Necessary laws to protect Ukraine from Russian propaganda, or risk conflating Russian “culture and fascism”? In the alleys of Petrivka, a large book market in kyiv, new texts prohibiting many books in Russian divide booksellers and buyers.
“These laws are too much, some probably wanted to put themselves forward, show that they were true patriots, but it’s not a way to show that we are patriotic, because about half of our population is Russian-speaking, and we are also interested in Russian culture, there are many good things in the history of Russia,” says bookseller Olexandre Drobin.
A little further on the market, another bookseller, Anatoli Gounko, whose books are almost all in Ukrainian, considers the law “necessary”. But even he judges “a little severe to say that one should only speak Ukrainian and not Russian”.
On June 19, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted several texts aimed at “protecting culture [ukrainienne] Russian propaganda. They are only awaiting the signature of President Volodymyr Zelensky to be promulgated.
They made this law, but nobody knows how to apply it. Should we take these books, pile them in the street and burn them, or make them into toilet paper?
The laws will in particular prohibit the importation of all books published in Russia and Belarus, an ally of Moscow in the war against Ukraine, regardless of their author. Fines are provided for offenders.
But their application promises to be complicated: books in Russian published in Ukraine or in other countries remain theoretically authorized, provided that Russian is the original language of the author and that the latter is not considered hostile to the ‘Ukraine. The great classics of Russian literature, such as Pushkin or Tolstoy, are notably spared.
The texts also prohibit the broadcasting of Russian music composed after 1991 on television, radio and in public places.
Four months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these texts will reinforce the legislative arsenal adopted in recent years aimed at “decommunizing” and “derussifying” this former Soviet republic and promoting the Ukrainian language.
But for Mr. Drobin, “there should be no confusion between Russian fascism and Russian culture”.
“They made this law, but nobody knows how to apply it. Should we take these books, pile them in the street and burn them, or make them into toilet paper? he exclaims, pointing to the shelves of his library, which is mostly made up of books in Russian.
Favorable to the text, Anatoli Gounko, he, philosophizes by quoting the famous adage: “As the Romans said, the law is hard, but it is the law. »
Nadia, another bookseller who only wants to give her first name, also defends the new law. “When the war started, people started reading books in Ukrainian. We have enough excellent authors” in Ukraine, she says. However, “this concerns more those who sell recent books. We are a little booksellers, it’s something else, ”she observes.
“Simply Dead”
Book lovers also seem divided. “To adopt such a law today is really not topical, there are more serious problems, it is quite simply at the level of the kindergarten”, estimates a buyer on the market, Natacha Sikorska.
“Ban Russian literature, I don’t agree, because Russian literature is history, it’s not Russian propaganda, it’s just education,” she says. .
One of her friends — a lawyer who refuses to identify herself — disagrees. “I read a lot of Russian literature, I liked it and I still like it, but I tell you honestly, since February 24 [jour de l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine]for me, she is simply dead, ”she says.
Like Natacha Sikorska, the bookseller Drobine believes that the Ukrainian government has better things to do than legislate on these details, and should focus on “the defense of our country”. And to conclude: “everyone makes mistakes, even our government”.