www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Conference on historical memory and World War II – page 3. • Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (1865-1944) – page 9. • Haydamaky rock Toronto Ukrainian Festival – page 13. THEPublished U byKRAINIAN the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVII No.44 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009 $1/$2 in Ukraine Yatsenyuk campaign on the decline Top two candidates kick off by Zenon Zawada to the mainstream candidates backed by Kyiv Press Bureau oligarchs and tainted by scandal, dema- battle for Ukraine’s presidency goguery and broken promises. KYIV – Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s presiden- Since hiring his Russian advisors in the tial campaign has plunged into a tailspin spring, however, Mr. Yatsenyuk has that has him tenuously holding on to third become unrecognizable, particularly to his place among Ukraine’s presidential candi- key base of young Western Ukrainians. He dates, a position that is coveted by his has adopted an entirely new foreign policy, competitors, including President Viktor abandoning his earlier stalwart support of Yushchenko. Ukraine’s integration into the European Ukrainian experts blame his rapid Union and the North Atlantic Treaty decline since the summer on the Russian Organization (NATO). political advisers he hired, which have Instead, Ukraine is supposed to inte- altered his public image from a straight- grate with Eastern Europe and initiate a talking, no-nonsense, pro-Western reform- Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union as part er to a technically engineered political cre- of a “Greater Europe” project, declared ation with a muddled message and repul- newsletters distributed recently by the sive campaign tactics. Front of Changes (Front Zmin), Mr. “The Yatsenyuk product created by Yatsenyuk’s political party, which he offi- Russian political technologists is truly a cially registered this week. monster to the majority of youth of west- This future of Greater Europe will not ern Ukraine, who are the potential nucleus depend on bureaucrats in Brussels and of the Yatsenyuk campaign – college grad- Strasbourg, the Yatsenyuk newsletter uates and representatives of the generation declared. The EU, as well as Ukraine and Official Site of Yulia Tymoshenko that will take leading roles in Ukrainian the Russian Federation, won’t be able to society,” said Pavlo Bulgak, a consultant Yulia Tymoshenko at a campaign rally on Independence Square on October 24. compete independently with the new cen- to Polittech, the Kyiv-based political con- ters of influence in the post-crisis world. by Zenon Zawada exaggerations in her remarks and Mr. sulting and public relations firm. “In this project, Kyiv can and should Yanukovych for making promises he was The 35-year-old Mr. Yatsenyuk enjoyed a Kyiv Press Bureau become among the leading players,” the unlikely to keep. groundswell of support when he first indi- Yatsenyuk newsletter declared. “Most of KYIV – He threw on a pair of alligator “I am ready to pay any price so that the cated his intention to compete for the all for Ukraine, Greater Europe conquers shoes and offered a vision of a Ukrainian country that we dreamed of is born and Ukrainian presidency after he was evicted as our domestic divide. It’s naïve to think that paradise of justice and economic prosperity becomes unshakable, able to live and work Verkhovna Rada chair in November 2008. should he become president. She draped absolutely independently,” said Prime Voters viewed him as a fresh alternative (Continued on page 4) herself in a costume of intricate Ukrainian Minster Tymoshenko. embroidery and emotionally depicted her She stressed her unique charisma and life struggle and selfless sacrifice for the character molded by her struggles in her Ukraine says Islamists planned nation. speech before more than 100,000 supporters Ukraine’s two most popular politicians gathered on the maidan, and mentioned very kicked off their presidential election cam- few specific plans or goals. to kill Crimean Tatar leader paigns as pro-Russian opposition leader Meanwhile, Mr. Yanukovych struck a Viktor Yanukovych hosted an October 23 pragmatic tone in his campaign launch, RFE/RL of the Crimean Tatar Assembly (Mejlis), made-for-television bash while Prime is a prominent Soviet-era dissident who stressing stability and economic growth KYIV – Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Minister Yulia Tymoshenko led her support- spent many years in the Soviet gulag for more than any other theme, reflecting Party Minister Yurii Lutsenko said members of ers to Kyiv’s “maidan” (Independence his human rights activities. of Regions politics and the values and a radical Islamic movement arrested on Square) the next evening. He said the spiritual direction of the approach to life held by southeastern October 26 planned to kill the leader of The campaign kick-offs reflected the dis- Crimean Muslims and radical Islamist Ukrainians, millions of whom live in large the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dzhemilev, tinct strategies each candidate will pursue, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service reported. organizations share a “mutual enmity.” as observers criticized Ms. Tymoshenko for (Continued on page 8) According to RFE/RL’s Kazakh He added that radical Islamists have noth- Service, Mr. Dzhemilev said he ing in common with Islam and should be believes the Russian Federal Security called extremists. Service (known as the FSB) was But Mr. Dzhemilev said he knows behind the operation. from diplomatic sources about FSB plans Mr. Lutsenko said that information to have him killed. He said, “some states about the operational plans of an extrem- who are not interested in allowing democ- ist group called At-Takfir wal-Hidjra to ratization in Ukraine” might be sponsor- murder Mr. Dzhemilev was discovered ing the extremist Islamic organizations. after a special operation by security offi- Minister Lutsenko said the arrested cers on October 23. members of the Islamist group are Mr. Lutsenko said the special opera- refusing to talk and that they refuse to tion took place in several Crimean dis- recognize Ukrainian laws and say they tricts and that a significant amount of are subordinate only to their religion. explosives, extremist literature and manu- Crimean police chief Gennady als for using firearms was confiscated Moskal told RFE/RL that an estimated from the alleged members of the extrem- 100 members of extremist organiza- ist group. tions are active in Crimea. He said He added that the leaders of the move- security forces are searching for ment issued a fatwa to kill Mr. Dzhemilev At-Takfir wal-Hidjra’s leader. and some of his associates for their criti- He said he does not believe there is “a cism of radical Islam. Russian trace” in any assassination plot Mr. Dzhemilev, who is the chairman against Mr. Dzhemilev. Official Site of the Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovych at the Party of Regions congress on October 23. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009 No. 44 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS The rise and fall (and rise?) Ukraine elected to ECOSOC Richards Bay from China last week. The Maltese-flagged Atlantic Eland with a crew of candidate Arseniy Yatsenyuk KYIV – The United Nations General of 28 sailors is operated by a company from Assembly on October 27 elected 18 mem- St. Petersburg, Russia. (Ukrinform) by Andrew Wilson omnipresent on the Inter TV channel then bers to the Economic and Social Council close to Mr. Firtash. Mr. Pinchuk became (ECOSOC) to serve three-year terms begin- IMF demands veto on social standards law RFE/RL ning January 1, 2010. Ukraine and Slovakia the more important sponsor, and replaced KYIV – The International Monetary The one enduring symbol of Ukraine’s were elected from the Eastern European Mr. Yatsenyuk’s Ukrainian team with Fund (IMF) demanded on October 25 that problems since the 2004 Orange states group to replace Belarus and Romania. Russian-connected “political technolo- Ukraine’s government veto a new law Revolution has been the constant, weari- Also elected were Argentina, Bahamas, gists” Timofei Sergeitsev, Dmitry Kulikov increasing social standards that was passed some guerrilla warfare between its main Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Chile, and Iskander Valitov. last week by the Verkhovna Rada. “An personalities: the predictable triptych of Comoros, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Italy, Besides working for Mr. Yanukovych’s International Monetary Fund mission head- President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Mongolia, the Philippines, Rwanda, the controversial campaign in 2004, the new ed by Ms. Ceyla Pazarbasioglu visited Kyiv Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and United States and Zambia. Overall, there are Russian team came from the Duma to review the authorities’ economic program Yushchenko’s defeated rival in 2004, 54 members on the Economic and Social Expert Council under Konstantin Zatulin. that is being supported by a Stand-By Viktor Yanukovych. Council with 18 of them being elected annu- It is headed by Sergei Markov and is Arrangement with the IMF. The mission When the economic crisis hit Ukraine ally for a three-year terms. (Ukrinform) notorious for its attempts to set up Russia- found that the economic and financial situa- in October-November 2008, Arseniy friendly NGOs and politicians throughout Progress in EU-Ukraine agenda tion in Ukraine is stabilizing as a result of Yatsenyuk, leader of the newly created the CIS. If Russia cannot control or con- policies under this program. Preserving Front for Change, initially seemed like a front Ukraine directly, it has an interest in KYIV – The European Union External these gains will require policy discipline and breath of fresh air. His Obama-lite cam- helping to build up a “satellite ideology.” Relations Council adopted at its meeting in corrective actions in some areas,” the IMF paign turned the contest for the next pres- The new team pushed a version of a Brussels on October 27 a decision to support said. In its discussions with the Ministry of ident into a three-horse race, with himself Russian “third way” ideology, which the EU-Ukraine Cooperation Council’s rec- Finance and the National Bank of Ukraine, in third place as Mr.