MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine celebrated its independence day on Sunday, August 24, with a parade that seemed to be at odds with Ukraine’s new ideology, according to columnist Maxim Sokolov.
“The parade in Kiev looked incredibly pompous resembling those of the Soviet era, which is at odds with the new Ukrainian ideology that is aimed at distancing Ukraine from its Soviet past. In this case, a parade with the Soviet hardware and following the Soviet military aesthetics seems strange. But where would Ukraine get new military hardware or military aesthetics from? They have to make do with what they have now,” Sokolov said.
“There is a general trend when newly instated and yet unstable revolutionary regimes put a special emphasis on the new government’s symbols, including those of a military nature,” he said.
“It is undoubtedly expensive [having such parades], for in the days of preparation for the parade not only social benefits, that are always the first to suffer cuts, were decreased, but also Ukrainian foreign missions funding declined, which in case of a country actively seeking international support is a sign of despair. … But we should remember the motto ‘ideology should not be spared any expense’,” he added.
“Particular models of such lavish spending could differ but the point is the same – someone else is going to pay for everything that is happening right now. Maybe, it will be new generations of Ukrainians, or a defeated enemy, or, perhaps, foreign states with their gracious help. The point is right now no expenses should be spared,” the columnist said.
Sokolov also noted that another strange thing is that by demonstrating the strength of its arsenal, Ukraine is basically reminding everyone of the aggression aimed at its own citizens, which does not help the new state ideology. However, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko refrains from calling it a civil war, preferring thinking of it as the first signs of the World War III, which Ukraine is at the very front of, preventing the world from a new crisis.
Whether the parade succeeded at unifying and encouraging Ukrainians is still not clear, as the impression was significantly tainted by the march of Ukrainian hostages in Donetsk that seemed to have had a big impact on the citizens of Ukraine. The effects of the two events now seem to be closely interconnected.
