ukraine is incompatible with russian national myth that enjoys the exclusive claim to the history of rus and the city of kyiv. so it's about history then, you may think. well, no, in truth it has nothing to do with history. what happened in the early medieval past is completely irrelevant. the existence of ukraine today, with her culture, language, identity and the city of kyiv as her capital, neatly situated in the heartland of ukrainian classicism, populated with visual and conceptual ukrainian archetypes, is what incompatible with russian national myth. the real history of kyiv is largely irrelevant to how both ukrainians and russians see it, but if for us, it's just our capital, for russians, real or not real, it's where conceptually their state began, where orthodoxy came from, where writing came from. all roads lead to rome, first, second or third, but before that, they lead to kyiv. and yet it is occupied by a different ethnicity. how come? it prevents them from exploiting this land for the legitimisation of the russian empire as they constructed it
they have tried to accommodate it. in the empire, ukrainians did not exist. everyone knew we did. yet we didn't. we were russians with an asterisk leading to the bottom of the page where you could read *little so we could be distinguished on the census from the russians we already were. our language did not exist, and it was banned dozens of times precisely for not existing. ukraine, which was not a real place, was the most integral russian land, full of exotic cossack artifacts, southern landscapes and dark-haired native women, who, peculiarly, even pronounced the vowels differently
soviet union was the time when russians learned to say that ukrainians were a different people, but not to think it. "an unbreakable union of free republics, the great rus' has sealed forever". ukraine had to be contained, by historiographic concepts of three intrinsically connected eastern slavic peoples through ancient russian state, culture and language, that came to change imperial doctrine of the triune nation; by our modern borders to which the borders of our identity receded shortly after 1926 census, to cut some edges and undo the results of widespread settlerism across eurasia for which russians used us in the time when we did not exist; by russification for which, unlike the empire, soviet union had actual capabilities
they could never leave us alone. and all that came with no respect, but with the sense of entitlement to everything we possess. there has never been a moment, since at least the 18th century, when russians looked at ukraine and saw anything other than a glorified province, an exotic appendage, an amusement park full of stock characters who perform their small-town culture "for" or "in spite of" russians, but never to themselves. it is so ingrained into their ideology, that it is almost uncanny to meet a russian who consistently uses "ukrainian" instead of a slur. to mention any sense of equality would be laughable
but even that is not enough. a provincialised, firmly colonised in the past and the present ukraine is not a solution to russian nationalism, it's a palliative. because the fantasy of ukraine being a safe russia's subaltern will always be overpowered by the reality of ukraine being fundamentally different. they can't make us russian. even when they succeed, they fail. they have to exterminate us. the times when russians were truly honest about us being foreign to them, calling us, maybe in awe, maybe in fear, "cherkassy", that is circassians, are long behind us, but maybe recoverable in the new context of russian colonisation of caucasus and new solidarities it created
i want to believe that this is the last russo-ukrainian war, but while we are fighting, i implore people to remember about one article, published by a russian state-owned news agency on april 3, 2022, "what russia should do with ukraine", one of the most lucid statement of the russian ideology. to you, of course, to us, it's a daily experience. it tells in no uncertain terms that ukrainians are nazis not because they exhibit nazi ideology, but because they are ukrainian. it calls for complete destruction of ukraine, the name "ukraine" itself, because the existence of it "inevitably leads to nazism". it says that ukrainians, who must become russian, must also experience war "to atone their historical guilt". even in their wildest genocide dreams, they still can't help but realise that we are not actually russian. they're not stupid, as soothing as this thought can be, they know what they're doing very well. and yet they can't see the main and only flaw
and i want to add, that none of it was inevitable. it only seems inevitable if you believe that russian imperialism is natural and not manufactured, something people bleat about as the pinnacle of russophobia, unable to simply say that it's stupid. russia could have not been an empire, russia could have changed, russia still can change. will it? the answer is as irrelevant as the real history russia cannibalised to become the monstrosity it is today and destroy my life. no matter. i know what ukraine should do with russia. defeat it, for the sake of ourselves and all before us who could not
Polak screenshot redraw, but ridiculously exaggerated bc I need to practise drawing emotions😔🔨
at first I saw the new art and thought oh no arthur did u die but then no way is he going to heaven
original meme:
ARTHUR KIRKLAND ENTHUSIASTS WAKE TF UP!!!
The first country to leave the soviet empire, love him for it. But that happened on March 11th; as for today, it is the anniversary of the independence day from russian empire in 1918. I love this guy
I’ve had this idea for a while now, and finally got myself to somehow implement it into life
"In essence, 2p Ukraine personifies Ukrainian resistance, if you wish – hence the red-black flag, otherwise known as the revolutionary flag; or what happens when blood spilled fighting for her freedom spills onto the regular flag, whereas 1p represents the country as a whole"
she is more cautious, more serious and mistrustful; more of a cold tactical thinker, and oh boy she does not forgive that easily. amongst her distinct features would be a singular earring in her ear, darker hair+eyes, more angular and leaner face, thinner eyebrows and a slight hump on her nose. She occasionally draws an embroidery pattern on her cheek as a part of her make-up (could be seen on the yellow-scarf mini version)
zoom in for detail+notes; there is a lot to unpack about this character I swear.
I like u, have a Ukraine sketch👉🏼
I feel like this song is very much her-coded, but here is also a version without my shitty handwriting on the sketch
This has been living in my head for a while now, and I’m finally ready to announce it:
«Ukraine.1917»
– a historical Hetalia brainrot project that focuses on events around Ukraine in 1917-1921, aka the war of independance, or the ukrainian revolution – or that one time when she almost got away with it.
(Here are a few English-speaking vids that can explain what’s going on: https://youtu.be/9Gwuu7TXPwI?si=fmAfCIj-VSbxeoiQ and https://youtu.be/YVuuwQSjzvs?si=SY4JukRo9OW1uoBq )
basically – I am planning a series of mini-comics, drawings, etc. about the events of this period through Hetalia characters – bc hey, why not. We see so little of Ukraine in manga and reinventing her brings me genuine joy. 😔✋🏼.
It might turn out into a chronologically consistent comics, in which case it will be published here and in my tg channel. Or ot may not, lol idk I‘m just having fun
These are just some initial concept-sketches of mainly Ukraine 1917 to 1919, but also Poland and Germany as u can see
upd: I might have worded it a bit shitty, but the entire purpose of this post is that „canon/common fannon“ uwu crybaby Ukraine is bulshit and fuck canon we ball anyway. That I will be re-creating her character the way I want, and that‘s literally it. Damn. Pls don‘t misinterpret things, I‘m not defending Himaruya or anything
This is something that has to be clarified before I proceed, and even before I answer to any further asks.
Because, if you recall, the episode where she is introduced (Axis Powers, ep 42), it is Russia telling England about her. Just like episode 43, it's Russia's memories and perspective. I hate that this fact is often overlooked, as it makes total sense for Russia to want others to see Ukraine as a weak crybaby that is dependant on him. In fact, this no shit is the attitude russians have to ukrainians. Almost inferior, (quote) unable to fend for themselves. It is not cute. It is very much toxic. The scarf moment is extremely fucking funny. Because, (and again, this is Russia's memories), Ukraine gives him her favorite scarf. But what people overlook, is that in return she asks (in dub) FOR CONTROL FROM BLACK SEA TO POLAND. HER TERRITORIES. THIS- THIS IS NOT A CUTE MOMENT. SHE IS TRYING TO GET AWAY. AS SHE ALWAYS HAS. FOR CENTURIES. Or, in sub, she asks for „inheritance rights to Kyivan Rus", so again, reclaiming a part of her identity. After which, russia concludes that maybe they've never been close at all. srsl I wish russia realised that in real life and fucked off already
To me, this is the first moment that shows that there is much more to Ukraine than what we see, and that Russia must in no way be trusted on his word when it comes to her.
Especially since In her next appearence, Gakuen Hetalian Newspaper Club part 1, Ukraine is nothing like that. She wants to join the choir club, where the baltic trio and others are, and we find out that the choir is targeted by the so-called „soviet club". Lmao. Nor she is in any of the Halloween episodes she appears in subsequently. Moreover, in the 2013 haloween series, Ukraine is shown dressed up as a reference to a Ukrainian(!!!) urban legend about a ghost train. So, she is not afraid to express her identity even at that point. Yes, she is emotional, but not a complete mess of a crybaby whose every 1 in 2 words is „Russia". Which further backs my theory.
The latest appearence, where in Chapter 389 of Hetalia world stars, Ukraine asks Lithuania to „sent spare paper Russias" to her if he ever gets any, because, quote „THIS RUSSIA IS OBEDIENT, QUIET, AND LISTENS TO WHAT I SAY".
Btw the only point in history I can think of where she could be referring to when she says it's „like we've gone back in time", is 7th - 10th century; when the principality of Suzdal (later: Muscovy→Russia) was just freshly colonized by Kyiv and Polatsk (later Ukraine and Belarus) and was paying fiefs to them. Which is like, literally 40 years before Suzdal’s prince plundered and burnt Kyiv down in 1169. A first russo-ukrainian war for you.
So, even from "canon hetalia", the idea of Ukraine's character that this fandom often percieves her as derives mostly from Russia's POV. Which is sad, ironic (represents the influence of russian propaganda irl), but also thanks fuck, this means we see so little of her that her personality can be easily interpreted in a multitude of ways that reflect history and reality way better
I think, being Ukrainian, the cherry on top to just living through a genocide of your people and news about more and more rape, deaths and destruction every single day, is the constant gaslighting and whining from russians and some non-russians alike about us being so russophobic for daring to not appreciate the great russian culture.
Babes, this IS russian culture. Genocide, theft, rape, murder - that is russian culture. Everything else (ballet, literature, and the like) basically exists to facilitate, justify or disguise the things mentioned above. And everyone defending that culture, promoting it and giving it platform and awards participate in this genocide, willingly or not.
And until the russian people themselves process their identity and culture and the issues with it and work on it, it's not going to change.
– Napoleon Bonaparte, at some point.
I mean this explains why Gilbert has got a pet bird doesn’t it?
so random i know but silly sketching while i can ok?😔
medieval-early modern shits and giggles HQ she/her | ukrainian!! russians/their supporters/tankies — DNI !!DMs open. Asks open. Discord: edelweissko💬: 🇩🇪🇵🇱🇬🇧🇺🇦
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