Only Ukrainians can judge their Heroes. And only Ukrainians can decide where and how to bury them

Andrei Melnik issued an order in 1919 stating that there would be vigorous prosecution of those who spread rumors about the possibility of Jewish pogroms or agitated for them, and that they would be court-martialed.

He was then one of the commanders of the Sich Riflemen Siege Corps.

Later, as chief of staff of the UPR army, together with Symon Petliura, Melnyk signed an order to combat deserters and provocateurs, which also took place in the context of the fight against pogroms, to which these same mentioned provocateurs were pushing.

Even later, he separately issued another anti-pogrom order.

This is Melnyk as a military figure, and I do not give any assessments to him as a political figure, since he is a Ukrainian political figure, and it is for Ukrainians to judge and evaluate their Heroes.

Moreover, it is up to the Ukrainians to decide where, how and which of them to bury.

This is their world, their history, their Heroes – whether someone likes them or not.

As for collaborations and who hoped for what 100 years ago, that is left to historians.

You can still remember the times of Napoleon: who collaborated with whom.

Or the Middle Ages in general: who hoped for what, who they were with, and who killed whom.

This is all, of course, very interesting, but it seems to me that it is important to look not at what happened 100 years ago, but at who is collaborating with whom today, or rather, building alliances and being a real threat to Israel.

This is Russia, which is not a friend, not a partner or a fellow traveler, but an ally of Iran.

This is Russia, which hosts Hamas delegations in Moscow at the highest level.

This is Russia, which helps Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis wage war against Israel.

And this is Russia, whose permanent representative to the UN in 2023 said that Israel has no right to self-defense.

The same Russia that provides maximum possible assistance to those who want to destroy Israel.

It seems to me that this is exactly what we should pay attention to, and not how the brave people, in whom no one believed, but who were not afraid to face the darkness from the east and are now desperately fighting for their future, want to bury their old Hero.

Photo: Andrey Melnik in 1919.

Published with the personal permission of the author

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