what they began to openly talk about in Ukraine - about the constant lies of ANY Ukrainian government. On the "Maidan" and on the streets, in transport and in the markets, they say louder and louder: "All these people in the new government have a dirty past." The “dirty past” means not only unjustly acquired capital, but also the whole algorithm of betrayal, the apogee of which was the agreement from February 21 regarding the termination of power confrontation, confirmed, by the way, by a number of leading European politicians. The agreement reached, but then violated.
What then began at the other pole of Ukraine is well known. What can be people's confidence in those who "once lied," and then not once betrayed.
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