The Ukrainian Weekly, 2018

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The Ukrainian Weekly, 2018 INSIDE: l House passes Ukraine cybersecurity act – page 5 l “Elements of War” on exhibit at UIA – page 11 l Olympic profiles: Ukraine in PyeongChang – page 17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVI No. 7 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 $2.00 Saakashvili deported as public Scholarly conference marks centennial hungers for new political leaders of Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921 by Mark Raczkiewycz mentary elections, yet magnified his own lackluster pace on reforms, said Yuriy KYIV – The political standoff between Yakymenko, director of political and legal erstwhile allies President Petro Poroshenko programs at the Razumkov Center analyti- and ex-Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili cal center in Kyiv. came to a denouement on February 12 – at By removing a “charismatic, yet radical” least on Ukrainian soil – when the latter was politician from the scene, the president forcibly deported to Poland. “raised the significance of those who The former Odesa Oblast governor remain, like [former Prime Minister] Yulia whom the president had appointed as part Tymoshenko,” the political analyst told The of a team of foreign reformers in the wake Ukrainian Weekly over the phone. of the Euro-Maidan revolution was seen Still, Mr. Poroshenko’s much-publicized being dragged by the hair from a Kyiv res- spat with his former ally is partially of his taurant. The Border Guard Service con- own doing, Mr. Yakymenko added. firmed the same day that the 50-year-old Mr. Saakashvili was appointed to over- former college chum of Mr. Poroshenko had see perhaps the nation’s most corrupt been flown back to Poland from where he region, Odesa, in May 2015 during a time re-entered Ukraine in September after the when other foreigners were invited to take president stripped him of citizenship. on key government positions. For example, The scene encapsulated an atmosphere Chicago-born Natalie Jaresko was busy Vasyl Lopukh devoid of rule-of-law and the nation’s restructuring Ukraine’s eurobonds with At the podium is Alexander Motyl; seated (from left) are Martha Bohachevsky- mood – 70 percent of the public, according foreign creditors as finance minister. Chomiak, Anna Procyk, Serhy Yekelchyk, Henry Abramson and Lubomyr Hajda. to multiple polls, are disillusioned with all Lithuanian-native Aivaras Abromavicius as current political forces in office. Mr. economy minister was in the throes of by Anna Procyk speaker noted that this was accomplished Poroshenko and his allies are seen as mov- implementing the game-changing ProZorro and Alexander Motyl not without lengthy and at times acrimoni- ing too slowly on reforms, whereas those in public procurement system that ended up ous debates with Russian historians who opposition are seen as too radical to saving tax payers millions of hryvni. NEW YORK – On the occasion of the continue to adhere to the Soviet interpreta- replace them. But the billionaire president “didn’t tell 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian tion of this event. In one stroke, the president eliminated him [Saakashvili] what he should do here… Revolution and the proclamation of Furthermore, the speaker added that, in the newly minted opposition politician Ukraine’s independence, the Shevchenko contrast to the dated views of their Russian from next year’s presidential and parlia- (Continued on page 8) Scientific Society in America, the Ukrainian colleagues, Ukrainian scholars and Western Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. specialists have marked a number of strik- and the Ukrainian Institute of America ing differences between the two upheavals: sponsored a two-day conference held on if for the Russian revolutionary leadership January 20-21 in New York. the chief aim of the revolution was the Putin personally ordered annexation This international gathering of scholars attainment of a monopoly of power, for the from Ukraine, Canada and the United States Ukrainian political activists the main con- of Crimea, ex-Duma deputy testifies sought to examine the events in Ukraine cern was the construction of the founda- during the war and revolution at the begin- tions of a Ukrainian state guided by demo- international community, as an interfer- RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service ning of the 20th century from the political, cratic principles. In contrast to the Russian ence into his personal interests,” the ex- ideological, military and cultural perspec- civil strife between the Reds and the KYIV – A former Russian lawmaker has lawmaker said. tives. Yet, while focusing on the past, the Whites, the military conflict in Ukraine did testified before a Kyiv court that Russian Mr. Ponomaryov, the lone State Duma presenters attempted to establish a link not bear the marks of a class struggle but President Vladimir Putin personally representative to vote against the March between this pivotal landmark in modern involved mainly a defensive effort against ordered the annexation of Ukraine’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, Ukrainian history and the present. foreign invasions and occupations. has been living in the Ukrainian capital Crimea region in 2014. The director of the European Institute of Among the weaknesses of the Ukrainian since 2015. Speaking at the trial of Ukraine’s ex-Presi- the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, revolution the speaker singled out the dent Viktor Yanukovych, Ilya Ponomaryov Ukrainian prosecutors are seeking life Vladyslav Verstiuk, in the keynote address, imprisonment for Mr. Yanukovych, who is dearth of experienced statesmen and high- said on February 14 that he “knows for “The Impact of Revolutionary Events of ranking military officers, as well as the pre- sure” Mr. Putin pushed forward the seizure accused of treason, violating Ukraine’s sov- 1917-1921 on the History of Ukraine in the ereignty and territorial integrity, and abet- dominance of leftist ideas among politically of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in the night 20th Century,” stated that the Ukrainian active members of the intelligentsia who of February 22. ting Russian aggression. Revolution imparted a new meaning to what After he fled Ukraine, Russia seized con- found it difficult to abandon their pre-revo- That’s when Russia-friendly Mr. had been formerly known as the “Ukrainian lutionary conviction that a military conflict Yanukovych fled from Ukraine to Russia trol of Crimea and fomented opposition to question” in the Russian Empire and validat- the central government in eastern Ukraine, among the socialists would not be possible. amid massive pro-European protests known ed the existence of the Ukrainian nation. In spite of these deficiencies which togeth- as the Euro-Maidan. where an ensuing war between govern- The speaker was pleased to report that ment forces and Russia-backed separatists er with external factors would be responsi- According to Mr. Ponomaryov, many in the course of the past 25 years Ukrainian ble for the loss of independence, the histo- Russian officials were against the March has killed more than 10,300 people since historians, through painstaking research April 2014. rian called attention to the fact that the 2014 annexation of Crimea, but Mr. Putin and scholarly resolve, succeeded in reani- Ukrainian revolution had a number of note- pressured them to support the idea. Copyright 2018, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted mating the study of the Ukrainian worthy achievements that left an indelible “Putin watched the Maidan events and with the permission of Radio Free Europe/ Revolution and in this manner freed it from mark on the history of Ukraine. realized that the man he was supporting Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, the constrains of the Soviet narrative In his concluding statement the speaker was losing. And therefore he had to person- Washington DC 20036; www.rferl.org (see according to which events in Ukraine dur- noted that without the reawakening of the ally take care of his evacuation and save his https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-personally- ing 1917-1921 were considered a regional life. Putin saw all of that as a betrayal by the ordered-crimea-annexation/29039553.html). variation of the Russian Revolution. The (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 No. 7 ANALYSIS Russia experiences Olympic Blues, A 50% rise in international tourists necks of Poroshenko and [Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy] Lutsenko,” add- Business Ukraine magazine reported ing, “They will go to prison – not to Europe, and patriotic bravado brings no solace that the number of international tourists to Ukrainian jails.” Opinion polls indicate much pride in – space exploration. The visiting Kyiv has almost doubled since the that Mr. Saakashvili and the political move- by Pavel K. Baev lows of 2014, topping 1.5 million in 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket by the ment he has created have only limited pop- private SpaceX Corp., owned by Elon Musk, according to new figures released in late ularity in Ukraine, where parliamentary About 80 Russian athletes marched in the was a major breakthrough by any account January. The magazine noted: “Kyiv City and presidential elections are due to be opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter (Kommersant, February 7). The choice of Administration officials confirmed that just held in 2019. Mr. Saakashvili, the former Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South the load for this new space delivery system over 1.5 million tourists visited the Georgian president who was tapped by Korea, on February 9 under the Olympic flag – Mr. Musk’s own red Tesla Roadster, which Ukrainian capital in 2017, which is virtually President Poroshenko to head Ukraine’s carried by a Korean volunteer. Only 168 is now traveling toward Mars – added a twice as many as the 800,000 recorded Odesa Oblast but fell afoul of his friend over individuals were invited by the International touch of joyful free spirit that has long been during 2014.
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