This is Ukraine

Until last week, Ukraine was a country we might not have been very concerned about, but now it fills our days and colors our hearts. A senseless, unfair war led by a dictator whose hunger for power is insatiable. I wanted to know more about the country, about that brave people who do not let themselves be known and certainly do not let themselves be intimidated. що думає той чоловік, has probably been echoed often in recent days, or in other words: what does that man think.

About Ukraine

You should actually not say ‘the’ Ukraine, because an article is only used when it is about a region, not about a country. De Betuwe, de Provence. In the past, people spoke of ‘the Ukraine’ because it was a part of Russia, but since 1991 they have been independent (by the way, 90 percent of the population voted for that) and continue as Ukraine. So without ‘the’.

There are more references to Russia that are sensitive. That is why you often see Kyiv in the news instead of Kiev. The latter refers to the Russian spelling, and they want to move away from that.

Ukraine has 44 million inhabitants and borders many countries. That is probably why Putin sees it as such an important ‘prey’, due to the possibility of advancing to many other countries (Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova) and the Black Sea. On that Black Sea also lies Putin's obscenely large palace, worth a billion.

The Crimea is a beautiful area where a lot of wine is produced. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Muscat, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay... The monks there have been making it since the eleventh century.

In Ukraine, people mainly speak Ukrainian. It resembles Russian, but is certainly not the same. Compare it to Dutch and German.

Famous Ukrainians

The famous American-Ukrainian pianist Vladimir Horowitz was born in Ukraine, just like the first female Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir. Of course, our own Victoria Koblenko and her footballer Evgeniy Levchenko. Tchaikovsky always spent a lot of time in Ukraine, and there is also a museum of the place where he worked for longer periods at the invitation of a wealthy widow.

Also special is the Livadia Palace where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin came together to arrange post-war Europe. Let's hope that Ukraine remains a place where peace is born again.