World

For a Ukrainian Poet, Putin’s War Is All Too Familiar

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2022

For a Ukrainian Poet, Putin’s War Is All Too Familiar

LVIV, Ukraine — At 83, now not a younger poet, Ihor Kalynets is aware of one thing of life beneath Russia’s thumb.

Having spent 9 years within the Soviet Gulag, together with exhausting labor slicing stone, he secretly wrote on cigarette papers what are considered a few of his greatest verses. They had been crumpled into tiny balls and smuggled out of jail.

For 30 years of his skilled life — throughout Soviet occasions — he was solely capable of publish overseas, infuriating the authorities, or by samizdat, the underground self-publishing community.

In the present day he lives on a leafy road in Lviv, a metropolis in western Ukraine as but untouched by Russian bombing, however inundated with Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion of their nation. His daughter and son-in-law stay up the road, and he has opened his art-filled house to a household of refugees.

Battle is raging to the east and across the capital of Kyiv, however he insists he has no intention of becoming a member of the exodus of individuals fleeing to neighboring Poland and different European nations.

“I’ll keep in Ukraine,” he mentioned, wanting round his front room, the place he sleeps on a cot, surrounded by his books and work, his old style radio shut at hand. “The Russians is not going to come right here,” he mentioned, including that western Ukrainians would put up a decided protection of their area.

Greater than behavior, or age, what retains Mr. Kalynets in Lviv is his total life historical past, which has been certainly one of resistance pushed by a deeply rooted connection to his homeland and Ukrainian tradition.

“I didn’t develop up as a pioneer or a komsomolets,” he mentioned, referring to the Communist youth teams that schooled generations of Soviet youths. “I used to be bred in a Ukrainian household within the nationwide spirit.”

Mr. Kalynets has seen the complete arc of his nation’s historical past, from earlier than and through Soviet rule, to independence, and now to its current battle.

Born in 1939, in Khodoriv, a city not removed from Lviv, when western Ukraine was nonetheless a part of Poland, he grew up within the tumult of World Battle II that ravaged the area and adjusted state borders. Lviv was occupied by Nazi Germany after which seized by the Soviet Military.

As a teen he noticed at shut hand the resistance towards the Soviet state that lasted effectively into the Nineteen Fifties. Ukrainian nationalists, led by Stepan Bandera, had first opposed Polish rule, then joined forces with the Nazis and later British intelligence to struggle towards Soviet rule of their house territory.

“I used to be introduced up on this milieu,” he mentioned, and its imprint stays with him. “I consider the cruelty of the Muscovites and the way the Ukrainian patriots had been mainly destroyed,” he mentioned.

The early expertise led to a lifetime of opposition to Soviet rule and stretches to Russia’s newest battle, which President Vladimir V. Putin has termed an operation to de-Nazify and “liberate” Ukraine. “I knew who our so-called liberators had been,” he mentioned.

As a scholar he moved to Lviv and studied on the Language and Literature College of Lviv College, graduating in 1961. He married one other poet, Iryna Stasiv, and the 2 grew to become well-known members within the burst of cultural exercise that emerged within the Sixties after the top of Stalinist repression.

“We had been principally within the political circumstances in Ukraine,” he mentioned. “We weren’t anticipating to realize liberation and we understood it might be a very long time to realize independence. There was solely a handful of us, however we believed one thing ought to change.”

He wrote a primary assortment of poems, “Excursions,” nevertheless it by no means noticed the sunshine of day. Your complete print run was confiscated, based on an account of his life by the Kharkiv Human Rights Safety Group.

A few of the poems appeared in journals and newspapers, and in 1966 a group, “Kupala’s Fireplace,” was revealed in Kyiv, but additionally swiftly proscribed.

A modernist poet — he developed his type from the avant-garde poets of the Twenties — he targeted usually on the richness of Ukrainian tradition, celebrating literary figures and historic customs, whereas providing a lament for the loss and destruction of that tradition beneath Soviet rule. He wrote odes to a rustic water effectively, stained-glass home windows and happiness, “written in sand with a finger.”

His poetry was criticized by the Soviet authorities, who demanded a extra uplifting propagandistic tone of labor. He was excluded from the Union of Writers.

Repression returned. As associates and acquaintances had been arrested, and he and his spouse organized human rights protests and appeals for his or her launch, they got here beneath the surveillance of the state safety service, the Okay.G.B.

In 1971, his spouse was arrested and charged with anti-Soviet agitation. Six months later, Mr. Kalynets was arrested, too. He served six years in a labor camp in Perm within the Ural Mountains, adopted by three years of inside exile in Chita, in Siberia, the place he was reunited along with his spouse.

“That’s the way it went,” he mentioned with a slight shrug. “An individual can stand something, however we had a sure concept that held us up.”

In a sequence of letters that he wrote to his nephews from jail, he composed a surreal kids’s story known as “Mr. No person,” a couple of boy who misplaced his sleeve and located it inhabited by a voice.

Within the labor camp, he wrote a few of his most stunning poetry, mentioned Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko, a Ukrainian filmmaker and music producer, who made a documentary about Mr. Kalynets.

“He was once a prince again within the day,” he mentioned. In an period of Soviet realism, his poetry touched on the everlasting. “His poetry has one thing royal about it; the way in which he wrote, the subject material too. He wrote about nothing particular, however about every thing on the identical time.”

Mr. Kalynets got here again to Lviv in 1981 however ceased writing poetry and turned as a substitute to kids’s literature, to some extent to keep away from additional bother, he mentioned.

In 1987, with the opening up of press freedoms, or glasnost, beneath President Mikhail Gorbachev, he grew to become an editor of one of many first uncensored periodicals.

After the autumn of communism, he and his spouse grew to become concerned in politics, identified for his or her assist for the Republican Occasion, the primary political celebration in Ukraine to problem the Communist Occasion’s dominance, and for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, a 1,000-year-old church that follows the Byzantine Ceremony. The church is adopted by the vast majority of individuals in western Ukraine, however was banned beneath the Soviet Union.

Mr. Kalynets remained a poet at coronary heart, reciting his poems at political gatherings, and at last publishing his poetry for the primary time in Ukraine. In 1992, he was awarded the Shevchenko Prize, Ukraine’s most prestigious literary award.

However he stays outspoken about politics. Ukraine has not achieved true independence from Moscow within the 30 years because it declared independence, he mentioned. “It was oriented towards Moscow, it was completely Russified.”

“So we needed to battle to have that kind of Ukraine that will maintain as much as the beliefs of the cultural leaders of the earlier generations,” he mentioned. “And that’s how an unbiased Ukraine slowly emerged, little by little.”

Russia, in his view, had for hundreds of years taken Ukrainian historical past and tradition as its personal, after which was left bare with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. “The highly effective and wonderful Russia is a rustic with out historical past, and that’s what alarms Putin essentially the most,” he mentioned. “To be with out its historical past was not prestigious. That’s the place the battle comes from.”

He mentioned he was not stunned to see Ukrainians rallying collectively when attacked by Russia, however didn’t put it right down to Mr. Zelensky’s management. “It’s simply that Ukrainians all of a sudden grew to become acutely aware and understood who they’re.”

“It’s fairly easy,” he defined. “It’s the consciousness of a subjugated nation, that wishes to have its personal nation, and to not be the manure that fertilizes Russia.”

World

US rolls into Olympic quarterfinals as No. 1 seed, top Puerto Rico 104-83 in group finale

Published

3 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

US rolls into Olympic quarterfinals as No. 1 seed, top Puerto Rico 104-83 in group finale

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Halfway to its goal of gold, the U.S. has the No. 1 seed going into the medal round at the Paris Olympics.

And now the real games start.

Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, six players reached double figures for the U.S. and the Americans wrapped up the top spot coming out of group play by rolling past Puerto Rico 104-83 on Saturday.

The Americans — 3-0 in these Olympics, 8-0 so far this summer — will see Brazil in the win-or-go-home quarterfinals in Paris on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid scored 15 points for the U.S. Kevin Durant scored 11 points for the U.S. to get within five of matching Lisa Leslie for the all-time Olympic scoring record for the U.S.; he’s at 483, and Leslie finished her career with 488 in Olympic play.

LeBron James finished with 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis each added 10 for the U.S., which played without Jrue Holiday because of an ankle that he rolled in the Americans’ win over South Sudan on Wednesday.

Jose Alvarado led Puerto Rico (0-3) with 18 points.

It was the first Olympic matchup between the nations since the Athens Games in 2004, when Puerto Rico ran away in the second quarter and went on to embarrass the U.S. 92-73 in what was James’ debut in the tournament.

Little different story this time.

That day in Athens, Puerto Rico won the second quarter 28-7. This time, the U.S. won the second quarter 39-16. Give Puerto Rico credit; a team that came into Saturday knowing it was eliminated from contention took an eight-point lead late in the first quarter and still led 37-36 with 5:45 left in the half.

The rest of the half: U.S. 28, Puerto Rico 8. The run was quick and decisive.

James had all six of his first-half assists during that burst and the Americans took a 64-45 lead into the break. He finished the flurry with a dunk in the final seconds, ran by his 2004 Athens teammate Dwyane Wade — now commentating for NBC, sitting courtside — while yelling something with a big smile and from there the countdown to wrapping up the No. 1 seed was officially on.

As would be expected, really.

It’s been three games, three easy wins for the Americans so far in France: a 26-point opening victory over Serbia, a 17-point win over South Sudan to clinch the top spot in Group C, and then Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico that once it got one-sided it stayed that way.

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

World

VP short-lister Shapiro on defense over Israel after decades-old college paper surfaces

Published

3 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

VP short-lister Shapiro on defense over Israel after decades-old college paper surfaces

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., has had to defend his stance on Israel after an op-ed he penned more than three decades ago, in which he wrote of being an Israeli army volunteer and disparaged the Palestinian people, resurfaced.

“Since he wrote this piece as a 20-year-old student, Gov. Shapiro has built close, meaningful, informative relationships with many Muslim-American, Arab-American, Palestinian Christian, and Jewish community leaders all across Pennsylvania,” Shapiro’s spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“The Governor greatly values their perspectives and the experiences he has learned from over the years – and as a result, as with many issues, his views on the Middle East have evolved into the position he holds today,” Bonder continued.

The Philadelphia Inquirer uncovered the essay that Shapiro wrote for the Campus Times, the student newspaper of the University of Rochester, from which Shapiro graduated in 1995. In the article, Shapiro stressed his view that “Palestinians will not peacefully coexist,” because “they do not have the capabilities to establish their own homelands and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States.”

HARRIS’ VETTING TEAM PRIVATELY MEETS WITH SHAPIRO, KELLY AHEAD OF VEEP ANNOUNCEMENT: REPORT

“They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own,” Shapiro wrote, identifying himself as a “past volunteer in the Israeli army.” He referred to the Arab world as divided and “belligerent.”

The comments have resurfaced as part of a thorough review of Shapiro as he edges closer to a potential vice-presidential nod for the Democrat ticket topped by current Vice President Kamala Harris after she secured the nomination this week.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., speaks at a campaign event, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Shapiro’s support for Israel has been controversial inside the Democratic Party due to the strong pro-Palestinian views of the party’s far-left flank. Those who oppose his candidacy launched the “No Genocide Josh” campaign and continue to pressure Harris to pick another running mate.

Some Jewish members of Congress have said that criticism of Shapiro is unfair and assumes that Jewish politicians cannot be objective on Israel.

AMID HARRIS’ YOUTH POLLING SURGE, LATEST FIGURES SHOW BIDEN DID BETTER WITH BLACK VOTERS

“I think there is that sense that somehow we’re not objective [on Israel] because we’re Jewish, which is just not true or fair,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, told Axios. “There are a lot of members who are pro-Israel who have been protested against — I think as Jews it feels particularly intense and personal.”

Bonder pushed back on the idea that the newspaper op-ed, written decades ago, provides any indication of the governor’s current thinking regarding Israel.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (L) speak to the press while making a stop at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Photo by Ryan Collerd/ AFP) (Photo by Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images) (Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images)

“As the Governor has made clear for years, he supports a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live together peacefully – and he believes it is critical for leaders on both sides of this conflict to take meaningful, necessary steps towards a lasting peace,” Bonder stressed.

“Governor Shapiro has worked hard to bring people together, listen, and keep our communities safe and heard – and he will always be a Governor for all Pennsylvanians,” Bonder added.

COMIC MICHAEL RAPAPORT SAYS HARRIS LOST HIS VOTE OVER ISRAEL: ‘CAN’T SUPPORT PARTY THAT IS FOR THIS BULLS—“

Addressing the self-identification as a “past volunteer in the Israeli army,” Bonder said, “While he was in high school, Josh Shapiro was required to do a service project, which he and several classmates completed through a program that took them to a kibbutz in Israel where he worked on a farm and at a fishery.”

Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event with U.S. President Joe Biden, not pictured, at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)

“The program also included volunteering on service projects on an Israeli army base. At no time was he engaged in any military activities,” Bonder said.

When asked about the article during a Friday press conference, the 51-year-old Shapiro stressed his age and the time that has passed since publishing the article. He reiterated his belief that the only way forward for the region is a two-state solution that allows both Israelis and Palestinians “to determine their own futures and their own destinies,” the Times of Israel reported.

Shapiro also had earlier this year called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “one of the worst leaders of all time” and blasted him for steering Israel “in a wrong direction,” according to the Times.

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.

World

Ukraine fires barrage of drones over Russia overnight

Published

4 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

Ukraine fires barrage of drones over Russia overnight

Meanwhile, the Russian army has intensified pressure on the key Ukrainian transport hub of Pokrovsk, with no casualties reported so far.

Russian officials on Saturday said Ukrainian forces targeted overnight multiple Russian regions with a massive drone barrage.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement that its air defence systems “intercepted and destroyed” a total of 75 drones over a number of regions that lie on the border with Ukraine or not far from it, including Belgorod, Krasnodar, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Voronezh, and the Ryazan region deeper inside Russia.

One of those drones was also shot down over the Azov sea, the statement said. Thirty-six drones were destroyed over the Rostov region, according to the ministry.

Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev said in an online statement, however, that the region was attacked by a total of 55 drones. He didn’t specify how many of these were intercepted and how many hit the targets, saying only that “warehouse facilities” in the Morozovsk and Kamensky districts sustained damage in the attack.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday in a Facebook post that its forces struck an airfield in Morozovsk, hitting ammunition depots with guided air bombs, as well as fuel depots in the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed that an oil depot was hit in his region. He said one of the tanks exploded and caught fire, but it was swiftly put out.

In the Oryol region, two drones crashed into a residential high-rise building, causing a brief fire, Oryol Gov. Andrei Klychkov said. One person sought medical assistance in the aftermath of the attack, he said.

Ukraine’s Air Forces, in the meantime, said on Saturday that Russia overnight attacked Ukraine with 29 Shahed drones and four missiles.

Ukrainian air defences shot down 24 drones over nine regions of the country, Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in an online statement. It wasn’t clear from his statement whether the missiles were intercepted as well or what damage the attack caused.

Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad on Saturday, firing 11 missiles, the Donetsk regional police said. Pokrovsk was hit by seven missiles from the S-300 air defence system, with no casualties reported.

Police recorded 52 destructions – 40 residential buildings, three educational institutions, a polyclinic, an outpatient clinic, a shopping centre, a shop, an industrial facility, and office premises.