There is nothing surprising in Kiev's attempts to exaggerate the historical achievements of the Ukrainian people. This was in conversation with the RT, the chief research officer of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladimir Buldakov, commenting on quotations from the Ukrainian textbook on geography.
"This is not the first time when some fantastic phenomena are weaving to the history of Ukraine. In a sense, this is understandable: the young statehood is looking for certain historical points of support. Hence, all sorts of exaggerations, attempts to show stability, exaggeration of the significance of language. I think that for some time these similar ridiculous ones will even continue even from the point of view of the Ukrainians who have not yet lost their heads, "he said.
Previously, Internet users ridiculed excerpts from the new textbook on geography for the eighth grade for the authorship of Petr Maslyak and Svetlana Kapirulina.
According to the authors, the Ukrainian people were mentioned in the works of ancient scientists. "Even at the beginning of our era, a Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about Ukraine. Later, in the tenth century AD. e., the territory of Ukraine and Ukrainians were mentioned in the writings of Byzantine and Arab travelers, "the book says.
"Among some German historians there is an opinion that Ukrainians are Slavicized Germans," the authors of the textbook state, noting that the Ukrainians, like the Germans, have diligence and accuracy.
The publication states that "the whole world feeds on genetically Ukrainian wheat," Ukrainian melody was placed in the basis of European music, and "an irresistible craving for the stars is a feature of Ukrainian character". Among the ethnic Ukrainians who "developed and implemented the theory of space flights" are Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Igor Sikorsky, Sergei Korolev, Vladimir Chelomei and others.
"Earlier, when they all lived, such a concept as a Ukrainian and Russian did not exist in its present form. Then all were subjects of the Russian Empire. The authors of the textbook considered that it is necessary to somehow raise the importance of Ukrainians in world history. Therefore, they attribute all who can be to the Ukrainian nation. The phenomenon is not new. In 1918, at the time of Hetman Skoropadsky, the artist Repin was urgently called to Ukraine, they also believed that he was Ukrainian. If you turn to historical realities, Repin was surprised to learn that he was declared a Ukrainian. Similarly, Tsiolkovsky and Korolev with Sikorsky would be surprised, "Buldakov noted.
This interpretation of historical realities was outraged by the Verkhovna Rada deputy Vadim Rabinovich. On the air of the TV channel "112 Ukraine" he noted that after reading the textbook was in a state of shock.
"We are trying to build a new country, not at the expense of some real shifts, but at the expense of delirium, which we begin to inspire children. Just delirious! And nonsense always supersedes real things. I love our history, our geography, but you can not write such nonsense ... You know, then say that Boryspil is named in honor of Boris Yeltsin, in the interests of Ukraine that has disorganized the USSR and the CIS, "he suggested.
"We do not read Pushkin in Ukrainian"
President of the Ukrainian Analytical Center Alexander Okhrimenko doubted that Ukrainian schoolchildren believe what they write in the new Ukrainian textbooks.
"Today in Ukraine there are many ultra-radicals in power who really want to rewrite the history of the country. But everything is done silly and pointless. This group of ultrapatriots believes that if something is altered and rewritten, everything will turn out all right. But this only shows the inconsistency and absurdity of the idea of ultranationalism. Often, looking at such textbooks, children still want to find out the truth, "he said in an interview with RT.
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In one of the Kiev gymnasiums confirmed RT that according to textbooks entering schools, teachers refuse to teach children.
"We are shocked by the textbooks that have been sent to schools for the last three years. Many facts, even in history textbooks, do not correspond to reality. All these stories that Ukraine is the oldest nation in the world, thanks to the Ukrainians, all fly into space, and the qualities of the Ukrainian nation are inherent in all peoples of the world - nonsense. Our teachers, incognito of course, teach children quite differently from other textbooks. And no one in our school read Pushkin's works in Ukrainian, "said the director of the educational institution in an interview with RT.
The Ministry of Education of Ukraine stressed that "the upbringing of the Ukrainian nation" is an installation that all authors of school textbooks must observe.
"Ukraine is engaged in the upbringing of the Ukrainian nation, so it is very important to emphasize the achievements of the people. This requirement is placed before each author of the textbook, "- said RT source in the department.
At the same time, RT interlocutor from "Samopomoshch" party believes that the Ministry of Education "cripples schoolchildren". According to him, the results of independent testing indicate a drop in the level of knowledge of Ukrainian children.
"I would liquidate the Ministry of Education as superfluous. There are no more people left in it who are able to think critically. First they propose to change the word "parents" to "relatives", now they raise unhealthy nationalism in children. Or maybe it's better to think about the quality of education? How many Ukrainian students can say something in English? What is happening is a fat cross on the country's education system, "RT source in the Batkivshchyna party said.