Village council in Lviv region files SBU complaint against woman for criticizing call to display flags

The Zymnovodivska village council of Lviv region has filed a complaint with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) against a Facebook user who sharply criticized the council’s call to fly Ukrainian flags over homes.

The village council announced its complaint itself — on its official Facebook page.

On August 24, on the eve of the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, the village council published a post with photographs from several villages in the community and appealed to residents with the following call:

“Unfortunately, very few Ukrainian flags are flying over homes in the villages of our community today. Why are we indifferent to what other generations fought for over decades? For a Ukrainian soldier, the blue-and-yellow flag is a symbol of the home he fights for and defends. On the eve of the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, we call on every family to raise the blue-and-yellow flag over their home. Let our villages burst into Ukrainian colors as a sign of unity, remembrance, gratitude to our heroes, and love for Ukraine.”

The post provoked a mixed reaction in the comments. One user responded with restraint, stating that “patriotism should be in the heart, not on display.” Another user reacted considerably more sharply:

“Everyone is f***ing sick of your patriotism. Especially now, amid the chaos, disorder, destruction of people, and the hunting of men, everyone has stopped giving a damn about that patriotism.”

It was this comment that the village council deemed to contain signs of disrespect toward the state symbols of Ukraine, “as well as inciting and separatist statements,” and it submitted a complaint to the SBU requesting a legal assessment. In an official statement, the council explained its decision:

“The Zymnovodivska village council could not leave without a response the comment published on the council’s official page, the content of which is contemptuous in nature and, in our opinion, may contain signs of disrespect toward the state symbols of Ukraine, as well as inciting and separatist statements. That is why the village council has appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine with a request to provide the comment with a proper legal assessment and, if violations are established, to take measures prescribed by law. Every person has the right to their own opinion. But no one has the right to forget about responsibility for what is said or written. Especially when it concerns state symbols, national dignity, and public unity at a time when Ukraine continues its struggle for its very existence.”

The majority of users supported the announcement of the SBU complaint. Only one commenter spoke out against it:

“Instead of running around filing complaints against your own citizens for their personal opinion, it would be better to attend to your direct duties and the community’s problems. The flag is a state symbol, and patriotism is not a loyalty test for a particular village council. In a democratic state, a citizen has the right to tell an official that they disagree with his position. And for that, there is no need to turn a person into a ‘separatist.'”

Previously, Druha Ukraina reported that in Kyiv, administrative protocols were drawn up and the case of three girls who sang “Moscow Never Sleeps” and “Mother Earth” was referred to the SBU. In addition, a language activist filed a complaint with the SBU against businessman Haryk Korohodsky for speaking Russian with his children at home.