Vladimir Bortko: “Crimea is the Russian now. It is the greatest victory of Russia!”

Vladimir Bortko is the known Russian director who is known first of all according to the brilliant screen version of the story of Mikhail Bulgakov «Heart of a Dog» and series «Master and Margarita» and «Idiot», the movie «Taras Bulba». Today he is also the deputy of the State Duma, the vice-chairman of committee on culture.

Recently on one of meetings with admirers of his creativity Vladimir Bortko was asked what does he think of that occurs today in Ukraine? The question was more than is pertinent, as Bortko is not only the national actor of the Russian Federation, but also the national actor of Ukraine. He was brought up in a family of the Ukrainian Soviet playwright Alexander Korneychuk, studied at the Kiev State Institute of Theatrical Art, began working in cinema as the assistant of the director on Dovzhenko film studio …

Vladimir Bortko gave a definite answer:

- I lived in Ukraine for 28 years. Here I studied at school, married, studied in technical school, served in the army, here I shot the first film. I speak Ukrainian absolutely fluently. All my companions in Kiev speak exclusively the Russian. Kiev is the Russian-speaking city. The mentality changed a little. But when the Ukrainian leaders speak Ukrainian, it doesn’t cause something as laughter.

Movement from the Western Ukraine is powerful, as well as movement from small towns. But, nevertheless, all speak the Russian. What is Ukraine? It is mentally divided into two parts — west and east. East Ukraine exists 340 years in the form of not Ukraine, but simply Russia, Little Russia. It is defined very easily.

Thus there is one more phenomenon about which very few people speak. These are the Russian-speaking cities and the villages speaking surzhyk. On what does the introduced Ukrainian culture based? On rural culture, Cossacks, peasants. All this is good in the 19th century. But all the rest remarkable writers, politicians and many other things are Russia.

On this background there is the main event — geopolitical conversation between us and the USA which invited into the European Union. Why it is interesting to us? Because nobody will start up Ukraine to the European Union and here in NATO — in one second! It is an hour and a half to Smolensk on the tank, and to Moscow — one and a half seconds fly the rocket.

Left-bank Ukraine is absolutely another. Lviv is absolutely other city. There was an attempt to use «ukrainstvo» on east part … Bandera, really, the hero of the Western Ukraine that isn’t perceived in east part of the country at all.

Anyway, Crimea is the Russian now. It is the greatest victory of Russia. Till this time we only conceded, conceded, conceded. And it is now pleasant to tell that it is a victory! We are the opposition party, not always agree with Putin. But not concerning the Crimea! I saw a touching unification in the Duma, saw as Zyuganov embraced with Zhirinovsky … Interests of the country always have to be on the first place!

Historically it is correct! Same there was a Wild field; Ekaterina is occupied the space with the Russian people. Donets Basin is one, and Poltava is absolutely another …

When I shot «Taras Bulba», I didn’t see such hatred somewhere else as I faced in Ukraine. I was reproached that I perverted Gogol absolutely, the word «companion» is an example from the main character. Well, Taras Bulba of Gogol couldn’t tell the word «companions» and «Russian land!», couldn’t and that’s all…

But after all Gogol used the word repeatedly! I didn’t change any word from Gogol! I told: read Gogol and be convinced. I was given such answer: «It is the attack against the Ukrainian state!"

This is the sharpening of consciousness of the young state because of what everything is perceived in bayonets without any attempts to understand, analyze and draw adequate conclusions.