The Ukrainian Weekly, 2017
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INSIDE: l Ukrainian National Information Service celebrates 40 years – page 9 l Historic UPA and Akcja Wisla anniversaries are marked – page 11 l UKELODEON: Plast scouts and St. George Academy students – page 19 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXV No. 47 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 $2.00 Canada’s opposition Conservatives support Russian propaganda buster Fedchenko U.N. peacekeeping mission in Ukraine keeps going with StopFake group by Mark Raczkiewycz KYIV – Among the first people to pin- point that Russia engages in lies on an industrial scale packaged as actual news was Yevhen Fedchenko, 41, director of the Mohyla School of Journalism. He and his colleagues noticed the practice during the Revolution of Dignity that ended in February 2014. That month, disgraced Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia after leaving behind a dry treasury and a graft-infested, dysfunctional government, along with 100 civilians killed by his law enforcement personnel. A month later, Mr. Fedchenko and his like-minded team took action when he noticed that amid a “news vacuum” on Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition Ukraine, where there was “no government, Yuri Panin Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer (at podium) with Member of Parliament James no news makers, …immediately that vacu- Yevhen Fedchenko, director of the Mohyla Bezan, both members of the Conservative Party of Canada. um was filled with fake news, a fake reality” School of Journalism and co-founder/chief – allegedly by Russia. editor of StopFake.org. “would allow Ukraine to restore control over Ukraine’s post-revolutionary govern- by Christopher Guly one layer at a time, peeling away, always Special to The Ukrainian Weekly its eastern border with Russia” and ensure ment was being called a “junta,” the presi- the Russian military stays out of Ukraine. dent’s overthrow was labeled a “coup knowing that a news story never has an OTTAWA – Canada’s Official Opposition However, the Tories don’t hold power d’état,” and it was claimed that “fascists” ending. Conservative Party has joined the and the next Canadian general election bent on annihilating Russian speakers had Soon, the StopFake group that he co- Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) in call- won’t take place until October 21, 2019. taken power in the country. founded to debunk hoax news would ing for a Canadian-led United Nations Mr. Scheer, the former speaker of the This was when Moscow was illegally become aware of the scope of Russia’s large peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine. House of Commons, who was among 12 annexing the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, cottage industry, complete with a troll facto- “The defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty other Canadian lawmakers and officials an act that the Kremlin first denied – as is ry in St. Petersburg, automated “bots,” and and territorial integrity should be a priority banned from entering Russia in retaliation the case with leading fake news campaigns fictitious social media accounts created to for Canada’s government on the internation- for Canadian sanctions imposed on Russia around the world – but which Russian lead- spread lies and disinformation on Ukraine. A al stage,” said Opposition Leader Andrew following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, er Vladimir Putin later admitted was of his BBC Russia report this week even revealed Scheer on November 9 when he announced acknowledged as much when he said that making. that Moscow proxies in the occupied part of that a Conservative-led Canadian govern- As a former newspaperman himself, Mr. ment would call for such a mission that (Continued on page 13) Fedchenko started busting Russian myths (Continued on page 3) Ukrainian Heritage Consortium convenes fifth conference by Jurij Dobczansky maintaining the Ukrainian heritage. Conference planning and logistics were SOMERSET, N.J. – Preserving and making spearheaded by Natalia Honcharenko, accessible the rich collections of Ukrainian director, and Michael Andrec, archivist, both American archives and museum collections of the UHEC; and Hanya Krill-Pyziur, pro- was the focus of a three-day conference grams and marketing coordinator, Daria titled “Conservation and Preservation” held Bajko, administrative director, and Maria by the Ukrainian Heritage Consortium of Rewakowicz of The Ukrainian Museum. North America (UHCNA) that took place The conference was made possible October 27-29. The conference provided a through the generous support of these unique opportunity for member organiza- donors: Self Reliance New York Federal tions to get exposure to professional-level Credit Union, Selfreliance Ukrainian museum, archive and library procedures. American Federal Credit Union (Chicago/ This year’s biennial conference was co- New Jersey), SUMA Federal Credit Union hosted by the Ukrainian History and (Yonkers, N.Y.), Ukrainian National Federal Education Center (UHEC) in Somerset, N.J., Credit Union (New York), and Meest- and The Ukrainian Museum in New York America Inc. (Port Reading, N.J.). City. Participants who arrived in Somerset On Friday morning the group traveled on Thursday evening were warmly greeted from Somerset to New York’s Metropolitan by Metropolitan Antony of the Ukrainian Museum of Art to visit the Antonio Ratti Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. Quoting the Textile Center for a behind-the-scenes look. words of Patriarch Mstyslav, he under- Conference participants with Metropolitan Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox scored the importance of preserving and Church of the U.S.A. (Continued on page 8) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 No. 47 ANALYSIS Russia pours more military hardware U.S. and Russia differ on peacekeepers for a combination of political and security measures to be taken under Minsk,” the After talks on the conflict in eastern into annexed “Fortress Crimea” Ukraine, U.S. and Russian envoys say their statement by Messrs. Volker and Surkov countries have “different concepts for how said. “Both sides agreed to reflect on the dis- cussions today and to think about further by Sergey Sukhankin Russia is planning to deploy to Crimea an to make peace” but will continue to work to ways to address this challenge.” Ahead of Eurasia Daily Monitor early-warning Voronezh-SM radar, which achieve that goal. “Both sides agreed to will be capable of monitoring both the reflect on the discussions... and to think the Belgrade talks, Ambassador Volker said According to the chief of the General southern and western vectors (Politexpert. about further ways to address this chal- he would meet Mr. Surkov for a “discussion Staff of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, in the last net, August 15). For information-psychologi- lenge,” said a joint statement released by the of principles” to see if they can agree on five years Russia has profoundly increased cal warfare, the Crimean authorities are U.S. Embassy in Moscow after special envoy what a peacekeeping force might look like. its military presence in key regions of the expected to soon raise a 151-meter radio Kurt Volker and Kremlin aide Vladislav He said that Washington wants the mission world, in some areas “reaching the level of antenna near Dzhankoy to broadcast televi- Surkov met on November 13. It said the to monitor the entire conflict area and make the Soviet Union” (Vpk.name, November 9). sion and radio signals covering Crimea as meeting in Belgrade included a “thorough sure heavy weapons are pulled back. (RFE/ Speaking on November 7, Russia’s top-rank- well as Ukrainian-controlled Mykolayiv, discussion of the current diplomatic state of RL, with reporting by TASS and Interfax) ing military official devoted significant atten- Kherson, Zaporizhia and Donetsk Oblast. play concerning efforts to end the war” European Parliament hails reforms tion to Crimea, which Moscow had forcibly The main purpose will be to jam Ukrainian between Kyiv’s forces and Russia-backed annexed from Ukraine in spring 2014. programs and spread Russian TV and radio separatists in eastern Ukraine. Mr. Volker European Parliament lawmakers over- In particular, Gen. Gerasimov noted that content (Voenno-Promyshlennyy Kuryer had indicated before the meeting that it whelmingly passed a resolution praising Russia has installed there a self-sufficient August 9). would focus on the possibility of an interna- reforms in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova military formation (“samodostatochnaya Second, in the domain of strategic air tional peacekeeping force being deployed in and said the three former Soviet republics operations, in 2014 Russia established the gruppirovka woysk”) consisting of a naval the parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk could eventually be considered for member- 27th Mixed Aviation Division, consisting of base, an army corps, as well as an aviation oblasts that are held by Russia-backed sepa- ship in the European Union. The resolution three regiments located in Gvardeyskoye, and air defense division. Also, the Black Sea ratists. After the meeting, Mr. Surkov said on November 15 also vowed to maintain Belbek and Dzhankoy. Russia claims that Fleet (based out of Sevastopol) received six that the U.S. side presented 29 paragraphs “collective pressure on Russia to resolve the this division is unique within the Russian submarines, two frigates (the Admiral containing its proposals on a Russian plan conflicts in eastern Ukraine, the occupied Aerospace Forces (VKS). More recently, Gorshkov and Admiral Essen, which took for peacekeepers, Russian news agencies territories” of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Moscow has undertaken a comprehensive part in Russian military operations in reported. “Our delegation came to the con- rearmament program encompassing the and Transdniester. The move by Parliament Syria) equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, clusion that three of them were acceptable,” 43rd and 318th maritime/naval aviation members comes ahead of the 2017 Eastern and three divisions of costal missile com- Mr. Surkov said, adding that the parties regiments of the BSF (airfields located in Partnership summit scheduled for plexes Bal and Bastion.