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The never-ending squabbles between Ukraine and Russia have transgressed politics, invading entertainment.

Lately, the two main topics of dispute between the two Slavic nations are 19th century writer Nikolai Gogol and a movie, “Taras Bulba,” based on his famous novel. You can also expect an argument, or two, during the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for May in Moscow.

As unrelated to Gogol as modern pop stars may seem to be, the points of contention are pretty much the same in both cases: Two nations with so much in common are still unable to agree on so much.


Gogol mania

The fight over which nation can rightfully claim “ownership” of Gogol – born on the territory of modern-day Ukraine when it was part of czarist Russia – is not new. But it intensified while both countries celebrated his bicentenary on April 1.

Like a divorced couple, Ukraine and Russia celebrated separately, while Google changed its logo to “Gogol” on that date for Russian- and Ukrainian-language users. But the topic dominating television talk shows in both Ukraine and Russia was “Taras Bulba,” the film about famous Cossack/Kozak warriors that fought hundreds of years ago against enemies attacking current-day Ukrainian territory from all sides. Premiering on April 2, it was made in Russia by director Vladimir Bortko, produced by Russian state channel Rossiya and partly financed by the Russian Ministry of Culture. While it was mainly shot on location in Ukraine starring a number of Ukrainian actors, the movie was hailed as Russian propaganda, showing the main Kozak character, Taras Bulba, giving speeches about his Russian soul and claiming faith in the Russian czar.

As the celebrations commemorating Gogol’s 200th anniversary began, the highest-ranking officials of both countries made their own declarations about the author. At a meeting with members of his Yedinaya Rossiya party on April 1, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called Gogol “an outstanding Russian writer, whose work inseparably ties two brother nations – Russia and Ukraine.”

Visiting festivities dedicated to Gogol’s anniversary in Myrhorod, Poltava Oblast, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko declared that Gogol kept Ukraine in his heart wherever he travelled. Referring to Gogol’s famous works “Evenings on a Farm Near Dykanka,” “Mirgorod” and “Taras Bulba,” Yushchenko said: “…they could only be written by a true patriot whose heart and soul wholly belong to Ukraine.”

Neither recalled, however, that the controversy – about whether Gogol was Ukrainian or Russian – was, in fact, created by Gogol himself.

The text of “Taras Bulba” has two versions. The first one was published in 1835. In it, the Cossacks aren’t called Russian and there is no talk of “Russian soul.” Originally, Bulba was shown as more of a crazed Cossack gang chief rather than a noble warrior protecting his country.

However, the later text of 1842, which is more common and which also became the basis of the movie, was revised by Gogol himself. According to historians, one of the reasons for this was a critical reaction to his other work, “Government Inspector,” which was called anti-Russian.
Whatever Gogol’s reasons, the author has the right to do whatever he wanted with his story – whether due to true beliefs, or to make his life easier himself. At the time, there was no Ukrainian state, but a Russian empire with an official ideology. If you wanted to hold a certain status, you had to play by the rules.

The second version of “Taras Bulba” remains the most reprinted, though in its Ukrainian translations, the pro-Russian texts are altered and “Russian soul” is replaced with “Ukrainian.” Lyubov Sliska, deputy head of the Yedinaya Rossiya faction, called the attempts of some Ukrainian activists to separate Gogol from Russian culture a “dangerous wish.” “All those petty squabbles taking place against the background of the great writer’s anniversary look like unsound political PR. Such behavior is dangerous for both Russian and Ukrainian citizens,” she told Regions.ru.

The movie is already being called the biggest grossing historical movie produced in Russia. In just over two weeks it generated about $15 million in Russia, and about $1.5 million in Ukraine. This is around $17 million in total, or $2 million more than its budget.

The film has received mixed reviews, but the talks are not so much about how well or how badly made the film was. They are all about its message, viewed through different prisms by Ukrainians and Russians.

Ultra-nationalist Oleh Tyahnybok, leader of the All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda, claimed that Russia did the right thing from its perspective. “Not having their own heroes, Russians look for them in other nations,” he said.

Tyahnybok’s comments were, of course, a cheap shot. Russia has a very rich history full of its own heroes; Taras Bulba is merely a fictional character.

Director Bortko, known for great adaptations of Mikhail Bulgakov’s “A Heart of a Dog” and Dostoyevsky’s “Idiot,” had to fight off a lot of accusations of the movie being a “Kremlin’s order” and promoting “Russian nationalism.”

“I don’t want to divide Russians and Ukrainians,” said Bortko, himself half Ukrainian and half Russian. “I wish it was completely clear whose writer Gogol is. He’s the writer of the people who were once baptized by Prince Vladimir,” Bortko said referring to the leader of Kyiv Rus empire which was centered in Kyiv 1,000 years ago, predating both the Russian and Ukrainian nations.

“Gogol’s view of patriotism and his attitude towards the motherland fully coincides with mine. We didn’t try to get into politics. We wanted to convey the spirit of the story,” he told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.


Fizzling pop

Against the background of this pseudo-historical battle, the Eurovision Song Contest looks even pettier. But the battles are intensifying as the May 16 contest approaches.

This year’s Eurovision is clouded by scandals, the fiercest one brewing between Ukraine and Russia.

It all started after Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko was disqualified from the Ukrainian finals of the contest due to several minor violations. At the time, Prikhodko was already famous in Russia as the winner of Russian Star Factory 7 TV show, a version of “American Idol.” Still, she was relatively unknown in Ukraine.

Prikhodko filed a lawsuit for unfair judgment, gave press conferences and appeared on TV shows to reverse the disqualifications. Instead, she received an invitation from the Russians to take part in their finals. She won on March 7 and was named the Russian representative at Eurovision Song Contest 2009.

Prikhodko’s song, “Mamo,” is performed partly in Ukrainian, part in Russian, and was written by her producer and songwriter, Georgian-born Konstantin Meladze. “It’s a great joy for me. I’m all for friendship between Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians and everyone else. It’s an international song, because it was written by a Georgian, performed in Ukrainian and lyrics were partly written by an Estonian,” Meladze said.

Recruiting musicians from other countries to represent your own is a common practice in Eurovision. But in this case, we’re talking about bitter political rivals.

The Ukrainian Eurovision finals, which took place a day after the Russian one, produced no surprises. The victory of Svitlana Loboda was predictable. She was simply the most popular artist on the list. The rest of the performances were less than unimpressive.

The two singers are entirely different. Prikhodko wears a gloomy, almost gothic image and focuses on her strong original vocals as her main advantage. Loboda is a complete opposite, with her almost-vulgar sex appeal and a spectacular show.

However, the two singers have some things in common, in addition to nationality. The music video for Prikhodko’s song was shot by Alan Badoyev, also the creative producer of Loboda’s Eurovision show.

Both singers are frequently asked to predict each others’ chances, and give neutral answers.

“I think it’s wonderful that two Ukrainians will participate in Eurovision this year,” Loboda told korrespondent.net. Prikhodko likes to state that there is no difference between the two countries. “Languages are related, people are related. What is there to divide? Ukraine and Russia used to be one country,” she said in an interview to Starlife.

However, it won’t be fair to say that the two singers have equal chances. Loboda and her team are currently suffering difficulties in their preparations for Eurovision. Recently, Loboda asked Ukrainians for financial help, stating that officials and sponsors refuse to give her support. A foundation was established allowing anyone to transfer money to her account.

On April 8, Ladbrokes online betting company estimated the chances of Loboda and Prikhodko as quite low – 13th and 15th place, accordingly. So far, victory is predicted for Belarus-born singer Alexandr Rybak, who is representing Norway.

If there’s any victory in these culture wars from an international perspective, however, it may be that more people will stop assuming there’s no difference between Ukrainians and Russians. The latest cultural spats have proven to the world that the two nations have plenty of areas of disagreement, in all realms of life and on all scales, from the momentous to the mundane.