“500 seconds of truth about Ukraine” is a powerful tool of fight against history falsification

The Doctor of History, professor, the author of hundreds scientific works devoted to a world history and history of Ukraine, including the Great Patriotic War, little-known aspects of activity of OUN-unitary enterprise Anatoly Stepanovich Tchaikovsky comment on video project release of “500 seconds of truth about Ukraine”.

The very successful way of representation of historical materials is chosen within the project “500 seconds of truth about Ukraine” – operative, available, in the form of short videos. I should tell that as a whole this or that problem, which is taking place in our historical past, deserves the all-round scientific, objective approach.

The main thing in this process is to avoid the politicization. Therefore I watched these some rills with pleasure. The only thing what I wanted to pay attention is that the author's text allows unduly sharp statements in certain cases, in my opinion.

The Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian people have uniform historical roots, language and culture. Attempts of some forces to divide us and to present that we are the different pursue especially political interests and are farthest from criteria of objectivity. At the heart of such activity is bias, politicization of an assessment of the historical past, history of Ukraine behind which there are the interests of modern politicians who try to cover the true purposes. Unfortunately, there were many cases of specific people who betrayed the interests of own state, own nation, there is a lot of disputable and difficult pages in our history. The unfair politicians use it in own purposes.

I will especially note the second rill about the so-called “constitution” of Pilip Orlik. I will tell frankly that, even professionally going in for history, I revealed certain historical secrets thanks to it. Especially it concerns the subtlety of translation and attention emphasis during the translation of the word “constitution” as the word “contract”. Many don't know this subtlety and became dogma that there is Pilip Orlik's “constitution”.

It completely agrees that Pilip Orlik can't be considered as the hetman of Ukraine. How is it possible to elect the hetman on any mean yard in conditions when all Ukraine in the conditions of Mazepa's power was almost lost? And here there is any Pilip Orlik with so-called “constitution”! Why this constitution didn't arise when the same Mazepa had the huge power in hands and didn't make the same steps with the same Pilip Orlik's participation?

Therefore I think that such materials are necessary and very actual. But to what I would direct attention - it is necessary to be more tolerant, politically correct during their preparation. Because, otherwise, they can cause not perception. And that our general history, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus has a lot of still white spots about which it is necessary to tell quietly, without an anguish, with deep arguments, scientifically – I think that the future is for this.

Certainly, such project can help with fight against falsification of history which is widespread in the country and it is necessary to do it. Other question is how it is available to the wide viewer, public. If it will be seen only by hundreds, thousand, instead of million people, then it can’t lead to desirable result.

For the last 20 years, the youth which was born in the conditions of independence, is inspired at school and institute not that picture of the historical past which was actually. It concerns also Banderovshchina and many other questions. Having delivering the lectures to the students, I face the situations when they say that at school they heard absolutely other assessment of activity, for example, Mazepa. I usually answer – on the one hand it is normally, there should be a pluralism of opinions. But on the other hand, if I lean on a documentary, scientific basis in the assessment and other estimates ignore a similar approach, it means they pursue the political aims and are farthest from objectivity.

Therefore once again I will repeat that this extremely actual project can achieve the considerable success only if million people will watch it, if it will be shown on the central TV channels of Ukraine.