There are many stereotypes associated with the Luhansk oblast. For example, many people believe that these are only teriсons and factories, that everyone in the oblast speak only Russian, or that Luhanshchyna is a gray and gloomy region.
Therefore, TRYBUN asked the residents of the oblast about their vision of the place where they were born.
Luhanshchyna is an industrial center, and people had no cultural life
For a long time, Luhansk oblast was an important part of Ukrainian industry, namely coal and metallurgical.Accordingly, the villages and towns of the oblast developed around the mines and factories, which were visible objects in the local landscape.Other areas of people's lives were less noticeable compared to the factory pipes and high mounds of tericons, which the residents of Luhansk oblast call the mountains of Donbas. From this, society can conclude that the eastern region was drowned in factories, and the inhabitants had no cultural development. However, this is not so - the characters in the material note.
Anastasia Litashova worked as a librarian, philologist and social activist in Starobilsk.
"Sharovarshchyna is one of the eternal cultural problems. It was in the USSR that the stereotype about what Ukrainians look like, what they eat, how they behave and how they speak arose.For these 30 years of independence, we are still in this captivity. Therefore, everything we did and are doing now is about a healthy Ukrainian culture.it's also about how you can reread Taras Shevchenko without being pathetic, not building him an imaginary pedestal from which you don't want to remove him after that.Because why? He is almost canonized. Shevchenko is a genius, but he is also a man, a man who loved, thought, dreamed, had affairs. We have an anti-lecture "The Seven Chakras of Taras Kun". In it, my team and I tell about Shevchenko from another side, he is sometimes portreted "not beautiful", not convenient, ordinary.After that, you want to re-read it, and not put it on the shelf and forget it," Anastasia comments on the emergence of this stereotype.
The activist says that people have the same vision of the library. Book dust, some shelves, unfriendly people around and the traditional question of whether anyone else goes to libraries.
"Yes, visit. Because you can hang out in libraries. And we give it to people.Since 2016, the team of the Luhansk Regional Universal Scientific Library has been holding the All-Ukrainian campaign "Good Silent Party".Good Silent Party locations are library premises. "SKOVORODA" internet radio platform plays DJ sets that are broadcast all over the country," the philologist claims.
It all started in small Starobilsk,in the relocated Luhansk Regional Library or "Good library".In 2016, a low-profile pilot silent radio party was held, which united libraries from 10 cities.Then the second one took place in 2018, also in Starobilsk, but already in the status of the main city, where the party was broadcast by radio Skovoroda and where the main guest of the event was the writer Serhii Zhadan.
"Then 25 libraries from west to east joined the broadcast. With the third party, we had a blast already in Kyiv in 2019.The main space was the Scientific Library named after M. Maksymovich. The party was held in 37 cities of Ukraine at the same time, and 350 guests from different regions of the country came to Kyiv for the event.The fourth Good Silent Party (2021) was held as hybridly and safely as possible during the pandemic with the main open air location in Kharkiv.The guests of our parties were Serhii Zhadan, Fiolet and Kozak System bands, Sasha Koltsova, Yaroslav Fedorchuk, Yuliia Slivka," Anastasia Litashova recalls.
The idea of creating a library is to popularize the Ukrainian cultural product, to support the creativity of Ukrainian writers, publishers, musicians, to find like-minded people and to unite Ukraine from west to east, to go beyond stereotypes, in particular to show the library as a completely new space that unites progressive and brave.
Therefore, the stereotype about Luhansk oblasta аs a region with only slagheaps
and factories is only a stereotype that is the result of historical and economic circumstances.
Viacheslav Bondarenko, better known as Slava Bo, was involved in the development of Luhansk oblast, participating in the organization of various events, and created the magazine "PlusMinusNeskinchennost", in which he writes about the culture of the Ukrainian East.
"It seems to me that this stereotype is not a problem of Luhansk oblast. This is a common human factor. That is, before everyone thought that life was raging somewhere in Moscow, and other settlements were industrial provinces.
Over the years, society believed that cultural development is somewhere in Kyiv or Kharkiv. But, to be honest, having lived in the capital, I can proudly say that there I have not seen anything like what we have at home," Viacheslav comments.
According to Slava, the residents of Luhansk oblast held cultural events themselves, inviting guests: musical groups, singers, artists and others.
"When my friends from Kyiv came to visit me, under the influence of this stereotype, they also thought that it would be boring. But then they were delighted with how many interesting things are happening here," the activist adds.
The man talks about the events that he and his colleagues organized in Luhansk oblast:
"Three years in a row, I held an exhibition of contemporary art called "PlusMinus". And now this baton has been accepted by Vitaly Matukhno from Lysychansk, who began to organize similar events in unusual places for society.We also created a festival in Sievierodonetsk where we invited musicians from Kyiv, such as "Khamerlan Destroys Viruses" and all local bands.It was often possible to meet various literary groups. To be honest, by the time you remember all the cultural events in our region, a lot of time will fly by, because there was a lot of everything. It's a shame that few people knew about it...".
Slava Bo believes that the stereotype about the lack of cultural life in Luhansk oblast was also dispersed by the enemies, using their powerful media, dispersing the opinion that there is nothing but Russian movements in the eastern region of Ukraine.
People in Luhansk oblast have always waited for the Russian Federation: Were there pro-Russian views?
One of the loudest stereotypes used by Russians in justifying the "liberation" of Luhansk oblast is that people were waiting for the Russian Federation and had pro-Russian views. However, the residents of the oblast claim otherwise, proving by their actions that Luhanshchyna is Ukraine!
Olha Lishik, deputy of the Sievierodonetsk City Council of the 7th convocation, spoke about the events, pro-Ukrainian movements and the goals of the residents of the eastern oblast.
- In your opinion, what is the reason for the stereotype that Luhansk oblast was waiting for the Russian Federation ?
- This stereotype was not unfounded. Indeed, there is a part of the population that at one time were citizens of the Soviet Union. These people, influenced by propaganda, were "nostalgic" for their youth, the prices that were at that time, and the totalitarian system.
Also, Russian radio and TV channels, which were constantly broadcast on the territory of Luhansk oblast even after 2014, had a great influence, and with the beginning of the war, they increased their influence through social networks.The majority of residents of our oblast chose precisely these channels, from which hostile propaganda poured.
The development of social networks, such as Odnoklassniki or VKontakte, also carried propaganda, but it was already aimed specifically at young people through audience-specific slogans, appeals and promises.
Another example of propaganda and Russification of Luhansk oblast in 2013: agglomerations of sister cities of our region and Russia were actively created.For example, Sievierodonetsk became a "sister city" with the city of Shakhty, which is not far from the border. And then all our settlements began a strengthened "friendship" with Russian cities.Now we can contemplate the process of this "friendship", when the occupied cities of Luhansk oblast are placed under the so-called "leadership" of Tatarstan, Buryatia and others.
Every year, the opposition of pro-Ukrainian residents grew-
Tell us about them. What kind of people were they?
- These are ideological people who did not just sit silently, having pro-Ukrainian views, but they spoke about it: they held actions, information campaigns, free courses to increase awareness of the Ukrainian language, and measures aimed at encouraging residents of communities, especially young people, to overcome stereotypes and narratives imposed by Russia and emphasize that Luhansk oblast is a part of Ukraine.
- What did they base their knowledge on?
- These people had a wide knowledge of the Ukrainian language, literature, culture, and most importantly - history. This is a very important point, because the change of views in society began precisely with its study.For example, many facts about the famine of 1930-1940 years in Ukraine, including in Luhansk oblast, were classified or destroyed.This topic began to be raised thanks to the fact that archives and access to information began to be opened in already independent Ukraine. It also happened thanks to the state policy regarding the recognition of Russia as guilty of the genocide of the Ukrainian people.There are still many facts that Russia deliberately changed, hiding its crimes.When this began to be clarified, people's eyes really "opened" - they changed their views and attitude to history, to the present... They came to understand that this should not be the case.
Well, of course, the well-known stereotype that "Russia is our brothers" and that "grandfathers fought" and many others were destroyed in a difficult but irreversible way.
- And regarding the events organized by residents in support of Ukraine. What did they look like?
- These were concerts, car races, exhibitions, theater performances, rock fests, city days, which were necessarily held with traditional Ukrainian symbols: the national anthem of Ukraine, folk and modern Ukrainian songs were sung, and exhibitions of traditional Ukrainian embroidery and embroidery were held.
It is important that they were carried out deliberately! By the way, in Sievierodonetsk, all 20 schools had Ukrainian as the language of instruction.
When people discover for themselves the history of the creation of certain settlements, their awareness expands and they learn about real events in Luhansk oblast.We also discovered an interesting fact that the Lemki settlement was moved from western Ukraine to Novoaidar during the Stalin's terror.A bunch of arguments that Luhansk oblast is the Russian Federation are baseless. You just have to learn the real story. Then everything will fall into place.
- And who, after all, organized these events? Young people or older people?
- These were men and women of different ages, different social status, but united in their faith in Ukraine. The fact that older people are only pro-Russian is also a stereotype.Quite a large number of them are Ukrainian-speaking, love Ukraine and they do not see themselves as part of the Russian Federation. However, there were fewer of them in such cities as Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk and Rubizhne.
During the industrial boom of the last century, most of the population was resettled from the then republics of the Soviet Union. Of course, they did not have Ukrainian roots.Actually, this was Russia's policy - to mix peoples so that they would lose their identity. The picture was different in the villages of the Luhansk region, where the native population spoke Ukrainian.
On March 1, 2014, Sievierodonetsk hosted the first rally of pro-Russian people specially brought to the city under the banner of "communists" with the flags of the aggressor country.The then leadership of Sievierodonetsk supported these movements. At that time I was the head of the culture department. And in those days, questionnaires were given to all heads of departments of the city council, which were to be filled out by employees of communal enterprises and officials, where it was noted that they support Russian as a second state language.. I refused to distribute and sign these pieces of paper and reported this crime to the police at the time. But of course, the constant pressure from the authorities on pro-Ukrainian people began to intensify.
After that, the occupation of our settlements by separatists with the support of local authorities began.They began to destroy everything Ukrainian in Luhansk oblast as quickly as possible. And the language and symbols were informally forbidden, since speaking or holding something Ukrainian meant high danger or even death.
After the liberation of part of the oblast, the consciousness of many people changed, especially those who survived the occupation.For example, after one of the events, an acquaintance of mine said: "Before, I only felt like a resident of Sievierodonetsk, but now I identify as a Ukrainian." The difference in the change of views was felt very strongly, to be honest.
During the occupation of Sievierodonetsk in 2014, we had a movement called "Ochyshchennia". It was an underground movement in support of Ukraine.It was a backbone of public leaders, which later united active citizens of the region, and some of the representatives even became deputies of the city council.
- And what was the goal of people joining the pro-Ukrainian movements?
- The goal is to live in a democratic, legal and developed state with the opportunity to freely express one's thoughts, to participate in all processes of development of one's communities, and most importantly - to live in a conscious society that admits its mistakes and does not repeat them, overcomes stereotypes and lives without Russia.I would like to thank the defenders of Ukraine for their bravery and our freedom.
Luhanshchyna is a gloomy oblast with no good places
It is often believed that Luhansk oblast is a "grаy" oblast. Several reasons can contribute to this.The first was already mentioned above - the historically conditioned development of the coal and metallurgical industries.This factor leads to atmospheric pollution, which creates the impression of gloom due to industrial smog.Of course it is, but only in the part where there are large factories. In other cases, the oblast is filled with various colors of nature and architectural creations.
The second reason may be related to climatic conditions. The eastern region is often subject to long and harsh winters.The eastern region is often subject to long and harsh winters. Because of this, it can seem gloomy. However, this is a feature of Luhansk oblast. Why? In winter, all nature - forests, fields, rivers - is covered with snow, which shimmers and creates amazing beauty around.
The third reason is caused by the military conflict, which still does not leave Luhansk oblast. The war creates a negative impression and leads to the same perception of the entire area.
Any perception of this or that is the subjective opinion of each person. So we asked the creators of beauty - photographers of Luhansk oblast. how they see their native home, and whether there are places in the region that are worth paying attention to.
Luhanshchyna through local photographers' eyes:
Denys Chervyak is a photographer from Starobilsk.
"The stereotype about the gray oblast sounds a little strange to me. I'm from Starobilsk and it's green for me, not gray at all. I always loved its nature. I liked to walk near the "fifth swimming pool", on a chalk mountain, gazing at the city. To meet the dawn and see the sun off."
Serhii Udovenko is a photographer from Sievierodonetsk
"I photographed not only Sievierodonetsk, but also some places of Rubizhne, Lysychansk and Novopskov. And in my hometown, I adore the Ice Palace. This is the heart and place of power of Sievierodonetsk, I believe.I have photos from there in all seasons. I remember concerts, hockey and football matches. However, how they walked together with the child and the wife. And closer to the fountains, my friends and I arranged all kinds of parties.The Ice Palace has always been a popular place. And when I found out, and even more so, saw the photo after the Russians mercilessly smashed it, I felt a decline for a long time.In Luhansk oblast there is an incredible nature: slagheaps, fields, forests, in which I liked to walk. You will not see this in the capital. You feel free at home."
Pavlo Aleynikov is a photographer from Lysychansk
"Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk and nearby cities are extremely picturesque. Now, of course, when I watch the news, and especially when I see the video of the battles in forests near Kreminna, it becomes very bitter.These are the places where I spent my free time and enjoyed the moment. And now they are preserved only on the "film" of the camera.Pavlograd Bridge is a unique photo zone: 20 steps to the left, 20 to the right - and from all sides completely new landscapes open up in front of you.Also, my favorite route started from Staraya Krasnyanka. At that time, a diesel train left Lysychansk at half past six, on which we went there, as I remember now... And we walked along the right bank of the Siverskyi Donetsk River.There is an infinite number of amazing and unforgettable places. And our final point was the place where the Borova River flows into the Siverskyi Donets River. There are also many inspiring places near the Synetskyi. I also have enough photos from there. You can get lost in these locations for a whole day."
Oleksandr Sukhoveev is a photographer from Sievierodonetsk
Our region is very rich in chic locations. These are fields with wheat, slagheaps instead of mountains, rivers, lakes, old-growth pine forests, which are wrapped in their palms with pure, pristine beauty. In the same way, industrial adds a fantastic landscape with its depth and light. Just take and create, the main thing is to trust your imagination.
Mykola Skuridin is a photographer and bicycle traveler
"I traveled all over Luhansk oblast by bicycle. Every time I choose a new path if we go in the direction I have already traveled, and every time something new and incredibly beautiful appears.It all depends on the path I'm going to take. You can go in a straight line, or you can turn along bumpy paths. Then the distance will be longer and more interesting.Our rivers are very wonderful - t
Siverskyi Donets and Aidar. Milo mountains, Kremin forests. I travelled over Donetsk oblast, in particular in Chasiv Yar, Bilokuzminivske mountains and Svyatohirsk. Because the nature there is amazing."
Andrii is a photographer and retoucher from Sievierodonetsk
"Luhanshchyna is a land of contrasts. Here you can find the majestic mountains of Donbas, and endless steppe spaces, and dense forests, and rushing rivers.
Lysychanska Gora is one of the highest mountains in Luhansk oblast. From its top there is a wonderful view of the city of Lysychansk and its surroundings.Kostyantynivsky Waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Donbas. It is located in the village of Kostyantynivka, Novoaidar district. Majestic and powerful... Striking with its beauty.Luhansk Nature Reserve is one of the oldest nature reserves in Ukraine. It is located in the northern part of our oblast. Here you can see various types of plants and animals, as well as enjoy picturesque landscapes. Wild boars hide among the pines and oaks, and in the distance a majestic panorama of the reserve can be seen. I want people to understand: Luhanshchyna is not a gray region, but a land of beauty and contrasts."
So, we can conclude that the stereotype about gloomy Luhansk oblast remains it, because the residents of the oblast who have lived there for many years - claim the opposite.
The author: Valeriia Demydovych
