This Is Why Ukraine & Russia Fight For WWII Legacy So Much

“This year I am also amazed by the difference in commemoration,” Andriy Portnov, a Ukrainian historian and guest professor at the Humboldt University in Berlin, said of the May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Ukraine and Russia.

Unlike in Russia several wars were fought on the territory of Ukraine during WWII: the Soviet-German war, the Ukrainian national movement, the Crimean Tatar deportation, the Holocaust. Therefore Ukraine tries to respect and deal with the complexities and pluralism regarding the memory of the war, according to Portnov.

On the other hand, Putin’s preservation of the Soviet narrative that the Soviet Union was almost entirely responsible for the defeat of Hitler makes no analytical sense, said Portnov, and it is important that Ukraine continues to break free of this Soviet style narrative.

Although Poroshenko in a recent speech to commemorate the war combined the Ukrainian nationalist and Soviet narratives it seemed more like political posturing than an attempt to find a historic truth. Portnov believes that Ukraine needs a new approach to its Soviet past which includes special place for recognizing the persecution of Jews and Crimean Tatars.

Moreover he warned that both sides are guilty of using the rhetoric of WWII to describe the current situation which is very dangerous and people should be aware of the difference between the two wars.

Hromadske International’s Maxim Eristavi and Sabra Ayres spoke with Andriy Portnov via Skype on May 10, 2015.