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Published: February 21st 2014
Arrival The plane from Chisinau to Kiev belonged to the almost unpronounceable Dniproavia Airways, but it got us there in under an hour. Driving towards the city, Michael and I passed areas of pure primeval forest, occasionally broken by billboards splashed with Cyrillic. Then we reached the outskirts of Kiev, and the concrete tower blocks appeared, always a feature of ex-Soviet cities.
Kiev was big. It made Chisinau seem like a village. It stretched in all directions, both outwards and upwards. The centre of town was much nicer than the outskirts, but full of hills. Our hotel was located in a prime spot for sightseeing, and after dumping our things, we were out, hitting the early evening streets of Ukraine’s capital.
Fish Head “I can’t believe the mullet lives on in Kiev!” I said, as we walked past a man sporting a particularly fine specimen. His was one of many.
“It's like being back in the '80s,” answered Michael with a smile. “I just hope none of them visit Iran. They’ve banned the mullet over there.”
Both of us were starving, and entered the first restaurant we saw. We weren’t surprised to find the
menus were in Cyrillic, and the waitresses didn't speak English.
“Well there’s only one thing to do,” said Michael, turning to a random page in the menu. “It’s got to be pot luck.”
When the waitress reappeared, Michael pointed at something on the undecipherable menu, and I did the same. The waitress nodded and disappeared, leaving us to wonder what we had ordered.
A boiled fish, complete with head, tail and skin, arrived in front of Michael, and a grilled piece of white fish with some fried cucumber, arrived in front of me.
“Not bad for a wild stab in the Cyrillic dark,” Michael said prodding his fish. “But so much for your so-called ability to read Russian.”
I sighed because we had been through this before. “Look,” I answered, picking up a forkful of cucumber. “Reading Cyrillic is easy. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I can understand it. How was I supposed to know that reeba meant fish? So shut up and munch on your reeba head.”
Beauty Everywhere The beauty of Kiev’s churches was astounding, most of them in fetching royal colours, topped with distinctive onion domes. The
sun helped too, pouring a warming glow over the city. As Michael and I walked towards Saint Michael’s Monastery, one of the largest cathedrals in the city, things got even better. It was white and pastel blue, with a staggering amount of golden domes. Both of us stared agog at the architectural masterpiece.
A platoon of fierce babushkas rattled tins when anyone passed through its entrance, and so we waited until a group of Japanese tourists entered and slipped in among them.
Inside, we spied black-robed Orthodox priests and then heard some singing from the cathedral's interior. We decided to investigate. Other people were heading inside too, but we managed to slip to the front to see a line of priests singing a haunting tune. A smell of incense filled the air as we stood watching.
“Do you know what I’m getting sick of?” said Michael a few minutes later. We had left the singing priests, and were now making our way out of the complex. The babushkas were rattling their tins, but were focussed on a woman walking with a young child. “It’s folding this tourist map we picked up at the airport, and finding a
load of tits hanging out the edge. It doesn’t feel right looking at an advertisement for a massage parlour as you step out from a church.”
Andrew's Descent The guidebook stated that Andrew’s Descent was a must-see sight. Wondering what was special about it, we arrived at the top of a steep, winding cobblestone path lined with stalls. They sold everything, from Russian dolls, fur hats, and framed art, to traditional Ukrainian handicrafts. The guidebook was correct; Andrew’s Descent was deliciously pretty.
Its name came from the quite stunning Saint Andrew’s Church that stood at the top of the descent. It was one of the few buildings in Kiev to escape serious damage during the Second World War. It got my vote as the best cathedral in town, which was no mean feat. I was especially impressed with its domes that seemed covered in green velvet and finished with glittering gold. It looked like a crown.
An hour later, we were in Independence Square, staring up at a huge statue of a woman stood on top of a massive white column. The square surrounding her was clearly a meeting place for the teenagers of Kiev.
They sat about chatting, or making a splash in the nearby fountain. It was different from Kiev ninety years previously.
When the Soviets had taken over Ukraine in the 1920s, they inherited a country shattered by famine, homelessness, and 1.5 million dead. But they couldn’t complain, because they had been the cause of it with their civil war.
Perhaps out of guilt, the Soviets allowed Ukraine a bit of leeway, even encouraging Ukrainian art and literature. Health care, housing, and education improved, and the Soviets created plenty of jobs. All of which brought about a massive turnaround for the country. Output and productivity increased, and Ukraine became the powerhouse of Soviet industrialization.
Then things started to unravel. It started with Stalin and the Ukrainian peasants.
Stalin and the Peasants In the 1930s, Stalin decided to put a stop to Ukrainian freedom. His main issue was with peasant farmers. He felt they were doing a bad job of farming the land and so collectivised it, effectively putting it under government control.
Suddenly peasants had increased quotas to meet. If they failed to reach them, they couldn't have any more seeds. The plan was to
The Red Quest
Travels through every former Soviet Republicmake the peasants work harder, but it had a devastating effect. With no surplus produce, people began to starve.
The quotas came on regardless and those that tried to question them were either tortured or sent to Siberian gulags. Anyone caught hiding food was killed and their stock taken anyway. Because of this policy, between 1932 and 1933, millions of peasants starved to death, something Ukraine’s parliament would later class as genocide.
In the years following World War II much of Ukraine was in ruins, but then something significant happened – Josef Stalin died and the Soviet regime began to tolerate Ukrainian nationalism again. Industrial output expanded almost immediately, and during the 1950s and 60s, Ukraine became renowned for its technical research and weapons production.
By 1990, with some Soviet states dallying with independence, Ukraine wondered what to do, especially since relations with the Soviets were generally okay. In the end, they decided to establish the principle of an independent state, a rather woolly way of testing the water. Even so, the Soviets didn’t like this move and waded in to sort things out. But then, with impeccably bad timing, there was the attempted coup
in Moscow. In the confusion, Ukraine declared independence, and that was that.
If you have enjoyed reading this excerpt, then maybe you want to read the book it came from. It's called The Red Quest: travels through every former Soviet Republic, and is available in paperback or on Kindle. Buy it here .
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Troubles in Kiev
When I heard of the recent troubles in Kiev I thought about your book -- which I enjoyed. It is sad that such a beautiful location is dealing with such chaos and they may destroy significant buildings and architecture. Thanks for sharing.