Diaspora

War has a way of putting things into perspective.  It forces people to re-evaluate their lives, to look at the society within which they find themselves through a different lens.  Oftentimes it either reinforces or deconstructs the values (and stereotypes) upon which a nation is thought to be built.

It is often thought that western Ukraine was and continues to be the stronghold of Ukrainian nationalism, a bastion of all things patriotic.  And while this still runs true, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has revealed a new, somewhat unexpected face of modern Ukrainian nationalism; that, which is currently being demonstrated in Ukraine’s eastern territories.  

In the late summer and fall of 2015 three leading members of the League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC)– OrestSteciw, LUC President; BorysPotapenko, Vice President of the International Council in Support of Ukraine and co-Chair of the American Ukraine Committee; and IhorKozak, retired Canadian military officer and LUC board member – embarked on three separate fact finding missions, collectively dubbed MisiyaSxid [Mission East].  This fact finding mission was intended, first and foremost, to help the Ukrainian diaspora understand Ukraine’s east, to familiarize the diaspora with the people living there, and metaphorically bring it closer to the West.

MisiyaSxid also sought to bring together leaders of Ukrainian diaspora communities with community leaders in the liberated territories of Donbas and provinces bordering the ATO zone in eastern and southern Ukraine.

To garner an in-depth understanding of eastern Ukraine, the trips included meetings with local community activists, soldiers, politicians, journalists, representatives of central and local authorities, and military commanders.  The objective was to gather information on the situation in the east and south of Ukraine one and a half years after the start of the armed conflict.

“From my time spent in Donetsk, I got the impression that there are indeed people to talk to, to work with.  Donetsk is not some closed off area,” said Potapenko, who travelled throughout the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, southern Donetsk, and Odesa oblasts.  “Donetsk is not some closed off area; transformations are occurring there without even being noticed by Ukrainians or the world.”

The mission’s findings were presented at a town hall meeting in Toronto this past November at the new Ukrainian Canadian Cultural Centre at the Old Mill.  A three part film series documenting the trips and their findings was also presented.  The videos can be viewed at http://www.vilni.org.ua/.

“The most developed social groups are in Mariupol,” said Potapenko of his findings.  “Dnipropetrovsk is less self-organized and patriotic, but Zaporizhiais the opposite, very patriotic with lots of active people.”

Similarly, Steciw, who spent 8 days travelling throughoutthe Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts meeting a wide array of civil and military groups there, came away with positive impressions of these regions immediately bordering the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone.  The young activists, and their dedicated patriotism, particularly struck him.  “In Kramatorsk [Donetsk oblast], there is this group of students and young professionals who do everything from promoting Ukrainian things to practical tasks such as building chairs and tables for people in need,” he recounted.  “In Severodonetsk[Luhansk oblast], too, there was a wonderful community-political organization where young people meet and run a crisis media centre.”

It is these types of active, eastern Ukrainian communities that SerhiyKuzan, Coordinator of the volunteer network VilniLiudy [Free People] wanted to highlight to the visiting North Americans when he planned MisiyaSxid.

“The general goal of the entire project is an information exchange and networking between communities, to bridge the gap between communities in the east and south of Ukraine with those in the Ukrainian diaspora,” said Kuzan.  “That is, to connect our communities together as sister cities; for example, Slovianisk-Detroit, or Mariupol-Toronto,” he continued.

“I want these cities to have constant contact, to exchange ideas, communicate, solve problems, and implement projects.  Then people will see another way of life, other than Russia and the ‘Russian world.’  On the other hand, I want for the [Ukrainian diaspora in the] West to stop perceiving ‘the east’ as ‘muscovites’ with whom they do not want to have anything to do.  I want for them to see the real east, for it to become closer to them, much like western Ukraine is now.”

It is an ambitious project, admits Kuzan, one which will likely take the work of generations.

Such work, however, is already underway.  In Svatove, a small town visited by Steciw in the Luhansk oblast, a “very vibrant, church-centered, patriotic community” exists.  To help support the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Holy Protection (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) there – a vital centre of Ukrainian spiritual and national activities – the parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Holy Protection in Toronto has partnered with the League of Ukrainian Canadians to help raise funds.  These funds will allow for the expansion of the church building to accommodate its growing needs, as well as support spiritual and cultural programs already underway.

During his working visit, Steciw also made a point of meeting with different brigades and military doctors for whom LUC’s Friends of the Ukrainian Defense Forces (FUDF) Fund helps to provide humanitarian assistance.

“The level of patriotism and high morale among the soldiers was particularly impressive,” said Steciw.  It was an observation, he noted, that applied across the board, regardless if the soldiers spoke Ukrainian, Russian, or surzhyk (a mix of Ukrainian and Russian).

Kozak also spent extensive time meeting with different brigades and reconnaissance groups operating in the Donetsk oblast.  Having been embedded with the Ukrainian forces, he was able to get valuable first-hand insight into the everyday realities faced by the Ukrainian military. 

In his presentation to the Ukrainian diaspora, Kozak made a point of emphasizing that the war in eastern Ukraine is ongoing, that contrary to some media reports in the West, there is no peace at the front lines.  While fighting on the front had quieted down in comparison to previous months, Kozak cautioned against easing off on efforts, noting that “Russia is preparing, training, and rearming its forces in eastern Ukraine,” and it is therefore “delusional” to think that there will be a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Major problems continue to exist in Ukraine, he acknowledged; the war is not over, territories remain occupied, and corruption is a big problem, “perhaps an even bigger problem than the war.”

“But it is important that we do not ponder on the negatives,” he stressed, noting that many positives have also arisen from the difficult situation.  “At a very high cost, Ukrainians have stopped Putin, Ukraine has maintained it sovereignty, and albeit slow, reforms are happening.”

The former military officer credits the patriotism of the Ukrainian forces for having immensely aided them in holding off the Russian invaders under such difficult conditions.  “I don’t think that NATO forces would have been able to hold off Putin under the conditions that the Ukrainians did,” said Kozak.

Since the conclusion of MisiyaSxid, the three community leaders have taken their experiences in Ukraine’s east and applied them to engage with the diaspora in new ways.  Whether it be through consultations with internationally geared think-tanks such as the Atlantic Council, connecting religious communities such as those in Svatove and Toronto, or embarking on new projects such as a clean water project for soldiers and villages on the front lines, the League of Ukrainian Canadians and its leadership hopes to be able to develop this new potential avenue of cooperation and collaboration with communities in Ukraine’s east. 

“An important precedent has been set,” said Kuzan.  “If successful, this initiative will not only change the diaspora’s approach to Ukraine as a whole, but will also vitally help support communities in eastern Ukraine as they strive to move away from a Russo-centric orientation to one that is focused on building lasting, fruitful relations with the West.” 

Kalyna Kardash