Ukraine: Broken Promises and the Presidential Election

Global Voices Online
Thursday, October 2, 2009

The presidential election in Ukraine is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2010, and although the official registration of candidates does not begin until Oct. 20, most of the key players have already started their campaigns. In the Ukrainian blogosphere, there is no shortage of posts on pre-election politics, but bloggers who exhibit genuine trust in the nation's politicians are somewhat hard to find. There is plenty of cynicism instead, however.

Some of the early campaigning highlights can be found at Ukrainiana: PM Yulia Tymoshenko's "With Ukraine at Heart" concert; Victor Yanukovych's "I Hear Everyone" ad; and "Ukraine Has To Be Strong" ad by Serhiy Tyhypko, of whom Ukrainiana's Taras writes: "A dead ringer for Kevin Spacey, isn’t he? Only a bit more serious. Or less."

Blogoreader.org.ua, a blog covering the news and views from the Ukrainian blogosphere, wrote (UKR) on Sept. 30 about an interactive political project launched by news portal Korrespondent.net in July - The Measure of Truth (RUS):

[...] The goal of the Measure of Truth project is to determine the level of truth in the statements of Ukrainian politicians. The site's visitors will be assessing the credibility of specific statements, by voting either in favor of or against politicians' quotes. In addition to this, there'll be a short editorial commentary next to each quote. So far, most of these commentaries have been caustic and ironic :)

The "truthometer" will include weekly quote credibility charts. This will make it possible to see the public attitude towards this or that politician - how much the people believe what he or she says.

According to the project's authors, it will continue to exist after the presidential election in Ukraine. [...]

Below are three recent election-related quotes (RUS), by the Ukrainian president and the speaker of the parliament (both of whom are expected to run for president in 2010), as well the breakdown of the audience's pro and contra votes, and the editorial comments:

Sept. 22, 2009
[President Victor Yushchenko]

My plan is to win. < ...> And when we meet with you in six months, I'm sure I'll be the president of Ukraine.


Readers' assessment:
-1323 ( +211 / -1534 )

Editorial comment:

There are two options here. Either Victor Yushchenko is an incredible, amazing optimist. Or he means some other Ukraine. Some fund, perhaps.

***

Sept. 29, 2009
[Parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn]

The main threat to Ukraine's national security are the Ukrainian authorities. I'm talking about them all and am not singling anyone out, because the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and the [Parliament] of Ukraine all represent this threat today.

Readers' assessment:
1247 ( +1430 / -183 )

Editorial comment:

Volodymyr Lytvyn has never demonstrated such a high degree of honesty before.

***

Sept. 30, 2009
Victor Yushchenko

The Yushchenko who is sitting in front of you is the [Yushchenko of 2004]. I haven't deleted a single thesis from my platform.

Readers' assessment:
0 ( +365 / -365 )

Editorial comment:

Victor Andreyevich [Yushchenko] is probably right. And this is the sad part. He hasn't managed to change anything for real in the country - not for the better, at least. All his promises have remained just that, promises, and all his words have remained mere rhetoric, and all his dreams of strong power in a prospering country have remained nothing but dreams. All he's got to do now is return to the opposition. Back to the future, so to say.

LJ user mihailobrodskiy - Ukrainian businessman Mykhaylo Brodsky, no stranger to politics and controversy himself - wrote this (RUS) about pre-election politics and trust:

I've been reading statements like these recently: [Volodymyr Lytvyn] - I'll be #1, [Yulia Tymoshenko] - I'll win, [Victor Yushchenko] - I'll win 100%. As a citizen, I'd like to hear something else. What kind of healthcare system we'll have, for example. Only spoken with responsibility. I don't trust these jerks, though. And I'll just stay silent about [Victor Yanukovych].

Here are some comments to this short post:

mikawai:

Well, Yanukovych is staying silent himself most of the time - what is there to discuss about him :)

ser_dem:

And he's doing the right thing. With his conversational skills, it's better to stay aside quietly, looking clever - who knows, maybe they'll end up electing him. And if he talks, then he'll lose again [as in 2004].

sahaleen:

[Yanukovych] is trying to appear compassionate... How are you doing?.. How is your job?.. It's all [Yulia Tymoshenko's] government's fault. That's the most evil enemy of all, and me, I'm soft and fuzzy... I'll restore order... And how he is going to restore it and, in general, what exactly he is going to do - he's not saying a word about it... Ridiculous... Is it working on anyone!?

ser_dem:

What, is there anyone at all out there who is saying HOW he is going to restore order???

LJ user nefedieff also wrote (UKR, RUS) about Victor Yanukovych's truth-telling:

[...] They say Victor Fedorovych [Yanukovych] spoke in Mykolayiv today. His solemn speech on the occasion of his arrival in the city of ship-builders is hard not to admire.

"I promise to work hard and to always tell you nothing but the truth," emphasized the leader of Party of the Regions during his address.

Mamma mia, I was so moved, I started crying... from laughter. One thing we should now ask him is why not start telling the truth way before the election? [...]

More on Ukrainian politicians' broken promises (UKR) - by LJ user didaio:

The only reason why I'm not going to vote for Yushchenko in the presidential election is his broken promises.

And it looks like Tymoshenko has indeed learned something from him.

"I know that we'll be able to return the money to the people in two years. If I fail to return the money to the people in two years, I - unlike our our male politicians - will resign from my post, because you don't need a post if you can't give what you've promised to the people." (Sept. 28, 2007, Yulia Tymoshenko on Channel 1+1)

Tymoshenko must resign. And it's better for her not to return.

P.S. One of the best ways to fight populism is to demand that the election promises are fulfilled.
P.P.S. Provided, of course, that the society is sick of this populism.
P.P.P.S. Which isn't happening in Ukraine yet ;(

Ukraine: Tragedy in Dnipropetrovsk

Global Voices Online
Thursday, October 18, 2007

On Oct. 13, a gas explosion destroyed much of a 10-story apartment building in Dnipropetrovsk, killing at least 18 people (including five children).

Dnipropetrovsk-based LJ user didaio (Denis Davydov) has been at the site of the tragedy, blogging about it ever since it occurred. Below are excerpts from his posts (UKR).

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 5:44 PM:

[...] It was in the morning that the people living within 1 km [of the building that would explode] smelled strong gas odor. Soon afterwards, gas pipe valves in the apartments got blown off, and gas started coming out under high pressure. They called the [Ministry of Emergency Situations] and gas service, but were told that there was nothing wrong and they just had to open their windows a bit. Around 10:30 AM, gas stoves in the neighboring buildings burst into flames. Firefighters showed up some 15 minutes later, and, as they were going up the stairs, the explosion occurred. Eyewitnesses say it happened at 10:45 AM.

[...]

Victor Bondar, governor of [Dnipropetrovsk region], arrived together with [minister of emergency situations] Nestor Shufrych. It was around 3 PM then, four hours after the blast. As of 4 PM, [Dnipropetrovsk] mayor hasn't arrived yet, and everyone is waiting for him.

Everything's organized horribly! People aren't being notified of anything. Apartment owners can't find out about the fate of their relatives who were inside the building at the time of the the blast. Some have been evacuated via fire escapes, but others haven't been able to use them to descend by themselves. [...]

The police who encircle the building are telling people to go to the auditorium at Pryvatbank located nearby, but there's no auditorium there. In fact, the headquarters is behind Pryvatbank, at a kindergarten. In a small, unlit room, lists of the building's residents are being made.

[...]

It's been raining heavily since morning in Dnipropetrovsk today, and this is why many people were at home at the time of the explosion. There were many children among them.

Some parents, for example, went to the market, leaving their children at home. One woman, who lives in the most damaged [section of the building], told journalists that her daughter was inside the apartment, with a friend who had dropped by. The daughter's fate is unknown.

At the HQ, there's a room for those seeking urgent psychological assistance, but no one has been there yet. The woman who knows nothing about her daughter's fate is at the garage near the building, which was unlocked for journalists, to keep them out of the rain. There are no doctors around her, only her husband.

And there are many people like her here.

People in bathrobes are wandering around the neighborhood with infants wrapped in blankets in their hands. [...]

Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 1:29 AM:

[...] [Victor Yanukovych] arrived at 7:30 PM [Oct. 13]. [...] They visited the site of the tragedy and then went to talk to the residents of the unlucky building. Most of those who were present were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and so as soon as the premier started talking, they interrupted him and began asking: why didn't the gas services arrive right after they had been called, a few hours before the tragedy; why aren't they cleaning away the debris - there are still children buried beneath them and one can hear their voices. Also, the people were asking about new apartments, aid and the permission to go to their old apartments - those that were intact - to take away some belongings and documents.

People were really annoyed with the amount of the premier's security. "There is more 'Berkut' [riot police] and cops than there are rescuers," one woman was screaming. "They've filled the pits with pebbles for you, so that there were no pits when you show up, but when we were trying to reach the gas service, we were being told that they are out of gasoline and [can't come]," one of the victims was saying to the premier.

[...] [Yulia Tymoshenko arrived around 8:30 PM] and said she wanted to see the tragedy site. It's about 200 meters away from the HQ. The path is more like an unplowed field after heavy rain than a city road. Tymoshenko didn't get into the car, but walked right through this mud in her high-heeled shoes. An hour earlier, Victor Yanukovych decided to ride a car rather than walk.

[On her way back], Tymoshenko was stopped by the people standing behind the cordon. It's hard to find words to describe the state they were in. Many of them appeared deranged, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Some were crying out: "Yulia, punish the guilty ones." Some were asking for help, asking to make sure that the government didn't leave the people alone, face to face with this problem. With Yanukovych, people were making charges against him, while with Tymoshenko, they were turning for her as if she were a savior.

[...]

This tragedy could've been averted! It wasn't a terror attack. When you stand next to the ruin that's three floors high and realize there are people underneath, your legs become numb. And it could've been enough to just react to the people's phone calls! Imagine there's a fire in the apartment, the owner calls the firefighters, but they reply: "Turn the water on in the bathroom and don't worry." Shufrych states emotionally: "I'll strangle the guilty ones personally," "I won't be the minister if the guilty one aren't punished," but even now representatives of the communal services nob towards one another and blame everyone but themselves. [...]

Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 9:59 PM:

[...] People who lived on the 9th and 10th floors of Entrance #1 were allowed to go to their apartments to take the most necessary things (warm clothes and documents). Those who had pets at home were let in first. Only two members from each family were allowed to go in. It was mostly the women who did, because they knew what clothes to take and where to find it. And so they go downstairs with big sacks, and it's about 50 meters from the building's entrance to the police cordon. The women are dragging these sacks all by themselves - because the police do not allow men to get at least 10 meters inside the cordoned-off area to help the women. The whole neighborhood can, perhaps, hear the women wail, and these bastards, the cops, aren't even trying to help them!

All this just minutes after Shufrych was talking self-importantly about the need to treat the victims with care, support them, etc. [...]

Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 10:20 PM:

[Five photos by Stanislav Vedmid, two photos by LJ user didaio]

[...]

didaio:

I don't want to scare anyone or ruin anyone's mood tonight, but these photos [fail to convey] what's really going on there. [...]

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 8:54 AM:

Another day has gone by. What's lost behind the numbers of the dead, the missing and the wounded is information on the main culprits in this horrible tragedy. So here's a little bit on the Dniprogas company.

[It] belongs to one of the richest Russians, the owner of the world's largest aluminum company, Victor Vekselberg. [...]

[...]

Stories of life and death.

One resident [...] was asleep when the explosion occurred. Without losing consciousness, without falling out of bed, he "descended" on this bed from the 7th floor to the 3rd, and got buried underneath the debris from the upper floors. He survived. When he heard steps nearby, he started calling for help. It turned out these were the steps of a rescuer, and he dragged the man from under the ruins. [...]

Another woman found by the rescuers was fully dressed, with all the documents and money. She had enough time to take everything, but, so unfortunately, no time to survive. [...]

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 9:19 AM:

Yesterday, it became clear once again that human beings are capable of getting used to any conditions. [...] People [affected by the Dnipropetrovsk disaster] are already thinking about the future. They are considering the proposed compensation options, trying to rescue at least some of their belongings [...].

[...]

There've also been fuss today caused by the President's visit today. Urgently, they are laying asphalt over the pits around the site of the tragedy, flattening the ground, cutting the trees, repairing the school that houses the HQ, replacing lightbulbs in street lamps. The only thing they aren't doing is, perhaps, painting the earth. Everyone who's here finds this extremely annoying. [...]

Ukraine: Two Years of Yushchenko's Presidency

Global Voices Online
Thursday, January 25, 2007

Two years ago, Dan and Lesya McMinn of Orange Ukraine were among hundreds of thousands of people who came to Kyiv's Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) on Jan. 23 to listen to Victor Yushchenko's inaugural speech. As many others, they had to overcome quite a few obstacles to catch a glimpse of the event. They took pictures of the crowd and wrote this, among other things, in the captions:

[...] We all had to take these circuitous routes in search of a view because there were so many people we were unable to get close enough to see by walking up the main street.

[...] at one point we scrambled up this icy slope over crumbling ruins. What's life and limb at such a great moment in history?

[...] What was amazing is that the great hordes of us were all wandering along back streets blocked to all foot traffic on a number of sides. That this many people were traveling the side paths can give you an idea about how many were on the major routes.

The second anniversary of Victor Yushchenko's inauguration ceremony went largely unnoticed this past Tuesday, overshadowed by the bitter power struggle and a buildup of disillusionment over Yushchenko's "failed presidency," as Abdymok, a Kyiv-based journalist and blogger, called it in a laconic anniversary posting.

All the way back in August 2006, LJ user didaio pointed out the Ukrainian blogosphere's new tendency to view Yushchenko not as the nation's "hero" but as its "anti-hero" - and on Jan. 23, he happened to be one of a handful of Ukrainian bloggers who bothered to reflect (UKR) on the anniversary and Yushchenko's failure to live up to the expectations:

Two years ago, I stood at Maidan Nezalezhnosti, dressed in an orange raincoat, with orange ribbons tied all over me, full of pride and joy caused by the recent events. Next to me, tens of thousands other Ukrainians had similar emotions. At that time, during the inauguration of the people's President, every one of us hoped for a new life in Ukraine, new standards of living and many other things.

Today, I don't want to analyze everything that happened in the past two years - today, there'll be plenty of articles on that anyway. Moreover, the people's President's actions concerning the bill on the Cabinet of Ministers [which would reduce his powers] will force him to spend much time trying to shake off the title of the all-Ukrainian people's fool.

So instead, I'd like to emphasize the behavior of those with whom I stood shoulder to shoulder at Maidan on Jan. 24 [sic], 2005.

Last week, I happened to hear these words twice - from the people close to me and my acquaintances: "And how many hopes there used to be..." In one case, this was said by a woman who voted for [prime minister Victor Yanukovych] and his Party of the Regions, who used to support [Ukraine's second president Leonid Kuchma] and has worked in the government institutions all her life. And in the other case, this was said by a young guy who voted for Yushchenko, used to be an ardent supporter of the Orange Revolution, but then, in the spring 2006 election, he ran with the [anti-Yushchenko Ne Tak!] bloc and was actively promoting their ideas. These two totally different people said, within a few days of each other, the same thing: "And how many hopes there used to be..."

Turns out that those people who betrayed or had never supported Yushchenko were expecting something from him, and now they blame him for betraying their hopes. There's no need to comment this...

To sum it all up, I'd like to emphasize that it's not Yushchenko who has lost the Orange Revolution, and it's not any other person, but rather ourselves - those people who overthrew Kuchma and led Yushchenko to power. We lost when we switched to our personal affairs, thinking that the revolution had been won. We lost when we looked in awe at the 60-percent support of Yushchenko/[ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko] and chose to ignore the permanent crises. And we'll lose now, too, when we are hiding behind our personal affairs and are trying to [distance ourselves from politics].

I've written these words in my LJ many times already. And I'll repeat them again [...] only in order for Ukrainians to understand: we are responsible not just for our own lives, but for the life of our Motherland as well; it's all up to us.

Ukraine: Maidan's Second Anniversary

Global Voices Online
Wednesday, November 22, 2006


Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv, Ukraine: two years since the beginning of the Orange Revolution - by Veronica Khokhlova

Nov. 22 marks the second anniversary of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, but little orange has been visible on the streets of Kyiv today. A crowd gathered at Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), but it was nowhere near as numerous as last year.

Victor Yushchenko, who became Ukraine's president largely thanks to the peaceful protests of 2004, celebrated this day away from Maidan. He invited Ukraine's current prime minister Victor Yanukovych to the reception at Mariyinsky Palace; Yanukovych, who might have stolen the 2004 election if it hadn't been for the mass protests, didn't show up.

Below is what one Ukrainian blogger - LJ user didaio of Dnipropetrovsk - has been thinking (UKR) today:

Freedom Day

I opened the closet today and hesitated for a very long time as to whether to put on an orange ribbon or not. I ended up wearing it.

Spent the whole day in doubts over whether I should send greetings via SMS.

And only in the evening, as I turned on the music of THOSE days [...] and turned off the lights in the room, did I realize how important this day was for me. I began sending instant messages to friends, and each name in my address book brought about memories from THOSE days. Many of my today's friends appeared only thanks to THOSE days. And nearly half of these contacts oppose those events.

Sending instant messages helped me understand one important thing - Ukraine is indeed one. People with different worldviews live in it, with different views on their own future and the future of their country, but this shouldn't disunite them to the point when they become enemies.

[...] Supporters of Yanukovych, among my dear ones and my friends, were not supporting falsifications, they were for another path for Ukraine. Same as we were at Maidan not because of Yushchenko, but because we wanted changes for Ukraine.

I don't know how long this confrontation between Ukrainians is going to last. I wish each of us gave others the right to have their own opinion. I'd like Ukrainian politicians not to ruin my country. But all this, unfortunately, is more like fantasy, dreams, not something that's possible, reality.

One thing I know for sure - this day is the dearest of all the rest for me. And no politician will manage to ruin my memories of the Orange revolution! I hold these days dear because they united millions of people. Nothing like this had ever happened in Ukraine's history.

P.S. Yesterday, in his TV interview, Yushchenko said that Maidan's main achievement, Freedom, cannot be stopped. Unfortunately, it can be stopped. Ukraine still can go back, and slowly is moving back, to the pre-Maidan times. Today, it's not just the old faces that have come to power - they have brought the old politics with them.

Today, head of President Yushchenko's press service has refused to accredit [Ukrainska Pravda], explaining that an Internet publication is [not considered legitimate]. Yushchenko invited Victor Yanukovych to the celebration of Freedom Day - and [Yanukovych] didn't come.

All this is taking us back to yesterday. And we keep silent and once again get disappointed in our leaders. ENOUGH!

[...]

Ukraine: Victor Yushchenko the Anti-Hero (Or Not)

Global Voices Online
Saturday, August 5, 2006

Victor Yanukovych is Ukraine's new prime minister, and it looks like the president, Victor Yushchenko, is the nation's new "anti-hero."

At least, this is what LJ user didaio concludes (UKR) after reading through the recent posts of his fellow-bloggers:

Before August 2, the only problem with my friend list was that it had few people on it. The reason for that was that I used to add only Ukrainian-language journals (with just a few exceptions). About 95 percent of my friend list are political [blogs]. Before, there was no one on it who was openly pouring dirt on the President.

After August 2, I saw more dirt directed at the President in my feeds than I'd ever seen directed at [Oleksandr Moroz] (after July 6) or at Yanukovych. Judging by the feeds, the nation's main anti-hero is Victor Andriyovych Yushchenko. Everyone's calling him beekeeper [pasichnyk] now [...]. There can be only two reasons for this: his refusal to dismiss the parliament and the nomination of Yanukovych [for PM].

I don't want to judge these people's conclusions; I just want to say what I've been saying always (even back in [Leonid Kuchma]'s time): such attacks on the President are immoral [...].

In these two days, I've also heard similar accusations directed at me. I've also been accused of having [...] low intellectual level. The reason is my support for the President's latest actions.

So that no one has any doubts or questions as to my position, I repeat: I support the signing of the Universal of National Unity, support the creation of the new Coalition of the [Party of the Regions], [Our Ukraine] and [Socialist Party] (without [Communist Party]). I am immensely sorry that [Yuri Yekhanurov] is no longer the premier, and that the ex-con Yanukovych has replaced him. But this is the objective consequence of irresponsible behaviour of the Orange Team in the past year and a half. I've been a steadfast supporter of the Our Ukraine-Party of the Regions Coalition since March 27, 2006 [one day after the election]. And I'm very glad [Yulia Tymoshenko] is the opposition now - I'm positive she won't let the President and the government relax.

I'm very sorry that the friends whose feeds I used to read with pleasure now allow themselves to abuse the President of Ukraine. But I hope that my position and theirs won't affect our virtual relations, though if someone decides to delete me from their friend list, I'll understand.

It turns out, however, that there are plenty of bloggers who share didaio's views and are supportive of president Yushchenko:

czyk [in Belarusian]: I respect your president. I see logic in what he does, even though at times, he has to choose from [the worst]. I don't understand what the new election could change. Maybe the problem's not the president but the country: this is what it is now, not all of it is Europhilic, not all of it is Orange. [...]

love_precious: We voted for him, we gave him life as the president, and now we have to support him, attempt to understand his position. Yulia in the opposition is good for the Country. Let's judge Yushchenko when his presidency is over - whether life has become better or worse. And in general, would any of us be capable of a better performance? It's always easy to judge.

pashyrey: Oh, and I thought I was the only one like this :)) You've expressed all my thoughts almost verbatim.

didaio: I also thought that I'm the only one like this. But all comments to this post have convinced me that I'm not the only one. It's very, very nice to read it! Thank you!

pashyrey: Maybe this is because people who support the President are calm, have minimum emotions, and don't write much, unlike the opposite side. That's why it seems as if you are a white crow next to what appears to be mass dissatisfaction.

LJ user nezloy quotes (RUS) what Yanukovych said back in 2004, a year and a half ago, as a reminder - and an explanation of why it is such a blow to many to have this man as prime minister again:

From hatred to love - a year and a half.

[photo omitted]

"I believe that there are a lot more strong and healthy people than these animals ['goats' in the original], who aren't letting us live the way we want to!" This is what V. Yanukovych said [about his political opponents] on October 21, 2004, in his address to representatives of local communities of Luhansk region. [...]

LJ user faina_kaplan dreams (UKR, RUS) of her dislike for Yanukovych - and writes about Yushchenko's unfulfilled promise to prosecute the criminals who were part of the previous regime:

In a dream tonight, I saw [Yanukovych] tied to a chair, like in a mafia movie, and it was possible to do whatever you wanted to with him. And I was eating cherries, throwing pits at him, saying: "I hate you, do you understand? And not just me, but the whole nation hates you!" - And he looked at me sadly and said that he'd keep on moving toward integration with Europe.

***

kosta_kosta: And I'd put [Yushchenko] next to [Yanukovych]. And [extinguish cigarettes] on them, not throw pits. [...]

faina_kaplan: Better think of how [late Georgy Kirpa] must be feeling now: he shot himself prematurely. He really believed that "Bandits will go to jails."

kosta_kosta[...] And my friend said this today: "A thief's place is in the Cabinet of Ministers."

LJ user mc_yulka, a Kyiv journalist, experienced a different type of disappointment with president Yushchenko (RUS): because of his early-morning decision to nominate Victor Yanukovych as prime minister, her cover story about Israel's Russian-speaking community and the war was no longer a cover story, and since an urgent redesign of the magazine's cover was needed, her photo of two Israeli children (originally from Dushanbe, Tajikistan) had to be replaced:

Just an hour ago, the new issue of the magazine was supposed to come out with my photo of two kids that I took in a shelter outside Haifa during a bombing alert [...]. It was the first and the last chance in my life to have a photo taken by me on the cover.

But then, shortly after 2 am, Yushchenko came out and spoke quite a bunch, and the cover had to be changed, and now there'll be Yushch on the cover, instead of the children from the shelter.

Yes, I'm VERY VERY VERY
VERY VERY VERY
VERY VERY
UPSET.

I haven't slept in 46 hours. And I thought that - with a front page story - and with my photo on the cover - that it was worth it. But it's not worth it. [...]

mc_yulka has posted some of the pictures from her Israel trip here, and the cancelled cover here (RUS):

UNDER THE PROMISED LAND: Hizbullah's bombing of Israel has united former Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv residents in the shelters.

Ukraine: "The Cars" With Ukrainian Voiceover; Local TV

Global Voices Online
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

LJ user didaio of Dnipropetrovsk writes about two recent viewing experiences: one good, another bad. The good one was The Cars with the long-awaited voiceover in Ukraine's national language - instead of (or in addition to) Russian; the bad one was the Ukrainian TV programming that all those who can't afford a satellite dish are doomed to watch. Below are the posts' translation from Ukrainian.

June 16, 2006:

Gradually, Ukrainian movie theaters are beginning to show the first Hollywood film with the Ukrainian-language voiceover. Looks like the process of presenting the animation with the voiceover already done is more complicated than the process of doing the voiceover itself. There's also a Russian-language version of the cartoon. And in Dnipropetrovsk, there are a lot more Russian-language screenings than those in Ukrainian. As of today, the Ukrainian-language version is shown in just one theater, and even there, out of 6 screenings of The Cars, only two are in Ukrainian. Moreover, the cartoon has come out late. On June 15, it was shown in just two theaters, today it has appeared in one more multiplex (four viewing halls, all screenings are in Russian), and on June 17, it'll appear in two more multiplexes (the total of 5 screens, but nothing is known about the language).

Despite these problems, I highly recommend the Ukrainian-language version to everyone. Not to support the Ukrainian language, but for your enjoyment. The quality of the Ukrainian translation is a lot better than that of the Russian one. And the sound of the Ukrainian-language copy is excellent, too! And though the cartoon itself isn't anything special (it lacks dynamics) and it hasn't got much space for actors, the Ukrainian actors (Ostap Stupka, Olha Sumska) have done a great job! Funny jokes, allusions to the Ukrainian realities, and simply the feeling of something familiar - all this is present in the Ukrainian-language version of The Cars.

June 17, 2006:

[...]

For the third day in a row, I'm forced to watch national TV, mainly. Because when I came back from the Spain v Ukraine game (4:0) and turned on the satellite tuner, I saw an eloquent "No Signal" (white on the red background). It wasn't raining anymore, [...] so there could only be two reasons: someone [stole] the dish or it [went down] by itself. I'm scared to climb onto the roof, and the satellite TV representative promised to visit me "after the days off." This is why, for the third day in a row, I'm forced to watch national TV, mainly, and this "happiness" will last longer than one more day.

In addition to the broken dish, I broke down, too, after the Spain v Ukraine game (4:0). It became painful to watch football, so I'm forced to watch other shows on national TV. And in addition to this, I have a cold and am forced to watch national TV, instead of roaming the streets of my native city, using the public transportation. [...]

[...]

Not long ago I had an argument with one woman from LJ, who was calling to stop watching the "zombobox" for at least one day. [My counterargument] was that TV was a very useful invention [...], enabling us to obtain lots of interesting information, and it only takes to know how to use it. She was telling me that in her "life with a TV set" there used to be cases of "constant klats-ing of the remote" - which would fit a zombie but not a contemporary young woman. I responded by loudly announcing [that this woman had problems] and [...] didn't know how to use such a useful invention.

For the past two days of my life, I've been a zombie. I couldn't keep myself at one channel for over 10 minutes. Klats-klats. Here's Savik Shuster talking about football: "Yes, yes, you see. He's passing the ball to him, yes? and he doesn't score, yes?" Klats-klats. Kateryna Lebedeva talking about the coalition: "Here, the negotiations are already over, while there, they still continue." Klats-klats. Dnipropetrovsk stars "over 50" are promoting medicines for impotence: "Medzhik staf - Magic Staff." My cable TV provider allows me to watch almost all Ukrainian, federal Russian, some foreign and a few specialized channels of various countries. All in all, 51 channel. And there's NOTHING to watch whatsoever.

After the orange revolution, I was telling many of my friends (from various countries) ABOUT OUR TV! "It's underdeveloped technically, but it's free and that's why its potential is greater than that of the Russian TV," I was saying naively. These conversations occurred very often, because this was one of the arguments in favor of the orange revolution, and the last time I said it was a couple of months ago. Every day, it hurt more and more to realize how unprofessional Ukrainian journalists were, how they failed to use the unique chance, but I didn't want to fully believe the objective facts. Only in the last two days have I understood how bad everything with the nation's TV.

My satellite antenna received [Russian] Gazprom-owned NTV+, which allowed me to watch more than 60 channels. I watched just a few out of those 60, though: NTV+'s own sports and movie channels, a documentary and comedy channels, Russian Extreme channel, and sometimes Discovery and National Geographic. Needless to say, I didn't watch [Russian] First Channel, Russia Channel and NTV. Together with NTV+, Ukrainian TV didn't look so hopeless. Sometimes there were cool movies, more or less honest news, cool music. But as soon as the satellite TV has disappeared, also gone is all the diverse, interesting information that's not available from other sources.

This is why I'd like to apologize to [LJ user] trina_ka, to whom I was trying to explain the usefulness of TV. I was wrong. In reality, it's not she who's to blame for turning a cool invention into a "zombobox" - the blame is on the "high-quality national television."

One of the comments to this post was left by an LJ user from Belarus (BEL):

oldmah: If only you could see how primitive Belarusian channels are! A site like [the Ukrainian] Telekritika is totally unimaginable [in Belarus] - because there's not even 1 percent of freedom on the screen. Compared to Belarus, you have a truly revolutionary TV.