No. 37, September 13, 2020

INSIDE: l The Kaliningrad factor in Kremlin calculations – page 3 l Vasyl Stus: The essence of Ukraine’s undying spirit – page 8 l Community: Syracuse, Binghamton, Bloomingdale – page 13 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXVIII No. 37 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 $2.00 As Ukraine’s population shrinks, Russian forces breach truce, Kyiv stalls dual citizenship bill killing Ukrainian soldier in Donbas by Mark Raczkiewycz or who are at war with Ukraine.” There’s also the issue of “Russia and CHICAGO – A dual citizenship bill Hungary handing out passports to designed as part of Ukrainian President Ukrainians – all of a sudden these people Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan to encourage pose a security threat,” Mr. Grod told The foreigners of Ukrainian heritage and those Ukrainian Weekly. He added that the origi- living abroad to return home has stalled in nal bill included people living in NATO and the Verkhovna Rada. European Union (EU) countries as qualify- It was initially drafted by the Ukrainian ing, and said he would like to see Australia World Congress (UWC) jointly with the included as well. Kyiv-based National Institute of Strategic In spirit, he said, the bill was designed to Studies and submitted to the Presidential treat all Ukrainians within the framework of Office last November. Mr. Zelenskyy regis- the bill “equally,” which would allow natu- tered the bill in the Verkhovna Rada in ralized Ukrainians to maintain their previ- January and it was tabled for consideration ous citizenship and allow them to vote, hold six times before being removed from the public office and work as civil servants. legislature’s agenda on May 19, the “I endorse a concept… where you have Joint Forces Operation press center Parliament’s website shows. one class of citizens,” Mr. Grod, a Ukrainian Screenshot of Yaroslava Zorina, spokesperson for the Joint Forces command, speak- The version the president submitted is Canadian, said. ing at the daily briefing on September 9. significantly different from the one the As recently as September 2, Foreign UWC sent for consideration. Namely, it Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that, if by Roman Tymotsko Donbas region. The decision was adopted includes Russian citizens whereas UWC the law is adopted in its current form, civil on July 22, at a regular meeting of the President Paul Grod insists the bill’s lan- KYIV – On September 6, on the 42nd day Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia guage should exclude “countries occupying (Continued on page 5) of the “full and comprehensive ceasefire,” and the Organization for Security and armed forces of the Russian Federation vio- Cooperation in Europe). All parties lated the agreements reached by the approved the ceasefire agreement; howev- Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) and twice er, Russian proxies fired upon Ukrainian President of Ukraine responds to UWC letter attacked Ukrainian positions. As a result of positions at 12:20 a.m. – 19 minutes after the second breach of the truce, one service- the start of the ceasefire. man of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was about desecration of Holodomor statue Other fatalities in the war zone killed. Ukrainian World Congress The enemy opened fire with small arms September 6 was the most eventful day on the Joint Forces units’ positions near since the start of the ceasefire, which went President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Prychepylivka in the Luhansk region. As the into effect July 27. Ukrainian soldiers con- Ukraine issued a statement on Joint Forces Operation press center report- tinued to extinguish fires in the Donetsk September 7 condemning any acts of dis- ed, “In response to the shelling, Joint Forces and Luhansk regions that reportedly were respect for the memory of millions of used available firearms and repulsed the set by Russian forces. Unfortunately, during Holodomor victims, their relatives and Russian armed forces. The losses of the the evacuation of personnel, two Ukrainian the entire Ukrainian nation, and called on enemy are being clarified.” defenders, bypassing the fire center in the law enforcement agencies to investigate The first violation of the ceasefire agree- “gray zone,” came upon on an unknown as soon as possible the act of desecration ment that day took place earlier near the explosive device on the enemy’s minefield, of the sculpture “Bitter Memory of village of Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk receiving lethal injuries. Childhood” at the National Museum of region. The enemy opened fire with an Later that day, a tanker truck exploded the Holodomor-Genocide that occurred automatic easel grenade launcher, firing at on an unidentified explosive device on its on the night of August 22. the Joint Forces. As a result of the shelling, a way to extinguish smoldering centers. Two In an official statement, the president serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Joint Forces personnel were injured in the referred to a letter from Ukrainian World UWC Congress President Paul Grod calling for was wounded. The soldier was promptly explosion. Both soldiers received medical Ukrainian World Congress President given first aid and evacuated to a medical treatment and were taken to a medical measures to investigate the crime and Paul Grod. bring the perpetrators to justice. facility. facility; the next day, one of the men died in Mr. Zelenskyy stressed that the police and disinformation campaigns that dis- “This audacity of the enemy indicates the hospital due to numerous burns. that the Russian Federation is aimed at dis- should conduct all necessary investiga- tort and falsify the truth about Ukraine’s Ukraine’s forces on the alert tive actions, classify the offenses and history. It includes the desecration of the rupting the Trilateral Contact Group’s report on the progress of the investiga- Holodomor memorial in Kyiv, vandalism agreements of July 22, 2020,” stated the Ukraine’s Defense Minister Andriy Taran tion within a month. The case is under at a Ukrainian cemetery in Toronto, Joint Forces Operation press center. pointed out that Article 51 of the United the control of Deputy Minister of Internal defacing the future Communism victims “Today’s shelling proves once again that the Nations Charter gives a country the right to Affairs Anton Herashchenko. memorial in Ottawa, among others. so-called ORDLO leadership does not defend itself. At the same time, he stressed The UWC thanked all Ukrainian com- Kremlin propaganda is attempting to intend to achieve peace. The Joint Forces that Ukraine has the political will to achieve munities around the globe for their sup- rewrite the history of our people, erase provide another opportunity for the so- a permanent ceasefire, and he expressed port of its appeal condemning the van- the memory of millions of Ukrainian vic- called ‘DPR’ [Donetsk People’s Republic] hope that the other side will also demon- dalism at the memorial and calling for a tims of the totalitarian regime, turn our and ‘LPR’ [Luhansk People’s Republic] to strate such resolve. thorough investigation. allies against us, and sow discord in our comply with a full and comprehensive “The situation in the area of the Joint “We have been witnessing a global global communities,” UWC President ceasefire,” reads the statement. Forces Operation (JTO) remains stable and and coordinated anti-Ukrainian opera- Grod said in a statement released on As previously reported, on July 27 a full fully under control. Ukrainian defenders tion, including vandalism of memorials August 26. and comprehensive ceasefire went into effect in the area of armed conflict in the (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 No. 37 ANALYSIS Chain of poor choices leads Jury selection begins in Sheremet case China’s attempt to purchase a Ukrainian engine manufacturer, the State Department The trial of three defendants suspected said on August 29. Mr. Pompeo raised con- Putin into a serious blunder of being involved in the high-profile killing cerns over “malign” Chinese investment in of journalist Pavel Sheremet has started in ories abound; but taken together, the tim- Ukraine, including Beijing’s efforts to by Pavel K. Baev Kyiv with the selection of jurors. The ing, method, organization and subsequent acquire the Motor Sich engine manufactur- Eurasia Daily Monitor Shevchenko district court on September 4 government cover-up leave only one plau- er, in a telephone call on August 26 with Mr. selected jurors with the participation of Russia traditionally returns to normal sible conclusion: a centrally planned and Zelenskyy, spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus defendants Andriy Antonenko, Yana Duhar, work, after a summer break, on September sanctioned on the highest level operation of said in a statement. The United States has and Yulia Kuzmenko, and their legal teams. 1. This year, however, although schools special services that went wrong, as in previously lobbied against the possible sale The court decided to remove two potential reopened as usual, broader public and many other previous such cases (Carnegie. of the strategic company and its advanced members of the jury from the panel due to political life persisted on its earlier course ru, August 25). technology to China. The acting U.S. ambas- conflicts of interest and possible bias. The of disarray and downturn. In his televised In recent days, German Chancellor sador to Ukraine said late last year that jury will be fully established at the next address to schoolchildren, President Angela Merkel publicly established the fact there were U.S. companies studying the hearing, scheduled for September 28. Vladimir Putin spoke at length about the of the use of the Novichok weaponized possible purchase of Motor Sich, one of the Sheremet, a Belarusian-born Russian citi- memory of the great Soviet triumph over nerve agent, and the North Atlantic Treaty world’s top makers of aircraft engines for zen who had made Kyiv his permanent Nazi Germany but only obliquely referred Organization’s (NATO) Secretary General the defense industry.

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