'the unenviable halo of a bloodthirsty ruffian'

While making no claims to contemporary relevance, it seems remiss now that Ukraine is in the news not to blog a thrilling account of the life and exploits of Nestor Makhno:

Makhno was particularly bitter when writing about the Ukraine, his homeland, whose liberator he had hoped to become. Her inclusion in the Soviet Union was in his opinion comparable to her occupation by the German and Austrian armies during the World War -- only camouflaged by "Bolshevik hot air." He considered as sheer hypocrisy that clause of the Soviet Constitution of 1923 which granted self-determination to each of the constituent republics, including the right of withdrawal from the Union. For anyone caught in the "act" of advocating such a withdrawal would never get another chance of advocating anything at all. Unwittingly he gave vent to the nationalist longings of most of his countrymen. For in the remote recesses of their hearts even the Ukrainian Communists dream of the well-being their country might enjoy if it did not have to share its enormous wealth with the rest of the Soviet Union. 

The former heard of the Revolutioinary Insurrectionary Army of the Ukraine - who clearly wasn't mithered by the colonial 'the' - apparently worked as a stagehand at the Paris Opera while in exile. His relevance to contemporary conflict probably has most to do with his invention of the Technical, at least according to Isaac Babel.

Comments

[Phil]

I don't know where the "colonial 'the'" comes from - there is no definite article in Russian (or Ukrainian). The Ukraine, The Lebanon, The Gambia - is there any one thing going on in all three cases (and no others)?

[between4walls]

Also the Sudan.

While there is no definite article in Russian, there is, on the other hand, the issue of when to use v or na to mean "in"- as in "in Ukraine," with v being obviously another country and na for places in Russia (and places like Alaska). Using "na" for Ukraine would be a bit like the "colonial 'the'" whereas using v is more respectful, according to my Russian teacher. Disclaimer that my Russian is far from fluent, though good enough to read Isaac Babel, which really is a treat.

[pdm251]

Last year the Ukrainian National Bank issued a commemorative coin of old Nestor, with a tachanka (the "technical" referred to above) on it:

http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces54426.html

[Strategist]

The Argentine.

Is the the a hangover from the time when French was the diplomatic lingua franca?

[Chris Williams]

OT: Kunming attack. WTF? Anyone got any informed speculation?

[jamie]

it's overnight in China now, so I'm going to save a post till tomorrow. The government has blamed 'terrorists' for now without further specification. But 'terrorists' is code for 'uighurs'

[Alex]

the Argentine

It's because Argentine is a modifier in the Spanish; la Republica Argentina.