An update on the upcoming The genesis of Ukraine's The causes and solutions parliamentary election independence of problems in the Donbas

№ 12 (78) september 2014 We will survive

www.ukrainianweek.com Featuring selected content from The Economist for free distribution

|contents BRIEFING Poor Russia: Philippe de Lara on In-Depth Defence: Ukrainians should Russia’s failure to analyze and deal prepare for a cold winter and long with guilt over Soviet Communism military confrontation 4 24 POLITICS FOCUS Have No Illusions: With the old election Independence. Reboot Denys Kazansky on how the war has law in place, the parliamentary campaign changed the perception of independence in Eastern Ukraine cannot radically upgrade the Verkhovna Rada now. Still, it will make it more adequate to the challenges faced 27 by the state Is There Any Other Way? The Ukrainian Week speaks to young 6 and proactive Ukrainians about Independence Day The Ex-President’s Baggage: 28 The hindrances that prevent International lawyer Volodymyr Vasylenko talks about what the money stolen by Viktor made Ukraine’s independence inevitable Yanukovych and his entourage from returning to Ukraine 30 8 Historian Stanislav Kulchytsky on why the Kremlin needs ECONOMICS Ukraine, the threat of Golden Protection:Ukraine needs to boost the presence of annexation of Crimea for European and American companies in its economy to generate Russia, the essence of the their genuine interest in her current Ukrainian-Russian conflict, and the rise of the 10 Ukrainian political nation NEIGHBOURS 34 Side Effects:Putin’s sable-rattling alarms satellites and fuels doubts among Russians SOCIETY Inevitable Rehabilitation: 12 A cure for the NATO Flexes Its Muscle Memory: post-war Donbas Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has made NATO’s summit in Wales the most important since the end of the cold war 14 38 Caution and Restraint.T o Be Continued… Why it would be wrong Donetsk-based sociologist and historian for Kyiv to expect blanket solidarity from the West Oksana Mikheyeva: “We must drag people out 18 of the media coma” Wag the Dog. Russian Style: Leonidas Donskis on the effect ofpropaganda 41 in democracies versus dictatorships The Union of Tops and Bottoms: The history of interaction 20 between homo sovieticus and modern Donbas elite explains how the region has become what it is today LustrationO ver the Ocean: Ukrainian activists are pursuing 44 the lustration of state organs HISTORY of professional fraud. th Yet another place where lustration The 19 Century in Ukraine: Assimilation of corrupt individuals has to occur Impossible The role of aristocrats, Cossack is among the Diaspora elite, small landowners, and peasants in of the United States the preservation of Ukraine’s identity 22 46

E-mail [email protected] www.ukrainianweek.com Tel. (044) 351-13-87 The Ukrainian Week № 12 (78) September 2014 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 № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|3 briefing| War In-Depth Defence The advance of Russians in the Donbas has halted the movement of the Ukrainian army eastward and intensified the panic in our rear. However, the shock will soon pass, and society may have no option but to prepare for a cold winter and a lengthy military confrontation

Author: Dmytro Krapyvenko

iscussions about the Rus- sian invasion in Ukraine are somehow reminiscent of Dmass auto-training or a spiritualist seance. When the Rus- sian army seized Crimea, only the lazy in Ukraine didn’t talk about the fact that the Kremlin launched military aggression. And almost immediately, there were rumours in the form of expert opinions: that they are supposedly moving to the other side of Perekop, and that Kyiv will be seized from the north- ern direction of Chernihiv. In other words, an invasion seemed immi- nent. Then there was a mass sei- zure of police stations and local au- thorities in the Donbas, organised by the “little green men” (read: Russian special forces). Then – a unian photo: full-fledged war, which was once Ukraine in its current borders, the The residents of to cross the whole of Georgia to Ba- again characterised as Russian in- former republics of the USSR and Mariupol join in tumi and reach the waters of the vasion. And when its regular units the Warsaw Pact countries. Judg- the construction Black Sea. However, even such a filled the territories controlled by ing by the ambitions and “imperial of fortifications relatively small, but extremely dis- separatists, the words “Russia has grandeur” of the Kremlin leader, he on the outskirts loyal country was not of interest to begun military aggression” rang in needs the world, preferably the of the city the invaders. Ukraine from high tribunes and in whole world. And he will seize just Putin has quite a few other family kitchens. There is no need to as much as he is allowed to. How is means to keep Ukraine in the orbit look far for examples: at the time a different matter. If the takeover of its influence (this is where a when Russian soldiers seized No- of Ukraine is a matter of tanks and good few European politicians see voazovsk and its outskirts, killed planes, he could already have con- the place of Kyiv). The breakdown our soldiers in the Ilovaysk caul- quered it in April. He had all the of the ratification of the Associa- dron, even President Petro Porosh- necessary resources and grounds, tion Agreement with the EU is also enko dared to say that “the point of including legitimacy added in his his victory. It is true that with this no return will be (that’s right, in eyes by the pretext of protecting victory, the immediate member- the future tense! – Ed.) war with “fellow countrymen”. But obvi- ship of Ukraine in the Customs Russia”. So it emerges that the ously, Putin is not interested in Union is not a given, but it is time events of the last six months were “Ukraine at any cost”, he needs a won for new manoeuvres and not yet war. So what was it – inter- loyal territory, where the Russian schemes, and not only on the national training with the partici- World will be welcomed and the Donetsk front. Destabilisation in pation of Batallion Task Forces of Russian flag will be kissed. The ex- the rear is also a plan that has been the RussianArmy? perience of the last war with Geor- implemented quite successfully. Every new wave of Russian in- gia, when Russian tanks came to a Moscow did everything for Ukraine cursion provokes the “prophecies” halt 60 km from Tbilisi, but finally to suffer an economic knockdown, that Putin needs: a corridor to withdrew to the territories of the and with winter nearing, its conse- Crimea and Transnistria, eight “independent” South Ossetia and quences will become ever more no- “Novorossiya” oblasts, Kyiv as “the Abkhazia, also teaches us this. Of ticeable. This could result in mass mother of all Russian cities”, course, there were sufficient tanks dissatisfaction among the people 4|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 and social protests. This is proba- reminded us that “it is not a party bly what the Kremlin is counting to the conflict”. The “seven point” on. There are frequent attempts to plan for the peaceful regulation of organise a so-called Utility Tariff the region, proposed by the Rus- Maidan, the slogan of which is sup- sian President is also, in all likeli- posed to be the struggle against the hood, a smokescreen, to be fol- impoverishment of the population, lowed by the yet another military but as the experience of the first provocation. such actions showed, they trans- The army, even the whole of form into a manifestation of soli- Ukraine is forced to go on the de- darity with separatists either di- fence. It is important that, as they rectly or indirectly. The organisers say in the military, it goes deep. In of the systematic anti-war move- other words, defence must be firm ment are dancing to the same tune, enough for the opponent to still so do chaotic rebels who confuse risk being encircled and to stop actual lustration with the settling the advance, even if it uses great of scores with the authorities. For- force to break through. Military tunately, such manifestations are leaders have probably already currently marginal. However, with learned this from their experience generous sponsorship, economic on the border with Russia, which downfall and the protraction of the is full of gaps. It appears that the war, all of these protests could have political leadership has also un- the effect of a delayed action mine, derstood this – Premier Arseniy capable of exploding hundreds of Yatseniuk announced the start of kilometres from the front. the “Wall” project, the purpose of Actually, in the current war, its which is to protect the Ukrainian line is not very clear. Yes, we have a border from Russia. Actually, de- map of the Donbas and the disloca- fence is everyone’s private matter. tion of hostile forces on it. But is You can undergo preliminary mili- everything okay in our rear? Is tary and medical training without Kharkiv so safe, where anti-Ukrai- waiting for a call-up: there are nian actions remain open, where currently such opportunities in the Mayor does not hide his sup- large cities. It is foolish to count port of Putin and terrorist acts near on the government “giving” us the city are no longer a rarity? Is it something. We must prepare for a coincidence that the separatist the winter, when problems with card is being played (currently on heat and electricity could emerge, the level of just media buzz) in Za- as is generally the case in coun- karpattia? Have the Family-owned tries at war. It is also worth main- mass media stopped their opera- taining information defense, be- tions in Ukraine? No, they con- cause the advance of the enemy is tinue to spread their publications, as noticeable in this sphere as it is preparing the grounds for their in the Donbas right now. It is also owners to get either revenge or sometimes necessary to defend spread disinformation and escalate ourselves from the government, panic. the actions of which can be not Ukrainians, both regular citi- very professional and insuffi- zens and politicians, should al- ciently decisive. It is necessary to ready have learned the enemy’s put pressure on it. But we should habits. Putin has a great fondness still refrain from “Maidan” meth- for distracting manoeuvres, or, as ods: today, a burned-out or de- he himself says, asymmetrical re- stroyed administrative building sponses. After the loss of Crimea, plays directly into the hands of the we began to build reinforcements enemy. at Perekop, while Russian weapons Happy patriotism and yellow- have flowed like a river in the Don- blue colours on fences can “wither” bas; the whole world, waited with under the influence of numerous bated breath for “peaceful solu- external circumstances, and au- tions in Minsk”, and in the mean- tumn-winter defence will not be as time, tanks from Russia were emotional and enthusiastic. We crossing the Ukrainian border en will have to practice patience and masse. Naïve and peace-loving citi- nerves more than courage and pa- zens breathed a sigh of relief after triotic slogans. All of us have al- the announcement that Porosh- ready had a chance to see that enko and Putin had agreed to a “beautiful” wars can only be found ceasefire in the Donbas. At the in the cinema, generally made by same time, the Kremlin once more mediocre directors. Politics|Parliament a ban on political blocs and elect- ing half of MPs in first-past-the- post (FPTP) districts. This sys- Have No Illusions tem will prevent new parties from entering the Verkhovna Rada and will strengthen the po- With the old election law in place, the sitions of long-time heavy- weights, representatives of large parliamentary campaign cannot radically upgrade business and simply oligarchs’ the Verkhovna Rada now. Still, it will make it more henchmen who will be able to grab the majority of seats in the adequate to the challenges faced by the state FPTP districts. Ukrainians should not hope to see a major overhaul of the Verkhovna Rada, something the Maidan demanded. Even if a number of new characters appear in parliament, many represent- ing Poroshenko’s Solidarnist (Solidarity) party and Oleh Li- ashko’s Radical Party, they will be controlled by well-known old- timers. It is equally clear, how- ever, that the new parliament will still be much better than the one we have now – with much fewer communists and Party of Re- gions members and no odious anti-Ukrainian individual MPs who were elected in the Crimea earlier. Representatives of new politi- cal forces formed by the Maidan’s activists have minimal chances of being elected on their own. At the moment, there are no recent opinion polls that would give an idea of how Ukrainians’ electoral preferences changed over the summer. Nevertheless, a poll car- ried out by the Rating Sociologi- cal Group in early July showed that 23% of the respondents (from among those who would participate in the election) would vote for Solidarity, 13% for Liash- ko’s Radical Party, 11% for Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), 7% for Vitaliy Klitschko’s UDAR and 5% for Anatoliy Hrytsenko’s Hromadi- anska pozytsiia (Civic Position).

hото: U nian P hото: Svoboda (Freedom) and the Communist Party would each Author: n August 25, President top issue – the internal “front”, win 4%, while Serhiy Tihipko’s Oles Petro Poroshenko signed the fight to upgrade parliament SylnaUkraina (Strong Ukraine), Oleksiyenko an edict disbanding the and make it capable of rising to the Party of Regions and Arseniy Oparliament for failing to the challenges of the hard times Yatseniuk’s Front zmin (Front of form a government coalition for a in which Ukraine has found it- Changes) would collect 3% each. month. The early election is self. These two topics will be Olha Bohomolets’ Kolo narodnoi scheduled to take place on Octo- evolving hand in hand. doviry (Circle of People’s Trust), ber 26, and the election cam- It is already clear that the the Right Sector and Lviv Mayor paign already kicked off on Au- election will be regulated by the Andriy Sadovy’s Samopomich gust 28. Thus, in addition to the old Law On the Election of Mem- (Self-Help) would each receive war against Russia’s aggression bers of Parliament of Ukraine 1-2%, while the Democratic Alli- in the Donbas, the country’s at- (passed on November 17, 2011) ance and Lesia Orobets’ Nove tention will be riveted to another which foresees closed party lists, zhyttia (New Life) a measly 0.3%. 6|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Parliament|Politics Voter turnout Based on proportional lists, not have a clear preference at the is likely to be the nian communists, said that the they would be able to make it to moment. A Rating poll carried highest in Central political council of his party parliament either by uniting to out from June 28 to July 10 and Western Ukraine worked out several ways in which form a quasi-bloc (official blocs showed that voter turnout is (around 80%) party members will be able to are not actually allowed) based likely to be the highest in Central and the lowest in the participate in the election if the on one of the parties or by joining and Western Ukraine (around Donbas (27%) party is ultimately banned. On the lists of better-placed political 80%) and the lowest in the Don- and Southern September 4, the District Admin- forces (Solidarity, UDAR, Bat- bas (27%) and Southern Ukraine Ukraine (37%). istrative Court of Kyiv will con- kivshchyna or the Civic Position). (37%). 30% of the respondents 30% tinue considering the lawsuit to These forces would be interested were not certain or did not know of the respondents ban the Communist Party filed were not certain or in this move as it would give who they would vote for. did not know who by the Ministry of Justice. It them a chance to claim they are Thus, pro-European political they would vote for, would be best to eliminate it as bringing new people to the Verk- forces may turn out to be under- a Rating poll carried the Kremlin’s staunchest fifth out in June 28 to July hovna Rada. They would likely be represented as compared to poll 10 showed column in Ukraine as close as willing to offer civil activists a figures. Polls carried out during possible to the election date in share of spots on their lists, even the election campaign may very order to disorient its supporters among the top five. soon start reflecting this trend. and essentially eliminate their Activists and representatives Serhiy Tihipko’s Strong voices from the overall count. of new political forces stand an Ukraine has high chances of mak- Otherwise, the removal of the even smaller chance of winning ing it to the Verkhovna Rada both communists from the race would the election in the FPTP districts. in the FPTP districts and under boost the standing of such pro- The reason is that big business is the proportional system. Despite Russian projects as the Party of expected to offer strong competi- his undisguised opportunism, he Regions and the Party of Devel- tion and that supporters of new has done the best face-keeping job opment. parties are few and far between of all the key figures representing The election in the Donbas (usually no more than several per the previous regime. will be a precarious affair. cent in any such district). An ad- In the FPTP districts, the Mykola Okhendovsky, head of the ditional factor is that the division election may be won by a number Central Election Commission, line between the government and of candidates representing the has said that the vote will defi- the opposition is less clear now. Party of Regions (the remainder nitely be organized in Donetsk The current government contin- of the old Party of Regions now and Luhansk Oblasts, adding ues to occupy the pro-European, controlled by oligarch Rinat that “a key task in this context is democratic niche and has not yet Akhmetov) and the Party of De- to have MPs elected in all single- drawn the ire of society as was velopment (a new party formed member constituencies there (21 the case in the past. by Serhiy Liovochkin from the in Donetsk Oblast and 11 in Lu- According to Yulia Tymosh- old Party of Regions and headed hansk Oblast).” To this end, the enko, her party’s main task in by Yuriy Miroshnychenko, for- boundaries of districts and their new parliament will be to “for the mer representative of Viktor Ya- first time, create a pro-European, nukovych in parliament). They As of today, representatives democratic constitutional major- are unlikely to be elected under ity” that will “clearly stay on the the proportional system unless, of new political forces right course of the country’s de- as rumour suggests, they form created by civil activists velopment”. This may be the only one political force. Their chances chance for Batkivshchyna to largely depend on whether the and the Maidan stand squeeze itself into the govern- residents of the Donbas regions minimal chances of being ment as President Poroshenko now controlled by terrorists will may forge a majority without Ty- return to Ukraine’s electoral elected to parliament moshenko’s MPs or at least with- field. Without this core support if they run on their own out most of them. base they are unlikely to enter Liashko’s populist party may the Verkhovna Rada. centers will have to be altered in be an even more dangerous oppo- The Communist Party of order to open at least several nent to Poroshenko than Ty- Ukraine still has a chance, albeit polling stations [in each district] moshenko’s party. Hrytsenko’s only under the proportional sys- where voters will be able to cast Civic Position is also likely to join tem. Its representatives will like their votes.” the opposition. lose in the FPTP districts in On the one hand, this will be Svoboda is balancing on the southern and eastern Ukraine to important for legitimizing new 5% threshold (needed to pass to representatives of big business parliament as elected in all re- Parliament) and risks losing the who either won there in the pre- gions of Ukraine, except the election. Recent polls show that vious election or were the Party temporarily occupied Crimea. support for pro-Russian forces – of Regions’ MPs. Meanwhile, the On the other hand, there is a risk the Communist Party, Strong communists are facing a threat of that MPs in these districts will Ukraine and the Party of Regions a different kind as their political be elected by a much smaller – is likely to grow as they find force may be banned in the midst proportion of voters as com- ways to persuade a large number of the campaign, leaving them no pared to other districts. Some of citizens in southern and east- time to regroup. odious supporters of the previ- ern regions who are not going to On August 26, Petro Sy- ous regime may benefit from participate in the election or do monenko, the leader of Ukrai- this setup. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|7 Politics|Government corruption The Ex-President’s Baggage A slew of hindrances prevent the money stolen by Viktor Yanukovych and his regime from returning to Ukraine. These must be removed as soon as possible photo: unian photo:

Author: n August 14, when pro- dered by the functionaries of financial criminal investigations,” Olha testers came to the Parlia- Yanukovych’s regime. They are she says in a commentary for The Vorozhbyt ment to push the legisla- currently all in hiding from inves- Ukrainian Week. “Some people Oture to pass the lustration tigation, so the judges have no way expect foreign jurisdictions to do bill, it voted, then passed in the to convict them in Ukraine and some kind of magic, but they will first reading, another important confiscate their stolen property at only start working when Ukraine act: the draft law to amend the home, or to assist in international has done its own homework.” On Criminal Code and the Code of investigation of money laundering August 11, Ms. Fenner and Prose- Criminal Procedure of Ukraine. If by former Ukrainian officials. cutor General Vitaliy Yarema adopted, it would make punish- “If, for example, law enforce- signed an agreement authorizing ment for specific crimes against ment officers investigate money the International Centre for Asset national security and public laundering in Austria, they have to Recovery (ICAR) of the Basel In- safety, and for corruption-related prove, that these gains are ill-got- stitute on Governance to assist offences, inevitable. The bill’s long ten and originate from Ukraine. Kyiv in the search and recovery of and dull title hides a crucial mech- Ukrainians themselves have to in- the assets that were stolen by the anism for Ukraine today – it al- vestigate the illegal means by former president and his closest lows criminal prosecution in ab- which they were gained,” clarifies allies. ICAR cooperates on such is- sentia. “It is currently impossible Daryna Kaleniuk, an expert in the sues with the governments of 15 to have a verdict, or to confiscate recovery of stolen assets and Ex- countries, albeit does not name the accused person’s property for ecutive Director of the Anticorrup- them for security considerations. that matter, unless he or she is tion Action Centre. Her view is According to Gretta Fenner, ICAR physically present in court, ” is the shared by Gretta Fenner, a Swiss experts will assist the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office ex- expert on corruption and Manag- government in the recovery of as- cuse. Thus, this mechanism is vi- ing Director of the Basel Institute sets, not only from Switzerland, tally important in Ukraine’s ef- on Governance. “The most impor- but also other parts of the world. forts to recover the funds plun- tant thing is to conduct your own They will help the Ukrainian Pros- 8|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Government corruption|Politics ecutor’s Office in its domestic in- not all of them have as yet been The investigation on Nigeria’s vestigations and in the develop- officially notified of the charges. ex-President Sani Abacha took ment of strategies, in cooperation For instance, Andriy Portnov, the place immediately after his death with other entities, to establish former Deputy Chief of Staff for in 1998, and it was proved that he good working contacts and ar- Yanukovych, mocked the current had stolen USD 3–5 bn. The de- range meetings. “A Ukrainian del- Prosecutor General for his state- cree of his successor, General egation will shortly be visiting ments of putting Portnov on the Abubakar, facilitated the return of Switzerland to meet with repre- wanted list while in fact, Portnov USD 800 mn to the nation’s bud- sentatives of Lichtenstein and claimed, he wasn’t. On August 15, get, and after lengthy negotiations other parties; simply establishing the Pechersk Court in Kyiv satis- with Switzerland in 2004, a fur- contacts between these people is fied Portnov’s lawsuit against According to the ther USD 505.5 mn were returned Prosecutor General’s an important part of our work,” Prosecutor General: it ruled the estimates, the to Nigeria for projects to overcome she says. statements of Portnov’s alleged former regime took poverty, but under the supervision involvement in the murders of some of a third party determined by the What will be recovered? protesters on the Maidan in win- USD World Bank. According to the Prosecutor Gen- ter false and in violation of Port- According to Gretta Fenner, 100 bn eral’s estimates, the former regime nov’s rights, and ordered Prose- abroad. the recovery of assets is first and took some USD 100 bn abroad. cutor General to refute the claim This figure is hugely foremost politics, and so are its different from the This figure is hugely different from that Portnov was on the wanted currently known mechanisms. The parties involved the currently known funds that lay list. This is a dangerous prece- funds that lay frozen must be assured that the recov- abroad on accounts frozen abroad on accounts in Swit- dent, particularly after Portnov abroad ered assets will not be stolen zerland (EUR 137 mn), Lichten- was the first to file an appeal to again. The process will also de- stein (USD 30 mn), Great Britain the European Court in Luxem- pend on the country in which the (EUR 17 mn) and Austria (USD bourg against the imposition of assets are located. “More than 8.3mn reported in April). “We EU sanctions on him. There are likely, friends of Russia will be less have not yet found where this now 14 such claims. Ex-premier willing to cooperate,” she says. [gap] comes from, and we are fac- Mykola Azarov and his son Olek- Moreover, a model needs to be de- ing a number of challenges,” siy; Ukrainian businessman Ser- veloped to transfer these funds to Fenner says. Therefore, they will hiy Kurchenko who disappeared Ukraine. In another successful focus on the countries for which from public view shortly after Ya- case, the recovery of stolen Ka- they already have some data, she nukovych fled Ukraine; ex-En- zakh funds, the money was used to adds. This will facilitate the pro- ergy and Coal Minister Eduard set up BOTA Foundation, a chari- cess. Stavytskyi; Chief of Staff for Yan- table organization. According to According to a recent report in ukovych Andriy Kluiyev and his the Wall Street Journal, Ukraine brother Serhiy; Viktor Yanu- The most important thing has already applied to Switzer- kovych and his two sons; ex-Pros- land, for assistance in the recovery ecutor General Viktor Pshonka in the recovery of assets of assets that were sent to its terri- and his son Artem; ex-Tax Minis- tory by Yanukovych’s allies. It is ter Oleksandr Klymenko and ex- is to conduct Ukraine’s considered to be one of the coun- NBU Chair Serhiy Arbuzov also own financial criminal tries that are most willing to coop- thought they did not deserve erate with Ukraine in the repatria- sanctions. If at least one of them investigations tion of illegally gained and ex- wins the trial, sanctions against ported funds. “In the last 15 years, all former officials on the list will Daryna Kaleniuk, Ukrainian activ- our country recovered a total of al- be in doubt, as will the freezing of ists proposed a similar scheme in most USD 1.8 bn to their countries their assets. 2013 for the recovered capital sto- of origin, in other words, more At the same time, legal action len by former Prime Minister than any other financial centre in will delay the return of funds to Pavlo Lazarenko. the world,” states Franz Schneider Ukraine. As was explained to The Today, recovering even the from the Swiss Embassy in Ukrainian Week by a European smallest of the above-mentioned Ukraine, in a commentary for The Court official, such processes gen- frozen amounts is a necessity for Ukrainian Week. Seven crimi- erally take up to two years, while Ukraine, particularly when taking The quickest recovery nal cases against representatives the court hearing lasts 12–18 of assets was in the into account the funds required of the former regime are already months after the case is submit- Abacha Case in for the restoration of the ruined Nigeria – it took being investigated in Switzerland. ted. “An example of the quickest more than Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts. However, to help law enforcers recovery of assets was the Abacha However, we have to keep in mind abroad, Ukraine must conduct Case in Nigeria – it took more 5 years that the return of exported assets profound investigations and prove than five years. So I really don’t requires extraordinarily painstak- the guilt of those, whose capital we expect that we will be able to re- ing work, which, first and fore- want to recover. There is currently cover the capital for at least three most, takes efficient investigation little progress in this. more years,” Fenner says. Accord- of these cases in Ukraine. There- The EU announced the freez- ing to Franz Schneider, the recov- fore, the law must be finally ing of “funds and economic re- ery of assets depends on the cir- passed which would allow convic- sources, which belong to, or are cumstances of each specific case, tion of the representatives of Yan- in the possession of” eighteen as well as on the parties that re- ukovych’s criminal regime in ab- Ukrainian ex-officials back on quest the recovery and return the sentia and confiscation of their March 5. In Ukraine, meanwhile, money. property. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|9 economics|Investment Golden Protection For the key EU and NATO members to become truly interested in Ukraine, it must act to greatly increase their economic presence inside the country

Author: Zoomed in We have been even further Oleksandr Kramar In order to get reliable support of the behind our western neighbours. leading We ern countries, Ukraine mu For example, Germany exported krainians have been com- 0.5% take efforts to increase their economic 7.8 times and France 5.5 times % intere in her. plaining that the biggest more to Poland than to Ukraine, Western powers are not The share of Ukraine in foreign inve ment even though Poland’s overall im- doing enough to protect 0.45 and exports of the leading EU members port volume was 2.7 higher than U and the US in 2013, % Ukraine against the Russian that of Ukraine. Turkey imported threat. It sometimes seems that three times more than Ukraine 0.35%

Western countries are ready to % overall but four times more of forge any compromise with Vladi- In foreign In exports German goods. Hungary and Slo- mir Putin only to have the Ukrai- 0.3 inve ment of goods vakia imported roughly as much nian issue off their agenda and as Ukraine did in 2013, but Ger- keep face at the same time. In % many’s share in their imports was 0.2 % some cases, they adopt a thinly % 3.2 and 2 times bigger than in disguised pro-Russian stance. Ukraine. In general, Romania im- 0.18%

However, the obvious reasons 0.15 ported less than Ukraine but 1.8 0.02 0.14% for this status quo cannot be ig- 0.12% more from Germany. Mexico, nored. As long as concern for which lies half across the world, Ukraine is fueled only by the ide- imported nearly twice more from alistic notion of common values, Germany than Ukraine did. legal aspects (violations of inter- Germany Italy France UK USA Our market is more important national law) or the irrational Source: Lyubomyr Shavalyuk’s e imates based on the State Stati ics Committee data to Polish and Romanian export- motives of a geopolitical rivalry and Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fabook ers: Russia and Ukraine account with Russia (whose relevance is for 5.3 and 2.9% of Polish exports dubious to many in the West), The EU members must now and 2.5 and 1.3% of Romanian support for Kyiv will be limited, choose between relations with exports, respectively. To Polish unstable and often declarative Russia and Ukraine. Western producers, the Ukrainian market only. penetration is much lower in comes close to that of Russia and In the majority of leading Ukraine than in Russia or other such large EU states as Italy powers, all these aspects crash Direct foreign neighbour countries. (4.3%) and France (5.6%). against the stern reality of a prag- investments to For example, Russian im- Ukraine and its matic view: the economic value of European neighours, ports were merely four times big- Presence of capital our country remains minuscule in 2013, USD bn: ger than Ukrainian imports in For a long time, direct foreign in- their eyes. We are neither an im- Poland 2013 (USD 318bn and USD 77bn, vestment was viewed by Ukraine portant supplier of some strategic 248.2 respectively), but American and as primarily an economic matter, raw materials or products, nor a Turkey Dutch deliveries were nearly six as a source of speeding up eco- major sales market for their 194.2 times higher to Russia than to nomic growth and modernizing goods, nor an investment target Czech Republic Ukraine, German 6.7 times, Brit- the outdated structure of the for their key companies. Thus, ish and Italian seven times and economy. However, in the face of the threshold of losses/expendi- 144.2 Canadian and French 7.5 times Hungary Russian aggression Ukraine is tures they are willing to incur for higher. Leading Western states learning to look at it also as an the sake of keeping Ukraine in 107.0 have decided to step up economic important element of guarantee- Europe’s orbit remains very low. Romania sanctions against Russia, which ing national security. Ukraine has Ukraine must think about ways to 75.5 are hurting their trade relations, neglected this potential until the change their attitude to its secu- Slovakia not because Ukraine is more im- last minute and large businesses rity in the future. 62.5 portant, but because Russia is not from the leading Western coun- Ukraine a priority market to most of them. tries have had weak penetration A sales market 54.5 For example, in 2013 Russia re- into the Ukrainian market. Ukraine’s sales market remains Bulgaria ceived a mere 3.3% of total Ger- As of early 2014, the EU states extremely small for the biggest man exports, three% of Italian, (without Cyprus) directly in- Western powers. In this aspect, 52.2 2.3% of French, one per cent of vested a mere US 25.4bn dollars Source: Central we lose not only to our western Intelligence Agency. British and American each and (less than EUR 20bn) in Ukraine. neighbours, but also to Russia. The World Factbook 0.4% of Canadian exports. This is even less than the volume 10|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Investment|economics of EU products sold on the Ukrai- Negative dynamics universal solutions affecting the nian market in 2013. These sums Deliveries of goods to the Ukrainian market by the large entire economy are needed, some- are negligible to the key Western exporters that are EU and/or NATO member- ates thing along the lines of a recently powers. To compare, the total in 2008-2013, USD bn adopted draft bill on the manage- volume of foreign capital invest- 7.17 ment of Ukraine’s gas transporta- 6.77 ments made by companies Germany tion system: Russian companies amounts to USD 4.85tn in the 4.28 were supplanted from a number of USA, USD 1.88tn in Great Brit- 4.07 strategic sectors and replaced with Poland Western companies. This is a vital ain, USD 1.87tn in Germany, USD 2.81 1.49tn in France, USD 1tn in the 2.76 and urgent measure that needs to Netherlands, USD 0.68tn in Italy. USA be taken in those sectors that are Only a fraction of one per cent 2.43 usually considered key to national 2.08 went to Ukraine. Italy security: from energy to telecom- And even these investments 1.95 munications and finances. are largely limited to sectors with Turkey 1.85 At the same time, if Ukraine rapid capital turnover or serve 1.68 wants Western business circles, 1.73 merely as a cover for companies France and ultimately states, to be serious registered in European countries 1.28 about its future, it has to do what- 1.40 or in the USA by Ukrainian or Hungary ever large Western capital wishes Russian oligarchs and for other 1.38 in order to attract it. This capital businesses from these countries. 1.13 must come in large enough vol- At the same time, Ukraine still UK umes so that it would be forced by 1.28 lacks serious investments in the 1.06 its own economic interests to production sector from powerful Netherlands lobby its governments to adopt an transnational corporations from 1.38 active policy on Ukraine. This pol- 1.00 the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Czech Republic icy will be genuine and truly seri- France and the Netherlands or 0.77 ous only when backed up by real adequate presence of their bank- Lithuania 0.97 economic interest. ing institutions. This would mean 1.03 If Western businesses fail to capital investments that come to Au ria 0.97 come to Ukraine en masse, the stay and generate genuine inter- 1.17 Ukrainian market will for years 0.9 est in the future of the country to Romania 2008 remain too small for Western which they go. 0.66 2013 products due to the low purchas- Powerful American concerns 0.86 Source: State Stati ics Committee ing power of most Ukrainians have not dared to invest in our in- Spain who do not have truly efficient dustry. Some of them looked jobs. In this situation, Ukraine closely: General Motors ex- or banks which, in their turn, are will be doomed to economic deg- pressed interest in AvtoZAZ; Mo- totally dependent on the Kremlin. radation and loss of the ability to torola considered making an in- As a consequence, a number resist the Russian threat which vestment in Ukraine but with- of sectors were stalled; Ukraine’s will only increase, rather than drew with a scandal. Coca-Cola economy became financially de- subside, as long as Ukraine de remains a sole exception. Only pendent on Russian credit re- facto remains in the shadow of two countries invested over USD sources; cooperation with Rus- Russia’s economic and business 1bn in Ukraine as of 2014: Ger- sian producers was perpetuated space. That the Association many (USD 5.4bn) and the Neth- with devastating effects for the ef- Agreement or even full-fledged erlands (USD 2.3bn). However, a ficiency of the Ukrainian econ- lion’s share of German invest- omy and national security in stra- ments (USD 4.8bn) came as a tegically important sectors. As it Western capital must come purchase of Kryvorizhstal by Mit- declared a Western vector in its in large enough volumes tal Steel Germany GmbH, a sub- economic and political integra- sidiary of the Mittal Steel corpo- tion, Ukraine remained in the so that it would be forced ration. Germany invested a mere quagmire of the Russian business by its own economic USD 112mn, Great Britain USD space and continued to be viewed 84.5mn and France USD 40mn through its prism by big busi- interests to lobby its into Ukraine’s machine building nesses in all leading Western governments to adopt an industry. states. That big business has not In order to lay down the foun- active policy on Ukraine come to Ukraine from the key dations for Ukraine’s real, rather NATO countries in all these years than declarative, entry into the EU membership cannot, on their is a result of intentional blocking Western economic space, Ukraine own, stand in the way of this by Russian oligarchic and other needs to oust Russian business trend is corroborated by a num- big businesses and their close and that of pseudo-Ukrainian oli- ber of countries that have joined Ukrainian partners. The latter garchs who are totally dependent the EU but continue to be easily cannot, for the most part, be con- on cooperation with Russia’s gov- manipulated by the Kremlin sidered national businesses, be- ernment-owned or semi-govern- through both government and cause they are closely tied in vari- mental financial-industrial groups formally private capital totally ous ways to Russian companies and key banks. In general, some dependent on its will. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|11 neighbours|Russia’s aggression Side Effects Vladimir Putin’s bet on aggressive chauvinism and revanchism consolidates the West and unnerves satellites. More and more Russians begin to doubt it as well

Author: ladimir Putin’s growing cused Belarus of re-exporting Eu- collapse, even if they unfold over Oleksiy confidence that the West ropean goods to Russia which a long period of time. Oleksiyenko will not react strongly to Moscow sanctioned. Then, he ex- Vhis military aggression in pressed doubts over Kazakhstan’s CONSOLIDATING THE WEST Ukraine provokes him to stop statehood for the latter’s support The EU and NATO are still reluc- hiding his contempt for the bor- of Ukraine in Minsk. Finally, he tant to take any decisive action to ders established after Russia’s de- said that he could “take Kyiv in provide military, or at least full- feat in the cold war, for the inter- two weeks” in a conversation with scale economic support to national law and the norms of his José Manuel Barroso. Ukraine in the conflict with Rus- vis-à-vis, and even threaten his Meanwhile, Putin’s ever more sia. However, they are preparing allies. obvious bet on Russian chauvin- for a long cold war with the In the recent multilateral ism and revanchism is slowly Kremlin in the near future. Alex- meeting in Minsk, he expressed triggering factors that doom his ander Vershbow, Deputy Secre- annoyance at the stance of his regime to a fall and Russia to a tary-General of NATO, recently Customs Union satellites. He ac- wrote on Twitter that “Russia be- 12|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Russia’s aggression|neighbours came a nationalist and revisionist rum. Apparently, he hinted that, sus, only 6.3% of them can read power”, therefore the NATO after Nazarbayev or earlier, the and write in Kazakh. Shortly af- Summit in Newport, Wales, was issue of preserving sovereignty ter the annexation of Crimea, to open a new chapter in the Alli- or territorial integrity of the state Russian MP Vladimir Zhyri- ance’s history, with new spending which Nazarbayev created “out novski said in parliament that on defence and a new perception of nothing” could be raised. In “Russophobic sentiments are of Russia. April 2008, during his meeting cultivated” in Kazakhstan and If NATO drags Moscow into with George W. Bush and a com- Overall, Kazakhstan they are “totally anti-Russian” in yet another arms race, accompa- ment on the opportunity of has Kazakh textbooks. So, it was Ka- nied by the growing sanctions NATO MAP for Ukraine, Putin 65% zakhstan’s turn after Ukraine, he against it from G20 states, the said that “Ukraine is not even a of Kazakhs and said. collapse of the already weak Rus- state… Part of its territories is Kazakhstan got the hint right, 21.5% of sian economy will be a matter of a Eastern Europe, but the greater Russians. However, as proven by the statement of its few years. This will hardly seri- part is a gift from us.” This were the local population President Nursultan Nazarbayev ously help Ukraine in protecting not mere words about gifted ter- is still a minority in a in an interview for the national number of northern her independence in the short ritory, as we all have seen this regions Khabar TV channel. In it, he run, but it will certainly push year in Russia’s efforts to ac- stressed out that his country Russia to a collapse of economic, knowledge statehood of “Nov- would not be part of the organiza- military and political blocks it has orossiya”. tion that threatens its sovereignty built on the post-Soviet terrain. Kazakhstan has seen attempts because “our independence is our of military takeover and separa- dearest treasure for which our an- TROUBLES IN THE REAR tion of its eastern part. On No- cestors fought”. “First of all, we The chauvinist hysteria fueled by vember 19-20, 1999, the Kazakh At the beginning of will never surrender our indepen- Putin causes growing concern not National Security Committee ar- September, the press dence. Second of all, we will take service of the Russian only in the West, but in national rested the terrorist group called Defence Ministry every possible effort to protect it,” republics of the Russian Federa- Rus. It was made up of former announced massive Nazarbayev said. tion, and in its allies. military who had fought in wars trainings of strategic Meanwhile, more and more missile forces near Mintimer Shaymiyev, ex- in Transnistria, Tajikistan and the Kazakh border. Russians begin to realize the president of Tatarstan, one of the Chechnya, led by Viktor “Puga- These will involve price of their country’s aggression largest national republic in the chov” (his documents indicted over for their own wealth. Russian Federation, has already that he was a Russian citizen reg- 4,000 According to a poll by Levada disapproved of the surge of Rus- istered as Viktor Kazimirchuk in Center on August 22-25, the Rus- troops sian national chauvinism. After Moscow). The group was arrested and sians are slowly returning to rea- the game of the Moscow Spartak to long terms in jail, but the sonable thinking. Compared to FC against Kazan-based Rubin, mechanisms used in Crimea and 400 the March results, they no longer feel as happy about annexation of when several thousands of Spar- the Donbas today prove that Rus- pieces tak began to sing “Russians, for- sian Nazis won’t find it hard to of military Crimea. Fewer Russians now ap- ward!” in the capital of the repub- revive yet another group of “reb- equipment prove of annexation and are will- lic with over 53% of Tatars and els” in depressed regions of Ka- ing to sacrifice part of their per- 40% of Russians, he said: “Four zakhstan. sonal income to support the new thousand fans come from Mos- Overall, Kazakhstan has 65% region. The share of those who cow and shout ‘Russians, for- of Kazakhs and 21.5% of Rus- would by no means want to face ward’. How can you come to Ta- sians. However, the local popula- financial losses because of the ac- tarstan, or any other (national – tion is still a minority in a num- tions of the Russian leaders has Ed.) region and shout such things ber of northern regions while the grown from 19% in March to 28% in the multinational Russia? majority is Russian-speaking Over in August. Only 17% of those What should we shout then? Ta- people resettled from Europe. For polled are willing to feel some fi- 60% tars, forward?” His concerns are instance, North-Kazakh Oblast of Russians realize nancial restraints caused by understandable: in the 1990s, Ta- has 50% of ethnic Russians that the annexation Crimea, compared to 26% in of Crimea and tarstan had the second strongest (34.2% of Kazakhs); Kostanai aggression in the March. The share of respondents photo: reuters photo: separation movement (after Oblast has 42.1% of Russians and Donbas make who believe that the annexation Chechnya). Today, it is growing 38.8% of Kazakhs, etc. – all these Ukrainians hate of Crimea and aggression in the Russia or its leaders, more and more discontent with are on the border with Russia. In Levada Center Donbas make Ukrainians hate Russian nationalism. the East-Kazakh Oblast where reports based on its Russia or its leaders has exceeded Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, Russian separatists attempted a August 22-25 poll 60%. has sent a signal to Kazakhstan coup in the 1990s, have 37.5% of This does not take into ac- which will hardly pass unnoticed Russians versus 58% of Kazakhs, count the Russian troops return- in Russia’s relations with it. On compared to almost 50:50 in the ing home dead or badly injured, August 29, he said that Nursul- 1999 Census. and officially qualified as “insur- tan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s The Russian population in gents” who died while on a leave. President, “accomplished a Kazakhstan hardly speaks Ka- Despite attempts to hide this, the unique thing: he created a state zakh and is hardly motivated to Russian media are already re- on the territory where there had learn it. The share of people who porting hundreds of killed. The never been a state. In this sense, can speak it among the Russians number of the injured in Ukraine he is a unique person in post-So- is virtually the lowest out of all is reportedly around 1,000. Hos- viet statehood” in his speech at ethnic groups living in the coun- pitals in Rostov and St. Peters- Seliger, the all-Russian youth fo- try: according to the 2009 cen- burg are filled with them. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|13 neighbours|Propaganda Lustration Over the Ocean Ukrainian activists are pursuing the lustration of state organs of professional frauds. Yet another place where lustration of corrupt individuals has to occur is among the Diaspora of the United States

Author: nstead of observing the politi- ence lest they do any more dam- vertise himself as an objective Zenon Zawada cal drama in Ukraine with age to Ukraine, particularly her analyst of Ukrainian politicsand popcorn in hand, the Ukrai- image in the West. is still being published in the Inian community in the U.S. The most obvious target of a world’s top publications, most should be rolling up its sleeves Diaspora lustration effort is recently in the Wall Street Jour- and removing scoundrels from Adrian Karatnycky, who will go nal. leadership positions on its own down in history for his extensive Karatnycky penned so much side of the ocean. and unabashed cheerleading and fawning of Yanukovych & Co. Those Westerners directly or apologizing for the Yanukovych that describing it all would take indirectly involved with the Yan- administration. too much space. (Those inter- ukovych regime must not only be It’s worth reviewing just a ested can read his entire archives condemned by the Diaspora small sample of the nuggets of at: atlanticcouncil.org).It’s worth community, but they must be re- political insight from this self- focusing on Karatnycky’s assur- moved from positions of influ- styled guru, who continues to ad- ances that Yanukovych would The most obvious target of a Diaspora lustration effort is Adrian Karatnycky, who will go down in history for his extensive and unabashed cheerleading and apologizing for the Yanukovych administration

14|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Propaganda|neighbours never resort to dictatorial, au- state of affairs and for his posi- tone once Yanukovych’s leading thoritarian methods. tive economic steps, Yanukovych political rival was thrown in Immediately when Yanu- is being subjected to increased prison. But he kept pulling his kovych and his entourage came international criticism.” twine nonetheless, insisting that to power, Karatnycky assured us “In short, there has been a “Ms. Tymoshenko’s wrong- that “five years in the political tsunami of articles suggesting headed prosecution obscured the wilderness has taught them that Ukraine is about to become a significant record of progress,” the world does not end with the vassal of Russia led by an un- including lowered taxes, reduced democratic rotation of power, checked tyrant who has seized government subsidies and nor does it put anyone's massive control of most media content,” heightened corruption prosecu- fortunes at risk.” Karatnycky wrote in May 2010. tions. As early as May 2010, when Yet despite that “tsunami” of Even until the very bitter the authoritarian path that Yan- opinion, the political “expert” end, Karatnycky could not bring ukovych was taking was appar- from the Atlantic Council chose himself to use the “a” word about ent to all objective political ex- to instead focus on Yanukovych’s Yanukovych, still couching any perts, Karatnycky accused those “openness to criticism and his criticism by referring to his comparing the administration to willingness to correct mistakes,” fallen hero as a “semi-authori- authoritarians and dictators of as someone “not inclined to be- tarian” ruler. fomenting hysteria. Such com- come a second-rate administra- At this point criticizing Yanu- parison “confirms my thesis of tor of a Russian province.” kovych for his steps away from the excessive rhetoric adopted by “My interactions with Western values, Karatnycky still normally sober analysts of Ukraine’s entire political spec- had his “amputee’s itch” for de- Ukraine’s politics.” trum for the past two decades fending someone who has all the He lamented, “instead of persuade me that, with the ex- signs of being a client, though benefiting from acknowledge- ception of their cultural and lin- Karatnycky denies having any fi- ment for this generally positive guistic policies, the Yanukovych nancial ties to the Party of Re- team is essentially on the right gions or its sponsors, directly or track.” indirectly. When Yanukovych was dem- onstrating his propensity for vio- lence, Karatnycky was apologiz- When Yanukovych was ing, tritely pointing out that he demonstrating his “sternly rebuked” Interior Minis- ter Vitaliy Zakharchenko “for ex- propensity for violence, cesses in policing demonstra- Karatnycky was tions.” As for Zakharchenko, he was apologizing, tritely part of the president’s entourage pointing out that he of “well-educated, highly profes- sional 30 and 40-somethings,” “sternly rebuked” Interior Karatnycky insisted, as if pulling Minister Vitaliy this spin directly out of a Party of Regions talking points e-mail. Zakharchenko Regarding the now infamous criminal charges for damaging Indeed his defense, as is the the Maidan’s tiles, “these are ap- defense of all the “repenting” Re- pear to be focused on alleged gions entourage, is trite and pre- damage done to Kyiv’s central dictable. Karatnycky informed square and do not constitute me by e-mail that he was critical wide ranging reprisals against of Yanukovych when he aban- protest leaders and partici- doned the course to Western in- pants.” tegration. Perhaps they protest too It took him until December much,” Karatnycky obnoxiously 2012 (more than a year after Ty- wrote of Yanukovych’s critics. moshenko’s imprisonment!) to “Anxieties about a Russia-influ- “start sending warning signals,” enced reassertion of authoritari- when they were apparent to mil- anism are not likely to be borne lions of people in 2004 and to all out.” objective political analysts by the Karatnycky sung Yanu- summer of 2010. kovych’s praises even during the “I thought honestly that Ya- politically motivated prosecution nukovych had learned from the of Yulia Tymoshenko, lauding Orange Revolution that the him for allowing her to travel to Ukrainian public would not per- Brussels as “a sign of change.” mit the usurpation of power. I Admittedly, Karatnycky’s was proved wrong,” he wrote me cheerleading took a less arrogant in late July. And was he wrong! № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|15 neighbours|Propaganda So much so that most of the cused on shortcomings in the Yet Karatnycky is able to get claims in more than a dozen cultural sphere (a safe area given away with it because he remains pieces have proven to be farci- that the Party of Regions spit on a senior fellow at the Atlantic cal, both then and in hindsight. these issues). Council, a respected Washington Yet playing the “earnest be- This balancing act that Karat- think tank whose stamp of ap- liever” card isn’t credible for nycky is trying to claim as astute proval confers legitimacy to anyone supporting the Party of analysis is really as process of someone who at best is a hired Regions. When confronted with covering his own tracks. For an gun. If he was never paid, his evidence of corruption and mur- apology for Yanukovych, he can writings would qualify him as an der among the Donetsk clan as point to a criticism, which is very incompetent. early as 2005, Karanytcky in- often contradictory. Shockingly, the Atlantic sisted there was “no proof,” as The end product can look Council is entirely satisfied with reported by Dr. Taras Kuzio, a quite ridiculous. “Despite the use his work. Ignoring my questions research associate at the Univer- of administrative resources and of how Karatnycky became a se- sity of Alberta. a far from level playing field, po- nior fellow and what would be Just following the Orange re- litical pluralism is alive and well the procedure to remove him, volts, Karatnycky interviewed in Ukraine,” wrote Karatnycky, spokeswoman Taleen Ananian Akhmetov, producing a flattering even after Tymoshenko’s impris- instead forwarded me a state- article on him for the Wall Street onment and the substandard ment from its president and CEO Journal. That year, Karatnycky parliamentary vote. Frederick Kempe. launched the Orange Circle, a de- “Evidence of corruption and “Adrian Karatnycky is widely funct organization of Ukrainian cronyism abounds,” Karatnycky known as one of America's lead- Diaspora leaders committed to wrote, just one year after prais- ing experts on Ukraine,” he said. “networking the friends of demo- ing Yanukovych for “extensive “We are proud of the work the cratic Ukraine.” prosecution of current govern- Atlantic Council team, along Among the supporters of the with Adrian, is currently doing to Orange Circle was the Donbas advance the freedom, sover- Fuel & Energy Co, (currently The inability to sort out eignty, and territorial integrity of DTEK), owned by Akhmetov. the truth early enough, Ukraine.” This sponsorship is the only Unfortunately, the Atlantic proven financial link between about those with alleged Council leadership has yet to un- Karatnycky and any of the dons violent histories such as derstand the dangers Karanycky of the Party of Regions. Yet poses to forming public opinion Karatnycky denies to this day Yanukovych and Akhmetov on Ukraine. Those less familiar having any financial ties to enables them to with the on-the-ground situation Akhmetov. in Ukraine actually start believ- We now see what a “friend” accumulate enough power ing the tripe that a cheerleader Akhmetov is to democratic to do even greater damage like Karatnycky churns out, with Ukraine, having allowed sepa- the Atlantic Council’s endorse- ratists and Russian soldiers to ment officials on corruption ment. terrorize and murder the people charges.” I guess the prosecution The inability to sort out the of his native Donbas, where not wasn’t “extensive” enough. truth early enough, amidst the being able to walk the land and Michael Sawkiw, Jr., Indeed to the objective politi- smokescreen created by those the president of the breathe the air would be his U.S Holodomor cal observer, if Karatnycky like Karatnycky, about those worst sanction. Ironic that he Committee, declined wasn’t getting paid for his cheer- with alleged violent histories to respond as to leading, then he missed a golden such as Yanukovych and Akhme- uttered those words in Decem- whether his ber. organization will opportunity to make some seri- tov enables them to accumulate But given Akhmetov’s alleged return the ous cash off his “analysis.” enough power to do even greater criminal history (I say “alleged” $2.5mn Karatnycky is now hoping to damage, as demonstrated by the because documentary films, in- donated by Mr. put all that behind in the past. In tragic deaths of the EuroMaidan vestigative television news re- Firtash to build the the EuroMaidan aftermath, he’s and the current war in Donbas. Holodomor Victims ports and books are not enough Memorial in given speeches at Harvard Uni- By continuing to pose as an proof for Karatnycky), the Or- Washington versity and at the Fashion Insti- expert, Karatnycky is a threat to ange Circle’s patrons, including tute of Technology in Manhattan objective political analysis on Canadian business executive about the reasons for Yanu- Ukraine that’s desperately James Temerty, should not have kovych’s fall. needed in a time when the Rus- been surprised at how he han- Since Yanukovych’s ouster, sian government is producing dled the terrorists. he has published in the Wall fraud and falsehoods on a daily How does Karatnycky explain Street Journal and New Republic basis. He is also a threat to in- his cheerleading for the Yanu- writings on the Donbas war. forming the Diaspora commu- kovych administration? Karat- Normally, someone with all the nity, who trusted his failed Or- nycky insists his texts were appearances of a hired PR gun ange Circle effort with tens of “analysis.” would not be allowed to pose as thousands of dollars. Indeed much of his praise for an objective political analyst, If he’s demonstrated his will- Yanukovych & Co. is tactically writing for such prestigious pub- ingness to promote one authori- cushioned with light criticism lications. tarian government,then there’s and disappointments, often fo- nothing to stop him from finding 16|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Propaganda|neighbours Most Wanted List, was not enough to raise concern. And of course, they didn’t ex- pect that the U.S. government may “soil” Firtash’s clean status soon, filing charges of bribery, money laundering, threats and intimidation and other crimes that could earn him up to 55 years in prison. For his troubles, Firtash is blaming the same U.S. govern- ment that the Diaspora leader- ship is lobbying to provide more aid to Ukraine: “What is impor- tant is that there is a geopolitical struggle between the U.S. and Russia under way. The U.S. needs an enemy abroad to solve problems at home and Ukraine happened to become a battle- field.” Michael Sawkiw, Jr., the president of the U.S Holodomor Committee, declined to respond as to whether his organization another gang of (alleged) crimi- $3.75mn a year to maintain – Borys Gudziak, will return the $2.5mn donated nals to offer his services to. when you own privately several the American- by Mr. Firtash to build the Ho- Someone whose ties to the luxurious residences – is one de- born former lodomor Victims Memorial in rector of UCU, Yanukovych regime are more gree of boorishness. is another Washington. clear-cut is former First Lady of But having secured the dacha Diaspora leader “Obviously we’re very dis- Ukraine Kateryna Yushchenko. as part of a political alliance with in Firtash’s web turbed about all of the allega- As recently as October 2013, she the man who tried to become tions, and we’re concerned about and her husband where guests of dictator, maiming a few thou- the support of individuals like honor at a celebratory banquet sand people in the process, is Firtash,” UCCA spokeswoman organized by the Ukrainian- downright abominable, and no Roksolana Lozynskyj said in American Archives and Museum matter amount of wearing their April, as reported by London’s of Detroit. embroidered shirts and flaunting The Globe and Mail. “However, It’s understandable that their Ukrainian kitsch will erase the project is under way.” these honest folks are desperate. that. Another Diaspora leader in Their museum is located in the The Ukrainian-American Ar- Firtash’s web is Borys Gudziak, city of Hamtramck near central chives and Museum of Detroit the American-born former rector Detroit, which is a war zone no should relinquish its ties with of UCU who is now the eparch of less dangerous than present-day the Yushchenkos, as should any Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Epar- Luhansk. And to them, gaining Diaspora organization. Indeed chy of Paris. Firtash donated the ear of someone as fabulously it’s high time for Diaspora lead- $4.5mn to build the Striyskiy wealthy as Mrs. Yushchenko is ers to admit their mistakes and Park campus. He said then that among their few hopes in finding wipe their slates clean of the he hopes it wouldn’t be Firtash’s new digs for their museum. sponsors of the murderous Party last gift. But for those of us living in of Regions and its partners in Just how these Diaspora Ukraine proper, the Yushchen- crime. leaders, Sawkiw and Gudziak, kos are those people who teamed Unfortunately, too many Di- got in touch with Firtash remains Gas tycoon Dmytro up with Yanukovych to defeat aspora leaders are open to cut- Firtash donated a mystery. Sawkiw has repeat- Yulia Tymoshenko in the 2010 ting political deals or accepted edly declined to say who ap- $4.5mn proached whom, and UCU has presidential elections. lucrative donations from the to the Ukrainian The reward they gained from likes of Firtash, another Party of Catholic University to never revealed the relationship’s their unholy alliance was the Regions sponsor. build the Striyskiy genesis. right to live in a luxurious state They have also resorted to Park campus in Lviv Whether these Diaspora dacha in Koncha Zaspa immedi- the “Karatnycky defense,” insist- leaders, Sawkiw and Gudziak, ately after Yanukovych’s victory. ing they had no moral scruples in deserve condemnation for ac- It’s reasonable to suspect there dealing with the Regions spon- cepting money from Firtash has was an exchange because the sors because they had no crimi- long been a debate in the com- Yushchenkos fled their dacha nal convictions. munity. But a criminal convic- around the same time that Yanu- Of course, such evidence as tion might finally put that debate kovych fled Ukraine. Firtash admitting his relations to to rest and put Firtash off-limits Living in a dacha that costs Russian mobster Semyon Mogi- as a source for financing, once an impoverished country levich, Number One on the FBI’s and for all. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|17 neighbours|The future of NATO NATO Flexes Its Muscle Memory Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has made NATO’s summit in Wales the most important since the end of the cold war

s originally billed, the sum- After the inconclusive results of mit looked likely to be a 12 years of effort in Afghanistan, the humdrum affair. But a meet- era of large-scale military interven- Aing of the NATO alliance in tions far from Europe was thought Newport in south Wales on Septem- to be over. A small American-led ber 4th and 5th, intended to mark the NATO residual force is likely to stay end of combat operations in Afghan- on for a few years to “train, advise istan, now looks likely to be one of and assist” the Afghan army in its the most important gatherings in continuing struggle against the Tal- the organisation’s 65-year history. iban (if security agreements can be From the moment in March when signed quickly by Afghanistan’s new Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, president). But despite the widening sent his troops into Crimea, thus be- arc of instability across the Middle ginning the first forcible annexation East and north Africa that followed of territory in Europe since the sec- the upheavals of the Arab spring and ond world war, it has been clear that the rise of the jihadist Islamic State, NATO is back in the business it was addressing such complex threats uania, which joined NATO in 2004, created for: collective territorial de- through the creaking consensus- were part of the Soviet Union until fence. bound structures of NATO has its dissolution in 1991 and all have Mr. Putin has given NATO a seemed too difficult. The campaign ethnic Russian minorities. After the shot in the arm just as its relevance in 2011 to remove Muammar Qad- seizure of Crimea, Mr. Putin’s at- was being questioned, and not for dafi from power in Libya, although tempt to establish the Donbas re- the first time. Although the alliance successful in its immediate aims, ex- gion of eastern Ukraine as a Russian reached a peak of activity in 2011 posed both divisions within the alli- satrapy by fomenting and arming a with six operations in three conti- ance and gaps in capability that fed separatist rebellion demonstrated nents (Afghanistan, Kosovo, Libya, a America’s frustration with feeble the “hybrid warfare” techniques that training mission in Iraq, counter- European military spending. It also the Kremlin might use to destabilise terrorism operations in the Mediter- left behind an unholy mess. the Baltic. ranean and counter-piracy off the As for America, new strategic The reaction to Mr. Putin’s ag- Horn of Africa), most are now over guidance prepared for Barack gression has so far been mostly eco- or winding down. Russia’s military Obama in early 2012 had compla- NRF would have nomic, with sanctions successively modernisation and menacing large- cently referred to “most European tightened. But it was immediately 13,000 well- scale exercises close to NATO’s bor- countries” as now being “producers equipped troops. clear to Mr. Rasmussen and the alli- ders worried the alliance’s northern of security rather than consumers of Within it a ance’s leading military officer, the it”. It recommended taking advan- multinational force supreme allied commander in Eu- and eastern members. But most Eu- of brigade size ropeans were more concerned about tage of a “strategic opportunity to (about 5,000 troops) rope (SACEUR), General Philip falling living standards than exter- rebalance the US military invest- will be deployable at Breedlove of the US air force, that the first sign of nal threats to their security. ment in Europe” towards Asia to trouble without the NATO would have to respond too. Even without the urgency added meet the challenge of an assertive usual requirement That meant providing immediate re- for consensual by Russia’s recent actions, NATO’s China. Re-energising an alliance political approval assurance to the alliance’s most vul- outgoing secretary-general, Anders that some in Washington believed nerable frontline states, while get- Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish was a relic of the cold war was low ting all 28 members to agree on the prime minister, would have argued on the president’s list of priorities. nature of the threat to Europe’s se- in Newport for European govern- All that has now changed. curity and the measures needed to ments to halt the decline in their de- Ukraine is not a member of NATO counter it. It meant, above all, dem- fence budgets, and to spend them (indeed, preventing it ever becom- onstrating that Article 5 remained more efficiently. But similar pleas in ing one is a principal aim of Russian the unshakable pillar of the alliance, the past have fallen mainly on deaf policy) and therefore does not enjoy at a time when doubts had been ears. Just four of NATO’s European the protection afforded by Article 5, raised about whether, say, the Dutch members (Britain, Estonia, France the vow taken by every member to or German governments would re- and Greece) come even close to regard an attack on one as an attack ally send their troops to fight for Es- meeting a commitment made in on all. But Mr. Putin’s declaration of tonia or Romania. 2006 to spend at least 2% of GDP on the right to take action wherever he Some of those measures have defence, and only five have met an- believes the interests of Russian already been put in place. The air- other, equally important one to speakers are endangered directly policing operation over the Baltic spend 20% of their budgets on mod- threatens the Baltic states, which are states was quickly bolstered with ern equipment. members. Estonia, Latvia and Lith- additional jet fighters. Mr. Obama 18|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 The future of NATO|neighbours visited Warsaw in June and an- view of Russia had to recognise it memory in this organisation. We nounced a USD 1bn package for had not worked; they had no an- can still tool up pretty fast.” stepped-up military exercises and swer,” says a senior NATO diplo- A potential complication is that training in eastern Europe, with ad- mat. The alliance must be prepared the hybrid warfare practised by ditional rotations of American to deal with an antagonistic Russia Russia in Ukraine is more ambigu- troops in the region (he will also for a long time, says Mr. Rasmus- ous than a conventional armed at- make a symbolic stopover in Esto- sen. “I would caution against think- tack. General Breedlove says NATO nia before the summit). At about ing this is just about Putin. It is must be ready for the “little green the same time, General Breedlove deeper-rooted in Russian society.” men”—special forces without sov- was asked by the North Atlantic The result is that General Breed- ereign insignia who cross borders Council, NATO’s political decision- love is unlikely to face much political to create unrest, occupy govern- making body, to develop a credible resistance to the deterrence package ment buildings, incite locals and deterrent to Russian adventurism he sets out at the Newport summit. give tactical advice to separatists, that could be put into action after A “readiness action plan” has been thus destabilising a country. In an the summit. drawn up with the aim of enabling interview published on August 17th A potential problem for Mr. Ras- NATO to respond rapidly to an Arti- he told Germany’s Die Welt: “If mussen was that even after the sei- cle 5 crisis. A compromise has been NATO were to observe the infiltra- zure of Crimea, NATO’s members reached between those who think tion of its sovereign territory by had disagreed about the extent of basing NATO forces permanently in [anonymous] foreign forces, and if the threat posed by Russia. Propa- the east and north of Europe, close ganda from Moscow about a sponta- to Russia’s borders, would breach An important element of neous uprising that Russia only be- the Founding Act, and those who ar- latedly supported had seemed plau- gue that Russia’s own actions mean the plans is to hold the sible to some; in Germany, history the act is already a dead letter: Gen- newish NATO Response inclined many towards a policy of eral Breedlove will propose pre-po- Russland verstehen—understand- sitioning command and control, lo- Force at a much higher ing, indeed sympathising with, Rus- gistics specialists, heavy weapons state of readiness than sia. Germany’s chancellor, Angela and ammunition, probably at an ex- Merkel, born in the country’s com- isting base in Szczecin in Poland before munist east, has few illusions about (see map). The idea, he says, is to Mr. Putin but is rarely willing to get be able to “travel light but strike we were able to prove that this ac- very far ahead of pacifistinclined hard if needed”. The base is likely to tivity were being carried out by a public opinion. A naive new Italian be staffed on rotation, with troops particular aggressor nation, then government, acutely conscious of its from different member countries Article 5 would apply.” fragile economy’s dependence on moving in and out. Frequent, large- NATO may no longer be scrab- Russian gas, also hoped to avoid scale exercises will signal NATO’s bling about looking for a role, but confrontation. preparedness and maintain the cru- Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwe- cial interoperability between na- gian prime minister who takes over Setting the tripwire tional forces that was forged in Af- from Mr. Rasmussen in October, NATO can only act by consensus, ghanistan. will still have to grapple with many and some members feared that bas- An important element of the of the same old problems that afflict ing troops in Poland and the Baltic plans is to hold the newish NATO the alliance. Mr. Rasmussen says states would breach agreements Response Force (NRF), which has that ahead of the summit about half reached with Russia in 1997 under 13,000 well-equipped troops pro- of NATO’s members have commit- the Founding Act, which formally vided on a rotating basis by mem- ted to no further reductions in de- declared an end to hostile relations. bers at its disposal, at a much higher fence spending, though that is, for At a meeting of NATO foreign min- state of readiness than before as the many, a far cry from meeting their isters in April, a call from Poland for “spearhead” for the alliance’s future commitment to spending 2% of 10,000 NATO troops to be stationed deployments. Within it a multina- GDP. Nor, despite Mr. Obama’s in- on its territory was rebuffed. Some tional force of brigade size (about sistence that he sees Europe’s secu- did not want to hear Mr. Rasmus- 5,000 troops) will be deployable at rity as indivisible from America’s, is sen’s message that years of attempts the first sign of trouble, possibly there likely to be much change in by NATO to make Russia a strategic within hours, on the order of the SA- America’s strategic preoccupation partner had failed, and that under CEUR without the usual require- with China. Mr. Obama affects to see Mr. Putin Russia saw NATO only as ment for consensual political ap- Russia more as a troublesome re- an adversary. proval. gional power than as a military and But as evidence mounted of The intention, says Mr. Rasmus- political rival like the Soviet Union Russia’s engagement in the in- sen, is to ensure that “any potential of old. Whether NATO will play creasingly bloody insurrection in aggressor will know that if they are much of a role in Europe’s turbulent east Ukraine, the arguments of to attack one of our allies, they will Middle Eastern back yard is also NATO’s doves seemed ever more not just meet national troops, but doubtful. feeble. The big shift in public opin- they will meet NATO.” The implica- But for all its shortcomings, ion came in July, when separatist tion is clear: foes will have to reckon © 2014 The NATO retains an extraordinary abil- rebels shot down Malaysian Air- with a tripwire force that will trigger Economist ity to reinvent itself in the face of lines flight MH17 with advanced a response from the whole alliance. Newspaper new threats. With enemies like Mr. weapons supplied by Russia. As one senior NATO official puts it: Limited. All Putin, its continued relevance is not “Those clinging to an optimistic “There is extraordinary muscle rights reserved in doubt. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|19 neighbours|Opinion Wag the Dog. Russian Style

he extreme power of manipulation, in terms of mocracy. In so doing, it missed the point that military public opinion and imagology, and its political and regimes can have much more success in this than their moral implications are well revealed by one film democratic adversaries. In fact, this is high time for the Tthat has contributed to the critique of today’s con- West to wake up and see the world around us for what it trolling political structures. This is Barry Levinson’s film is. We are witnessing the resurgence of real rather than Wag the Dog. The film tells us the story of Hollywood velvet or imagined totalitarianism in Russia. Public producer Stanley Motss and Washington’s spin doctor opinion was made and remade there as many times as Conrad Brean, who are supposed to save the White the regime wanted it to be, and hatred for Ukraine was House due to the President’s scandalous romance. manufactured in accordance with the need for an en- The duet of Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro re- emy. Ukrainian “fascists” become the appropriation of veals with skill a world of people who are talented, but the term that best describes its user, for the more Rus- also amoral and value disoriented. At any rate, the rev- sian propaganda speaks about Ukrainian fascism, the elations of instrumental mind and instrumental moral- more resemblance Russia itself bears to Nazi Germany ity are not the only merits of this great film. Created in with all its hatred as a method to approach reality, Goe- 1997, it foreshadowed a military campaign in Yugosla- bbels-type propaganda, and toxic lies. via (the film mentions Albania) during the height of Bill Never before has George Orwell’s 1984 and its vocabu- Clinton and Monica Lewinsky’s sex scandal. Of course, lary been as relevant as it is now, due to the sliding of it would be silly to claim, wearing a serious face, that Russia into barbarity and fascism with incredible speed the war in Yugoslavia was required because of U.S. do- and intensity. A series of interrogation scenes between mestic politics, and as a means of smothering the scan- O’Brien and Winston Smith with all allusions to the dal. “Pacifist” Western Europe wanted this war perhaps Communists and the Nazis as the naïve predecessors of even more than “militaristic” America. The U.S. was the Oceania, who had an ideology and who allowed their Author: wand that was used to solve the problem. victims to become martyrs, sound now as the best eye- Leonidas But this film leaves an impression due to its emphasis opener since Putinism entered the phase of war and ter- Donskis on something else – it just so happens that a war can be ror: the Newspeak, two minute hate, and the jackboot fabricated. Just as, as it turns out, one might direct pub- trampling on the human face for the sake of unlimited lic opinion in such a way that a war would be wanted or power have finally acquired the points of reference. even much desired. Create an artificial crisis, sacrifice a It is fascism with no real ideology, for a set of tools to few dozen innocent lives to a political Moloch, increase boost the morale of its thugs and terrorists consists of people’s sense of insecu- the worn-out clichés and rity – and, everyone, in a For the Russian recycled slogans largely flash, almost overnight, borrowed from Italian will want both a firm con- incarnations and and Hungarian fascisms trolling hand, tough rhet- successors of Goebbels, with some Serbian inserts oric, and, perhaps, even from the times of Slobo- war. In short, something Ukraine has become a piece dan Milosevic, and with similar to being beyond of virtual reality Nazi cherries on top. Irre- good and evil. dentism, the need to re- In fact, the film in ques- fabricated for the sake unite the disunited na- tion predicted something of domestic policies tion, the world turned even more dangerous and against the righteous sinister than it was able to people, the necessity to articulate and address along the lines of what its defend history for the sake of its reenactment – characters said. In the modern world, manipula- these are all ghosts and specters of the 20th cen- tion by political advertisement is not only capable tury fascism. of creating people’s needs and their criteria of happi- The tragedy of Russia is that its population falls prey to ness, but also of fabricating the heroes of our time and the Kremlin’s spin doctors with their ability to create controlling the imagination of crowds through success- virtual and TV hyper-reality that had overshadowed re- ful biographies and success stories. These abilities ality for the masses. Ukraine for the Russian incarna- make one pause to think about “velvet” totalitarianism tions and successors of Goebbels, such as Vladislav – controlled manipulation of consciousness and imagi- Surkov, has become exactly what Albania was for Barry nation disguised as liberal democracy, which allows the Levinson and his film – a piece of virtual reality fabri- enslavement and control of even the critics. cated for the sake of domestic policies. The funny thing Yet the question remains whether these forms and is that the excessive and obsessive use of the term “fas- methods of manipulations, brainwashing and condi- cism” appears as a form of cognitive dissonance of Rus- tioning can be used by dictatorships, thuggish regimes, sian fascism: be quick to apply your own name or title and rogue-states more successfully than by democra- portraying your enemy – then you will appropriate the cies with all their marketing techniques and parapher- name and will absolve yourself from it. nalia. Wag the Dog, like other similar productions of It is no consolation anyway. And it doesn’t work this cinematography, rests on the assumption of infinite way. Once a fascist, always a fascist – no matter what manipulations as an offshoot or a side effect of mass de- you say about your adversary. 20|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 B OOKST ORES KYIV 3, vul. Lysenka tel: (044) 235-88-54; 5,vul. Spaska tel: (044) 351-13-38, 33/2, Povitroflotskiy Prospekt tel: (044) 275-67-42 LVIV 7, Prospekt Svobody tel: (032) 235-73-68 VINNYTSIA 89, Soborna tel: (0432) 52-9341 TERNOPIL 7-9, vul. Valova tel: (0352) 25-4459 KHARKIV 3, vul. Sumska tel: (057) 731-5949 IVANO-FRANKIVSK 31, vul. Nezalezhnosti tel: (0342) 72-2502 VOLODYMYR-VOLYNSKIY 6, vul. Kovelska tel: (03342) 2-1957 www.book-ye.com.ua

ONLINE BOOKSHOP WWW.BOOK-YE.COM.UA/SHOP neighbours|Ukraine & the West Caution and Restraint. To Be Continued… Why it would be wrong for Kyiv to expect blanket solidarity from the West photo: unian photo:

n 1941 Winston Churchill, Brit- Author: By and large, those principles Ukraine is proving so worrying. ain’s wartime Prime Minister, Michael have remained the essential pillars Western public opinion is little and Franklin Roosevelt, the Binyon, of peace and stability in Europe bothered about Crimea rejoining IAmerican president, issued a UK since 1945. Of course, borders Russia – people argue that the key document, known as the At- have been changed – Yugoslavia majority of the population is Rus- lantic Charter, which defined the has split into six different states, sian, most Crimeans would vote to principles for the postwar world. Czechoslovakia has divided into join Russia (despite the referen- Central to the document, which two nations, East and West Ger- dum being rigged), and Crimea was the forerunner to the United many have reunited and former was part of Russia in the past. But Nations charter, were the princi- Soviet republics have all won inde- the principle of changing the bor- ples that no state should be al- pendence. But most of these ders by force has upset Western lowed to conquer the territory of changes have been peaceful, or governments, as it is a clear viola- another and that no international have happened with the consent of tion of the Atlantic Charter and of borders should be changed by the populations. And NATO has the United Nations. force. successfully prevented any state Ukraine says Russia has re- After the allied victory in 1945, unilaterally annexing any other – peatedly violated the charter by these principles became the core despite the crises provoked by So- sending men and vehicles across values which America and its Eu- viet interventions in Poland, Hun- the border to help the separatists, ropean allies pledged to uphold. gary and Czechoslovakia. and that the unauthorized cross- They also lay at the heart of the That is the reason why the ing of the Russian aid convoy into NATO military alliance, set up in Russian annexation of Crimea has Ukraine violated its sovereignty. 1949 to stop any potential Soviet caused such a crisis in East-West Western nations and NATO aggression against Western Eu- relations, and why Russian sup- agree. Last week Britain sum- rope. port for separatists in Eastern moned the Russian ambassador in 22|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Ukraine & the West|neighbours London to the Foreign Office to cern at the scale of casualties that tions on the London Stock Ex- “clarify” reports of a military in- have resulted in the use of Grad change account for a significant cursion. The Prime Minister, Da- and other heavy weapons against amount of money. And some big vid Cameron, told President Po- population centres in Donetsk and British energy firms, including roshenko of his “grave concern” at Luhansk. Britain has not con- Shell and BP, are still negotiating the latest move. And Philip Ham- demned the Russian aid convoy, large contracts with Moscow. mond, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, despite suspicions that it might be At the start of the Ukraine cri- said he was “very alarmed” by the used for military advantage, as sis, Britain, France and Germany incursion. there is recognition that civilians were reluctant to impose large- Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the in the east are suffering severely, scale sanctions on the Russian The total value of NATO secretary-general, con- irrespective of whether Kyiv or the Russian-owned as- economy. But the shooting down of firmed the incursion of military rebel leaders are to blame. sets in Britain is the Malaysian airline changed atti- vehicles into Eastern Ukraine, de- It would be wrong for Kyiv £27 tudes. Britain insisted that even spite Moscow’s denials, and spoke therefore to expect blanket soli- though it might suffer, it wanted billion, of a “continuous flow” of Russian darity from the West. Commenta- which is only more widespread sanctions in the weapons and fighters into eastern tors have repeatedly pointed out aftermath of the air disaster as the Ukraine. that the Kyiv government has been 0.5% West needed to show an effective of total European- But Western governments unable to curb corruption, has al- owned assets response to Putin. have nevertheless stopped short of lowed some extreme right-wingers in the country There is little difference in pol- calling these moves an “invasion”, to play a political role and has still icy towards Ukraine between the and NATO members have made it not undertaken the economic re- coalition government and the op- clear that there will not be an forms essential if Ukraine is to re- position Labour Party. Labour has armed response. Why? There are cover from its present disastrous been strongly critical of Cameron’s several reasons explaining West- economic state. Such comments policies in the Middle East and the ern restraint. are not used to justify Russian crisis in Iraq and Syria, issues that First, Ukraine is not a member propaganda or to undermine currently preoccupy British public of NATO, and there is therefore no Ukraine’s accusations against its opinion much more than events in obligation on other NATO mem- neighbour. But they do explain Ukraine. But Labour has not sug- bers to come to its aid if it is at- why there is little public enthusi- gested it would take a softer line tacked. Public opinion is strongly asm for total solidarity with the with Moscow, should it come to opposed to any direct conflict with Ukrainian cause. power in next year’s general elec- Russia, which could quickly esca- At the same time, European tion. late. As Cameron said last month, governments are angered by accu- The fact is that the world finds Britain was not going to “launch a sations that they are being black- it difficult to focus on two crises at European war or send the fleet to mailed by Russia because of their the same time. The stunning victo- the Black Sea” over the Ukraine economic dependence on the Rus- ries of the Islamic State, the be- crisis. He insisted that the West sian market. Britain insists that heading of the American journal- had to stand up to Russia, and while Russia is a significant source said the lessons of the First World of jobs, trade and investment, it War showed that aggression had accounts for a far smaller propor- The principle of changing to be stopped. But Britain was go- tion of investment than many the borders by force has ing to use its economic, rather other countries. Just 2% of Rus- than military, power to deter Mos- sian foreign direct investment upset Western governments, cow. Similar arguments have been goes to Britain – compared to 37% as it is a clear violation made in Berlin, Paris and Rome. invested in Cyprus, 16% in the Secondly, it is obvious that any Netherlands and 3% in America. of the Atlantic Charter Western military response would The total value of Russian-owned and of the UN swiftly escalate the crisis. Western assets in Britain is £27 billion, governments are still hoping that a which is only 0.5% of total Euro- ist, the fears of radicalization of diplomatic solution may be found, pean-owned assets in the country. young British Muslims and the even if this may take a while. An- Britain imports almost no gas calls for renewed British and US gela Merkel, the Germany Chancel- from Russia (although it imports a intervention in Iraq are making lor, is the key figure in attempts to lot of coal), and Russia imports the headlines, overshadowing the negotiate a face-saving solution only 3% of its goods from Britain, fighting in Ukraine. This, however, that would allow President Putin to compared to 20% from China, 15% may make it easier for the West to abandon the separatists in Eastern from Germany and 6% from play a quiet role in the search for a Ukraine. Britain believes such France, Japan and America. Only diplomatic solution, away from moves are more important that an 1% of British exports of financial, the glare of publicity. Everyone immediate military response – business and insurance services go knows that it will cost a huge largely because previous crises in to Russia – compared with 37% amount to rebuild the infrastruc- Europe, such as Bosnia and exported to the European Union. ture in eastern Ukraine. Western Kosovo, have led to long and costly In London itself, Russian in- governments are not willing to pay military engagement. volvement is higher: Russians buy out large sums to achieve this. Thirdly, although there is 2% of the city’s prime property, That is why they are urging all widespread Western support for and a number of very rich Rus- sides to halt the fighting and the the Kyiv government, this support sians, including Roman Abramov- destruction before the costs grow is not unconditional. There is con- ich, live in London. Russian flota- any higher. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|23 neighbours|Opinion Poor Russia

In 1991, protesters tried to knock down the status of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Cheka whose bust now rests in Vladimir Putin’s office.Today, it is scheduled for restoration (worth over EUR 500mn) and could be installed at Lubianska Square again hoto: AP P hoto:

Author: npredictable tactics is the but their foreign friends as well). nationalism (Slavophile and Philippe Kremlin’s worst weapons. Yet, Russian unpredictability is Stalinist at the same time) and de Lara, From day one of the not only tactical weapons in the Eurasian imperialism, lamenting France UMaidan, it has been un- “unconventional war” against its of a victim (“we have a bad life nerving Ukrainians and all those neighbour, but a proof of deep and nobody likes us”) and impe- in the world who realized that weakness undermining Russia rialistic aggressiveness (“our Ukraine is the place where the fu- since 1991. missiles are a decade ahead of ture of Europe is being decided. The biggest country in the America’s”). Everyone is still going to sleep at world has no idea what it is and This ideological cocktail is a night wondering what he will what it wants to be. Putin cer- mix of opposites: tsarism and read in the news tomorrow. tainly has limited intellect and Bolshevism, Russian Orthodoxy Ukrainian philosopher Kostian- confuses the real world with an and Slavic-Aryan neo-paganism, tyn Sihov claims rightly that Rus- image created by reports of his moral conservatism and obscure sia’s tyranny of spontaneity secret services. Yet, he has con- preaching of Aleksandr Dugin should be resisted, while further structed his own interpretation known as the father of Eurasian- thoughts should focus on the re- of Russia’s existential problem ism; and peculiar modern fas- vival of Ukraine and the Donbas and encouraged his people to be- cism. The only consistent activity in the long run (this appeal is ad- lieve that he would solve it, in this ideology, as ever in the to- dressed not only to Ukrainians, turning into a blend of Russian talitarian past, is the construc- 24|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Opinion|neighbours Times of dissidents tion of an image of the West and 500mn) and could be installed at are back now; Slavic nations”: he sees in this its “fifth column” as a mortal foe Lubianska Square again. Resto- Russian culture, the controversies of the Russian blamed for all bad things that ration is too weak of a word to freedom and project, its ambivalence between grandeur have found happen to Russia. This looks like describe the sinking of Russia in shelter in the noble a normal nation and a religious a parody of the USSR, but a the Soviet past. Times of dissi- souls of few superpower (“the goal of the persecuted writers USSR-2 is not comparable to the dents are back now; Russian cul- and artists, as well as great empire and moral health original with its power. It is an ture, freedom and grandeur have historians and of the nation are incompatible… guards of memory outcast on the global interna- found shelter in the noble souls of who continue their we should strive not to expand, tional arena (described as rogue few persecuted writers and art- work despite but to preserve our national state in English), obsessed with ists, as well as historians and obstacles and spirit and the territories that are intimidation from an ambition to become powerful guards of memory who continue the government left for us”). Solzhenitsyn real- – a ridiculous yet scary one, as their work despite obstacles and ized how dangerously naïve the reminded to us by the blood of intimidation from the govern- phony slogans of Russian kind- Ukrainians spilled in this non- ment. Not all have yet become ness and public sentiments, and linear war since February. How lackeys like Valeriy Gergiev (So- was still affected by them. has Russia get there? viet and Russian conductor, born Ukraine is certainly the blindest The answer is both simple, into an Ossetian family. In 2012, spot in his prophesy. Solzhenit- and complex. The simple answer he was registered as Vladimir syn was blinded so it is some- is that Russia is sick as a result of Putin’s trusted person in his times hard to read his works. But no self-analysis of Communism. presidential campaign – Ed.). we should overcome anger and The Soviet regime was criminal. Why does Russia refuse to disappointment and read them In 1991, it faced a defeat from its analyze its Soviet tragedy? To re- over and over again. This will al- Western rival not only politically, main this way is not a choice in low us to finally understand the but morally too, ruined by dissi- favour of homo sovieticus, nor is Russian sickness, to find a way to dents or, in other words, a Euro- it fatality. It is fear. Fear of a break the spell that keeps Russia pean ideal of civilization. Ger- country that does not know what bound in its aggressive delusions many, on its part, revived after it is and what it wants to be. today, and to return it to the 1945, and turned into a normal Whatever the options of Russian community of nations. country exactly because it con- identity (i.e. its limits, rights and Putin’s strength is not only ducted its portion of self-analysis mission), they are all wrong. Do his arrogance and cynicism of a (even if it was imposed by its bit- the Russians want to be an eth- spy. It is also the result of his ter defeat in the war). The nically uniform nation, or a mul- Nuremberg Trial was the most tinational empire built as a important aspect of it, followed prison of nations or as a temple After the USSR collapsed, by German trials over Nazi of “friendship between nations” Russia delved into crimes. Germany worked on his- (the wording is different, the tory and memory of its entire so- sense is identical)? Do they want amnesia, then into ciety non-stop. There may be to join the community of Euro- rehabilitation of the some facts, monuments or as- pean nations, or do they prefer to pects on school programs that it create an alternative civilization, Soviet past which, missed, but Germany has gener- a response to the crisis of liberal filtered through guilty ally rescued itself. Russia, by democracy? contrast, delved into amnesia, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a conscience and lack of then into rehabilitation of the So- chauvinist, a supporter of the culture, turned grotesque viet past which turned grotesque Great Russia, and a genius writer, through guilty conscience and aptly described this anguish of ability to be the voice of the exis- lack of culture. Russia failed to mind in his last works where he tential and geopolitical sickness conduct its trial over Commu- promoted aggressive installment of his nation, and to encourage nism. Lost in this amnesia and of the empire (including in the Russians with his powerful rejection of reality, this country Ukraine) and rejection of imperi- nonsense to hope that they will will remain miserable and dan- alistic ambitions that were al- find some kind of a way out. Yet, gerous. This will not be Russia, ways damaging to his country this sickness reveals weakness in but a zombie of the Soviet Union. (adding “unnecessary external the heart of Russian aggressive- In 1991, protesters tried to objects”), self-isolation to revive ness, the weak spots on which knock down the status of Felix Russian culture by protecting it we, Europeans, have to start a Dzerzhinsky, the founder of from the flow of international dialogue with the Russians who Cheka whose bust now rests in events and “building of a moral actually want de-Sovietization. Vladimir Putin’s office, the gov- Russia” by turning its back both Unlike Ukrainians, these are not ernment asked them to not ruin to the Soviet disaster and the the whole nation, but a few indi- the 11-ton sculpture because it Western decline, all at the same viduals – who hold the future. could damage the surrounding time. “To be or not to be – for our Political and economic sanctions objects if it fell down. The pro- nation?”, will the word “Russian” are necessary; they will prove testers waited patiently for the still be in dictionaries a century their effectiveness if they are construction crane to lift the from now? Like Thomas Mann in wide- and far-reaching enough. monument and put it in a Mos- his pan-Germanic period, Sol- Yet, we have to keep in mind an- cow park. Today, it is scheduled zhenitsyn has some prophecy in other tool: trial over Soviet Com- for restoration (worth over EUR glorifying the “Union of East munism. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|25 focus|We are 23 These young men from Lenino village in Zhytomyr Oblast, are trying to show the world that it is Ukrainian. All three were on the Maidan, two were injured. They want a better life but not all of the country is ready for it just yet. The village could return to its old name, Stavky – ponds in Ukrainian. But the local community objects. Almost all locals live here with memories of the huge kolkhoz they had once worked in. Now, its ruins stand plundered by these locals. Meanwhile, the young dwellers of Lenino are painting the village welcoming sign blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag Text and photo by Viktor Marushchenko

26|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 We are 23|focus Independence. Reboot

e can now state this: of state-building. The names of towns and cities liberated from after 2014, society Donbas residents had been sparse terrorists and the underworld. perceives Ukrainian in Ukraine’s statehood history For the patriotically-minded WIndependence Day in until today, but they are there community there, it has become a completely different light. This now, never to be removed. Today, a long-awaited celebration of vic- holiday, which was previously as- these people are fighting for free- tory in a tough battle. And for sociated with backroom bureau- dom for their land in the battle Ukraine’s enemies – not a “his- cratic procedure, has now gained with Russian mercenaries. If they toric misunderstanding”, but a truly heroic substance. The most are victorious, their children and logical step in Ukraine’s national radical change in the understand- grandchildren will no longer see liberation strife. ing of this historic date is in the the Donbas as a Russified post- People in the liberated east- Donbas. And this pertains to both Soviet territory, but as the land ern cities – Kramatorsk, Slovy- sides of the conflict, pro-Russian that their fathers and grandfa- ansk and Severodonetsk – wear and pro-Ukrainian. thers shed their blood for. Com- Ukrainian symbols and are get- Until recently, the dwellers of bat is sacralising this region. Pre- ting used to peaceful life once this region on the border with viously, the question “Do we actu- more, something they were not Russia largely viewed Indepen- ally need that Donbas?” often used to during the weeks of siege dence Day as just another day- resonated in Ukraine. Now, after and constant shooting. off. The signing by Leonid Krav- so many sacrifices, saying some- Only refugees, continuously chuk, the first president of the thing like this is blasphemy as re- arriving in liberated cities, sav- independent Ukraine, of a piece gards those who have died. ing themselves from shooting of paper known as the Belavezha The towns and cities that had and predatory tyranny, are a re- Accords hardly evoked any patri- been occupied and experienced minder that the war is going on otic feelings in Eastern Ukraine. military action, and were liber- nearby; that no-one knows when The unheroic obtaining of inde- it will end. Perhaps now, in the pendence in 1991 became the 24th year of independence, the start of the largely unheroic exis- Unlike other parts residents of the Donbas will tence of the country, which in of Ukraine, the Donbas had learn to appreciate peaceful life. subsequent years experienced And they will understand difficult economic and political no history of battle for how lucky they were then, in crises, treason and finally war. Ukrainian statehood until 1991, when we became an inde- The economic collapse experi- pendent state without having to enced by the Donbas in the 1990s 2014 on its territory. go to war, something that Du- formed a skeptical and openly The bloody conflict that brovnik and Vukovar were not hostile attitude of the majority of lucky enough to experience. Our the local population towards in- began this spring turned bloody Milosevic was twenty dependence itself. into a real war for years too late, but he did finally Unlike other parts of Ukraine, appear to teach us to fight and the Donbas had no history of bat- independence value freedom. tle for Ukrainian statehood until “We want peace. Let every- 2014 on its territory. This, among ated by the Ukrainian army, have thing remain as it is, let’s live in other things, allowed separatists a completely different status. Ukraine, if only the others don’t to talk about the distinct place of Their residents experienced war return and start shooting again,” the region. Until present days, first-hand. The predatory tyr- the residents of Slovyansk told Donbas has never been a centre anny, which emerged on the cap- me, when I asked about their po- of national resistance, unlike tured territories, quickly sobered sition on what had happened. Cherkasy Oblast, Zaporizhia, those who naively expected that Terrorist Strelkov and his group, Kyiv, Halychyna, Volyn or Trans- “to separate and no longer feed which captured and held the en- carpathia, so it did not appreciate Halychyna” would be a great step tire city hostage, helped people the sovereignty of the country to happiness and prosperity. The to appreciate the value of life in that it was part of, as its own ac- orators who promised them a an independent democratic complishment. It was only the happy life and sowed hatred country, where human rights are bloody conflict that began this against their fellow citizens, worthwhile. spring which made the region a turned out to be your average Ruined homes in the neigh- field of battle with an aggressor rogues, because they threw them- bourhoods of Ukrainian towns and turned into a real war for in- selves at robbing and taking ev- and cities and the bombed village dependence. erything that came across their of Semenivka will become monu- New heroes of Ukrainian re- path to Russia. ments to this war for indepen- sistance have emerged there, as Independence Day finally dence, in which the Donbas is our have new figures in the chronicles gained real substance in the main field of battle. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|27 focus|We are 23 “Is There Any Other Way?” The Ukrainian Week speaks to proactive young Ukrainians – soldiers, volunteers and activists – to find out what they think of as their major accomplishment, of their peers in politics, and of leaving Ukraine

Interviewed by Taras Matviyiv, 25: “We are dreamers” Valeria Activist, coordinator of the Search Initiative of Maidan that works with the families of Burlakova people who disappeared during the revolution of dignity Accomplishments This is our victory, even if incomplete. We have been searching for those who disappeared on the Maidan for over six months now. We never thought it would last this long. We were never trained to do this kind of activity. And there are just few of us. But we have results. These are someone’s saved lives. The biggest reward is the gratitude of friends and families of the people we found. We must be dreamers, like most Maidaners. But that’s what keeps us going. Young politicians I can’t say anything specific about the generation overall. I’m sure that young people who have gone through the hell of the Maidan have strong immunity to old viruses, and a different, realistic vision of this world. But we have yet to meet the expectations that we, in the first place, have for ourselves. Emigration I’ve had many chances to leave Ukraine. I was invited to study abroad at university. I also have friends abroad… My up- bringing has kept me where I am. My relatives, my grand-grandparents went through the war on both sides – the So- viet one, and the insurgent one. I have no moral right to leave Ukraine. And, honestly, I never thought that I could leave Ukraine and never come back.

Oleksandr Serhiy Boyko, 22: “I took part in the Ukrainian revolution” Rudomanov, Diplomacy student, was injured on the Maidan twice; preparing 21: “It’s more to leave for Eastern Ukraine in the Sich unit exciting to live Accomplishments here” I haven’t invented a vaccine from all diseases or a recipe to create a per- Journalist, fect man. But I can state proudly and confidently: I took part in the volunteer Ukrainian national liberation revolution where the nation of fighters Accomplishments and creators was born, not one of slaves and fools. We’ve just sent ten Young politicians power generators to the frontline. We Over half of today’s politicians in Ukraine, from deputies in local councils to the president’s got everything the 95th Airmobile Bri- closest allies, are young or joined politics at a young age. That never stopped them from gade needs. Even binoculars! Now, we robbing and killing average Ukrainians. Oles Dovhyi, one of the youngest politicians (he have a storehouse at 11A, Kyoto Street, was in the team of Leonid Chernovetsky, the notorious ex-mayor of Kyiv – Ed.), was one of in Kyiv where we collect aid for our sol- the most corrupt officials involved in huge embezzlement schemes. It doesn’t matter how diers. We accept everything from young or old one is. What matters is the principles the person has. Everyone decides for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, send him or herself how to live at any age. It’s up to everyone individually to care only about his stuff to the anti-terrorist operation area, personal interests and steal everything, or to do good things, serve the people and ideals. and help artillery and tank units. Emigration Young politicians I had this idea when I was in high school. I thought that I was living in a country ruled by If they are from Svoboda or Democratic the anti-people regime that lies to everyone and robs everyone, from people with small sal- Alliance, I may believe that they’re ok. aries to big companies. In a country where the cops were raping, torturing and murdering Young politicians from Batkivshchyna or people in police stations. In the “Ukrainian” country where the Ukrainian language was the Party of Regions are no different from seen as an object of mockery, unnecessary, even hostile to some. At the same time, I the others, I believe. It’s all done for thought that we had a slave nation that either intentionally turned a blind eye to all these money there. atrocities or was ready to tolerate all this. I was so disgusted that I wanted to just quit all Emigration this and go someplace else, to a better country if there is one. Then, I realized that this is I once thought of it, I was very depressed. my land where I was born and raised just like my parents and grandparents. This is my But it’s more exciting to live here! That’s home. Escaping from its problems would be my personal weakness and loss. This would why I didn’t leave. You always have make me embarrassed before my ancestors, and my descendants, and before God, and be- someone to struggle against, be it crimi- fore myself. We have to struggle. We shouldn’t flee ourselves, but make the anti-Ukrainian nalized police or corrupt officials. scum flee.

28|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Anastasiya Cherevko, 33: “When your husband is injured, you don’t run around looking for another one. It’s the same with your country…” Entrepreneur, founder of the All-Ukrainian Volunteer Movement organization Accomplishments Volunteering is my civil position. It’s my personal responsibility for ev- erything that happens around me, in the place where I live. I began my independent life in 2000, I had a successful career in banking and wasn’t really interested in our politics. Now I realize that we have ended up in such dreadful position exactly be- cause so many educated, smart and responsible people focus on their own business or ca- reer and don’t take any efforts to actually influence processes in the state. There is one good phrase for it: “Something develops properly only if you work on it hard enough.” This is true not only for business owners or parents, but for every citizen as well. I’ve been run- ning my own business for the past five years, creating assets out of human capital, includ- ing in the area of financial education and business development. At tough times, I have to combine my professional life and my activity as a citizen. As volunteers, we now focus a lot on helping those involved in the anti-terrorist operation and IDPs. We are also working on three new projects: the School of Patriots to educate aware citizens and new political lead- ers; Open Ukraine! to develop domestic tourism in Ukraine oriented at boosting its eco- nomic development; and the All-Ukrainian Congress of Civil Organizations to unite initia- tives and create a single civil platform for joint building of a self-governed state. Young politicians I talk to many young people who are 10-15 years younger than me. I also watch my older son. He’s 14. I can learn a lot from them. The most important thing is that they are closer to the needs and the consciousness of the modern time. I believe that young executives (I myself became one at 23 back in 2003), provided that they are responsible, are a good solution for Ukraine. Fortunately, responsibility is something that can be revealed very quickly. Does the person come to meetings on time? Does he stick to the promise? Does he send questions by an agreed deadline? It is extremely important for us, as citizens, to carefully consider such de- tails in politicians, and to exercise our right to fire an irresponsible employee in politics. When people speak of younger versus older officials, they mention experience as an important fac- tor. I see it differently: it’s better to have none, than to try and change old experience. We had an EBRD project in the banking sector that was very different from conventional banking. It had one rule: don’t hire experienced employees; we preferred to hire graduates, or a waiter, and train them. Old ways of thinking, just like old habits, are extremely difficult to change. Most people need great shocks to actually change. Emigration I lived in Finland for over six months in 2008 where my father has lived for quite a while now. My sister lives in Prague. I often think why I’m not moving somewhere, even though I really like to travel to these countries. Now I think I know why. Ukraine needs our care, our help. It will survive, heal itself and will be happy! And it’s great to live in a happy country! I see that Ukraine is now very modern, in terms of its internal potential: my compatriots are reaching ahead, they have a huge desire to develop and grow. I don’t feel that in Europe- ans. That’s why we have a great opportunity to catch up with them, provided that we still accomplish many things.

Mykola Smirnov, 30: “I just went there” Activist, charged for breaking the fence around an illegal construc- tion site by the Yanukovych regime; member of the Kyiv Rus bat- talion, now getting treatment at the military hospital Accomplishments Why did I volunteer to go to the frontline? I don’t know… I just decided to protect and defend my land. That’s what the previous generations of Ukrainians did. Like the UPA fighters. Indeed, defending Fatherland and family is probably the key step in everyone’s life. Is there any other way? Young politicians I’m sure that politics is a dirty system that crushes and changes people to fit it. All people, -re gardless of their convictions and generations. It breaks people sooner or later, in a month, six months, a year. Whoever gets into that system will most likely turn into a corrupt scoun- drel he used to criticize before politics. Emigration Our country is beautiful. I would like to travel more here, to see all towns and cities, every corner. Leave Ukraine? No, never. focus|We are 23 Volodymyr Vasylenko: “Our independence was not pure luck, it was inevitable” Interviewed by Bohdan Butkevych

olodymyr Vasylenko was a proactive member of his- toric events that led to the Vrevival of Ukrainian state independence. One of the most re- spected Ukrainian international lawyers, a diplomat, Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Ambas- sador Plenipotentiary from Ukraine in the past, he was one of the people behind the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Week speaks to Mr. Vasylenko shortly before the Independence Day. U.W.: The patriotic community in Ukraine tends to believe that Ukrainians had done nothing for their independence back in 1991, did not struggle for it and got it for free. In fact, our independent state- hood did not come to us out of the blue: Ukrainians had spent centu- ries before fighting for it desper- ately, sacrificing millions of lives for it. Nobody resisted Russia as andriy l omakin photo: much as we did. Our independence is not pure luck; it was inevitable. did not give up; their resentment nist regime and revival of Ukrainian Voltaire wrote back in the 18th cen- evolved into OUN, the Organiza- independence in the late 1980s in- tury that Ukraine always longed for tion of Ukrainian Nationalists, and volved millions across Ukraine. The freedom. Ever since Bohdan UPA, the Ukrainian Insurgent most proactive campaigners were Khmelnytskyi was the Cossack Army. Their struggle went under members of Narodnyi Rukh (the Hetman, Ukrainians would start a the slogan “Freedom to the man! People’s Movement of Ukraine). new round of struggle for their Freedom to the peoples!” all the When someone says that our inde- freedom every 10-15 years. The way until the 1960s. Then it ended, pendence was merely an outcome of new stage began in the 20th cen- and the resistance seemed to be the August 1991 putsch, this person tury when Ukraine’s national liber- over. But the dissident movement picks one event out of its general ation struggle evolved into the of the Sixtiers emerged, focusing historic context which had actually statehood of the Ukrainian Peo- primarily on the preservation of triggered it. The cause of that putsch ple’s Republic (UNR), Western Ukrainian identity. was in that Ukraine refused point Ukrainian People’s Republic After all, the more the commu- blank to sign the new Union treaty. (ZUNR), and Carpathian Ukraine. nist system degraded (in fact, it had Without it, it was impossible to pre- The locals would defend the inde- been self-ruinous from day one of serve the Soviet Union. This was pendence of these states with its existence), the more favourable why the most reactionary part of the weapons in their hands. Once the environment got for a new stage Kremlin establishment organized Ukraine found itself in the USSR, it of Ukrainian national liberation the coup; they were trying to pre- entered the darkest period in its movement which gradually grew serve the Soviet Union by force. But history. It witnessed systemic re- nation-wide and became fatal for it was too late. pressions that peaked in the Ho- the Soviet Union. The rallies de- By the way, it is important to lodomor, a genocide. Ukrainians manding abolition of the commu- realize one thing: the creation of 30|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 We are 23|focus the USSR in 1922 as a union of re- people. I think Ukrainians would falling apart, and many had real- publics was largely a concession to have torn them into pieces if they ized long before the putsch that it Ukrainians who were reluctant to had not voted for independence. was time to flee that communal accept the Bolshevik occupation Just recall the huge crowd in front apartment. In 1991, the interests of and continued their desperate of the Verkhovna Rada on August the Ukrainian national movement struggle against it. This forced 24, 1991. Obviously, the Commu- and part of the Communists briefly Vladimir Lenin to agree to Ukraine nists were also trying to secure coincided. These Communists did joining the USSR as a sovereign re- themselves from Boris Yeltsin who not include Oleksandr Moroz, public with the right to exit it, and banned the Communist Party. But Petro Symonenko, Tkachenko, Kri- not as part of the “united and undi- that was not nearly the key incen- uchkov and others, the most reac- vided Russia” as proposed by Jo- tive. tionary party members who openly seph Stalin. The Declaration of State Sover- claimed they could not think of Obviously, this right to exit was eignty of Ukraine had been passed Ukraine beyond the USSR. I must only formal. But the mere fact of on July 16, 1990. Between that date admit the role of Leonid Kravchuk having such provisions in the So- and August 24, 1991, when the Act viet Constitution was a huge bene- of Independence was adopted, the fit to the liberation movement and then parliament, the Communists From the Ukrainian played into its hands greatly. As included, passed dozens of acts perspective, the collapse soon as this movement found the that formed the legal carcass of the right moment, it used this provi- new Ukrainian State. Interestingly, of the Soviet Union was the sion as the ground for its indepen- these acts included some very im- triumph of our national dence struggle. portant ones that ruled almost all proceeds from taxes to stay in liberation movement U.W.: Still, there is a lingering im- Ukraine. Thus, in the last year of pression that, in addition to all the USSR, Ukraine virtually (the first president of the indepen- geopolitical and economic as- stopped funding all union struc- dent Ukraine – Ed.) who clearly pects,U kraine is something of a tures, thus contributing greatly to sensed that it was better to leave personal phobia for Russia. its collapse. So, there were reason- the USSR in advance, peacefully Indeed, we are a “pain in the able people among the Commu- and quietly, than wait until it neck” for Russian chauvinists, nists. would take blood to exit. He dem- hence such panicky reaction to any Another crucial moment was onstrated colossal skillfulness in of Ukraine’s attempts to “leave”. their attitude to the signing of the this. When I asked him back then, Muscovy has been obsessed about new Union treaty. Mikhail Gor- why the hell he wanted to partici- Kyiv ever since it began to move to- bachev viewed it as a tool to pre- pate in the talks on the new Union wards the establishment of the Rus- serve the USSR. What Moscow of- treaty, he answered: “We must win sian Empire. This is because Ukrai- fered ran counter to the provisions some time and prepare a serious nian historic and cultural heritage is of the Declaration of State Sover- foundation for our independence.” the foundation for Russia’s state eignty, so the then Ukrainian lead- He was great at walking the fine building (see p. 46). You can re- ership rejected the idea. They real- line, hiding behind obscure state- place the roof, the windows or the ized very well that the USSR was ments. Many criticize him today doors in a building, but you can’t re- Bio for his overly cautious reaction to place the foundation because it will Volodymyr Vasylenko is an expert in international law, a the putsch in the Kremlin, and they are right to some extent. However, change the building altogether and statesman and academic. Born in 1937 in Kyiv, he graduated he should be given credit for his make it a totally different one. Re- from the Law Department of the Kyiv Shevchenko University member Putin’s slogan: “The col- conduct when General Varennikov in 1959, and earned his L.D. in International Law in 1964. In lapse of the Soviet Union was the arrived at Kyiv demanding him to 1972-1992, he worked as legal advisor to the Ministry of For- greatest geopolitical catastrophe of impose the state of emergency in eign Affairs. He was delegate to the founding meeting of the the 20th century.” It was that for Ukraine. The then First Secretary People’s Movement of Ukraine (Narodnyi Rukh Ukrayiny), Russia, and the imperialist-minded of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and member of the assembly committee and the First Con- chauvinist that Vladimir Putin is. Stanislav Hurenko, called Leonid vention of the Great NRU Council. In spring 1990, he pre- From the Ukrainian perspective, Kravchuk and demanded him to pared the first draft Declaration of State Sovereignty of the collapse of the Soviet Union was come to the Communist Party Cen- Ukraine, then participated in the drafting of the final act as the triumph of our national libera- tral Committee office for the meet- consultant to the Verkhovna Rada. In 1992-1995, he served tion movement. Just like the Battle ing. Kravchuk replied that Varen- as Ukraine’s Ambassador to Benelux and representative to of Poltava was a triumph for Russia nikov should come to the Parlia- the EU and envoy to NATO. In 1998-2002, he was Ambassa- and a tragedy for Ukraine. ment if he wanted to meet with the dor to Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. Vasylenko represented Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada U.W.: Some claim that the commu- Ukraine at the UN General Assembly many times. In 2001, (Leonid Kravchuk was in that posi- nistU krainian nomenclature had a the UN General Assembly elected him member of the Inter- tion at the moment – Ed.). When crucial role in Ukraine’s indepen- national Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia where he worked the meeting eventually took place dence when it played its tricks in as a judge until January 2005. In 2006-2010, Ms. Vasylenko at the Verkhovna Rada, Kravchuk fear of Boris Yeltsin who was radi- represented Ukraine at the UN Human Rights Council. In made it clear that he would not cally againstC ommunists. 2010, he was Ukraine’s envoy to the International Court of support any actions of the putsch- That nomenclature, including Justice in the Romania versus Ukraine case. He is currently ists and said that there was no rea- the sovereign communist part of it, member of the People’s Committee to Protect Ukraine, a son to introduce the state of emer- was forced to agree to indepen- merited lawyer of Ukraine, Ambassador Extraordinary and gency in Ukraine since the Ukrai- dence under the pressure of the Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, and professor. nian government was acting № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|31 focus|We are 23 perfectly in line with the Constitu- tion. The General left at that. Thus, it was Kravchuk’s consis- tent implementation of the Sover- eignty Declaration supported by the nation that served as the key to the revival of Ukraine’s indepen- dence. U.W.: Unfortunately, the party no- menclature and its oligarchic de- scendants were never removed from power in the past 23 years. Moreover, Ukraine’s government elite is now a mix of “the 1980s Komsomol” and people who were shaped by the bandit-tormented 1990s. Why did national demo- crats fail to remove them from power? Communist structures in Ukraine were established with a huge endurance capacity because the Ukrainian SSR was the key ele- ment of the entire USSR, a dia- mond in the crown of the empire. Once elected previously resisted the People’s wasted. A parliament with Commu- As a result, it is extremely difficult President, Movement openly, nor had he made nists would not even have consid- to struggle against the nomencla- Leonid Kravchuk any Ukrainophobic statements be- ered anything close to lustration. ture, especially given the massive offered his fore. Eventually, all this led Leonid runner-up destruction of the Ukrainian elite As an eye-witness, I can tell you Kuchma, a creature of Russia whose th Viacheslav throughout the 20 century. That Chornovil what you won’t hear often. After he campaign the Kremlin openly is what makes Ukraine different to become was chosen the president, Krav- funded and supported by all means, from all European post-Commu- prime-minister chuk offered Viacheslav Chornovil to power. According to General nist states. There is a widespread with the right (one of the most important mem- Oleksandr Skipalsky, Chief of Mili- speculation here that blames all of to appoint bers and the first leaders of the tary Intelligence at that point, Ukraine’s problems on its indepen- his Cabinet. People’s Movement – Ed.) to be- Kuchma’s ascend to power in 1994 dence: it is said to have left Com- Chornovil come prime-minister and the right was a special operation of Moscow munists in power that were later rejected the to appoint his Cabinet. Chornovil which was not happy even with the replaced by oligarchs. offer rejected that because he did not moderate Leonid Kravchuk as In fact, this system dates back to want to have anything to do with a Ukraine’s president. The Kremlin the time of Leonid Brezhnev when “Communist”. This was a totally ir- arranged a trade war through a part of the Communist nomencla- responsible move that dealt a huge huge increase in fuel prices, bribed ture got aligned with criminals and blow to Ukraine’s attempts to build the elites and made agreements law enforcement authorities. This a democratic country. I can com- with the dissenters. I remember resulted in the shadow economy, prehend that many years in prison how upset and confused Leonid shaped by the nomenclature and (a dissident, he was imprisoned Kravchuk was in the summer of criminals, which was legalized when and exiled by soviet authorities 1994 when he came to Brussels to Ukraine gained independence. Hav- several times for three to six years sign the EU Partnership and Coop- ing stolen all party money first, then each – Ed.) had urged him to not eration Agreement with Ukraine. all public money, these wild beasts accept anything linked to Commu- Kuchma can be considered the rushed to rob the country: that was nism, but he was a statesman, a father of today’s oligarchic system the only thing they knew. Mean- candidate for presidency, a mem- in Ukraine. He knew the criminal while, national democrats failed to ber of parliament. Couldn’t he have record of Viktor Yanukovych, and do their best. Instead of choosing a tamed his emotions and made state yet he appointed him the Governor tougher yet more constructive pol- interests a No1 priority? of Donetsk Oblast so that Yanu- icy, they hopped into internal The democrats made another kovych provided him with support squabbles and took no efforts to tragic mistake. Leonid Kravchuk of the region in the 1999 presiden- somehow engage the opponents, at suggested that Ukraine held early tial election. In exchange for this least the reasonable ones I men- parliamentary election as his initia- favour, Yanukovych was appointed tioned above. They even failed to tive. It would have definitely left prime-minister, so the door to top nominate a single candidate in the most Communists out of the Ukrai- echelons in government opened for first presidential election although I nian parliament. Yet, the democrats him. Kuchma essentially created still believe that Kravchuk would did not want to take the pain: they the Yanukovych regime that even- have won it anyway. He was sup- thought the Communists would do tually participated in the Russian ported by both pro-Communist whatever they wanted them to. aggression against Ukraine. people, and moderate national Thus, another chance for de-Com- Unfortunately, Leonid Kuchma, democrats because he had never munisation and lustration was Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Ya- 32|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 We are 23|focus nukovych are the ones to blame for who should meet five criteria: pro- the quality of its elites in power that the fact that the way to power had fessionalism, patriotism, prudence, is the problem. State institutions in been blocked for actual patriots of ability to work hard, and the will to Ukraine are similar to those in any Ukraine all these years. As a result, work hard. Ukrainian elites have other state: the issue is the quality the real elite have found them- been rotating in a natural way of their work. Therefore, criticism selves on the sidelines. overall. The government elite, by should focus on specific representa- Many say that Leonid Kuchma contrast, has been shaped on a clan tives of the government who use the was a statesman. This is partly true basis, involving primarily business state apparatus for their personal as he actually did a lot to develop companions, family, friends and enrichment, not the state as a the administrative hierarchy. How- others who see the state as their whole. This total criticism of the ever, he was not building Ukraine, personal wallet. Therefore, Ukraine state is part of the Kremlin’s manip- but a firm hierarchy of power for needs rotation of elites, a natural ulation technique. We are still fac- himself. When he announced later one would be the best even if it ing a massive propaganda war that that he had not become president takes some time. aims at spreading mistrust for to serve as Moscow’s vassal and However, it is now urgent to Ukraine as an independent state. even made an attempt to turn to amend the election legislation to This propaganda is utilizing slave the West during his second term in introduce proportional system mentality and nostalgia for soviet office, did not change the situation with open lists of candidates. It will life of those who are willing to trade dramatically. Instead, it triggered allow every voter in his or her con- liberties for a piece of sausage. This the special operation of the Rus- stituency to choose a specific can- very particular creature of the Rus- sian FSB with the Gongadze tapes didate rather than for the party list sian mindset that evolved in the So- (Kuchmagate scandal – Ed.), the which oligarch-financed function- viet era is unfortunately widespread one targeting Kuchma personally aries compile as they see fit. This in today’s Ukraine, primarily its and Ukraine in general. Russia approach (it is used in the UK, for most problematic regions. thus tried to keep Ukraine in its or- instance) would allow Ukrainians An average person with such bit and block its return to Europe. to get new people in the next par- mindset is scared and has one ste- As to Viktor Yushchenko, he liament and to launch the cleaning reotype: he or she blames every- was just repainting the façade of of all government structures. thing on the Ukrainian state be- the system he had inherited in It would certainly be desirable cause it has become independent Ukrainian colours. He left the task to campaign in peaceful circum- from the Moscow master. This ste- of strengthening the foundation of stances, at least in order to allow reotype is very dangerous and mis- Ukrainian statehood absolutely un- patriots who are now fighting in leading, its real aim being to ham- attended. Public and objective as- Eastern Ukraine to fully participate mer into the heads of Ukrainians a sessment of Ukraine’s top officials in the election process. However, thought that they do not need any and condemnation of their actions even if the anti-terrorist operation that damage the country are a does not end soon, the general guarantee of moral healing of soci- election should still take place. As The establishment of ety and strengthening of the state. the British experience shows, it today’s system of only takes time to transform yes- U.W.: All elites, at their early terday’s pirates or robbers into re- government began under stages, are made of the most -ag spectable members of society with Brezhnev when part of the gressive, entrepreneurial and re- state-oriented mindset. But lentless people. Ukraine is no ex- Ukraine cannot afford to wait a few Communist nomenclature ception. However, it is still hard to centuries. Therefore, quick and aligned itself with see any signs that the local elites well-thought decisions are neces- are transforming form their early sary. Lustration based on interna- criminals and law stages to the real state elite, or tional experience and adjusted to enforcers that any rotation is likely. What local circumstances could help. should Ukrainian society do to en- Meanwhile, civil servants should sovereignty or independence. hance the process? What if the ac- be paid better to prevent corrup- In fact, most of our problems tual patriots return from the front- tion, including political one. Crimi- stem from the lack of our own in- line in EasternU kraine and bring nal liability for the servants who dependent state for many years, order with an armed hand? commit crimes should be in- hence the lack of an opportunity to The government elite in today’s creased, too. Being in civil service develop properly in line with our Ukraine is still a product of the So- while committing a crime is an ag- national interests and needs. State- viet system. An antipode to it is the gravating circumstance in case of hood is a natural state of any na- patriotic national elite brought up incompliance. tion. Without it, it is doomed to based on democratic values. The disappear. We must realize that government elite is just part of the U.W.: What can we do to over- Russia has constantly been waging national elite, the latter containing come the profound mistrust for a humanitarian aggression against many well-prepared and patriotic the state that has been around for us. Now, it has transformed into a people. Today’s clan-based ap- very long and has deepened after military one. Ukraine will survive proach to top appointments in the the Maidan? as a normal state if it manages to government should be replaced by It is typical in Ukraine to blame resist this aggression properly. To the approach based on the involve- any problems on the state, to say do this, all of Ukraine’s society and ment and proactive cooperation of that it’s the bad guy. In reality, government structures have to all elements of the national elite though, it is not the state as such but consolidate efforts. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|33 focus|We are 23 Stanislav Kulchytsky: “Psychological dependence on Russia turns Ukrainians into Little Russians”

Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The great Ukrainian thinker, Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky, as well as, independently from him, renowned English historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee, stressed that Ukraine is located on a fault of civi- lizations. One of Lysiak-Rud- nytsky’s books is actually titled Ukraine Between East and West. The fault has impacted the nature of developments in our country. Ukrainian regions failed to come to a consensus about geopolitical choices. On the eve of the Euro- Maidan, 67% of the population in the west and centre of Ukraine voted in favour of integration with the European Union, while 68% of citizens in Southern and Eastern Ukraine expressed the desire to be- come a member of the Customs Union. Five rounds of voting in the presidential elections of 2004 and 2010 politicized this sociological pattern. Presidential candidates declared the vector they were striv- ing for, while the electorate voted predictably: the west and centre largely voted for Viktor Yush- chenko (and for Yulia Tymoshenko in 2010), and the east and south – largely for Viktor Yanukovych. The existence of enterprises with workforces numbering many thousands and specific flow of pri- vatisation have led to the emer- gence of an economic oligarchy in Ukraine. Ukraine became an oli- garchic but democratic country. In contrast to political oligarchs, who during the Soviet era were mem- bers of the Soviet Union Commu-

photo: andriy l omakin photo: nist Party Central Committee, to- day’s economic oligarchs are not a Interviewed istorian Stanislav Kulchyt­ U.W.: It has been 23 years since consolidated centre of power, so by sky speaks to The Ukrai- the collapse of the USSR. Every they do not pose a significant threat Roman nian Week about why the newly-created state has to democracy. Their efforts are di- Malko HKremlin needs Ukraine, developed in its own way. Why rected towards competitive strug- what threat the annexation of have the paths taken by them gle - note on-going duel between Crimea poses for Russia, what the been so different that they have Dmytro Firtash and Ihor Kolo- essence of the problem in Ukrai- led to the Ukrainian-Russian war? moyskyi in the mass media. How- nian-Russian relations is, and how – I will restrict myself to three ever, oligarchs are economically the political Ukrainian nation is former Soviet republics, which dangerous, because they do not al- emerging cover almost the whole territory of low real reform. 34|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 We are 23|focus At the opposite end, Belarus is ropean economy, the regime per- subconscious attitude of the liberal undergoing post-Communist mits the existence of individual is- Russian intelligentsia towards the transformations. Soviet order has lands of liberal thought. As a rule, “Ukrainian issue”. During the Rus- been preserved to the maximum he does not make short work of sian Revolution, cadets proved extent, which poses the threat in them on his own, but by shaping themselves to be the most consis- the future of the same uncontrolla- public opinion respectively. tent defenders of the “one and indi- ble chaos that other countries ex- visible” Russia. perienced in the “evil 1990s”. But I U.W.: What makes Ukraine so Where does the essence of the like Alexander Lukashenko. He attractive to high-placed officials issue of Ukrainian-Russian rela- does not exploit the Soviet legacy in the Kremlin? tions lie, from the historic perspec- to the same extent as the presi- The Russian president is trying tive? Once upon a time, there was dents of Ukraine or Russia who to restore the Soviet Union, the col- an empire in Eastern Europe, with throw crumbles to the people and lapse of which he referred to as the its centre in Kyiv, but it collapsed, the budget, but leave most for greatest geopolitical catastrophe of themselves and their allies. In the 20th century, in a different other words, Lukashenko’s dicta- form. Transnistria, Georgia, While being a tragedy, torship makes social sense. The Ukraine, where next? Ukraine was the war with Russia state must limit those, who want to always at the top of the Kremlin’s become rich at the expense of their plans. The Bolsheviks agreed to is a powerful incentive neighbours, who are paupers. view the population of Eastern Eu- for Ukrainians to unite For years now, we have not rope as three separate, but at the wanted to look at ourselves in the same time, related nations. How- and the development of its peoples mirror. We must now acknowledge ever, today’s Russian chauvinists took different paths. The mission of that Soviet society in the third gen- are in solidarity with pre-revolu- gathering the lands of this medieval eration was not immune to life in a tionary ones and deny Ukrainians empire was then undertaken by a market economy. Recall the anxi- the right to independent existence. different centre from within its for- ety about MMM, a notorious Ponzi They lay claim to everything: terri- mer borders. A new empire formed scheme in Russia and Ukraine. tory, the population and history. over the course of several centuries Former Soviets are used to looking You have to understand that – from Alaska to the River Vistula. at the state as a provider. We often the danger to the existence of Its representatives claimed that it use the term “paternalism”, un- Ukrainians as a separate nation is was connected to the original one by aware of the fact that Communist not simply rooted in the ever-pres- the ancient ruling Rurik dynasty. leaders had revived the Ancient ent aggressive intentions of Rus- They built a grandiose monument Roman relations of patron and cli- sian leaders. In the case of Ukraine, commemorating the “millennium of ent for society as a whole. this intent is intensified and en- Russia” in Novgorod in 1882 and For 23 years now, we Imperial structures have sur- couraged by the objective to satisfy have avoided looking declare that Ukrainians and Belaru- vived in Russia. Take the “brother- the desire of a significant share of in the mirror. We sians were the ethnographic off- must acknowledge hood” of former KGB employees. Russian citizens, not to be torn that the third shoots of a single Ancient Rus peo- Their consolidation accelerated in away both physically and mentally generation of the ple – the Russian one. The historic Soviet society was myth about this people still contin- the late 1990s. A clear hierarchy of from the Ukrainian people. I shall not immune to a life power has been recreated in the 15 explain this concept with an exam- in market economy. ues, even in independent Ukraine, years of Putin’s rule. When new ple. Just recall the through the efforts of individual ac- massive anxiety masters of life appeared – the oli- In March 1917, there was a about MMM, a ademicians. It is one of the founda- garchs, this powerful clan of offi- manifestation of many thousands of notorious Ponzi tions of the Russian World ideology. scheme. Ex-Soviet cials quickly expropriated them or local Ukrainians in St. Petersburg to people were used to forced them into subversion. In commemorate the Shevchenko an- seeing the state as a U.W.: In other words, both good contrast to the Soviet regime, the niversary, and for the first time, provider. We often and bad relations with Russia are mention the term current Russian one is devoid of Russians saw the “Ukrainian issue” “paternalism” but equally dangerous for Ukraine. Marxist-Leninist ideology and the materialized. The cadet newspaper fail to realize that Given the length of our border Communist leaders resulting economic dictatorship. In Rech (Speech) responded to this had revived the with Russia, is it possible to avoid other words, society has the right event with an editorial, which de- Ancient Roman the “inseparability” in which our pattern of patron northern neighbor strongly to private ownership. Vladimir Pu- scribed the persecution of Ukraini- and client relations tin’s political dictatorship is based ans under Tsarist rule. The list of on the nationwide believes at all? on an economy that is almost com- persecutions ended with the follow- scale in the Soviet It’s not hopeless. There are pletely independent of business ac- ing sentence: “Bureaucratic ignora- Union three dimensions to relations be- tivity. The extraction of raw mate- muses, in th eir unofficial acts, were tween countries: national, socio-po- rials with its subsequent sale able to ridicule the Ukrainian lan- litical and economic. The economic abroad can hardly be considered guage, which has its own history dimension regulates the market, the business activity. The gas rent in and literature – one of the most socio-political one defines self-con- US dollars is used to buy nearly ev- spiritual creations of a Slavic tribe fidence of the people, plus interna- erything, from Mistral ships to that is closest to us by blood and lin- tional law, while the national di- toothpicks. Russia has vast natural eage, inseparably connected to us mension is determined by various resources, which allows Putin’s re- through historic ties.” The compas- phobias or branches. It so happens gime to rely on paternalism and sion towards Ukrainians was com- that in our relations with Russia, controlled mass media, rather than pletely sincere. But just one word – the most important of these is the on coercion. Since the Russian “inseparably” – in the quoted sen- very dangerous national dimension. economy is integrated with the Eu- tence, convincingly showed the Look at the verbal battles between № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|35 focus|We are 23 “katsapy” and “khokhly” (deroga- tory terms for Russians and Ukrai- nians respectively) in internet com- mentaries… Putin has revived Hit- ler’s practice of demonstrative protection of his citizens in neigh- bouring countries – in the name of “sharing one blood”. I still remem- ber those happy Volksdeutsche chil- dren in German and Romanian-oc- cupied Odesa that we, hungry chil- dren, looked on in envy. The Son, enroll in Russian President even perfected the school of this practice, announcing that “fel- Red Seniors, low countrymen” are not necessar- and Soviet ily Russians; simply to speak Rus- Ukraine will protected. A sian is enough to become one. He poster from the subsequently annexed Crimea, un- 1920, the era of der the pretext of protecting the “Ukrainization” Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. Such action is a complete (30.8% in 1992). The only relief is force in international relations and contradiction of the socio-political that aggressive nationalistic propa- the establishment of a collective se- dimension of intergovernmental re- ganda, like the one coming from curity system. On January 1, 1942, lations, but this is a separate issue the Svoboda MP Iryna Farion, is the 26 countries that were fighting for discussion. I just want to say not popular among Ukrainians. In against Germany and its allies, that building intergovernmental re- 2013, only 2% of those polled con- pledged their adherence to the de- lations on the basis of nationalism is sidered themselves to be, first and clared principles and signed two extremely dangerous for the presi- foremost, representatives of their words under the Declaration: dent of a multi-national country nation rather than country. United Nations. The word-combi- with an antidemocratic social order. nation became the name of the or- Russian nationalists have al- U.W.: You mentioned the ganization, which now monitors ways portrayed the followers of annexation of Crimea in the compliance with these principles of Stepan Bandera (Banderivtsi), Sy- context of intergovernment the global order. mon Petlyura (Petlyurivtsi) and relations. Do you have anything As a result of the Second World Ivan Mazepa (Mazepyntsi) as the new to say about this? War, the Soviet Union acquired enemy – in other words, they To understand the significance some territories, for legal or historic picked the most passionate follow- of the annexation of Crimea in full, reasons for each. The only exception ers of the idea to liberate Ukraine view this action of Russian leaders was part of Eastern Prussia and Ko- from Russia’s hold. The Ukrainian in the context of the past century. nigsberg (Kaliningrad). However, at people experienced multi-million that time, the allies were destroying losses, but the battle with the en- this province as a centre of German emy has hardened them. It is also Modern Russian militarism and compensated with it hardening them now. chauvinists are for the territorial losses of Poland At the same time, Ukrainians after the shift of its borders to the shouldn’t be flattered too much. in solidarity with Curzon Line as per the Entente in The current situation is aggravated pre-revolutionary 1918. Joseph Stalin succeeded in from the north, but also has an in- snatching part of the ruined prov- ternal context. Ukrainian civil soci- ones and deny Ukrainians ince before Poland got it. ety (political nation) is only just the right to independent Dozens of states were created coming into being. The war with and collapsed after the adoption of Russia is a tragedy but it has be- existence the Atlantic Charter, but there come a powerful incentive for the wasn’t a single case where any citizens of Ukraine to unite. The slogan about peace without an- country, using its military advan- Before the Maidan, in July nexation and contribution became tage, annexed part of the territory 2013, the Institute of Sociology of popular in the final years of the First of another country. Putin brought the National Academy of Sciences World War. The victors did not pay “peace-keeping” military contin- conducted an opinion poll. The attention to it then and two decades gents into Moldova and Georgia, question was “Who do you con- later, were faced with a new world but did not dare to declare the ar- sider yourself to be, first and fore- war. Two years after it began, in Au- eas where they were stationed most?”, offering several options for gust 1941, Franklin Delano Roos- parts of Russia. We must clearly an answer. 50.6% selected “Citizen evelt and Winston Churchill an- understand this: the annexation of of Ukraine”. A third selected “Resi- nounced the Atlantic Charter, which Crimea was the first blatant viola- dent of a village, district, city or re- guaranteed the development of tion of the world order declared by gion”. Since independence, the world order after a crushing defeat the Atlantic Charter in 75 years. share of those who think of them- of Hitler’s Germany on the basis of I just learned about the initia- selves first and foremost as citizens three principles: territorial integ- tive of a Chinese newspaper (all of of a specific region has grown rity, the abandonment of the use of them are the mouthpieces of the 36|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 We are 23|focus government of course) to launch a U.W.: How should we, Ukrainians, programme for China’s territorial behave towards our Russians who acquisitions in the coming 50 years have Ukrainian passports? There is – by 2060. According to journal- no point in hiding the fact that ists’ forecasts, the Chinese will con- some unpleasant feelings have duct six wars, during which they already reared heads on both have to win back lost territories, sides. particularly those taken by the It’s good that I will answer your Russian Empire, covering an area question as someone who used to that is almost three times the size have “Russian” as nationality in my of Ukraine – 1.6 mn km². Nothing Soviet passport. It would still be extra, only that which was lost. But there today if Ukrainian passports after gaining an absolute military indicated this detail. I got my pass- advantage over its neighbours, the port during Stalin’s lifetime and leaders of this country could also wanted to be a Pole, after my father. be urged to take territory which However, my mother (born in China did not lose to Russia. The Odesa, but descended from Akker- Crimean precedent has created this man Armenians) was horrified, be- possibility. cause she knew that Ukrainian Vladimir Putin understands Poles and Germans were extermi- this better than anyone else. So he nated or deported. It emerged that started a “hybrid war” in Eastern my father was of Ukrainian origin, Ukraine immediately after the an- initially Polonized, but deported to nexation of Crimea. There was no the Caucasus and Russified after the longer talk of annexation, no mat- 1830 uprising (this did not save him ter how ardently local mercenaries from arrest in 1937). The certificate Nikita nian nation-society is being cre- Khrushchev, ran around with Russian flags. The on nationality was kept by the fam- 1935 ated before our eyes, passing purpose of the Russian president ily and presented to the police. through critical dates: 1989–1991 was to weaken the Ukrainian gov- All of us are burdened not just (gaining of independence), 2004– ernment. It was supposed to have by the general atmosphere now, 2005 (Orange Revolution), 2013– withdrawn the demand for the re- but by the Soviet past that devel- 2014. turn of Crimea, and this rejection oped political hierarchy of ethnic Whoever wants to politicize eth- should have appeared voluntary. It origin, placing Russians as ethnic nicity again must remember that it was only by these means that Rus- nation No 1, followed by titular na- wasn’t us who accomplished the sia could have avoided accusations tions of Soviet republics and titular collapse of the Soviet Union, but the in the criminal violation of world nations of autonomous republics Russian intelligentsia, and the order. as No 2 and 3 respectively. Soviet crafty nomenclature man, Boris However, it emerged that Pu- authorities needed enemies, so that Yeltsin, who joined it. Today, it is on tin’s assumptions were built on with their elimination, they could our maidans that we are protecting sand. He suffered his first defeat keep all others obedient. At first, during the presidential election in the enemies were people from pre- In the past 75 years, Ukraine. Petro Poroshenko con- revolutionary privileged classes. vincingly defeated his opponents in Then, representatives of nationali- the annexation the first round. This was not his ac- ties descending from neighbouring of Crimea was the first complishment, but he showed that hostile states like Poland and Ger- he had no intent to bow to the many, or with many relatives blatant violation Kremlin’s will, in other words, he abroad like Jews. For the third gen- of the world order was ready to carry out the will of eration, Sovietized profoundly by the people. Putin faced his second then, terror could be replaced with declared by the Atlantic defeat when a new Ukrainian army “preventative measures” (which Charter suddenly appeared within a matter Vladimir Putin was engaged in). of months. This army began to lib- The fourth generation are people, erate the Donbas from Russian who have spent most of their lives democracy and shedding our Soviet mercenaries. The third defeat was in independent Ukraine. These are past not only from ourselves, but when the wrath of the world com- the ones from whom we sometimes from the Russian nation as well. munity materialized in the form of hear: reinstate the “nationality” In conclusion, I will remind sanctions. column in the passport, I’m a you of one aspect expressed by an In contrast to the Soviet Union, Ukrainian and proud of it! ethnic Russian but a Ukrainian the economy of Russia is com- All this helps us justify one writer Mykola Fitilov (Khvylovy): pletely dependent on the world. simple concept with which the “Away from Moscow!”. He did not The gradual build-up of sanctions Constitution of Ukraine begins: speak against the Russian people. leading to international isolation “the Ukrainian people is the citi- He called on Ukrainians to be threatens the aggressor country zens of Ukraine of all nationali- themselves because he understood with a future economic and politi- ties…” There was no civil society that psychological dependence on cal collapse. Russia is already (which is referred to as political Moscow turns into political depen- forced to pay a high price for the nation in the national dimension) dence and makes Ukrainians Little annexation of Crimea. in the Soviet Union. The Ukrai- Russians. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|37 Society|Eastern Ukraine Inevitable Rehabilitation Sovietism is deeply rooted in the Donetsk prairies. Unless it is liquidated, the region will see no progress or solution to the current situation

kraine has changed signifi- Author: rebuilding the region in its en- gions, and the Donbas itself. It has cantly in the 23 years since Denys tirety and ridding it of the encum- already become a victim of its own the declaration of indepen- Kazansky brance of Soviet totalitarianism. prejudices and hurt feelings. To Udence. In 1991, it was sim- This is no easy task. And it is leave it unreformed once more is ply the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist not that most of the people of the to simply preserve the sickness Republic, albeit formally indepen- Donbas do not accept the concept and wait for the next destructive dent of Russia, but at the same of a united Ukraine. If they just relapse. time, steeped in Sovietism. In hated Ukraine, this could be writ- It is still too early to talk 2014, an entirely different country ten off as a result of the particu- about the liberation of the region. has arisen. Most regions of larly complex history of relations The war continues. But reform Ukraine, which were once part of with Ukrainians. The problem, plans must be ready beforehand. the “red belt” and voted for Com- however, is that people in this re- Meanwhile, unfortunately, offi- munists and Socialists in elec- gion hate the entire world. cials are only talking about the tions, have changed fundamen- The local population speaks amounts they are ready to re- tally and become steadfastly blue- with loathing of Europeans and claim within programmes to re- yellow. The Communist Party of Europe, decisively brushes off any store Donetsk and Luhansk. They Ukraine even won the 1998 parlia- tolerance and lenience, accepts are talking about billions, but mentary election in Chernivtsi and praises violence, repression, spending such funds to rebuild with 20% of the vote. Today, torture, ethnic cleansing and reli- the old, reactionary Soviet Don- something like that is unimagina- gious persecution. All this is not bas is a crime. Painting a shrap- ble. against Ukrainians alone, but nel-hit statue of Lenin blue and Ukrainians have experienced a against people from the Caucasus yellow in your average Donas reformatting of consciousness and Baltic States, Poles, Asians, town will never resolve the prob- over the years of democracy. Life Africans and Americans. The list lem of separatism. without censorship and totalitar- of nations and peoples they think ian control has changed the na- of as odious is very long, but the Special economics tion. It has taught us to value free- residents of the Donbas can also How did the Donbas become the dom and human rights. However quickly and easily come to hate nest of Soviet reaction? The prob- strange it may seem though, the lem stems not only from the his- complete opposite has occurred in tory of Eastern Ukraine and the certain regions of Ukraine, even in Unresolved problems treason of local politicians, but a democratic society. The Donbas, of miner villages have also from its economic specificity. instead of gradually becoming The brutal economic crisis, which more Ukrainian, has slowly trans- culminated in the present boiled in Donbas in the 1990s, formed into a centre of Soviet re- social explosion and war, devastated its cities. Here and action. there, industrial output fell 60– Since it was more convenient as well as massive 70% and never returned to its ini- for the regional elite of Eastern collaboration of the tial levels. The epidemic of clos- Ukraine to cooperate with Russia ing mines has ruined the infra- through corruption and old crimi- locals with separatists structure of mining villages and nal connections, than with other led to mass unemployment. The European countries, financial-in- their neighbours on the slightest arrival of capitalism in a region dustrial groups in the Donbas provocation. For example, the that was designed by the stan- have opted to preserve Soviet tra- Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) dards of a socialist economy ditions in the region, creating a militants in Slovyansk killed eight could hardly affect it differently, true centre of Soviet imperial reac- parishioners of the local Protes- but the locals cared little for what tion there, and, after many years, tant Church, in spite of the fact experts tried to explain to them. a source of guaranteed trouble for that they were native residents They were enraged by capitalism Ukraine. and Russian-speakers. and Ukraine, which brought it to We can spend a ton of time them. Rogues and criminal lead- The Incubator of thinking about why the Donbas ers quickly realized how they Intolerance has become this incubator of in- could take advantage of the large- First of all, today, the Ukrainian tolerance and why it didn’t resist scale discontent, using Soviet authorities must think not only those, who so assiduously spurred rhetoric as their weapon. The about the liberation and rebuild- society towards this moral decline. seeds of separatism and anti- ing of the Donbas, but about fun- Obviously, this abnormal state is a Ukrainian sentiment fell on fer- damentally changing its essence, threat to both the surrounding re- tile soil. They declared that inef- 38|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Eastern Ukraine|Society www.ostro.org fective reforms were machina- "The Party of lete industry with no prospects, its tomed instead. Populist politi- Regions will tions of the enemies of the save interethnic directors cultivating the old order cians echoed that. Reforms were Donbas. Revisionist sentiments peace and of the outdated system. No won- stopped short. This vicious circle were used as easy lifts to power agreement" der that the coal-mining and in- threw the Donbas into ever greater and usurpation. The rest is his- dustrial parts of the Donbas have poverty and rage. tory. become the centres of separatism The ideas of Ukrainophobia, today. The guidelines for Stalinism, ultra-nationalist black- The lack of real reform further transformation hundredists, and of Soviet milita- aggravated the problems of the Reforms in the Donbas should be rism have not simply remained Donbas. The process of mine shut- bold and decisive. They can start here, but have found new, young down transformed into predatory with the cleansing of the local au- supporters, reinforced with due robbery. At the same time, there thorities and the fundamental re- propaganda. It appears that this has been no real restructuring of form of the administrative divi- stronghold of Soviet reaction does the coal industry. It remained sion. Donetsk Oblast is vast, with not intend to renounce its destruc- a population that is two to three tive misanthropic rhetoric, until Reforms in the Donbas times higher than that in most radically re-organised. Decisive other Ukrainian oblasts. In this elimination of all sources of should be bold and case, the size and economic poten- Donetsk separatism must be be- decisive. They can start tial have become the factors play- gun immediately. After all, a large ing into the hands of separatists. It portion of the region’s territory with the cleansing of the was easier for them to interact and has already been liberated from local authorities and the find a common language. This is pro-Russian rebels. why Donetsk has to be divided Donetsk’s Soviet imperialism fundamental reform of the into at least two parts. Debates are did not exist on its own, or in a administrative division already in place to set up Pry- vacuum. Its bacteria have long azovska Oblast, and they are right. been evolving in a relevant nour- The demarcation of borders will ishing environment made up of state-owned, unprofitable and ar- break down groups. mining villages with their primor- chaic. Miners considered any in- Economic transformations have dial criminal spirit, cult of force novations to be evil and demanded to be most radical. The Donbas and hard drinking. Soviet officials all attempts to change the archaic must be reformatted economically who united in cartels, first with system to be stopped, striving to before its mentality is tackled. There people employed in workshops, hang on to the calm and absurd is a popular concept of restructuring then with criminal groups. Obso- world to which they were accus- in economics. This means total re- № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|39 Society|Eastern Ukraine www.ostro.org structuring and the re-equipping of The process of Chinese investors build in It is time to think about ways to mine shutdown enterprises; quite often, complete has grown Ukraine? For example, in Crimea, help them settle in other oblasts, liquidation of old plants and facili- into predatory the Chinese are currently build- where there are more prospects. ties, and the construction of new robbery. At ing a massive plant to make corn- The residents of old dying vil- production lines. For the archaic in- the same based mixed fodder. In Russia, lages would benefit more from be- dustry in Donetsk, restructuring is time, no real they are building an automobile ing resettled. This will save money the only option. restructuring plant to assemble inexpensive Li- on the restoration and subsequent Once and for all, Ukraine has of the coal fan vehicles. Such facilities could support of their infrastructure to decisively get rid of unprofit- industry has be built in the Donbas as well. when their future is quite doubt- able coal mines. It is worth the taken place. It The Chinese have long been inter- ful. In many, houses have had no pain because it can’t get any is thus hardly ested in the local agricultural sec- central heating or water for the surprising that worse than it is now. Unresolved the coal-mining tor, which is developing in last 15 years. This is a solid fact. problems of mining villages have zones of the Ukraine and produces plenty of In order to resolve the problem culminated in the current civil Donbas have material for further processing. of the Donbas and to develop a unrest and, ultimately, war, as become the Another thing to consider plan to reconstruct it, the govern- well as the large-scale collabora- centres of carefully is the optimal use of ment could establish a relevant tion of the local population with separatism funds to restore that which has ministry and announce a tender for separatists. There should be no today been destroyed by war. There is projects for immediate revival of more state mines and corrupt probably no point in re-building the economy in Eastern Ukraine. coal schemes in Ukraine. All the five-storey buildings in the This will not solve all the problems mines and enrichment plants suburbs of Shakhtarsk and Torez, that have accumulated over the must be transferred to private extremely depressed towns even years in one fell swoop. But with a ownership or closed. All kopanky, before the war. The workforce is team of foreign professional econo- the illegal mines, must obtain li- already leaving the Donbas. Re- mists and crisis managers are in- censes and operate legally. These versing this outflow is hardly volved, successful steps could “model areas” should be declared worth the efforts. This region was quickly give positive results. Cou- tax-free zones for several years over-saturated with industry dur- pled with consistent de-Sovietiza- and foreign investors should be ing the Soviet era. Now, This leg- tion, they should change the face of invited to build new enterprises acy is naturally ageing and declin- the Donbas within three – five there from scratch. Chinese in- ing. In addition to that, the Don- years. We need a clear business vestors would be preferable since bas is over-populated. There are plan, which we don’t yet have. they already have the leverage to more miners than there is coal. Af- When it comes to reforms, po- put pressure on Russia, and fuel- ter the conflict, the Donbas can ex- litical will of reformers is always ing separatism in the zone of pect a mass exodus of people and what matters most. It is also what their interest would no longer be a reduction in the population by all Ukrainian leaders unfortu- as easy as it is now. What can several hundred thousand people. nately lack. 40|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Eastern Ukraine|Society necessary to talk with regular citi- zens, gradually appealing to their rationality, not as if they are sick. Oksana Mikheyeva: At the same time, it is best to talk directly, face-to-face. Reasonably and convincingly. We should not forget that under current condi- “We must drag people out tions, the average resident of Ukraine, oversaturated with emo- tionally charged information, is of the media coma” choking on its volume, and in truth, continues to be in an infor- mation vacuum, because at the ksana Mikheyeva is a his- Interviewed have long been a result of the po- moment, he or she can neither torian and lecturer from by Bohdan tential of consumers to think crit- understand what is happening Donetsk with significant Butkevych ically rather than of access to in- (the war has not been declared of- Oexperience in the re- formation. Access to the Internet, ficially but it is happening and search of her region, also as a so- for example, is not a guarantee taking lives), nor what awaits us ciologist. She was forced to move that a person will choose contro- in the future. In this sense, I think to Lviv because it was dangerous versial texts in pursuit of the that a well thought-out, realistic for pro-Ukrainian people to re- truth. Readers tend to collect and publicly announced pro- main in Donetsk, even if they ideologically close messages in gramme for the future develop- were not actively involved in po- the diverse flow of information ment of the Donbas could become litical or military activity. The and reject those that are not. an extremely effective means of Ukrainian Week speaks to Ms. Eventually, they remain in their “treatment”. Mikheyeva about the humanitar- own paradigm even if they con- ian future of the region. tact with the full flow of informa- U.W.: What should the educa- tion. When society polarizes and tion policy be at all levels, from U.W.: What needs to be done to forces everyone to demonstrate school pupils to college stu- “cure the Donbas” in the sense their position, and in a situation dents? What teaching methods of humanitarian policy? How where subtones began to fade out can be used to instill patriotism and by what means can the completely, I saw the image of a and avoid the most conflicting brains of those zombified by the matrix – Russophile or Ukraino- subjects? “vatnik” ideology be saved? phile, a kind of periodic table I think that we’ve reached a The concept of curing is a lit- with strict hierarch of elements. stage where we cannot avoid tle premature. First of all, these Any information that does not fit them. If there is no dialogue on people should find themselves on into this system is simply re- the level of society, if we do not territory controlled by Ukraine. jected, not even as an opposi- help people to find their historical When it comes to prospects, then tional one, but as one that is, in memory in the overall vision of first and foremost, I would like to principle, impossible, absurd, etc. the past, we shall remain doomed propose we move away from such to manipulation of our conscious- terms as “sick Donbas”, popu- ness through distortion of facts lated by “zombified vatniks” (see “Cleansing provokes people that occurred in the past socially p. 44 for explanation) who and creates an overall significant events. I won’t say that must be “cured”. Unfortunately, nothing has been done as regards in recent times, Ukrainian society uneasy atmosphere this in Ukraine, but a lot has yet has created a whole range of of- where people report to be done. At the same time, in- fensive branding for people. Be- tense pressure in education, par- ginning to work with people who each other ticularly in high school, should have long been fed with specifi- and settle scores” not be permitted because it will cally designed information by la- no longer be high school. belling them defeats the purpose. I think it is very important to re- The population of territories that search how firm systems of U.W.: Where can lecturers be have now turned into a war zone worldview are constructed, why found, given that teachers in the is clearly not as uniform and they turn out so monolithic and Donbas are often unreliable unanimous as seen in the mass inflexible, and some information (many cases are known when media that focus on the most is acceptable while other is teachers in schools and high scandalous images of vatniks. blocked out entirely in them. schools promoted separatist, Stigmatisation provokes negative As far as changes are con- anti-Ukrainian, anti-American feelings in everyone: those who cerned, I feel that the most reli- and anti-European ideas – Ed.)? do and don’t support the concept able means to save fellow coun- Particularly in higher education of the Donetsk People’s Republic, trymen - not just in the Donbas, institutions, some of whom have the DNR. but in Ukraine as a whole - is to become true sources of separat- Using the concept of the “sick gradually withdraw them from a ism, such as your own Donetsk Donbas”, we stay within the para- media coma. I’m not talking National University. Is it worth digm of geographic differences. about “armed people” and sup- conducting lustration in this Meanwhile, these differences porters of terrorists now. It is sphere, and if so, how? № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|41 Society|Eastern Ukraine Bio Oksana Mikheyeva is a historian, sociologist, lecturer and member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Born in Kirovohrad in 1971, she graduated from the History Faculty of Donetsk National University. Until recently, she lec- tured at the Donetsk State Management University. She holds a PhD in History Sciences and is a member of the the International Association of Humanitarians, the Donetsk Branch of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, the Sociological Association of Ukraine and the editorial staff ofUkraina Moderna (Modern Ukraine) and Skhid (East) magazines

From my experience of study- ing Soviet society and especially its system of repressive bodies, for me, the notion of “unreliabil- ity” and “source of separatism” are terrifying, because this is the rhetoric of a society, which chooses repressions as the main means of forming patriotism and, God forbid, unanimity. I was a student in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Soviet Union collapsed and independent Ukraine was born before my eyes. Of course, the challenges of that time also significantly impacted teaching at higher education in- stitutions. And I consider my clear advantage to be the fact that my mentors were people who had different views: from those who did not show any particular reac- pede true satisfaction from diver- ing administrative positions and tion to events, to those who were sity for a long time. forming juries for PhD defenders, critical of the innovations or, on As far as lustration in the edu- which produce the same kind of the contrary, those who wel- cation system is concerned, as academics. It’s a vicious circle. In comed them gladly and saw the someone who is pro-Ukrainian, I practice, I’m almost sure that the opportunity to speak on forbid- would like to see it revived and lustration process will transform den subjects and study the “blank cleansed – preferably as soon as into a regular bureaucratic proce- spots of history” as a breath of possible. However, no sooner do I dure at the higher education in- fresh air. Something important begin to imagine a lustration stitution or secondary school that I gained, was the awareness mechanism under current condi- level, whereby those who should that such diversity in the inter- undergo lustration in the first pretation of events was practi- “The average resident place, will decide the fate of those cally possible, and with time, also who should stay. What are ade- the understanding of the fact that of Ukraine, oversaturated quate grounds for lustration? the thoughts and conclusions of with emotionally Where is the line between the lecturers, which were seen as be- right of the citizen of a demo- ing funny and antiquated from charged information, cratic state to express his/her the point of view of young revolu- is choking on its volume, view and the “separatist activity” tionary-minded people, now that is a threat to the integrity of seem more worthy of attention, and in truth, continues a country and its statehood? taking the current times and ex- to be in an information Could this be a matter for consid- perience into account. eration by various public commit- I think it would be great to vacuum” tees or panels, or it is something gradually turn society to the pos- the courts should look at? sibility of co-existence of differ- tions, than I transform into an As my experience of studying ent views. I realise that this is dif- opponent of such actions. Ukrai- processes that are almost similar ficult to do under war conditions, nian higher education has long to the cleansing of Soviet entities because the escalation of division been filled with people who se- in the 1920s shows, such a situa- into “ours” and “theirs” is almost cured their academic status with tion provokes people and creates inevitable. And ultimately, this bribes. The number of such peo- an overall uneasy situation will be a long process, because ple increased continuously and as whereby people report each the fear that a certain directive far as I’m concerned, has reached other, settle scores, do chica- can be used and implemented a critical point. Without talent nery, etc. The positive result is with the use of weapons will im- and inclination for scientific statistical, rather than actual. work, most find themselves hold- Such a state of affairs induces 42|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 still developing. At this level, the pupil generally absorbs informa- tion about politics uncritically, so a wonderful opportunity appears to influence their consciousness. But even here, I don’t think that the prospects for lustration are optimistic. Surely we have suffi- cient great and patriotic teachers, who would be ready to fill the va- cancies left by “the unreliable”? For example, try to find a quali- fied geography teacher. U.W.: Is it worth bringing in teaching personnel from other oblasts? No, in my view, it is far better to make teaching mobility a real- ity. The strategy of sending teach- ers to “acculturate backward re- gions” is more likely to be re- jected, while true mobility will strengthen the country’s unity through the exchange of posi- tions, dialogue and the demon- stration of the desire for mutual understanding. U.W.: In your opinion, what should the new information pol- icy in the Donbas be? negative feelings in those who I think the entire country are “cleansed” and those who needs one. If we come up with stay, because people understand different information policies for that they can end up in the same certain regions again, we shall situation as soon as policies never have the sense of being a change again. By protecting the united country. You know, I tor- values of democratic statehood ture myself when I read how us- for ourselves, we have to remem- ers comment publications about ber that within its limits, a citi- key developments in Ukraine (of zen has the right to express his/ course, they are not sufficiently her views and stand up for them representative to form a distinct in discussions. We should not public opinion, but they show lessen intellectual potential of the sentiments in society). When young people, particularly on the I read how people comment on university level. By this time, the events in Crimea, and later in the student must already have a ma- Donbas, I start reflecting about ture and stable perception of the the fact that Ukrainians do not political sphere that will allow have a “sense of state”. People, him or her to filter what lectur- albeit in words, prove capable of ers say off-topic, and to see it as giving up territory: “Let them expression of the lecturer’s indi- take it, Crimea is expensive and vidual opinion. Such lustrations I’ve never been there anyway” or actually deprive students of the “Who needs the Donbas? It only opportunity to comprehend dif- hampers our development”. But ferent positions and choose their this is worth thinking about: own. As a result of it, some what is the next region that will slowly claim the right to think become a hindrance? And what and select on behalf of others: is Ukraine to us then? I have an thus, step by step, a democratic optimistic view of an integral in- society disappears and a totali- formation policy. As shown by tarian one emerges. my experience of coordinating It’s even more complicated in positions on the level of different secondary schools, because there, regions of Ukraine, it is often we are talking about children, sufficient to select the right syn- whose political socialization is onyms to resolve the problem. Society|Eastern Ukraine The Union of Tops and Bottoms Trying to figure out what on earth happened with the Donbas over the recent decades one cannot ignore the peculiar partnership between the masses and the rulers of the region

here are two distinctive Author: Luckily for Ukraine, vatniks do groups of population in the Ihor Losev not make the majority of popula- Donbas. We shall call them tion in the Donbas. They, how- eventually led to the creation of Tthe vatniks* and the suits ever, represent a considerable and the "DNR" and the "LNR" (mili- (or "burgundy jackets", if you a very significant segment of the tias that call themselves Donetsk will, those were the "uniform" of society in those parts, the base and Luhansk People's Republics – choice among the nouveau-riche masses for all pro-Russian and Ed.). Yet neither vatniks would be businessmen and all kinds of pro-Soviet movements and able to pull this off on their own, criminal and semi-criminal char- moods. The "suits" are the modern nor the suits. The latter wouldn't acters back in the 1990s). elite of the Donbas, the new have the social "ground forces", Vatnik has become a deroga- money that emerged in the time of the masses that can be led. tive term for the paternalistic primitive accumulation of capital It's only as a result of their alli- lumpenized population (aka and social miscegenation between ance coupled with the crucial im- Homo Sovieticus), completely de- yesterday's nomenclature of the pulse from Kremlin the phenome- void of own initiative, incapable of Communist Party, the law-en- non of powerful armed insurgency taking responsibility even for own forcement, courts and special ser- could come into being, organized life and wellbeing. This demo- vices, the Komsomol and indus- by Russia using the Donbas suits graphic is totally dependent (first A peculiar electoral trial enterprise directors with the and the local vatnik "biomass". and foremost mentally) on the au- system based on underground entrepreneurs and Moscow journalist Yevgeniya administrative thorities that are perceived as a leverage, criminal thugs. At the time such processes Albats, who published a great deal sacral phenomenon, the be-all and terror, powerful took place all over Ukraine, but in of incriminating articles about the propaganda, the Donbas they took completely Cheka/State Political Directorate/ end-all. To vatniks Soviet Union intimidation and exemplifies perfect state system. bribing, and grotesque forms due to the cult of NKVD/Ministry for State Secu- Their needs are almost entirely profound corruption everything Soviet and the orienta- rity/KGB during Perestroyka, also in all agencies, as limited to eating, clothing, dwelling well as the lack of tion on Moscow as the social and did some research on how Nazis and fairly primitive entertainment: any control, have cultural Mecca in the worldview of came to rule Germany in the been shaping a a drink, a fight and a game of foot- specific electoral the Donbas suits. 1930s. Albats reached a conclu- ball. "Lofty matters" tend to irritate system in the Donbas On the rest of the Ukrainian sion that Hitler, who never man- them or sometimes even infuriate. for decades. Any territory the situation was some- aged to get more than 40% of voting, They see the Russian Federation as decentralization or what tempered by the existence of votes in elections, had zero chance a contemporary form of the USSR, abolition of state nationalistic and patriotic ideo- of coming to power, if it wasn't for administrations can very much in line with the Soviet only take place there logical movement, by Ukrainiza- the financial and industrial elite, slogan of the 1930s: 'Stalin is to- after this system and tion, even if it was often purely namely Krupp, Thyssen, Flick and its components are symbolic. Meanwhile in the Don- the others, betraying the Weimar day's Lenin'. The vatniks take well eliminated to both the hand-outs and the bas, much like in Crimea, there Republic and engaging in all kids punishments from whoever is the was no Ukrainization to speak of, of machinations to put the Nazi authority in power, while a liberal whatever some over-impression- leader at the reins. The efforts of and humanistic system of govern- able locals would have you believe. small merchants, the plebs, the ment is utterly alien to them, and As the local suits of the Don- vatniks alone wouldn't be is perceived as weak and generally bas marked their territory it was enough… Similar phenomenon oc- pathetic. A simple unpretentious decided that Russian and Soviet curred in the Donbas. Without the living, in which the authorities are identity should be the only one help, the cooperation, the funding there to tell you what to do, is held welcome in Donbas. And since it and the instigation by the suits, as the ideal. They are hostile to perfectly matched what the local without their active servitude to those who have beliefs contrary to populous had been raised on for Kremlin the war raging today in the party line, those who dare to seven decades of the communist the region would never have hap- stand out in a crowd, those dem- rule, this ideology rather seam- pened. onstrating nonconformist behav- lessly glued together the alliance It wouldn't be possible without ior. of the vatniks and the suits, which the financial and industrial elite of 44|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 Eastern Ukraine|Society criminal terror, media as a power- ful brainwashing machine, total corruption of all bodies, complete lack of any independent control. Techniques of intimidation and bribery were perfected. Only after this system is completely demol- ished, only after a radical de-sepa- ratisation any elections and any decentralization of power can be carried out in the Donbas. Doing this now is nothing short of politi- cal suicide for Ukraine in the East. What really should be on the agenda right now is the radical overhaul of local authorities in the Donbas through appointments rather than election. Otherwise we'll see the triumphant coming to power of same old suits and vat- the Donbas betraying Ukraine. In- The former Donetsk-Kryvyi Rih Republic niks with black and orange insig- mayor of terestingly enough, according to Slovyansk Nelia (that used to be a Bolshevik sepa- nia. If the Americans, the Brits the People's Deputy Mykola Rud- Shtepa and ex- ratist quasi-state formation in the and the French held free elec- kovskyi, in one of the towns of the secretary of the East of Ukraine after the October tions in the West Germany in 1945, Donbas the deputy head of the Donetsk City Coup). The Donbas on its own the Nazi Blockleiters, Gauleiters municipal administration com- Council Mykola represents zero value for the and Reichsinspekteurs would, no plained: 'We were told that we Levchenko are Kremlin. doubt, come out victorious. Even- only needed to rock the boat just two perfect So far the Yanukovych's mafia tually elections were held there, little bit to get bigger budget sub- examples of the is trying its best to save the ruling but only after profound denazifi- sidies. Nobody thought that we'd phenomenon circles that nurtured separatist and cation. The new Donbas elite must end up being bombed'. referred pro-Moscow moods in the Donbas be formed from those local resi- to as the Clearly, she wasn't told that by Donbas "elite" for 20 years and are now cooperat- dents and the Donbas natives that random strangers, but by the "se- characterized ing with the DNR and the LNR. took up arms and joined volunteer niors" of the Donbas. by constant Yuriy Miroshnychenko, the former battalions to protect the sovereign Therefore it becomes crystal instigation Parliamentary Representative of Ukraine. These are the best offi- clear that without a fundamental Ukrainophobia Yanukovych, practically wept at a cials for future Donbas adminis- change of the ruling circles the re- in the region, recent talk show demanding am- trations, the local bodies of Inte- gion's future looks bleak. One of as well nesty for those residents of the East rior Ministry, the Security Service president Poroshenko's advisors questionable that cooperated with terrorists and and the Prosecutor's Office. having returned from the Donbas interpretation separatists. But it rapidly became The media of the Donbas must enthusiastically proclaimed that of luxury clear that the residents he had in be reformed radically. And not only 'Nothing can be done at the Don- mind were not the likes of Vasya by means of encouragement, but bas without Akhmetov!' On the the plumber, who suddenly pinned also through prohibition and pen- contrary, nothing can be done to on some separatist insignia on his alties: all the separatist and terror- the Donbas while there are the clothes in the state of deep hang- ist media must be closed, those re- likes of Akhmetov, Yefremov, over, nor the likes of Fedya the me- sponsible for DNR and LNR propa- Levchenko, Lukyanchenko, Ry- chanic, who decided that he had ganda must be punished. It is also bak, Shtepa, Kravchenko, Sam- nothing better to do than grabbing extremely important to overhaul sonov... And I'm not talking about a shotgun. The ones that Mirosh- the education sphere in the region, personalities so much as the gen- nychenko had in mind are the may- because the idea put forward by the eral phenomenon. ors of the Donbas towns and the Party of Regions member Mykola These "kings", "counts" and heads local administrations that Levchenko that every region can "barons" of the Donbas, account- sided with the DNR and the LNR. have its own version of history and able to no one, turned the region The Party of Development of its own set of heroes is unworkable into a territory of financial and in- Ukraine (the recently renamed in- within one country. When it comes dustrial feudalism, into a state famous Party of Regions) is keen to to cultural policy, it cannot be within a state, an island. Playing preserve its trusty nomenclature based on the dominance of cheap the part in Kremlin's geopolitical and therefore to preserve its reign Russian pop. A lot should and can game in Ukraine, it will forever be over the region so that things for- be changed if there is a political reanimated as a kind of anti-Ukrai- ever stay the way they were. will for it in Kyiv. As was aptly put nian, pro- Moscow black state. No lustration in the form of by Yevhen Horodnichyk of Lozova They are unable to realize that *Vatnik (aka "telo- election (Poroshenko's naïve town, Kharkiv Oblast, the wounded such short-sighted games inevita- greika") primarily dream: "elections are the best kind soldier who is currently recovering stood for the kind of bly lead to the collapse of the Don- wadded jacket seen of lustration") is going to work in hospital: "The East needs a dif- bas itself, because Moscow only on a typical repre- there. A special electoral system ferent policy on a state level. If sentative of Soviet needs it as a ram against Ukraine, proletariat, hence was shaped over the years, one that things are left as they are, sooner or as a modern incarnation of the the meme relies on administrative resource, later it will explode again.” № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|45 history|national Identification The 19th Century in Ukraine: Assimilation Impossible That turbulent period taught Ukrainians that the ideals of national freedom and solidarity must not be squandered on attractive slogans about social equality, “land and freedom” or “land to peasants”

t the end of the 18th cen- Author: mon with the conventional rela- Russia manipulated the stolen tury, following the aboli- Yuriy tions of colonial states like Eng- name in an attempt to appropri- tion of the autonomy for Tereshchenko land, France, Spain or Holland, ate the rich cultural and socio- Athe Zaporizhian Host by with their colonies. Russia had political heritage of the Old Kyiv Catherine II of Russia and the liq- been pursuing a task that no State which had never been Rus- uidation of the Cossack Het- other colony in the world cared sia’s. manate, Ukraine was integrated for: it had been taking every ef- Peter the Great, widely re- into the Russian pan-imperial fort to completely Russify garded as Russia’s “modernizer”, state system with its unified meth- Ukraine and abolish its national realized that he needed to rely on ods of rule and a government that organism. For more than 300 a powerful socio-cultural founda- combined the powers of autocracy years, Russia tried to gradually tion to “Europeanize” Muscovy. and police. Russian tsarism bru- destroy Ukraine’s national and He did not have one in his own tally broke the terms of the cultural individuality and to bar- country, but Ukraine had it and Pereyaslav Treaty signed in 1654 barize it by imposing its own so- was under his control. Lacking na- which made Ukraine recognize the cial system and lifestyle on tional statehood and cultural ac- protectorate of the Russian tsar Ukraine. complishments that were common but allowed it to preserve its au- with Europe, Moscow tried to thentic social system. As a result, Conservatism of Ukrainian “borrow” Ukraine’s civilization ac- the “state of the Cossacks” lost the peasantry and their complishments, Old Kyiv state- last remaining fragments of its hood tradition, its culture and Eu- statehood. memory of national ropean recognition. It was in the time of Peter the Great that Rus- “To be or not to be” historic traditions sia’s diplomacy began to ardently a la Ukraine preserved the values that promote the new term “Russia” Shortly after, Ukrainians faced and “Russians” in the West to re- one crucial question: will their inspired Ukrainian elites to place the commonly known “Mus- country continue to exist as a sep- struggle for national covy” and “muscovites”. Thus, Pe- arate national organism, or will ter the Great ordered his associ- be it swallowed by the greedy identification ate, Duke Aleksandr Menshikov, northern neighbour? The latter For a long time, Ukraine had to send a circular to the Russian did not simply entail a change of two main names: Rus and diplomat, Prince Dolgorukiy: “In the model of relations between Ukraine. Subsequently, “Rus” all newspapers our state is written Ukraine and Russia that had ex- turned into a historical one while as Muscovy, not Russia. There- isted until then; it would have de “Ukraine” firmly entrenched itself fore, please specify that it [the facto put an end to national exis- as the national name (many other state] should be named Russian. tence of Ukrainians. This was the The Romanticism European nations had gone All other courts have been sent the aim of the Russian Empire, and novelists of the 1820- through similar changes). Con- same notice.” The identification of 1840s were the ones the key message of the “common to express Ukrainian scious or not, reluctance to un- the Russian Empire with the po- history of the two nations”, some- spirituality. They derstand this results in mistaken litical and cultural heritage of the thing the Russian politicians and most often definitions of the time when old Rus-Ukraine was ultimately descended from well- the likeminded Ukrainians like to known Cossack Ukrainians emerged as an ethnos, embraced in the course of the 18th talk about today. However, his- nobility families that or is used as an argument in bla- century when the Russian Empire had played an torical background makes the de- important role in the tant xenophobic speculations. was on the rise. The formula of a bate on whether Ukraine had history of the Cossack Moscow, in turn, cynically “united undivided Russia” was in- hetman-ruled tegrated as the foundation into the been a colony to Russia or had Ukraine tried to appropriate the name been dependent on it in any other “Rus” when establishing its state- imperial ideology and became a way pointless, even if it still is a hood, even if it had no territorial tool separating Ukrainians from stumbling block for some re- prerequisites for that. The name the Old Kyiv statehood they had searchers into social relations. later turned into “Russia”, the created. This separation was im- The nature of Ukraine’s relations Greek equivalent of the name plemented through merciless Rus- with Russia has nothing in com- “Rus”. In the following centuries, sification. 46|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 national Identification|history Rural Ukraine as a fortress of identity Despite the assimilation campaign of the Russian Empire and a wide range of tools it used to crush na- tional identity, Ukrainians pre- served their individuality and the memory of their historical past. Rural Ukraine played a crucial role in this, relying on authentic aspects of physical and mental life that developed over many genera- tions. It gave birth to one of the oldest agricultural civilizations in the world, developed firm and long-standing foundations for na- tional existence, and kept them alive and present up until modern times despite all historic hin- drances. Rural Ukraine was very differ- ent from rural Russian in the way it cultivated land, was part of the European cultural values and law, and organized labour and every- day life more effectively, and in terms of social psychology. An im- portant socio-economic ground for Ukrainian individuality was the dominating ownership of land A portrait of a by families in Ukraine compared Ukrainian by to almost nationwide community Vasyl Tropinin ownership in Russia. Excessive centralism in the Russian Empire prevented it from overcoming the gap between the community-dominated Russia and the individual property-domi- nated Ukraine. Bolshevism ac- complished more by pushing Ukrainian peasants into kolkhozs and launching the Holodomor as an unprecedented genocide to crush the active and passive resis- tance Ukrainians posed to the as- similation offensive of the empire. Nevertheless, Ukrainian peasants managed to preserve their typical lifestyle and unstoppable urge to cultivate new lands almost intact. As a result, Ukrainians ultimately settled down on the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and began to cultivate those. Ukrainians used a wide range of tools in their organic resistance to Russian centralism, including occasional insurgencies, killings of landlords and officials, and mass rallies that occasionally took a dis- tinct national tone. One such event was the Kyiv Cossack Cam- paign in 1885 involving 500 vil- lages in Kyiv Oblast. It proved that A Ukrainian Ukrainian peasants unconsciously girl by Mykola preserved their historic memory Rachkov and national consciousness. № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|47 history|national Identification The mindset preserved in the “Provincial nobility” rural environment later served as Ukrainian noble class and with important ground for the national peasants chaotically (and organi- revival of the 19th and early 20th cally) preserved the language, reli- centuries. Despite difficult socio- gion, traditions and conventional economic conditions, conserva- family and social life. The process tism, spirituality and respect for continued throughout the 19th national historic traditions helped century, all the way through the Ukrainian peasants preserve the 1917-1921 Revolution. In the first crucial complex of values that in- decades of the 19th century, Ukrai- spired Ukrainian elites and their nian Cossack elites faced the loss struggle for national identifica- of common forms of social and tion. This rural factor was a per- cultural life, so they accepted ex- manent source of human re- ternal elements of Russian life- sources, as well as spiritual and style, yet preserved many ele- material power for the Ukrainian ments of the old traditional life. It movement. was this class that turned out to be Many observers of the time the most proactive participant of noted complete rejection of impe- the national revival process, deter- rialistic order by Ukraine amidst mining its social content and generally loyal attitude to the in- forms of expression. The ancestors stitute of the Russian monarchy. of the Cossack nobility were the “I did not find a single person out crucial part of numerous opposi- of all people I spoke to in Malor- tion clubs where participants dis- ossiya who were favourable to- cussed urgent political issues, in- wards Russia; everyone was obvi- cluding the revival of the het- ously dominated by the spirit of manate, reanimation of the opposition,” General Aleksandr Cossack status and traditional so- A portrait of Vasyl Tarnovsky Mikhailovski-Danilevski wrote in cial institutions. The clubs mush- Jr. by Andriy 1824 after his visit to Ukraine. roomed in Novhorod-Siversk, Horonovych ment to the views of the opposi- Many other observers of Chernihiv, Poltava and Kyiv, all in tioners on the future structure of Ukrainian life echoed this, in- Northern and Central Ukraine. Russia. cluding German geographer and Very often, they would emerge in Ukrainian nobility was the traveler Johann Georg Kohl who noble mansions, such as the house crucial party to the evolution of came to Ukraine in 1841. “The of the Kapnists in Obukhiv, Kyiv Ukrainian literature. The Roman- dislike that the people of Malor- Oblast, or the Myklashevskys in ticism novelists of the 1820-1840s ossiya have about the people of Ponurivka (a village in Bryansk were the ones to express Ukrai- the Great Russia is so strong that Oblast, today’s Russia). The de- nian spirituality. They most often it can simply be described as na- scendants of the ruling class in the descended from well-known Cos- tional hatred,” he wrote. He also Hetmanate also gathered around sack elite families that had played observed that the Ukrainian no- Prince and Malorossiya Governor an important role in the history of bility preserved “many features of Nikolai Repnin, a supporter of the Hetmanate. They became the their golden era of independence. Ukrainian traditions married to carriers of Romanticism, a trend You can spot portraits of Bohdan the granddaughter of Kyrylo Ro- Khmelnytsky, Ivan Mazepa, Pavlo zumovskyi, the last Hetman of the Skoropadskyi and Kyrylo Rozu- Zaporizhian Host, a Duke of the Russia pursued movskyi, who had been hetmans Russian Empire and President of a task that no other in different times, in many the St. Petersburg Academy of Sci- houses. Handwritten scripts that ences. These people included colony in the world tell of those days are carefully Vasyl Tarnovskyi, Vasyl Luka- cared for: it aimed stored in trunks.” Kohl noticed shevych, Semen Kochubei and how important the influence of Petro Kapnist. Mykola Repnin was to Russify and crush the nobility on the social life of friends with academics and writ- Ukrainian national Ukrainians was in the 19th cen- ers Vasyl Poletyka, Hryhoriy tury. He noted that Ukrainians Kvitka-Osnovianenko and Petro organism “have their own language, their Hulak-Artemovskyi. It was in that own historic memories, rarely group that the idea of Prince that affected the formation of na- mix with or marry Moscow rul- Repnin as a possible candidate for tional consciousness in European ers… One can say that their na- the Hetman of Ukraine emerged. countries. This served as the tional roots go back to provincial As the elites participated in the ground for opposition sentiments nobility that dwells in villages all-Russian opposition entities against the new rules introduced and has generated all great politi- (quite a few were in the Society of in Ukraine by the Russian central- cal movements.” The German United Slavs, a secret revolution- ist system. traveler managed to see what the ary organization of officers and lo- Objective observation of Narodniki* missed in the 19th cal officials, as well as among the Ukrainian national life in the 19th century when they dominated so- Decembrists), they added a partic- century, and the role of the Ukrai- cial activity in Ukraine. ular Ukrainian autonomous fer- nian nobility in it, resembled what 48|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014 national Identification|history with the rural population and cultural and education missions. abundant experience of commer- This was, for instance, part of the cial cooperation with them, plus a writer Panteleimon Kulish’s number of common elements in worldview where the notion of everyday life and household rou- “power” was subordinate to the tines. This inspired hope for po- notion of “truth”. Ukrainian noble tential nationwide solidarity in the landlords, hetmans and senior Ukrainian society. rulers, as well as their statehood aspirations, were seen exclusively The brotherhood of as “untruth”. Despite Kulish’s St. Cyril and Methodius huge cultural and spiritual contri- In January 1846, the Brotherhood bution to the national revival, the of St. Cyril and Methodius drawback of his social stance was emerged in Kyiv as a secret com- the inability to see a social class in munity that, for the first time in the past or in his contemporary the history of Ukrainian social world that would prove willing movement, offered a list of politi- and capable of creating separate cal priorities focusing on the liber- statehood. ation of Ukraine and profound re- form of the social hierarchy. The Taras Shevchenko fact that it did not involve big The socio-political stance and landlords and aristocrats, but was worldview of Taras Shevchenko, dominated by small and middle Ukraine’s most well-known poet, landowners, government officials, was different. He realized that all students and intelligentsia sig- classes of society had to unite for naled a significant change in the national liberation of the entire liberation movement, an expan- Ukraine not just one social class or A portrait of sion of its social platform. group. Yelyzaveta Drahan by The Brotherhood viewed his- When Russian “reformers” Viacheslav Lypynsky, political Mykhailo torical process from the perspec- abolished Ukraine’s autonomy, thinker and historian known as Briansky tive of Christian principles of jus- they were seeking to assimilate the father of Ukrainian conserva- tice, equality and goodness - by Ukraine with Russia and to break tism, later described as the contri- contrast to the despotic regime of the connections between the na- bution of the “class of family land- Russia. The goal of the Brother- tional elite and religious leaders owners” to the socio-political and hood was to eliminate serfdom, and the average people. Many de- cultural movement in Ukraine. He autocracy, social classes and privi- scendants of the Cossack seniors criticized local national democrats leges for the nobility, and to guar- and nobility thus switched to Rus- for their attempts to push aristo- antee civil liberties to everyone. Its sian aristocracy, turning into crats to the sidelines of the na- members suggested that Ukraine “slaves with a cockade in the fore- tional process. He also stressed on would play the central role in cre- head” as Taras Shevchenko de- the crucial creative role of Ukrai- ating the future free community of scribed them. However, this trans- nian landowners who laid “the Slavic peoples, with Kyiv as the formation was far from absolute or foundation of modern political capital of the future federation irreversible for many of Ukraine’s and cultural revival of the Ukrai- where the “general Slavic assem- aristocratic families. In fact, nian nation” in the 19th century. bly” would convene. Shevchenko’s close ties to Ukrai- These landowners, as listed by The Brotherhood initiated the nian aristocrats largely shaped his Lypynsky, included Yevhen Hre- movement of Narodniks in worldview and social perspective. binka, both Gogol brothers, *The Narodniks was Ukraine, and the respective school As he traveled around Ukraine, he Mykola Markovych, Oleksa Storo- a social opposition of political thought. Its most out- established fruitful contacts with zhenko, Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osno- movement standing representative was histo- the descendants of prominent Cos- of patriotic vianenko, Amvrosiy Metlynsky, intelligentsia and rian and activist Mykola Kostoma- sack and noble families who, both Panteleymon Kulish, Mykola Kos- students, as well rov who led the Narodnik school intentionally and not, were the car- as peasants and tomarov, Lesia Ukrayinka and workers, who of Ukrainian historiography. The riers of the long-standing national many more. He claimed that aris- united based on Brotherhood members were obvi- and cultural traditions and the di- tocratic landowners funded the their democratic ously influenced by West Euro- verse memory of Ukraine from the worldview and foundation of the Ukrainian Sci- shared ethical, pean ideas of Romanticism, as time when it was ruled by Cossack entific Society on Lviv, the Depart- social and political well as the idea of the Slavic na- hetmans. Many of his contacts with ideals of democracy ment of Geographic Society and and socialism that tional revival. One source of inspi- the left-bank nobility of the 1840s, Commission of Archeology in could be used to ration was The Books and The Pil- including father and son Tar- build a new life of Kyiv, the History Museum of Bo- people. The term grimage of the Polish Nation by navsky, Hryhoriy Halahan or An- hdan Khanenko in Kyiv, the Na- emerged in the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. As driy Lyzohub, signficiantly contrib- tional Museum of Metropolitan early 1860s among they strived for Ukraine’s individ- uted to the formation of Shevchen- Russian democrats, Sheptytsky Foundation in Lviv, i.e. democracy- and ual historical process and national ko’s social stance. His famous line, and a number of other scientific reform-oriented development, most of the brothers “Will we see our Washington, with people who and cultural institutions. supported the were skeptical about statehood ef- the law new and just; we sure will Ukrainian aristocrats had “people’s cause” forts of their aristocratic elites. In- someday”, was based on the con- long-standing and close contacts and the people stead, they preferred to focus on cept of “American separatism” № 12 (78) september 2014|the ukrainian week|49 history|national Identification from England pursued by the Historian and Ukrainian opposition led by Vasyl thinker Mykola Kapnist, a poet, playwright and ac- Kostomarov tivist, a descendant of a well- known landlord family. Ameri- can aristocratic opposition had gained independence through an armed rebellion against the rule of the me- tropolis, while preserving its social position at the same time. At some point, Ukrainian aristocrats, too, thought that they could re- peat this in Ukraine with the support of Prussia. Taras Shevchenko was probably aware of the earlier campaign by Vasyl Kapnist, initiated in the late 18th cen- tury, to implement this idea. He was a close friend of Vasyl’s son, Oleksiy, and could have heard of Poet Taras his father’s political concept. Shevchenko Shevchenko’s contacts with Ukrainian aristocrats stem from St. Petersburg. In 1840, Petro thing that Russian autocrats had among them and tried to make Martos, the landlord of Lokhvytsia long striven for. them understand national goals and Lubny povits (counties) in Despite all transformations of and the need to restrain their neg- Poltava Oblast, a descendant of an Ukrainian aristocrats caused by ative class-dictated instincts. “Em- old Cossack elite family whom Russia’s assimilation policy that brace, my brothers, the youngest Shevchenko met in winter of 1839- resulted in the integration into the brothers,” he wrote. “Bless your 1840, published Kobzar, the most imperial system, many of them children with a firm hand, and kiss famous collection of Shevchenko’s naturally rejected an alien regime them with your lips free”. poems, at his own expense. He in- and tried to preserve traditional Shevchenko’s urge to reach troduced Shevchenko to Hryhoriy ties to the lifestyle developed by national unity and reconciliation Tarnavsky, a well-known philan- the previous generations. Despite between Ukrainian nobility and thropist and art expert, the sharp dislike of the antihuman peasants in society was based, founder of the famous collection conduct of many Ukrainian aristo- among other things, on distinct of Ukrainian antiquities in the socio-cultural ground shaped by Kachanivka park that helped history. This certain proximity of strengthen national consciousness Moscow had no common the two segments of society of many figures in Ukrainian Re- accomplishments in state- stemmed from the socio-economic naissance. Shevchenko’s dreams affinity of the land ownership of a Ukraine liberated from the building with Europe. models for Cossacks and peasants Russian rule were closely inter- Therefore it was trying that evolved from the 1648-1654 twined with the urge to revive the Khmelnytsky Uprising. The Cos- hetmanate, a widespread idea to steal all civilization sacks were an open society, ab- among Ukrainian aristocrats at accomplishments from sorbing both the nobility and the the time. “The gold-clad hetmans peasants, their social, economic will come to life”, his characters Ukraine, including and cultural traditions included. would say. the Old Kyiv statehood The flow of history in Ukraine On the one hand, his contacts proved that the ideals of national with Ukrainian aristocrats largely and recognition thereof freedom and solidarity cannot be shaped his national position which in Europe substituted by any other slogans, encompassed prospects of na- even the most appealing ones like tional revival, not just interests of crats Shevchenko often observed, the Narodniks’ “land and free- peasants. On the other hand, his he still realized their social role dom” or the subsequent Bolshevik poems encouraged patriotic senti- and meaning in the liberation “land to peasants”. These ideals ments among Ukrainian aristo- struggle. Unfortunately, the activ- must be protected and cherished crats, created the nationwide spir- ists of the Ukrainian narodnik by all classes and segments of a itual upsurge badly needed by all movement failed to realize this nation. The generations of various participants of the Ukrainian later and pushed what they saw as stages of the Ukrainian liberation movement regardless of their so- “the class of exploiters” to the movement, including modern cial class. His poems blurred the sidelines. Shevchenko did not Ukrainian socialist parties, failed lines between the elites of Ukrai- break contacts with aristocrats. – or did not want – to understand nian society and the rest, some- Quite on the contrary, he stayed this. 50|the ukrainian week|№ 12 (78) september 2014