The point of no return in the process of decommunization of Ukraine has not yet been passed; it is necessary to ensure that rejection of the communist past becomes an element of Ukrainian culture so much that the citizens themselves react to the appearance of a person with Soviet symbols on the street.
This was stated by the former head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and now a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, Vladimir Vyatrovich, during a discussion organized by the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We are all waiting - when will the point of no return finally be reached and we can finally relax? Never. We will never be able to relax, because building democracy is riding a bicycle - as long as we pedal, we ride.
If we talk about decommunization, then I am convinced that there will be some kind of final revenge, the return of the communist past, the restoration of these monuments, etc. will not be. The old names are not being returned - there are attempts, but thanks to the activity of local activists, local authorities, and the Institute of National Memory, neither in Kharkov, nor in Odessa, nor in Kiev, these attempts have not yet been crowned with success.
Precisely because we are not sure that the point of no return has been passed. There's still a lot of work to do. It is necessary that condemnation of the communist past becomes an element of our culture.
In Germany, it is not necessary that the police react to some guy with a swastika who just shows up in the square, and the citizens themselves react to him around him, because this is a challenge to their own culture.
I am convinced that the same rejection at the cultural level of the communist past is something that should be gradually built in Ukraine,” said Vladimir Vyatrovich.