INSIDE: l Interview with Ukraine’s youngest national deputy – page 5 l Genealogy specialist speaks in Edmonton – page 9 l PHOTO REPORT: NYC Ukrainian Festival – page 12 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXIX No. 25 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011 $1/$2 in Ukraine Peace Corps inducts 41st group Resistance grows to government’s of volunteers for Ukraine regressive policies in education by Mark Raczkiewycz teers serve for two year terms, with all Special to The Ukrainian Weekly expenses paid for by the U.S. govern- ment. KYIV – When the main hall in the That’s part of the reason why Ukraine Teacher’s Building in Kyiv erupted in is home to the world’s largest Peace thunderous applause on June 16, U.S. Corps contingent with 462 volunteers as Ambassador John Tefft urged the 103 of the June 16 swearing-in ceremony. newly inducted Peace Corps volunteers “Ukraine is a big country with 46 mil- to take that enthusiasm with them to their lion people, so that drives numbers,” community sites. explained Mr. Teschner. “There’s obvi- Mr. Tefft had just administered the ously a lot of need and we’ve a lot of oath to the 41st group of volunteers. The support from government agencies who ceremony coincided with two other 2011 want more teachers, more youth develop- milestones: Ukraine’s upcoming 20th ment and people to work for non-profit year of independence and Peace Corps’ organizations.” 50th anniversary. The majority of volunteers in Ukraine It was also a reminder that Ukraine teach English as a second language and still has a demand for Peace Corps vol- are mostly in small towns and rural areas unteers. It’s a need that has long been where communities need them the most. phased out in neighboring Poland and The newest group consisted of 41 National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy Slovakia, as well as the three Baltic English teachers who will be based in states to the north – all of which have At the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (from left) are: Volodymyr schools and lyceums. Twenty-eight were made the transition to market economies Panchenko, Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, Serhiy Kvit, Volodymyr Morenets and community development volunteers who and joined the European Union and Andrii Meleshevych, authors of a collection of articles critical of the policies of also will work in schools and social cen- NATO. Minister of Education, Science, Youth and Sports Dmytro Tabachnyk. ters to promote healthy lifestyles, safe “Ukraine isn’t in the European Union, Internet usage, leadership skills, as well but we see Ukraine moving in that direc- by Yevhen Savvateyev Foundation of Regional Initiatives have as other activities. The remaining 34 vol- tion. We’re helping to support that staged protests, while education progres- unteers will be sent to civil society orga- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly through English language teaching; there sives such as National Deputy Lesia nizations and local city councils to work are programs in place that we offer to KYIV – Ukraine’s pro-Western forces Orobets are leading the opposition in on small to medium-scale community assist Ukraine to be more effective in the are stepping up their resistance to the Parliament. development projects. global environment,” said Douglass administration of President Viktor The National University of Kyiv “It’s a common misconception that Teschner, Ukraine’s Peace Corps director. Yanukovych, which is preparing legisla- Mohyla Academy on May 24 presented a TEFL [Teaching English as a Foreign or Mr. Teschner, himself a former Peace tion that critics expect will be a draconi- collection of articles – authored by its Second Language] volunteers are here to Corps volunteer in Morocco, said an, neo-Soviet overhaul of Ukraine’s uni- professors – critical of minister of Ukrainian government agencies have teach English,” said Sam Johnston, a vol- versity system. unteer in Haivoron, Kirovohrad Oblast. Education, Science, Youth and Sports been receptive to the idea of having Student groups such as Priama Diya Dmytro Tabachnyk. The book is called native-speaking English teachers of “I realize now that I’m doing something (Direct Action), the social movement English and youth development volun- (Continued on page 3) Vidsich (Resistance) and the youth NGO (Continued on page 10) Plast marks its 99th anniversary, prepares for centennial in 2012 by Illya M. Labunka friend and supporter of Plast Ukrainian Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Scouting Organization, expressed her gen- uine wish and intention to one day KYIV – Leaders and friends of Plast in become a full-fledged member of Plast. Ukraine marked the worldwide Ukrainian The honor of lighting the candle that scouting organization’s 99th anniversary – symbolized the evening’s vohnyk was and raised awareness of Plast’s upcoming bestowed upon the actor and National centennial in 2012 – by hosting an indoor Artist of Ukraine Bohdan Beniuk. Mr. “vohnyk” (campfire) in Kyiv. Beniuk, another of Plast’s supporters in The event was co-organized by the Ukraine, said that the country’s future Charitable Fund of Plast’s Chief Scout depends on Plast, because it’s a patriotic Lubomyr Romankiw and the Children’s organization that builds character. World National Charitable Fund. “Let this vohnyk instill in us the hope Co-hosted by honorary Plast member and future of our life on the territory of Sashko Polozhynsky, leader of the our country and homeland, enriched with Ukrainian hip hop, rap core and punk rock our own language and traditions,” stated band Tartak, and Maria Burmaka, singer Mr. Beniuk. As the candle began to glim- and National Artist of Ukraine, the mer ever so brightly, in the spirit of a typi- vohnyk took place on April 12, at the cal scouting campfire all present began Illya M. Labunka Teacher’s Building in the Ukrainian capi- singing traditional Plast songs. Dmytro Kolesnyk (left), interim head of Plast in Ukraine, and Yuriy Nakonechny, tal. Afterwards, Serhiy Letenko, president head of the organizing committee for the Centennial International Plast While co-hosting the event, Ms. Jamboree in Ukraine, hold a flag symbolizing Plast’s 100 years of activity. Burmaka, who is not a member but a great (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011 No. 25 ANALYSIS Gas talks in Moscow Ukraine disposes of ammunition Russian Federation will depend largely on Ukraine’s decision. He said that, in the KYIV – Ukraine and the North current economic situation, Russia needs raise pressure on Kyiv Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to change its technology platform and, by Vladimir Socor However, Mr. Putin hinted at possible have successfully completed the first since for a long time the Russian and Eurasia Daily Monitor “options” for a mutually acceptable solu- stage of a project of the Trust Fund of Ukrainian technological platforms have tion, i.e., Ukraine joining the Russia-led NATO’s Partnership for Peace program been a single complex, the Ukrainian side On June 7 in Moscow, Prime Ministers Customs Union, or ceding control of on the disposal of conventional ammuni- should decide as quickly as possible Vladimir Putin of Russia and Mykola Naftohaz, in return for a second cut in the tion, small arms and light weapons, it whether it will upgrade the platform Azarov of Ukraine held tense negotia- price of Russian gas. Using an argument was reported on June 14. Ukrainian Vice together with the Russian Federation and, tions on the terms of Russian gas supplies that the German government will find par- Minister of Defense Volodymyr as a consequence, formalize the relation- to Ukraine. The government in Kyiv and ticularly interesting, Mr. Putin cited Omelianchuk said that, with the help of ship in a Customs Union. (Ukrinform) its Donetsk-based industrial interests are Gazprom’s jointly owned pipelines with the NATO Trust Fund, 15,000 tons of seeking a second round of gas price-cut- German companies on German territory as surplus ammunition, 400,000 units of Ukrainian, Russian PMs to meet often ting, after that agreed in April 2010. an example for Ukraine to follow. small arms and light weapons, as well as The concluding press conference “Moscow and Berlin have integrated with 1,000 man-portable air defense systems KYIV – During the closed part of the showed Mr. Azarov almost beseeching each other more than Russia with Ukraine,” had been disposed of in Ukraine since talks between the governments of Russia for yet another price cut, and Mr. Mr. Putin added (UNIAN, June 7). 2006. The Trust Fund allocated 10.8 mil- Ukraine and Russia, which took place in Putin refusing it. However, Mr. Putin Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller had lion euros for this stage of the project. Moscow on June 7, Prime Ministers hinted publicly that Ukraine could obtain ruled out a price cut for Ukraine on the “These joint actions by Ukraine, NATO Mykola Azarov of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed to hold meetings price relief by joining the Russia-Belarus- eve of Mr. Azarov’s visit (Interfax, June and its partners are a significant contri- to discuss previously unresolved issues in Kazakhstan Customs Union; and he reit- 6). However, Gazprom is known to seek bution to the nonproliferation of weap- Russian-Ukrainian relations once every erated behind closed doors that “merg- some form of shared control over ons in the world,” Mr. Omelianchuk three to four weeks. “Vladimir Putin and ing” Naftohaz Ukrainy with Gazprom Ukraine’s gas transit system, which is said. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Mykola Azarov agreed [to hold] meet- would also result in a lower price for 100 percent Ukrainian state-owned Tefft, as a representative of a leading ings, including those of the prime minis- Russian gas to Ukraine (Interfax, through Naftohaz, in return for a second state in the framework of the project, ters, on specific issues of the agenda..