Quick update

Please excuse the rather considerable silence. My last weeks in Ukraine were a blur and I had no time to spare for posts on this site. During this time I was:

• doing loads of PC paperwork;
• strategically packing basically everything I own;
• finishing all my work and closing my projects;
• preparing for an extended post-PC trip; and
• executing an ambitious but awesome 12-day tour of Ukraine with my brother.

I was literally balancing all of these things at the same time, right through my last day as a Peace Corps volunteer: June 15, 2009. My brother left that morning, I finished up several errands and Kyiv, and in the evening I boarded a train to Moscow. Since then, I’ve been on another ambitious but awesome tour of European Russia and the Baltics.  I’ll definitely write in length about my last days in Ukraine and the present trip, but probably not until later this month, when I anticipate some down time to review notes (I’m keeping a written journal) and sort through pictures.

Until then!

NATO, wha’?

Late last month, I took a recent trip to Luhansk, Ukraine’s easternmost city, to catch the trans-Ukraine “Luhansk-L’viv” train.  I arrived to Luhansk in the morning, a few hours early than everyone else.  This gave me the opportunity to walk around and absorb a little eastern Ukraine ambiance.  Because I live in Ukrainian-speaking city in the far western part of Ukraine, it’s always interesting to cross into the more Russo-phone areas of the country.  Or, in Luhansk’s case, almost entirely Russo-phone areas.  The politics also differ considerably.  “NATO, Yes!” billboards dot western Ukraine, the architecture in city centers reflects the region’s shared history with Europe, and the prevailing political orientation is toward the West.  In Luhansk, anti-NATO propaganda (“NATO, No!”) is displayed prominently, Soviet-era architecture dominates, and people’s tend to lean toward Russia politically.

Arriving to Luhank's train station

Local organization "Russian Heritage." "Give our native language government status!"

Lenin gazing at a Soviet concrete mural on top of a movie theater.

One of the more interesting sights in Luhansk–to me–was the local province administration photo boards smack in the city center.  Most of them dealt with topics you’d expect: “What they’re talking about,” “The smiles of our loved ones,” “Democracy – Authority of the People,” and so on.  Then there was the “So Marches NATO” photo board.  It featured pictures of graphic death and destruction caused by NATO operations in Serbia and Afghanistan, as well as pictures from Iraq.  Iraq, of course, is not a NATO operation and Ukrainian soldiers were involved in that particular invasion from the beginning.  But that didn’t prevent the creators of the board from including it in their attempt to paint the organization as a tool of Western warmongering and imperialism that bullies weaker members into supporting unnecessary wars.

"How NATO marches"

Close-up of the right side

On the left, "A serb child's drawing before the war..." On the right, "...and after."

A US soldier with a bloodied knife

  In addition to photos, a piece of paper with the following text was displayed on the board:

NATO information sheet

They tell us: NATO – it’s a great good for Ukraine. Collective security, world standards… These photographs demonstrate unambiguously enough what, in truth, is NATO and the type of peace supported by this military block. These pictures, of which there are hundreds more like these and bloodier, are placed on the Internet on the sites:

www.children.org.yu/english/drawings
www.hrw.org/reports/2000/nato

http://le-vina.livejournal.com

http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2008/04/13/babies-cut-from-mothers-wombs-warning-graphic-visual-at-bottom

http://www.undermars.com/category/wrecked

www.slobodan-memoria.narod.ru
www.usinfo.ru
www.uznaipravda.ru

Surely it is not accidental that everywhere NATO “peace keepers” go, blood pours and thousands of peaceful citizens perish? Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia–the pictures gathered on this board are of these conflicts. Look and remember seeing them the next time one of the “great” Ukrainian politicians tries to convince you that it is necessary for our country to join the North Atlantic alliance.

If we agree, we are, of course, on the same side–we will be faced with the citizens of the next unfortunate country, whether mourning the lost or those shot defenselessly, where the leadership of NATO decided to impose their order. Joining the block, we will receive not only “protection,” but also the liability of participating in “peace keeping” operations. Decide in a word: is this the fate you wish for your children?

NATO membership is a huge debate in Ukraine, with President Yushchenko strongly supporting membership and the opposition staunchly opposing it. While the debate has died down somewhat of late, it is still a wedge issue that politicians use to drive their support. The West-leaning parties paint the organization as one of peace and collective security that will modernize the Ukrainian military, much as we do in the US. Russia-leaning politicians paint it as a tool of the US that forces weaker member states into military actions that result in the needless deaths of innocent civilians. They also claim NATO membership will bring US military bases and a loss of Ukraine’s sovereign ability to decide what wars it wants to fight. I recall seeing some billboards outside of Kyiv last year that featured a picture of a black Humvee with a gunner positioned at a large machine gun patrolling a city street. The implication is obvious: if we join NATO, we’ll be policed by heavily armed soldiers. It’s an interesting fear, but I don’t think it really has a basis. I’d say this view of NATO is similar to how Russian peace-keepers in Moldova and Georgia are portrayed by governments and media in the West (which, honestly, gets me thinking about portrayals of Russian peace-keepers in the West).

It will be interesting to see how this issue plays out after the upcoming presidential election. At this point, it doesn’t look good for those that believe Ukraine should become a member of NATO. Yushchenko will likely not win a second term as president, which leaves his ally, Yulia Tymoshenko, and the current oppostion leader, Viktor Yanukovych. Tymoshenko has become cool on NATO membership after originally being a strong supporter, and the opposition has evolved into predicating NATO membership on a national referendum, which, because most Ukrainians are opposed to membership, would almost certainly fail. A shrewd political strategy: achieve your goals without any of the blame.

Outside of Ukraine, many NATO members have cooled dramatically at the idea of Ukrainian membership after the conflict between Russia and Georgia became open war for a few weeks last August. They fear being pulled into a diplomatic and/or military crisis because of the behavior of these countries. Even before the conflict, and despite the vocal protests of the Bush Administration, NATO refused to extend Ukraine a Membership Action Plan, the first official step in becoming a member. So, at the moment, NATO membership for Ukraine is solidly on ice.

Ukraine Rulz: Podstakanniki

Before living in Ukraine, I was only a rare tea drinker.  However, Ukrainians are a people that love their tea.  It’s virtually impossible to not take up the habit while living here.  In the morning, during breaks at work, after lunch, after work, after dinner:  Ukrainians are always drinking tea.  Hell, even the six hour bus ride between Kyiv and Lutsk (which I am intimately familiar with at this point) stops mid-route at a rest stop for a complementary tiny plastic cup of tea.

But my favorite place to drink tea in Ukraine is on trains.  In Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Paul Theroux lists off the idiosyncrasies of train travel in different countries.  I don’t recall what he identified as peculiar to trains in India or Vietnam, but I do remember him specifically mentioning the samovar on trains in the former Soviet Union.  Each wagon is equipped with one of these coal-heated water heaters that are tended to summer and winter by the wagon’s provodnitsia, or conductor.

Shortly after boarding, the provodnitsia will do her rounds, asking passengers if they would like tea or coffee.   These drinks are served in the incredibly awesome podstakannik.  The word means literally “under glass-er.”  A podstakannik is a wide-based metal glass holder with a generous handle that serves to simultaneously stabilize a glass of tea during the train ride and dissipate the heat of the samovar-hot water.  They are usually decorated with some sort of design, typically the Ukrainian railroad’s logo on Ukrainian trains.  A glass of tea served in a podstakannik is the perfect way to relax after busting your ass to make your train and the perfect complement to waking up with the sun the next morning.

Contemporary Ukrainian Railroad podstakannik

Because they are the perfect souvenir, I have long pondered how to get my hands on some podstakanniki.  I was even considering how I might be able to convince a provodnitsia to sell me some.  In the end, I settled for some cool Soviet-era podstakanniki that I found in a crafts bazaar in L’viv.  And I must say, both the build and the intricate decor of my new under glasser-ers are superior to any of the modern-era variants I’ve used on Ukrainian trains… A credit to those oft-made claims by the elderly about things being better during Soviet times?

My Soviet podstakanniki

The design on the front is classic:  a succession of Soviet spacecraft–beginning with Sputnik and progressinng to rockets–orbiting the earth.

Soviet-ear space decor

After finding and buying them, we didn’t waste any time putting ‘em to work while walking around L’viv.  Podstakanniki: they aren’t just for tea anymore…