The outgoing week will go down in history forever: Elizabeth II finally approved the withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU, Trump still banned 150 million Muslims from entering the US, and in Ukraine there was the first ethnic-caused pogrom with the deceased. DUMKA through the prism of the paintings of the Odesa Art Museum collection observes the key events of the last seven days.
The Dance of Death, 1900. Alexander Benois
Last weekend, two dozen guys attacked the Romani settlement, located in the environs of Lviv, killed a 24-year-old guy and stabbed four Roma, including a 10-year-old child. The police arrived at the scene and detained almost all the intruders. They were schoolchildren of 10-11 grades, who consider themselves to be the organization “Sober and Evil”. This is a terrible but a logical continuation of the pogroms of the Romani camp on the Lysa Mountain in Kyiv and the deportation of the ethnic group from the village of Loshchynivka to Odesa region. The police, as always, promise to protect national minorities from radicals, but it’s unlikely to be safer in the streets.
Flight, 1965. Alexander Atsmanchuk
The Polish Sejm supported the abolition of criminal punishment for the accusations of Poles in the Holocaust. The Pole could be imprisoned for three years for the dissemination of ideas about the guilt of the Polish people or the state in the Holocaust. The punishment was also administrated for statements about the involvement of the Poles in the “crimes of the Third Reich”. Such offences included, in particular, the use of the statement “Polish concentration camps”. The law also prohibited propaganda of the “Bandera ideology” in Poland. However, Polish deputies did not cancel part of the law, concerning the Ukrainians. The document, adopted by the Polish Sejm in January, caused criticism in the United States, and especially in Israel, calling for amendments to the law. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also condemned the decision of the Sejm of Poland to ban the propaganda of “Bandera nationalists”, calling it “another attempt to impose a one-sided interpretation of historical events”. We hope that, as in the picture of Atsmanchuk, Poland will already accept us as we are – without any “but”.
Construction of the railway, 1874. Kostyantyn Savytsky
The US Supreme Court upheld Trump’s decree, banning the entry for citizens of Muslim countries. Their Themis rejected a complaint that the ban on the entry discriminates against Muslims or is an excess of power. Now at least 150 million people will not be able to enter the United States, the country that emigrants have built.
Bridges are better to build than to burn, – British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said. He said that after the final approval of the Queen Elizabeth II of the Bill on withdrawal from the EU, their country is extremely interested in the development of international relations. The authorities of the Foggy Albion even decided to allocate 35 million pounds for Ukraine to combat Russian aggression. If only visa control for Ukrainians was simplified, it would be simply wonderful. But one thing at a time.
Blooming lilac, 1902. Kiriak Kostandi
It was not yet possible to reach agreement on a ceasefire in Donbas during the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk. Ukraine offered to turn on a regime of silence at least until the end of the summer.
“As expected, the first 2 hours of discussions on the cease-fire were held in sharp mutual accusations, and the discussion was not possible because the Russian side categorically does not accept the proposals of the Ukrainian side”, Ukraine’s representative in the security subgroup Yevhen Marchuk said.
Call the peacekeepers! By the way, this option was discussed by Petro Poroshenko with Jan Stoltenberg – NATO Secretary General. The latter invited the President of Ukraine to the meeting of the North Atlantic alliance. While the whole world is trying to curb Russia with a kind word and sanctions, our military men continue to die in the East of Ukraine. At night from 27th to 28th of June, 3 Ukrainian soldiers were killed under the enemy fire.
Holiday-makers, 1919. Amshey Nuremberg
On Thursday in Ukraine the law 8497 “On the formation of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court” was enacted. Poroshenko promised that he will have established it before the end of this year. Many politicians and businessmen would remain naked and barefoot, as in the picture of Amshey Nuremberg, so resistance to this initiative is expected to be serious.
In the prism of this event, it is interesting to see the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to transfer almost all military enterprises for privatization: from factories to design bureaus. Oleksandr Turchynov believes that this will give a new impetus for our developers, and our armourers will finally get large budgets for the development of deterrent weapons. The main thing is that the same oligarchs with Russian traces do not put their hands on strategic enterprises. But it’s better not to get upset, but to look at the US – their military-industrial complex is based on private developments, and their army is the strongest for now. For now, because Ukraine has just started this game.
Sick of her, 1897. Alexander Makovsky
Sentsov is starving for 45 days, and 70 Ukrainian prisoners of the Kremlin incarcerated. Maybe the Russians are fed up with us and our captives, but we will not stop worrying and praying for their health. Oleg’s kidneys are failing, he almost does not move to save at least some energy. Our ombudswoman is still not allowed to him. Also, Sentsov cannot be pardoned on the basis of a request on behalf of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjörn Jagland.
“You know that such a request, from the point of view of Russian legislation, cannot become a basis for any actions, because you know what kind of pardoning procedure is in the Russian Federation”, the Kremlin spokesman said.
From the legal point of view, Oleg should not be in prison at all, like seven dozen other Ukrainians, convicted on absurd charges. Well, no one believes in their “Potemkin villages” – good intentions and a desire for peace. The World Cup will end, and the sanctions will remain. But will all the captives survive until our victory? We will pray, will not give up and hope that it will be the same as in the first picture – we will reach the Promised Land.
Text: Kostyantyn Rul
