Ukrainiana: Yanukovych Recites ‘Ukrainian’ Proverb (In Russian, Of Course!)

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Yanukovych Recites ‘Ukrainian’ Proverb (In Russian, Of Course!)

Ever seen a comedy starring presidents and oligarchs? Try YES.

The 7th annual oligarchfest has attracted the greatest number of VIPs so far.

Javier Solana and Aleksander Kwaśniewski (permanent fixtures, to name just a few).

Moving on: Bill Clinton...

How much this time, Bill?

That much?

Bruce Jackson reportedly showed up too. (Mr. McCain, as you support Ukraine, who do your associates support?)

And, YES, there was no shortage of comedy: premoderated questions, canned answers, misspelled names and communication gaps.

Solana: Would you go to Brussels again if you were elected president today?

Yanukovych [in Ukrainian]: Yes, there’s...there’s this really old proverb, a Ukrainian one, I guess [switches from Ukrainian to Russian]: “Sapogi dorogu znayut.” [“The boots know the road.”] That’s why...

Moderator: Let’s hope, then, you have good sapogi!

It turns out to be a Soviet Army joke, thanks to the interpretation supplied by Ukrayinska Pravda’s Serhiy Leshchenko.

Q: How do you get home drunk like that?
A: How? The boots know the road!

I wonder if Yanukovych actually went off the script with that one. What if he didn’t?

That sapogi thing sounds so true-to-life!