Ukraine War Day #625: Zelensky Cancels Census

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Luke chapter 2

Dear Readers:

This story is already a week old, but I just saw, and it is quite interesting indeed. The author is publicist Maxim Sokolov.

Quirinius: “Don’t keep me in suspense, how many peeps I got?” Lackey: “And the magic number is…”

So, Ukraine was supposed to have a census in the year 2023. That was the year that was set in legislation, however odd.

But there will be no census, because Caesar Zelensky has just decreed: “There will be no census.” Not until the war is over. (Which sort of makes sense, one must admit.)

In theory, according to Ukrainian law, a census is supposed to be taken at least once every 10 years. Problem: The last 2 censi were taken in 1991, and then again in 2001. Since then, nada! They planned to do one in 2016, but then the government decided to put it off until 2020. But it didn’t happen then either, and so they kicked the can down the road, to 2023. But now they voted to postpone it once again, until “Six hours after the end of the war.”

Sokolov then delves into some interesting history involving censi in ancient, and modern, times. The main reason for having a census, has always been fiscal. To know, in other words, how many tax-paying members of society there are, and thus be able to plan a state budget. And also to be able to estimate how many soldiers for the army. Military strategists sort of need to know this.

Kate: “Everybody can see from this portrait that I actually have a tiny waistline, and I want those numbers NOW!!”

Back in the day, Russian Empress Catherine II once inquired, at a session of her Senate, how many Russian souls she owned. The Senators were tongue-tied and could not come up with a good answer quick enough to satisfy her.

The Empress retorted stiffly: “A great nation cannot exist without a precise count of the population. Without that, our finances are a shambles… If a kopeck is spent, and returns to the owner, without me getting my cut… How am I, a weak female, expected to rule a country if even my own Senate doesn’t know how many souls I own, of my faithful subjects?”

The Ukrainians don’t think that way, however. And it’s not just because of the war; remember, this has been going on since 2001! Why didn’t they conduct a census in 2011, as they were supposed to? What was their excuse then? Well, after Euromaidan, they certainly have a good excuse. Everybody knows what the result would be to really learn the truth about the demographics of the land…

Another important factor, of course, is that the Ukrainian government does not control all of the territory that it claims, and therefore is only capable of counting heads in the areas under their control. Ukrainian census-takers would not be allowed into Crimea or Donbass. But even in the areas they control, the Ukrainian government does not possess the resources it requires: They don’t have the money or personnel needed to devote to this task.

The 1939 census was ruined by Trotskyite-Bukharinite wreckers.

And don’t forget that Ukrainian males of a certain age range will not be keen to announce themselves to census workers, for fear they will be dragged off to the front. Nobody even knows how many males are in hiding from the mobilization. One is reminded of the days of Peter the Great. Who conducted censi in 1710 and then again in 1716. And both times massive numbers of peasants in the rural areas hid their army-age sons from the census-takers.

And even if all these problems could be overcome somehow, there is still one major obstacle: A true census would reveal the demographic collapse of the Ukraine. From a population of 51 million in 1989, to 48 million in 2001, to an estimated 20 million souls currently. And that is the optimistic estimation. Such are the fruits of the so-called “Revolution of Dignity”. Such a drastic population collapse is almost unprecedented in modern history.

Although, as Sokolov points out, the USSR itself had similar problems throughout its history. A census was taken in 1937, but Stalin did NOT like the results. He blamed “Trotskyite-Bukharinite wreckers and agents of foreign powers” for the sorry result. The census was declared “defective” and the results nullified.

Another attempt was made in 1948, but Stalin again displeased, and the census declared “defective”. The next (successful) census was taken in 1959. By that time, the USSR was finally starting to bounce back from the catastrophe of the war. Ukraine, still at war, is probably doing the rational thing, namely canceling the census.