Thanks to Russian propaganda, it is believed that Mariupol is a pro-Russian city. Russians spent decades forming such an opinion in the information and public space. However, this is not the case. On the eve of Independence Day, it is important to connect all the dots and remember the truth.
Ukraine’s independence in Mariupol began long before the August putsch in Moscow. The first step took place in 1988-1989, when the people of Mariupol (then “Zhdanovetes”) achieved the return of the historical name “Mariupol” instead of the disgusting “Zhdanov”. This did not happen from above and not at the initiative of local authorities. It was the first time that citizens themselves collected hundreds of thousands of signatures and then organised protests in support of the renaming.
I remember those times very well, maybe because I was 14-15 years old. It was a rebellious age, and, of course, we were there. When the initiative group was collecting signatures in Theater Square near the already world-famous Drama Theater. Then, under the building of the executive committee, which was burned down by pro-Russian terrorists in 2014, thousands of Mariupol residents demanded that the mayor’s office and the leadership of the Communist Party rename the city. As a result, Mariupol won and became the first city in Ukraine to return its historical name. At the same time, the monument to Zhdanov was dismantled a decade before the “fall of Lenin” in 2014. It is still lying in the backyard of the Museum of Local History, even under occupation.
Then there were the years 1990-1991, when Mariupol unequivocally became Ukraine and supported independence. There was no one who was against it. The apotheosis was raising of the now State Flag on the main administrative (now Greek) square exactly one day earlier than Chornovil carried it into the hall of the Verkhovna Rada. All this happenned. It was not just in front of my eyes.
We, teenagers of the 80s and early 90s, were active participants in all these processes. Therefore, this is not about a story the Russians invented, but about reality. Then Ukraine as an independent state began. It was challenging to build something that no one had ever known: freedom, independence, rights, responsibilities. We moved away from the USSR and Russia every year, getting closer to Civilization. The crises of relations with the former empire were not equal. Crises and attempts to seize our territory were systemic. However, none of them were successful. Even the direct hybrid invasion of 2014 failed. It failed precisely because we built Ukraine. They built around themselves, but the main thing is within themselves. We did it. Our children, my children, have never known another world. A world where they are not citizens of independent Ukraine. They have no doubts about the Motherland, language, or traditions. They are Ukrainian young women, like all their peers throughout the country. This is our present, our past and our future.
Independence is not something written on paper. Where Independence is a conscious choice and the result of the painstaking work of millions of Ukrainians. For which we have paid and continue to pay an exorbitant price. However, we have no other choice.
By Petro Andryushchenko
*These opinions are solely those of the author. The Ukrainian Review takes no position and is not responsible for the author’s words.
Petro Andryushchenko was an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. After the Russian Federation started war in Ukraine in February 2022, he became the de facto “voice” of Mariupol.
On his Telegram channel, “Andryushchenko Time“, he tells the truth about the horrors of the occupation, the deportation of people by the Russian occupants and the “filtration” camps in Donbas.
