On a recent visit to Russia, I happened to come across a Ukrainian restaurant while walking through Moscow.
Politicians and the media in the West wanted us to believe that Russia intended to annex Ukraine and eradicate its culture. I was therefore both amazed and delighted that this centre of Ukrainian culture is flourishing in the Russian capital.
The owner of the Korchma restaurant grew up near Kiev and has been running the popular Ukrainian restaurants in Moscow for eight years. Her chain now comprises a total of fifteen eateries. She kindly showed me her beautifully decorated restaurant full of Ukrainian memorabilia, including the famous Ukrainian embroidery that Ukrainians call vyshyvanka.
Photo gallery
The restaurant staff wore embroidered Ukrainian shirts, which are traditional but still considered fashionable. I was told that each Ukrainian region has its own patterns and colours.
I enjoyed the Ukrainian food, especially the borscht soup, which you can see here.
It is a sweet and sour beetroot soup that is slightly different from the borscht soups I have eaten in other countries, including Russia and China. In fact, it is a popular dish in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in some parts of Asia. Ukrainian borscht is considered the country’s national dish and is ideal for any occasion. It is made from simple and locally grown vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, cabbage and potatoes.
Another Ukrainian speciality is varenyky, which are dumplings with various fillings such as potatoes, cheese and cherries.
I also tried this delicious Ukrainian bacon, which is not exactly suitable for dieters 😉
Two friendly musicians presented live music. They played Ukrainian music for the guests who requested it (myself included) and Russian music for those who asked for their favourite Russian songs.
I was told that the Ukrainians, just like the Russians with whom they share a long history, place great importance on family values and community. The gatherings are often large and lively, with lots of food, music and laughter. As we can see, visitors feel at home in this Ukrainian atmosphere, and the Russian guests celebrate birthdays in the same way as the Ukrainians.
Several historical eras, in particular the Scandinavian-dominated Kievan Rus’, the Cossack period and influences from neighbouring countries have shaped Ukrainian culture. The birthplace of Russia is not St. Petersburg or Moscow, but Kiev, the current capital of Ukraine. From the late 9th to the mid-13th century, it was the administrative centre of Kievan Rus, the first Slavic state and forerunner of both Ukraine and Russia. Later, Kiev was the capital of a federation of principalities in Eastern Europe.
Even if Ukrainian nationalists and Stepan Bandera supporters deny it today: Russians and Ukrainians have the same cultural roots. Geopolitical influences and interests from afar, namely from across the Atlantic, may have driven Russia and Ukraine apart in recent decades, but this microcosm of cordial coexistence fortunately shows that this does not have to remain the case forever.
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Related videos to the travelogue:
- The West Is Trying To Crush Russia – Eyewitness Report from Moscow
- Moscow Subway Is The Most Beautiful & Safest Subway In The World | Traveling On The Moscow Metro
- 24/7 Russian Services: Exceptional Customer Care in Moscow | Eyewitness Report 2024
- Wandering In Moscow: Honest Moments & Sounds from the City’s Street Life
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About the Author
Felix Abt is the author of “A Capitalist in North Korea: My Seven Years in the Hermit Kingdom” and of “A Land of Prison Camps, Starving Slaves and Nuclear Bombs?”
He can be reached via his Twitter account.
Hi Arthur – Don’t forget that Victoria Nuland bragged about spending $5 billion to engineer the Maidan coup.
Here is an article regarding the Minsk agreements I think it is good for readers to review different perspectives as opposed to just one perspective. After reading different perspective readers can make up their minds for themselves which one they have most confidence in. It is a bit like sports. I like to listen to a wide variety of sports viewpoints, not just one viewpoint.
https://cepa.org/article/dont-let-russia-fool-you-about-the-minsk-agreements/
Here is an article regarding the 2014 events.
https://bitterwinter.org/myth-of-the-american-coups-in-ukraine-2-2014/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlaaLr56rigMVd21HAR2DxxNZEAAYASAAEgJqt_D_BwE
bullcrap. propaganda outlet.
In reference to Nato’s promise to not expand one inch eastward here is an article about this:
https://bitterwinter.org/myth-of-the-american-coups-in-ukraine-4-the-nato/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInrva2pqrigMVNmFHAR3mYwlTEAAYASAAEgLsb_D_BwE
A factual summary for “Benjamin” and other ignoramuses who get their (dis)information from the mainstream media:
1990: “NOT ONE INCH EASTWARD!” refers to assurances made by Western politicians to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during negotiations on German reunification in 1990. US Secretary of State James Baker coins this phrase to reassure Gorbachev that NATO would not extend its area of influence eastward beyond Germany. — REALITY CHECK: 1999: Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic join NATO. 2004: Seven more countries join – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. 2009: Albania and Croatia become members. 2017: Montenegro joins NATO. 2020: North Macedonia was admitted. 2023: Finland joins NATO. 2024: Sweden becomes a member.
2007: In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, President Putin speaks out strongly against NATO’s eastward expansion and Ukraine’s possible membership of the alliance. He argues that NATO’s actions pose a direct threat to Russia’s security and stability. Putin emphasizes that Russia will take the necessary measures to protect its national interests and maintain regional security. His speech is mocked in the West and not taken seriously.
In 2014, the democratically elected Ukrainian government is overthrown by a violent, US-backed coup in Kiev and replaced by an ultra-nationalist, Russophobic Bandera regime, which begins bombing the Russian-speaking population in the east, killing thousands of civilians.
In 2014, Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sign the Minsk Agreement I, mediated by France and Germany, which essentially provides for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line by the Kiev regime. The regime does not adhere to the agreement and continues its aggression against the population of Donbass.
In 2015, Minsk Agreement II is signed by the same parties as Minsk Agreement I, which essentially provides for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east and the withdrawal of heavy weapons to create security zones. Kiev is not complying with this agreement either. As former Ukrainian President Poroshenko, former German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande, who all took part in the negotiations, admitted years later, it merely serves to buy time and prepare Ukraine for an apparently planned proxy war against Russia.
December 2021: Russia, encircled and threatened by NATO, reiterates its call for a security architecture in Europe. In his letter to the US President and the NATO Secretary General, President Putin essentially demands that there should be no further NATO expansion: in particular, a ban on Ukraine and other former Soviet states joining NATO. Here too, Russia’s security concerns are completely ignored.
February 2022: After Washington and NATO have ignored Russian security concerns for the umpteenth time, Russia launches its “special military operation” in the Donbass. Its main objective is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to bombard the Russian-speaking population in the east. The expected NATO missiles along the 2,000 km long common border with Russia, which could reach Moscow and other Russian cities within minutes, are perceived as an existential threat to Russia.
March 2022: Peace negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, leading to a peace agreement initialed by the parties and to be signed by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. Essentially, Ukraine agrees to a neutral status (i.e. it will not become a member of NATO) and Russia agrees not to take over any territories from Ukraine. The status of Crimea is left open for later negotiations.
April 9, 2022: British Prime Minister Johnson exerts pressure on President Zelensky in Kiev on behalf of NATO not to sign the initialed peace agreement with Russia. Zelensky relents and decides to continue and escalate the war with NATO support “for as long as it takes”.
October 2022: President Zelensky issues a decree banning negotiations with Russia.
July 2023: The US President and the other NATO heads of state and government agree at the NATO summit in Vilnius to accelerate Ukraine’s path to membership. The USA and other Western heads of state and government had already decided years earlier that Ukraine should become a member.
Until now: Ukraine’s decree banning negotiations with Russia remains in force. Instead of a diplomatically negotiated conflict resolution, the war, which could have been avoided, continues to this day, as NATO still believes it can win its proxy war against Russia.
well said, thank you. i will link to it.
It is wonderful that Ukrainian culture is being celebrated in Russia, but it does not make us forget what has happened in Ukraine,
Russia started full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022
10 million people are displaced, 25000 civilians killed, around 20% of territory is occupied.
92 sport facilities are damaged, 13 of them are destroyed.
Among them 5 ice rinks are damaged or destroyed completely.
You’re not serious, Benjamin. Are you? You seriously call that a ‘full scale invasion’ ?
And what did you call the invasion of ’14 into Donbas?
‘It’s territory’ ? Who’s territory? Have you forgotten all your Kiev claims for rights of self determination? That territory belongs to the Donbas people, not to you. They tried to stay with you even after your ethnic oppression had begun but you would not have it. Russia stayed away from them left them to do it alone for eight years. You now say they are invaded? You are not serious.
What is happening in Ukraine is very clear. The Ukrainian people are divided into two by the scheming of the Americans. One side is attacking the other side in order to affect ethnic cleansing. That ‘big’ side is led by the greatest collection of thieves, liars, murderers in the whole of Europe. They have lost half a million DEAD so far during the course of their attempt to ethnic cleanse Donbas.
They occupy Donbas. They invaded. They are aggressors.
The other part of Ukraine has sought protection with the Russian Federation and though still suffering is doing much better than the side in thrall to the Americans.
That’s what’s happening in Ukraine.