The problem of an objective study of revolutionary events on the outskirts of the Russian Empire, in particular, on the territory of Ukraine, is acute today, especially in light of the political relevance of this topic. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to study this period, since this question is extremely politicized by the Kiev authorities, the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Matey Katkov said today in the National Question program on Vesti.FM.
The National Question is a weekly program on Vesti.FM, during which various aspects of national relations in Russia and the CIS countries are discussed. Today, the issue of perpetuating the memory of Simon Petliura in Ukraine was being analyzed.
“On the one hand, Petliura, of course, is responsible for the Jewish pogroms, this is obvious. But on the other side, the question arises - to what extent the government is responsible for such manifestations, especially in the revolutionary years. Indeed, such actions are often taken underneath. Nevertheless, Petliura is responsible for these events, it is impossible to completely disown them by the confusion of the revolutionary era. It is extremely difficult now to establish the exact number of the pogrom victims, but the figure is about 50 thousand, ”the expert said.
At the same time, he noted that it is very difficult to reveal Petliura’s personal views on the Jewish question.
"On the one hand, the Jewish pogroms speak for themselves, Petliura is responsible for them as the actual head of state. On the other hand, it is known that in his youth he was sympathetic to the problems of Jews in the Russian Empire - he wrote about this in 1907, in the foreword of ”Jews” play by Chirikov published in Kiev,” the historian recalled.
According to him, the issue of Petliura and Jewish pogroms is extremely difficult, and modern political speculations make the relevant study more difficult.
He also drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian authorities set up a monument to Petliura not in the context of relations with Jews, but in the context of the Ukrainian national ideology created by him. At the same time, the Jewish question in Petliura’s biography is almost completely out of the bracket, and Petliura himself is placed in a trail with Ivan Mazepa and Stepan Bandera.
”The historical science previously expressed hope for the possibility of a more objective study of the revolutionary events on the outskirts of the Russian Empire, in particular, in Ukraine. It was suggested that a century later the problem would lose its political relevance, which will allow it to be studied in more detail. Alas, we are now seeing a completely different trend,” the expert concluded.
