Small Differences, Great Leaps

Written: 2007

The differences between the post-Soviet countries are enormous and slim. So far I have been to Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine - three countries with completely different and identical histories whose paths have intertwined over the last 500 years. Despite their shared histories, each territory believes in its different identity and prides itself for its individuality. When people in Ukraine asked me about Belarus, my immediate response was: "clean, orderly, and filled with bureaucratic Soviet nostalgia." The mentality seems to be slowly changing for the better and people to want change, but they are also afraid of feeling an independence that this country has never experienced.

Belarus is undergoing an interesting time. Everything is in restoration or repair. Students' stipends are unusually high for Eastern Europe, salaries are increasing and the retirement pension higher then in other post-Soviet countries (especially if comparing with Ukraine). This odd semi comfort is perhaps one of the reasons why Belorussians drift in and out of passivity about the current totalitarian control in the region. Most people also still believe that absolute control is necessary for a healthy state. This was an opinion widely held in Ukraine as well. After traveling to Minsk, I found that on the surface this state of control is surprisingly deceptive. The city is clean, filled with entertainment and "capitalistic values" (restaurants, shopping, and entertainment is quite healthy) and undergoing a massive and expensive amount of restoration projects. It was clear that the restorations were in full bloom, but trying to figure out how the government could afford to fund such restoration became somewhat pointless as the country still has no visible source of income. Reading the newspapers in Belarus was a bit like reading the synopsis for American soap operas, so clearly this did not provide much detailed information about government income or spending. Surprisingly, Ukraine's attitude did not differ all that much despite the great cries the West hears for Democracy.

Ukraine's political atmosphere was perhaps even more surprising than that in Belarus. Even in the western (and more nationally Ukrainian) part of Ukraine, there was tension between people who believed Ukraine to still be an Eastern (thus Slavic) state and the opposing desire to move towards the West. Everything is changing at a rapid pace, while the salaries of most people are still among the lowest in Eastern Europe. The low salaries are no competition for the prices in the region, thereby expanding the common pattern through Eastern Europe of what I call import income. Many Ukrainians in the West leave the country to work abroad while they build their rancheros and castles in the outskirts of Ukrainian cities. Such apparent wealth creates more difficulties for Ukrainians trying to work and stay in Ukraine as the differing incomes create an enormous gap between the wealthy expatriates and domestic workers. As many of my friends in Ivano-Frankivsk explained to me, "in Ukraine you must have money. With money you can do anything here. Without money, you can't afford to work in your own profession."

I traveled to Belarus expecting complete poverty and absence of goods and found that the biggest problem in Minsk was the remnants of its old Soviet mentality. I traveled to Ukraine expecting greater wealth and opportunities and found a dirty, poor and demoralized country filled with people who continue to lose hope. The country has changed for the better and is clearly leaps ahead of Belarus in its industry, abilities, and desire for a better life. At the same time, the demoralization and the loss of hope is overwhelming.