#2 (84) February 2015

New election law: Capital flight Why Russia a key to Ukraine's democracy from Ukraine in 2014 is against Europe If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

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|contents FOCUS MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski on political Independent Ukraine Speaks: divisions in the EU and arguments A year after Maidan the EU expects from Kyiv to continue support for Ukraine 4 30 From Cold War to Hot Carnegie Europe’s Ulrich Speck War: Russia’s aggression in on the role of Germany in preserving Ukraine is part of a broader, the unity of the European Unity and more dangerous, 32 confrontation with the West SOCIETY 8 Trouble at the Academy: The maladies SECURITY afflicting Ukraine’s National Academy of Russian Military Bases around Sciences and its chances of recovery NATO borders and in Central Asia 34 12 Deputy Education Minister Maksym Strikha “Armed Forces of Novorossiya”: on the current status and potential of Who is fighting against Ukraine? Ukrainian science and long overdue reforms 14 at the National Academy of Sciences POLITICS 36 HISTORY A Key to Transforming Ukraine: International lawyer Volodymyr Why Is Russia Against Europe? Vasylenko on why a new election And why it is so persistently law is urgently needed aggressing on Ukraine 16 Parliament Member Oleksandr Chernenko: 39 “New electoral law should be adopted Nuremberg Trial vs. Truth no later than in May” Commission: Why South African reconciliation experience is more acceptable 18 than the German experience of ECONOMICS punishing war criminals To Sell Boryspil Airport: Old privatization schemes 44 in the post-Yanukovych era Leonidas Donskis on why Putinism will fail sooner than the Russian 20 leader expects Tracing the Fleeing Capital: How many billions of dollars Ukraine lost in 2014 46 CULTURE & ARTS 22 Philippe de Lara on composer NEIGHBOURS Valentyn Sylvestrov and Akhmed Zakayev, President of the his music of freedom Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile, on the Chechens in the Donbas, 48 clashes in Grozny in December, and Good old jazz, the illusory friendship of Vladimir Argentinean Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov tango and shadow 25 theatre: When the Rules Are Broken: François The Ukrainian Heisbourg and Judy Dempsey share Week offers their comments and expectations a choice of venues to attend after the Munich Security Conference this month 28 50

E-mail [email protected] www.ukrainianweek.com Tel. (044) 351-13-87 The Ukrainian Week № 2 (84) February 2015 Editors address 37 Mashynobudivna str., Kyiv, 03067, Ukraine Founder ECEM Media GmbH. Publisher ECEM Media GmbH Print run 15 000. Free distribution Address Austria, Am Gestade,1, 1010 Vienna Our partner State registration certificate КВ № 19823-9623ПР 19.03.2013 Chief Editor Alla Lazareva Editors Anna Korbut, Natalia Romaneс, Shaun Williams № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|3 focus|Revolution of dignity Independent Ukraine Speaks

Author: Here, it’s not portraits of they were always from outside, in Dmytro Krapyvenko Heaven’s Hundred that look down the interests of outsiders. Even a at us from a height, but the mind unfettered by conspiracy he history of independent burned-out shell of the Union theories at some point begins to Ukraine is marked by its Building, only partly masked by interpret events in our country as Maidans. The quarter-cen- patriotic banners. Near the Post Ttury from the Granite Revo- Office is Kilometer 0, where you The Maidan stood lution of 1990 started by students, can easily find the distance to to the latest events—the “Revolu- oblast centers and world capitals in opposition tion of Dignity” is not yet over, af- alike. This is the real Ukrainian ter all—, can be broken into peri- crossroad, from which we still to a paternalistic model ods of great social changes and lo- cannot see what kind of Maidan that had taken shape cal protests, the epicenter of which this will ultimately be—of Sorrow, has always been the main square of Entertainment, of Indepen- over centuries and was of the Capital. Kyiv’s one-time Oc- dence, or of Victory—not in the enshrined, not in law but tober Revolution Square with its distant future, but in the one that Cyclops-like workers and peasants we are all waiting for today. in people’s mentality and Lenins, all on a provincial Ukraine’s historic fate has scale as befits a mere republic, de- been to be a testing place. What the consequence of outside influ- signed for workers’ rallies and geopolitical theory has not played ence, the conflict of imperial am- military parades, has been trans- out on its terrain? What social ex- bitions, and so on. The minute formed, with its sentimental post- periments have not been carried some serious social disturbance soviet clusters of graceless monu- out here? What types of internal starts in Ukraine, the armchair ments and shopping malls, into a government were not implanted generals—this military unit that place of grief. in it? And whatever they were, remains the biggest combat unit 4|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 foto: Ukrainian Foto tgain ne Behe - the - Brezhnev under stagnation thing far more abstract, having the was some- Yanukovych regime the their minions. and thieves-in-law the of should foul fall you forbid God as alone, left be you’d all, of Best well-fed. chy: you did hierar- your job and you were labor-camp simple a was leverage. regime Yanukovych the to Loyalty administrative as you to and not resist when they wanted to use opposition, the ignore to power, in those of crimes the look over- to was it era, Kuchma the By theUSSR. of flag the to next flag Yellow & Blue the hanging as far as compromise to willing was and idea,” “Lenin’s to faithfulness tive govern- the - declara a least at demanded ment 1990s, the In faces. handouts.” nice little some you give we’ll and us to loyal stay “You is, means really it What politicians. Ukrainian among than that phrase compromised more no probably There’s change. cept ac- not does stability is cow sacred whose person unfree an of mind The economics. talking they’re really not course, Of years. tionary post-revolu- first the way than were for better 2013 indicators and 2004 the 1990, when rebel, statistics, economic to reason no was there that saying about talk to like Maidan the of enemies The mythos Against theofficial re will forgotten. roots Turkic its meaning main, new the translation. Only without name, own its with revolutions, The colored and good. velvet the from no history different as books world all enter will was Maidan it But Gandhi, resistance. Mahatma non-violent for calling of ideas the to ground Ukrainian began on extrapolate even them among nal origi more using The networks.” social coordinated was erything ev because Spring, Arab the more like it’s How No, succeed? we’ll that police? and like something do the we dwarves about trolled of rally who its with ment move Solidarity Poland’s as about had we what or did, they as only humor much if Europe, ern East in Revolutions Velvet the at look “Oh, hunt analogies: historical for the begin and popcorn the out one—get virtual a albeit all, of h cro o “tblt” from “stability” of carrot The different has loyalty course, Of - - - - - aiu cntttos The constitutions. op- in stood contrast, by Maidan, to changes various and elections cratic demo - on only depended lutions richer...?” any got you of None you for? fighting were what “So, Maidan: the the of opponents and of questions understand ironic to failure the to us brings This hirelings. of crowd a than more little was Anti- and government “stable” the the from ing over Maidan, which was based on fund- won nations, do- and volunteers of basis the on survived which Maidan, explains the why also incidentally, This, this.” in interfere to not for state is the thing main of The care ourselves. take can we because ity, stabil - your with heck “The for- mula: simple but very a to down unwritten, came remained gram pro- economic Maidan’s The far. so them saved has oligarchs the of nature shadowy The government. new the to bridges built they tory, vic- was there the when and, regime of the supported allies rather and but Maidan never peace were likes quiet oligarchs money The whose wealth. tributing - redis of purpose the for arise not It did and Maidan. uprising hungry a not was the of point strong a (post) stability. soviet against people rebel of to group prepared the is this And handouts. to government prepared for not settle are and selves them of care take to want many people too Ukraine: in arise lems prob where is This play. of rules such accept to prepared are voters who as of mass critical long the is son “as rea main hope, the But war.” no there’s the menia Ar and of Tajikistan in assets; state overvaluation the Belarus, going; in it keep petrodollars Kazakh stan, and Azerbaijan Russia, In countries. post-soviet most in dends. divi- political its earning thereby “goodies,” of supply unending an promise did it but generous, larly particu- not pensioners. was government The for produce of bags and students evolved for concerts free into it later Brezhnev; under cur- goods The deficit was bribery ideal. of rency its as - work” of kind- we phrase and us pay kind-of “They the to birth gave that era The success of the velvet revo- velvet the of success The never were slogans Economic evident is stability of cult The - - - - - at destroyed beheaded hierarchy phenomenon been have T he № 2 (84)

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| 5 ------­ - focus|Revolution of dignity quickly turned into a bureaucratic, out the civil service today, after it Government, be it central, lo- corrupt party in power. has been largely shaped by the cal or even military, is becoming Ukrainians never organized a principle of permanent criminal accountable to civil society in Solidarity, Sajudis or Muslim gangs. The strength of such gangs Ukraine. The powerful volunteer Brotherhood, in the sense that is in their ability to conspire, to movement that was born on the none of the Maidans gave birth to come up with shadowy schemes, Maidan makes it possible not a single civic or political force and to negotiate informal agree- only to supply the army with ev- that could have representation at ments. erything it needs, but also to ex- various levels of government. For To confront unspoken gang pose the incompetence of gener- instance, Narodniy Rukh (Peo- rules with the help of legislation is als, their bravura reports, and the ple’s Movement) emerged at the far from straightforward. Party of failure of officials at various levels beginning of the 1990s, buy its the Regions was only the tip of the to come through on their prom- members were effectively barred iceberg, the face of the mafioso oc- ises and commitments. The self- from influential political appoint- topus of the Yanukovych regime. defense companies that a year ments by the freshly re-painted If we recall, in addition to a presi- ago consisted of boys in construc- communist nomenklatura. Simi- dentially-appointed governor of tion helmets and wooden shields larly today, Praviy Sektor, which every oblast state administration, have turned into battle-ready bat- has the justified slogan, “the party the regime had an informal talions that offer a model for how born on the Maidan,” has only a “minder” who made sure the in- the country’s forces need to be re- few deputies in the new Verk- terests of the Family were taken formed in the future. The Ukrai- hovna Rada, a handful of activists care of, especially its business in- nian community abroad, which scattered among the big parties terests. To try to define in law the mostly loved Ukraine from a dis- and among the independents. In limits of influence of such individ- tance in the past, has been giving the Cabinet and Presidential Ad- uals is impossible, although it’s its homeland millions of dollars’ ministration, Maidan activists equally naive to believe that the worth of assistance through have mostly been given posts as current Administration has no transfers to volunteer founda- “advisors.” idea of these shadow functionaries tions and suppliers of ammuni- To achieve a complete victory, and their capacities. tion, while holding the “western this latest revolution needs to in- front” in the information war clude a replacement of police units through which Russia is using ev- by self-defense teams and regional A reflection of yet another ery trick in the book to discredit officials by local Maidan activists. feature of the Maidan is Ukraine. After all, in February 2014, the The current government still sense of the Maidan went geo- that changes are moving seems to think that problems are graphically well beyond the cen- much faster in Ukrainian resolved by first setting up a line tral square of the capital. Yes, pro- ministry—along the lines of the fessionals were necessary and, society than in the Ministry of Information, nick- sooner or later, the contact lists corridors of power named Propaganda Ministry or would have had to be gone Minstets after the current minis- through, and yesterday’s civil ser- The success of reforms in ter—, while ordinary Ukrainians vants screened through the lustra- Ukraine will depend on how much are already busy working in the in- tion process. But a revolutionary distance the current power elite formation and cultural arenas. event has no time for superficial manage to keep between them- Campaigns to boycott Russian renovations: quickly firing all the selves and various “trusted indi- goods began long before the Verk- regime’s functionaries would have viduals” of Yanukovych and to- hovna Rada announced its eco- helped stop the sabotage and sep- day’s oligarchs, and from political nomic sanctions against the Rus- aratist attacks last spring. forces that indirectly work on be- sian Federation. Interest in Ukrai- half of the aggressor. Any talk of nian film, music, literature, and Compromise “peace for the sake of unity” is art inside the country is creating as Thermidor1 likely to lead to the same mistakes domestic demand that Ukrainian The era of jacobinism and bolshe- that were made by the leaders of artists not long ago complained vism has gone into the dustbin of the Orange Revolution, who al- was missing. Ukrainian bloggers history, so calls for bloody revenge lowed the Regionals to return to are famously exposing the fakery on enemies of the revolution power and eventually to organize a of Russian propaganda while offi- makes as much sense as placing full-scale reversal. cials speaking at podiums still talk hopes on horse-drawn carts as a about “the need for proper mea- “green” form of transport that, And the Maidan goes on sures.” moreover, doesn’t require im- The “Revolution of Dignity” has Changes are moving much ported fuels. The language of overturned relations between the faster in Ukrainian society than in weapons makes sense on the front, nation and the government in the corridors of power. This is a but not in the rearguard. Still, de- 1 Thermidor, a month such a way that now the ruling reflection of yet another feature of name invented during pending on the lustration law the French Revolution, elite is seriously worried about the Maidan: the revolutionary has come to mean a re- alone, however ideal it might be, is treat from more radical staying loyal enough to voters. The class is not enthralled with power. also not enough. To clean govern- goals and strategies dur- paternalistic system and the faith Rather, it is demonstrating to the ing a revolution, espe- ment of communist functionaries cially when caused by a in “stability” that went along with ruling elite those progressive sys- replacement of leading in the early 1990s would have personalities. Source: it have collapsed as the main ele- tems and models that they should been far simpler than trying to sift Wikipedia ment in public trust. really consider instituting. 6|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 focus|revolution of dignity From Сold War to Hot War Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the West

he pens were on the table in Minsk, Belarus’s capital, for the leaders of France, Germa­ T­ny, Russia and Ukraine to sign a deal to end a year-long war fuelled by Russia and fought by its proxies. But on February 12th, after all-night talks, they were put away. “No good news,” said Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president. Instead there will be a ceasefire from February 15th. A tentative agreement has been reached to withdraw heavy weap- onry. But Russia looks sure to be able to keep open its border with Ukraine and sustain the flow of arms and people. The siege of Debaltseve, a strategic transport hub held by In this view Russia did not start its citizens’ interests to further its Ukrainian forces, continues. Russia the war in Ukraine, but responded to destiny or satisfy its rulers’ greed. is holding military exercises on its Western aggression. The Maidan up- Both under communism and before side of the border. Crimea was not rising and ousting of Viktor Yanu- it, the Russian state acquired reli- even mentioned. kovych as Ukraine’s president were gious attributes. It is this sacred state Meanwhile the IMF has said it engineered by American special ser- which is under threat. will lend Ukraine USD17.5 billion to vices to move NATO closer to Rus- Mr. Putin sits at its apex. “No prop up its economy. But Mr. Putin sia’s borders. Once Mr. Yanukovych Putin—no Russia,” a deputy chief of seems to be relying on a familiar had gone, American envoys offered staff said recently. His former KGB Russian tactic of exhausting his ne- Ukraine’s interim government colleagues—the Committee of State gotiating counterparts and taking USD25 billion to place missile de- Security—are its guardians, servants two steps forward, one step back. He fences on the Russian border, in or- and priests, and entitled to its riches. is counting on time and endurance der to shift the balance of nuclear Theirs is not a job, but an elite and to bring the collapse and division of power towards America. Russia had hereditary calling. Expropriating a Ukraine and a revision of the post- no choice but to act. private firm’s assets to benefit a state cold war world order. Even without Ukraine, Mr. Putin firm is therefore not an act of corrup- Nearly a quarter-century after has said, America would have found tion. the collapse of the Soviet Union, the some other excuse to contain Russia. When thousands of Ukrainians West faces a greater threat from the Ukraine, therefore, was not the cause took to the streets demanding a East than at any point during the cold of Russia’s conflict with the West, Western-European way of life, the war. Even during the Cuban missile but its consequence. Mr. Putin’s pur- Kremlin saw this as a threat to its crisis of 1962, Soviet leaders were pose is not to rebuild the Soviet em- model of governance. Alexander constrained by the Politburo and pire—he knows this is impossible— Prokhanov, a nationalist writer who memories of the second world war. but to protect Russia’s sovereignty. backs Russia’s war in Ukraine, com- Now, according to Russia’s chief pro- By this he means its values, the most pares European civilisation to a pagandist, Dmitry Kiselev, even a de- important of which is a monopoly on magnet attracting Ukraine and Rus- cision about the use of nuclear arms state power. sia. Destabilising Ukraine is not “will be taken personally by Mr. Pu- Behind Russia’s confrontation enough to counter that force: the tin, who has the undoubted support with the West lies a clash of ideas. magnet itself must be neutralised. of the Russian people”. Bluff or not, On one side are human rights, an ac- Russia feels threatened not by this reflects the Russian elite’s per- countable bureaucracy and demo- any individual European state, but ception of the West as a threat to the cratic elections; on the other an un- by the European Union and NATO, very existence of the Russian state. constrained state that can sacrifice which it regards as expansionist. It 1985–2015 Gorbachev comes to power Break-up of Soviet Union First Chechen war Mikhail Gorbachev elected Communist coup against a reformist -Gor Conflict between Russian forces president of the Soviet Union bachev fails, but contributes to break-up of So- and Chechen separatists begins, by Congress of People’s viet Union. Boris Yeltsin becomes Russian Fed- culminating in a ceasefire in August 1996, Deputies eration president shortly after Yeltsin’s re-election March 1985 December 1991 December 1994 8|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 revolution of dignity|focus sees them as “occupied” by America, had brought Stalinists and national- can deploy forces at very short no- which seeks to exploit Western val- ists within the Communist Party tice…above all, it has shown a will- ues to gain influence over the rest of closer together. When communism ingness to use force.” Mr. Putin drew two the world. America “wants to freeze collapsed they united against Boris lessons from his brief Mr. Putin drew two lessons from the order established after the Soviet Yeltsin and his attempts to make war in Georgia in his brief war in Georgia in 2008. The 2008. The first was collapse and remain an absolute Russia “normal”, by which he meant that Russia could de- first was that Russia could deploy leader, thinking it can do whatever it a Western-style free-market democ- ploy hard power in hard power in countries that had likes, while others can do only what racy. countries that had been in the Soviet Union and were been in the Soviet is in that leader’s interests,” Mr. Pu- By 1993, when members of this Union and were out- outside NATO with little risk of the tin said recently. “Maybe some want coalition were ejected by pro-Yeltsin side NATO with little West responding with force. The sec- risk of the West re- to live in a semi-occupied state, but forces from the parliament building sponding with force. ond, after a slapdash campaign, was we do not.” they had occupied in Moscow, they The second, after a that Russia’s armed forces needed to Russia has taken to arguing that seemed defeated. Yet nationalism has slapdash campaign, be reformed. Military modernisation was that Russia’s it is not fighting Ukraine, but Amer- resurfaced. Those who fought Yeltsin armed forces needed became a personal mission to re- ica in Ukraine. The Ukrainian army and his ideas were active in the an- to be reformed dress “humiliations” visited by an is just a foreign legion of NATO, and nexation of Crimea and are involved “overweening” West on Russia since American soldiers are killing Rus- in the war in south-east Ukraine. Al- the cold war ended. sian proxies in the Donbas. Anti- exander Borodai, the first “prime According to IHS Jane’s, a de- Americanism is not only the reason minister” of the self-proclaimed fence consultancy, by next year Rus- for war and the main pillar of state Donetsk People’s Republic, who sia’s defence spending will have tri- power, but also an ideology that Rus- fought with anti-Yeltsin forces, hails pled in nominal terms since 2007, sia is trying to export to Europe, as it Mr. Putin as the leader of the nation- and it will be halfway through a ten- once exported communism. alist movement in Russia today. year, 20 trillion rouble ($300 billion) Anti-Westernism has been Yet for a few years after Mr. Pu- programme to modernise its weap- dressed not in communist clothes, tin came to power he built close rela- ons. New types of missiles, bombers but in imperial and even clerical tions with NATO. In his first two and submarines are being readied ones. “We see how many Euro-At- presidential terms, rising living stan- for deployment over the next few lantic countries are in effect turning dards helped buy acceptance of his away from their roots, including monopoly on state power and reli- their Christian values,” said Mr. Pu- ance on ex-KGB men; now that the Those who fought Yeltsin tin in 2013. Russia, by contrast, “has economy is shrinking, the threat of and his ideas were active in always been a state civilisation held war is needed to legitimise his rule. together by the Russian people, the He forged his alliance with Orthodox the annexation of Crimea Russian language, Russian culture nationalists only during mass street and are involved in the and the Russian Orthodox church.” protests by Westernised liberals in The Donbas rebels are fighting not 2012, when he returned to the Krem- war in south-east Ukraine only the Ukrainian army, but against lin. Instead of tear gas, he has used a corrupt Western way of life in or- nationalist, imperialist ideas, culmi- years. Spending on defence and se- der to defend Russia’s distinct world nating in the annexation of Crimea curity is expected to climb by 30% view. and the slow subjugation of south- this year and swallow more than a east Ukraine. third of the federal budget. Mistaken hopes As well as money for combat air- Many in the West equate the end of Hard power and soft craft, helicopters, armoured vehicles communism with the end of the cold Mr. Putin’s preferred method is “hy- and air-defence systems, about a war. In fact, by the time the Soviet brid warfare”: a blend of hard and third of the budget has been ear- Union fell apart, Marxism-Leninism soft power. A combination of instru- marked to overhaul Russia’s nuclear was long dead. Stalin replaced the ments, some military and some non- forces. A revised military doctrine ideals of internationalism, equality military, choreographed to surprise, signed by Mr. Putin in December and social justice that the Bolsheviks confuse and wear down an oppo- identified “reinforcement of NATO’s had proclaimed in 1917 with imperi- nent, hybrid warfare is ambiguous in offensive capacities directly on Rus- alism and state dominance over all both source and intent, making it sia’s borders, and measures taken to spheres of life. Mikhail Gorbachev’s hard for multinational bodies such deploy a global anti-missile defence revolution consisted not in damping as NATO and the EU to craft a re- system” in central Europe as the down Marxism but in proclaiming sponse. But without the ability to ap- greatest threats Russia faces. the supremacy of universal human ply hard power, Russia’s version of In itself, that may not be cause values over the state, opening up soft power would achieve little. Rus- for alarm in the West. Russian nu- Russia to the West. sia “has invested heavily in defence,” clear doctrine has changed little since Nationalists, Stalinists, commu- says NATO’s new secretary-general, 2010, when the bar for first use was nists and monarchists united against a former Norwegian prime minister, slightly raised to situations in which Mr. Gorbachev. Anti-Americanism Jens Stoltenberg. “It has shown it “the very existence of the state is un- 1985–2015 Putin comes to power Revolution in Ukraine War in Georgia Yeltsin chooses Vladimir Putin Ukraine’s election, widely viewed Long-standing tensions with Georgia as prime minister. In October as fraudulent, sparks protests leading boil over into a military conflict. Putin sends Russian troops into Chechnya, to the Orange revolution which brings Georgian troops attack South Ossetia, starting the second Chechen war Viktor Yushchenko to power Russia drives them out August 1991 November 2004 August 2008 № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|9 focus|revolution of dignity der threat”. That may reflect growing increase in the number of close en- Coming up from behind confidence in Russia’s conventional counters involving Russian aircraft forces. But Mr. Putin is fond of saying Defence spending, 2007 = 100 and naval vessels, and snap exercises that nobody should try to shove Rus- by Russian forces close to NATO’s sia around when it has one of the 70 200 northern and eastern borders. Last world’s biggest nuclear arsenals. Mr. 180 year NATO planes carried out more Kiselev puts it even more bluntly: than 400 intercepts of Russian air- “During the years of romanticism [ie, 160 craft. More than 150 were by the alli- Russia Spending detente], the Soviet Union undertook 140 ance’s beefed-up Baltic air-policing not to use nuclear weapons first. 2014, $bn mission—four times as many as in Modern Russian doctrine does not. 120 2013. In the first nine months of the The illusions are gone.” year, 68 “hot” identifications and in- 100 Mr. Putin still appears wedded to 265 terdictions occurred along the Lithu- a strategy he conceived in 2000: 80 anian border alone. Latvia recorded threatening a limited nuclear strike Europian NATO* more than 150 incidents of Russian to force an opponent (ie, America 60 planes entering its airspace. 2007 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 and its NATO allies) to withdraw There have also been at least two from a conflict in which Russia has Sourse: International In itute near-misses between Russian mili- an important stake, such as in Geor- for Strategic Studies *26 countries tary aircraft and Swedish airliners. gia or Ukraine. Nearly all its large- This is dangerous stuff: Russian pi- scale military exercises in the past to draw his troops back. Since No- lots do not file flight plans. They fly decade have featured simulations of vember a new build-up of Russian with transponders switched off, limited nuclear strikes, including one forces has been under way. Ukrai- which makes them invisible to civil on Warsaw. nian military intelligence reckons radar. On January 28th two Russian, Mr. Putin has also been stream- there may be 9,000 in their country possibly nuclear-armed, strategic lining his armed forces, with the (NATO has given no estimate). An- bombers flew down the English army recruiting 60,000 contract sol- other 50,000 are on the Russian side Channel, causing havoc to commer- diers each year. Professionals now of the border. cial aviation. Such behaviour is in- make up 30% of the force. Con- Despite Mr. Putin’s claim last tended to test Western air defences, scripts may bulk up the numbers, year that he could “take Kiev in two and was last seen in the cold war. Mr. but for the kind of complex, limited weeks” if he wanted, a full-scale in- Stoltenberg calls it “risky and unjus- wars Mr. Putin wants to be able to vasion and subsequent occupation tified”. win, they are pretty useless. Ordi- is beyond Russia. But a Russian- Since 2013, when Russia re- nary contract soldiers are also still a controlled mini-state, Novorossiya, started large-scale snap military ex- long way behind special forces such similar to Abkhazia and Transdni- ercises, at least eight have been held. as the GRU Spetsnaz (the “little estria, could be more or less eco- In December the Kremlin ordered green men” who went into Crimea nomically sustainable. And it would one in Kaliningrad, an exclave that without military insignia) and the end Ukraine’s hopes of ever regain- borders Lithuania and Poland, both elite airborne VDV troops, but they ing sovereignty over its territory NATO members. It mobilised 9,000 are catching up. other than on Russian terms, which soldiers, more than 55 navy ships would undoubtedly include staying and every type of military aircraft. Boots on the ground out of the EU and NATO. Not a bad “This pattern of behaviour can be South-east Ukraine shows the new outcome for Mr. Putin, and within used to hide intent,” says General model army at work. Spetsnaz units reach with the hard power he con- Philip Breedlove, NATO’s most se- first trained the Kremlin-backed sep- trols. nior commander. “What is it mask- aratist rebels in tactics and the han- The big fear for NATO is that Mr. ing? What is it conditioning us for?” dling of sophisticated Russian weap- Putin turns his hybrid warfare A huge problem for NATO is that ons. But when the Ukrainian govern- against a member country. Particu- most of what Russia might attempt ment began to make headway in larly at risk are the Baltic states—Lat- will be below the radar of traditional early summer, Russia had regular via, Estonia and Lithuania—two of collective defence. According to Mr. forces near the border to provide a which have large Russian-speaking Stoltenberg, deciding whether an Ar- calibrated (and still relatively covert) minorities. In January Anders Fogh ticle 5 attack has taken place means response. Rasmussen, NATO’s previous secre- both recognising what is going on It is hard to tell how many Rus- tary-general, said there was a “high and knowing who is behind it. “We sian troops have seen action in probability” that Mr. Putin would need more intelligence and better Ukraine, as their vehicles and uni- test NATO’s Article 5, which regards situational awareness,” he says; but forms carry no identifiers. But an attack on any member as an at- adds that NATO allies accept that if around 4,000 were sent to relieve tack on all—though “he will be de- the arrival of little green men can be Luhansk and Donetsk while threat- feated” if he does so. attributed “to an aggressor nation, it ening the coastal city of Mariupol— A pattern of provocation has is an Article 5 action and then all the enough to convince Mr. Poroshenko been established that includes a big assets of NATO come to bear.” 1985–2015 Moscow protests Putin’s third term Street protests in Kyiv First big anti-government demonstration since Putin returns to the Kremlin for a third term Hundreds of thousands call for the resigna- the 1990s. Thousands protest in the streets against after a four-year hiatus forced by constitu- tion of president Yanukovych, who backed a fraudulent election that keeps Putin in power tional rules away from EU membership in favor of Russia December 2011 March 2012 November 2013 10|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 revolution of dignity|focus For all the rhetoric of the cold ple worldwide and 2.7m hotel gas fracking and nuclear power—as war, the Soviet Union and America rooms. Though it is not a complete is Moscow, because both promise to had been allies and winners in the farce, it has broadcast a string of lessen Europe’s dependence on second world war and felt a certain false stories, such as one speculat- Russian fossil fuels. Mr. Rasmussen respect for each other. The Polit- ing that America was behind the has accused Russia of “sophisti- According to IHS buro suffered from no feelings of Ebola epidemic in west Africa. Jane’s, a defence cated” manipulation of information inferiority. In contrast, Mr. Putin The Kremlin is also a sophisti- consultancy, by next to hobble fracking in Europe, year Russia’s defence and his KGB men came out of the cated user of the internet and social spending will have though without producing concrete cold war as losers. What troubles media. It employs hundreds of tripled in nominal evidence. terms since 2007, Mr. Stoltenberg greatly about Mr. “trolls” to garrison the comment and it will be halfway There is circumstantial evidence Putin’s new, angry Russia is that it sections and Twitter feeds of the through a ten-year, in Bulgaria, which in 2012 cancelled is harder to deal with than the old West. The point is not so much to 20 trillion rouble a permit for Chevron to explore for ($300 billion) pro- Soviet Union. As a Norwegian, promote the Kremlin’s views, but to gramme to moder- shale gas after anti-fracking protests. used to sharing an Arctic border denigrate opposition figures, and nise its weapons Some saw Russia’s hand in these, with Russia, he says that “even foreign governments and institu- possibly to punish the pro-European during the coldest period of the tions, and to sow fear and confu- government of the time, which cold war we were able to have a sion. Vast sums have been thrown sought to reduce its reliance on Rus- pragmatic conversation with them at public-relations and lobbying sian energy (Gazprom, Russia’s on many security issues”. Russia firms to improve Russia’s image state-controlled gas giant, supplies had “an interest in stability” then, abroad—among them Ketchum, 90% of Bulgaria’s gas). “but not now”. based in New York, which helped Previously, Bulgaria had been place an op-ed by Mr. Putin in the expected to transport Russian oil Meddling and perverting New York Times. And it can rely on through its planned South Stream Destabilisation is also being achieved some of its corporate partners to pipeline, and its parliament had in less military ways. Wielding power lobby against policies that would approved a bill that would have ex- or gaining influence abroad— hurt Russian business. empted the project from awkward Spending on defence through antiestablishment political The West’s willingness to shelter and security is ex- EU rules. Much of it had been writ- parties, disgruntled minority groups, Russian money, some of it gained pected to climb by ten by Gazprom, and the construc- 30% this year and media outlets, environmental activ- corruptly, demoralises the Russian swallow more than a tion contract was to go to a firm ists, supporters in business, propa- opposition while making the West third of the federal owned by Gennady Timchenko, an gandist “think-tanks”, and others— more dependent on the Kremlin. budget oligarch now under Western sanc- has become part of the Kremlin’s hy- Russian money has had a poisonous tions. Gazprom offered to finance brid-war strategy. This perversion of effect closer to home, too. Russia the pipeline and to sponsor a Bul- “soft power” is seen by Moscow as a wields soft power in the Baltics partly garian football team. The energy vital complement to military engage- through its “compatriots policy”, minister at the time later claimed ment. which entails financial support for he had been offered bribes by a Certainly Russia is not alone in Russian-speaking minorities abroad. Russian envoy to smooth the proj- abusing soft power. The American Mr. Putin’s most devious strat- ect’s passage. Though European government’s aid agency, USAID, egy, however, is to destabilise the EU opposition means it has now been has planted tweets in Cuba and the through fringe political parties. Rus- scrapped, the episode shows the Middle East to foster dissent. And sia’s approach to ideology is fluid: it methods Moscow uses to protect Mr. Putin has hinted that Russia supports both far-left and far-right its economic interests. needs to fight this way because groups. As Peter Pomerantsev and In all this Mr. Putin is evi- America and others are already do- Michael Weiss put it in “The menace dently acting not only for Russia’s ing so, through “pseudo-NGOs”, of unreality”, a paper on Russian soft sake, but for his own. Mr. Borodai, CNN and human-rights groups. power: “The aim is to exacerbate di- the rebel ideologue in Donetsk, At home Russian media, which vides [in the West] and create an says that if necessary the Russian are mostly state-controlled, churn echo-chamber of Kremlin support.” volunteers who are fighting today out lies and conspiracy theories. in Donbas will tomorrow defend Abroad, the main conduit for the Disruptive politics their president on the streets of Kremlin’s world view is RT, a TV Far-right groups are seduced by the Moscow. Yet, although Mr. Putin channel set up in 2005 to promote idea of Moscow as a counterweight may believe he is using national- a positive view of Russia that now to the EU, and by its law-and-order ists, the nationalists believe they focuses on making the West look policies. Its stance on homosexual- are using him to consolidate their bad. It uses Western voices: far-left ity and promotion of “traditional” power. What they aspire to, with anti-globalists, far-right national- moral values appeal to religious or without Mr. Putin, is that Rus- ists and disillusioned individuals. conservatives. The far left likes the © 2015 The sians rally behind the nationalist It broadcasts in English, Arabic talk of fighting American hege- Economist state and their leader to take on and Spanish and is planning Ger- mony. Russia’s most surprising al- Newspaper Western liberalism. This is not a man- and French-language chan- lies, however, are probably Europe’s Limited. All conflict that could have been re- nels. It claims to reach 700m peo- Greens. They are opposed to shale- rights reserved solved in Minsk. 1985–2015 Annexation of Crimea Fighting intensifies Peace plan talks Yanukovych flees from Kyiv. After an invasion Fighting reaches Ukraine’s Donbas region. Ma- Pressure on NATO to arm Ukraine’s troops. World in February by Russian troops, a referendum is laysian Airlines passenger jet shot down by pro- leaders meet to discuss peace deal and announce held declaring Crimea an independent state Russian troops. Sanctions against Russia follow second ceasefire after collapse of previous effort April 2014 July 2014 February 2015 № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|11 SECURITY|Russia gust 2008. At present there are three Russian military bases in the region, Russian Military which are, incidentally, organized according to the NATO standards. Russia's 7th military base in Ab- khazia with headquarters in Bases and Soviet Sukhumi is a place of service for more than 4 thousand military, in- cluding aviation, mountain infantry, Heritage in the West and special units. Their objective is to maintain control over the strategic Kodori Gorge, the Ingury hydroelec- here is a wide-spread belief ment. The Kaliningrad contingent tric station and the Sukhumi port. among the journalist commu- Author: matches half the military potential of The 3000-strong “Armed Forces” of nity as well as the general pub- Yaroslav Poland in terms of armament, and the self-proclaimed Republic of Ab- lic that Russia and the NATO Tynchenko all of the Baltic States combined, as khazia play the supporting role. The T th members are in some kind of serious far as manpower is concerned. In 7 military base represents a power- confrontation. In reality the NATO case fighting breaks out, the Kalinin- ful contingent that can resist Geor- leadership is very interested in the grad forces can receive support from gia, or be used in operations in the Russian Federation Armed Forces as the Republic of Belarus, which has Middle East. a deterrent for the Islamic funda- one of the largest armies in Europe, The second largest Russian over- mentalist threat from the East. On as this country is in defence com- seas base is the 4th Guards Military top of that, strong and authoritative monwealth with the Russian Federa- Base in South Ossetia with head- Russia is a considerable factor in tion. There also are Russian military quarters in Tskhinvali. These are curbing the Chinese expansion, bases on the territory of Belarus: the predominantly motorized and avia- which causes serious concerns in Eu- radar station "Volga" in Hantsavichy tion units. While no data on num- rope and the Unites States. (southwestern part of Belarus, close bers of equipment stationed at the In the 1990s, NATO member- to the Polish border) and the navy 6th and 4th military bases is available, states, and above all, the USA tended communication unit in Vileyka (in these contingents are known to have to look down on Russia's military po- northwestern Belarus, close to the tanks, armored vehicles, artillery tential. But things changed ever Lithuanian border). systems and aircraft both from the since the 9/11 tragedy and the mili- This line essentially representing Russian bases formerly located in tary campaigns launched in Iraq and Russia's front against the NATO is Georgia, as well as from the dis- Afghanistan, the latter of which is yet broken by the territory of Ukraine, banded North Caucasus Military At present the to conclude. The Pentagon reconsid- Russian Armed but continues through Moldova, or District. ered the importance of having a Forces have rather through the self-proclaimed The oldest Russian base in the powerful ally in the East. The NATO- Republic of Transnistria. Until re- Caucasus is located in Gyumri, Ar- 845,000 nd Russia relationships were at their servicemen and cently there were 2.5 thousand of the menia. The 102 base became the closest in the mid-2000s. And while civilian employees. Russian “peacekeeping forces” in new home for the Russian contin- they did worsen in 2008 as a result The Kremlin is fully Transnistria. Currently this contin- prepared for the gent withdrawn from Transcaucasia of the Russo-Georgian war, they event of WWIII, gent is just over 1000-strong, as offi- in 2007. Official numbers as of the soon stabilized again. What is more, however, its cially declared. These units guard the year 2000 suggest that the base had probability is viewed several years ago the Russian Feder- as extremely low military depots in Tiraspol contain- 3,000 military personnel, 74 T-72 ation carried out major reforms in ing more than 100 T-64 tanks, close tanks, 148 infantry fighting vehicles the armed forces switching to to 150 infantry fighting vehicles, ar- and 84 artillery systems. This ap- “NATO standards". For instance, the tillery systems, anti-aircraft missile proximately matches the Georgian current organization of the Russian systems and so forth. The weaponry arsenal in 2008 before the Russo- army is a carbon copy of that in the available on site would suffice for the Georgian war. At present more than alliance. deployment of a far larger corps. 5,000 Russian military are serving in At present the Russian Federa- Crimea serves as a powerful re- Armenia. Their armament, apart tion Armed Forces de-facto have serve for the forces in Transnistria. from the abovementioned weap- three likely opponents globally, any There's a large and diverse contin- onry, includes S-300 surface-to-air two of which can be allies against the gent on the peninsula, it includes missile systems and MiG-29 fighter third one. These are the NATO and missile units capable of creating a planes. the countries of the Middle or the "shield" above Transnistria. By means of transport aviation Far East. Further east, the Russian mili- each of the Russian bases in the Cau- One of the largest contingents tary bases in the Caucasus have the casus can be reformed within hours de-facto directed to oppose NATO's potential to not only oppose the into a powerful corps with all the military strength is represented by NATO, but also to serve as ally necessary means of armament. If the land and coastal forces of the forces. Since Washington and Mos- need be, Moscow can use these Baltic fleet located in Kaliningrad re- cow have a similar stance as regards troops against Georgia, Azerbaijan, gion. This remote part of Russian to Islamist extremists, Russian mili- Turkey (NATO member-state) or the territory lies between the Baltic tary presence in this region is in fact potential opponents of the Atlantic States and Poland, which is why the convenient for the Alliance. Alliance. military bases on it are especially Russian military contingents in Effectively the Russian bases in strong both in terms of manpower the Caucasus played a decisive role the Central Asia are serving the and the advanced level of equip- during Russo-Georgian war of Au- NATO interests. As long as the Rus- 12|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Russia|nSECURITY the military conflict in the Donbas, the leadership rules out the possi- "Contingent of "Volga" radar ation Abkhazia bility of military conflict with NATO Peacekeeping (Hantsavichy) Headquarters – Sukhumi. "Bombora" military airbase, Forces" in Transnis- Ochamchira Bay, facilities in Kodori Gorge and near the member-states over Ukraine. First tria (Tiraspol) – Ingury hydroeleric ation and foremost this is based on the approx. 1,000 Navy communication 4,000 personnel personnel unit (Vileyka) popular moods in European societ- Additionally, the "Armed Forces of Ablhazia" close to 2.200 personnel, 660 personnel in the Navy (including ies and the United States. Not un- 350 marines) common is the perception of the

South Ossetia Russian Federation as a "necessary 4th Guards military base evil" (an instrument against the Belarus Tskhinvali, Java village Motorized units and airbase – close to 4,000 personnel possible threat from the East). A The base includes a so-called Ossetian battalion certain portion of citizens even tend Airbase in the town of Kant with Ukraine to take the Russian side in any con- Su-25 fighter planes and Mi-8 Transport helicopters, Navy communication flict unfolding on the territory of the aviation regimen centre, seismographic ation and (Ko anay) torpedo weapons te base former Soviet Union. Many coun- 400 military personnel Te range tries have a widespread belief that Baikonur Air defence in the 1990s Russia voluntarily gave Cosmodrome te ing range up its WWII "trophies" in Europe Armenia (Sary Shagan) 201 Russian military base and withdrew its military contin- Kazakh an Facilities located in Dushanbe, Kurgan-Tube, Kulya, a number of smaller facilities and ranges – approx. gents from East Germany, Czecho- 7,500 personnel. The base controls space surveil- 102nd Russian military base lance ation "Okno" located in Nurak. slovakia and Hungary. Additionally, Located in Gyumri – S-300 surface- Uzbeki an Kyrgyz an to-air missile sy ems and MiG-29 the Russian Federation reined in its fighter planes – 5,000 personnel Tajiki an China ambitions in the Balkans. So there is this kind of thinking along the We ern Military Di ri Southern Military Di ri Central Military Di ri lines of 'let's be grateful to Russia Ea ern Military Di ri Russian Federation's allies for that and keep our noses out of "its business" in Georgia or, say, Ukraine.' sian Federation keeps the region graphic station and a torpedo weap- Officials in the Kremlin are well under its control the American ons test base – 400 military person- aware of this. At present the activity Armed Forces are free to carry out nel. In Kazakhstan there's a testing of the Armed Forces of the Russian operations in Afghanistan or Paki- range more commonly known as Federation is based upon the mili- stan without fear of being struck Baikonur Cosmodrome, a transport tary doctrine developed by the for- from the rear. aviation regiment in Kostanay and mer Head of Staff and current chief Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ta- an air defence testing range in Sary military analyst General Nikolai Ma- jikistan are part of the Russian-cre- Shagan. karov. In 2010 he declared: “In the ated Collective Security Treaty (also In case of fighting at any of the past we fought wars with multi-mil- signed by Belarus and Armenia), and directions, the command of the lion armies based on fronts. The ex- thus are Moscow's direct allies. On Armed Forces of the Russian Feder- perience of the military conflicts in top of that, all three are members of ation can redeploy strong support to the last decade demonstrated that what is known as Shanghai Coopera- any of the abovementioned military this kind of war is possible, yet is im- tion Organization, a regional military bases within hours. This can be car- probable. In future armed forces will and political bloc, which also in- ried out by very considerable air- switch to active maneuvering. Front cludes Russia, China and Uzbeki- borne troops (35 thousand person- line battles will be replaced by ac- stan. Therefore the Central Asia now nel). They consist of four divisions: tions of combined groups in the has its own military and political alli- the 7th (Novorossiysk), the 76th depth of the enemy lines. Sides will ance, which while not declaring to be (Pskov), the 98th (Ivanovo), the 106th aim at striking critically important a NATO-style military bloc, de-facto (Tula); four brigades: the 11th (Ulan- facilities and lean towards non-con- plays a rather important part. Ude), the 31st (Ulyanovsk), the 56th tact combat.” Russian military presence in the (Kamyshyn), the 83rd (Ussuriysk); Thus, in spite of the war in the Central Asia is first and foremost re- communication and special purpose Donbas and scandals like the recent alized via the 201st military base in regiments (the 45th in Kubinka, Mos- killing of an Armenian family by a Tajikistan with 7,500 military per- cow Oblast), Riazan military school Russian soldier in Gyumri, NATO sonnel. It has bases in Dushanbe, and the 242nd training centre in member-states will continue to turn Kurgan-Tube, Kulyab and other ar- Omsk. a blind eye at such things, because eas. The base controls the space sur- The airborne troops are Russian for them Russia is more of an ally veillance station "Okno" [Russian army's equivalent of the US Marine than an opponent. for "window"] located in Nurak and Corps, and therefore are at the fore- Meanwhile the horror stories boasts a large arsenal. In the 1990s front of all offensive operations by about "NATO legions" in Ukraine the base had 180 T-72 tanks, 340 the Armed Forces of the Russian or some illusory standoff between infantry fighting vehicles, large Federation. Their tactic is rapid and the USA and Russia have only one numbers of artillery systems etc. covert action, as demonstrated in aim: to push maximum numbers On the territory of Kyrgyzstan in August 2014 in the course of the war of classes whose representatives the town of Kant the Russian Feder- against Ukraine in the Donbas. are potentially dangerous for Pu- ation has an airbase with Su-25 Despite the fact that Russia suf- tin's regime inside Russia towards fighter jets and Mi-8 helicopters, a fers from economic sanctions as a going to the Donbas to meet their communication centre, a seismo- result of its active engagement in death. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|13 Security|Frontline "Armed Forces of Novorossiya" Who is fighting against Ukraine?

Author: krainian media tend to Yaroslav portray the enemy as semi- Tynchenko barbaric gangs of terror- Uists, good for nothing with- out Russian volunteers, the Chechen spetsnaz and the regular army of the Russian Federation. This distorted view of the enemy leads to underestimation and ar- rogance, which represent a factor of defeat. The territories of the self-pro- claimed "Donetsk People's Repub- lic" (DNR), and especially the "Lu- hansk People's Republic" (LNR) are no longer controlled by the semi-anarchist militant rabbles. The separatist "republics" have had enough time and powerful supervi- sion in order to properly organize, equip and arm their troops. Of course, there are plenty of Russian volunteers among their ranks, and in the rear there is Chechen spetsnaz stationed in Zugres, a town not far from the state border lot of resemblance with the Rus- signia in Moscow. Yet the insignia with Russia. The "kidnapping" of sian armed forces uniform. Manu- on the uniforms of both the DNR Pavlo Hubarev, one of the DNR facture was to be arranged in and LNR remained Soviet: stars on leaders, by the Chechens on Janu- Crimea with plans to order in the the shoulder straps, belt buckles, ary 19* and his subsequent "fortu- region of 15-40,000 kits. buttons, Guards badges, Russian nate" return neatly demonstrated Apparently, funding for the Bolshevik cockades on the head- that the forces of Ramzan Kadyrov, project never arrived or, rather, gear. So visually the "Armed Forces the Chechen leader, are there to act Russia opted to supply the "Armed of Novorossiya" represent a carbon as barrier troops: nobody will be al- Forces of Novorossiya" with the copy of the Russian troops circa the lowed to retreat into Russia, espe- Russian Federation's old 1998-spec campaigns in Chechnya and Geor- cially the figures like Hubarev. army uniform, which had been gia. Only the stars on the shoulder For many residents of the terri- phased out a few years ago with straps and the system of ranks they tories controlled by the self-pro- plenty of stock remaining. As a re- represent match the one of the claimed DNR and LNR the inde- sult the militants of the self-pro- Armed Forces of Ukraine. pendence referendum held in May claimed LNR and DNR feature in Of course armed forces cannot 2014 was a point of "saying good- most videos are dressed in Russian exist without the command. And bye to Ukraine". Ukrainian politi- army camouflage known as Flora separatists do have plenty of that cians and later armed forces failed (VSR-98) and Gorka, both of which (not only officers, but generals). to turn the tide in time. This al- have been replaced in the Russian Firstly, there are officers, Donetsk lowed anti-Ukrainian forces to or- Federation army with the new and Luahansk locals, who served in ganize over the summer. When camouflage pattern known as the the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ru- ceasefire was announced in Sep- Rossiyskaya Tsifra (Russian Digit). mour has it, many of them are for- tember, the units of the "people's As far as orders and medals mer colonels and lieutenant colo- militia of the Donbas" (DNR) and were concerned, the situation is nels, who worked within the Minis- the "army of the Southeast" (LNR) similar. Moscow's Phaleristic ex- try of Defence of Ukraine, the began reorganizing into the perts produced plenty of orders General Staff, and held important "Armed Forces of Novorossiya" and medals featuring the double- positions in brigades. On the other One of the major features dis- headed eagle and the St. George's hand, there is no shortage of Rus- tinguishing any army is uniform Cross. The flags that the LNR lead- sian military officers and even gen- with own insignia. Uniform experts ers awarded to their "battle units" erals of the reserve. in Moscow began working on uni- in late 2014 bear a striking resem- The existence of organized forms for the "republics" as early as blance to the artistic products of command in the "Armed Forces of June 2014. Their sketches bear a the “Mars” Academy of Russian In- Novorossiya" became especially 14|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Frontline|Security apparent in late 2014. The inner had their sights on complete inte- led by commander Motorola and war between cadre officers and gration into the Russian Federa- Somalia led by commander Givi. guerilla leaders reached its climax tion from the get-go. And this is Aside from the Russian "volun- when Igor Plontytskyi, the self-pro- why Russian military aid was much teers", at their core these groups claimed leader of the LNR, ordered more prominent there compared to are made up of radical opponents the elimination of Oleksandr Bied- the DNR ever since May 2014. In of the current Ukrainian authori- nov aka Batman, the notorious fact, the appearance of first Rus- ties, the natives of the Donbas, as leader of the sabotage group of the sian bases near Luhansk was re- well as of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, LNR titled after its commander. corded as early as June 2014. And Odesa and other oblasts. Defectors This was done on January 1, 2015. when a conflict sparked between from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, His public assassination along with the LNR and the leaders of Don as well as from the law-enforce- six of his associates served as a "Cossacks", it was the Russian ment bodies, former policemen etc. warning message to other guerilla leadership that settled things by make another considerable cate- commanders of the self-pro- curbing the separatist appetites of gory within the militias. claimed "Luhansk People's Repub- people like Cossack ataman Niko- Given the large number of mili- lic": submit to military subordina- lay Kozitsyn. tants originating from the territo- tion or leave the LNR. The bottom ranks of the "Corps ries currently under the control of Interestingly, the assassination of People's Militia of the LNR" are the Ukrainian authorities, the lead- of Batman pointed to certain dif- mostly made up of the locals, pre- ership of the DNR often declares ferences between the armed groups dominantly "volunteers". First of intentions to carry out a "punitive" of the LNR and those of the DNR. all they feel real support on Rus- offensive on Kyiv against the "fas- The militants, who opposed Plot- sia's part, so they are not afraid of cist junta". Acts of terrorism car- nytskyi's policies, fled to the Ukrainian authorities regaining "Donetsk People's Republic" join- control and prosecuting them. Sec- ing the ranks of militias led by ondly, the privates in these "armed Exact total numbers commanders nicknamed Givi and forces" receive a monthly salary of of the "Armed Forces Motorola. USD 350, while officers are paid Now the LNR has its own so- USD 500, which is a very high of Novorossiya" are called "Corps of People's Militia of wage for a region with extreme un- unknown. But, evidently, the Armed Forces of Novorossiya". employment rates. It has four numbered brigades (in- Wages in the "people's militia they are in excess of 10,000 cluding one landing-assault bri- of the Donbas", the Donetsk wing gade), a detached artillery brigade, of the "Armed Forces of Novoros- ried out in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia a special purpose brigade "Odessa", siya" are similar. Yet, unlike the and Odesa oblasts during the re- a commandant's regiment and a Luhansk units, the DNR forces cent months indicate massive infil- "Cossack" regiment. Each of the maintained their guerilla-like orga- tration by sabotage units. brigades has a number of motor- nization. In them discipline is sup- Exact total numbers of the ized, tank and reconnaissance bat- ported not so much by the military "Armed Forces of Novorossiya" are talions. The "Corps of People's Mi- subordination, but rather by indi- unknown. But, evidently, they are litia of the LNR" incorporated bat- vidual authority of the command- in excess of 10,000. Their mini- talions Zaria (Russian for “dawn”), ers. The author of this article has mum goal is to straighten the front which was created and led by Plot- regular phone conversations with line by seizing the Donetsk Airport nytskyi himself, Lieshyi (Russian Donetsk residents, who live near area, the towns of Debaltseve, Sta- fairy tale wood goblin), Batman, the City Military Commissariat. Ac- nytsia Luhanska and Triokhiz- USSR, St. George Battalion, Vitiaz cording to their observations, up to benka. The maximum goal is to (Russian for “knight”), Rus, Mod- 40 volunteers come each day. capture the territories of the zhakhed (Mujahidin), KGB Odessa, These are men of all ages, from 18 Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts August, 2nd detached battalion year-olds to pensioners. where the referendum on the inde- Don, 3rd Stanitsia-Luhanska para- The DNR military leader Olek- pendence of the self-proclaimed trooper battalion and other units sandr Zakharchenko opposed the DNR and LNR took place. Apart with equally exotic names. idea of having his units merge into from political gains, these plans In late 2014 and early 2015 the the "Armed Forces of Novoros- also have certain economic ratio- "Corps of People's Militia of the siya". This was one of the biggest nale. There are Ukrainian-con- * According to Pavlo Hu- LNR" held extensive tank and live stumbling blocks that led to his barev, Chechen merce- trolled agrarian areas of Donetsk fire exercises. The sheer number of fallout with Igor Bezler aka Bes, the naries who are fighting and Luhansk oblasts that could po- in the Donbas took him staged news reports featuring commandant of Horlivka. As a re- to their base in Zugres tentially satisfy the agricultural on January 19 to have heavily on the Russian television, sult of the conflict, the latter was him explain what they needs of the large separatist-held which showed the tanks of the self- removed from command. considered to be his cities. Capturing Mariupol and statements of possess- proclaimed LNR, can be taken a The best known units of the ing records of some ne- Severodonetsk would bolster the gotiations that allegedly clear indication of separatists' in- DNR are the brigades Oplot (Rus- confirmed the involve- industrial potential of the separat- tention to launch an offensive in sian for “stronghold”) formerly led ment of Ramzan Kadyrov ist "republics", while Artemivsk in the terrorist attack the near future. by Olekdsandr Zakharchenko, against Charlie Hebdo with its large army depots would employees in France. Such rapid success in organiz- Vostok (“the East), Kalmius This information was reinforce their arsenal. And then ing the "Armed Forces of Novoros- (named after the local river), Priz- spread online in mid- there's the global objective to move January. Hubarev said siya" on the territory of LNR can be rak (Russain for “phantom”) led by that he never accused further west towards Transnistria, Kadyrov of anything and reanimating the project "Novoros- explained by the fact that the lead- separatist Aleksei Mozgovyi from the statement spread ership of this separatist "republic" Luhansk Oblast, battalions Sparta online was a fake. siya". № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|15 Politics|Election reform A Key to Transforming Ukraine Hopes for stamping out corruption, reforming law enforcement bodies and transforming the country in accordance with the European values are futile, unless major flaws in the Ukrainian electoral law are eradicated

lectoral law is the key legal Author: essentially formed not by the cannot be operational and effi- foundation for representa- Volodymyr voter, but by party leaders, who cient by definition. tive democracy. Its quality Vasylenko are accountable to their backers. The Program Manifesto of the Edefines the quality of the na- The other 225 MPs are elected in Maidan passed at the popular as- tionwide representative body and single-member constituencies un- sembly on December 29, 2013 de- the highest legislative body of the der the first-past-the-post (ma- fined as a priority short-term ob- country. The quality of the parlia- joritarian) system. The flawed, yet jective for the democratic forces to ment in its turn defines the quality legally regulated order of cam- "conduct early parliamentary elec- of the executive and judicial paigning in single-member con- tions under the proportional rep- branches of power, as their top of- stituencies coupled with Ukrai- resentation system with open ficials are elected and higher bod- nian political reality turns majori- lists". ies are formed by the Verkhovna tarian election into a cynical farce, Unfortunately, in spite of the Rada of Ukraine. All hopes for cre- which is often further exacerbated collapse of the Yanukovych regime ating efficient constitutional or- by the subsequent vote rigging and the considerable loss of influ- der, stamping out corruption, re- and yet again leaves the citizens ence of his Party of Regions fac- forming the Prosecutor's Office, without true freedom of choice. tion, the old composition of the the judicial and law-enforcement Verkhovna Rada never managed systems, transforming the country to adopt new electoral legislation. in accordance with the European Ukrainian authorities Early parliamentary elections of values and democratic principles and leading political October 2014 took place in accor- are futile, unless major flaws in dance with the existing law that the Ukrainian electoral law are parties in parliament several years earlier had been eradicated. must refrain from modified to suit the needs of Vik- The mixed proportional-ma- tor Yanukovych's puppet govern- joritarian electoral system that ex- attempts to shape ment. As a result the representa- ists in Ukraine was supposedly the electoral legislation tives of the Party of Regions and designed with the European and those that openly or candidly sup- the world experience in mind. In to fit their needs ported it were once again elected reality, however, Ukraine has an to the new parliamentary convoca- established general freedom of Thus the existing situation tion, albeit in much smaller num- elections, which are regularly held around parliamentary elections bers. They made and will continue in due terms, as prescribed by the goes against the very principle of to make attempts to block the laws and the Constitution, on the representative democracy and adoption of initiatives directed at one hand, while a citizen is practi- makes it impossible to form the reforming the country, satisfying cally deprived of the basic free- parliamentary composition capa- the urgent needs of the public, re- dom of choice on the other. ble of maintaining any kind of or- storing Ukraine's defence capabil- Under the current Ukrainian ganic connection with the voters, ity, repelling the Russian aggres- law, 225 out of 450 people's depu- and having the political will to sion, protecting the territorial integ- ties (parliament members) are represent and protect public inter- rity of Ukraine and strengthening elected in the general multi-mem- ests, rather than serve the oligarch its statehood. The results of their ber constituency with closed party clans and obey the orders of party voting for important political, eco- lists defined not by the voters, but leaders wholly dependent on their nomic, social, defence and other by party leadership. The voters wealthy patrons. The parliament issues ascertains to this. cast their ballots for the entire list, formed in violation of the basic With the above in mind it is rather than certain candidates. principles like the rule of law and urgent for Ukraine to adopt new Therefore half the parliament is elementary democratic norms electoral legislation, preferably as 16|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Election reform|Politics Photo by Unian by Photo a single unified Electoral Code, as The Coalition gross violations of the election Ukrainian political reality. At the recommended by the Venice Com- Agreement process were brought about by same time the Ukrainian authori- mission. The Coalition Agreement signed by the the flaws purposefully incorpo- ties and parliamentary factions of leaders of the signed by the leaders of parlia- coalition parties rated into the legislation by the the leading political parties must mentary factions, which formed provides that previous authorities. For instance, refrain from attempts to shape the the majority, provides that in the in Q1’2015 the the norms relating to composition electoral legislation to fit their first quarter of 2015 the coalition coalition is to of electoral commissions, which needs. is to ensure "the move from the ensure "the brought about the dominance of One can hope that under such mixed (proportional-majoritiar- move from the members delegated by "technical" conditions, Ukraine will manage ian) system of elections to the mixed system to parties (set up to steal the votes of to create a high-quality electoral Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to one that allows a rival party but with no chance of law designed to ensure the true one that provides voters the pos- voters to choose actually getting into parliament) freedom of citizen's electoral sibility to vote for particular can- among particular entirely dependent on the ruling choice, and that the formation of candidates in didates in multi-member constit- multi-member authorities and the oligarchs. The the government and the transfor- uencies (proportional representa- constituencies", flaws of the current Ukrainian law mation of the country will happen tion system with open lists)", as guarantee liability are well known to the domestic in accordance with the outcome of well as to ensure legally pre- of candidates experts, NGOs as well as the Ven- said electoral choice and the inter- scribed liability of the partici- for violating the ice Commission, which more than ests of the society. pants of the election process for law, and increase once pointed them out and pro- Granted, shortly after the new violating the law, and increased responsibility of vided recommendations on ways electoral law is adopted there has responsibility of political parties political parties to rectify the situation. to be a new early parliamentary for failure to meet the demands for failure to This is why at the foundation campaign. New quality of the leg- relating to transparency of their meet financing of the new electoral law must be islation must ensure new quality transparency rules finances. the initial draft of Electoral Code of the authorities. This is a key The Coalition Agreement developed by independent experts condition for radical transforma- rightly emphasizes on the need to and representatives of NGOs in tion of the country in-line with strengthen the liability for violat- accordance with the recommen- the European values, democratic ing the electoral law. However, dations of the Venice Commission principles and Ukrainian tradi- cases are commonplace when and taking into account existing tion. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|17 Politics|election reform MP Oleksandr Chernenko: “New electoral law should be adopted no later than in May”

Interviewed by remind that the Coalition Agree- exception aren't thrilled about the Bohdan Butkevych ment of the current majority in the idea of adopting new legislation, be- Parliament includes written com- cause it means they lose the means he Ukrainian Week dis- mitment to adopt a new electoral to control the spots in the election cussed the situation with the law before the local election cam- list. Because then it will be the peo- new electoral legislative frame­­ paign, which is to take place in au- ple that will choose, not the owners- Twork with Oleksandr Chern- tumn. oligarchs. Yet, I remain convinced enko, the long-standing head of the that with enough pressure from the Committee of Voters of Ukraine and U.W.: Are the politicians really society we'll arrive to this reform Member of Parliament with the prepared for this? The adoption of and it will not be delayed anymore. Bloc of Petro Poroshenko. new law has been unanimously At least there are a number of exist- blown by almost all the factions ing draft laws that can used a start- U.W.: How pressing is the need to last year before the 2014 elections. ing point and worked on. have new electoral legislation right Now that's a good question. now? Granted, the discussion about the U.W.: Please outline the main Certainly, the entire legal need for a system with open party principles and foundations, on framework relating to the election lists has been on for more that a de- which the new law should be to the Verkhovna Rada and the local cade, however, none of the coun- based. Particularly interesting is elections is outdated morally, tech- the issue of the frontline and nically and in terms of procedure. The current mixed system – occupied territories, which is There's a good reason why upon the something that cannot be conclusion of all previous cam- a blend of closed party ignored… paigns we received proposals re- lists and the majoritarian I would make a distinction be- garding amendments to the respec- tween conducting elections in tive legislation. Now the Venice model – completely Ukraine in general and the elections Commission has joined this pro- discredited itself in frontline areas. As far as the elec- cess. The current mixed system – a tion process in the zone of the Anti- blend of closed party lists and the try's leaders (be it Yushchenko, Ty- Terrorist Operation is concerned, majoritarian model – completely moshenko, Yanukovych or Porosh- there should be a separate section, discredited itself. It birthed outra- enko) did anything to implement it. or, preferably, a separate law. And geous corruption in the single- But purely in words everyone sup- the final provisions of the main doc- member constituencies, where elec- ported the idea. Moreover, they ument on elections should mention tion commission members are used to stomp on the brakes at a that the respective process there (in bribed, and at the same time it very early stage even before the bill the frontline and occupied territo- brought about internal corruption was being put to a vote. Clearly, all ries) will be regulated by a dedicated within the parties, where spots on the current party leaders without act, because one cannot compare the passable part of the list are sold. the election campaign on the terri- So you formulated the question Draft laws on election system tories not controlled by Ukrainian quite correctly. Whether there is the 1. Draft law sponsored by Yuriy Miroshnychenko (Opposition authorities with the normal cam- need to change electoral law at all is Bloc) envisages proportional representation system with paign. There's a whole host of issues closed lists. However, it provides for lower electoral threshold not even the question worth talking for parties to secure representation in the Parliament (cur- to consider beginning with the about. The need is there and it is rent threshold is 5%). safety of the voters, and ending with pressing. Even the politicians them- technical matters to do with ac- 2. Draft law sponsored by Serhiy Soboliev (Batkivshchyna) selves already realized that changes envisages switching to open list proportional representation countability, vote counting and so in the electoral domain are in huge system, albeit with considerable reservations. A party assigns forth. As regards to the main part of demand in the society, so they can- each candidate to an oblast and afterwards, based on the the country, the new law must be as not just talk about this forever hop- voting results, can select which candidate is given the man- convenient as possible for the voter, ing that everyone gets bored and date, and is allowed to switch candidates within the list. because the party system with open loses interest. For the first time in Therefore the political party has the final say. lists is not so much complicated, as years, according to opinion poll 3. Draft law sponsored by Viktor Chumak (Bloc of Petro Po- it is simply novel, it needs getting data, citizens no longer view the roshenko) and Leonid Yemets (Narodniy Front) represents a used to. Let us not forget that there majoritarian system as the best op- carbon copy of the Electoral Code by Yuriy Kliuchkovskyi are other issues, which are not di- tion for the electoral law and are mentioned in the interview. It envisages a complete switch rectly related to election process, willing to see election lists. I'll also to open list proportional representation system. that still need to be resolved ur- 18|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 election reform|Politics Photo by Unian by Photo

BIO gently. For example political adver- dals, court hearings and so on in Oleksandr Agreement this new legislation has tising, forming election commis- such constituencies. Chernenko, to be adopted no later than in May. I sions, funding the elections and so born in 1973 in am convinced that the working on. As a matter of fact, all of this U.W.: Do you think this unified Kyiv Oblast, is a group, which I am part of, will work is covered in the developed draft draft law should be developed politician, jour- hard in February through April in laws, all it takes is political will from scratch of based on the old nalist, activist and order to put this draft law to a vote adopt them. In the nearest future existing law on elections? political expert. In by the end of this period, having al- under the Parliamentary Commit- Definitely from scratch. It's eas- 1997, he gradu- ready agreed all the terms with all tee on Legislative Policy and Jus- ier to inscribe everything in it from ated from the Na- the major political parties. Because tice a working group is to be cre- scratch, rather than to rework the tional Pedagogi- it is indeed necessary to adopt it be- cal Dragomanov ated. It will include the representa- law that is conceptually unsuitable. University major- fore summer comes, that is at least tives of all factions, independent Moreover, there's a very well writ- ing in teaching 6 months before the elections, in or- experts from the public and mem- ten draft by Chumak and Yemets history and eth- der to avoid time trouble. bers of the Central Election Com- based on the section on parliamen- nology. He also mission. The group will develop tary elections from the so-called took public activ- U.W.: Is the adoption of new the single unified draft law. The draft Electoral Code developed by ity course in Na- electoral system capable of new system should be based on the Yuriy Kliuchkovskyi in 2010. We tional Democratic renewing the authorities through principle that each political party need to homogenize electoral proce- Institute (United elections, or in other words in every region nominates its rep- dures of all the different elections as States) and a carrying out the so-called "natural resentatives, for whom the voters much as possible: the parliamen- course of political lustration"? education in will vote. Those that gain the most tary, the presidential, the local. Akademie The law on its own will not votes within the political party be- Having said that, we do need to Klausenhof make the elections fair and clear. come parliament members. At the have two separate laws: one on par- (Rhede, Ger- This is something that only people same time on the local level, in liamentary and one of local elec- many). Mr. Chern- themselves and their good will can county councils for example, it tions. And out of those two the Elec- enko worked as do. However, there's no doubt the would be a good idea to have a toral Code should be formed. journalist in nu- new law will contribute to this. As it multi-member majoritarian sys- merous publica- will eventually contribute to healthy tem, since proportional represen- U.W.: Local elections are just tions. In 2009, he party-building, since political par- tation system would not be very around the corner. Do you expect chaired the Com- ties built upon one famous person- appropriate there. This, by the way, problems with the introduction of mittee of Voters of Ukraine. In ality will no longer have a chance to will allow avoiding the main prob- the new model in such a short 2014, he was gain seats in the parliament. It will lem of this electoral principle, when timeframe? Such experiments elected deputy of also help the arrival of new, fresh there is only one winner, while the tended to end badly… the Verkhovna and interesting people. Especially candidate, who gained even one On the contrary, local elections Rada with the since the very participants of the single vote less, is out. This is why could be used to test out this new Bloc of Petro Po- election process will now be inter- there are so many violations, scan- system. According to the Coalition roshenko. ested in their arrival. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|19 economics|Privatization To Sell Boryspil During the Yanukovych era, Boryspil International Airport went through at least two high-profile scandals associated with the attempts to transfer it into private hands. But even after officials were changed in offices, these attempts continue

Author: orries as to the future of of Boryspil's operations to private Stanislav Boryspil Airport date entities, accompanied by staff reduc- Kozlyuk back to the last year of tion. The airport's management is- Wthe Yanukovych regime, sued a report on its operations, try- U NIAN by Photo when Oleksiy Kochanov was ap- ing to make some of them look as pointed its director, to be later re- loss-making. However, the trade Week that outsourcing a number of placed by Serhiy Hombolevsky, al- union learned about this develop- services was actually planned, but a legedly linked to Odesa businessmen ment almost a week later, on Decem- mandatory requirement to tender Boris Kaufman and Oleksandr ber 16. participants was ensuring staff em- Granovsky. Kochanov was instru- "This order was released on the ployment. mental in bringing Odesa airport un- quiet; we got hold of it in the evening "How the profitability of specific der total control of private business of December 16, by pure chance. We operations was calculated remains a structures. A similar scheme to received it as a picture taken with a mystery. For instance, we have such "privatize" the airport was expected cell phone. Obviously, we reacted by service as aircraft deicing. It is pro- to be used in Boryspil. But the appealing to the Presidential Admin- vided by ground handling depart- Maidan disrupted the existing istration, the Prosecutor's Office, the ment. However, special purpose ve- schemes, to a certain extent. The Ministry of Infrastructure, and the hicles are charged with the chemical next tide of opaque reforms of the Parliamentary Committees on agent by custom vehicles depart- state-run company began with the Transport and Corruption," said the ment. And it is this department that appointment of the new Director Head of Boryspil Airport Indepen- procures it. The management's cal- General, Yevhen Dykhne, coming dent Trade Union, Serhiy Stotsky. culations show that the expenses in- there from Lviv Airlines and Ukrai- "The order actually stated that volved in purchasing the liquid were nian Railways. starting January 1, the airport was to attributed to both custom vehicles pay to a third party for ground han- and ground handling departments. Quiet "optimization" dling and passenger handling ser- But the ground handling department The newly appointed head of the air- vices. No one discussed it with the does not buy it. This means that non- port set to "optimize" the workflow. union representatives," he added. existent costs were attributed to it," On November 29, 2014, Dykhne is- Why trying to outsource these explained the initiative group's rep- sued an order to outsource the air- services? The action group members resentatives. port's ground handling operations. explained that today such services An audit showed that the "loss- The order envisaged purchasing are offered by only two companies making" ground handling service for such services, starting February 24, on the Ukrainian market: Interavia the period analyzed by the adminis- 2015, from private companies. The and Aerohandling. Both are linked to tration actually earned a profit of airport's trade union appealed to the Ukraine International Airlines, be- nearly UAH 3mn. Ministry of Infrastructure, stating lieved to be part of the Ukrainian In late December, the airport that the state-owned enterprise business tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky's employees arranged for a meeting could not afford outsourcing its prof- business empire – the first one as a with Andriy Pyvovarsky, the Minis- itable operations. It should be re- subsidiary, and the second one indi- ter of Infrastructure. At the meeting called that the situation happened at rectly. If Boryspil airport stops pro- they learned that Boryspil was wait- the end of the last year, under Hom- viding these services, it will lead to ing for an audit team, and that its Di- bolevsky's management. Back then, market monopolization. In this way, rector General Yevhen Dykhne was the trade union sent open letters to the owners of the above two compa- placed on leave until January 12. On the Prosecutor's Office and the SBU, nies would be able to charge any fees December 30, it turned out that the Ukraine’s security service. The SBU for their services. Ministry was planning to organize a reacted, and the order was revoked. Besides, during the "optimiza- transparent competition for the po- The order signed by Dykhne, accord- tion," according to the statement sition of the Director General of ing to the trade union's manage- made by the trade union, about 700 Ukraine's largest airport. Later, on ment, almost literally replicated the airport employees could get laid off. January 12, another meeting was one issued by his predecessor. The Ministry of Infrastructure, how- held between Pyvovarsky and the On December 12, order No. 01- ever, denied this, while Boryspil airport staff. At this meeting, the re- 07-1207 was issued, that virtually press office replied to the enquiry sults of the auditors' work were pre- spelled out the plan to transfer a part made by the The Ukrainian sented. The airport's critical points, 20|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Privatization|economics D is even more complicated. Still, UIA is paying a symbolic price," the airport employees added. The company also has prefer- ences for airport taxes. "Airport charges are our main source of revenues. There are three types of them: passenger facility charge, takeoff/landing charge, and security charge. Any company has to pay a certain amount per each pas- senger, but UIA have discounts. Boryspil’s They also have discounts for takeoff cooperation with UIA and landing, depending on the air- resulted in the craft weight. The only fee for which airline’s UAH they don't have discounts is security 400 million charge," Boryspil activists said. debt to the However, Boryspil management airport neither confirmed nor denied these claims, stating that service fees for according to the Ministry, were poor ing. We asked the Administrative Di- Ukraine International Airlines are leadership and a lack of direction. rector to explain to the union in writ- confidential information that cannot Besides, the Ministry of Infrastruc- ing where the money went. There be disclosed according to the existing ture expressed the dissatisfaction was no answer. As a consequence, contracts. with the fact that Boryspil makes lit- there is no answer as to the collective "We are not against UIA, we are tle profit from non-aviation activities agreement," said the union repre- for major carriers. We are ready to (such as duty-free shops, cafes, res- sentatives. offer them preferential terms. But we taurants, parking lots, hotels, and need to understand what we get in advertising). Major world airports A complicated relationship return. For the time being, we only earn about 40% of their revenues with UIA get court proceedings. They have from such activities. For Boryspil, In a letter to the Ministry of Infra- some outstanding debt to us. They this figure is twice lower, at about structure, Boryspil employees com- started paying it only recently. In 20%. However, the problem, most plained that the airport was losing fact, we are surviving thanks to other probably, is to be solved by the new money by providing services to companies," stress the airport work- director. Ukraine International Airlines at ers. In addition to the layoff, Dykh- cost or at no cost. This company is However, the meeting of Minis- ne's name is associated with one Boryspil's major carrier, operating ter Pyvovarsky with the staff has more scandal. The collective labor about half of the flights. However, demonstrated that the UIA issue is agreement has not been signed to the only results of this cooperation not a priority for the Ministry. this day. Besides, the trade union for the airport are litigations and "The issue of UIA cannot be re- Major world claims the disappearance of a few debts. As of today, they amount to airports earn about solved quickly. In order to make million hryvnya allocated for em- nearly UAH 400mn. claims to that company, we need to ployee benefits. "UIA pays for our services under 40% have a plan B. If it goes out of busi- of their revenues "When Hombolevsky held the several contracts. As for the contract from non-aviation ness, then maybe in six months Director's post, we planned to sign prices, no one knows how exactly services. For Boryspil, someone else will come to the mar- the agreement. The document was they were set, except for the direc- this figure is about ket. But we will need to survive this ok, and provided for social security, tors. The documents were signed by 20% period somehow. And in 2015, we employee insurance, and so on. Basi- Anton Volov, and later by Oleksiy have a heavy burden of Japanese cally, it had to be re-signed. There Kochanov. It was Kochanov who loans to be repaid", stated the action was only one issue left: interest free signed a collateral agreement with group. home loans," Stotsky said. UIA (No. 30). This agreement stipu- The airport employees added "The management allocated lates that the service prices should that an open skies agreement could UAH 3mn for interest-free housing not be below the cost. However, we become such "plan B." If it is signed, loans annually. We have several em- are not interested in such terms. The the largest Ukrainian airport would ployee categories eligible for such revenue we earn from our major car- finally have alternatives, and there- loans: people on accommodation rier equals to zero, and this is not fore, a company to take the UIA waiting list, veteran workers, vulner- right," the action group complained. niche. At the same time, Boryspil's able employees, and highly qualified "Let's say, Ukraine International major carrier could change their at- specialists. Only this last issue re- Airlines have discounts for such ser- titude towards cooperating with the mained to be discussed. While peo- vices as baggage handling. But no airport. However, such future devel- ple tried to obtain the certificates one knows where the discounted opments today are nothing more confirming the absence of housing, prices come from. One has to under- than the subject of discussion. For Hombolevsky was sacked. The new stand that this is not a cheap service, the time being, the new manage- Director General was appointed. because it is a complicated proce- ment, to be selected in an open com- When we came to the first meeting dure. The baggage is transported petition, will have to focus on the real with the new management, we found from the check-in counter, x-rayed, optimization, rather than making out that those UAH 3mn were miss- and sorted. The system on Terminal statements. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|21 Economics|Capital flight Tracing the Fleeing Capital How many billions of dollars Ukraine lost in 2014

Author: already in 2013, as the world Lyubomyr Shavalyuk realized the essence of the Ya- nukovych regime and the pros- was ex- pects for Ukraine under his rule. t r e m e l y But last year saw a really dramatic hard for decline in FDI. 2014Ukraine. According to the NBU, direct The overt war, the actual loss of investment from Ukraine to other territories and the long history of countries in January through Sep- misgovernment had a negative im- tember 2014 amounted to USD 108 pact on the economy. Its scale is million, which is 42% less than in largely unprecedented, making the 2013. This means that investments government face challenging tasks abroad made by businesses regis- that require outstanding skills in tered in Ukraine were not a chan- crisis management. One of the per- nel of massive capital outflow. In- sistent problems of Ukrainian stead, it happened through direct economy last year was capital investment in Ukrainian economy flight. It had a number of reasons (or, in this case, rather divestment and a number of channels, but its from it) from overseas. For in- only overall result was panic on the stance, during the first three quar- currency market, hryvnia deprecia- ters, USD 133mn of FDI were re- Russians, who previously invested tion, and falling living standards. ceived, while for the same period of in Ukraine either directly from 2013, the inflow of investment in Russia or indirectly via Cyprus, Foreign investment Ukraine amounted to almost USD and Ukrainian oligarchs, for Of course, the exact amount of the 3.3bn. This means that after the whom Cyprus is the most tradi- capital exported from the country power shift, the capital flow not tional offshore territory (followed is unknown even to the eagle- only decreased, but also changed by the British Virgin Islands, with sighted intelligence officers. How- direction, resulting in the loss of FDI of USD 2.5bn coming from ever, very tentatively, the volume billions of proceeds in foreign cur- there. That one fell 20%). of capital outflow (or shortage) rency. Through the investors' panic can be estimated by comparing The structure of direct invest- and their efforts to protect their certain economic indicators ment explains the nature of this capital from the worst-case scenar- against the same figures for the phenomenon. According to the ios (this applies mostly to the ad- previous years. State Statistics Service, in early herers of the Yanukovych regime), The key indicator associated October 2014, FDI in Ukraine (cu- FDI amounts had been negative with the long term capital inflow mulative invested capital from the through May 2014, rebounding to and the economic development of beginning of investment) totaled the level of 2013, a crisis year, in the country is foreign direct in- USD 48.5bn, which is 17% less December only. In this way, vestment (FDI). Last year, than at the end of 2013. The big- Ukraine underreceived the total of Ukraine received direct invest- gest investor countries were Cy- USD 6.0-6.5bn in 2014 (compared ment in the amount of USD prus with USD 15.1bn (-21%), Ger- to the relatively successful 2011 413mn net (see Capital many with USD 5.8bn (-8%), the and 2012). This money still exists Drought). This is 9.9 times less Netherlands with USD 5.2bn somewhere as it (its value) was than in 2013, and 17.4 times less (-6%), and Russia with USD 3.0bn most probably created by the econ- than in the relatively active 2012. (-31%). It turns out that the inves- omy and did not disappear, but That is, FDI influx fell significantly tors most afraid of the war were was deposited somewhere abroad. 22|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Capital flight|Economics The question is whether it will ever of financial institutions decreased of them is that the population buys return to Ukraine. only 2.8 times (the difference in up currency to keep it under mat- Portfolio investments have absolute terms is even more im- tresses. If so, where did Yanu- also become a channel of capital pressive: -USD 2.9bn for banks kovych find USD 32bn (according flight from Ukraine, even though against -USD 11.0bn for nonfinan- to other sources, USD 2-5bn) in insignificant in volume. In 2014, cial corporations), while it was the cash that he allegedly took to Rus- the country lost USD 395mn banking sector that had the most sia, and what is the source of fi- through this channel, compared to problems in 2014. Besides, the vol- nancing for the large-scale illegal inflows amounting to USD 1.2bn ume of external debt repayment by trafficking that flourished under recorded in 2013. It should be real sector companies last year fell the regime and has largely survived noted that transactions with ficti- by almost 1.5 times, although the to this day? This is a rhetorical tious (junk) bonds may also serve total volume of external debt as of question. It would be probably as an instrument for disinvest- the beginning of 2014, naturally, right to say that a portion of the ment. It is usually used for trans- increased compared to the previ- foreign exchange cash that was actions with millions or tens of ous years, that is, there were no withdrawn from the Ukrainian millions, and not billions of dol- reasons for such decrease. banks through currency exchange lars. However, given the current Given the above, it seems that offices was neatly packed into cases balance of payments, not more the statistics of foreign borrowings and shipped abroad. than USD 0.8-1.0bn could have and foreign debt repayment by The same goes for the outflow been channeled out of Ukraine nonfinancial corporations are also of deposits from the banking sys- last year using this method. Com- affected by the cash flows of Ukrai- tem. The Prime Minister once said pared to the overall capital flight, nian oligarchs. Many years ago, the that Ukrainians withdraw money this amount is not too large. Ukrainian new rich often used ex- from their bank accounts and put ternal debts to funnel capital out of them into cashboxes in anticipa- External debt tion of financial institutions’ bank- The largest volume of foreign ex- Ukraine underreceived ruptcy. This is partly true. But, of change earnings arrears recorded course, a portion of these funds last year was due to debt (medium- the total of at least was also taken out of the country in and long-term loans and bonds). USD 6.0-6.5bn of foreign cash, since after the power shift, The outflow of capital in this case according to The Ukrainian Week's occurred via two channels: through direct investment in 2014 sources, overt transfer of funds banks and nonfinancial (mostly abroad through banks has become production) corporations. In the the country to offshore territories much more complicated, primarily first case, everything is more or less under the guise of high interest because of the measures taken by clear: it takes financial institution rates on such loans. Today, they the US authorities and their coun- years to pay back foreign loans might register the financing of terparty banks. Since the total of taken before the crisis of 2008- their production assets as loans to foreign currency deposits with- 2009. 2014 was no exception, al- management companies registered drawn last year from Ukrainian fi- though the outstanding bank debt offshore in order to avoid the risks nancial institutions, according to to non-residents today is not too of the Ukrainian banking sector or the National Bank of Ukraine, large. However, in the last year, fi- to hold their equity in the foreign amounted to USD 11.4bn in dollar nancial institutions reduced the jurisdiction in case of disputes terms, it is very likely that at least a rate of raising debt 2.8 times. This (through the incapacity of the na- third or a half of this amount can is not surprising, since foreign in- tional judicial system that could no longer be found in Ukraine. It vestors who know the current situ- not deal with, say, forcible take- may well be that these funds have ation in the banking sector, even overs of businesses often practiced migrated abroad along with their from hearsay, are not excited about under Yanukovych). One way or owners. Taking into account that lending to Ukrainian depository another, the refusal of the oligarchs under normal economic condi- corporations. Therefore, the out- to continue investing funds in fi- tions, Ukrainian banking system flow of capital using this channel is nancing Ukrainian assets appar- received an additional USD 5bn in totally consistent with the market It is safe to say ently significantly limited the the form of deposits from individu- that last year situation. the Ukrainian amount of foreign exchange earn- als and businesses annually, the fi- However, not everything is economy ings on loans and bonds obtained nancial sector in 2014 received clear with the real sector debts. lost over by the real sector. As a result, last over USD 16bn less in deposits. Last year, Ukraine spent almost USD year Ukraine received USD 8.10bn God only knows, which share of USD 4.2bn net to repay them, al- 40bn less proceeds, most of which would this amount was taken out of the though previously this budget item in foreign exchange have gone to the national economy, country. generated revenue: USD 1.3bn in earnings compared if not for the war. Another popular channel of 2013 and USD 4.7bn in 2011-2012 to normal years. capital flight are fictitious transac- Based on rought (see Capital Drought). The rate estimates, about Other items tions related to the import of cer- of borrowing in 2014 decreased 5.6 A notable component of the capi- tain goods or services. The scheme times compared to 2013, which USD tal flight was the outflow of foreign is quite simple: a fake importer could be explained, as in the case 20-25bn exchange cash from the banking pays in foreign currency under a with banks, by the fact that foreign- of this amount system. Last year, its volume contract that is either not executed ers are not willing to lend to a accounted for the amounted to USD 2.6bn, which is (then the amount stays on the im- capital channeled country involved in a war. But, as out of Ukraine during 4% less than in 2013. A lot of myths porter's balance as accounts re- we said above, foreign borrowings 2014 are associated with this item. One ceivable), or executed only on pa- № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|23 Economics|Capital flight per (which is very common in the case of import of services, such as Capital Drought consulting). The scale of capital outflow via this channel is hard to USD billion estimate accurately, but we will 10 give a try. In 2014, total imports of Net inflow of foreign currency by specific items goods and services in Ukraine amounted to USD 74.1bn, which is 5 27% less than in 2013. At the same time, hryvnia depreciated over the year by 134%, and the average dol- lar exchange rate grew by 52% 0 compared to 2013. During the last crisis of 2009, imports of goods and services fell by 44%, while the -5 average annual dollar exchange rate grew by 53%. It turns out that at that time, imports fell faster than now. There may be two rea- -10 sons for this. Firstly, at that time a special duty was imposed on most commodity items at the rate of -15 Source: NBU 12%, which probably restricted 2011 2012 2013 2014 imports. Secondly, this year the Dire invement Real se or debt Foreign cash outside of banks statistics showed an increase in imports of some goods due to the elimination of illegal trafficking "suspicious transactions" item for ously much lower than the amount schemes coordinated by the Yanu- the contracts of purchase and sale which was allegedly stolen by the kovych regime. Nevertheless, of goods, securities etc. aimed at Yanukovych regime (USD 70- there are rumors that many withdrawing funds from the coun- 100bn). But it is quite comparable schemes continue to operate suc- try. The volume of such transac- to the changes in the financial ac- cessfully, and the figures show tions amounts to 1–2% of GDP. If count balance, which in 2013 that the legalization of illegal traf- we draw an analogy with the Rus- amounted to USD 18.6bn, and in ficking had no significant impact sian Federation, the invisible share 2014 to minus USD 8.4bn. This on the balance of payments. of capital flight from Ukraine could drastic metamorphosis became So how can we explain those be estimated at USD 3–4bn. How- the cornerstone of the dramatic 17 percentage points representing ever, given the current economic hryvnia depreciation and the im- the difference between the im- and political situation, which has poverishment of the population. ports drop in 2014 compared to dramatically reshaped the balance One way or another, this 2009, given that the average an- of payments compared to the last money in Ukraine would come in nual hryvnia depreciation is al- year, the actual amount is probably handy in the current situation, es- most the same? It is obvious that much higher. pecially given the fact that we are the lion's share of this difference talking about an extended coopera- can be attributed to the fictitious Conclusions tion program with the IMF, envis- imports used to funnel money Using the above calculations, it is aging tens of billions of dollars of abroad. This hypothesis is indi- safe to say that last year the Ukrai- additional credit that the country's rectly confirmed by the fact that nian economy lost over USD 40bn economy badly needs. Since no one when the Head of the National in the new government is trying to Bank Valeria Hontareva tried in Financial account prevent the outflow of capital from late August to introduce adminis- Ukraine, except for minor and trative barriers to such transac- balance went short-lived exceptions, the conclu- tions by signing the respective down from USD 18.6bn sion would be as follows: the Revo- NBU order, she had to rescind it lution of Dignity has transformed under the pressure from above al- in 2013 to minus USD 8.4bn the system of values of just about ready in two months. Here we are in 2014 anyone, except for the authorities. talking about an amount of about For them, the money stays at the USD 17bn. Even if only a half of in foreign exchange earnings com- top of Maslow's pyramid, remain- this sum was generated through pared to normal years. Basing on a ing the sacred cow that cannot be fake import operations, this is a rough estimate, about USD 20- touched, even when the country is huge loss to Ukraine in the current 25bn out of this amount accounted bulging at the seams. As before, situation. for the capital channeled out of they are quite tolerant of the activi- In more developed countries, Ukraine during 2014. This sum is ties of the oligarchs and the like, central banks strictly monitor probably higher than what the oli- who can easily take their money transactions related to the chan- garchs funneled out of the country out of the country, directly contrib- neling of funds abroad and try to annually using transfer pricing uting to the hryvnia depreciation prevent them. Even Russia's bal- (USD 5-20bn per year, according and the increased poverty of Ukrai- ance of payments statistics have to different estimates), but obvi- nians. 24|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Opinion|neighbours Akhmed Zakayev: “It’s dangerous for Ukraine to live as though there is no war going on”

resident of the Chechen Re- Interviewed by of the occupier, then what would terror of the Russian Federation or public of Ichkeria in exile, Hanna Trehub stop them in Ukraine? Of course, are we talking about yet another Akhmed Zakayev, talks to their actions have nothing in com- operation by Russia’s special PThe Ukrainian Week mon with the attitude of normal forces? about what Kadyrovites want in the Chechens towards Ukrainians, as In my opinion, Russia’s re- Donbas, the December clashes in a nation fighting a just war against gions, especially the republics of Grozny and Makhachkali as an ex- the Russian invader. As a nation the Northern Caucasus, will only tension of the Russo-Chechen war that suffered unbelievable terror leave the federation when Russia that has gone on with varying in- in the hands of the Russian occu- itself cuts them off. At one time, the tensity for nearly 25 years now, the piers and their allies, they com- USSR did just that by separating illusory friendship of Vladimir Pu- pletely side with Ukrainians. And the Central Asian republics from it, tin and Chechen leader Ramzan although their leaders were beg- Kadyrov, and the coming of ISIL to ging Moscow to keep them in a the Northern Caucasus. The Northern Caucasus union. As for Chechnya, the situa- and Chechnya in particular tion there is completely different. U.W.: Who are these The lengthy Caucasus war and the “kadyrovites” and what are they remain the source of last two Russo-Chechen ones were doing in Donbas? Are they merely bloody warriors for fierce and uncompromising. Russia carrying out orders from Putin and won the first Caucasus war because Kadyrov or do they have their own Russia and ultimately the it had much better material and reasons for getting involved in the detonators of its collapse human resources. However, it was war in Eastern Ukraine? not and still is not a strategic vic- We consider kadyrovites trai- nothing, not kadyrovites nor Rus- tory. 19th century Russian histori- tors of our nation because they take sia’s lying propagandas, should be ans were right when they preferred up arms on behalf of the Russian allowed to get in between our two to use the term “the pacification of occupiers. Indeed, we separate or- nations. In our struggle against Chechnya.” dinary police officers from those Russian imperialism, we were and Sure, since it was prepared to who work in Kadyrov’s special remain on the same side of the use the most violent forms of re- forces and continue to terrorize or- barricades. pression, Russia was able to pacify dinary Chechens. To make it a bit Chechnya for a time. Then there clearer what I mean by ‘terror,’ re- U.W.: In modern-day Russia, is was an uprising and the abrek member the recent massive burn- the Northern Caucasus factor a movement rolled through occu- ing of the homes of relatives of powder keg or just a local threat? pied Chechnya, but the Russian Chechen partisans? People were What were the clashes in Grozny Federation kept the region under thrown out on the street in the and Makhachkali in early military and police control. But middle of winter, many weren’t December 2014 all about? The when the Russian Revolution ex- even given a chance to gather their reaction of Chechens and ploded in 1917, Chechnya once documents, and their homes were Dagestanis to the pressure and again became a powerful center of burned down. In other words, the Bio national liberation movements. kadyrovites act today using the Akhmed Zakayev is a Chechen military and political profes- An independent Mountain Repub- same methods of the hangman of sional, a Brigadier General of the self-proclaimed Chechen Re- lic was formed that a slew of west- the Chechen people, General Yer- public of Ichkeria who has served as Minister of Culture and ern and eastern countries actually molov (commander of the Russian Deputy Premier (1998-2006) and Minister of Foreign Affairs. recognized. But among all the army fighting the Chechens during He was a colleague of Djokhar Dudayev. At the end of 1994, forces drawn into the civil war, the Caucasus wars of 1819-1864 – he joined the Chechen Military HQ. In 1995, he was promoted only the bolsheviks promised the Ed.). The spiritual heirs of this sa- to Brigadier General and was appointed Commander of the nations of the Northern Caucasus dist were the NKVD, who believed Urus-Martiyan front. In 1996, he became security advisor to independence, so Chechens and CRI President Zelimkhan Yandarbiev and secretary of the CRI in collective punishment. Security Council. He was involved in the preliminary negotia- many other Caucasus peoples sup- What’s clear is that Ukrainians tions and preparations for the Khasavyurt [Dagestan] cease- ported them. Many historians shouldn’t expect anything good fire. After the start of the Second Chechen War, he was -ap think that the resistance of the from them. If they were prepared pointed Commander of the Presidential Reserves of Aslan Chechens and Ingushetis, which to terrorize their own people, act- Maskhadov. In 2007, part of the Chechen diaspora recognized Anton Denikin described as “ter- ing as death squads in the service him as the Prime Minister of CRI in exile. rible,” prevented him from com- № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|25 neighbours|Opinion pleting a victorious attack on Mos- cow and crushing the bolsheviks. When the Chechens realized that the bolsheviks had conned them regarding national indepen- dence, they organized an uninter- rupted series of armed insurrec- tions from the early 1920s to the early 1940s. To crush them, even in 1920 the Russians used not only infantry and cavalry, but also artil- lery and aviation. In 1944, all the Vainakhs were deported to Central Asia, but in bolshevik-occupied Chechnya, the struggle of insurgent groups and abreks did not abate for a single day. The last of these avengers, Khasukhana Maho- madov, was only killed in 1976. The crisis and eventual col- lapse of the Soviet Union led to the immediate establishment, or more correctly revival, of an independent state called the Chechen Republic, shortly afterwards renamed the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Rus- sia was forced to undertake two multi-year, genocidal wars to de- stroy Chechen statehood and oc- cupy our country. However, legally the Kremlin was unable to destroy the state. The CRI government continues to function successfully in Western Europe and I have the honor of being its current head. So this brief historical excur- sion provides the answer to your question: The Northern Caucasus and Chechnya in particular remain the source of bloody warriors for Russia and ultimately the detona- tors of its collapse as long as Mos- cow does not come to the realiza- tion that it needs to recognize the independence of the Chechen Re- public of Ichkeria. Otherwise, Chechnya and the entire Northern Caucasus will not only be a tinder- box for Russia, but the destro­yer of its empire. As to the partisan raids Baghdadi? There have been heinous actions of the Russian oc- on Grozny and Makhachkali, these posts on the internet about cupiers on Chechen land, about are just episodes in a North Cauca- Ramzan Kadyrov issuing orders widespread, deliberate killings of sus war that has been going on, at to have him assassinated. ordinary civilians, and about the varying degrees of intensity, for Clearly, something about ISIL use of all kinds of weaponry nearly 25 years now. doesn’t suit him... banned by international conven- The terror launched against the tions, including chemical weapons U.W.: Chechens have been Chechens, and later against all the and weapons with depleted ura- involved in the conflict in Syria. peoples of the Northern Caucasus, nium. All Chechens keep hearing Some of them even support ISIL. by Russia was doomed to give rise from the international community Not long ago, this jihadist to the most extreme forms of resis- in response to such reports is the organization publicly announced tance. Over the last 25 years, our usual dismissive argument that it’s its interest in the Northern struggle for independence has not “an internal affair of Russia’s.” Caucasus. How seriously do the received any support from the Although Chechnya’s Armed peoples of the Northern world community: not materially, Forces and insurgents won the first Caucasus want to become part of not politically, not morally. Hu- Russo-Chechen war, this position the Caliphate and subordinate manitarian and human rights orga- of official governments around the themselves to Abu Bakr al- nizations regularly report on the world gave a lot of leeway to vari- 26|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Opinion|neighbours ous emissaries who came to us using a colonial approach that’s as emerge and would it have at least from the East to preach extremist old as the world: fostering a “new the outline of a vision of the religious doctrines to our young elite.” Some might call it collabora- future? Of the direction that people. They tried to tell us they tionist or compradorist. This elite Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia were “pure Islam,” but in fact, they is not only supposed to be isolated and the rest might take in the were aiming at undermining the from its people and even sharply future? Chechen state from within. Some hostile towards it, so that it de- Kadyrov and Putin are con- of these young people, many of pends entirely on the power of the nected by a bloodied umbilical whom could properly be called metropole. Many did not under- cord, like a pair of Siamese twins. grown-ups, were captivated by stand that Putin’s slogan, “chech- And as soon as Putin’s power col- these radical religious ideas and enizing the war” was precisely this lapses or even seriously wavers, it went off to join the insurrectionist approach, thanks to which he es- will have an instantaneous impact movement in Syria. My firm posi- tablished the necessary “new elite.” on the Northern Caucasus and on tion is that is not our war and I I already mentioned its attitude to- Kadyrov in particular. I don’t doubt have stated this in many interviews wards the Chechen people with ref- that Putin’s very aggression against and speeches. Chechens in Syria erence to kadyrovites. Ukraine will lead to his fall. It’s not and now in Iraq are paying with Today, Kadyrov and his most for nothing that Kadyrov, who un- their blood for completely alien odious cadres, whose arms are up derstands just how tightly his own military and political operations to the elbows in blood, have no fate is tied to that of Putin, is so that are packaged in religious rhet- shelter or defenders in the world verbosely nervous about Ukraine. oric in order to attract the most im- other than Russia. I should add passioned Muslim youth. U.W.: What is your thought of the As to Ramzan Kadyrov’s an- current state of the Russian- nouncements that he has suppos- Putin is arming himself Ukrainian war? What would you edly called for the assassination of against Chechnya by using say are Ukraine’s chances, despite Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, they re- all the problems, of getting rid of mind me of the tactics of a certain a colonial approach of Russia’s armed forces and kind of soviet professor: they took fostering a “new elite” mercenaries from its territory and money from many parents whose to prevent Donbas from turning children were applying to post-sec- that is isolated from its into another frozen conflict or a ondary institutions, but would not people, sharply hostile grey zone like Abkhazia or lift a finger to actually help them. If Southern Ossetia? How can the applicant successfully com- towards it, and depends Ukrainians win this one? pleted the entrance exam, these entirely on the power of Everything depends on professors kept the money while Ukraine itself and the fighting assuring the parents that it was all the metropole spirit of Ukrainians. You need to thanks to their own efforts. If the understand that only a steadfast applicant failed, they would return that criminal investigations laun­­ nationwide resistance can save the the money, wringing their hands as ched against many of Kadyrov’s situation and repel the aggressor though to say that, unfortunately, colleagues and assistants are cur- beyond the country’s borders. It’s nothing had worked out. That’s rently on hold, but any of them can very dangerous now, for Ukraine to Ramzan Kadyrov: If Al-Baghdadi be reopened at any time. This is keep living as though there isn’t dies, he will certainly suggest that done, of course, so that they will be any war. I think your country must the hand of his men was involved. better at serving their Moscow declare a state of war and appropri- If not, then he’ll just drop the sub- master. But Chechens never forget ately tighten legislation and stop ject over time. or forgive harm done to them if the playing one step forward, one step guilty party does not provide ex- back with the enemy. Ukraine has U.W.:How strong is the tenuating circumstances and genu- enough strength to overcome the connection between Putin and inely repent. People in Chechnya terrorist scum in the eastern re- Kadyrov and to what extent is suffer and wait, because they are gions and their Russian mentors. Kadyrov being handled by the wary of bringing a mortal blow But if the current undeter- Kremlin? Are they real friends and upon their families, who have been mined state continues a bit longer ideological allies, as most people turned into collective hostages by and people don’t see results, there see them, and is there something 1 One of several terms the kadyrovites. In fact, Russia will come a psychological breaking that might break this cozy duo up? among the Caucasus na- looks like it might soon legalize the point and Ukrainians will simply tions for men who dedi- We do carefully monitor the cated their lives to battle practice of collective responsibility acquiesce to the fact that their and in particular to parti- situation in Chechnya and, of san warfare against occu- on the initiative of its Chechen country has lost considerable ter- course, relations between Putin pying Russia, sometimes marionettes. ritory. The politicians in Kyiv will and Kadyrov, but I’m not going to called ‘avengers.’ make wimpy statements, as hap- 2 Anton Denikin was a U.W.: How likely is it that the get into all the secrets of the royal general in the Russian Im- pened in Georgia, about the coun- court. I will only say that, despite perial Army who eventu- departure of Putin, by one means try’s right to Crimea and the east- ally led the Whites all of Kadyrov’s loyal declarations against the Reds. or another, from power might ern oblasts, but in actual fact they lead to a change in the current vis-à-vis Russia and his accolades 3 A subgroup of one-time will become Russian. We Chech- regarding Putin, their relationship Caucasus peoples known regional leadership in the ens have a saying, “A war can only as Nakhs, that today in- can hardly be termed a friendship cludes the Chechen, In- Northern Caucasus, including that be stopped through war.” I wish gusheti and Kist people. in Chechnya? From where might a or a genuine alliance. Putin is arm- Other Nakh groups have for Ukraine to have a speedy vic- ing himself against Chechnya by become extinct. renewed Northern Caucasus elite tory! № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|27 neighbours|Opinion When the Rules Are Broken Experts comment on the leadership of the USA and Germany in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, delivery of weapons to Ukraine and the new world order

Author: Anna Korbut, Munich

n 2009, US Vice President Joe Biden announced the “reset” in America’s policy with Russia at Ithe 45th Munich Security Con- ference. It was less than a year af- ter the Russian aggression in Geor- gia. “We will not agree with Russia on everything. For example, the United States will not – will not recognize Abkhazia and South Os- setia as independent states. We will not recognize any nation hav- ing a sphere of influence. It will re- main our view that sovereign states have the right to make their own decisions and choose their own alliances,” he said back then. “But the United States and Russia can disagree and still work to- gether where our interests coin- François Heisbourg cide.” Chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies “As a result of these choices and of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, moderator of the panel made by Mr. Putin, the world looks differently today than it did when I on hybrid war at the 51st Munich Security Conference spoke in Munich not just six years ago, but even two years ago,” Mr. Biden noted at the same Bayer- Judy Dempsey ischer Hof hotel conference hall six years later, on February 6-8, 2015. Non-resident Senior Associate at Carnegie Europe, Editor-in-Chief of the Strategic Europe blog, The Munich Security Confer- and author of The Merkel Phenomenon (Das Phänomen Merkel, Körber-Stiftung Edition, 2013) ence is not a place where landmark decisions on things like the launch Delivery of arms to Ukraine: Merkel has done to France is very interesting: she of the “reset” policy or delivery of EU and US stances has engaged it in dealing with Eastern Europe. This arms to Ukraine are made. Nor is it This is really complicated. First of all, the US Con- is a positive side of all that can be said. a place where one can hear details gress has not yet been able to reach a consensus At a point, Poland felt sidelined. This is how of a “peace plan” for Ukraine in of- on this but they are talking about it, and that is a Vladimir Putin wants this, preferring Germany and ficial statements by the world lead- big change. If the US arms Ukraine, that doesn’t France for the Normandy format instead as Russia’s ers, especially when the conference mean that American soldiers will be sent there. “traditional partners”. But ever since then, accord- takes place a day or two before their Europe is much more complicated. The Baltic ing to people in the German foreign ministry and meeting with the leader of the ag- States would clearly like some weapons to be sent the chancellery, Poland has been kept informed all gressor-state, then a visit to Wash- in. Poland is waiting for an EU consensus. Angela the time. The Swedes and Poland are working very ington. However, leading diplomats Merkel still believes in diplomacy. But what is di- hard behind the scenes. Poland is trying to push the and analysts come here every year plomacy without the threat of visible use of force reform programme with Ukraine as much as it can. to share their opinions on the press- to back it up. She would not deal with this issue. This is the reality of politics. ing challenges, the current one be- She has just put force off the agenda. This is the The interesting thing is that the EU is not in- ing probably one of the worst one in new Germany we are dealing with. And it reflects volved in any of these negotiations. Germany is the decades. The Ukrainian Week the German view. leader in Europe and Mrs. Merkel has done it all asked François Heisbourg and As to France, I must say that it has changed a alone. She is now doing foreign policy, weighing up Judy Dempsey for their comments lot. It hardly knew where Kyiv was only a few all strategic implications of what she has done. It is and expectations. months ago, focusing on Africa instead. What Mrs. a high-risk strategy for her.

28|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Opinion|neighbours Delivery of arms to Ukraine: Response of the international point I was trying to make in my question to the EU and US stances community to the “new world German Defense Minister when she compared I would be careful on this one. As NATO Secre- order” sanctions to a short sword. I said that the people tary General reminded people at the confer- I think one of the new characteristics of the new who are receiving the sharp end of the sword ence, this is not something decided by NATO. order is that there will be no international com- don’t see this as a metaphor. Take Japan in 1941 It’s not a collective decision. Transfer of arms munity. In fact, during the last days of the Soviet and sanctions against it. The Japanese would is a product of national policy. From what I Union and the early days of Russia, the latter was have run out of the ability to wage a war in six see in Paris, for instance, and even in the way quite a positive player on the UN Security Council. months, so they attacked Pearl Harbor. Angela Merkel answered questions on this at Even until the annexation of Crimea there had Sanctions are not a risk-free option. My basic ar- the conference, countries have different been hope that, no matter how difficult and tricky gument is that we would be better off putting views, considering it a dangerous idea to relations with Russia were, some sort of order economic and military help to Ukraine, and not send weapons to Ukraine and preferring to would be preserved. That is now over. sanctions, at the center of our strategy. The ones go on with sanctions instead, but nobody is imposed already have been effective – actually, going to stop others from providing arms to Sentiments in France too effective in terms of their economic impact - Ukraine. That is the impression I got from lis- Don’t forget that it was the Americans who in- while being completely ineffective in terms of tening to Angela Merkel (during her remarks vented the “reset policy” eight-nine months af- their political effect. Of course, there was an -un and Q&A session on February 6 – Ed.). She is ter the war in Georgia. And everyone followed. expected slump in oil prices. That’s why we not going to transfer arms to Ukraine and will The signal was given by Joe Biden here in Febru- should not impose more sanctions. The Ger- continue to express her doubts – and I use ary 2009. So, a general understanding in all mans often think of them as an easy answer to the word “doubt” here because that is what Western states was then that the war in Georgia our problem because they do not carry the risk she used when answering American Senator was an exception that did not set a new pattern, of war. But they are wrong in that. Sanctions do Bob Corker’s question about delivery of so they could continue business as usual. Now, carry a risk of war when they reach a certain weapons to Ukraine – but she will hardly in- everybody knows what’s going on. Even those in level of effectiveness. And when the Germans terfere with decisions of other countries to Europe who like Vladimir Putin know that this is say that it could be dangerous to provide arms provide weapons. So, it really boils down to no longer the case. Plus, sanctions prevent busi- to Ukraine, sanctions are probably equally dan- American leadership, if there is such a thing. ness as usual from happening anyway. gerous. A lot depends on public opinion in Germany. I What is true is that public opinion is deeply di- don’t know how strongly people here feel vided in all of Europe. The propaganda battle in Financial aid to Ukraine about this. But at the time of the annexation Western European countries is very intense and It is necessary and Mrs. Merkel mentioned it of Crimea, the Russians, for instance, ex- Russia is very effective – both in terms of direct specifically, but a broader plan is necessary. A pected that Germany would be the weak link intervention through social media and channels major problem now, however, is Greece. So, if because it is the country with the most eco- like Russia Today, and indirectly, through au- Mr. Hollande, Mr. Renzi or Mrs. Merkel tell nomic assets in Russia, the oldest historical thoritarian-type policymakers like Marine Le their voters in the middle of all this financial tradition of cooperation with Russia, and a Pen, for instance. mess in the eurozone that “we are going to strong pro-Russian sentiment in all of Ger- give a EUR 50bn package for Ukraine”, it many. However, Mrs. Merkel understood Potential collapse of Russia won’t be an easy political decision for them. quickly what was going on and who Vladimir as a result of sanctions But I was reassured by Mrs. Merkel’s immedi- Putin is. Subsequently, German public opin- That is a deeply undesirable outcome because, if ate answer about the need to provide the IMF ion has been channeled in the right direction the Russians see something like that happening, package to Ukraine. That means that she to understand what’s going on. they will likely act extremely forcefully. This is the thinks it is important.

Assessment of reforms in Ukraine It is extremely difficult to do reforms overnight. You need state institutions and state apparatus, a new culture of civil service and technocrats. It takes a lot of time. What the public demands is another matter. My impression is that people want the authori- ties to just deal with corruption. They want something tangible, a perspective. The first thing is to stop corruption – and much more has to be done to get rid of it. On the other hand, it is so endemic, deep down in every aspect of life. The second thing – and it is as difficult – is the lustration law. People want to end the old history. They do not want the Maidan revolution to be betrayed once more. The EU and the IMF are pushing for reforms in Ukraine, but you have to be very careful not to push too hard. An excuse for delaying reforms can always be found. And they can’t be done in a vacuum. Reforms need to be done well, and ex- plained to the public – why they are needed. This is really important.

№ 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|29 neighbours|Opinion Jacek Saryusz-Wolski: “Given the divisions within the EU, it is good that sanctions have been installed”

Interviewed by he Ukrainian Week spoke lieve they could and also should pean choice. Another group in- Anna Korbut to the Polish Member of the have been introduced earlier, as we cludes countries that want to European Parliament* who have been witnessing a continuous avoid any confrontation with Rus- Tactively contributed to bring- escalation of the Russian invasion sia - Slovakia, the Czech Republic ing his country to the European on Ukraine. We have called on EU and Hungary. Some member- Union in the 1990s about political member-states for further sanc- states, like Cyprus, Greece, Aus- divisions in the EU, the change of tions in case Russia does not fulfil tria, are traditionally friendly with European attitude towards Ukraine the commitments of the September Russia rather than Ukraine, while and Russia today over the past Minsk Agreements in our Euro- the attitude of others, such as Bul- year, and about arguments the EU pean Parliament Resolutions in expects from Kyiv to continue its September 2014 and January 2015. support for Ukraine. U.W.: Where do these divisions U.W.: How united is the EU in between member-states you terms of sanctioning Russia now mentioned run today? as compared to spring, when the No simple East-West or military tension began to North-South division can be made escalate? here. Member-states are mostly The targeted sanctions intro- grouped according to the different duced against Russia by the EU in approaches and policies towards July 2014 in the financial, arma- Russia and Ukraine. One group includes the Baltic States, Swe- * The interview took ment and energy sectors have place on January 27 made a difference and have had an den and Poland – countries that impact on Russia. That has been strongly support Ukraine’s Euro- the EU's most effective response to the war in Eastern Ukraine since spring 2014. Could the restrictive measures have gone further? I be- BIO Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, born in 1948, is a Polish diplo- mat, Member of the European Parliament. He studied economy at the University of Lodz. In the early 1980s, he joined the Solidarność trade union movement, be- came deputy press-secretary at its Lodz branch and po- litical board secretary at the Centre for Social and Pro- fessional Research of the Solidarność regional branch. He was Poland’s first Minister for European Integration from 1991 to 1996, an architect of Poland’s entrance to the EU and a negotiator on the process in 2000-2001. Since 2004, Mr. Saryusz-Wolski has been Member of the European Parliament (in the EPP faction) and a proactive participant of the processes linked to the Eu- ropean Neighbourhood Policy, particularly its east-Eu- ropean vector. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Saryusz-Wolski served as President of the European Parliament. Since 2014, he has served as Vice President of the EPP for- eign policy group. He took part in the drafting of many resolutions on Ukraine, Russia and ENP before the Vilnius summit in November 2013. From Septem- ber, Mr. Saryusz-Wolski has been the EP’s permanent rapporteur on Ukraine

30|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Opinion|neighbours garia and Romania, depends on eign policy. So, it is not unfounded on Ukraine to prepare and estab- the political force currently in when I say that the European per- lish a Russian-language TV chan- power, left always flirting with ception of Russia has fundamen- nel that would be funded by the Moscow. There are also those that tally changed. EU and would mainly aim at like Portugal or Spain, are not too countering Russia’s propaganda. preoccupied with the develop- U.W.: There was an impression Ukraine on the other hand should ments in Eastern Europe, which earlier that, if Russia complied also change its language of official for them seems too distant. Some with the Minsk Agreement, even if statements and documents to a countries like Italy, France or Ger- only formally, the EU would be harsher tone that reflects the many and Great Britain have big willing to go back to normal gravity of the situation. Ukraine business, financial and investment relations with it, leaving the expects the EU to use a straight interests in or with Russia that occupied part of Eastern Ukraine language, but uses soft language they do not want to jeopardize, so as a frozen conflict and forgetting itself. Foreign Minister Pavlo that also influences their response about Crimea. How accurate is it? Klimkin, in his latest communi- and willingness to take decisive Instead, it used it to buy time to qué uses the term “hostilities”, steps against the aggressor-state better prepare itself for a further not “war”. But we should call a Russia. invasion of Ukraine. There were those in Europe who continuously U.W.: As a long-time European believed in Russia’s sincerity be- The EU’s belief and Parliament member, can you see cause they were naïve or afraid of hope that Russia can go any change in the overall attitude taking a stronger position, and towards Russia, now that it has thus pretending to believe in order through a process been almost a year since its to avoid confrontation. of modernization invasion in Ukraine essentially The position of the EU on began? Crimea is clear. Its annexation has has proven to be false I see a considerable change in never been and never will be recog- the European Parliament’s and the nized or legalized, and sanctions spade a spade - war should be overall EU’s position. The EU’s be- will be maintained. The principle called war, terrorism should be lief and hope that Russia can go of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is called terrorism, and invasion through a process of moderniza- unquestionable, no matter whether should be called invasion. Asking tion and be brought closer to inter- we are speaking about Crimea or Russia to influence their own ter- national and European standards Donbas. Legally, there is no differ- rorist proxies in Donbas is coun- of democracy and the rule of law, ence between the status of these terproductive and harmful, be- has proven to be false. Russia is no two parts of Ukraine. cause it confirms the Russian nar- longer considered a rational part- rative of not being engaged and ner, but rather an aggressor, a U.W.: These “naïve” policymakers not being party to the war against threat to European security, a vio- – how influential and numerous Ukraine. lator of international law, and a are they in the EU policymaking country that has been undermining process? What arguments could U.W.: Apart from the the Eastern Partnership Program - persuade them to see the Russian communication efforts, what else a flagship project of the EU’s for- threat for what it is, if anything? do you, as a long-time proactive The EU’s stance towards Rus- supporter of Ukraine in this sia has changed and the shift in conflict expect from the country opinions includes also those poli- that could give you more cymakers (except for the extreme arguments for further support? left, extreme right and anti-Euro- Indeed, we would like to see peans within EU). Especially now Ukraine do more, actions rather when Russia’s direct involvement than words. When, for example, in the war has become so obvious. we ask the EU to step up sanc- The problem is that the Russian tions, we want to see Ukraine im- perspective is still strong in the posing also sanctions on Russia. Western media. The Russian pro- When we in the European Parlia- paganda is often winning and ment urge EU Member States to needs to be fought with. help Ukraine to develop its mili- tary capabilities to defend itself, U.W.: Is Ukraine providing we expect Ukraine to use its own enough facts and arguments to regular army and weaponry on the western media to counter stock and not rely only on unde- Russia’s rhetoric? What could it do requipped volunteer heroic battal- more to communicate its own ions, When we ask the EU for perspective to European societies more money and support for effectively? Ukraine in the reform process, we Russia is winning the infor- need to see progress and determi- mation war so far. That is why we nation on Ukraine’s side in mod- the EP have called on the Euro- ernizing the country and eradicat- pean Commission in our January ing systemic corruption, instead of European Parliament Resolution delays and posturing. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|31 neighbours|Opinion Ulrich Speck: “What was the minority position towards the Russian aggression has become the majority one in the EU. The main driver of this was Russia itself”

Interviewed he Ukrainian Week spo­ Ukraine with defensive weapons. interesting in the context of the by ­ke to Ulrich Speck, the EU On the other hand, there is much Greek elections… Olha expert and visiting scholar concern that the relations with Germany has moved into a Vorozhbyt Tat Carnegie Europe in Brus- Russia will get worse and even strong leadership position in the sels, about internal contradic- become dangerous, potentially eurozone during the euro crisis. tions inside the EU, attitude to leading to a new Cold War. So, In fact, the Germans never Russia and the role of Germany in these differences in the emphasis wanted to lead Europe. They were preserving the unity of the Euro- have led to a double strategy with just happy to stay in the back- pean Unity. two different strains. One ele- ground. But the euro crisis forced ment is the sanctions, and the Germany to step up as the biggest U.W.: It seems that the other is negotiations as an at- country and the strongest econ- escalation in Eastern Ukraine tempt to bring Russia back into a omy. It has a lot of trust. From aggravates internal more cooperative position via di- this leadership position during contradictions amongst EU plomacy. However, with more in- the euro crisis Angela Merkel has member-states. Would you tense warfare in Eastern Ukraine moved towards the same position agree on this? and with obvious Russian in- in the conflict with Russia. Of The word “contradictions” volvement, it becomes more diffi- course, leadership does not mean may be a little too strong. The EU cult to have this double approach. domination. What it means is the is the organization made of 28 chance to bring the EU towards member-states and you will never U.W.: When you mentioned the common position, and Mrs. find 100% agreement. There is al- “hawkish” views in the EU, how Merkel is fit for that better any ways a majority opinion and a mi- strong are they? anybody else. But this is the out- nority one. Doubts will always be The countries that were tough come of negotiations, not some- plenty and some countries will from the beginning were Poland thing given. disagree, but, nevertheless, what and the Baltic States, perhaps Ro- In addition to that, Mrs. matters is the action that comes mania to the certain extent. Merkel constantly needs to figure out. We have just seen a new Southeastern ones, such as Italy, out what others want and try to statement coming out from heads Spain, Greece, and others, have find an integrated approach, by of states and governments of the been rather reluctant to go into a bringing EU partners early in to EU saying that they “note evi- confrontation with Russia over the decision-making. That is why dence of continued and growing Ukraine. But what was initially a France is now a major partner for support given to separatists by minority position has become a Germany in these negotiations Russia which underlines Russia’s majority one over the last year. with Russia. When the Germans responsibility”. They asked for- The person who played a major get France on board, they have a eign ministers to assess the situa- role in this process was Angela good chance that other countries tion and to consider any appro- Merkel as she was ready to move in the South like Spain and Italy priate action, in particular, fur- towards a more hawkish stance are going to accept this outcome ther restrictive measures, i.e. on Russia. However, the main of the negotiations. France is in sanctions. It takes a whole pro- driver of this change has been between, rather on the skeptical cess to get there and, as I said, Russia itself, its aggressive be- side on sanctions, but Germany there are people who disagree. havior and warfare in Ukraine. has brought it at least halfway On the one hand, you have the into the other camp. Germany more hawkish view that advo- U.W.: With her hawkish position, needs this critical mass and it has cates standing up against Russia will Angela Merkel succeed in a good chance to it by getting and providing more support to persuading those countries that France involved. Ukraine. Some people even sug- lean towards negotiations with The second point is that the gest that it should be by providing Russia? This is especially countries in the South may not 32|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Opinion|neighbours BIO south, including Maghreb, Mo- Ulrich Speck is rocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, Sub- a visiting scholar at Carn- Saharan Africa where it had its egie Europe in colonies, and the Middle East – Brussels. His re- Syria – which had also been search focuses France protectorate. Germany is on the Euro- just the opposite, looking east- pean Union’s ward. This is where its economic foreign policy interests are and where it feels it and Europe’s can make a difference. And this is strategic role in also a major concern of Germany’s a changing global environ- neighbors in the East, especially ment. From Poland. When Frank-Walter 2010 to 2013, Steinmeier became Germany’s Mr. Speck was foreign minister in December an associate fel- 2013, he tried to rebuild German- low at the Ma- French cooperation on foreign drid-based think policy by offering a joint lead and tank FRIDE. working together on both sides to Prior to that he French foreign minister Laurent worked for Ra- Fabius. Under that deal, Germany dio Free Eu- rope/Radio Lib- would take more interest in what erty in Prague is happening in the South and co- and Brussels, operate closely with France in that and in 2006 he direction, and France would work was a fellow at with Germany on problems in the the American East. They visited some countries Institute for in both Eastern and Southern Contemporary neighborhoods together. Angela German Studies Merkel is doing the same with in Washington, French president François Hol- DC. He received PhD in Modern lande, bringing him in on Russia. History from the If you see who and how often University of speak to Vladimir Putin, Merkel is Frankfurt. very much ahead, but Hollande is also in that game. But I do not share Germany’s or Mrs. Merkel’s The main partner here is Ger- think that the French interest is views on Ukraine, Russia and the many. It is possible that Greece is strong enough, so that France conflict, but the internal dynamics going to try to increase its lever- would really invest in these East- inside the EU is such that they age by signaling to Brussels and ern policies. In the future, as I see need Germany for other issues. Berlin that it would use its veto it, Poland is more likely to play an That gives Germany leverage. It power over Russia sanctions. important role in Germany’s East- does not mean that Berlin can However, I don’t think that they ern policies and France in Germa- command them, but it does make are in a very strong position. ny’s Southern policy. This is called it easier to make a deal for Mrs. Greece might create some hic- the Weimar triangle – Poland, Merkel. So, I think it is very likely cups, but not a real obstacle. Germany and France – and for a that the sanctions policy will con- Countries that rely heavily on the while it worked well, including tinue, especially as we have not EU for economic well-being usu- throughout the Ukrainian crisis. It see any sign of Russia trying to ac- ally fall in line with the EU was the three foreign ministers cept and fulfill the Minsk Agree- broader policies, unless they have from Poland, Germany and France ment. a very strong national interest, as who tried to convince Viktor Yan- Cyprus. The latter is blocking the ukovych to sign the agreement U.W.: To which extent the results EU’s relations with NATO be- with the Maidan. Unfortunately, of the Greek elections can cause of its internal conflicts. It Poland has been cut off from this weaken the joint European can do so, because it sees this as a group and now it is the Normandy position on Russian aggression major national interest, but I format group. We do not know ex- towards Ukraine? don’t expect this from Greece. actly how this will develop, but I am not so concerned about you can see that the German-Pol- this. Some elements in the new U.W.: When the European Union ish cooperation is very strong now Greek Government appear to be was just at its beginning, France in the European Council between rather pro-Kremlin, but the big and Germany were the two Angela Merkel, whose grandfather issue for Greece is not Russia or driving forces. Is it possible that was Polish, and Donald Tusk, now Ukraine, it is whether it will leave they become the locomotives of President of the European Coun- the eurozone or not, and what the the EU counter policy against cil. Mr. Tusk and Mrs. Merkel conditions are to stay. So, the Russian aggression? worked very closely in the past core of the negotiations is the France’s interest has histori- and they continue to do that on economy. cally and until today been in the Russia and Ukraine now. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|33 Society|Science "new life" with each new group that manages to take control of the state apparatus. This is precisely why re- nowned sociologist Yevhen Holo- Trouble at vakha called their domination a "momentocracy". Great science is cherished by those peoples that are going to live long and seriously in this world, who do not measure their lives with the Academy short-sighted imperatives, where ev- erything is limited to the short inter- val between elections. On the maladies afflicting Ukraine’s National Ukrainians, in spite of every- Academy of Sciences and its chances of recovery thing, are quite educated, predis- posed to learning and intellectual he institution that is now Author: ever, science can provide a country activity, and the NAS still holds called the National Academy Ihor Losev with great long-term competitive ad- some strong scientific schools of of Sciences of Ukraine (NAS) vantages, advanced breakthrough thought, traditions, research skills Twas founded in 1918. Hetman technologies, strategic perspectives and so on. Pavlo Skoropadskyi stood behind and more. That very scientific potential is the creation of the Academy, and its Here much depends on whether still one of Ukraine’s few true trump first president was the world-re- state leaders are able to think strate- cards in the international division of nowned scientist Volodymyr Ver- gically rather than simply to con- labor. Without advanced sciences nadskyi. It was then, in November sider narrow business or adminis- (and a chance to preserve and de- 1918, that a boy named Borys was trative career interests, and whether velop them), Ukraine will quickly born who was destined to lead the they are capable of planning for the slide into the Third World, becom- Academy for 52 years. Although the long term. ing a country of slow development NAS has not produced any Nobel Great science is intended for the and accelerated degradation. laureates, it can be found in the Gui- long-term history of society. It can- Given the proper societal and ness Book of World Records thanks not exist under a government run by governmental attitudes, science can to the administrative longevity of its a fussy, kleptocratic class of huck- provide Ukraine with new technolo- leader, Borys Paton. sters who think only of the here and gies, innovation, and fundamental In this regard, the NAS is defi- now, forcing the country to start a discoveries that will change the nitely "a world leader". In a few years, the institution will celebrate In 2018, the Ukrainian its 100th anniversary. For the last 23 National years, Ukraine has been run by fig- Academy of ures who were not concerned with Sciences, as knowledge and philosophical wis- well as its dom, but with a powerful grasping current leader reflex. They occasionally raise the is- Borys Paton sue of something being unnecessary will celebrate and redundant after they drive that their 100-year something to such state, in order to anniversary privatize, optimize and utilize it for the benefit of a narrow circle of lim- ited people. While the NAS amassed considerable property during its de- cades-long existence, it has often been the subject of envious scrutiny resulting in proposals for its rear- ranging or re-subordination. These attempts to exercise the grabbing in- stinct, a strong one in post-commu- nist states, were camouflaged as con- cerns about the institution being re- dundant. When the Ukrainian army was looted (after the dissolution of the USSR — Ed.), the looters were similarly questioning the need of its own military machinery in a peaceful Ukrainian nation that has “good friends just across the border”. Not all countries can afford to fi- nance strong fundamental sciences. It is quite expensive indeed. How- 34|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Science|Society landscape of production, lifestyle, of the Pope by the College of Cardi- Unfortunately, the NAS has not interaction with the environment, nals, but not much). The nomenkla- managed to shed the spirit of Sovi- and more. If it is destroyed, then tura of academic elites decides ev- etism and Russophilism. Sergei what will remain for us as a bench- erything backstage. This leads to Glazyev, a willful Ukrainophobe mark of progress? A flock of busi- rather predictable consequences. and provincial Russian activist nesspeople that can’t see anything The membership of the National with an economics education be- beyond their immediate commercial Academy of Sciences is often com- came the most difficult manifesta- success. Ukraine’s international pletely unrelated to real scientific tion of this problem when he was weight will be much smaller without advances. One might be a politician, elected a foreign member of the its scientific component, for science chief of the Presidential Administra- NAS. Now senior veterans in the provides potential and opportunities tion, an MP, leader of a political NAS are standing behind Glazyev that, while they may not be realized party and a nobody in science, but to their death, saying that his hon- today, are certainly positive and due to one’s political "merit" and orary status cannot be revoked. In worth preserving. We might com- proximity to power, one might be- another case, The author of this ar- pare this with Britain and France come an academician, often with all ticle personally acted as an expert without nuclear weapons. How the "achievements" of several ordi- consult on a state deputy’s inquiry much do the sciences do for them, nary scientific articles and a mono- into his plan to establish a monu- considering the significant advan- graph. One figure that carried such ment to Russian Emperor Alexan- tage of global nuclear superpowers baggage became famous during the der II in Kyiv. and the presence of a US nuclear 2004 presidential campaign for his Despite all of the above short- umbrella under which they can al- almost criminal actions related to comings, the National Academy of ways hide? However, without sci- rigging the vote, yet this did not pre- Sciences should be saved through ence, the weight of these countries vent him from becoming an acade- radical and fundamental reforms in Europe and the world would be mician. It is predominately among based on more than merely the dia- markedly reduced. And now look at academics in the humanities that we metrically opposed models of the us. Ukraine with science is one find such “scholars” whose great US and Russia that entail either to- thing; Ukraine without science is contribution to the science of their something completely different. colleagues is completely unknown. Because the system Thus, academic science is crucial. Because the system for electing However, does Ukraine need an or- academics is completely undemo- for electing academics is ganizational structure like the Na- cratic, secretive, and driven by caste completely undemocratic, tional Academy of Sciences? What and nomenklatura, it is not at all we see now is a typical product of conducive to healthy human re- secretive, and driven by the Soviet reality with all its virtues source processes. Thus, under Yanu- caste and nomenklatura, and faults. That is why it is very dif- kovych’s presidency, comrade ficult for it to function in a modern Valeriy Soldatenko, skilled historian it is not at all conducive environment. of the Communist Party, became a to healthy human resource The NAS is a huge company NAS associate member in the field of with dozens of "shops"—institutes History instead of renowned scien- processes and laboratories with thousands of tists, such as Stanislav Kulchytskyi, workers. This hierarchical structure Volodymyr Serhiychuk, and others. tal separation from the state, or forms a sort of pyramid with a su- There is another example: for five complete state control, and nothing preme power at the top: the Presi- years, the Institute of Philosophy has in between. The NAS should be- dent and the Presidium of the NAS. nominated Anatoliy Yermolenko as come a democratic self-governing Beneath them is the academic no- a candidate for NAS associate mem- structure. In this sense, it is neces- menklatura: academics and associ- ber. Though he has great influence sary to look at the experience of ate members, and even lower, the not only among Ukrainian philoso- some post-communist Central Eu- scientific "commonwealth": virtually phers, but also in German philo- ropean countries such as the Czech powerless researchers, even if they sophical circles in Europe and has Republic. There, the Academy of are doctors and PhDs. For almost made great scientific achievements, Sciences was not dismantled, but nothing here depends on them, they the top of the academic pyramid has preserved by substantially modify- do not affect the life of this organiza- steadfastly ignored these proposals. ing its structure and management. tion in any way, and decisions are NAS research teams must be allowed 54 of its institutions operate on made without them and for them. to participate in the election of aca- money from government programs Eventually, regulations are merely demics and associate members, oth- as well as grants (i.e. grants for the passed down to them from the aca- erwise nothing will be updated and work of individual scientists at demic authorities. Nothing akin to the system is guaranteed to become home) thanks in particular to the “transparent” mechanisms of demo- a gerontocracy—rule by the elderly. EU. Where there’s a will, there’s a cratic self-government exists here Yes, many of them have made their suitable model to borrow. However, that might differentiate the NAS contributions to science. But a natu- it is clear that the NAS cannot con- from a pseudo-democratic soviet ral process of generational shift is re- tinue to exist in its current archaic, government. quired if science is not to fall into de- overly bureaucratic form. It is trans- Elections of academics and as- cay. Of course, this is difficult be- forming from a living and active or- sociate members occur without the cause the very same man who served ganization into a monument to it- participation of research teams from as President of the National Acad- self. We need new ideas, new forms, academic institutions (maybe a little emy of Sciences in '96 was still in and new leaders. History has chal- more democratic than the election charge in 2014. lenged us. We must respond. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|35 Society|Science Deputy Education Minister Maksym Strikha: "Science is not a means of satisfying one's curiosity, but the guarantee of the national security"

r. Strikha spoke to The chose to work here, rather than Interviewed by communicator with the power Ukrainian Week about leaving the country. Speaking of Hanna Trehub elites and the society. This makes the current status and the natural and technology sciences, the gap between science and the so- Mpotential of the Ukrainian the older generation of scientists is ciety even deeper. If the Academy science, the need for reform at the our gold reserve. They will not in- fails to change the situation, it will National Academy of Sciences, and vent quantum mechanics (which just disappear, because neither the forged academic degrees. were created, as you might know, by society nor the authorities under- 25-year-olds), but they can direct stand why Ukraine needs this insti- U.W.: How can you describe the and organize the research process, tution and why it should be financed. current situation at the NAS? Are and will keep generating ideas to the So, it is important that the NAS finds there any initiatives to evaluate ripe old age. Such people are in high the resources to bring young blood to what has been left of the Academy demand, because quantum mechan- its management, appointing new dy- of Sciences in terms of technical and ics does not emerge all by itself, it re- namic people to senior positions. I human resources, and to decide quires the background of a certain would not make a forecast as to how to manage it efficiently? scientific environment. However, we whether its representatives will be Speaking of the assets of the Na- should remember that due to biolog- able to do so, since the Academy still tional Academy of Sciences (NAS) in ical reasons, in 10 years at the latest remains a conservative structure. terms of lands, facilities, etc., the the older generation will be gone. If Inventory count at the NAS Academy has been and still remains we do not manage during that time would be a good idea. Not everything a unique institution, thanks to a to bring to the academia a sufficient that the Academy owns is used effi- great degree to the role and the activ- number of young people, the issue of ciently. But it would be an illusion to ity (and I'm saying this without science in Ukraine will be taken off believe that following an audit we irony) of Borys Paton. All the insti- the table completely. will find some great assets that were tutes that existed in the early 1990s The management of the NAS re- unaccounted for to this day. have survived to this day, and their ally ought to be more mobile. Boris number has even increased. Paton is not a gerontocrat, he still ac- U.W.: The NAS system included a As for the human resources, tively controls everything that hap- whole number of experimental changes were not for the better. In pens in the Academy, following plants and technology labs, that fact, very many active people, espe- the new ideas. However, is, the framework required for cially of the younger generations, this is a man who was the efficient development of were washed out of the country or to formed in the 1930s. the applied science and other sectors. Salary levels at the While in the 1990s, his the implementation of its Academy as of today give no chances conservatism was nec- breakthroughs in the to the talented youth from the prov- essary to preserve the economy and the inces to settle down in the capital, NAS as such, today industry. What is the neither by renting apartments nor by something else is current state of these staying at the Academy's dorms after needed. Most Acade- enterprises, what do defending their PhD theses. micians got accus- they do to survive? The average age of the Candi- tomed over the years Speaking not only dates of Sciences at the NAS is over to the situation when about the Academy, 50 years, Doctors are aged over 60, all external communi- but also about the Academicians over 70, and the Presi- cations are carried out Ukrianian science in dent of the Academy is 96. There is a by Paton, whose au- general, we have both huge gap between the older genera- thority can help resolve success stories and cases tion and the youth. We have a situa- any issue. But let's be hon- of complete failure. Those that tion where most of Ukrainian sci- est: due to his age, he can still operate are surviving de- ence depends on veterans. They no longer be an effective pending on their niche. What 36|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Science|Society do we actually have? We have hard- be reformed without destroying that there is no science in Ukraine. working people. The needs of the whatever we already have? We should dispel this stereotype and pharmaceutical market are clear. As Any reform should be based on show that it is quite the opposite. It is for the IT sector, no questions either: the current situation, because we science that can offer brilliant de- it has the greatest potential for out- cannot afford to lose what we have fense solutions that just need to be sourcing, so our scientists are work- preserved. The reconversion should implemented. ing for foreign companies. But there be carried out very carefully, always are very many other high-tech in consultation with the professional U.W.: In public discourse, the niches, both in Ukraine and abroad. environment. Any attempts of me- perception that fundamental Do you know why Pinchuk still has a chanically replicating in Ukraine the science should have strong relations large share of the world market of experience, say, of Georgia, which is with universities gradually starts to railway wheels? Because he very ac- now top fashion, or of any other na- prevail. How strong today is this tively cooperates with the academia. tion, could be disastrous. We have connection, and how can the The Dnipropetrovsk National Metal- our own deep-rooted traditions: the situation be balanced in this specific lurgical Academy actually works for very same NAS, which is so much area? his plants. It offers technological so- criticized today (sometimes rightly Ukraine has inherited from the lutions that allow the wheels pro- so, and sometimes not), was estab- past a large sector of extra-university duced by INTERPIPE to compete lished not by Joseph Stalin, but by research. It should be preserved and worldwide. But there is also a sad the most illustrious Hetman Pavlo combined with universities as places history. Not so long ago, we were Skoropadsky, along with Volodymyr where science is developing natu- very proud of the fact that the steel Vernadsky. rally. Once again, quantum mechan- magnate Lakshmi Mittal was given Ukraine, strange as it may seem, ics were created by people who were the control of Krivorizhstal. Before still has first-class science and scien- aged 25 at that time. Such people are that, the whole Dniprodzerzhinsk tists. Unfortunately, they are largely open to everything new, and this is University worked for that produc- ignored by the media, since the soci- BIO very important. How can we cope tion. Mittal put on hold any research ety prefers quite different public fig- Maksym Strikha with this task? There are many ways, orders, and Krivorizhstal became a ures. How they manage to survive is is an academic, and they are not revolutionary. We dump for outdated Western technol- not quite clear, since given the social and politi- could encourage dual employment ogies. Everywhere in the world, peo- amount of funds allocated in recent cal activist, trans- on a large scale, as is the case in ple who invest in technology eventu- years, science should have ceased ex- lator, and writer. France. People working for the CNRS ally win. The problem is that the isting long ago. By all international Doctor of Physics (Centre National de la Recherche Sci- and Mathemat- Ukrainian economy to this day func- scientometric canons, it is bound to ics (1997). Has entifique) usually also do lecturing. tions in such a way that no one disappear if its funding is lower than has been Chief People who pursue science should thinks of investing in research in or- a certain critical level. Science is be- Researcher at the not lecture 600 hours per year, since der to gain a stable +10% over the lieved to have a direct impact on the Institute of Semi- this would leave them little time for next few years, because everyone economic situation when over 1.7% conductor Phys- research. But they need to dedicate at thinks about snatching +50% or of GDP is invested in research. This ics, National least 200 hours per year to teaching. +100% here and now, by buying up is the conclusion drawn from the Academy of Sci- Our legislation actually prohibits politicians, using shadow schemes, study of R&D expenditures in many ences of Ukraine, dual employment, instead of encour- giving bribes, etc. For any Western countries that achieved economic since 2010; Head aging people from universities to capitalist, introducing new technolo- success. Hence the EU Lisbon Strat- of Translation work part-time in research institutes Deparment at gies means making profit. However, egy (3% of GDP) and the US efforts the Humanities and, vice-versa, scientists to give lec- here people make money by siphon- to keep R&D spending at the level of Institute of Borys tures. Although our budget is limited ing it off. at least 3% of GDP, while Israel and Hrinchenko, today, one of the competitions of the When the society creates the Sweden spend 4% of GDP on sci- Taras State Fund for Fundamental Re- conditions in which the economy ence. For me it is difficult to say to- Shevchenko Uni- search was arranged for joint teams of will be interested in R&D, the situa- day what Ukraine spent on science versity since universities and research institutes. tion will change dramatically. But last year, but in the recent years the 2010; Vice Presi- We support projects that are carried achieving this goal is beyond the ca- funds allocated from the state bud- dent of the out by both branches of the academia pacity of the Ministry of Education get amounted to 0.3% of GDP, plus a Higher Education on a parity basis. We could come up and Science or the National Acad- little bit from other sources. In 2014, Academy of Sci- with many more such projects. We ences of Ukraine emy of Sciences of Ukraine. It takes these figures were obviously even since 2010; Vice need to eliminate certain discrimina- political decisions at the highest less. In 2015, we will have financing President of the tion that existed previously with re- level. Until we have such decisions, it at the level of 0.5% of GDP from all Ukrainian Writers spect to academic research, although simply makes no sense talking about sources (including 0.2% of GDP Association since ultimately it will be simply removed a possible influx of extrabudgetary from the state budget). This means 2009; and Chair- as life goes on, because today both ac- funding into science or about its self- that the whole structure of science in man of the Pub- ademic institutions and universities financing. Anyway, self-financing is Ukraine, including the National lic Council at the are equally bad off. only possible in case of applied re- Academy of Sciences, universities, State Agency for search. Basic science everywhere in industry academies, and research in- Science, Innova- U.W.: It's no secret that since the world is sponsored by the state. stitutes, today costs less than 5 bil- tions and Infor- Ukraine gained independence, matization of lion hryvnia, which is mere pocket Ukraine since buying academic degrees and U.W.: It is clear that the Ukrainian change. But the real tragedy is that 2011. Deputy scientific ranks has become academic science, along with its some people believe that even this Minister of Edu- common practice. For instance, whole structure, should have money is unacceptable luxury and cation in 2008- former President Viktor Yanukovych switched over to a more efficient should be saved. Many people in the 2010 and since called himself a doctor of economic model at least 10 years ago. Can it country's top management believe summer 2014 sciences, and many more infamous № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|37 Society|Science personalities have acquired fake Programme will be signed in March, drop drastically. In fact, the Humani- scientific degrees. What shall we do giving us the rights of European re- ties in science and the humanitarian with these ersatz scientists? It is search communities), this will auto- level of science in general are ex- thanks to them that the whole of matically bring about great change. tremely important for the society. Ukrainian scientific community is So far, the academicians were con- Their impact cannot be measured considered charlatans... sidered to be the most important, with money. Without this compo- In natural and technology sci- but now, simply and naturally, the nent, there would have been no Rev- ences, with a few exceptions, the sit- major players will be those who can olution of Dignity (Maidan – Ed.). uation with forged scientific degrees effectively compete for European re- is not so bad. This epidemic has search grants. This reform would be U.W.: Ukraine has a National mostly plagued social and humani- deeper than anything we could do by Security Council, but still has no tarian sciences. When the society is administrative means. state doctrine of social and corrupt, it is not realistic to have humanitarian development. Under even one crystal-clear sector, such as U.W.: Do Ukrainian scientists and this perspective, culture, education science. In other words, the problem politicians have a clearly defined and science have not yet been is much wider: it's about healing the national science development recognized as the basis for national whole society. strategy for the next 5-10 years? security. Is there a way to change There are also issues related to While the needs of physical and the situation? the scientific community as such. exact sciences are clear, what I don't quite like the term of "hu- Here we need a policy of zero toler- would be the fate of the humanities manitarian development strategy," ance for plagiarism and forged re- that are part of the academic basic because this also involves a large search. In the recent years, and this science? non-humanitarian component. In is a very dangerous symptom, the The future of science is an impor- fact, we need to talk about science situation with medical sciences has tant issue. There is even such term as and technology policy, among other been deteriorating rapidly. As a re- foresight, or futures studies, which things. Whatever words we use, we sult, the falsification of clinical trial are talking about the strategy for the results to the orders of pharmaceuti- LESS THAN UAH 5BN future sustainable development of cal companies to prove that certain the Ukrainian society. There is no drugs are effective has become com- IS SPENT ON ALL SCIENCE doubt that we need it, but it has to be mon practice. This is scary. Some IN UKRAINE TODAY formed by high-ranking profession- constructive results in such situation als from various areas. I am not can only be achieved by joint efforts refers to the research of the areas that aware of any such work currently un- of the entire academic community. may be important today, taking into derway. Naturally, some of its com- The Ministry of Education and account their possible use in the real ponents are now being considered. Science is making some real steps, economy of tomorrow. In Ukraine This refers to the information secu- each State Accreditation Commis- five years ago, there have been at- rity, the future of the defense science, sion makes decisions to annul aca- tempts of such research, which later and so on. But I haven't heard of demic degrees or refuses to award stopped. It would be critically impor- anyone preparing a global document them due to plagiarism. For in- tant to resume it today, because with- that would encompass this all. stance, at the last meeting, an aca- out it we could not determine priority However, it is clear to me that demic council was disbanded after areas of applied science that we need one of the reasons for losing Donetsk we saw a video of its chairman show- to support in order to get the prod- Airport, besides the errors made by ing to a student a price list for the ucts required by the real business the military commanders, is our fun- whole range of services, from writing and industry. We still have no answer damental technological inferiority. a thesis to defending it. If previously to this, same as no money in our mis- The Russians are fighting using the everything was limited to talks, to- erable budget. But world-class basic latest developments, while we only day we already have people who science should be supported, because have patched up Soviet weapons were really punished. it is the basis of the knowledge of made in the 1980s. This is entirely Regarding ersatz academicians, I mankind, without which no other understandable, because none of the cannot name a single one among science is possible. previous governments took the army Ukrainian physicists. But I under- I believe that humanities knowl- for something serious, and Ukraine stand that in other branches of the edge is the basis for very many things spent on research 50 times less than National Academy of Sciences the and for all people. By the way, this is Russia in the last 25 years. This situation is worse. We had a certain also true for exact sciences. In this clearly indicates the state of the na- Academician Nikolay Bagrov, who sense, science as such has a very tional science, the level of technical later became a traitor after the an- strong humanitarian component. I education, etc. Period. No further nexation of Crimea, defecting to the am trying to demonstrate it. Ukrai- comments. Sadly, the country's man- Russian side. It's no secret that he nian science, due to miserable fund- agement has not yet come to the un- was an apparatchik rather than a sci- ing, cannot currently bring us Nobel derstanding that science is not just a entist, who became a manager of ed- Prizes. It is very expensive, although I means of satisfying one's curiosity ucation. But I would not say that this must say that all Nobel Prize winners and a reserve for budget cuts, but the is a rule. The situation is different in in recent years, at least as far as phys- guarantee of the national security. sectoral research academies. Hope- ics are concerned, had Ukrainian Today, victory belongs to those who fully, if we now become members of contributors in the near circle. But if have high-precision modern weap- the European Research Area (since this science in our country disap- ons. Ukraine, thank God, still has the there are hopes that the agreement pears, the overall level of the society, scientific potential required for their on Ukraine joining Horizon 2020 its intelligence, and its culture would design and manufacture. 38|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Clash of civilizations|history Why Is Russia Against Europe? Why is Russia so persistently aggressing on Ukraine? Because it sees Ukraine as already in Europe and has historically been driven to destroy both

hat we call European Author: sia gladly bowed their heads, Some historians say that the civilization evolved Valeriy starting with Yaroslav Vsevo­lo­ Horde brought the rule of the au- over centuries to em- Prymost dovych of Pereiaslavl-Zalisskiy tocrat, the powerlessness of sub- Wbrace the principles and his son Aleksandr Nevsky. jects, and the psychology of the that human rights are inviolable, Thus, Moscow became the trib- military boot camp and enshrined private property sacrosanct, a ute-collection center of the in Muscovy. But this mixes cause strong judiciary fundamental, Golden Horde, evolving into that and effect. The Horde subordi- and honest work respectable. Me- most lucrative and widespread nated Muscovy precisely because dieval Rus, the historic triangle form of Russian business: “sitting Muscovites were receptive to this between Kyiv, Chernihiv and on cash flows.” kind of rule. What the Horde did Pereiaslav, reflected these same The main wealth of Europe, bring to the Zalissia realm was a features: the members of every including Kyivan Rus, were land reason to fight against Europe: social class in Kyivan Rus had and people, so Europe quickly the Grand Mission of spreading clearly defined rights and could focused on the principle of in- Genghis Khan’s rule to the “Last defend them in unwritten and ventiveness. Europeans under- Sea.” written law alike. Every free stood that it was more benefi- Rusin had the right to vote at a lo- cial to create something your- The spirit cal assembly and even a Great self than to take it away from of orthodox jihad Kniaz, their prince, could not someone else. But the Zalissia When Lithuania took Zalissia, claim the throne without the Smolensk, Polotsk and even the agreement of “Kyivans and the If Russia is waging Three Cities from the Horde, it black hoods” of the forested became the target of this murder- steppe lands. war on Ukraine, ous mission. Moscow and Lithua- In the boggy woodlands to the it means the European nia had taken equal measures of north, known as Zalissia and also territory from Kyivan Rus, but the ruled by Rus, life was very differ- spirit has awakened in socio-political essence was very ent. A harsh, colonized hinterland Ukrainians again different. This shaped the nature with only a scattering of villages of the conflict between the two: and towns, it had no room for tra- region teemed with natural Moscow saw Lithuania as an exis- ditions like voting, contracts or wealth. With the furs of sables, tential enemy from whom it had the ownership of ancestral lands. squirrels, beavers and martens to rescue the “Rusin soul.” There, only service to the ruler— highly valued, an economy of As Muscovy continued to loot be it military or civilian—was re- “extraction” soon took hold. Af- everything possible—land, settle- spected. Shaped by outcasts from ter all, why make things when ments, people, riches, and tech- Kyivan Rus, this swampy territory you could simply buy them—or nology—, it annexed huge territo- was to become Muscovy and later just take them away from some- ries and populations in Western renamed Russia. one? Rus. By the 16th century, it had Having annexed Western Rus, transformed into a major state The marauding mentality with its “European” institutions that was able to defeat its once- Starting with Andrei Bogoliubsky, such as vassalage, the rights of powerful rivals: the Golden Horde Zalissia’s rulers marched ruin- subjects and local self-govern- and the Lithuanian Principality. ously on the southwest of the ment, Muscovy had no use for Meanwhile, differences in re- 1 “Black hoods” refers to realm. Not to rule from Kyiv but the warriors from the vari- them. It only absorbed that which ligion between Moscow and Rus simply for the sake of booty: to ous nomadic Turkic tribes, allowed it to acquire even more orthodoxy came to the forefront including the Pechenegs loot, burn and destroy. When the that settled the southern territory: resources, military during the Lithuanian era. After Mongols reached the borders of edge of Kyivan Rus. forces and technology, and mobi- the Florentine Union of 1439, Kyivan Rus, the princes of Zalis- 2 I.e., the Atlantic Ocean. lization capacity. Muscovites had distanced them- № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|39 history|Clash of civilizations

selves from the Christian world The Zalissia way of life—col- power and to continue the attack and lived in virtual isolation for lectivism, top-down rule, con- on Europe. more than a century. In effect, tempt for the “other,” acquisitive- this schism between Muscovy and ness—combined with its “love- The Moscow way Rus added an element of religious hate” attitudes towards Europe The case of Novgorod was a clas- fanaticism to the many excuses shaped that dreadful Moscow he- sic illustration of Muscovite prin- Muscovy had to march on the gemony that historian Lev Gumi- ciples: its prince was hired to West. lev euphemistically called “pas- serve the principality and at times Under Ivan III, the Great, the sionarity.” It is a powerful force there was no prince at all. In 1494, principles and worldview of Mos- based on a fierce belief in inherent Ivan III seized the city, closed the cow’s expansionism first sur- uniqueness and disdain for the German Court and the Hanseatic faced: Muscovy as “Holy Russia,” rights of others. It was not long embassy, confiscated the goods of 3 Kyiv, Chernihiv and Pere- a shining orthodox empire sur- before this mix led to another ide- iaslav, the three corner- the many foreign merchants, and rounded by godless, evil enemies. ological myth—Moscow as the stones of Kyivan Rus. forbade Novgorod to engage in The “Divine Mission” given to Third Rome. 4 Defined in the Global foreign trade. When Novgorodi- Studies Encyclopedia Dic- “Holy Russia” to fight against the With the appearance of the tionary as “an irresistible ans rebelled against Moscow, Ivan enemies of orthodoxy demanded Third Rome doctrine, all the ac- inner drive to conduct ex- IV, Grozny or “the Terrible,” dealt tremely fierce activity that the “proper” orthodox faith tions of Moscow’s leadership whose purpose is to the finishing blow: of 6,000 change the ethnic or nat- and hence the “proper” way of life against Lithuania and Novgorod, ural environment of the households, more than 5,000 be spread as widely as possible. its conflicts with the Constantino- person possessing this were devastated, countless resi- And every Muscovite-Russian ple patriarch, the search for a drive.” dents slaughte­­ ­­red and the re- was supposed to serve this lofty more august ancestry, and the mainder deported to the east, to mission. Since nothing personal— manifestations of autocracy and be replaced by Muscovites. not yours, not others’—had any “great state-ness” were strictly de- Under Grozny’s rule, Muscovy value, the political formula, “Di- fined. Muscovy was simply “des- became a powerful empire that vine Autocrat + serfs/slaves,” was tined” to become an imperial was ready to challenge Europe. ideologically validated. The Livonian Order proved easy 40|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Clash of civilizations|history overcome, because no voluntary And “the state” was the autocrat, the 20th century, partitioning it military formation can withstand sitting at the pinnacle of a top- yet again. a powerful, centralized state down chain-of-command cast in Next, it was Sweden’s turn to force. Only when it had to deal si- iron. defend Europe. In the 16th cen- multaneously with the Poles, When the Riurykovych dy- tury, Ivan IV had tried to get an Lithuanians, Swedes, Danes, and nasty came to an end in Moscow, outlet to the Baltic Sea without Norwegians was Moscow’s “drang two new rulers appeared who gen- success. Now it was the turn of nach Westen” given such a re- uinely wanted to reform Muscovy Pyotr I. Buying up military and sponse that it nearly destroyed along European lines: Borys Go- technical specialists, arms and the Muscovite state altogether. dunov and Dmitry I the Self-Pro- equipment in Europe, the “car- What ultimately saved Mus- claimed, aka the Pretender. Mos- penter tsar” launched a new war covy was the conquest of Siberia, cow’s nobles might have accepted against Sweden. Muscovy had al- which gave the tsar an endless the European model with its lim- ready started four wars against source of material resources. Now its on monarchic powers, rule of Sweden in the 15th and 16th cen- Moscow was in a position where it law and inviolable property turies, and in the 17th century, could lose battles and even tacti- rights. But Moscow’s people Sweden attacked in response to cal wars, but not major, global wanted to live in “Holy Russia,” to Moscow’s failure to uphold their military conflicts, where the qual- wallow in “true orthodoxy,” and to treaty. The war launched by Pyotr ity of the force and the talent of its be subservient to “God’s anointed” was the seventh. At the enormous commanders—often a problem for autocrat: they needed a “natural cost and with enormous losses, a Moscow—no longer mattered in sovereign.” by-now huge Russia finally got its the face of colossal resources. window on the Baltic. In the 18th Muscovy could afford to lose en- Divide and conquer century, the Swedes twice tried to tire armies on failed campaigns— With Lithuania out of the way, Po- retake lost territory, but failed. In and thousands of sables from Si- land was next in Moscow’s line- the 19th century, Russia managed beria would pay to send new men, of-sight. The Poles not only were to also snatch Finland from the often foreign mercenaries, off to involved in the Livonian War Swedes. battle again. Economically, Mus- (1558–1583) on the side of Lithu- On Sweden’s heels came the covy could survive as long as it ania, but at the start of the 17th next “defender of Europe,” Prus- continued to extract something century, they gave Muscovy the sia. Having waited until a coali- from one place or another, so per- Troubles of 1598–1613 and a Pol- tion between Austria and France manent expansion became a kind ish garrison stood in the Kremlin. formed against the young and am- of endless flight from the total Busy warring over distant colo- bitious kingdom, Russia joined bankruptcy of the state. But the nies and trade on the high seas, the attack. In the ensuing Seven marauder mentality meant Mus- western Europeans did not take Years’ War (1756-1763), the Prus- covy would inevitably fall more Muscovy seriously. While one or sians lost and Germany’s next and more behind. two countries were resisting its military clash with Russia wasn’t Having borrowed European expansion, others aided and abet- until the mid-20th century. technology from German and ted it. And so, English gold and Italian weapons-makers during English cannons helped Moscow European skins, the reign of Ivan III, Muscovites drive the Poles out of the Kremlin. Russian souls did take the manufacture of arms Having swallowed up Ukraine Russia’s “schizophrenic” attitude seriously, running it at the state and collected military and civilian towards Europe and all things level. The first item they began to engineers, officers and German European was not limited to ac- produce was the cannon. And as mercenaries, weapons and tech- quiring European specialists, soon as production went on line, nology in Europe, Muscovy, re- goods and technology and then Moscow began to sell firearms to named “Russia” by Pyotr I, known attacking that same Europe with eastern potentates such as the as Peter the Great, put paid to Po- them. In the mid-18th century, Persian Shah—which it does to Russia actually “borrowed” its this day. next dynasty from Europe: start- As long as the state lived off Look at Russian history, ing with Pyotr III and Yekaterina the extraction and sale of natural from Andrei Bogoliubsky II (Catherine the Great), Germans resources, there was no felt need from the Holstein-Gottorp dy- to develop domestic processing to Stalin, and you will nasty sat on the imperial throne. and manufacturing industries. understand Vladimir Putin But all that was “europeanized” as And since peasants, artisans and a result was a small circle of aris- merchants were not the state’s land and demonstrated the proper tocrats and officials, who wore main source of revenue, they had place of “noble democracy.” The European clothes, spoke Euro- no right to a voice—no rights at Poles themselves may have pean languages, and traveled to all, as it turned out. With such started the first war, but the rest European cities. In reality, this vast resources, Muscovy’s armies were all started by Russia. It at- “europeanization” was completely kept conquering new territories tacked Poland twice in the 17th superficial, for neither in their ag- and defending existing ones. The century, invaded it 4 times and gressive marauder mentality, nor land, resources and processing fa- partitioned it three times in the in the autocratic, orthodox nature cilities all belonged to the state. 18th century, crushed two rebel- of their state did these elites differ People, from the prince to the sta- lions in the 19th century, and at- from their predecessors who wore ble boy, also belonged to the state. tacked the country twice more in beaver hats and straggly beards. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|41 history|Clash of civilizations Russia needed to give the ap- pearance of europeanization for two main reasons: to get closer to its next source of booty and to have access to weapons. This mimicry allowed Russia to form pacts with one European country against others time and again, al- lying with Poland against Swe- den, with Sweden against Poland, with France and Austria against Prussia, and with Prussia and Austria against France. The first Franco-Russian war was at Rus- sia’s initiative in an alliance with Austria and Saxony, known as the War of Polish Succession in 1733-35. In the second war against France, Russia joined forces with Austria during the War of Austrian Succession in 1740-48. Russia attacked Europe three more times, declaring war on post-revolutionary France, to- The USSR: Ukrainian hope of victory over the Musco- gether with Austria and Prussia. A return to the roots roofer Mustang vite phoenix. Stalin was counting The first time, it ended with Suvo- Under the bolsheviks, Russia Wanted on thrashing the Germans and rov’s humiliating retreat through once again became an autocratic "europeanizes" getting to the “Last Sea” on their the Alps in 1799; then came defeat religious empire. Only this time the Kremlin star backs. But he only got as far as by painting it at Austerlitz in 1805; and finally a the autocrats were General Sec- blue and yellow Berlin. Victory—but only by half. disastrous defeat at Friedland in retaries of a party and the reli- In the post-war period, soviet 1807 ended this assault. Napo- gion was communism. The rest— Russia kept supporting socialist leon’s invasion in 1812 was his re- customs, laws, democracy, hu- overthrows and its many satel- sponse to these attacks by Russia m a n lites in the Third World, from and to Russia’s violation of the and property rights—reverted to Vietnam and Ethiopia to Angola 1808 Treaty of Tilsit. the levels they had been at under and Cuba. Still, the First World Russia threw the gauntlet at Ivan Grozny. This was once again kept hanging on. Khrushchev or- France and England during the “Holy Russia,” only now called chestrated the Berlin and Cuban 19th century, with the Crimean “the only country of workers and crises, but times had changed. War of 1853-56. This time the peasants in the world,” sur- With nuclear weapons, a world Russians did not modernize Euro- rounded, of course, by evil ene- war was suddenly impossible: pean-style and did not have any mies. The autocrat ruled over capitalists and socialists alike European allies. The Crimean disenfranchised serfs who were wanted to live, after all. War ended in total defeat. expected to serve the state. No The Empire needed to mod- personal or property rights were The marauding ernize but was now faced with an recognized. state as failed model unexpected problem: technologi- The minute bolshevik Russia When competition with the dam- cal changes had become strongly began to gain strength, it re- nable West moved into the eco- linked to economic, social and at- turned to its familiar paradigm: nomic sphere, Russia had no titudinal changes. To be able to to move in on Europe and destroy chance at all. It kept getting into match Europeans on the battle- it. The “World Revolution” failed, ever-deeper debt with that same field, Russia needed to close the so military incursion came next. damnable West, selling its gap in these areas as well. This Josef Stalin needed to prepare “furs”—read oil and gas—to buy meant democratizing govern- the empire’s economic and ad- food, manufactured goods and ment, establishing a workable ministrative structures at top technology. With no more territo- court system, and treating all na- speed for the next “Great Leap,” ries to loot, bankruptcy soon tionalities equally. Russia was not arm a huge military force and loomed. The minute oil prices prepared for this. During its send it off to war. By 1939, the so- fell, and the West raised interest bloody revolution, Russia’s new viet army was more than 5 mil- rates on soviet loans and stopped leadership, sponsored once more lion strong. selling technology to the Rus- by a western European power, Meanwhile, Europe had Ger- sians, it was only a short time be- eliminated all overtly European many. Twice in the 20th century, fore soviet Russia came crashing notions and the pro-European Russia entered a war against down. elite from the times of early in- Germany with powerful western All this time, the West kept dustrialization. The tender shoots allies on its side. Both times the pulling Russia towards itself and of liberty, democracy and reason war was started by Germany, be- into Europe, supporting it, treat- were crushed. cause the first attack gave some ing its sicknesses, giving it 42|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Clash of civilizations|history money, and doing everything pa’s time, it did all it could to kill Ivan the Great and Ivan the Ter- possible so that the country everything European in the rible, Peter the Great and Cathe- might get better at last. And what country, eliminating traditional rine the Great, Lenin and Sta- did Russia do when it nearly cru- liberties, prohibiting the lan- lin—to understand Vladimir Pu- cified itself after the crash? It be- guage and culture, and robbing, tin. He and his people will never gan riveting tanks and cannons, killing, torturing, and starving give up their “holy mission” to and screaming that the damnable its people to death. But Ukraini- destroy Europe—Russia’s Ortho- West was getting in its way. ans time and again picked them- dox jihad. Today, Russians get every- When Russia began advanc- thing from the West: technology, ing against Europe this time, it innovations, entertainment, Stalin reached Berlin. followed its old template: first kill fashion, trends, fresh ideas, mov- How far will Kyivan Rus and grab all its re- ies, books, music, cars, and gad- sources, next start internal re- gets, food and beverages, neolo- the Putinoids get? pressions, then control the rear- gisms and technical terms. The If Ukraine succeeds, guard, and finally, move on the “best” Russians tend to go to the West. This is what Ivan III and West for their educations, their nowhere Ivan IV did. This is what Alexis of vacations and their entertain- Russia and Peter the Great did. ments. They buy real estate and selves up. Calling Ukrainians si- And Lenin and Stalin did, too. save their money there, because multaneousy their “younger War in Ukraine-as-Rus is al- that’s where they plan to move brother” and a “fiction of Aus- ready underway. Repression is when they retire. Meanwhile, the trian military HQ,” Russians see gaining momentum in Russia. West keeps thinking that the Ukrainians as both “Russians And next in line is Europe itself. 5 Kyivan Rus, based in mass delusion will pass any min- Kyiv, predated Moscow like us” and “stupid khakhols.” The Riurykovyches took Western ute now and Russia will finally and Muscovy by many So, if Russians hate Ukrainians Rus and half of Lithuania from centuries. come to its senses. once again and are waging war Europe. The Romanovs took 6 “Khakhol” is a pejorative What does Russia do in re- term for Ukrainians, simi- against them, it means the an- Ukraine, the Baltics, Poland and lar to “yid” for Jews, “nig- cient European spirit has awak- Finland. The bolsheviks reached sponse? It attacks Ukraine—the ger” for blacks, or “wop” most annoying bit of Europe. for Italians. Its Russian ened in Ukrainians. Berlin. How far will the Putinoids Russia always dreamed of counterpart is “katsap.” We have only to look at Rus- get? 7 Aleksei Mikhailovich Ro- If Ukraine succeeds—no- conquering Ukraine, and when it manov, Peter the Great’s sian history—Andrei Bogoliub- finally succeeded during Maze- father. sky and Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, where. history|War crimes Nuremberg Trial vs. Truth Commission Why South African reconciliation experience is more acceptable than the German experience of punishing war criminals

often wonder how he makes deci- Author: none. I believe it's a pity. But any- sions. How does it happen? Does Olena ways... he sit at a table void of any paper Styazhkina I want to see in the dock next to Ior electronic devices? Does he him all those who here in Ukraine stand by the window, gazing... At betrayed their sons and daughters, what? At Saint Basil Cathedral, shooting them on Maidan, and later In fact, it does. For every time whose architect was blinded so that providing funding to separatists, let- the Orcs take the Donetsk Airport, he could build no more master- ting weapons through the border, we burry their leader, Motorola. Ev- pieces? Or at the Kremlin wall, with and sending soldiers to ambushes. I ery time it's different: sometimes we the graves of cannibals, whose only want the dock to be large enough, burry him without a head, the way glory was the rivers of blood that was with 10 or 100 rows... And everyone we knew him during his lifetime, spilled for the sake of empty ideas... – just everyone – has to be there, in sometimes with dirty pants, some- Or at the Mausoleum? Maybe he the cage, until we hear the verdict. times as he's hiding in a shelter. In looks at the Mausoleum considering Because life after the Victory is un- our collective consciousness, he a place for himself, so that there thinkable of without their punish- rarely dies in battle. As a rule, a bul- would be two of them – two crea- ment. let or a shell splinter finds him while tures born dead, two butchers. There "Nuremberg Trial. If in the he's fleeing headlong. used to be two of them there before, Hague, let it be in the Hague," I say. And so we burry Motorola. But anyway. Historian Yaroslav Hrytsak sha­­ not Givi, another leader. Even What can he see from his win- kes his head, and then says gently: though they are supposed to have dow, I wonder, looking out of which "No. Truth Commission. Like in equal worth: stupid, vain, and arro- he signs orders to kill, with a preda- South Africa." gant representatives of the "Russian tory smile? Although it is unlikely World." The only difference is that that he uses the word "to kill." In his Is there any truth at all? Motorola is an invader. While Givi is language it’s probably something Thoughts about a Truth Commission "one of us," because he is a loser and like "to nightmarize" or "to whack"... are rather heavy and uncomfortable. a parking attendant from what a Or maybe he doesn't smile at all. Unlike the trial, the Commission’s Donetsk roofed market. Maybe he says, stone-faced: "De- task is not to punish, but to restore We stubbornly keep burying stroy everything of any value. Every- justice for the sake of reconciliation. Motorola, for he is the embodiment thing and everybody." Or maybe he And amnesty. Amnesty for those of the Russian collective guilt. How- runs around the office, hysterical, who repent. And then, life among ever, in the case of Givi, the brakes of spitting and screaming in a falsetto and with the victims. Life without a the subconscious are triggered, be- voice: "The Airport! I want the Air- sentence, but with all the details pro- cause guilt can only be personal. And port and thousands of lives of peace- nounced. has to be dealt with. Quite ironically, ful underdogs! Drown them in Here we are not talking about despite the hatred, wrath, and the blood, those damn copped Ukies!" reconciliation or forgiveness for the desire for revenge, the society seems Or what does he call us? invaders. We are talking about our to be ready to deal with it. When I think of how he sends to compatriots. About the small per- And if I personally still burn at us his buddy, Death, I only want the centage of the population that, like in the stake of pain and trauma, this Nuremberg Trial. I want a long, de- the times of the Second World War, does not mean that my temperature tailed hearing, where he and his al- accepted the offer to "serve the occu- is acceptable and right for all. lies would sit handcuffed in the dock, pants" – to take up arms, to torture, I try to reduce the heat by asking and where mothers and children of to rob, and to murder. myself a question that the Truth those he killed would be present in Do they have some kind of truth? Commission might ask: did the peo- the courtroom. I want a detailed Do we want to know it? Or do we ple who took up arms have some transcript of the trial, I want every have to? other motives besides money, such word of indictment to be recorded I, personally, don't have answers as, say, ideological or social reasons? and never forgotten. I am not sure that could be expressed without re- Not Givi, but those who no longer that I would agree with the sentence, course to obscene language. But the wanted to work at illegal coalmines. because gallows for criminals are not impersonal unconscious seems to Those who were not able to say in fashion in Europe, so there'll be have them. goodbye to the "great past." Those 44|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 War crimes|history ernment and the crimes committed Will we manage? in the name of the liberation move- In a country that has indisputable ment. moral authorities available to be The Commission had three com- elected as head of the Anti-Corrup- mittees. The Human Rights Viola- tion Bureau, and if everyone agrees tions Committee investigated gross that those entrusted with this impor- human rights abuses that occurred tant mission will make the right between 1960 and 1994. The Repa- choice in favor of the state, this ration and Rehabilitation Com- means that the situation is not hope- mittee provided assistance to apart- less here. heid victims. The Amnesty Com- The question is, whether we are mittee considered applications for all grownup and mature enough to amnesty from individuals whose speak, rather than keeping our crimes were not extremely violent or mouths comfortably shut. Are we brutal. Interestingly, amnesty was ready for the reconciliation not only only granted on the condition of full with an individual Givi, but also disclosure by the person seeking am- with the Berkut and the titushki as nesty. The punishment in this case such, many of whom today defend was not a prison term, but the fact our land. Are we ready to recognize that the general public knew the and to see not only the sins of oth- names of the slaughterers. They, like ers, but also our own sins, such as whose children were not able to en- Liberation Cain, had to live on among others indifference, conformism, laziness, of Humanity, ter universities without bribes, de- a mural by with the mark of guilt. and so on... spite excellent grades at school. Jorge Gonzalez The Commission's head was An- Are we willing to seek forgive- Those who were frightened by TV. Camarena glican archbishop Desmond Tutu. ness and to forgive? Is there still a Did they actually want what hap- Its public sittings were held in differ- place for forgiveness left after all that pened in reality? ent South African cities, where it was has happened? Who and when refocused their possible to draw the largest number I do not know. But when I pray, I aggression against the oligarchs and of people: witnesses, audiences, and say: "And forgive us our trespasses, the mean local cops, taxmen, or judges. During two years of work, the as we forgive our debtors." I believe, mayors to the war against Ukraine? Commission took the testimony of this means to say that if I cannot for- What is the name of the person who approximately 21,000 victims, and give them, then He, the Heavenly gave them weapons? What are that 2,000 of them appeared at public Father, will not be able to forgive me. person's whereabouts? Is it Kyiv, by hearings. The Amnesty Committee He will not forgive me my debts. chance? received 7,112 amnesty applica- If there is forgiveness, says The demand for truth is ex- tions, and amnesty was granted in Jacques Derrida, it is extended to tremely high, not only on the occu- 849 cases. The Commission's find- those things that supposedly cannot pied and then liberated territories. ings were made public. Its report be forgiven. Otherwise, there can be It is the general demand of the covered the structural and historical no forgiveness. Ukrainian society. Neither the lus- background of the violence, individ- If I prefer the Nuremberg Trial tration law and its implementation, ual cases, regional trends, and the to the Truth Commission, this means nor the slow investigation of the that I prefer to blame others for ev- crimes of the regime committed erything. The invaders. I want them under Yanukovych can satisfy this The Truth and to be flattened out and leveled with demand. Reconciliation Commission the ground, not with my hands or What people need is not even with my heart, but with a ruthless punishment as such, for who is is not the agenda and heartless machine of the inter- without sin among us. What they for a better tomorrow, national law. need is the truth. Repentance, If you think of it, what do I care names of employers, awareness of but for today about what will become of them, guilt and even shifting the blame to who are already damned for all those who gave orders – these are broader institutional and social envi- time? the steps towards deactivating the ronment of the apartheid system. What I care about is here and mine of silence. The final report named individual now. In my country. So it turns out perpetrators. that Yaroslav Hrytsak is right. And South African experience All efforts of the Commission we need to think about it right now. The Truth and Reconciliation Com- were focused on social reconcilia- Because the Truth and Reconcilia- mission worked in the Republic of tion. Reconciliation through articu- tion Commission is not the agenda South Africa in 1996–1998. It was lating trauma. Reconciliation, but for a better tomorrow, but for today. established to investigate gross hu- not free pardon. In its conclusions, Because it will give us power to move man rights violations that occurred the Commission stated the follow- forward. In Slovyansk, Kyiv, Mariu- during the period of the apartheid ing: "Reconciliation does not neces- pol, Zhytomyr, Severodonetsk, or regime from 1960 to 1994, including sarily imply forgiveness. Reconcilia- Lviv. Wherever people need truth abductions, killings, and torture. It is tion requires that all South Africans and power. important to note that the Commis- accept moral and political responsi- Forgiveness will probably come sion's mandate covered both the vio- bility for nurturing a culture of hu- later. It will be easier to deal with lations perpetrated by the racist gov- man rights." truth than with hatred. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|45 history|Opinion The Misery of Putinism Author: Leonidas Donskis, Lithuania

s I have been working on my new book of an obnoxious realm of political ghosts, he finds anything interpretive vocabulary of politics – a blend of he or his Significant Other needs – the paraphernalia political humor, satire, and my own experi- of the monarchy as well as the embodiments of the Aence in European politics – I revisited many forces that destroyed it. With dead serious face, a Soviet clichés, pearls of propaganda, and poisonous gifted cinematographer turned into a miserable polit- darts of demagoguery (all of them alive and well in ical sycophant, finds himself capable of the most pre- present Russia). One, a famous Vladimir Lenin’s rev- posterous political kitsch, such as the idea that only olutionary slogan, reads: “Communism is Soviet an offspring of the Russian father in the US Army can power plus electrification of the whole country!” defend the beauty of the music of Mozart along with That brought to my mind a new definition of Putinism classical values of Europe brutally attacked by a sim- for which I now claim copyright reserved: “Putinism pleton who happens to be an American sergeant in is the mob’s power plus schröderization of the whole one of his films. Europe.” I dare hoping that this entry, in my equiva- It is hardly surprising, then, that Putinism and its lent of Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary, will equivalent in culture, Mikhalkovism, became twin be a highlight, since the title of the book incites ad in- brothers in the sense of the ability to bring a bunch vites such definitions of political phenomena as the of flowers to the victims of Stalinism only to offer aforementioned one – the title of the book being Ev- another bunch to the monument of Stalin himself. erything You Always Wanted to Know About Politics This sort of ideological schizophrenia may best ex- (But Were Afraid to Ask). plain how present Russia fell prey to its phantoms of What is the essence of Putinism? In a way, it is a troubled imagination, revanchist and revisionist pol- form of postmodern fas- icies. cism – a mafia state Putinism and its equivalent What did Vladimir Putin based on kleptocracy, achieve from his rise to coercion, terrorism, and in culture, Mikhalkovism, power in 1999 onward? violent foreign policies bring a bunch of flowers Next to nothing, to tell with the aim to divert the truth. After Boris public attention from to the victims of Stalinism Yeltsin’s years of confu- injustice and misery at only to offer another sion and chaos, Russia home by offering overt showed some signs of gangsterism and adven- bunch to the monument more consolidated turism in foreign coun- of Stalin himself power. Yet in terms of tries. There is no coher- democracy and political ent ideology, though. In terms of political views, pluralism, Russia began degenerating into a tyr- Putin is an ideological pervert who tries to put anny with no point of return. If Putin was sin- together mutually exclusive things – the ancien cerely hoping for more respect and recognition of régime and its gravedigger, Bolshevism; Stalinism Russia as a great power that deserved credit for con- and crony capitalism; Oriental political despotism tributing to the status quo of international relations, and pseudo-democracy; contempt for freedom he failed, as Russia is regarded now as a threat to which goes hand in hand with fervent religiosity; the global security and Europe, instead of being perceived surface of Western life with its comfort and techno- as a partner. logical advancement coupled with disdain for hu- Instead of becoming a promising democracy next to man rights and civil liberties. A mishmash which ap- the EU, Russia under Putin has become a ghost of So- pears even more absurd than ideological inconsis- viet propaganda trying to whitewash and restore Sta- tencies of the Soviet elite. lin’s good reputation which was dead even under the The true Significant Other of Vladimir Putin in arts Soviets. Instead of enjoying richly-deserved admira- and culture is the noted and controversial Russian tion of the world for its literature and culture, Russia film director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov. Like his is made hostage to Putin’s mad ambitions to make it a Kremlin-based patron, Mikhalkov can celebrate Rus- police-state and prevent the strategic partnership be- sian Czars (by playing the role of the last Russian Czar tween Ukraine and the EU. The same applies to any Nicholas II in his film The Barber of Siberia) one day, other nation from Eastern Partnership on which Rus- and act as Red military commander Kotov, a hero of sia keeps an eye trying to block any sort of new alli- the revolution and civil war (Burnt by the Sun with all ances and democratic clubs in the vicinity. its sequels), himself a victim of Stalinist purges, ha- Putin will fail, and it will happen faster and sooner tred and paranoia, the next day. In this opaque and than he thinks. 46|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 The Misery of Putinism Culture & Arts|Music Valentyn Sylvestrov: Composer of Freedom

kraine changed my life twice. Author: friend Kostiantyn Sihov, who intro- Valentyn Sylvestrov’s melodies, The first time was when I Philippe duced me to this composer. What I even when just short motifs, are discovered this country, its de Lara, mean is that many of Sylvestrov’s wonderfully expressive, similar to Unoble people, its tragedies, France works give the impression that, long Czech composer Leos Janacek, and and its struggle for freedom that of- before the first note, they are already they are immediately distinguish- fers a model for all of Europe. The coming from afar. I had the same able, as though the composer him- second time was when I discovered impression from the introductory self discovered new, already known the music of Valentyn Sylvestrov. theme of the first part of this sym- intervals—which is patently ab- A genius, the renaissance of con- phony by Brahms as well. In time, I surd! Yet these melodies are easy temporary music, endless beauty, found out that Sylvestrov himself in- enough to recognize also because richness of form and feeling. I hesi- sists on this kind of quality in his of the way in which they are intro- tate, reading back this fulsome lan- own music: on reminiscence, duced, their arrival, their emer- guage that comes to mind, when try- echoes, returns, “wie aus de gence: not in quietude or at the be- ing to convey how these works influ- Ferne”—as though from a dis- ginning, in preludes to future de- ence the listener. Yet the right to use tance—, like the eponymous piece by velopments, but at the heart of the such descriptives comes from the Schumann. And later, when I lis- music. They are surrounded and many renowned modern-day com- tened to the Brahms symphony signaled by previous tonalities and posers who have echoed similar again, other qualities became appar- subsequent ones, they sound like a thoughts and who see in Sylvestrov ent. All the musical discourse in surprise, like instant inventions, as “a guide on a clearly marked path” Brahms had metamorphosed for though it is pointless that they lead (Sofia Gubaidulina, Russia) and an me. Unnoticed motifs emerged, a further on into a familiar musical important composer’s composer sense of freedom, of creating directly discourse. (Arvo Pärt, Estonian), as well as the in the now above and beyond the Sylvestrov’s music is very care- interpreters of Sylvestrov’s music, fully written, with many precise in- first among whom is Mykola Hob- structions for how to play, some- dych, choir director and founder of Sylvestrov’s music changes times more abundant than even the Kyiv choir, whose talent seems the way we hear other Pärt’s notes in his compositions for to form a single whole with Sylves- movies—and no less important. This trov’s choral works. composers is not improvised music, even if it I’ll start with the experience of has the inherent freedom, the un- Sylvestrov’s works, something that structure, a natural freshness be- fathomable quality that jazz players many musicians have described, in- neath the burden of whimsical call the “blue note.” No, Sylvestrov’s cluding Russian cellist Ivan Mo- memories of sorrow that are so music is not improvisation, but it nighetti, in a similar manner: Syl- characteristic of this classic German creates an impression that it was vestrov’s music changes the way we composer. Metamorphosis is not the written just now, completely satu- experience other composers. Any- right word, really, because Brahms’s rated with the colors of his rich one of my readers can try this little Fourth Symphony remains what it imagination. experiment. Listen to a well-known is. It’s rather that I became more Like Shostakovich before him, work that you truly love, but first, sensitive to new dimensions in the it seems that Sylvestrov composes listen to Sylvestrov. The well-known work, to the new beauties and tem- in one fell swoop, without interrup- piece will have changed, become poralities that were added to the tions. His melody is defined by the more alive, more mobile, its majes- ones I was already familiar with. work, so to speak, it might arise tic, familiar structures disappear, The measure of echoes and re- from some generating cell or a giving way to the sequence of events vived perceptions of works from the shape separated from its back- and the ordering of the elements. past are at the heart of Sylvestrov’s ground, to stand above it, uncon- The formal unity, both mystical and creative work. To some extent in nected to a specific musical gram- artistic, that moves us in the works both sense of these words, because mar, be it variations or tones, se- of great composers such as Bach or Listen to he often inserts citations and frag- rial, or any other type of Valentyn ments that are more or less recog- development. The paradox here Beethoven, suddenly allows us to es- Sylvestrov’s cape into unexpected streams. Mo- Fifth Sympony nizable in his works: Mahler’s Fifth lies in the fact that these ruptures tifs and figures take on a new free- here: Symphony in his own Fifth and of notes establish the musical dis- dom, the work opens itself up as if to Sixth; Mozart in his serenade, “Der course and the integrity of it all, allow the melody to take over. Bote” (“Poslanets/The Emissary,” something not often grasped in I tried this experiment with 1996), which is dedicated to his wife modern music, which we can un- Brahms’s Fourth Symphony. The Larisa; Schubert and Wagner in derstand by reading the program, idea of combining it with Sylves- “Two dialogs and one epilogue for but cannot hear directly. Sylves- trov’s music first occurred to me piano and strings;” Bach in “Dedica- trov, by contrast, has used the re- during a conversation with my tion to J.S. Bach.” maining tools to once again un- 48|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 Music|Culture & Arts

cover the secret of classical style— humor and even some condescen- vestrov’s choral works, sound like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven—, sion about the ridiculous nature of Schubert’s in German and Bartok’s which consists of giving complex official music, the campaigns against in Hungarian. forms that we experience in the “bourgeois formalism” and that Valentyn Sylvestrov has never music present and accessible, even form of acknowledgement, which is been part of any “school.” Having when we are not able to analyze really satisfying a need, that totali- learned their most distinguishing them. Consider the wealth of voices tarianism offered composers and forms of expression, he never al- that is combined simultaneously in poets as it oversaw and humiliated lowed himself to become their pris- the fugato fragment from Mozart’s them. Sylvestrov is hardly the only oner. He is also sharply critical of 40th Symphony, where feeling is free master of the soviet era but per- post-modernism and avant-gard- born from being supersaturated haps he most brilliantly reflects the ism. Had the concept of post-mod- with this complex polyphony, and fate of those communist and post- ernism not been devalued by exces- at the same time accompanying it communist generations—Shosta- sive use and corruption, if it were and finding ourselves surrounded kovich, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, still possible to make use of it, I’d by it. Penderecki, Gorecki, Tubin, and call Sylvestrov the first post-mod- Sylvestrov’s music is also Ukrai- Pärt—who fought with all the means ern, or possibly meta-modern, com- nian. This is obvious, but why? It es- at their disposal and greedily took poser. In other words, an artist for tablishes that combination of cele- possession of the innovations of whom the fact of being in a “post” bratory grandeur and gentleness western music, but never shut them- modern world is not a formal pose, that is characteristic of this people. A selves up in mandatory avand-gar- “Dedication not a cynical or purely cerebral way Ukrainian by birth and from Kyiv, deness. Moreover, this artistic free- to J.S. Bach” of speaking inside the box about the the composer was shaped in the dom energized itself with the experi- current world and feeling its utterly struggle of musicians in the soviet ence of totalitarian oppression, crushed nature in the face of the era against assembly-line produc- knowing well its heavy cost. multifarious works of the past. Post- tion and academicism. As a Ukrai- Last, but not least, Sylvestrov is modernism depreciated itself with nian, he took part in the revolution Ukrainian in the combination of his the fraudulence, the lazy collages on the Maidan. He is a Ukrainian in music with language. Amazingly, and the sound bites that it tended to his works, which inspired the Revo- this is something that can be felt in order to make an interesting im- lution of Dignity. But he’s not a poli- even without knowing Ukrainian “Der Bote” pression. On the contrary, the voice (“Poslanets/ tician. because of the musicality of the lan- The Emissary”) that I call meta-modernism in Syl- Like all true artists born under guage itself. Every language has its vestrov is the serious experience of totalitarianism, he found his voice tie to music, its own voice, but some our aesthetic consciousness recog- and raised it against conformity, fit it more easily than others. Ukrai- nizing art’s relationship to the his- partisanship and the use of art as a nian has a fundamental and natural tory and the wealth of the past, and mere instrument. Yet he is no activ- quality of “Italiannness” and a com- to tomorrow. And this stands in di- ist. Having defended his creative pletely natural link between speech rect opposition to frivolous games freedom, Sylvestrov talks with much and song. Melodies, including Syl- with our cultural heritage. № 2 (84) February 2015|the ukrainian week|49 CULTURE & ARTS|calendar of events February 15, 7 p.m. February 19, 8 p.m. From February 20 Argentinean Tango Nils Petter Molvaer Oscar Shorts nights Officers’ Palace CLOSER art center Movie theatres in Kyiv and (30/1, vul. Hrushevskoho, Kyiv) (31, vul. Nyzhnioyurkivska, Kyiv) other cities in Ukraine

The passionate Argentinean Nils Petter Molvaer is one of the The screening of the best short tango will certainly fill a cold winter best known representatives of Norwe- films nominated for the 2013-2014 night with heartwarming emotions. gian jazz school. He will present it to Academy Awards is soon to start in An exciting dance show, following the the Kyiv audience on the Thursday movie theatres all over Ukraine. It will best traditions of Buenos Aires, in- night. A fearless fan of music experi- precede the 85th Academy Awards cer- cludes the sparkling and sophisticated ment, he has absorbed a huge variety emony. The programme includes films tango performed by some top couples of music but sticks to rhythm and emo- of various genres, countries and au- both from Ukraine and Argentina. tions as the key components of his thors, all united by the element of artis- Trinidad Arfó will play for the dancers, sound. Nils is inseparable with his tic value and one of the top awards in and Carlos Roulet will sing for the trumpet that has that special sensa- cinematography. The Ukrainian audi- public. The group has toured many tional and melancholic timbre framed ence will have a chance to see the Brit- festivals and stages around Kyiv, with electronic rhythm and beats. The ish filmThe Voorman Problem, a Span- Donetsk, Krakow, Minsk, Moscow and combination keeps the audience en- ish short film Aquél no era yo (That a range of European cities. gaged throughout the concert. That Wasn’t Me), the French movie Avant may be one of the reasons why many que de tout perdre (Just Before Loosing think of Nils’ concerts as sessions of Everything), and other films nomi- music meditation. nated for the Oscars.

March 8, 4 p.m. March 8, 8 p.m. March 20, 7 p.m. Teulis shadow show Good Old Jazz Tenors Bel'canto Tchaikovsky National Movie Palace International Culture Music Academy (6, vul. Saksahanskoho, Kyiv) and Arts Centre (1-3/11, vul. Horodetskoho, Kyiv) (1, vul. Instytutska, Kyiv) Ukraine’s best jazzmen will Spring will arrive in Kyiv along with gather at the Movie Palace in Kyiv to A fusion of classic opera and mod- a show from Teulis, a world-renowned present the audience with their ern pop-music may sound like a shadow theatre. It uses elements of ac- Good Old Jazz music show. Dmytro strange combination to those who robatics, theatre art, optical illusions never heard it performed by Tenors and video projections in its shows. Bel'canto. Music lovers who had a Black silhouettes create unbelievable chance to at least once go to the plots and stories. Great music arrange- band’s concert appreciate the beauty ment accompanies the performance and originality of the mix. The quartet perfectly. Over the past few years, the sings pieces in various languages, from theatre has gained many fans in Italy, French, Spanish and Italian to Polish, Czech Republic and Slovakia where it English and Ukrainian. That is not the competed in talent shows. It has also only element of diversity as the tenors toured many more countries. sing both lyric songs, and masterpieces of world classics, wowing the audience Aleksandrov, the founder of the with the power of their voices. Skhid-Side jazz band, will play saxo- phone and Ruslan Yehorov will sing to the accompaniment of the Kyiv So- loists conducted by Dmytro Yablon- sky. Accompanied by a chamber strings orchestra, the jazz masters will play songs by the legends of the world jazz, from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder and more. 50|the ukrainian week|№ 2 (84) February 2015 From February 20

March 20, 7 p.m.