Grigoriy Lugovskiy affirms that «ferocious, horrible, warlike people», who defended entrance to a Blissful Land, lived on the territory of contemporary Donbass in ancient times.

His book tells culturological theory about Donbass as a “region of power”. Luhovskiy writes there about originality of Luhanshchina, draws historical parallels of contemporary “ghosts” and prehistoric inhabitants of our land.

Luhansk historian told correspondent of the Informator.lg.ua about Russian roots of Donbass.

Grigoriy, you were born in Luhanshchina and explored it in your book “Mystical history of Donbass”. Do you develop this topic as professional historian or as observer of contemporary events?

Main part of this book was written in 1991 and I added contemporary events there later. I wasn’t even a student of Historical department and “Mystical history of Donbass” – is a book of history-lover. We can define it’s genre as folk-history – it’s an art laboratory, where professional historians can look for gains and use them as bases for their serious scientific works.

You describe historical context of contemporary events in Donbass. The ongoing war is not the first one on this territory, isn’t it?

There is no evidence of some local “donbass” wars, despite civil war in Khazarian empire, where a clan of Kabary fought against Judaic top people of the khaganate. There was also famous battle of Kalka. Historians don’t consider ancient and medieval Donbass as separate, independent region – during thousands of years it was a part of Big Steppe. Today’s conflict is a civilization war, where “Russian world” (steppe, horde) fights against the USA and Europe. And of course against “yids”. More than 1000 years ago there were “yids” – Khasary and “rus” — Alans, Asy-Yasy. Scandinavia took gods-Asy, led by Odin, from those lands. Later those lands were known as Rus. So Kiev Rus has some Donbass roots. The Battle of Kalka was also geopolitical and defined future march of history of all Eastern Europe. Another similar region today is the Middle East, a region on junction of Syria, Iraq and Turkey. There are other fighters against “yids” – IGIL. Herodotos told about connection of Scythians with Syria.

Describe ethnic picture of Donbass. Were those lands inhabited by newcomers for the first time? How Ukrainian this region was before the war?

For centuries Donbass and all the steppe area around was a communicating courtyard – Goths, Huns, Alans, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Polovtsians, Peche-nihy, Torquay visited those lands. But Donetsk mountain ridge was inhabited by settled people. Many remains of developed settlements were found there – near Popasnaya, Artemovsk, Gorodische. Donetsk mountain ridge was a border territory between Zaporozhie and Don Cossacks. Phenomenon of the Cossacks seems strange, because it is hard to believe in peasants, who ran away and organized Cossacks. Cossacks are guards, who were settled on borders on purpose. Northerners, who lived near Severskiy Donets River, were first Slavic colonizers of Donbass. Some scholars suppose that Zaporozhtsy descended from Notherners (Severyuki) and actively developed our lands.

Dense population of Donetsk mountain ridge started after industrial development of the territory. Villages here are mostly Ukrainian. Workers of factories, plants and mines were coming mostly from Ekaterinoslavskaya and other southern provinces. Ukrainian language was dominant in Donbass on 20-30^th years of the 20^th century. Russification was successful here because new way of life in cities demanded new relationships and forms of communication. People were afraid to be not understood and rejected their Ukrainian roots, because it was seen as obsolete mode of life, connected to pre-industrial epoch. Such transition was similar all around the USSR. Big cities were actively inhabited by Mordvins, Udmurts, Komi and other small nations, who rushed to fast russification to become closer to developed core.

Russians have “fasteners”, but what do Ukrainians have?

Every nation has its conservators, who revere traditions of “famous ancestors”, and liberals, who focus on people’s freedoms and humanism as universal principal. Ukrainian people are very conservative. We saw European freedoms during times of Cossacks and Rzeczpospolita. Long absence of their own statehood and elite made Ukrainians anarchists, who don’t need masters, tsars or empire. Any nation, which has state traditions, is infected with a bacillus of historical contempt to neighbors, who had no state. Even small Serbia imagines itself to be Yugoslav empire. Russia had plenty wild neighbors ant trained its empire spirit, imagining itself to be great civilizer. Russians have imperial “fasteners”, but “vyshyvatniki” (Ukrainians, who wear vyshyvanki – embroidered shirts and vatniki – people, who still feel nostalgia for the USSR) appreciate individual joy much more: “cherry garden near house”, prosperity and wellbeing. That is why corruption has such deep roots in Ukraine.

How do Donbass people differ from residents of central and western Ukraine?

It’s easy: liberals and educated people are same everywhere – they orientate themselves at universal values and priority of freedom. “Vatniki” (people of the USSR) appreciate values of industrial past and “vyshyvatniki” – pre-industrial past. Pre-industrial past is more stable. It is easier to take a shovel and get back to natural economy, than restore plants or open a craft workshop. China and third world countries concentrate industry on their territories. They are responsible for the tragedy in Donbass. Plus local oligarchs, who stole out Soviet enterprises, given a damn about millions of people.

You called the ATO a “war of unnecessary people” in your article. Who are those people? How did Russians deceive so many people in the East?

Donbass was privileged region in the USSR. People had good salaries here, cities were well-supplied. That is why its nostalgia for the USSR has mostly economical reasons. Local industry was almost destroyed during independence. Many people had to go off in search of a living (mostly to Russia). Pensioners and workers of state-financed organizations now make a core of Donbass population. Region, which fed our country, became subsidized. It was advanced and turned into depressive. People blame Ukraine and its independence for those changes. Donbass became a region of unnecessary people, because human resources, which have concentrated there since the USSR times, were not wanted anymore. That is why for Russia it was easy to play upon people’s nostalgia. But “unnecessary people” is a problem of all Ukraine, and Russia will face the same problem when its incomes from oil and gas fall. That is why Russia tries to utilize its most warlike “passionariers” here in Donbass.

How close is Russian culture to Donbass people?

I think that Russian culture of Tolstoy, Dostoevskiy, Chehov is not very close to Russians themselves. Russian culture of that elite high level is universal and it is close to all nations around the world. Such persons as Hohol, Chehov, Chaikovskiy, Dostoevskiy have Ukrainian roots too and cannot be considered as merely Russian culture. But there is also people’s culture, which has developed from balalaika to “Via Gra”, shanson and Marinina. Ukraine has little to offer to Donbass in cultural sphere. Donbass was very Russificated and people mostly look for Russian sources of information. Ukraine hasn’t developed its cinematograph or literature. Ukrainian TV made much more for promotion of Ukrainian language than all state bodies combined. But penetration of Internet and cable TV provided people with open field of information at any language and “vatniki” were trapped in nets of Russian propaganda.

The war will come to an end sooner or later. What should people see in Donbass? Give your rating of attractions.

I’m afraid that main attractions in postwar Donbass will be a grave of Mozgovoy and mausoleum of Zaharchenko. Now we have to be content with abandoned “palace of Mtsyhovskiy”, which is younger than 100 years, but local lovers of the antique are delighted with it. Here is the same story – when there are no masterpieces – we use surrogates. If we don’t know real history – we follow the one, written for us in Moscow or in Kiev.

Mykyta Pidgora for the Informator.lg.ua