Українське питання на шпальтах тижневика «Московскіє новості» за 1989 рік

Abstract

The features of the coverage of the so-called Ukrainian issue in one of the most authoritative and influential periodicals of the former Soviet Union during the period of restructuring — ‘MoscowNews’ Weekly are considered in the article.In 1989, a number of political and socio-economic issues that testified to the deep systemic crisis of the Communist empire came to the fore. This was also reflected in the materials of the weekly for the 1989. It became clear that the Soviet propaganda’s assertion on resolving the national issue in theUSSRwas a myth.The Ukrainian issue was one of the components of the national issue. However, as the analysis of the publications implies, the weekly did not pay much attention to the events in the Ukrainian soviet republic.In 1989, several publications were published concerning the establishment of the independence movement, the activities ofUSSRdeputies fromUkraine, and others. However, the political processes inUkraine, including those related to national revival, were considered by the newspaper editorial staff within the framework of a Union-wide (read all-Russian) democratic movement. Furthermore, in 1989 theUSSRseemed an ‘island of peace and stability’.The editorial board saw no threat to the integrity of the Communist empire on the part ofUkraine, focusing its attention on events in other national republics. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian republic was destined to play a decisive role in the collapse of theSoviet Union.Based on the analysis of the content of the weekly, the author draws one more conclusion: even the democratic Union-wide press in national matters remained largely in the imperial positions. Also on the pages of the weekly we can find a manipulative construct for the protection of ‘Russian-speaking’ citizens. This construct continues to live on in 30 years — modernRussiauses it in a hybrid war againstUkraineand other neighbors.