Another Day of Knowledge in Eastern Ukraine

Posted on September 6, 2023September 6, 2023 by obligingworldviewer

Western Ukraine, Kharkiv metro station on the 1st of September, the Holiday of First Ring and the Day of Knowledge.

Remembrances of earlier Knowledge Days

As a child at home regularly we watched pictures from the old times. My parents were proud to show pictures of the “Knowledge Day” or “Day of Knowledge” from the USSR times, which had been established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 15 June 1984.

My school also held ceremonial line-ups and had the tradition of giving flowers to teachers, and the first lesson was the “Peace Lesson”.

Today the first of September is still the Day of Knowledge, Writing and Literature. On this day, classes begin at universities and schools, and ceremonial meetings and the traditional “first bell” for first-graders are held. Somehow this year it turned out totally differently in our country, making us even more divided.

School and holidays to remember

A few summers ago, I enjoyed the company of whom I thought was to be my close boyfriend. I was totally enchanted by his words and by the pictures he showed of his school and camps. Gladly, I too would have walked in such a uniform and paraded with the flag, getting a lot of attention. I sometimes did not know whom I had to believe, my parents or this very convincing Russian boy who had stolen my heart.

Still, he raised my eyebrows a few times, and I had a hard time believing he actually believed what he said. He wanted me to believe that our country and his country were threatened by the West and that the Aryan race wanted to destroy our Slavic race. He came up with all kinds of wild stories that Ukraine had to be liberated from the Nazis, even though I, and my parents, did not think there were particularly dangerous numbers of Nazis active in Ukraine.
I was at times torn between his stories and my parents’ and Baboushka‘s comments. Baboushka tried to warn me of the dangerous, twisted or distorted thoughts that my boyfriend had. But he could convince me so much, that he learned all that at school and in the camps where he regularly went to.

When he had chosen to supposedly liberate our country, it was a step too far for me. But even from other friends as well as from Ukrainian relatives living in Russia, I heard how they were convinced that Russia came to free us and that all those stories from the Western media were lies to undermine the people’s confidence, faith and perseverance.

New shops, Propaganda and false teaching carried out

The start of the new school year also once again remains how the brainwashing machine of the Russian government works.

You could say that the war in effect already started in 2014. But it was only recently in 2021 that Russia started with a large military build-up of troops along the border with Ukraine. After Putin recognised the two separatist people’s republics Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states on Ukrainian territory on February 21, he sent soldiers there with the approval of the Russian parliament under the guise of a ‘peace mission’.

The local population in the regions was intimidated on all possible fronts. I was told by friends that they often received no choices. For example, under the guidance of armed Russian soldiers, they had to vote and make it clear that they chose (so-called — because under pressure) for Russia.

But after months of struggle, people have all really got tired of it, and would love to see peace again and that they are back together with everyday things and will be allowed to live in peace, while the supply of water and food remains assured. Some are also very satisfied that they have now received accommodation from the Russians and that they also have a supermarket provided in which they can find even more things than before the war.

New schoolbooks

The Russians did not just let Zelenki’s threatening alliance with NATO ‘fool all kinds of lies’ about the West and Zelenki’s impending alliance.

In fact, they have gone so far as to provide all new history books this school year, that give a very different view of Ukraine’s position over the centuries and the danger of the West to the Soviet states and for the security of our current community.

The Russian occupiers considered it necessary to the inhabitants of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions to make clear how they are part of the Slavic People who are supposed to live in unity and to resist the West, that has been a major threat to her people. We have defended ourselves against the Nazis, but if we are not careful they will be at our back door tomorrow. According to the new textbooks, NATO is a huge threat, and we must all resist that capitalist superpower so that our values and standards are not lost and our Slavic religion is safeguarded.

On the first day of school, the Feast of Wisdom proudly presented the new textbooks in all schools of the region, where all the lies of the West will be unravelled.

The secular sounding of the bells has been a long tradition that people like official and unofficial holidays want to keep.

This year on that level it has not been different. On September 1, traditionally, the East Ukrainian schools hosted also ceremonial lines on the occasion of the beginning of the school year.

The young students were more than pleased to give flowers to their teachers whom the previous years did their best to continue teaching in very difficult circumstances.

In secondary special and higher education institutions, more than ever, the youngsters showed proudly their uniforms and paraded with the Russian flag to show their alliance with Rusland.

The teachers simply have no choice and must accept and use the imposed school materials. So this coming school year, they will have to present the historiography falsified by the Russians, to their students as the truth about their nation.