Priest: Ukraine’s story of oppression and struggle began centuries ago
Americans may think of Ukraine as a relatively new country, a small nation borne out of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. But, in fact, it is a sweeping nation with a rich history that dates all the way back to the 4th century.
“It’s actually the second largest country in Europe, with a population of 38 million,” said the Rev. Vasyl Sendeha, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Palos Park.
Many people link it to Russia, Sendeha said, but “Ukraine and Russia are two totally different nationalities with different languages and cultures.”
“Ukraine is Slavik,” he said. “Yes, there are a lot of similarities with Russia but a lot of differences, too.”
In recent weeks, Russia has deployed troops along Ukraine’s border and appears to be on the verge of invading its western neighbor. Just this week, the United States put 8,500 American troops on alert as tensions rise.
Sendeha says this is yet another blow to a struggling nation that has been kicked around by bullies since before the Cossacks revolted against Polish domination in 1648.
“Unfortunately, the land has always been under somebody else’s rule. Ukrainian people, it seems, have always been fighting for their independence,” he said.
For a while, the collapse of the Soviet Union brought hope that Ukrainians had seen the last of their struggles, Sendeha said. The newfound freedom
sparked an urgency to rebuild and become economically stronger, with the nation looking to Europe and the United States as role models, he said.
The Ukrainian constitution is modeled after the U.S. Constitution, he said, but “the wrong people came to power, people influenced by Russia” and the rest has been a repeat of history.
Nevertheless, he said, visitors would be amazed by the country’s culture, such as elaborately painted Easter eggs and healing plunges into freezing water, and its stunning architecture, including Kiev-design Orthodox Christian churches, reflecting the historically dominant religion.
Much like America, NATO-backed Ukraine is a country of dual influence: on the east are Russia-backed separatists; on the west, multiethnic groups who want to remain free of Russian influence.
Sendeha’s father lives in the west. Is he worried for his safety?
“Not so much. They think if there is a war, it will not reach all the way to
western Ukraine,” Sendeha said. “They are a bit concerned that there will be this hybrid war that’s been going on already with Crimea because Putin needs land access to Crimea. We don’t think it’s going to be a massive invasion though. We hope not.”
He is alarmed by the recent withdrawal of U.S. diplomats from the country, though.
It’s important for Russia to have access to the port on the Black Sea, located at Ukraine’s southern border, he said. To do that, it needs to go through Ukraine but it doesn’t want to pay to lease space for its warships, he said.
Sendeha grew up in Olesko, Ukraine, under Soviet rule. After the Communist regime’s collapse, he immigrated to Washington, D.C., on a full Catholic university scholarship.
He and his future wife, Olenka, met just before he graduated and his plans to return to his homeland changed. It is a common story among Ukrainian immigrants, he said.
At least 60% of his classmates left
Ukraine for better opportunities in Europe and America.
Since the late 1800s, enough Ukrainian immigrants settled on Chicago’s West Side that the area bounded by Western, Damen, Division and Chicago was named Ukrainian Village, according to the “Encyclopedia of Chicago.” The exodus to America and other countries continues to this day.
“The sad part of it all is I see how the Ukrainian population has changed. Young people have kind of lost hope that they can actually succeed in their own country,” he said.
Once the bread basket for the Soviet Union, Ukraine often offered little more than farming opportunities for people trying to eke out a living. Yet, Sendeha said, after the collapse, people embraced those agrarian roots, ever hopeful other kinds of industries would open up.
If the right people were in government, he said, the country would be very different.
“Ukraine is my home country and I’m proud of it. Ukrainians are hardworking people. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the way people started working for change was unbelievable,” he said.
Yet, Ukraine is now on the precipice of war, he said.
But that is no reason to give up hope that the nation will one day thrive as a free country.
“Ukrainians have lived with this kind of threat forever,” he said.
So, of course, there is hope, “because there is always hope.”