Rada Approves Display of Soviet Victory Flag

INSIDE: “A Ukrainian Summer” – a special 24-page pullout section. THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXIX No. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011 $1/$2 in Ukraine Embassy of Ukraine organizes Kharkiv agreements elicit protests “Chornobyl Commemoration Week” one year after their signing by Yaro Bihun Shevchenko monument earlier that after- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly noon and began on April 21 with a confer- ence, “Lessons from Chornobyl: 25 Years WASHINGTON – The evening rush- Later,” featuring international experts hour traffic in front of the Ukrainian addressing the causes and short- and long- Embassy in the Georgetown area of the term consequences of that tragedy. U.S. capital on April 25 was easing and Attended by representatives of the quieting down when Ambassador U.S. government, the diplomatic corps, Olexander Motsyk asked the hundred or non-governmental organizations, the so people gathered inside to observe a Ukrainian American community and moment of silence. It was 6:26 p.m. – experts in the various fields dealing with 1:26 a.m., April 26, in Ukraine – the nuclear energy, the evening began with a moment when 25 years ago the Chornobyl brief memorial service led by the pastor nuclear power plant exploded, becoming of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox the most destructive civilian nuclear Church, the Rev. Volodymyr Steliac. catastrophe to date. Ambassador Motsyk, in his remarks, This memorial observance was the cul- informed the gathering about the results mination of the Embassy’s “Chornobyl of the recent international meetings in Commemoration Week,” which included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Taras (Continued on page 20) Volodymyr Musyak About 1,500 Ukrainians gathered at Shevchenko Park in Kyiv on April 27 to denounce the Kharkiv agreements signed on April 21, 2010, by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine. by Zenon Zawada eignty under threat for another quarter century – for precious little. Kyiv Press Bureau The Ukrainian government extended the KYIV – The Kharkiv agreements Russian Black Sea Fleet’s lease on its signed on April 21, 2010, by Presidents Sevastopol base for another 25 years, Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine and beyond 2017, when it was scheduled to Dmitry Medvedev of Russia were billed abandon the port. In return, the nation’s oli- as a boon to Ukrainian security and the garchs got a $100 discount on natural gas economy, offering discounts in natural prices higher than $330 per 1,000 cubic gas and $40 billion in “investment meters, and 30 percent off prices that are resources.” lower. Yet, a year later, natural gas prices The average Ukrainian got no benefit have doubled for Ukrainian households, because the natural gas used in households with the discount going only to the coun- to fuel ovens and heat radiators is from try’s industrial barons. The Ukrainian Ukraine’s own domestic supplies, said economy is reeling, as economists esti- Andriy Novak, chair of the Committee of mate the real inflation rate this year at Economists of Ukraine. Andrew Bihun But the discount gained for industrial Ukrainian Ambassador Olexander Motsyk leads the memorial observance of the between 20 and 50 percent. “The price reduction for natural gas – customers still failed to bring the price that 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Among those participating in Ukraine pays for Gazprom’s natural gas which we gained when signing the the ceremony was William Green Miller (right), former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. into line with that paid by European coun- Kharkiv agreements – gave Ukraine $40 terparts, critics said. Gazprom is the billion over 10 years, meaning the Russian state monopoly that exports natural Russian Federation was supposed to gas to Europe. invest in the Ukrainian economy $4 bil- Rada approves display “Ukraine has been practically subsidiz- lion annually,” said former Minister of the ing Gazprom during the last several years,” of Soviet victory flag Economy Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who heads Mr. Yatsenyuk said. “I reviewed all the the Front for Change party. prices between Ukraine and European “I looked at statistics and the real by Zenon Zawada Not since Ukraine declared indepen- Union countries. On average, we overpaid amount of income which Russia placed in Kyiv Press Bureau dence from the Soviet Union in 1991 our Russian partners close to $50 per 1,000 had the state required displacing a the Ukrainian economy amounted to $728 cubic meters of gas. Last year we subsi- KYIV – Ukraine’s pro-Russian par- hammer-and-sickle flag, which is con- million. $3.3 billion disappeared some- dized Russian Gazprom by $2 billion. This liamentary coalition voted on April 21 sidered a symbol of tyranny and geno- where. Then I checked where these $700 is money that we take from the to require all administrative buildings cide by millions of Ukrainians. Yet million went – into Russian banks which International Monetary Fund and give our to hang the Soviet victory flag on the millions of others view the flag with are buying Ukrainian assets,” he said. Russian partners for gas. This year, I expect national holiday of Victory Day (May nostalgic fondness and as a symbol of Indeed, the vast majority of observers $3 billion.” 9), recognized as the day that the liberation. hold the view that was apparent just days Besides pragmatic concerns, critics of German Nazis surrendered to the after the Kharkiv agreements were the Kharkiv agreements agree they violate Soviet Red Army. (Continued on page 22) signed: the Ukrainian government was giving a lot – putting the nation’s sover- (Continued on page 12) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011 No. 18 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Kyiv ignores Russia’s invitation Obama on massacre of Armenians tions between the two countries. “One thing is absolutely certain: our relation- to join Customs Union WASHINGTON – Marking the anni- ship has gotten out of crisis, both interper- versary of the massacre of Armenians in sonal and economic,” the Russian presi- by Pavel Korduban be inevitable if Ukraine joined the Turkey nearly a century ago, President dent said. (Ukrinform) Customs Union (Kommersant-Ukraine, Barack Obama called it a “horrific” Eurasia Daily Monitor April 18). While Ukraine is a WTO mem- slaughter, but once again stopped short of Yanukovych: Chornobyl has no boundaries Ukraine’s leadership has left Moscow’s ber, Customs Union countries are only calling it genocide. “In a written state- negotiating to join it. ment, Mr. Obama said the 1915 killings KYIV – The Chornobyl catastrophe invitation to join the Russia, Belarus and has no boundaries, President Viktor Kazakhstan Customs Union unanswered Mr. Putin’s words apparently fell on of some 1.5 million Armenians represent Yanukovych of Ukraine said after the even after Russian Prime Minister deaf ears. Ukrainian President Viktor ‘one of the worst atrocities of the 20th requiem service in memory of victims of Vladimir Putin personally traveled to Yanukovych and Prime Minister Mykola century.’ But for the third straight year, he the Chornobyl disaster celebrated by Kyiv to advertise its benefits. Instead, Mr. Azarov left his invitations unanswered as failed to use the word genocide to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Putin was told once more that the problem Ukraine prefers to continue political asso- describe it,” the Associated Press noted Kirill I and Metropolitan of Kyiv and All of expensive Russian gas is more impor- ciation and free trade talks with the on April 23. The news service pointed out tant for Ukraine. Moreover, Kyiv has cho- European Union, which had made clear that, “As a candidate for president, Ukraine Volodymyr of the Moscow sen a new tactiс in the gas pricing dispute, that the talks would collapse if Ukraine Obama repeatedly vowed to recognize Patriarchate. Mr. Yanukovych said that trying to prove that the January 2009 con- joined the Customs Union. On April 18, the genocide once in office, vowing ‘a Chornobyl clean-up workers 25 years ago tract according to which the price of gas Mr. Yanukovych and visiting European principled commitment to commemorat- were not separated by borders of different for Ukraine is calculated per quarter is Commission President Jose Manuel ing and ending genocide.’ But since 2009, countries. “These were people who fought illegal. Barroso agreed that the talks should be Obama has declined to use the word in the together with the consequences of this Mr. Putin arrived in Kyiv on April 12 completed by the end of this year face of furious resistance from Turkey, a accident,” the head of state emphasized. and the Customs Union dominated his (UNIAN, April 18). key NATO ally.” (Associated Press) He added that the authorities today are agenda. The prime minister repeated his Mr. Yanukovych reportedly told Mr. doing everything to ensure that people earlier warnings that Russia would erect Putin that political association and free Yanukovych and Medvedev meet who are directly related to the elimination trade with the EU remained the priority of the Chornobyl accident’s aftermath live trade barriers against Ukraine if Kyiv pre- KYIV – Presidents Viktor Yanukovych ferred free trade with the European Union. for Ukraine while cooperation with the better. Mr. Yanukovych expressed confi- Customs Union should be developed of Ukraine and Dmitry Medvedev of dence that the feat of the Chornobyl acci- At the same time, Mr. Putin said Ukraine Russia, who arrived in Kyiv to participate would earn an additional $6.5 billion to according to a “3+1” format dent’s liquidators will forever remain in (Kommersant-Ukraine, April 13). in commemorative events marking the our memory. “From the distance of time, $9 billion and up to 2 percent in additional 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disas- GDP growth per annum if it joined the The format, which Yanukovych men- we see that this tragedy has no boundar- tioned for the first time in his April 7 state ter, met at the Zalissia state house outside ies, likewise the tragedy that happened in Customs Union (Interfax, April 12).

Load more