The classic novel "War and Peace" by Russian author Leo Tolstoy will no longer be studied in Ukrainian schools, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science (MES).
Deputy Education Minister Andrey announced the ban on the 1869 novel during an interview with television station Ukraine 24. He explained that the ban was not limited to Tolstoy's book alone, and that other classical historical novels that portray the Russian military in anything other than a negative light are included.
"All these will be completely excluded from foreign literature. So, for example, 'War and Peace' – this will not be studied in Ukraine anymore," said Vitrenko.
The deputy education minister added that the MES had been compiling a list of books to be banned in schools, in line with a May announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP). The culture ministry said that works of literature "promoting Russian propaganda" would be removed from Ukrainian libraries and replaced by Ukrainian books.
"Propaganda is a dangerous weapon. Russian lies are poisons all around today. We all have ways to deal with with this phenomenon. At present, the [MCIP] has defined clear criteria by which Russian literature will be removed from Ukrainian library funds," Deputy Culture and Information Minister Larisa Petasyuk said in a statement posted on Facebook.
The MCIP added that the process of removing Russian books from Ukrainian libraries will be carried out based on relevant technical guidelines, the latter to be approved by the ministry's Council for the Development of the Library Case. Petasyuk further noted that the ministry has been "carefully" addressing the issue, and expressed hope that the move will leave a positive impact on the development of the Ukrainian book industry.
Originally published in serialized form between 1865 and 1867, Tolstoy's "War and Peace" touched on the Russian Empire during the Napoleonic Era. A complete version was published in 1869, and has since been translated into numerous languages and adapted for both TV and the big screen.
Ukrainian tennis star wants Russian and Belarusian players undergo "ideological purity tests"
The decision to ban "War and Piece" from being discussed in schools was not the only instance of Ukraine and its citizens calling for bans on everything Russian. Kyiv banned all Russian-related media after Moscow attacked the country in late February 2022.
Later in April 2022, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina demanded that players from Russia and Belarus undergo "ideological purity tests" before they are allowed to compete in international tournaments. She added that players who fail to do so must face a total ban. Svitolina included Belarus as Alexander Lukashenko, its long-time president, is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Related: Ukrainian tennis star demands Russian players be subjected to ideological purity test.)
"We noticed that some Russian and Belarusian players at some point vaguely mentioned the war, but never clearly stating that Russia and Belarus started it on the territory of Ukraine," she tweeted. "The very silence of those who choose to remain that way right now is unbearable as it leads to the continuation of murder in our homeland."
Under Svitolina's suggestion, players from the two countries will be required to declare if they support the invasion of Ukraine and the resulting war, the two countries' military activities in Ukraine and the regimes of Putin and Lukashenko. Any tennis player who answers "yes" to either of the three questions will be slapped with a full-scale tournament ban.
"In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening. There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now," added the Ukrainian tennis star.
Organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament took Svitolina's suggestion to the next level. They proceeded to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from competing, including those who had already denounced Putin.
Watch this video about the Women's Tennis Association denouncing the Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
This video is from the Contrarian channel on Brighteon.com.
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