Russian General reburied

Yesterday the remains of Russian General Anton Denikin were reburied in Moscow. Denikin was one of the leaders of the anti-Communist White forces during the Russian Civil War. Many are arguing that this is an attempt to heal the divisions that were created by that conflict. That may certainly be true concerning the Russian people, who have reasons to honour him as a hero; but sadly the same cannot be said concerning the Ukrainian people.

Denikin was a staunch enemy of Ukrainian nationhood, and stubbornly upheld the notion of "one, indivisible Russia". This stubborn attitude of his led him to unnecessary confrontations with the Ukrainian forces under Symon Petlura; especially since Petlura made offers for an alliance against their real common enemy the Bolsheviks. Denikin's refusal to forge alliances with Ukrainian nationalists even earned him criticism from fellow White leaders, especially Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak.

Denikin's attacks on Petlura not only served to weaken Ukrainian national forces(and nationhood as a whole) but also ironically his as well, which in the end only benefited the Bolsheviks. You could argue that Denikin was his own worst enemy.

Denikin's image among Russian may improve over time, but I remain highly skeptical of that ever happening among Ukrainians. So in many ways, the divisions of the Civil War will remain.