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THE RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION VIRUS AND ITS VICTIMS IN UKRAINE AND THE EU

HEAD OF THE MISSION OF UKRAINE TO THE EU MYKOLA TOCHYTSKYI: “WITH GOOD WILL WE CAN JOIN THE EU IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS”

MEP ANDRIUS KUBILIUS: “EU TRIO STRATEGY WOULD OFFER UKRAINE NEW EU HORIZONS”

WHAT CAN CHORNOBYL TEACH US ABOUT FIGHTING COVID-19?

JULY 2020 Brussels Ukraїna Review Brussels Ukraїna Review Огляд Україна Брюссель

Edition – 1 July 2020 Journal is published in Ukrainian EDITOR’S and English

Online: FOREWORD www.promoteukraine.org

Publisher: NGO «Promote Ukraine» he easing of quar- Through the lenses of journal- www.promoteukraine.org antine rules on the istic analytics, interviews with European continent an ambassador and Member of Address: allows us to fulfil our the European Parliament, and Velyka Zhytomyrska 33 plan of presenting survey results (another pilot ini- Office 611 you the third issue tiative of our team), we offer you, Kyiv 01601 Tof “Brussels Ukraine Review”. our reader, an overview of the The previous edition, published agenda relations between the Address of the in April, was released only online EU, Ukraine, and Russia. Belgian NGO «Promote Ukraine»: because of quarantine restric- Veldstraat 24 tions, and it is still available on Enjoy reading! 1731 Relegem our website. Belgium However, this printed version Email: presents a more comprehensive [email protected] view of the current situation in Ukraine and the world. Editor-in-chief: Here we have dared to capture Marta Barandiy the best snapshot of modern life, Editors: ranging from its virtual aspects Evhenia Kolomiyets-Ludwig (digitalization and misinforma- Natalia Richardson tion) to its most physical and materialistic manifestation – the Editorial assistant: land market; from the matters Nathan Stormont of “geopolitical” honour (e.g. the Illustrations and page making : investigation of mind-bending Anna Chernysh-Poltoratska cases in international courts) to apprehension of Ukraine’s stra- Journal «Brussels Ukraїna Review» tegic perspectives in the coming is distributed free of charge among decades. researchers, experts, opinion leaders, government officials and politicians of Ukraine and the European Union. Reproduction of the materials of the Journal is permitted only with the reference to the Journal. Opinions and other content published by the authors in the Journal, do not necessarily reflect the position of the Board of editors. Author is solely responsible for the content of the material he/she provides. Author is only responsible for the material, provided in the original language. Translation of the materials is made by a third party on the request of the Publisher. The Publisher is not responsible for the goods and services, advertised within the publication. Photos are from open sources.

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IMAGE OF UKRAINE: EDITOR’S FACT CHECK 02 Editors’ Foreword 32 Ukraine after the Revolution

FOREWORD of Dignity – between Populism DIGITALIZATION CULTURAL PAGES and Reality Taras Byk 04 Ukraine is at the forefront of 70 Vyshyvankas as one of the the digital and tech sectors: how beautiful symbols of Ukraine UKRAINE VERSUS RUSSIA can the EU make the most of it? Natalia Richardson Andrea Castagna 36 The Russian disinformation Anna Melenchuk 74 Out of the box options - virus and its victims in Ukraine How the Euromaidan brought and the EU UKRAINE IN JUNE 2020 up a new cultural stream for Stepan Nazarenko the younger generations 08 The war against civil society. Juna Zimmer 42 Disinformation can kill Why repeats Rika Zimmer Natalia Richardson Yanukovych’s mistakes Stepan Nazarenko 46 Ukraine v Russia: major courtroom battles lie ahead ZERO CORRUPTION Ilya Tarasyuk

12 What can Chornobyl teach INTERVIEW – ANDRIUS us about fighting COVID-19? KUBILIUS

INTERVIEW – MYKOLA 52 MEP Andrius Kubilius: TOCHYTSKYI “EU Trio Strategy would offer Ukraine new EU horizons” 14 Head of the Mission of Natalia Richardson Ukraine to the EU Mykola Tochytskyi: “With good will SURVEY RESULTS we can join the EU in the next 10 years” 60 Results of an online survey on the attitude of the Ukrainian REFORMS population to the restrictive measures introduced to combat 22 Land for Ukrainians the COVID-19 pandemic or the story of a moratorium and the authorities’ steps to Inna Krupnik return Ukrainians home from countries with high rates of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 ANDREA CASTAGNA IS A BRUSSELS- BASED POLICY SPECIALIST FOCUSING ON EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN PROJECTS RELATED TO INNOVATION, EDUCATION, YOUTH POLICIES AND SPORT. DIGITALI DIGITALI ZATION 4 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 5

UKRAINEUKRAINE ISIS ATAT THETHE FOREFRONTFOREFRONT OFOF THETHE DIGITAL DIGITALAND TECH AND SECTORS: TECH SECTORS: HOW HOWCAN THE CAN EU THE MAKE EU MAKE THE MOST THE MOSTOF IT? OF IT?

In the last few years Ukraine has increasingly ANNA MELENCHUK IS A CO-FOUNDER OF THE attracted IT INSTITUTE OF INNOVATIVE foreign investors: GOVERNANCE AND THE 20 percent of the EUROPEAN DIGITAL world’s leading DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE. SHE IS INTERNATIONAL companies, DEVELOPMENT including Microsoft, SPECIALIST FOCUSING Samsung, Huawei, ON EU PARTNERSHIPS and others opened AND NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICIES IN THE AREA OF their offices in the DIGITAL COOPERATION, country. GENDER EQUALITY AND CLIMATE FINANCE. kraine is in- concluded with Ukraine in 2014, the taxation of digital and tech gi- creasingly provides a good basis for deepen- ants is a hot topic of EU politics, moving to- ing digital cooperation between it is expected to have an impact wards be- Ukraine and the EU. on the future development of the coming one Ukrainian digital market and its of the digital integration with the EU. and tech leaders in Eastern U It is likely that the implementa- Europe. Marked by recent suc- tion of new digital taxes within the cesses such as the implemen- EU would result in a massive relo- tation of the e-procurement cation of IT investments and busi- service ProZorro, the creation ness processes in Europe. Ukraine of one of the biggest 4G net- It is likely that IT can be a potential destination work of Europe, and the intro- for such offshoring. To date, duction of several eServices, offshoring will Ukrainian and Ukrainian-based Ukraine’s government is set- increasingly be a IT firms compete with neighbour- ting high standards in the field ing European countries including of digital transformation. In- problem affecting Poland, Czechia, and Romania. deed, Ukraine’s digitalisation Compared to many EU member is led by joint efforts from the the EU-Ukrainian states, industry leaders currently state and business communi- see Ukraine as having key compet- ties: digital industry is a bright relations. itive advantages such as the state’s spot in the Ukrainian economy flexible labour regulations and a and its IT is the most dynamic simplified taxation regime. More- industry in the country. While Ukraine is doing rela- over, in Ukraine the total number This digital and tech success tively well in the field of digital of people working in the IT indus- is due to many factors. First, and tech, it is no secret that the try is larger than in most Eastern Ukraine has the 4th highest EU is experiencing some issues in European countries. number of certified IT pro- this sector. European companies fessionals in the world. Tech often lag behind the American companies can benefit from and Chinese digital and tech in- a friendly start-up ecosystem dustries. Thus, the new Europe- and a highly educated, En- an Commission has emphasized glish-speaking workforce. In the need to tackle the EU’s loss of addition, low taxes, affordable competitiveness against US and infrastructure, and relatively Chinese tech companies. Only a cheap labour enable national few EU countries currently can and international companies effectively benefit from a strong to maximise their profits. In As the debate on and stable IT industry and many the last few years Ukraine has new and old member states still the taxation of increasingly attracted IT for- struggle to attract international eign investors: 20 percent of investments in the digital and digital and tech the world’s leading companies, tech sectors. Moreover, the de- including Microsoft, Samsung, giants is a hot topic bate on the Digital Tax and the Huawei, and others opened new corporate tax rules for IT their offices in the country. of EU politics, it is companies will certainly influ- Moreover, the European Union ence the long-term strategy of expected to have has emphasized the need to in- big tech firms within the EU. tegrate Ukraine into the Dig- Countries such as France, Italy, an impact on the ital Single Market in order to and Belgium want to limit the strengthen EU-Ukrainian eco- future development tech giants’ ability to avoid tax- nomic ties. Ukraine has already es. They argue that taxes should been involved in the Digital Sin- of the Ukrainian be based on where the digital gle Market strategy. There are activity takes place, not in the some joint plans in the area of digital market and country where companies have eTrade and eCustoms. Also, the their headquarters or opera- its integration with Deep and Comprehensive Free tional centres. As the debate on Trade Agreement, which the EU the EU. 6 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 7

This is particularly import- ant for large projects requiring software, which can make cyber security might be a central large teams of specialists. Also, Europe a strong competi- topic of the future Ukraine’s Euro- Ukrainian professionals are ready tor to the US and China. To pean integration. to work under more severe con- achieve this, Ukraine and the If Brussels manages to bene- tract terms, such as unusual shifts EU should agree on common fit from Ukraine’s digital proxim- to support different time zones principles related to transpar- ity, both Ukraine and the EU will and longer hours. As the integra- ency, resource mobilisation, strengthen economic and political tion of Ukraine to the EU single data protection, and privacy ties. Strategic efforts in this area market is increasing, internation- regulations in the digital and could boost Europe’s comparative al companies may find Ukraine tech sectors. advantage in the global digital more attractive for investments economy and reduce the gap with and business development than Chinese and American tech. How- other EU countries. Cities such ever, this will certainly require a as Kyiv, Lviv or Odesa are indeed coherent European digital strat- excellently located both to access egy and the support of the cur- the fast-growing Ukrainian mar- rent Ukrainian government. Two ket as well as to sell products and Ukraine is a perfect things which can be complicated services to the EU market. to get. In the era of growing debates on spot for European fair taxation and harmonised EU IT companies to regulations for the digital sector, many EU governments could start produce high-value to consider Ukraine as a potential tax heaven for digital companies hardware and working in the EU market. Thus, it is likely that IT offshoring will software, which increasingly be a problem affect- can make Europe a ing the EU-Ukrainian relations. Ukrainian digital strengths can be strong competitor seen as a potential threat by many EU states and companies. This to the US and can lead to possible political ten- sions between Kyiv and Brussels China. and slow down Ukraine’s integra- tion with the EU. Not to mention the risk of reducing the support to Ukrainian reforms from the EU Second, Ukraine is a great budget which has been massive in source of expertise and experi- the recent years. ence in fighting cyber threats. To avoid these negative trends, In recent years, open warfare both the EU and Ukraine should with Russia has caused large- strengthen cooperation in the scale attacks on Ukrainian in- field of digital economy. In partic- frastructure and the govern- ular, the EU should start to benefit ment has often faced significant from Ukraine’s digital proximity security challenges. As a conse- and develop a long-term part- quence, the country is the per- nership in the field of digital and fect place to learn tactics and tech. First, the EU should facili- tools to fight cyber threats. As tate cooperation between Europe- many cyber attacks targeting an and Ukrainian IT companies. EU member states were found For instance, Ukraine is a perfect to originate in Russia, the Euro- spot for European IT companies to pean Commission should start produce high-value hardware and to develop more common initia- tives in the field of cyber security with Ukrainian partners. In par- ticular, a permanent exchange of expertise and good practices on STEPAN NAZARENKO, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST, PUBLICIST, VOLUNTEER. HE WORKED ON MANY WELL-KNOWN BUSINESS MEDIA AND TV CHANNELS. UKRAINE JUNE IN 2020 8 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 9 THE WAR AGAINST CIVILTHE WAR SOCIETY. AGAINST WHYCIVIL VOLODYMYRSOCIETY. ZELENSKYWHY VOLODYMYR REPEATS YANUKOVYCH’SZELENSKY REPEATS MISTAKESYANUKOVYCH’S MISTAKES

have faced mass protests initiated uarantine by parliamentary and non-parlia- strengthens mentary opposition forces had the the authorities’ introduction of quarantine not put power and weak- an end to these intentions. ens the opposi- President Volodymyr Zelensky and his The only possible form of pro- Qtion. The former team can use the medical challeng- test was the “Spring on Granite” gains more power and be- es of the pandemic to explain their demonstration near the Presiden- comes a major player in over- previous failures in economic policy, tial Office on Bankova Street in Kyiv. coming the pandemic; the slowing down of reforms, and unsuc- This was essentially a one-woman latter is marginalised, as any cessful personnel policy. protest by Yaryna Chornohuz, a criticism from its part may be In March, before the a state of 24-year-old paramedic volunteer interpreted as an obstacle to emergency was declared in Ukraine of the Russian-Ukrainian war those at the forefront of fight- due to the coronavirus pandemic, from the Medical Battalion of Hos- ing COVID-19. This situation the peaceful initiatives of President pitallers, whose boyfriend died on is typical in numerous coun- Zelensky and his close associates the front-line in January 2020. For tries with political pluralism. were the top subjects in Ukraine. two months now Yaryna has “be- Furthermore, under pandemic There was a big scandal relating to sieged” President Zelensky’s office, conditions no news can com- an attempt by Serhiy Sivokho, the demanding an end to the capitula- pete with the reports of Minis- now-fired advisor to National Secu- tion policy – namely the abolition try of Health, announcements rity and Defence Council (NSDC) of the consultative council on the by local governments on quar- Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, to intro- settlement of the Donbas conflict. antine measures, or with sta- duce a “reconciliation platform” The Spring on Granite protest (the tistics released from a hospital for the occupied Donbas region in title refers to the student protests about the number and status in- Kyiv. Another scandal involved the of 1990, which preceded Ukraine’s fected patients. In terms of pres- signing of agreement creating a withdrawal from the USSR and ent realities in Ukraine, the situ- “consultative council” with repre- the declaration of independence) ation is best captured by a joke sentatives of the so-called has a lot of supporters, but due to currently circulating: if there People’s Republic (LNR) and Do- the quarantine regime, no more was no pandemic, it would be netsk People’s Republic (DNR) in than 10 people gather at the same worth inventing one. This is not Minsk by Andriy Yermak, Presi- time next to Yaryna Chornohuz. a joke about conspiracy theories dent Zelensky’s chief-of-staff. As The media continues to cover the of the virus’s origin, but instead was often the case, the street had protest, and it enjoys wide support relates to the fact that Ukrainian to say the word: Ukraine could from users of social networks. Russian Federation, but as an in- ternal Ukrainian conflict. In early April, a scandal erupted over the so-called Yermak records – leaked pointed to this position, openly On 24 May a videos that appeared to show that confronted civil society. She react- brother of the Head of the Presi- ed harshly to a protest held near number of protests dent’s Office traded with high-lev- her home: activists opposed the el positions. Veteran volunteers hasty completion of the investi- of the Capitulation accused of killing journalist Pavlo gation into the murder of Katery- Resistance Sheremet remain on trial: two of na Gandziuk, a Kherson activist the three suspects have been in whose conflict with local organ- Movement have custody since December 2019, al- ised crime led to an acid attack, though no convincing evidence which Gandziuk did not survive. been held in has yet been provided to establish In response, Venedyktova alleged their involvement in this high-pro- that real human rights activists do Kyiv and other file crime. The National Bureau of not shout in the streets. Another Ukrainian cities. Investigation alleges that former scandal was caused by the Pros- president , the ecutor General’s comment about Currently the NSDC Secretary, and the com- another high-profile case – that mander of the Naval Forces carry of Odesa activist Serhii Sternen- protests are responsibility for the November ko, who survived three attacks in 2018 capture of Ukrainian sailors 2018. In the last attack, Sternenko not numerous. by the Russian Navy in the Kerch injured one of his attackers, who However, Strait. The case against volunteer later died in hospital. Pro-Russian Marusia Zvirobii and European politicians and the media under protest season is Solidarity deputy Sofia Fedyna their control persistently por- could have an unexpected result. trayed Sternenko as “a murderer considered open. A criminal investigation accusing roaming freely without being pun- Zvirobii and Fedyna of plotting to ished.” In an interview with Ukray- The authorities assassinate the Ukrainian presi- inska Pravda, Iryna Venedyktova have given enough dent was launched after they were said that Sternenko would soon be recorded on camera saying that investigated for the murder, but reasons for this. the president “thinks that he is im- when her words attracted wide mortal.” Proceedings against the publicity, she changed her tone, two commenced in March 2020 claiming not to be very well ac- and the trial continues. However, quainted with the case. Freedom With the final lifting of quaran- the absurdity of the case against of speech is also deteriorating: on tine measures the actions of Yary- Zvirobii and Fedyna means the 29 April 2020, Bohdan Kutepov, a na Chornohuz have become a core prosecution likely has no pros- Hromadske TV journalist, was at- and a boost for other protests. pects of success, although such tacked by police near the Cabinet Since the relaxation of the sanitary absurd accusations may eventual- of Ministers building. Oleksan- requirements on 24 May a number ly become a prelude to full-fledged dr Dubynskyi, a pro-presidential of protests of the Capitulation Re- political repression. party deputy, initiated criminal sistance Movement have been held In opposition circles, the proceedings against Slidstvo-Info in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. events of recent years are called editor-in-chief Anna Babinets af- Currently the protests are not nu- revenge, that is, a return to the ter she sent him a request for in- merous. However, protest season times of former president Viktor formation relating to Dubinsky’s is considered open. The author- Yanukovych. Some of the symp- alleged contact with American ities have given enough reasons toms are really evident. Yanu- politicians. for this. Recently, the status of the kovych’s regime was openly hos- Ukrainian delegation at the talks tile to the activist community and in Minsk was unilaterally raised, the independent media. which may indicate Kyiv’s official The Prosecutor General was tendency to accept the Russian in- usually a “ram” in this conflict. terpretation of the events in Don- Iryna Venedyktova, recently ap- bas not as an intervention by the 10 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 11

civil society, commencing initia- aspires to be “above the conflict”, tives to introduce a law on foreign obliterated this version. Thus, in agents analogous to similar legis- this and other matters, he creates lation in Russia. Today, pro-Rus- favourable conditions for the re- sian forces try to do the same vanchists, which they use at every within their capabilities. The rul- opportunity. ing Servant of the People party has The appeal of the participants A criminal a fully formed pro-Russian Fronde of the Revolution of Dignity to the , mostly including deputies from President, in which they called investigation the so-called Kolomoiskyi group for an end to the persecution of accusing Zvirobii (Buzhanskyi, Dubinskyi, etc.). veterans and volunteers and the This faction voices the myth of the discrediting of Maidan, was a re- and Fedyna representatives of Western-fund- sponse to Yanukovych regime’s re- ed NMV, who allegedly work venge. Many figures, well-known of plotting to against Ukraine in the interests of for their pro-Ukrainian and the West, through the pro-Krem- pro-European positions, signed assassinate the lin media. Former officials of -Ya this document. When the quar- Ukrainian president nukovych’s regime have launched antine regime is lifted, these de- an active campaign to discredit mands may well will be ventilated was launched after Maidan. Lawsuits against activ- again during mass street protests. ists, usually initiated by former President Zelensky has unequiv- they were recorded Deputy President’s Chief-of-Staff ocally hinted that if the achieve- Andriy Portnov, are being filed on ments of the Revolution of Dignity on camera saying a massive scale. One of the most are wiped out, the Maidan may be that the president significant is the lawsuit against repeated. Tetiana Chornovol, a former Peo- “thinks that he is ple’s Front deputy. The litigation accused Chornovol of killing an immortal. employee of Party of Regions of- fice in February 2014. Pro-Russian blogger Anatolii Sharii literally demonises the activist environ- ment and even created a number The appeal of the Recently, Ukrainian President of videos on YouTube, in which Volodymyr Zelensky held a press he, in the guise of Stalin, promis- participants of conference marking his first year es to “send [activists] to camps and in office. Some media outlets and shoot [them].” the Revolution journalists have been denied ac- It is clear that neither Sharii creditation (The Babel, Bykvu, nor Portnov are representatives of of Dignity to Tyzhden, Skrypin, and Glavkom, the authorities. But they indirectly the President, in for example). The justification for influence the information agenda such a move was the need “not to in the country, which in turn af- which they called violate sanitary norms and limit fects the President, who has had the number of participants.” By problems with the veteran activist for an end to a strange coincidence, these out- environment from the very begin- lets and journalists, which did not ning. President Zelensky also of- the persecution attend the press conference, are ten voices pro-Russian narratives: of veterans and known for their criticism of the in his speech on the anniversary president from pro-Ukrainian and of the events in Odesa on 2 May volunteers and pro-European positions. Instead, 2020, he called for answers to be some pro-Russian journalists had found in response to the question the discrediting a chance to meet Zelensky and of “who is to blame for the tragedy played the role of a “comfortable of May 2?” Until now, the official of Maidan, was opposition”. version of those events was based The current situation differs on the fact that pro-Russian ac- a response to from Yanukovych’s time by the tivists were the first to open fire Yanukovych fact that Yanukovych’s regime in Odesa, while police were in- waged a centralised war against active. Volodymyr Zelensky, who regime’s revenge. WHAT CAN CAN CHORNOBYL CHORNOBYL TEACH US US ABOUT ABOUT FIGHTING COVID-19? COVID-19?

Chornobyl was the last push that caused the Soviet Union to collapse, so today it is important to discuss what could potentially become the last push for Putinism’s fall. ZERO CORRUPTION 12 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 13 s the current coronavirus the Chornobyl disaster – ed.) came Anti-corruption activist crisis somehow similar out. I immediately understood that Roman Borisovich thinks to the aftermath of the this series can be a tool to make the that humankind will final- Chornobyl nuclear di- next generation in Ukraine to under- ly tire of corruption and saster in 1986? Can we stand what really happened and how “start demanding improve- use lessons from Chor- this event in the past has still a grip ments of the system through Inobyl to face the new challenges of on today and on the future.” Harms the democratic processes.” He the COVID-19 pandemic? What hopes that Ukraine will be able noted “the flood of dirty money should we do to fight corruption? “to set up a strategic plan for the en- coming from kleptocracies like These topics were discussed at the ergy sector, focusing on not only more Russia, like emerging econo- Zero Corruption Conference, independence from Russia but also mies, where it is pretty normal held in April on the 34th anni- on sustainable, climate-friendly and during any economic crisis for versary of the Chornobyl disas- low-risk ideas and technologies. For people to try whatever they can ter. Among the speakers were me, this would still be the lesson to be to illegally get their hands on, philosopher Francis Fukuyama, drawn from Chornobyl.” steal, and stash away public historian Serhii Plokhii, politi- American historian Serhii money in some offshore zones.” cian and anti-corruption activist Plokhii spoke about the nega- Borisovich also called for Roman Borisovich, former MEP tive consequences of hiding the the creation of an interna- Rebecca Harms, and anti-cor- truth: “If you deal with [a] threat tional crisis centre to deal ruption journalist Miranda which is not easily identified, it is with possible pandemics in Patrucic. The event was held very easy for governments to deny it, the future. on the Zoom platform and was but there will be another Chornobyl Zero Corruption Conference broadcast live on Facebook on the planet if the information Chairwoman Hanna Hopko and Hromadske International about the pandemic is not disclosed stressed that Chornobyl was TV Channel. as much as possible.” Plokhii ob- the last push that caused There are a lot of similarities served that the current pan- the Soviet Union to collapse, between the crises in Chornobyl demic is the fourth one in the so today it is important to and the COVID-19 pandemic, last 100 years and stressed that discuss what could poten- said American philosopher humanity’s belief in its superi- tially become the last push Francis Fukuyama: “They are in ority, “our belief … that there will be for Putinism’s fall. “We are certain ways both products of modern no pandemics in the future, that we analysing what is happening now technology. Obviously the virus is not were so scientifically powerful, is not with COVID-19 and we are seeing modern but the transmission through based on reality.” very proactive coronavirus Rus- a globalised system of international Anti-corruption journalist sian diplomacy as an element of travel and trade is something that has Miranda Patrucic warned that Russian propaganda together with been brought about by the technologi- during the pandemic there has the humanitarian aid which could cal conditions of our age. I think that been a rise of criminal activi- be considered as a Trojan horse for the national threat that it suddenly ties: “We noticed that, particularly extending Russian influence in the presents is extremely similar and the in Central Asia, some of the groups democratic societies.” responses of different kinds of govern- reported to have aspects of corruption Hopko invited all interested ments to it are also very similar”. Ac- and to engage in the theft of public persons to attend the Zero cording to Fukuyama, there are funds are actually now appearing as Corruption Conference, which governments “that have tried to the major donors of supplies and, in will convene in Kyiv with the cover up what has been happening, a way, get a heroic reputation. We are financial support from the US, that have suppressed information also noticing that criminal groups the EU, Denmark, and other and basically look to their short-term are getting very innovative, they are donors, although the ongoing interests”. Fukuyama thinks that, using this crisis to go about their own coronavirus pandemic means in this respect, “we are seeing a business … Billions of dollars will be a precise date for the conference replay of Chornobyl where we are dis- spent to rescue the economy and to is not yet known. Participants covering actually which governments bring countries back to where they will discuss how to tackle prob- were capable and which are not.” were before the crisis and it’s going to lems of corruption that influence A good friend of Ukraine, for- be a great opportunity for many peo- many aspects of our life. “The mer German “green” MEP Re- ple to enrich themselves, especially key idea is probably not too naïve, becca Harms, said that from her in countries with a long tradition of but still too philosophical: the ze- point of view “in some countries, people stealing, looting public funds ro-corruption future that we are especially also in Ukraine, the right and moving them abroad.” going to reach one day,” Hopko said. lessons from the Chornobyl disaster “And Ukraine is the best place to have not been drawn. So I was very discuss this topic.” happy when this HBO series (about HEAD OF THE MISSION HEAD OF THE MISSION OF UKRAINE TO THE EU OF UKRAINE TO THE EU MYKOLA TOCHYTSKYI: MYKOLA TOCHYTSKYI: “WITH GOOD WILL “WITH GOOD WILL WE CAN JOIN THE WE CAN JOIN THE EU IN THE NEXT EU IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS” 10 YEARS”

If Ukraine is persistent, it might become a member of the European Union within the next decade, says Mykola Tochytskyi, Head of the Mis- sion of Ukraine to the European Union (EU) and the European Atomic Energy Community and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Belgium and Luxembourg. In an interview with Pro- mote Ukraine, he spoke about the successes and problems of Ukrainian businesses in the EU MYKOLA MYKOLA market, Ukraine’s friends and partners in European institu- INTERVIEW INTERVIEW TOCHYTSKYI – tions, and new horizons in Ky- iv’s cooperation with the West. 14 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 15

The European Commission has Agreement with the European recently published proposals for Union. These elements are all the development, beyond 2020, now being offered to every East- of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) ern Partnership country, which policy, which includes Ukraine, undoubtedly reflects the success Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, of our work and ambitions. Azerbaijan, and Belarus. Do you It indicates that the EU, by think that this plan is exactly offering these proposals to our what Kyiv needs? EaP partners, understands how essential such proposals are for This document, approved on 18 their economies and their coun- March, states that all six EaP coun- tries. It must be noted that the tries will be offered the benefits of EU not only protects the territo- the EU single digital market and rial integrity and security of its that the EU will support these coun- neighbours in the East, but also tries’ efforts to join the common offers them mechanisms within area of payment in euro. The pro- the framework of the EaP. I am posals will also intensify the pro- very glad that the vast majority cesses for concluding a Common of these initiatives came from Aviation Area Agreement between Ukraine and were based on one or EaP countries and the EU. The another areas of our cooperation. document also foresees increased It is important to note that, fol- participation in the Horizon Europe lowing these proposals, in May the research and innovation program EU also approved the EU Council and COSME, a program designed Conclusions on the EaP. This docu- for small and medium-sized en- ment is the EU’s political posi- terprises. Our European partners tion on cooperation with the EaP have recognized as important the countries. Although these conclu- elements that Ukraine had worked sions were agreed in an extreme- on, and insisted on, in terms of ly difficult political environment, cooperation under the Association they contain such fundamental elements for us as the EU’s recog- nition of its partners’ European as- pirations, their territorial integrity, and a signal of the possibility of joining the EU’s internal market.

How has Ukraine ‘done its homework’ in the field of Euro- pean integration in the last year?

It is not only the Embassy and the Government of Ukraine that appraises our performance. As a rule, our colleagues do this: the European Commission and its relevant units prepare annual reports assessing our ‘homework’. Last year’s report said that we are coming closer to gradually receiving further rewards for our active collaboration. What do I mean by this? Last year, we declared our desire to deepen and expand our cooperation with the EU. communication with European coun- The EU amended certain tries. In other words, there are many annexes of the Association advantages in the digital economy, and Agreement to allow bigger ap- today we are moving not only towards proximation to the European the adoption of legislation, but also the markets. In particular, annex preparation of the relevant Ukrainian 27 deals with energy security, market to the standards of the EU. energy cooperation, and ap- The EU is almost ready to start re- proximation to the EU energy vising and elaborating Annex XVII-3 to market. For a long time, the the Association Agreement for Ukraine Ukrainian authorities worked (which includes a list of EU legislative on those issues, fulfilled certain acts for implementation in Ukraine - obligations, cooperated with the ed.). We can extend this list. In 2021, European Union. Now the EU we will offer our European counter- has decided to make changes parts changes to annexes to the EU- that allow Ukraine to become Ukraine Association Agreement, in- closer to the EU energy market. cluding a free trade area. I understand In late December, for the first that performance in this regard is go- time and thanks to our Europe- ing well and positively. It is important an colleagues, we were able to to preserve such a movement and to conclude an agreement on gas consolidate it, keep it to the standards transit with the Ukrainian trans- that are currently in the process of be- port system, based on European ing adopted by the , standards. This shows a certain relevant institutions, and manufac- You mentioned that progress to- recognition of Ukraine’s progress. turers. We must also consider moral wards free trade between the EU The next step we have talked or philosophical standards in our and Ukraine is going quite well. about, and worked very hard to- society. Indeed, a qualitative law But what are the biggest barriers wards, is the digital economy. It does not eliminate the need to im- for an increase in trade? is not only about our IT field, plement it also qualitatively. Some which is one of the most de- people in Ukrainian society still The quotas for our products veloped in the world, but also have a “Soviet” mentality: they want are increasing periodically, for about e-commerce, the recogni- to get around the law. This is a big example, in agricultural produc- tion of electronic signatures, the problem; no law can convince such tion. For some reason, everybody sharing of information databases, people to change. only talks about agricultural pro- and the creation of modern digi- duction, but in fact we are per- tal content. One example is e-pro- forming very well in the provision curement, where there are no of services, IT services, and in the intermediaries in trade between trade of machinery and equip- businesses. By and large, we have ment. But, of course, competi- not only avoided corruption, but tion is an obstacle. If we want to also simplified and sped up trade. enter the European market we In this way, we will reduce must first of all be competitive. waiting times at Ukraine’s bor- The EU not only Second, do not forget that ders for Ukrainian exports or, vice protects the the EU has 27 countries. Each versa, EU goods being imported one produces goods that are not into Ukraine. We will be better territorial integrity worse than those produced in able to track the origin of goods Ukraine. We really need to work and guarantee their quality. and security of a lot in order to be noticed, Another example is that there appreciated, and to secure a is no roaming in the EU. It is now its neighbours place in this market. There are a component of our cooperation in the East, but products that hit the market with Europe. quite successfully last year and But it is not, as it is fashionable also offers them within three months their quo- to say, just roaming-free travel. ta was used, but this year the We are instead talking about mechanisms within same goods are not so popular, the fact that we can join this mar- as the EU has found more in- ket and get a roaming system of the framework of teresting manufacturers. the EaP. 16 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 17 tives of the EaP, we did not hesitate to share our achievements with Georgia and Moldova, the other In other words, competition is EaP countries that have Associa- the most important element. Never- tion Agreements with the EU. Ukraine has already informed theless, we are working to increase Our idea is that if we have access its EU colleagues that it is both quotas. We believe that there is a to the energy market, the digital ready to join this program and great show of solidarity from the market, and the transport markets, will not only use the potential EU towards Ukraine, a Ukrainian we should be able to share this of the European Union, but nation that defends the values – the experience with our friends, part- also contribute to the achieve- fundamental values – of a demo- ners, and colleagues: Georgia and ment of the EU’s climate ambi- cratic Europe at its eastern borders. Moldova. There are also issues that tions. Thus, the Trio includes There are also technical obsta- I mentioned at the beginning – the three states that have Associ- cles, including corruption, espe- digital economy, energy security, ation Agreements and that are cially at customs. I don’t only mean the use of quotas in education for ready to assume not only more Ukraine, but also other neighbours students of the Eastern Partner- rights, but also more obliga- who sometimes abuse the situa- ship countries, and the Erasmus tions as reliable partners – and tion with great “pleasure”. There program. I hope future member states – are also questions about, shall we Besides, we also talk about an ex- of the EU. say, a human factor that simply tremely important and fashionable does not speed up the process, topic – Ukraine’s involvement in You mentioned future EU mem- as well as about a manufacturer’s the European Green Deal. bership. Ukraine’s President monopoly on this or that product. Volodymyr Zelensky recently Of course, these factors all create said in an interview with the some obstacles. Guardian that Ukraine is still The EU accounted for 42 per- waiting for EU membership cent of Ukraine’s trade last year. I but that if it is still waiting in, do not think this is a miserable in- let’s say, 20 years, Ukraine may dicator. Yes, it is of course not 90 change its mind. How does the percent and not 80 percent, but it is Nevertheless, we time factor affect Ukraine’s Eu- not a bad indicator. Moreover, few are working to ropean perspectives? How long people remember that Ukrainian can we wait to join the EU? products, once they entered Eu- increase quotas. ropean markets, began to become The simple answer is that ev- popular in other markets, namely We believe that erything depends on us. How- in Asia and Africa. That is because ever, a more interesting answer of our standards. We therefore can- there is a great lies in an anecdote from during not forget that even a small num- show of solidarity my first diplomatic term in Brus- ber of Ukrainian products on the sels in 1995. European market opens the door from the EU At that time, my colleagues for other opportunities. and I made proposals about our towards Ukraine, a vision of co-operation to one Mr Ambassador, let’s talk about international organisation. We political issues. The European Ukrainian nation planned to sign this document People’s Party (EPP) proposed with them. It was a sizeable huge the ‘Trio 2030’ strategy to the that defends document. European Commission. What do the values – the Instead, they took our draft you think about these proposals? agreement as a basis and signed fundamental a cooperation agreement with the The vast majority of proposals Russian Federation. in this Trio strategy for three EaP values – of a countries are based – I am not shy to say – on Ukraine’s achievements democratic Europe with the EU. As one of the locomo- at its eastern borders. We therefore had to defend our position and to achieve the Yes, all these countries. I can conclusion of the agreement also add, I dare say, Germany. which we actually developed. I also dare say Croatia, Slove- In the end, we managed to sign nia, and Romania – we should this document. What do I mean give a credit to the latter coun- by this story? A year ago, we were try. During its presidency, it has told that energy markets or the done a huge amount of work in digital economy were not on the order not only to keep our prog- agenda, because our partners ress but to support us in achiev- had decided for themselves that ing our goals in the energy and these issues would not be. As one digital markets. However, it is might have noticed, however, we important for us to understand already have ‘one foot in the door’ that friends are not just a moral in both of these fields. Why? choice. Because we were persistent. The Trio includes This is a double moral choice. We did not change our stance, We should not – and here I come and that really depends on us. three states that to an important word – let down However, we must remember two our European partners and things I have emphasised from have Association friends. If we said “a”, we should the very beginning. The techni- say “b”. Then you have a lot more cal side of adopting legislation is Agreements and friends. Don’t forget about interests. not the only one. There is a more When we talk about quotas or complicated process – that is, the that are ready to Ukrainian products in the EU process of changing attitudes in assume not only market, we should not forget Ukrainian society to what the EU that there are competition issues, is, what a democratic society is, more rights, but there are employment issues. how to be part of a great Europe Thus, if we want to get into all not only geographically but also also more obliga- these markets, we must open ours mentally, and what we need to do as well, we must offer our Europe- for that. tions as reliable an partners opportunities in those I can say that even the current partners – and I areas where they are weaker than situation with COVID-19 is a kind us. It is clear that one cannot re- of test of our ability as a state to hope future mem- ally surprise France or Germany act in a democratic environment by aircraft construction or space. in order to protect the rights and ber states – of But we may surprise countries like obligations of our citizens. This is Luxembourg, which are deeply entirely a complex of questions. the EU. interested in all these issues and So, once again, I say that Ukraine’s are no less important members in membership of the EU will not the European Union. Or Belgium, happen soon. However, if we work which has a number of key Euro- hard, then, with good will, we pean space companies and cen- could become a EU member with- tres including the European Space in the next 10 years. This depends Security and Education Centre on us: if we persist and want some- at Redu. So, when we talk about thing, we will achieve it. friends, we have to think of mu- tually beneficial cooperation – not You communicate with repre- only beneficial to us, but mutually sentatives of the European Par- beneficial. Then we will have more liament and the European Com- friends and partners. mission, among others. What are your impressions: which countries are Ukraine’s biggest friends now? Poland, the Baltic States, Sweden, or another?

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In the photo: Embassy of Ukraine to Belgium, Missions of Ukraine to the EU and NATO Are there a lot of supporters now in the Group of Friends of to protecting Ukraine and European Ukraine in the Euro- the interests of the Ukrainian pean Parliament, started by the nation, protecting our terri- Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštre- torial integrity or adopting have been extended beyond five years. vičius? a resolution on aggression by These years were extremely important the Russian Federation, Ms for Ukraine. I would go so far as to Certainly. Today this group von Cramon-Taubadel is the say that Peter Wagner (Chairman of has more than 60 deputies of the main driving force there. the Group - ed.), together with his col- European Parliament. The group Yes, she criticises us, but leagues, visited eastern Ukraine more exists and is quite active. I don’t this is a question of mutually often than some Ukrainian diplomats. think that it is easy for Mr Auštre- beneficial cooperation, as Ms He knows the situation, for example, vičius, because there are other von Cramon-Taubadel wants to in Mariupol, Mariinka or Slovyansk players in the same field who are see our society be no worse off with the same level of understanding not less active than Petras. I am than German society. This is why as our governors there. saying about, for example, former we are sometimes criticised, but it It really is an institute that helps Prime Minister of Lithuania Andri- is constructive criticism – it is not us to crystallise and promote our in- us Kubilius, former Polish foreign just criticism for being visible in terests within the European Commis- minister Witold Waszczykowski, or the European Parliament. This is a sion. I have already mentioned the German MEP Michael Gahler. criticism that pushes us to achieve important elements for the trio, for All these people are not only more. the Eastern Partnership program for aware that they are supposed to Ukraine: for example, the education help the Ukrainians morally but Did the Support Group for of our youth through the creation they are in fact practical advisers Ukraine (SGUA) at the Europe- of European colleges or the use of to Ukraine. What do I mean? A an Commission offer anything the Erasmus+ program, or the cre- member of the Group of Friends, interesting recently? ation of a separate budget line for Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, has re- the Eastern Partnership countries. peatedly criticised us. But as I have It is not just a support group, In fact, right now, we are actively observed at many European Parlia- it is a large directorate which is a fighting for this last issue. ment meetings, when it comes unique institution whose activities The Support Group helps us in all these issues – not by word, but by deed, as it is fashionable to say. If you remember, there was an immediate reaction by the European Commission to the Russian Federation’s aggres- It is obvious that the EU also sion in the Azov and Black Seas. receives information from the Straight away the European Par- other side, from the lawyers of liament, the Group of Friends we the persons against whom sanc- were talking about, our friends tions have been imposed. After not only made a statement on the each extension of the sanctions, Russian Federation’s aggressive, lawyers file lawsuits with the but they also gave concrete offer European Court of Justice to lift to help Mariupol and its ports in If we want to them. In making its decisions, Mariupol and Berdyansk. get into all these the Court shall take into account This proposal was made by the the information provided by European Commission, but major markets, we must both parties. projects were prepared by SGUA In total, out of 22 people who and directly by Mr Wagner and open ours as well, were on the sanctions list in 2014, his team. This institute is very only 10 remain today. It would be important for us and we are very we must offer our wrong to say that Ukraine un- grateful to the European Commis- der-fulfilled its task. One must sion for extending its mandate European partners consider a set of questions on a and even its powers. Today SGUA opportunities in case-by-case basis. is responsible not only for sectoral cooperation, but also for policy. It those areas where The Prosecutor General’s Of- is formulating additional tasks for fice also submits lists of those Eastern partners through Ukraine. they are weaker who are subject to sanctions? [As of May 2020 - the Support Group for Ukraine is temporarily than us. No, it depends. There are headed by Deputy Director-General four sanction regimes. We just for Neigbourhood Policy and En- talked about individual sanc- largement Negotiations Katarína tions against Ukrainian top of- Mathernová - ed.] ficials; this is only one of the re- gimes. There are still Crimean Recently the EU has lifted sanc- sanctions, first of all, relating tions against former Ukrainian to the annexation of Crimea. high-ranking officials Mykola They provide for a ban on the Azarov and Eduard Stavytsky. import of goods from Crimea Does Ukraine influence these that do not have Ukrainian cer- decisions? tificates of approval, as well as a ban on tourist services in the There is no clear-cut answer here. occupied Crimean peninsula. As a citizen, as a diplomat I feel very There are also so-called sectoral sorry. The Prosecutor General’s Of- sanctions, related to the EU’s fice of Ukraine is responsible for ban on trade with the Russian coordinating the relevant investiga- Federation, for example, of du- tions. I mean they provide the EU al-use goods or the provision of with official information on the sta- technologies for deep-sea explo- tus of the investigation of persons ration and extraction of energy included in the relevant EU sanc- resources, as well as access to tions list. EU primary and secondary capital markets.

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Finally, the fourth regime, In the case of passports, it is the respon- involving personal sanctions sibility of completely different institutions for aggression in the Azov Sea, – those that deal with migration, state se- for those who facilitated the curity, etc. so-called ‘referenda’ and illegal This is a very extensive topic. The sanc- ‘elections’ in the territories of tions for the war in the Donbas were ap- Ukraine temporarily occupied plied, in particular, on certain terrorist by Russia, for those participating leaders, Russian officials who are not in the war in the Donbas, and alive anymore. Of course, after death for those responsible for issuing they are excluded from these sanctions; passports to Ukrainian citizens no one will keep sanctions on dead in the temporarily occupied ter- people. It is necessary to understand ritories of the Donetsk and all these things. The creation of files Luhansk regions. is a very important topic. Our securi- These are the four types of ty services, migration services, and sanctions. In relation to personal Ukrainian diplomacy are involved in sanctions against specific senior this process. officials, these were introduced in response to an appeal by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in 2014 to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. LAND FOR UKRAINIANSLAND FOR OR THEUKRAINIANS STORY OR OFTHE A MORATORIUMSTORY OF A MORATORIUM REFORMS 22 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 23 n 28 April 2020, President of tain stability of the land market, Ukraine Volo- land reform in Ukraine will be dymyr Zelensky very painful. In general, the land signed the Law reform for Ukraine is a litmus test on the Circula- of the complexity of the entire tion of Agricultural Land, which reform process in the country. O In spite of the new government’s was adopted by Ukraine’s parlia- ment, the Verkhovna Rada, fol- declarations about total digitisa- lowing late-night debate on 31 tion, we remain an agricultural March 2020, and which had been country. long-awaited since the declaration of independence. “This is a historic moment for Land arithmetic all Ukrainians and for me per- Ukrainian land arithmetic is sonally. Ukraine has been wait- quite simple. We have almost 60 ing for this law since indepen- million hectares of land. Of these, INNA KRUPNIK dence. It was a difficult struggle. nearly 43 million hectares – or But we knew we were doing it for IS A MARKETER more than two-thirds (70 percent) Ukrainians,” commented Volody- of the country’s total area – are AND ADVERTISING myr Zelensky on this historical agricultural lands. However, land moment. According to the Presi- SPECIALIST. SHE arithmetic is about more than just dent’s official press release, now the quantity of the land, but about HAS WORKED IN we will have to form legislation the land’s quality, and fertile soils, LARGE COMPANIES for land market, and the law will of which 40 percent is black soil. enable the realization of citizens’ Of these, 28 million hectares are FOR MORE THAN 15 constitutional rights to dispose of privately owned plots. At present, YEARS AND HAS A their property freely and to create over 10 million hectares remain transparent conditions for the ac- HIGH PROFESSIONAL in state and communal proper- quisition of agricultural land by ty. During the land moratorium, REPUTATION. SHE Ukrainian citizens. land owners (currently there are IS REGULARLY However, are Ukrainians ready about 7 million, or every sixth PUBLISHED IN for a new “moratorium-free” Ukrainian) could only do two reality? things with their land. They could LEADING UKRAINIAN either cultivate it themselves (one third of the land) or lease it PUBLICATIONS AS Have the issues related to the (56 percent of private plots) at a reform – such as the complexity A COLUMNIST AND non-market price, as well as on of the land situation, the existing conditions of natural exchange COLUMNIST ON TOPICS owners of the land, transparency (obtaining wheat, flour and other of existing and future land regis- SUCH AS NATIONAL grain from the tenant). In addition ters, and the attitude of the farm- to leasing and cultivation, the land REVIVAL, REFORMS, ers themselves – been resolved? circulation was conducted by way CULTURAL PROCESSES, These are still burning questions. of inheritance, purchase and sale, Until the very moment the law was donation, emphysevis (the right to MICROECONOMIC adopted and signed, mass protests use someone else’s land plot for PROCESSES IN of agrarians and public activists agricultural purposes), and mort- took place all over Ukraine, in- UKRAINE, GENDER gages. After all, 76.1 percent of cluding the Government Quar- agricultural land transactions fell ISSUES. PARTICIPANT ter in Kyiv. Fierce controversy, on lease during this period. The doubts, and negative opinions IN CONFERENCES, average rent for one hectare of ag- about the reforms were expressed ricultural land amounted to 8218 FORUMS, AND in social networks. The path to UAH, and 4631 UAH for agricul- the law’s adoption has been quite SEMINARS ON tural commodity production. eventful. ECONOMIC REFORM At the same time, given the tra- AND POLITICAL ditionalism and paternalism of the major part of society, manip- PROCESSES. ulations of politicians and a cer- The ban (moratorium) on lective agricultural enterprises the sale and alienation of by April 2000 by distributing agricultural land (enacted land plots and other property by paragraphs 14-15 of sec- among their members. During tion 10 of the Transitional the elimination process a large In general, the land Provisions of the Land Code part of the rural population of Ukraine) meant that land- acquired the right to own land reform for Ukraine owners could not freely dis- plots. At about the same time, a is a litmus test of pose of it. In this case, the mass process of plot allocation only way to land could prac- was organised. As a result, mil- the complexity tically be transferred was by lions of new owners obtained concluding a lease agreement. title acts for specific land plots. of the entire The reason for the ban was the After the first six years of the lack of infrastructure required moratorium, fixed in the 1992 reform process to introduce an agricultural Land Code, the process of land in the country. In land market. The moratorium purchase and sale commenced. covered 96 percent of agricul- Sales volumes were not signif- spite of the new tural land, with 68% percent icant, but in 2001 a temporary (27.7 million hectares) of pri- moratorium was lobbied, first government’s vately owned plots. In total, 66 for one year and then for four percent of Ukrainian territory years. The moratorium contin- declarations about was captured by the land mor- ued until 2008, when a new pro- atorium. vision to the Land Code was in- total digitisation, troduced: the moratorium could we remain an The history of the only be terminated subject to two laws coming into force – the agricultural moratorium land cadastre law and the land market law. At the beginning country. The moratorium was first in- of 2010, before the presidential troduced in the amended Land election, the Verkhovna Rada the agriculture development Code of March 1992. After the created a legislative framework direction, on the land reform collapse of the USSR in 1991, according to which the mora- format, and the role of the mor- most of the agricultural land in torium would be valid until the atorium on agricultural land Ukraine belonged to the former adoption of the land market law, sales was initiated. Supporters state farms and collective farms but would not expire until 1 Jan- of the moratorium were con- (renamed as “collective agricul- uary 2012. The Verkhovna Rada sidered to be representatives tural enterprises” or collective overcame ’s of the older generation, which enterprises). The gradual reform presidential veto on this law on lived in the Soviet era. At the of the collective agricultural en- the second attempt. The morato- same time, opponents of the terprises by granting their cur- rium was prolonged: in 2011 for moratorium were viewed as be- rent and former members land one year, in 2012 for four years, longing to the younger gener- rights in the form of land plots and then annually in 2015-2018. ations who wish to witness the started in 1995, after Presiden- impact of a market economy tial Decree № 720/95 was signed One step forward, on the rich fertile lands of their in August of that year. Although native country. This is nothing the Decree gave collective ag- two steps back – more than a battle of world- ricultural enterprise members how the land market views. Furthermore, assess- the opportunity to leave the en- ments of the possible economic terprises while retaining their started benefits of lifting the moratori- land plots, the large-scale pro- um were added. Oleg Nivievskyi cess of collective agricultural en- The moratorium could easily of the Kyiv School of Economics terprise elimination by granting have lasted forever if not for the provided the following figures: land plots actually began only requirements of the European USD $35.8 billion of generated in 1999. The new Decree of the Union (EU) and the International added value instead of the actual dated 3 De- Monetary Fund (IMF). Therefore, USD $13.3 billion in 2018, if not for cember 1999 finally stipulated the in 2017, a large-scale, intense and the moratorium. And in that case, requirement to eliminate all col- professional public discussion on GDP could be 17 percent higher. 24 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 25 According to the European contributed to the first changes to Bank for Reconstruction and the land ownership situation. The Development (EBRD), the Court found the land moratorium lack of a land market reduced was a violation of the human right Ukraine’s GDP by about 1 per- to dispose of its property, guar- cent in each year of the mor- After the first anteed by Article 1 of the Protocol atorium. As at 2018, the Min- to the European Convention for the istry of Agrarian Policy and six years of the Protection of Human Rights, and by Food estimated that the nor- Article 41 of Ukraine’s Constitu- mal functioning of the market moratorium, fixed tion, in the absence of an effective for both rent and sale of land agricultural land market. Thus, Eu- could provide revenue from in the 1992 Land rope highlighted to Ukraine the un- USD $700 million to USD $1.5 Code, the process lawfulness of the moratorium and billion each year, in addition recommended that a fair balance to GDP growth of at least 1.5 of land purchase be struck between the interests of percent. The World Bank’s es- agricultural land owners on the timate was 2 percent. and sale one hand and the general inter- Expert discussions in 2019 ests of the community on the other were often accompanied by commenced. hand as soon as possible. manipulations of Ukrainian While the adoption of the Law politicians and the spread of on the Circulation of Agricultural various myths. In the media, Land seems to be a constant trou- the biggest lies of Ukrainian ble, another component of normal than USD $55 in net profit, and agrarian life is quite successful. politicians related to the open- less than USD $218 in revenue. ing of the land market. The The Law on the State Land Cadas- The moratorium prevented tre was adopted in 2011. Prior to its main myths were: the land farmers and large agrarian would be sold for nothing; for- adoption, land plots were not iden- producers from purchasing tified, the acts indicated only the eigners would buy large vol- land, and therefore deprived umes of land; rich landowners size, area and location. In 2013, them of the opportunity to the electronic state land Cadastre would buy all the land; the lack make long-term financial busi- of affordable credits for farm- was launched, and electronic ser- ness plans. Local communities vices on the basis of the state land ers; and the lack of fair judicial and the state budget experi- and law enforcement systems. Cadastre followed in 2015. In 2017, enced a shortage of funds. The the World Bank recognised the Proponents of the land mar- Centre for Economic Strategy ket tried to prove the follow- Ukrainian land Cadastre as one of estimates that about 2.8 billion the most advanced in the world. ing: a ban on disposing of your UAH in tax revenue is lost each own property was a sign of a year due to impossibility of le- non-democratic state; the land gal land purchase-sale deals. market implementation would Not to forget the numerous not affect the property rights of raider seizures of land under citizens, in particular plots’ own- circumstances of legal uncer- ers (given that most of them had tainty. There were other ways The moratorium died while awaiting the reform to circumvent the moratorium: and did not pass down their various schemes for leasing land could easily have land plots); the low rent level plots, their exchange for other on the land prevented farmers land, passing down, the change lasted forever from making money if they did of purpose and further sale, and not want to cultivate it; and that bogus debts of the plot owner if not for the without the moratorium being resulting in further confiscation requirements of lifted, investors would not put via court orders, among others. funds in Ukraine and create jobs. A May 2018 decision of the Eu- the European In addition, the state has never ropean Court of Human Rights been an effective land owner and (ECtHR) in the case of Zelenchuk Union (EU) and manager: on average per hectare and Tsytsyura v. Ukraine [Details in 2018, state-owned agricultural available here: http://hudoc. the International enterprises generated less than echr.coe.int/eng/?i=002-11941] USD $106 in added value com- Monetary Fund pared to private enterprises, less (IMF). Expert assessments of the land market That is, despite the “combating all” image in the media, agrari- by late 2019 ans insisted on a stage-by-stage introduction of the land market, In early September 2019, Presi- which would help to increase the dent Zelensky instructed the gov- efficiency of agricultural produc- ernment to prepare, and the par- tion and consolidate the rights of liament to approve, a draft law on Generally speaking, the main market participants, in the agricultural land market by 1 particular farmers as the main December 2019. Such a draft law the current landowners. The first stage in- would include the lifting of the cludes the adoption of legislative moratorium on land sales. On 13 government seems preconditions for the functioning November 2019, the Verkhovna of the land market, encompassing Rada voted for the draft law 2178- to be far from a constitutional ban on direct or 10, which repealed the ban on the being Ukraine- indirect ownership of agricultural agricultural land sale, in the first land in Ukraine by foreigners and reading. oriented and is foreign legal entities, as well as On 3 January 2020, a draft law persons without citizenship. Other on Amendments to Certain Leg- not committed to legislative reforms envisioned in islative Acts of Ukraine on the the first stage are the allocation of Conditions of Circulation of Ag- quality reforms. state enterprises’ and institutions’ ricultural Land (№2278-10), with The land reform land (NAAS) among former and amendments, was submitted to current employees, the transfer the Verkhovna Rada for the second itself should have of farmers’ agricultural land for reading. On 6 February, the Verk- their permanent use, establishing hovna Rada commenced voting been implemented a priority right to purchase land for the draft law №2178-10 in the plots by current land tenants and/ second reading. As the deputies in a step-by-step or their owners, filling in, mak- of Ukraine submitted over 4,000 and qualitatively ing corrections in the State Land amendments to the draft law, it Cadastre and the State Register was estimated that reviewing and different way. of Real Property Rights, and laws voting on the bill could take be- against the shadow cultivation of tween two and four months. At land, among other reforms. At the the same time public discussions second stage, agrarians propose of the land issue were held. Some the implementation of a pilot proj- matters caused heated discussions the land. Landowners will only ect of land sale, which at this stage between various political and eco- be granted their constitutional is restricted to the acquisition of nomic groups. However, experts of right to dispose of land, and up to 500 hectares per person ex- the agricultural sector were quite they will manage it on their own clusively by private entrepreneurs unequivocal in their comments on discretion. Agrarian associations who are citizens of Ukraine. After matters of land ownership and the have also agreed that it is the second stage and an evalua- free disposal of land. necessary to open the agricultural tion of its results, the third stage Ellina Yurchenko, a land ex- land market, but the terms are foresees the lifting of the mora- pert at the Ukrainian Club of being discussed. The main points torium on the agricultural land Agrarian Business (UCAB), ob- of confrontation remain the issue sale to all Ukrainian citizens. The served that “[f]or almost 20 years, whether foreigners and foreign fourth stage should presuppose various political forces have been companies will get an access to the the lifting of the moratorium on speculating on the subject of opening land market, as well as the volume agricultural companies founded the land market that have generated of agricultural land owned by one exclusively by Ukrainian citizens. public opinion that the land sale entity and related persons. Only the Restrictions on the maximum is evil. Therefore, the statements of opposition parties raise the issue amount of land that can be owned agricultural land owners that they are of the all-Ukrainian referendum by a legal entity (including related against the land market because they regarding the land market. The parties or antitrust restrictions) do not wish to sell their land sound issue of the land market opening has should be imposed and capped at very absurd. But when the market been urgent and its removal from the 5,000 hectares per entity. opens no one will be forced to sell priorities is inappropriate.” 26 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 27 This position is shared by Olexii Kushch, an expert of Denis Marchuk, the depu- the Growford Institute, airs less ty head of the All-Ukrainian optimistic views of the overall Agrarian Council, who not- reform offered by the new gov- ed: “Although the Verkhovna ernment and possible scenari- Rada continues to review the os. He says that “[t]he law-making draft law No.2178-10 on the land mechanisms of the current authority market in the second reading, can be called a ‘new scheme’. Among The main points and certain changes regarding the all the indispensable reforms of confrontation participation of foreigners in the and legislative changes, the most land market and decrease of volume toxic and disturbing issue, the remain the issue in one hand were made between the land reform, has been put on the first and second readings, some key agenda. Moreover, apart from the whether foreigners issues suggested by agrarians were controversial nature of the land issue and foreign com- not taken into account. First of all, for Ukrainians, given our painful it is a requirement of a transition history, society was disturbed by panies will get an period when introducing the land the possible changes like ‘200,000 market. The main point is that hectares to one person’ and ‘non- access to the land at the first stage, only citizens of residents’ participation in land market, as well Ukraine should have access to the purchases’. It is quite possible that purchase of land with a limit of such controversial questions were put as the volume of up to 500 hectares. As for legal by the authorities before the citizens entities, the right to buy land to deliberately so to have a room for agricultural land be given them in a while when the compromise in the points of greatest owned by one agricultural lands are audited, law resistance of society in terms of the enforcement and judicial systems adoption of the land code.” entity and related are established, the problem of With such strategy, any con- raiding in the agricultural sector is cession by current legislators persons. Only the resolved. There should be a certain and their beneficiaries on par- limit for companies, not 10,000 ticularly burning issues seem to opposition parties hectares, but instead a maximum be considered as a step towards raise the issue of of 5,000 hectares per entity. Such placating social unease with the an approach would allow small reforms. Irritated by the idea the all-Ukrainian farmers to enter the land market of giving land to foreigners and with as little pain as possible deeply worried about the future referendum regard- and enable them to compete with of Ukrainian farmers against ing the land mar- large agrarians. After all, small the backdrop of big landown- agribusinesses need loans to buy ers’ large holdings , citizens and ket. The issue of the land, like everyone else. Nowadays, farmers did not notice other many of them are simply not able changes available to them. Every- land market open- to do this, even given the promised one focused on the subject of “not ing has been urgent low interest rates, because they have giving up our native land”. At the neither the necessary credit history, same time, the real resistance of and its removal nor reporting, nor experience of the society to these toxic issues cooperation with banks. That is has been quite low. Ukrainians from the priorities why a transition period is required appear to be against the offered is inappropriate. during which small farmers and options, but not to actively resist banks will learn to interact with them. To further pacify society, each other. If the land market some compromises have been proposed, such as “reducing the chaos in the land sector: the pos- launches for both individuals and sibility of hybrid purchases of legal entities at the same time, it area given to one person to 10,000 hectares” and partially reviewing Ukrainian land by banks using could lead to a collapse for small foreign capital. Banks will alleged- agricultural business resulting in the participation of non-residents in land purchases. ly be allowed to purchase land as its possible disappearance. Without collateral in instances of mort- the ability to get funds to purchase According to critics of the re- forms, well-hidden in public and gage default. It is difficult to imag- land, it is almost impossible for ine the possible volume of land “a them to compete with medium and parliamentary discussions of the first stage of the land reform is reliable bank” might own in the large companies that have access to worst-case scenario. financial resources.” the main factor in, and cause of, It seems like after a while, any state and the Ukrainian farm- bank with foreign capital, actively ers in particular, as a major la- giving credits for the purchase of bour element in these lands. As land, may become the owner of a in Poland, changes to Ukraine’s large volume of agricultural land constitution should be made in Ukraine. The bank will have The state has never immediately to codify the norm two years to sell such land. The that Ukrainian farmers are the mechanisms of bank control and been an effective main users of land in the coun- the terms and conditions of their try. However, reforms did not dealings with land are not cur- land owner and happen as expected. The gov- rently specified, so the prospect ernment has confined itself to for potentially unlawful actions manager: on aver- writing one of the most import- on the part of banks is very realis- age per hectare in ant laws just on five pages and tic. The draft law does not specify continued to introduce chaotic, either a mortgage control body for 2018, state-owned irrelevant amendments to the banks, nor penalties, nor mech- existing code. The land market anisms for lands confiscation in agricultural enter- in Ukraine should definitely be case of breach of the land legis- opened, but it would be bet- lation by the banks. Such loop- prises generated ter to do so under a different, holes could easily lead to fraud less than USD $106 more positive scenario. The first with the land, in a manner similar stage, 5-10 years, would open the to pawnshops: to get credit with- in added value land market for individuals and out inclination for repayment. In farmers, to create a real land ca- other words, simply selling the compared to pri- dastre, to limit the acquisition land to the bank under the guise of land to 500 hectares, among of obtaining a loan. The terms of vate enterprises, others. Thus, Ukrainian farmers’ such loan may vary at the discre- concerns about the inability to tion of the bank – inadequate tim- less than USD $55 cultivate and manage their own ing, inflated interest rates, huge in net profit, and land would be dismissed and the penalties, etc. – and any options state would be able to test how for increasing the land price as a less than USD $218 the land market operates (the collateral can be implied to sell it functioning of the land cadastre, later or to lease it out. Such un- in revenue. registration of land transactions, controlled processes may see the etc.). The scenario implemented accumulation of millions of acres by the current government may of land owned by banks. Unable capital. Generally speaking, the lead to very unfortunate conse- to buy the land because of an ex- current government seems to quences. The redistribution of tremely high price inflated by be far from being Ukraine-ori- land capital, expected by the pes- banks, the state (even if it wants ented and is not committed to simists, may somehow resemble to nationalise it) will not even be quality reforms. The land re- the initial redistribution of capi- able to compensate the value of form itself should have been tal, assets, and the privatisation such land, as it would amount to implemented in a step-by-step of enterprises in the 1990s, with billions of dollars. and qualitatively different way. all the negative consequences: Such a situation might be avoid- First, there should have been a raider attacks, general criminali- ed by introducing legislation pre- holistic draft of a new land code, ty, loss of land by farmers. venting banks from becoming rather than superficial changes the owners of land they secured or amendments, as the current What about the IMF? as a mortgage. Such legislation code does not meet the needs would require banks to sell such of the modern landowners. The It is no secret that the opening land as collateral through state- new Land Code should have con- of the land market is one of the owned online trading platforms tained a real system of checks requirements for continued effec- (for example, a special Ministry and balances, to prevent, for ex- tive cooperation with the IMF. Ac- of Justice platform, etc.). This ample, such a popular phenom- cording to some analysts, Ukraine was the primary purpose of this enon as land grabbing (a raider received the last extended fund- draft of the current government: seizure of land by large corpo- ing from the IMF only after adopt- to launch land purchases through rations). Second, the reform out ing the land law and thereby schemes with banks with foreign to have introduced more robust fulfilling the IMF’s land market protections of the interests of the requirements. Although the IMF 28 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 29

generously and unconditional- • From 1 July 2021 to 2024, only ly disburses anti-coronavirus individuals will be allowed to pur- loans to countries to tackle the chase land. Legal entities will be consequences of the pandemic, prohibited from buying agricul- likely that tenants will have pri- these two separate IMF financ- tural land; or agreements with speculative ing programmes – one relat- • Municipal and state lands are investors and will become actu- ed to coronavirus, the other to not allowed to be offered for sale; al sellers of the land plots. the land market – seem to have • The issue of granting foreign- Second, the law provides no merged into one in Ukraine. ers the right to buy land will be re- restrictions on the concentra- Therefore, the law was passed solved in a separate referendum; tion of land per person within in the rush. And its provisions • Land within 50 kilometres of one region or united territorial may carry negative consequenc- Ukraine’s borders cannot be pur- community. Although this issue es. There are those who refer to chased by foreigners, despite the will be given urgency from 2023, this law, adopted promptly and results of the referendum; the amendment on the concen- without proper professional dis- • A person currently renting a tration of land within a united cussion, as an unfair plunder- land plot will be given priority in territorial community (35 per- ing of Ukrainian land. After the its purchase. The tenant has the cent) has disappeared from the law was signed into force by the opportunity to transfer this right final version of the law. Most Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, to purchase the land to another agricultural holdings already an investment banker, Sergei person, but the owner must be no- exceed this norm within a sin- Fursa, called the legislation “a tified in writing. Tenants who cul- gle community. An amendment story about a lost chance” on his tivate the land and have the right of 35 percent would destabi- Facebook page. According to Fursa, to use it granted until 2010, can lise established lease relations. the new restriction to buy no more purchase this land by instalments This is the reason why it was than 100 hectares per individual for a period of up to 10 years at removed. According to the Cab- in the period between July 2021 the minimal price of such plots as inet of Ministers’ Reform Office and January 2024 will not create defined by the state and without study, in most regions (except significant demand for land, so holding land auctions. The buyer Volyn, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, prices will not rise and farmers will receives the right of ownership af- Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, not earn money. And the fact that ter the first payment; Ternopil, Kherson, and Cher- state-owned land is prohibited for • The minimum price until nivtsi), the share of arable land sale will allow “corrupt officials to 2030 is not less than the minimum used by the largest landowners continue parasitizing on it.” Fur- price defined by the state; and exceeds 35 percent, indicative of sa further claims that “[t]he last • Banks will be able to become monopoly power. There is also amendments, adopted with little owners of the land only if the land the possibility that one person or no consideration, destroyed the was given to them as collateral on will purchase all the land within whole economic essence of this a loan. Financial institutions must one united territorial community reform. It will have no economic sell such plots within two years af- and this can make the communi- effect - neither at the macro level nor ter obtaining ownership. ty dependent on one company. at the micro level.” The main concerns of represen- A third concern is that land tatives of the economic and agrar- market reform should have been What are the main ian communities regarding the implemented considering the chosen land reform direction are current economic risks of a pan- provisions, and pos- as follows: demic, which developed coun- sible consequences, First, the mechanisms to con- tries have already encountered. trol the circulation of land are not Changes should be implemented of the Law? outlined. In case the tenant gives only after the crisis is over. Be - other persons the priority right cause, under the current condi- The main provisions of the law to buy the land, this may lead to tions, the land may “come under are as follows: certain schemes of land concen- the hammer”, Ukraine may sell • For the first two and a half tration. If the owner wishes to sell the country’s main asset for a pit- years, individuals are limited to his land plot and the company tance and will not obtain any eco- purchasing a maximum of 100 does not have the right to buy it, nomic benefits. hectares of land. From 2024, this the tenant will transfer the priori- limit will increase to 10,000 hect- ty right to another person for fur- ares per person, as stipulated by ther repurchase. This will initiate the latest draft law; speculations and frauds, as it is Furthermore, farmers, already feeling the impact of the crisis, of land. There is also no budget simply do not have the funds to support program for farmers. purchase land, so there is a high Some small farmers say that the Dr. Moldavan and the Centre risk that speculators will take scenario foreseen by experts has for Agrarian Reforms, which she over the market. Currently, some every chance of becoming a real- heads, is furthermore lobbying banks refuse to give credits to ity and most of them will have to for the extension of the Farmers farmers that would allow them sell their land plots to make ends Support Fund authorities, which to finish the sowing process. meet. They will have to deal with could become a fund for long- Almost no bank gives either af- the consequences of frozen eco- term credits to farmers for the fordable or any business loans to nomic activity and sell their land purchase of land during the crisis. agricultural businesses. In such for nothing. According to Dr. Moldavan, “[w] circumstances, it will be difficult Except for these land-based e described how it worked in other to obtain credit for the purchase doubts, agrarian scientists are countries and insisted on setting up alarmed by the lack of provisions a regulatory agency. I am afraid, due that oblige farmers to care for the to our recklessness, current issues restoration and conservation of will prevent further development of fertility of Ukrainian soils. The the reform in the right direction. All Director General of the Centre this should be completed by 2023, as Dr. Liubov for Agrarian Reforms, long as only the individuals have the Moldavan The new restriction , said that she was right to purchase land.” currently working to additional- However, as Ukrainians say, to buy no more ly introduce into the Ukrainian “wait and see”. The people have legislation seven EU regulations sincere hopes that the govern- than 100 hectares that oblige agricultural produc- ment will find ways to overcome ers to care for soil fertility: “With the economic crisis and will stra- per individual in years the land will become even tegically (not in a corrupt way) more critical resource, well, we have use the money provided by the the period between to learn to look ahead to the future! IMF for the land law. Therefore, July 2021 and The population is increasing and no significant deterioration in the land depletes because of constant economic situation in the coun- January 2024 exploitation. Everyone, not only try will occur, and those farmers politicians, should take care of this: impoverished as a result of the will not create a plant is the sun, water and earth crisis will not sell the most effi- from which the plant absorbs the cient agricultural lands to large significant demand entire spectrum of microelements, corporations. phosphorus, calcium, potassium. for land, so prices Microelements should be returned so that the earth could retain its will not rise and qualities. This is a manual of farmers will not agriculture. It is obligatory to return microelements and to fertilize the earn money. And land using organics, and we either do the fact that state- it insufficiently or don’t do it at all.” owned land is prohibited for sale will allow “corrupt officials to continue parasitizing on it.”

30 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 31 Глобальна українська ініціатива

Озеленення ПланетиГлобальна ініціатива

9-15 листопада 2020, міжнародна акція з висадження дерев в рамках глобальної ініціативи «Озеленення планети» в 100 країнах світу

[email protected] +38 (050)-663-01-32 UKRAINE AFTER THEUKRAINE REVOLUTION AFTER THE OF DIGNITYREVOLUTION – BETWEEN OF POPULISMDIGNITY –AND BETWEEN REALITYPOPULISM AND REALITY

TARAS BYK HAS WORKED IN JOURNALISM, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, ON PROJECTS IN CIVIC AND POLITICAL SECTORS AND ON RESEARCH OF PUBLIC OPINION IN UKRAINE SINCE 2003. TODAY, HE IS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS DIRECTOR AT THE WOODEN HORSE STRATEGIES COMPANY.

he 2019 presiden- tial and parliamen- tary elections have drastically changed the face of the poverty and total corruption, Ukrainian govern- and the authorities led by Pres- Tment. First, a person who had ident Petro Poroshenko are to nothing to do with politics before blame. Ukraine after the Rev- became President of the coun- olution of Dignity, indeed, had try, and then a new non-systemic not demonstrated miracles in political party with people on its its development: military ac- list who had never been MPs be- tivities in the occupied east- fore took an absolute majority of ern region of the Donbas still seats in the Parliament. In both claimed the lives of Ukrainian cases, the President and his party soldiers, the country’s GDP per collected a record-high number capita remained one of the low- of votes in the history of indepen- est in Europe, and activists reg- dent Ukraine. ularly reported corruption cases The pre-election messages of at all levels of government. But the future winners (as well as all was the situation really that bad? other then-opposition parties and Let’s look at some numbers and Russian propaganda) were simple research to answer this question. – Ukraine is stuck in an ongoing

IMAGE OF UKRAINE: OF IMAGE FACTCHECK war and experiencing increasing 32 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 33

Number of Ukrainian defenders killed as a result of the Russian aggression

Sources: Wikipedia; memorybook.org.ua; BBC News Ukraine; Ukraine Crisis Media Center. War

First of all, we start with that most horrific and painful num- ber – of the Ukrainian defend- ers who have died as a result of the Russian aggression. End- ing the war is, primarily, about saving people’s lives. Six years after the beginning of hostili- ties, Ukraine is still regularly shaken by the tragic news of heroes killed on the frontlines. However, this number has con- siderably decreased since 2014. Even though it’s still hard to be- lieve and accept that humans are dying in a war in 21st cen- tury Europe, it’s even harder to Ukraine’s real GDP growth, %

imagine the scale of the tragedy Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. if the number of deaths in 2014 and 2015 continued at the same rate to the present day.

Poverty

Now, we will analyse two key indicators of economic and so- cial development – the annual changes of real GDP and real wag- es. In 2014-15, given the after-ef- fects of the Yanukovych regime – which left country’s budget empty – and Russia’s occupation of 7 percent of Ukraine’s territo- ry, including the industrial East, Ukraine naturally produced the worst economic indicators in the Real wages growth in Ukraine, % country’s post-independence his- Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. tory. However, the country man- aged to recover quickly and since 2016 has secured systemic growth – both in terms of the country’s economy and citizens’ real wag- es. In fact, it was only during the fourth quarter of 2019 – well after the change of government – that the GDP’s level of growth was the lowest in four years and the pre- vious positive trajectory declined.

Corruption are necessary to achieve desired goals. Unfortunately, perception Finally, we will look at two in politics is still reality, and the indicators that shed light on populism of the last elections, the level of corruption in the were long on promises and short country – Transparency Inter- on facts. national’s Corruption Percep- tion Index, as well as the World Bank’s Doing Business Report. The latter report does not cap- ture the level of corruption di- rectly. However, the research Score of Ukraine in the Corruption Perceptions Index contained in the report demon- Source: Transparency International. «100» means the country strates inefficient regulation, is very clean of corruption, «0» - highly corrupt which typically goes hand-in- hand with corruption. Despite regular accusations that the former government was involved in overwhelming corruption, every year since 2014 Transparency Internation- al reported positive changes in Ukraine’s anti-corruption ef- forts. It was only in 2019 – once again, after the change of gov- ernment – that this positive trajectory was lost. As for the Doing Business report, Ukraine improved its ranking by 32 po- sitions since the Revolution of Dignity. Ukraine’s Position in the Doing Business Reports Source: World Bank. As we can see, the overwhelm- Data in Doing Business Report 2020 is collected as of May 1, 2019. ingly negative messages about the situation in Ukraine that were used during the 2019 elec- tion campaigns were quite far from reality. Russian aggression has been contained in the Don- bas, with Ukraine even regaining some of its territory. The econo- my demonstrated stable growth and the country established one of the most elaborate systems of anti-corruption institutions in the world. However, in today’s era of informational warfare, bright messages offering simple and fast solutions are often more appeal- ing to voters than deep analysis and hard, long-term efforts, which

34 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 35 UKRAINE UKRAINE VERSUS RUSSIA

THETHE RUSSIAN RUSSIAN DISINFORMATIONDISINFORMATION VIRUS VIRUSAND AND ITS VICTIMSITS IN VICTIMSUKRAINE IN UKRAINE ANDAND THE THE EU EU STEPAN NAZARENKO IS A UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST, PUBLICIST AND VOLUNTEER. HE HAS WORKED FOR NUMEROUS WELL-KNOWN BUSINESS MEDIA AND TV CHANNELS. 36 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 37

ar, far away in the state of Mary- land in the United States of America, there is a dark and evil place called Fort FDetrick, where Pentagon hawks develop deadly viruses that, from time to time, break free from se- cret laboratories and kill thou- sands of people. How old is this story? More than 30 years old, for sure. Back in the 1980s, the KGB spread information that AIDS, one of the deadliest pandemics of the 20th century, was of artificial origin and originated from Fort Detrick. There was no Internet at that time, so this conspiracy theo- ry was spread through a number of media loyal to the USSR and left-wing intellectual circles. The political environment at the time demonized the United States and NATO, and the AIDS pandemic provided another opportunity to blame the ‘American military’. In The USSR had its its information campaigns, Rus- own bacteriological sia has used the myth of secret US laboratories spreading dangerous test site in the viruses many times: Fort Detrick has been referred to during the closed city called UKRAINE UKRAINE VERSUS RUSSIA outbreaks of Ebola, bird flu, and swine flu. COVID-19 is no excep- Aralsk-7 (now tion. The Kremlin is trying to use the panic caused by the corona- in Uzbekistan), virus pandemic to its favour: to the Aralsk-7 undermine the Western world, to cause disorder and panic, and laboratories were to take advantage of the West’s weaknesses. moved to Russia Fort Detrick actually exists. It is home to the headquarters of after the collapse of the Walter Reed Army Institute of the USSR. However, Research. The institute operates in the field of biomedicine. Its ac- Russia prefers not tivity is, of course, classified, but there is no convincing evidence to mention this that bacteriological weapons and dangerous diseases are being (caring about its developed there. For those peo- own secrecy). ple with a vivid imagination and prone to conspiracy theories, it is enough to simply know about the existence of Fort Detrick; their imaginations do the rest – and Rus- sian disinformation resources defi- nitely help. The USSR had its own bacteriologi- moted by pro-Russian populists cal test site in the closed city called (in particular by Buzhanskyi Aralsk-7 (now in Uzbekistan), the and Dubynskyi, deputies of the Aralsk-7 laboratories were moved pro-presidential Servant of the to Russia after the collapse of the People party) is the harmfulness USSR. However, Russia prefers of former Healthcare Minister not to mention this (caring about Uliaina Suprun’s medical re- its own secrecy) and instead seeks form and stories about Western to shift all responsibility for the agents, so-called sorosiata, who spread of dangerous diseases onto allegedly work against Ukraine’s the United States. interests, including in the field Ukraine has always occupied a of healthcare. Pro-Russian me- special place in Russian disinfor- dia spread panic from inside, mation operations. The pandemic while Russian media do the is again no exception. The Russian same from outside. Thus, on 20 media, and pro-Russian media March 2020, the Russia 24 TV inside Ukraine, started to air sto- channel reported that “Ukraine ries about American laboratories is a coronavirus incubator and in our country in the early 2000s, there are 15 secret bacteriologi- during Viktor Yushchenko’s pres- The Russian cal laboratories on its territory.” idency. The objectives of these Requests to investigate the activ- media, and pro- disinformation campaigns are ob- ities of these laboratories appear vious: to spread anti-Western and from time to time on the website Russian media anti-NATO sentiment and to create of the President of Ukraine. the spectre of an enemy. Ukraini- inside Ukraine, Russia pursues several goals ans were intimidated by Amer- in its disinformation campaign. ican laboratories even during started to air stories First, it wishes to discredit Yanukovych’s presidency: in this Ukraine in front of the world about American way, Russia set up ‘safeguards’ to community as a failed state with keep Kyiv from advancing too far a low level of healthcare, and as laboratories in towards Euro-Atlantic integration a ‘coronavirus incubator’ with an and to mobilise its fifth column. our country in the uncontrollably large number of For instance, the newspaper 2000, COVID-19 cases. Second, Russia controlled by Viktor Medvedchuk, early 2000s, during hopes to cause disorder within and Odessa regional media pro- Ukraine. There are a number of vided the base for the spread of Viktor Yushchenko’s fake stories circulating on social these ‘horror stories’. A new wave networks that suggest Ukrainians presidency. of disinformation started during working abroad are to blame for the COVID-19 pandemic. Its scale the spread of the virus (thus hop- is evidenced by research by the ing to trigger hatred towards those Institute of Mass Media, which from Ukraine’s western regions, found that between 14 April and where many people who work 20 May 2020 there were 66 stories abroad live). These stories con- posted on five websites – 112.ua, tinue to allege that those people newsone.ua, zik.ua, strana.ua left Ukraine during the war and and unian.ua – that contained returned only when the pandemic information about secret lab- forced them to do so. This message oratories in Ukraine. The first is absolutely wrong: Ukrainians four outlets have a longstanding working abroad provide massive reputation of being pro-Russian, financial support to the Ukrainian while the latter is controlled by army, and a large number of an- the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi. ti-terrorist operation veterans This is not the only sign of an themselves work in EU countries. ‘infodemic’. Another myth pro- 38 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 39

However, the percentage of people working abroad who attempt to use the pandemic as an ar- come from Ukraine’s east- gument to lift sanctions. The Russian ern territories is much lower, Foreign Ministry appeals to humanity so false reporting about the and universal values, while stating that spread of cases among Ukrai- ‘artificial restrictions’ create obstacles nians from the country’s west to a common fight against the pan- provide another opportuni- demic. Through its foreign broadcast ty to talk about “two different channels, such as Russia Today, and Ukraines”. loyal politicians (such as former Ger- “The global COVID-19 pan- man Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, demic has become another conve- as well as the representatives of vari- nient opportunity for the Krem- ous Eurosceptic and radical parties in lin to push propaganda on the the EU), Moscow voices the need to lift international political arena,” sanctions. However, the majority of says Roman Burko, founder of European Parliament members and the international volunteer com- EU countries’ leaders believe that lift- munity InformNapalm. “Russia ing sanctions is inappropriate as Rus- has resorted to a number of opera- sia has not reversed the annexation tions in order to quarrel with, and of Crimea and continues the war in weaken, EU countries during the Donbas. Russia’s current rhetoric – difficult time of the pandemic.” that it wants to fight the pandemic in Burko provides the example of collaboration with the whole world – the ‘humanitarian convoy’ sent resembles Soviet rhetoric, which tried by Russia to Italy, which involving Russia conducts to promote the image of the USSR as the a large-scale transfer of Rus- a ‘fighter for peace’ while at the same sian special equipment and mili- operations aimed time waging war in Afghanistan and tary to a NATO country. “Italy did at destroying supplying weapons to dozens of other not get any real benefit from this, hotspots. The Kremlin likewise does as 80 percent of Russian ‘aid’ to Ukrainian- not backdown from its aggression to- combat COVID-19 was unsuitable wards other states and opportunisti- for use. But Russian propaganda American relations cally uses the pandemic as a mask to has benefited from the opportuni- evade sanctions. ty to psychologically influence the and interfering in Ukraine’s deputy minster for infor- EU and NATO and to encourage a the US elections, mation policy, Dmytro Zolotukhin, pro-Russian fifth column in Italy.” an expert in the field of information According to Burko, “disinforma- while discrediting wars and competitive intelligence, tion actively produced in Russia believes that the world is yet to learn became a boomerang, which result- Ukraine through its from past failures to appreciate ed in mass protests of people who the importance of the information deny the existence of COVID-19, agents of influence sphere during crises: “In my view, it want to burn 5G towers, and who in that country. is the same mistake that has already succumb to other absurd conspiracy been made in 2014-16 in the global theories.” practice of understanding the pro- Just as Iranian propaganda cre- cesses of information space in times of ates the image of the ‘small devil’ crisis. Let me remind you that, in those (Israel) and the ‘great devil’ (the times, the term ‘misinformation’ be- United States), so too does Rus- came fashionable, and it also became sia seek to create a small enemy, fashionable to finance initiatives on Ukraine, and a great enemy, the research of this phenomenon. Howev- United States, for its citizens. The er, the phenomenon of misinformation benefit is obvious: to shift respon- was considered generally. Like a natu- sibility for the pandemic from Rus- ral phenomenon. I have always stated sian authorities to hostile states. that studying a phenomenon in isola- Given the scale of COVID-19 in tion from its beneficiary and initiator Russia, this process is quite easily is counterproductive. understood. Another similar be- haviour for Russia and Iran is the As a result, we have an idea of some “spherical misinformation in a vacuum” without any under- standing of how to achieve results while fighting it. In February 2020, the term ‘infodemic’ appeared and spread very quickly. It has the It is hard to believe that Russia’s same nature and dynamics. People intentions are sincere. A country that discuss the problem without saying wants to become part of a common where it comes from. Another mis- front against the pandemic would not take is to constantly repeat the view fish in muddy waters, making disin- that Russia is trying to chaotize formation waves. Russia’s central tele- global processes simply “out of love vision broadcasts that Bill Gates is a need’. However, the Kremlin’s act of for this art.” Every country has spe- ‘beneficiary’ of the coronavirus, while ‘humanitarian salvation’ was an- cific goals, which it achieves with in most countries this kind of informa- other performance aimed at saving the help of information levers. In tion exists only in marginal resources. itself. Its objective was to convince particular, with regard to Ukraine, Russian media also peddles the con- the Europeans of the need to lift a specific goal of Russia is to desta- spiracy theory linking 5G infrastruc- sanctions.” One example of this bilise the socio-political situation, ture to the virus. Anti-vaccine com- phenomenon which Romaniuk which then results in the spread of munities, conspiracy theorists, and cites relates to Russian media re- narratives about Ukraine being a xenophobes are the audience, and are ports that Germany’s parliament, ‘failed state’. For instance, narra- willing to accept any ‘alternative facts’ the Bundestag, would move to lift tives like hospitals not seeming to about COVID-19. Russia has been sanctions against Russian in or- be ready to receive patients. Anoth- working with these social groups der to foster a collaborative fight er context for the Kremlin’s active around the world for years, so the against the coronavirus. According actions is that the fight against the time of the pandemic has become, in to Romaniuk, “Waldemar Herdt, a pandemic is taking place against this sense, a “golden age”. member of the German Bundestag the background of the US presiden- “The main subjects of Russian dis- International Committee, became tial election, for which the world is information are discrediting Europe the German hero of agitprop who preparing. In this regard, Russia and the United States, attacking the called to do so. Herdt, a well-known conducts operations aimed at de- Ukrainian information space, and Kremlin puppet, is originally from stroying Ukrainian-American rela- imposing the issue of the sanctions Kazakhstan and is a member of the tions and interfering in the US elec- lifting,” says Victoria Romaniuk, far-right Alternative for Germany tions, while discrediting Ukraine deputy editor-in-chief of StopFake, party. He repeatedly visited the tem- through its agents of influence in an organisation which seeks to com- porarily occupied Crimea and par- that country. Cases related to the bat disinformation. “Since the end of ticipated in the Russian Economic demonization of Bill Gates around last year, conspiracy theories about Forum in Yalta.” Noting that Herdt’s the world, as well as the super-pow- the collusion of the Western world opinions are his own and not rep- erful fake about 5G infrastructure and the that coronavirus is a fabri- resentative of the German govern- spreading the virus, should also be cation created by the United States ment’s official position, Romaniuk examined separately. I believe the (and personally by Donald Trump notes that Herdt’s comments reflect ‘directors of Kremliwood’ (the Krem- and Bill Gates) have been actively the official Russian line. “[Herdt’s] lin’s factory for producing disinfor- spread in the Russian media.” At the propaganda is not original and has mation, which Zolotukhin compares same time, Romaniuk says, propa- a traditional set of subjects: ‘Ukraine to Hollywood – ed.) could have been gandists working for the Kremlin is a not a real state’, ‘Ukraine is a involved in spreading this delusion. have stoked rumours about the EU’s project of the EU and the US’, ‘Ukrai- As for the lifting of sanctions: in a weaknesses and its supposed inabil- nians strive to return to the USSR’, nutshell, it is absurd, at least because ity to combat the coronavirus crisis, ‘Ukrainians are fascists’, and, of if Russia were concerned about in- while predicting the collapse of the course, ‘we are not able to overcome ternational cooperation and support Schengen travel zone. “Russia had neither the crisis nor the coronavirus in fighting coronavirus pandemic, demonstrated its invulnerability to without Russia’.” it would lift its counter-sanctions the disease and created the image of against Western countries on its own itself as a heroic rescuer who has ‘pro- initiative. vided aid’ to ‘European countries in

40 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 41

The pandemic, being a pow- erful informational pretext, has stifled all other news. The war in Ukraine is hardly mentioned in Europe, which leads to alarming Russia’s central assumptions. Russia is likely to fire another volley of disinforma- television tion to the weakened West in the hopes that disunity in Europe and broadcasts that America will see the post-Sovi- et space return to the orbit of the Bill Gates is a Kremlin’s influence. This is ob- ‘beneficiary’ of the viously a post-colonial approach and an attempt to deprive Ukraine coronavirus, while and other former Soviet repub- lics of subjectivity in foreign pol- in most countries icy. There are no real reasons for such ‘compromises’. Our country this kind of remains committed to its civilised choice and, despite all the trials, information exists has been given no reasons to ques- only in marginal tion its path. resources. Russian Russia had media also peddles demonstrated its the conspiracy invulnerability to theory linking 5G the disease and infrastructure to created the image the virus. of itself as a heroic rescuer who has ‘provided aid’ to ‘European countries in need’. DISINFORMATION CANDISINFORMATION KILL CAN KILL

NATALIA RICHARDSON IS A UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST SPECIALIZING IN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS.

ern Neighbourhood” and to “identif[y] and expose[] dis- information.” According to Stano, information.” The East Strat- there are two trends in the current Com’s budget increased from infodemic. Initially, Russia did not €1.1 million in 2018 to €3 mil- seem to be affected by the virus and lion in 2019. Specialists of the pocalyptic scenari- promoted a number of conspiracy unit monitor media, analyse os, the collapse of theories, including disinformation disinformation and data, and Europe, the degra- about how the virus emerged. There publish their findings on the dation of Ukraine, were narratives that COVID-19 is a EU vs Disinfo website in En- the coronavirus biological weapon of NATO or the glish, Russian, German, Italian, as the EU’s Chor- United States, but, at the same time, Spanish, and French. nobyl, and that the USA manufac- the pro-Putin media spread stories А The task force ensures that tured the pandemic virus: these that coronavirus did not exist at all. narratives spread by Russia’s are just examples of narratives They then advised on how to fight propaganda are spotted and ex- peddled by pro-Kremlin disinfor- this ‘biological weapon’ or ‘non-ex- plained to the general public. mation outlets that are scrutinized istent’ threat: to drink milk and On 22 January 2020 they recorded by a unit at the European External take Zinc tablets instead of washing the first piece of disinformation Action Service (EEAS), which iden- hands. “Everything was in confu- about COVID-19, released by tifies Russia’s disinformation. The sion in the Oblonskys’ house” – this the Russian state-funded Sput- COVID-19 pandemic has seen the quote by Leo Tolstoy seems very nik News, which reported that situation with false information relevant in the case of Russia’s disin- the virus is a manmade weapon from the Kremlin become even formation war. created by NATO. Peter Stano, more dangerous. EEAS head Josep Peter Stano observed that lead spokesperson for Foreign Borrell warns that “[d]isinforma- “[o]f course, a big part of the disin- Affairs and Security Policy at the tion is playing with people’s lives. formation, of misinformation efforts, EEAS told Brussels Ukraïna Re- Disinformation can kill.” linked to Russia was to blow out of view: “Coronavirus brought many The East StratCom Task Force proportion the dramatic situation in opportunities for all those who are was created in 2015 to deal with European countries, so the pro-Krem- involved in disinformation activі- Moscow’s disinformation cam- lin outlets were saying that the EU is ities… Russia traditionally has a paigns. The unit has 16 full-time about to collapse, the EU is not able to track record to be engaged in it most staff members whose task is not to help their member states. They were of the time and has the most sophis- engage in counter-propaganda, but promoting this narrative that basi- ticated and the most widespread “to explain and promote the Euro- cally we are not able to handle, and instruments to advance misinforma- pean Union’s policies in the East- we need Russia and China to jump in tion, propaganda, or right away dis- and help us.” 42 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 43

use credible sources. According But then the situation the Soviet Union had been using dis- to Stano, the Kremlin’s disinfor- changed between the end of information, but it took months or mation campaigns are more suc- March and mid-April, when even years to actually sow the disin- cessful in those countries “either Russia started to record cases formation campaign, and make it ef- in transition, such as the Balkan of coronavirus on its own fective. Nowadays it just takes days, countries, the Eastern Neighbour- territory. Observers noticed sometimes even 24 hours to spread a hood countries (including Ukraine a change in the content of simple piece of disinformation. And – ed.), or countries where there is disinformation, with narra- the level of resources that the EU and huge distrust in authorities anyway, tives shifting from mitigating the EU countries put into fighting it is countries where there are polarised the seriousness of the virus incomparable to how much effort the opinions, where the political land- to finding a scapegoat for its Kremlin put into it.” scape is very polarised.” spread. According to Stano, Víchová thinks that the East “[n]ow most of the cases re- StratCom Task Force is doing a great garding disinformation of the and very important job, but she de- actors who are based or linked scribes its financial resources and to Russia is playing with con- personnel as insufficient:“It is just spiracy theories like ok, this is a couple of dozen people trying to a biological weapon, this is the analyse disinformation campaigns instrument of the West to attack in all the European languages. And and weaken its competitors like when you compare this small task- During the China or Russia.” Elsewhere, force to the propaganda machinery disinformation has been tied that is employed by the Kremlin, that Cold War, the to existing conspiratorial narra- is not possible to do. Plus, their man- Soviet Union tives and movements, including date is not that strong, you know, they anti-vaxxer and 5G conspira- can collect examples of disinforma- had been using cies. “You see a lot of disinforma- tion, and they can issue newsletters, tion related to vaccination, to but what they can actually do about disinformation, tracking applications,” Stano it, that is quite questionable. So, the explains, “so the conspiracy the- people who work there are great and, but it took months ories of disinformation actors like I said, their job is important, but are playing also with a notion, it is not enough.” or even years to or with a theory, of global elites At the same time, Stano reiter- actually sow the trying to have total control of the ates that most EU member states citizens.” Particularly popular have their own entities to deal with disinformation at the moment are disinforma- disinformation, creating a ripe en- tion narratives linking 5G tele- vironment for collaboration: “We campaign, and communication infrastructure cooperate very closely with NATO, with the coronavirus, either as its with G7 partners, which means we make it effective. source, the cause of its spread, or are pooling and sharing,” Stano ex- Nowadays it as a means for powerful actors to plains. “So, when you look at it, it is monitor and spy on people. These not just the number of people working just takes days, narratives, Stano says, enjoy “very on disinformation in the EEAS Strat- strong engagement, but you see Com, but a whole network of people sometimes even that engagement is adapting, and working on this in the member states then narratives are adapting, based both at the national level, in terms of 24 hours. on the situation in Russia.” authorities, official entities, but also Veronika Víchová, head of civil society, fact-checkers, journalists, the Kremlin Watch Program at people who are willing to work on the Prague-based European Val- this with us and who are also sharing ues Center for Security Policy, told information.” He underlines that it Brussels Ukraïna Review that Mos- is possible to counteract Moscow’s cow uses the same disinformation disinformation and propaganda to strategies as in the Soviet era, but some extent by teaching the pub- modern technologies make the task lic media literacy, to enable people much easier: “During the Cold War, to double-check information and Besides Europe, one important front of Russia’s disinformation at- tacks is, of course, the United States. According to Víchová, “the general “If you ever need a helping hand, approach of the Kremlin during the it’s at the end of your arm,” said the pandemic has been anti-American. wonderful actress Audrey Hepburn. Partly I think it is because the Krem- Common sense and media litera- lin’s outlets have been repeating and cy can prove useful in this difficult amplifying the official Chinese pro- The Kremlin’s time of the coronavirus pandemic. paganda, which mostly just tries to “Stay healthy; don’t be deceived”, the blame the whole crisis on the US, or outlets have been East StratCom Task Force encourag- even suggests that the US created the es readers to its website, which can virus or that American soldiers are repeating and be found at https://euvsdisinfo.eu/. spreading it.” Víchová observes that Robert van Voren, Professor “many Kremlin and pro-Kremlin amplifying the of Soviet- and Post-Soviet Studies sources have been repeating this kind official Chinese at Vytautas Magnus University in of disinformation, but that has been Kaunas and Chief Executive of Fed- the issue before as well. I mean, the propaganda, which eration Global Initiative on Psychia- US is often been demonised by these try, Director of the Andrei Sakharov outlets, and the coronavirus only mostly just tries to Research Center draws attention to offers another chance to do it even another aspect - the misinforma- more.” blame the whole tion in Russia itself, in its medical In this confrontation with the sector: “Unfortunately, the falsifi- West, Russia very actively uses so- crisis on the US, cation of death rates regarding the cial media as one of the quickest or even suggests COVID-19 pandemic in Russia is and most effective ways to diffuse not new, but rather a continuation any kind of disinformation. Re- that the US created of old practices. In Soviet times sta- cently, the Dutch Home Affairs tistics were made not to reveal the minister, Kasja Ollongren, said the virus or that truth but to consolidate the desired in a letter to the parliament of the truth, and thus they were wholly un- country that the Netherlands in- American soldiers trustworthy. Now, it is no different. telligence services found “Russian are spreading it. While in Dagestan some time ago 27 narratives” about coronavirus in cases of coronavirus related deaths some Dutch-language social me- were reported, there were also 657 dia groups. Published posts under- “community induced pneumonia” lined alleged divisions in Europe deaths, of which at least part was re- and a supposed lack of mutual lated to COVID-19. The Ministry of solidarity in the EU in the fight Health of Russia at the end of May against COVID-19. Víchová thinks stated that cases in which the patient that during the pandemic “the one did not have any complaints would thing social media tries to do is at not be added to the statistics, while least push factual information a little now Moscow has almost doubled the bit towards its users, but in general, number of coronavirus related deaths when it comes to fighting disinfor- by adding “disputed” ones. In reali- mation, I think most of the efforts is- ty, probably the mortality rates are sued especially by Facebook have been far higher than reported, and when mostly for show.” Víchová believes one knows the level of hospital care in that, unfortunately, “the division of the further out regions of Russia, one society that has been amplified by cannot really believe that Russians disinformation is kind of a basis for are miraculously partially “immune” a business model for companies like to COVID-19 and are not dying at far Facebook, so I don’t think they have higher numbers.” a real interest in fighting disinforma- tion, and many of the measures that they took were only very shallow.”

44 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 45

Russia did not Recently, the seem to be affected Dutch Home by the virus Affairs minister, and promoted Kasja Ollongren, a number of said in a letter to conspiracy the parliament of theories, including the country that disinformation the Netherlands about how the virus intelligence services emerged. There found “Russian were narratives narratives” about that COVID-19 coronavirus in is a biological some Dutch- weapon of NATO language social or the United media groups. States, but, at the Published posts same time, the underlined alleged pro-Putin media divisions in Europe spread stories that and a supposed coronavirus did not The one thing lack of mutual exist at all. social media tries solidarity in the EU to do is at least in the fight against push factual COVID-19. information a little bit towards its users. UKRAINE V RUSSIA: MAJOR COURTROOM BATTLES LIEUKRAINE AHEAD V RUSSIA: MAJOR COURTROOM BATTLES LIE AHEAD

arge-scale Russian aggression against ans, on our own example. Because, Ukraine has creat- in fact, the Budapest Memorandum ed a number of new of 1994 appeared to be not worse a ILYA TARASYUK IS challenges for all ci- paper it is written on for Ukraine.” vilised states. The “Nobody guarantees anything, A WELL-KNOWN Lthreat and use of force, aggres- unfortunately, although we talk a sion, and pressure from a major, lot about international law. The 21st UKRAINIAN nuclear-armed world power and century – the right of the strongest,” JOURNALIST WHOSE permanent member of the Unit- Zelensky continued. ed Nations (UN) Security Council However, the entire civilised ARTICLES HAVE inhibits smaller states from effec- world understands that compli- BEEN PUBLISHED BY tively protecting their sovereignty ance with agreements, treaties, and and territorial integrity. even deals is the basis of a mutually LEADING UKRAINIAN This issue is of a particular rel- beneficial and peaceful existence. evance in the context of recent Having crossed this line, humanity BUSINESS statements by the Russian Embassy is slipping towards widespread in- PUBLICATIONS FOR in Norway. According to one state- ternational conflicts. So, in this con- ment, the Spitzbergen archipelago text, of course, developed countries THE LAST 15 YEARS. “is not an ancestral Norwegian ter- support Ukraine, which has had to ritory.” Some experts have therefore endure attacks of a strong neigh- HE SPECIALIZES already raised concerns about the bour and blatant breaches of inter- IN ECONOMIC AND possibility of a new territorial con- national agreements. frontation in Europe in a repeat of Meanwhile, it is very important POLITICAL TOPICS. the scenario used by Russia to an- not to be complacent, but instead nex the Crimea. to document and record all acts of In February 2020, Ukrainian aggression and all damage caused President Volodymyr Zelensky said by the Russian Federation. After at the 56th Munich Security Confer- all, in the time of globalisation, it is ence: “We now realize that, unfor- possible to resist an aggressor not tunately, a strong army or nuclear only in the trenches but also in in- weapon or NATO can protect the ternational courts: seizing the ene- independence and integrity of one my’s assets abroad, limiting its busi- country or another. No documents, ness opportunities, and forcing it to no signatories, no memorandums pay the heavy cost of breaching an provide such protection. This is agreement. what we are telling you as Ukraini- 46 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 47

Work in this regard has long After five years of litigation, Oschadbank’s been underway in Ukraine and the Federal Court of Switzerland already the first major achieve- upheld an arbitration decision in interests in this ments offer hope for further suc- Geneva, which obliged the Rus- cessful lawsuits against Russia, sian Federation to pay compensa- matter were although establishing guilt for tion of CHF 80 million (approxi- UKRAINE V RUSSIA: international crimes is extremely mately $82.1 million USD). protected by the difficult. In November 2018, the Arbi- international As early as 27 March 2014, at a tration Tribunal in Paris issued a MAJOR COURTROOM special session of the UN Gener- verdict in favour of the Oschad- law firm Quinn al Assembly, a resolution on the bank and ordered the recovery of recognition of Ukraine’s territori- $1.3 billion and interest from the BATTLES LIE AHEAD Emanuel Urquhart al integrity was adopted. The so- Russian Federation for the bank’s called referendum in the Crimea losses due to the annexation of & Sullivan LLP and was declared invalid. Crimea, plus interest, which ac- the Ukrainian law In 2016, the office of the Pros- crues from the time of the deci- ecutor of the International Crim- sion until the moment of compen- firm Asters. As inal Court (ICC) released an as- sation is paid. sessment of the situation in the The Ministry of Justice of the Svitlana Chepurna, Crimea and qualified the hostil- Russian Federation declared that ities as an international armed Russia did not recognize the ar- an Asters partner conflict between Ukraine and Rus- bitration decision and would not working on this sia. At the same time, it was noted pay. However, the litigation con- that “in the Crimea and Sevasto- tinued. On 22 October 2019, the project, noted: “This pol, [a] state of occupation actually Paris Court of Appeal decisively re- remains.” In 2018, the Prosecutor’s solved the case by ruling in favour arbitral award was office reiterated its assessment of of the Oschadbank. developments in the Crimea since As noted by the financial insti- the first victory Russian aggression began. Such a tution, the implementation of de- qualification created the legal ba- cisions of international courts may in the history of sis for submitting reports on of- be enforced at the expense of Rus- the Ukrainian fences in the occupied peninsula sian state property. to the ICC. Oschadbank’s interests in this state-owned matter were protected by the in- ternational law firm Quinn Eman- company involving Everyone demands uel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and compensation the Ukrainian law firm Asters. the restoration As Svitlana Chepurna, an Asters of rights and Ukrainian state and private partner working on this project, companies that lost assets due to noted: “This arbitral award was interests related the annexation of the Crimea are the first victory in the history of the filing compensation claims at ar- Ukrainian state-owned company in- to the Crimea bitration. About 10 such cases (in- volving the restoration of rights and dividual and collective litigation) interests related to the Crimea with with the help of are currently before tribunals in the help of the international invest- the international the Netherlands, France, and Swit- ment protection mechanism.” zerland. In February 2019, the Perma- investment In 2015, 12 Ukrainian companies nent Court of Arbitration at the appealed to the Permanent Court Hague ruled that the Russian Fed- protection of Arbitration at the Hague and de- eration illegally seized PrivatBank manded compensation for the dam- assets in the Crimea in 2014 and mechanism.” age caused as a result of the confis- that the company is entitled to full cation of their assets in the Crimea compensation for its losses. following Russia’s annexation of the peninsula in spring 2014. Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine – officially re- (a subordinate of Strelkov); head leased the results of the in- of second department of Main In- vestigation. The investigation telligence Directorate (GRU) of the found that the plane was hit The case is ongoing, and the DNR Oleg Pulatov (the subordi- by a missile fired by a BUK Court of Arbitration has to de- nate of Dubinskyi) and Ukrainian missile system, which was de- termine the amount of compen- citizen Leonid Kharchenko (who livered to Donbas from Russia. sation. At the same time, Privat- is believed to have accompanied, This BUK-M1 missile system Bank expects to receive more with Pulatov, the BUK missile sys- belonged to the 53rd Missile than $1 billion for its assets. tem to Snizhne, from where the Brigade of Russia’s Armed These and other cases not missile which shot down MH17 Forces. The military unit is only give Ukrainian companies was fired). based near Kursk. the opportunity to be compen- The investigators claim that The BUK-M1 missile system, sated for their lost assets in the the BUK-M1 system could enter together with its Russian crew, Crimea, but also set a precedent: Ukraine without the permission of was delivered to Donetsk by it is the first time in the history the top military political leadership mercenary militants who car- of commercial arbitration that of the Russian Federation, and ried out orders of the Russian the issue of protection of in- certainly unbeknownst to Vladi- military. After the Boeing was vestments in illegally controlled mir Putin. They are personally shot down, the BUK-M1 system territories has been considered. responsible for the special opera- was returned to Russia. The And every decision in favour of tion of transferring the BUK-M1 prosecution has detailed infor- Ukraine increases the number of to Ukraine, which resulted in the mation about the routes that those who want to apply to court destruction of the plane and the the anti-aircraft missile system to receive compensation. deaths of 298 people. was brought to Donbas and then returned to a military unit The investigation based in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. As the in- into Russia’s vestigators discovered, the Rus- shootdown of MH17 sians transported not one, but two BUK-M1 systems to the ter- One of the most promising cases ritory of temporarily occupied against Russia is the investiga- and uncontrolled territories of tion into the crash of Malaysian Ukraine, but the second did not The prosecution Airlines flight MH17, which was engage in “combat duty”. shot down over Donbas on 17 July The prosecution in the Hague in the Hague has 2014. The airliner was flying from has witness statements, which it witness state- Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, claims prove that at least several with 298 passengers and crew on dozen Russian military and Rus- ments, which it board, including citizens of the sian-funded mercenaries took Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, part in guarding the BUK-M1 claims prove that and Indonesia. Nobody survived. anti-aircraft missile system. Despite Russia’s attempts to For now, the Netherlands’ at least several deny involvement in the shoot- Prosecutor’s Office has filed down, and its efforts to shift re - charges against four individu- dozen Russian mil- sponsibility for the disaster to als and summonsed them to itary and Russian- Ukraine and various manipula- the investigation. In June 2019, tions of the circumstances of the the International Investigation funded mercenaries tragedy through the Russian me- Team named the four suspects, dia, the investigation has been including three Russians and took part in guard- constantly moving forward. one Ukrainian: former Defence In 2016, the International Inves- Minister of the so-called Donetsk ing the BUK-M1 tigation Team – consisting of rep- People’s Republic (DNR) Igor Gir- anti-aircraft missile resentatives from the Netherlands, kin-Strelkov; Major-General of the Russian Army Sergii Dubinskyi system. 48 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 49

the Colonel Pulatov’s lawyer, frag- The BUK-M1 ments of documents constituting system could enter secret information began to ap- pear in various media reports. Ex- Ukraine without perts believe that, in this way, the Russian special services are trying Meanwhile, it is the permission of to disseminate false information very important the top military in order to raise doubts about the International Investigation Team’s not to be compla- political leadership conclusions and the future court decision. cent, but instead of the Russian After all, according to lawyers, responsibility for the crashed air- to document and Federation, craft lies with the state in control of the persons who violated inter- record all acts of and certainly national humanitarian law. Ac- aggression and all unbeknownst to cordingly, this country has to pay compensation for the damages damage caused Vladimir Putin. caused, to apologize, and to pro- vide assurances that such actions by the Russian will not occur again in the future. In addition, criminal charges Federation. After should be brought against all in- volved in the crime – including all, in the time those who directly used the BUK of globalisation, missile system, their officers, and those who ordered the transfer of it is possible to The trial of the M17 aircraft weapons. crash began on March 9, 2020 in Thus, if Russia’s involvement in resist an aggres- The Hague District Court, which the MH17 tragedy can be estab- sor not only in the is famous for its objectivity and lished, new judicial prospects will scrupulous approach to details. open for Ukraine. After all, the trenches but also The Dutch chief prosecutor case concerns the use of the Rus- chief prosecutor Fred Wester- sian Armed Forces’ BUK missile in international beke, who heads the Interna- system on the occupied territory tional Investigation Team, ac- of another sovereign state. courts: seizing the cused the Russian authorities Meanwhile, relatives of MH17 enemy’s assets of not providing any assistance victims filed a separate lawsuit in the investigation of the disas- against Vladimir Putin and Rus- abroad, limit- ter. Furthermore, the Russian sia in the European Court of Hu- Federation interfered with in- man Rights. In accordance with ing its business vestigators, falsified evidence, the laws of the Kingdom of the intimidated witnesses, and Netherlands, a person involved in opportunities, and conducted large-scale disin- committing a crime, even if not formation operations. Russian present at the time and place the forcing it to pay agents tried to influence the crime was committed, is consid- the heavy cost composition of the investiga- ered guilty. In this case, it is obvi- tion team and to hack into the ous that the criminal chain leads of breaching an computers of Malaysian and only to the Kremlin, and all the Dutch experts involved in the stories that the militants in Don- agreement. MH17 case. As soon as the Rus- bas could manage the complex sian Federation gained access to the BUK-M1 system on their own are investigation materials through nothing more than tales. The Azov crisis: According to the Deputy Perma- no resolution is nent Representative of Ukraine to the international organizations in reached Vienna, Igor Lossovskyi, the amount of damages on ships amounted to at In November 2018, Russian least UAH 55.5 million ($2.24 million border guards detained three USD). Ukrainian ships at gunpoint in Yet the return of the Ukrainian the Kerch Strait: the tugboat sailors and ships does not mean that the Kerch Bridge construc- Yany Kapu and two small, ar- the dispute has been settled, nor tion by Russia and the stop- moured boats, Berdiansk and that Russia has respected the ITLOS ping of ships in the Azov Nikopol. The vessels were head- decisions. Sea, which is detrimental ing to the Ukrainian port in the On 21 November 2019, the Hague to international shipping. Sea of Azov – Mariupol. Twen- Arbitration Tribunal officially start- As noted by the Foreign ty-four Ukrainian soldiers were ed hearing a case on the arrest of Ministry of Ukraine, the Tri- arrested and accused of illegally three Ukrainian naval detainees bunal’s decision has again crossing the border of the Rus- and their crew. confirmed the evident inter- sian Federation. At the same Ukrainian lawyers believe national consensus on the time, Russia refused to recog- Ukraine has a very high chance of non-recognition of the illegal nise them as prisoners of war. winning, but patience is necessary annexation of the Crimea by In response to these actions, as the arbitration may take years the Russian Federation. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve. The Tribunal must now of Ukraine appealed to the UN determine whether Russia has ac- International Tribunal for the tually violated the immunity of the International Court Law of the Sea (ITLOS), request- Ukrainian naval vessels and their of Justice ing that coercive measures be crew members and what damag- applied against Russia in order es were caused. At a later stage, On 16 January 2017, Ukraine to liberate the Ukrainian sailors. Ukraine will raise the issue of com- filed a lawsuit to the United On 25 May 2019, the Tribunal pensation from the Russian Feder- Nations International Court of ordered Russia to “uncondition- ation for losses (both material and Justice (ICJ), accusing Russia ally and immediately” release moral). of violating the International the Ukrainian sailors and to re- On 21 February 2020, ITLOS ac- Convention for the Suppression turn the captured ships. Howev- knowledged that it had jurisdiction of the Financing of Terrorism er, Russia used various methods in the case and ruled that it would and the International Conven- to delay the implementation of consider important aspects of tion on the Elimination of All the decision and then included Ukraine’s claims, including those Forms of Racial Discrimination. all arrested sailors on prisoner related to violations by Russia of Moscow officially appealed exchange lists. maritime law in the Kerch Strait against the jurisdiction of the On 7 September 2019, the sail- and the Sea of Azov. ICJ, and yet in November 2019 ors and other Kremlin captives The Tribunal agrees with the Court acknowledged its ju- arrived at the Boryspil airport, al- Ukraine that Russia’s demand re- risdiction in the case, which though Russia continued its per- garding inland water status is not secution of the Ukrainian sailors a proper reason to deny jurisdic- in absentia. tion; this issue must be resolved On 18 November 2019, the three at the merits stage of the case. captured ships were returned to The decision implies the need for Ukraine, and Russia called this a legal examination of legality of action an “act of good will”. Violat- ing the ITLOS decision, Russians seized weapons, communication facilities, documents, and equip- ment from the vessels. Specialists additionally discovered that all three vessels were damaged. 50 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 51

rulings is possible by seizing The Russian property which is not protected by sovereign immunity. Such means that it can proceed Federation recovery, however, is problematic, to consider the case on the according to lawyers. merits. At the same time, the interfered with Nevertheless, international Court stressed that Ukraine court and arbitration victories al- had properly followed all le- investigators, low Ukraine to prepare for future, gal pre-trial procedures. comprehensive consideration by Russia has been charged falsified evidence, the UN of Russia’s aggression with: the provision of weapons against Ukraine. Currently it and other aids to illegal armed intimidated is impossible to use this plat- forces; shooting down Ma- witnesses, and form, as the Russian Federa- laysian Airlines flight MH17; tion, being a permanent mem- shelling residential areas in conducted ber of the UN Security Council, Mariupol and Kramatorsk; the has a veto power. The world is GRAD rocket attack on a civil- large-scale constantly changing, however, ian bus near Volnovakha; the and Ukraine should be ready to explosion during the peaceful disinformation exploit the first opportunity to protests in Kharkiv; discrimi- operations. Russian make its voice heard and assert nation against Ukrainian and its rights. Crimean Tatar communities; agents tried to the ban on activities of the majlis of the Crimean Tatar influence the people; the disappearance and murders of activists, as well composition of as unauthorized searches and the investigation detentions; and restrictions on teaching the Ukrainian and the team and to hack Crimean Tatar languages. Russia has to file its defence into the computers until 8 December 2020. The Court’s final decision in this of Malaysian and case is not expected until 2022. The fight in the courts is on- Dutch experts going, and for Ukraine it is the involved in the beginning of a long legal pro- cess. In this context, the use MH17 case. Responsibility of international conventions is one of the possible mechanisms for the crashed to respond to Russia’s hybrid ag- gression. aircraft lies with The 1958 New York Conven- the state in control tion on the Recognition and En- forcement of Foreign Arbitral of the persons Awards requires its 159 States Parties to recognise and imple- who violated ment international arbitration rulings. Enforcement of such international humanitarian law. MEPMEP ANDRIUS ANDRIUS KUBILIUS: KUBILIUS: “EU “EUTRIO TRIO STRATEGY STRATEGY WOULD OFFERWOULD UKRAINE OFFER NEW UKRAINE EU HORIZONS”NEW EU HORIZONS”

In the next 10 years it will be clear whether Kyiv becomes a member of the European Union (EU); Ukraine’s European integration is not directed against Russia; and free trade be- tween the EU and Ukraine is a success story. Mr. Kubilius, the Lithuanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the European People’s Party (EPP), shared his thoughts with Natalia Richardson, a journalist of Promote Ukraine, about Ukraine’s current performance on the European stage and its chances of being invited into the EU family*. ANDRIUS ANDRIUS INTERVIEW INTERVIEW KUBILIUS –

52 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 53

Mr. Kubilius, how has EU policy changed after the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic? Are you happy with the current response and new proposals from the Eu- ropean Commission on the East- ern Partnership policy beyond 2020, adopted in the midst of crisis? NATALIA RICHARDSON IS A UKRAINIAN On 18 March 2020, the Euro- JOURNALIST SPECIALIZING IN pean Commission and the High Representative of the Union for EUROPEAN AFFAIRS. SINCE 2001 Foreign Affairs and Security Policy SHE HAS BEEN WORKING IN adopted the Joint Communica- tion on Eastern Partnership policy BRUSSELS. SHE HAS BEEN A STAFF beyond 2020, exactly at the mo- CORRESPONDENT FOR UKRAINIAN ment when our world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NEWSPAPERS EVENING KYIV AND EU has found itself in an unprece- DAY, DEUTSCHE WELLE RADIO, dented situation, which now will require institutional courage, AND RADIO FREE EUROPE/ bold strategy, and firm action. RADIO LIBERTY. SHE HAS BEEN A EUROPEAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT AT THE BRUSSELS OFFICE OF EURONEWS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE UKRAINIAN SERVICE TO ITS CLOSURE FROM Our current Trio Strategy is 2011 TO 2017. NATALIA targeted towards Ukraine, Georgia, WORKED ON TV 1 + 1, THE FIRST NATIONAL and Moldova as frontrunners, as CHANNEL OF UKRAINE the countries that have Association AND OTHER MASS MEDIA. Agreements, and that is how we SHE HOLDS A MASTER`S are trying to implement what is DEGREE OF EUROPEAN called a differentiation principle. INTEGRATION FROM VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT In brief, and in all languages, it is BRUSSEL. called “more for more”. The EU has rapidly taken nu- merous decisions mobilised, in total, more than 3 billion euros for the whole EU neighbourhood and has allocated for Ukraine more than 190 million euros to address the COVID-19 crisis, including its which is ready to boost its sup- socio-economic impact. It has ad- port for reforms and invest- We have heard opted for Ukraine a new macro fi- ments to end COVID-19 and nancial support programme of help the recovery of Ukraine’s the statements of 1.2 billion euros as a part of a geo- economy. political package for Eastern Part- French President The new Trio Strategy 2030 ners, South Neighbourhood, and would give Ukraine, Georgia, Western Balkan countries to limit Macron, and we and Moldova new instruments the economic fallout of the coro- 1 that will enable them to become are sceptical of navirus pandemic. Ukraine also closer to the EU. More has to has taken important measures and be done on communication the possibility adopted a revised 2020 budget with strategy and new financial in- a 2.5 billion euros coronavirus fund struments, such as investment of resuming or for immediate measures to counter and economy plan for the region, the spread of COVID-19. supporting the especially for the EU associated However, this won’t be enough countries (EU Trio). The same dialogue with and the EU will have to stay vigi- proposals have already been lant and be innovative in designing made for the Western Balkans Putin. I see some the next steps of the Eastern Part- region; however, they were not as nership and providing financial as- bold in the Joint Communication danger in these sistance. The COVID-19 crisis will on the Eastern Partnership. Many have a huge impact on Ukraine’s sentences, I am proposals will need to be instru- economy and the EU and its inter- mentalised, including on reform national partners must be ready openly saying that conditionality, investment plat- to do whatever it takes to help forms, or reform support plan- if that vision of Ukraine to recover fast from the ning and implementation. For the global pandemic. time being it is unclear how they Macron will start The business as usual rhetoric is will be differentiated and based not what Europe needs today. We to be implemented, on what incentives, so our poli- have to be more ambitious than cies could continue to be judged the proposals of the Joint Commu- then the price for by deeds. nication on the Eastern Partner- Today the EU must be smart, firm it can be paid by ship policy beyond 2020 adopted and engaging, open to reformers, in March. The times have changed austere to empty promises, active Ukraine. and kicking the can down the road in picturing a perspective to com- will only make us repeat mistakes mitted front leading countries. The of the past while keeping our eyes EU must embrace reform leaders closed to the future. and EU associated countries, and We need a geopolitical EU Com- show the way forward for this Trio. mission and, after this crisis, it will be judged by its results. So now we have to be looking more into the geopolitics of the Eastern Partner- ship. We need new flagship initia- tives, such as Trio Strategy 2030, to show that there is the EU next door,

1 More information can be found in the recent Statement by Kubilius-Krulko, https://elpnariai.lt/en/on-the-eu- assistance-for-ukraine-to-mitigate-the-effects-of-covid-19-crisis-and-continue-reforms-necessary-to-sustain-the- economic-recovery/ 54 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 55

This would also send a clear signal to all Eastern Partners that there is road- has an ambition to integrate with map for Eastern Partnership the EU, if the country is making re- policy over the next decade. forms, then there should be an We can do so by using the adequate response from the EU. examples of EU policies in This is what we are proposing: for Western Balkans and EEA. those three countries – Ukraine, We can do this by discuss- We want to show Georgia, and Moldova – which are ing the future of EU associa- Russian people pushing forward reforms, the EU tion agreements and the next should introduce new horizons steps possible. We can do this again the kind – new instruments and new pro- together and we believe the grams, which Ukraine, Georgia, EU can be ambitious in pro- of relationship and Moldova would be able to join. posing a way forward together with the road map of other in- that could be centives. established Will this strategy replace the Eastern Partnership? Mr Kubilius, can other between the EU countries join the Trio? and a democratic We call the new document Russia, once a Trio Strategy and we already now hear calls to expand our Russia becomes a Strategy to the other Eastern Partnership countries willing to democracy. I mean choose the European path. And very practical I would agree with this, because what shall we do if other coun- instruments like tries, like Armenia, want to join? Armenia is now trying to catch visa free travel, up, but how the strategy’s name might change if other states wish free trade or to join is not a major issue. The something like major issue is their commitment to the EU integration. that in order to Our current Trio Strategy is tar- geted towards Ukraine, Georgia, show Russian and Moldova as frontrunners, as people what they the countries that have Associa- tion Agreements, and that is how are losing whilst we are trying to implement what is called a differentiation principle. they have such a In brief, and in all languages, it is regime. called “more for more”. I mean if a country is doing more, if the coun- try is moving ahead, if the country informal forum with Russia? which will be devoted only to those three countries. The oth- We have two forums. One fo- er three countries are not for- rum on the Eastern Neighbour- gotten – Belarus, Armenia, and hood, where we are discussing Azerbaijan remain in the same all those issues connected with the Eastern Partnership camp, but Eastern Partnership strategy, with they will have more individual- seminars for individual countries ised approach. They are differ- like Georgia or Belarus. For in- ent. We do not propose putting stance, we are planning to have a In the next 10 them into another smaller bas- whole week dedicated to Ukraine, ket because we cannot compare with nice events and also serious years it will be Armenia for example, with Azer- discussions. That is one thing, baijan or with Belarus. This is which we are doing. And there is clear whether Kyiv our view. another thing. Because, of course, For Ukraine, Georgia and Mol- the Eastern Partnership is a becomes a member dova, which are pushing forward strategy targeted towards a region of the European reforms, we propose first of all between the EU and Russia and, of to take as much as possible the course, we cannot avoid speaking Union (EU); different instruments of financial about Russia. We have heard the support and instruments for eco- statements of French President Ukraine’s European nomic development, which were Macron, and we are sceptical of implemented in Western Balkans the possibility of resuming or sup- integration is not by the EU, to have some kind of porting the dialogue with Putin. directed against parallel development. I see some danger in these sen- tences, I am openly saying that if Russia; and free There is no membership that vision of Macron will start to perspectives in this plan, right? be implemented, then the price trade between the for it can be paid by Ukraine. That For the time being, no. We are is our view. We are proposing to EU and Ukraine is still using the same language: speak much more about what Article 49 (of the Lisbon Treaty – kind of EU strategy we need to a success story. ed.) allows each country on the have towards Russia in order to European continent sharing the help Russia’s transformation to a same values as the EU to have EU Western-type democracy at some membership on its agenda. It will time. We don’t expect it will hap- take time. But I think this decade pen whilst Putin is leading Rus- will be crucial. I hope that real- sia. But we believe that at some ly, by the end of this decade, we time Russia will transform itself No. It is inside of Eastern Part- will have a different picture. Here into a more democratic and Eu- nership. We still want to keep that it will be political will on the EU ropean-style development. And camp of the Eastern Partnership side to be open for the integration here we see two major instru- but we want to see it be more ef- of those countries wishing to in- ments that the EU might deploy. fective. Inside we want to see dif- tegrate. Not by the end of decade, One is the power of Ukraine’s ferentiation, the so-called principle but sometime around then, I hope successes, which can be used “more for more”. So, if Ukraine does that there will be also positive by the EU as an example which more, then Ukraine gets some in- transformations in Russia, that will both assist Ukraine’s further struments from this trio package, Russia will come back to more development while also having democratic developments. That is a positive impact on ordinary what we are trying also to discuss Russians, forcing them to ask in our two forums. questions about why Ukraine is closer to Europe and why it What is the idea behind this is becoming a success story while Russia is left somewhere in the wild east. And the sec- ond, of course, is to show Rus- sian people again the kind of 56 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 57

Ukraine used relationship that could be es- tablished between the EU and a quotas in the first democratic Russia, once Russia becomes a democracy. I mean week. Tomatoes, very practical instruments like visa free travel, free trade or success being part of the single sunflower oil, something like that in order to market and being in free trade show Russian people what they conditions. ketchup, etc. are losing whilst they have such So now, I would be happy to So that is where a regime. So that’s what we are see that the EU-Ukraine trade discussing. We had first discus- would increase even more rapidly. things need to be sions, now we will have further Ukraine has a very big poten- discussions. It was successful, it tial to be successful in a com- done. As we know, was in presence of Russian op- petitive economy. Of course, for position people, experts and so that Ukraine needs to do its own the government on. We are also trying to show homework, which sometimes is is asking for some here in the Parliament and in Eu- not so easy. Like land reform or ropean capitals that Ukraine’s in- some other issues. I think that amendments. tegration and Ukraine’s success Ukraine can be very attractive is not targeted against Russia. In for foreign direct investments I think it is a really some capitals you hear: the EU’s or for international financial support Ukraine can provoke Pu- institutions to invest into some good time to do tin’s anger. Our view is the total big infrastructural projects. But it. And, of course, opposite. Ukraine’s success can Ukraine needs to be effective in be helpful for Russia itself. If you attracting those investments. Ukraine should have a longer-term perspective. Do you see difficulties in the free have a clear goal: Can you call the Free Trade Area trade area between Ukraine and between Ukraine and the EU a the European Union? for example, to success story? I do not know the whole regu- have two-thirds I think so. Absolutely. Because lation as to how quotas can be of its export going it is really very ambitious and it increased. As we know in some opens a lot of possibilities. As al- products, Ukraine is really strong. into the EU market. ways, with free trade, things do Ukraine used quotas in the first not all happen in one night. I re- week. Tomatoes, sunflower oil, member very well our own expe- ketchup, etc. So that is where rience with a free trade and asso- things need to be done. As we ciation agreement, starting from know, the government is asking 1995. We had many concerns that for some amendments. I think it our agriculture would lose com- is a really good time to do it. And, petition in a free trade arrange- of course, Ukraine should have a ment, that some other areas will clear goal: for example, to have suffer. But in the end, it appeared two-thirds of its export going that it was exactly the opposite. into the EU market. Our agriculture had the biggest We went through the same. I remember that in 2000 we Now foreigners are free to had our trade at that time buy the land, but I do not see 50/50: 50 per cent went to German or French farmers Russia, and 50 per cent went rushing to buy our land. Not to the EU market. In some at all, for the time being. ways, we can call it luck, or Second, there was a dis- we can use some other words, cussion about how big the but there was a crisis in Rus- plot of the land a farmer can sia at this time – in 1999-2000, have. That was not regulated when the Russian market col- from the very beginning in a lapsed, our producers under- proper way, so we had some Borrell’s philosophy stood that it is much better to excessive farms. But now peo- go to the European market. ple are starting to think about was something And that was exactly the fac- how to regulate land owner- tor that pushed them. After ship. It is also EU policy not to like that: if the that we had 70 per cent or give direct subsidies to land- something like that go to the lords above a certain limit. So, EU wants to EU market, and we are happy. things are really normal, ag- riculture is in good condition be a globally Are you in favour of the Land with all the modern tech- Law that Servant of the People important power, nologies and with huge ex- initiated? ports to all the different mar- geopolitically kets. And always, of course, I do not know all the details, farmers complain that things important power, of course. To have a European are not good. Lithuanian farm- type of land regulation, land ers are demanding a bigger first of all, the law, carrying the possibility to budget line in the multiannual EU needs to take sell land or use it as collateral financial perspective, so that to the banks – that is what is is pretty normal. Nothing very care of its own very much needed for the econo- different from other countries. my. That is what we did back in neighbourhood, 1995-1997. Again, we had huge Ukraine has a lot of internal discussions in Lithuania. How- problems, as you know. But, from a geopolitical ever, we adopted the law entire- at the same time, the majority point of view. ly according to all EU regula- of Ukrainians – 60 per cent – tion in that area, created the want to join the EU. Do you And there is basis for modern agriculture to think that a country with such be created in Lithuania. aspirations can at least apply for the southern membership in the foreseeable Was there resistance? future? neighbourhood,

Sure, sure! On one side there Everything is possible. You there are the was resistance because of a be- know it is a question of tactics Western Balkans, lief that foreigners would buy all and a choice of when to do what. the land and we would be with- Now there is also some kind of and there is out any land in Lithuania at all. a new stage in the enlargement So, we introduced a so-called policy, and we still need to under- the Eastern transition period and finally, we stand what that new enlargement allowed foreigners to buy the land methodology means. For the time Partnership. And only in 2014. This diminished, at being, it is applicable only for the that is what he is that time, some of the emo- Western Balkans, but methodology tional tension that Germany itself has some positive develop- formulating in a or the Netherlands would come ments, and I think it offers real en- and buy all the land. couragement for moving forward. very clear way. It brings the possibility of integra- 58 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 59 tion into specific areas of Of course, we would like to see maybe stron- Then, of course, a very important EU policies without waiting ger language sometimes and deeper en- person is vice-president of the until the final decision on gagement. But I am not pessimistic from Commission, Josep Borrell. When membership is made, and that point of view. First of all, last year, he was going through appoint- so on. Of course, now all when we were newcomers, we were kind ment, approval procedure, he used the language is targeted to- of sceptical about the European Parlia- good language in the hearings, I wards Western Balkans, as ment. We were worried because it looked would say. Strong language. And I said. But we have a very like nobody was speaking about Ukraine sometimes for us, it looked like he clear understanding, that anymore, nor about the Eastern Part- was reading our papers and then it is the same methodology, nership or even about Russia. That’s repeating us (laughs). And I agree which at some time will also why we started to create forums (on the absolutely with his philosophy. be applied for Ukraine. EU Neighbourhood and Russia – ed.). Borrell’s philosophy was some- Then we became a little more optimis- thing like that: if the EU wants Europe’s mood towards tic when we saw that really the climate to be a globally important power, Ukraine and Russia is, let’s in the Parliament is not bad. We had geopolitically important power, say, more pro-Russian now several resolutions, including one on first of all, the EU needs to take than it was two years ago. Ukraine and political prisoners, then care of its own neighbourhood, What about the European another about the Molotov-Ribben- from a geopolitical point of view. Commission? If you look trop Pact. Putin became very, very And there is the southern neigh- at biographies of the new angry after this resolution passed. bourhood, there are the Western president of the Commission, Those resolutions were passed with Balkans, and there is the Eastern of Commissioners and so on, a huge majority and strong state- Partnership. And that is what he is we do not see that they are really ments from different groups. We formulating in a very clear way. friends of Ukraine, and it seems then started to target also the Com- that they are not so interested in mission. First, we are, of course, * This interview was taken in February Ukraine. Is this true? and then updated in May to cover the latest trying to have a good partnership developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the Commissioner for Neigh- takes on board new challenges to the Eastern bourhood and Enlargement; we Partnership region, especially on the necessity have talks that went well. of boosting the EU’s policy for Eastern Part- nership countries, including Ukraine, to fight COVID-19 and help the economic recovery from this crisis. RESULTS OF AN ONLINE RESULTS OF AN ONLINE SURVEY ON THE ATTITUDE SURVEY ON THE ATTITUDE OF THE UKRAINIAN OF THE UKRAINIAN POPULATION TO THE POPULATION TO THE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES RESTRICTIVE MEASURES INTRODUCED TO COMBAT INTRODUCED TO COMBAT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE AUTHORITIES’ AND THE AUTHORITIES’ STEPS TO RETURN STEPS TO RETURN UKRAINIANS HOME UKRAINIANS HOME FROM COUNTRIES WITH FROM COUNTRIES WITH HIGH RATES OF HIGH RATES OF MORBIDITY AND MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY MORTALITY FROM FROM COVID-19 COVID-19 SURVEY SURVEY RESULTS 60 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 61

he COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled the socio-political, economic and psychological Tvulnerabilities of the world’s population. One of the phe- nomena, which combines all these aspects, is labour mi- gration. In case of Ukraine, it is one of the driving forc- es for legislation moderniza- tion, European integration in action, the “lifeline” of the economy, “not lost” genera- tions (or perhaps just on the contrary - time will tell) who have grown up with parents and grandparents “via Skype” but with imported delicacies and the chance to get a digni- fied higher education. Current estimates show that the number of Ukrainian labour migrants ranges from 2 to 7 mil- lion, and from 120 to 250 thou- sand of them returned home be- cause of the coronavirus. What will happen to them? What will the consequences of their forced “vacation” be for Ukraine and the countries of their employment? Well-known Ukrainian and foreign news agencies have been trying to pre- dict scenarios since the begin- ning of lock-down in March 2020. The NGO “Promote Ukraine” was not staying away from this topic either, and explored on its own the reaction Ukrainians to their return from the coun- tries where the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was greater than in Ukraine. Will Ukraini- ans, with skills of working and living in the European environ- ment, become the basis for the “Europeanisation” and econom- ic recovery of Ukraine? Is it rea- sonable to expect that love for motherland will overcome their wish of a better life (especially for their children)? Herewith we offer the results of our survey - a debut in sociological research. Survey Methodology: Ukraine. 65,3% of respondents The sociological data ob- The survey was conduct- have been abroad in last two years tained is descriptive in nature ed from 20 April till 10 May (work or vacation). and reflect common tenden- 2020 by means of CAWI Development of survey tools cies on Ukrainians’ return method and Google forms. and information processing have home in times of pandemic and The link to the survey was been provided by the Institute the authorities’ steps to return posted on the site of Pro- of Sociological Research at Kyiv Ukrainians home from differ- mote Ukraine, Facebook and National Economic University ent countries. have been mailed to interest- named after Vadym Hetman. ed audience. The survey was performed by 291 respondents aged from 18 to 65 and older. 79,3% of respondents live in

Distribution of respondents to the question: “What country are you living in now?” in %

Other country 20,62 Ukraine 79,38

РDistribution of respondents to the question: “What type of city/town are you living in?” in %

City with population 1 000 000+ 24,74 City with population 100 000 - 500 000 24,74 City with population up to 10 000 17,53 City with population up to 50 000 13,75 City with population 500 000 - 1 000 000 10,65 City with population 50 000 - 100 000 8,59

Distribution of respondents to the question: “How old are you?” in %

18-28 4,48 29-40 17,24 41-55 42,06 56-65 29,65 65+ 6,57

62 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 63

РDistribution of respondents to the question: “What is your marital status?” in %

With children, live together 42,62 Married, childfree 22,34 Single, live alone 20,62 Other 6,87 With parents, live together 6,53 Employed in a family 0,34 With the spouse 0,34 Civil marriage 0,34

Distribution of respondents to the question: “What is your sex?” in %

Female 82,07 Male 17,93

Distribution of respondents to the question: “What level of education have you attained?” in %

Higher education (specialist/master’s degree) 58,76 Professional 16,84 Higher education (bachelor) 11,34 Secondary 6,87 PhD 4,47 Doctor of Science 1,72

Distribution of respondents to the question: “How often did you travel abroad before the COVID-19 lockdown?” in %

I was not abroad during last 2 years and more 34,72 Once in 6 months 17,87 Once a year 13,40 Less than once a year 13,40 Once in 3 months 11,68 Once a month or more often 8,93 Distribution of respondents to the question: “Which category do you belong to?” in %

“Guest workers” 17,87 People who use to spend holidays abroad 10,65 People who travel abroad for business once in 6 months and more frequently 3,44 Students who study abroad for a semester or longer 1,72 None of the mentioned above 66,32

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Which category do your relatives or friends belong to?” in %

“Guest workers” 21,96 Students who study abroad for a semester or longer 15,38 People who use to spend holidays abroad 31,77 People who travel abroad for business once in 6 months and more frequently 9,05 None of the mentioned above 21,84

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Gauge the level of your awareness of the following:” in %

Comprehensive awareness Little awareness about this No awareness about this top- about this topic/I follow the topic/I read or watch the ic/I don’t follow the news news constantly news occasionally The spread of COVID-19 in the world 75,60 21,99 2,41 The spread of COVID-19 in your country of residence 82,82 16,49 0,69 The spread of COVID-19 in your region 82,47 14,43 3,09 The spread of COVID-19 in your city/town 84,54 13,05 2,41

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Distribution of respondents to the question: “What are the main sources of news you rely on to be informed about COVID-19 (risks, recommended preventive measures, etc.)” in % Official government web page 60,14 Domestic and foreign radio/television/newspapers 61,90 Public service announcements 72,16 Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, VK, etc.) 90,11 Messaging apps (Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, etc.) 55,31 Local municipal authorities 53,11 Friends and acquaintances 50,18 Family doctor 11,72 Non-governmental/non-governmental organizations 20,51 National hotline for COVID-19 25,27 Political parties, deputies 8,79 I do not know about COVID-19 6,23

Distribution of respondents to the question: “What do you think about the quality of information available about the COVID-19 situation in Ukraine?” in % Vague/contradictory 52,24 Explicit, comprehensive, and helpful 23,37 I get no information about it 2,06 Explicit but late; I did not have time enough to prepare for the pandemic 0,34 I’m not sure 21,99

Distribution of respondents to the question: More than 80,000 Ukrainians have returned home from countries where the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported. Do you consider this to be the main reason of the outbreak of the pandemic in Ukraine? in %

Yes, that is one of the reasons 43,64 Yes, that is the main reason 20,62 No, these phenomena are unrelated 17,53 No, these phenomena are unrelated 12,37 I’m not sure 4,47 Other 1,37 Distribution of respondents to the question: “What do you think about the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to repatriate Ukrainians from countries where the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak took place?” in %

It was a public relations (PR) stunt 27,84 It was the proper and humane decision 22,34 It was a deliberate unpopular measure to support the country’s international image 17,87 It was a mistake 16,83 I’m not sure 15,12

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Would it better for “guest workers” to remain in their host country and apply for visa extensions and other permits for the duration of the pandemic?” in %

Yes, it would be logical and safe for their relatives in Ukraine 41,58 Yes, because medicine in Ukraine is less prepared for the cur- rent situation 27,15 No, they should be with relatives in Ukraine during these difficult times 12,37 No, they must return home to Ukraine because it is safer and there are fewer cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine 2,41 I’m not sure 16,49

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you think the return of “guest workers” home will affect Ukraine’s economic development?” in %

Yes, it will worsen the economy of Ukraine and create problems in the countries from which the workers returned 33,33 No, because it is not related to official indicators of economic development of Ukraine. 18,56 Yes, it will negatively affect the development of the Ukrainian economy 17,87 No, it is a problem of the workers and their families 15,12 I’m not sure 15,12

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Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you think that Ukrainian guest workers, who have experienced Europe and have had the skills of working and living in the European environment, to become the basis for the “Europeanisation” and economic recovery of Ukraine?” in %

No, they will return to Europe for work as soon as the borders will be opened again 74,57 No, they have been working just to meet their own family needs 17,18 Yes, for years they lived and worked in more favourable condi- tions, and now they can reproduce them in Ukraine 2,75 Yes, they will inspire their Ukrainian neighbours to work as in Europe, and that will help the country to develop its European 1,37 vector I’m not sure 4,13

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you feel sorry for those people who returned home infected with COVID-19 after a vacation?” in % Strongly agree 34,02 Agree 29,55 Neither agree nor disagree 13,75 Disagree 8,93 I do not care, so long as they do not infect me and my family and friends 13,75

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you support the premature leave of observation points?” in %

No, they put hundreds of people at risk over the next 14 days 61,85 No, it is against the law and carries criminal liability 13,40 Yes, a person has the right to return home 10,31 Yes, observation does not prevent the spread of COVID-19 8,25 I’m not sure 6,19 Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you consider COVID-19 to be…?” in % Something diverting attention from real problems of the planet 40,20 A pandemic 30,93 A scenario of geopolitical redistribution 17,87 A catalyst for change in the socio-political and economic sys- tem of the G20 11,00

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Will the COVID-19 pandemic affect Ukraine’s European integration course?” in % No, because COVID-19 will eventually pass, though other problems of an economic, political, and cultural nature will 41,58 remain, and they are waiting to be solved. Yes, the world will no longer be the same as before the pan- demic. 25,77 No, because only together and through coordinated and syn- chronized action, peoples and nations can overcome manmade 12,37 and pandemic challenges, and COVID-19 confirms this. Yes, the pandemic has revealed the weaknesses of the EU and that is not what Ukraine needs 11,00 I’m not sure 9,28

Distribution of respondents to the question: “Will the drain of guest workers from European countries cause the reorientation of Europeans to self-sufficiency (meeting their needs with their own labour market in the niches where Ukrainians worked?” in %

No, Europeans are not used to work in the spheres guest workers agree to work, nor are they willing to accept such 74,57 low salaries. Yes, because fear of the next wave COVID-19 infection means that borders will not be as open as they had been 15,46 before the pandemic No, because there will be no need for such services due to the digitisation and development of other sciences 1,37 Yes, because the Ukrainians will not return to Europ to work again 0,69 I’m not sure 7,91

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Distribution of respondents to the question: “Do you consider restrictions on attending church on Easter in a pandemic to be…?” in %

Logical, as it is not safe 78,35 Violation of the rights and interests of religious people 8,93 Political flirt of the authorities with the citizens 5,85 I’m not sure 6,87

Distribution of respondents to the question: “How often would you like to take part in PU’s surveys?” in %

Once a month 41,92 Never again 29,21 Once a week 22,34 Once a fortnight 6,53

Follow our website and our social media pages to participate in our surveys in the future. VYSHYVANKASVYSHYVANKAS AS ONEAS OF ONE THE OF THE BEAUTIFULBEAUTIFUL SYMBOLSSYMBOLS OF OF UKRAINEUKRAINE VYSHYVANKAS AS ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL

CULTURAL CULTURAL PAGES SYMBOLS OF UKRAINE

NATALIA RICHARDSON IS A UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST SPECIALIZING IN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS.

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n May, Ukraine celebrated World Vyshyvanka (Em- broidery) Day, a celebra- tion of Ukrainian identity with her friends, and they taught and a return to folk tradi- each other,” says Nadia Halabur- tions, for the fifteenth time. da, an employee of the clergy During the Soviet era, a period I department of the Archdiocese of stagnation when overt expres- of Munich and Freising. “And sions of Ukrainian identity were we looked closely, and also began suspect, Ukrainians who dared to embroider small napkins. I was to wear embroidered shirts were then 9 years old, Mariyka was a lit- considered dissidents or na- tle older. And somewhere in 13-15 tionalists, and were exposed to years we all embroidered our first all the possible consequences.” shirt or blouse.” However, Ukrainian diaspora in the West faced no such prob- lem: they could wear their na- tional clothes on any day, without any trouble. Diaspora Ukrainians therefore had the opportunity to preserve, and pass on, the wonderful tra- dition of creating and wearing embroidered Ukrainian shirts. We see a striking example of such creativity in the Halaburda dias- pora family. All four Halaburda sisters make vyshyvankas, using – and preserving – the skills they once learned from their mother. Currently, their collection in- cludes about 15 full suits and 60 hand-embroidered shirts. Marichka lives in Australia, Nadia and Olga live in Germa- ny, and Odarka lives in Belgium. The parents of these women - Ivan Halaburda and Paraskevia Hrytsiv from Western Ukraine – were forced to work in Germany as teenagers during the Second World War. After the war they moved to the Belgian town of Genk, where their four daughters were born. Ivan worked all his life in a mine while Paraskevia took care of the children. At home, they spoke only Ukrainian and preserved the traditions of their people. “Our mother loved to embroider, she met

In the photo: master Nadia Halaburda From where did the Hala- our mother was a member of the As- burda sisters learn vyshyvanka sociation of Ukrainian Women of Bel- patterns? gium, and they were both members A chance subscription to a of the Union of Ukrainian Youth. diaspora magazine published I remember our mother sitting in in America inspired the de- the kitchen embroidering an emblem signs. “Our mother subscribed on a blue and yellow flag.” to the magazine Our Life from Each embroidery is a work of America, which was founded more art, which, without doubt, takes than 70 years ago and which, in- time. Nadia says that sometimes cidentally, is still published,” Na- one vyshyvanka requires 10 years’ dia explains. “There was always work – though, of course, with a pattern on the back cover of this sometimes long breaks be- magazine. And we took ornaments tween work. Therefore, Nadia, for our works from there. My mother a master of her craft considers embroidered blouses, pillows, and six months spent embroidering towels. And we followed in her foot- a single Poltava shirt to be steps. Our father was a member of record timing, because she the Society of Ukrainians of Belgium,

In the photo: Mariyka Halaburda, Australian opera singer

The Halaburda sisters started creating a collection of embroideries in 1983, when those in Ukraine likely never dreamed of such an overt celebration of their identity was possible.

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only embroiders in her free time, after work or whenever she finds time. Her favourite other holidays. The Australian embroidery technique is the opera singer Marichka Halabur- kachalochka style, from Po- da also wears vyshyvankas for dolsk, and in general Nadia her concerts and different fes- knows 20-30 stitches. She also tive events. conducts master classes. Embroidered shirts are con- In preparation for the celebra- sidered a genetic code, a his- tion of the 70th anniversary of the torical memory of Ukraine. The Union of Ukrainian Women in documentary Heritage of the Germany, Nadia launched an Nation expresses the opinion embroidery project based on that people subconsciously like models collected by Olena Pchil- vyshyvankas from the region ka (Olga Kosach), a Ukrainian of their historical origin. Un- writer and the mother of re- fortunately, not everyone in the West knows about such a marker nowned poet Lesya Ukrainka. Volume of patterns collected by Olena Pchilka once travelled of Ukrainian identity. Nadia and Olena Pchilka around Ukraine and released Olga Halaburda, residents of Ger- a collection of patterns of many, wear embroidered shirts, Ukrainian embroideries. This but other people always ask them volume was presented to a if these clothes are Romanian. Na- Frenchwoman by a relative of dia therefore says that Ukrainian the writer with a gift inscrip - embroidered shirts should be tion, and, many decades later, promoted. But with all her love Nadia Halaburda bought it in for both vyshyvankas and Easter France. The master class of em- eggs (that sisters also paint), Na- broideries in Munich was dedi- dia considers language and na- cated to the patterns from this tionhood to be the main symbols historical book. of Ukraine. The Halaburda sisters started creating a collection of embroi- deries in 1983, when those in Ukraine likely never dreamed of such an overt celebration of their identity was possible. One of the Halaburdas’ friends – a staunchly pro-Ukrainian man who played the pandura, Ukrainian a Ukrainian string instrument – got married. The man invited embroidered people to come to the wedding in embroidered shirts. Nadia asked shirts should be her parents, who were visiting promoted. Ukraine at the time, to buy an ancient shirt. After that, the sis- ters began to collect vyshyvankas and create costumes. They now have embroidered shirts, both everyday and festive, for every occasion: concerts in the church choir, Christmas, Easter, and for OUT OF THEOUT OF THE BOX OPTIONSBOX OPTIONS - HOW THE- HOWEU- THE ROMAIDANEUROMAIDAN BROUGHTBROUGHT UP A UP A NEWNEW CULTURAL CULTURAL JUNA ZIMMER, POSTGRADUATE STREAMSTREAM FOR FOR CULTURAL SCIENCES, LEUPHANA THE YOUNGERTHE YOUNGER UNIVERSITY OF GENERATIONSGENERATIONS LÜNEBURG. hen think- Today, the mark that the political ing about situation is leaving on the culture Ukrainian of younger generations shows in culture many different ways. However, many there is one remarkable movement things that managed to rise from within come to mind: stunning church- the Ukrainian youth, through the W devastation and uncertainty the es, beautiful traditional cos- tumes, folklore music, and much young people were facing, to an more. Rich, traditional culture is internationally renounced phe- a big part of Ukrainian national nomenon, which many consider identity and something Ukraini- the country’s “business card” to- ans are very proud of. wards young Europeans: Ukraine’s What is often overlooked, how- alternative club culture. ever, is the fact that culture is not At first, it sounds almost banal static; it is continuously developing. that something like techno parties RIKA ZIMMER, The younger generation is the or raves have such cultural signif- future of the country and has its icance. Every young person en- COMMUNICATION own, unique characteristics and joys parties and likes to celebrate, AND MEDIA, mentality which cannot be com- right? pared to any other youth in Eu- This new stream, however, im- ERASMUS rope. Young Ukrainians spend a plies so much more than just that; UNIVERSITY big part of their youth, if not even it is more political than one might their entire youth, in the middle think. Through its authenticity and ROTTERDAM. of political instability and war, rawness, it has the ability to bring torn between breaking free from young people from all over Europe Soviet and Russian influence and together and spark interest and moving towards a European fu- curiosity towards the Ukrainian ture – all the while trying to live youth from the world outside of the normal life of an adolescent. Ukraine. 74 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 75 worked from the beginning with In order to fully understand architects, designers, and art crit- this phenomenon, one has to ics, representing a communication Post-industrial and remote look at its origins. Throughout platform for them. It was founded urban spaces such as disused the Maidan protests and Rev- shortly after the Maidan revolution factories, skate parks, garages, olution of Dignity especially by Slava Lepsheev as cultural life bridges, or old cinema pavil- the young generation in Kyiv was diminished. This filled a vacu- ions are used as event venues. was facing more and more um and satisfied the need of young While there were no financial challenges. Young people who people for celebrating life. Due to means, the organisers became have their entire life in front of the economic crisis and inflation, creative and used these un- them and who saw their future local promoters could not afford to usual locations doing every- in being part of the European invite foreign artists – with the re- thing themselves. While the Union suddenly found them- sult that the talent of the Ukrainian first event had only around 100 selves in a new reality. With the producers and DJs was discovered. visitors and subsequent events annexation of Crimea and the To date, Cxema mainly works with were constantly threatened beginning of war in the Donbas local artists. On the one hand, this with closure by local authori- region, more and more young supports the local scene and saves ties, the organisers now count people in Ukraine started devel- financial resources which, on the up to 2000 visitors. The Cxema oping a strong sense of nation- other hand, can flow into other events are no longer just focused al identity and pride through areas such as, for example, visual- on the Ukrainian capital, they which the Ukrainian youth grew isation. Discovering and promot- have already been held through- closer together. While being ing Ukrainian artists shows that out European cities and even in practically forced to deal with one can find great potential within the supposedly best club in the these challenges, the young gen- its own borders without having to world: The Berghain in Berlin. eration only wanted one thing: look to other countries for talent. The Cxema case shows viv- to enjoy a normal life and escape This is crucial for the young gen- idly how the young Ukrainian the challenges of political reali- eration’s development of pride for generation is taking matters ties. its own national background and into its own hands in times of However, the Revolution of building a strong sense of belong- economic crisis and cultural Dignity brought a significant ing. Quality standards are rede- stagnation and is doing extraor- change to Kyiv’s everyday life. fined: “Made in Ukraine” becomes dinary things without owning Cultural life almost came to a cooler than ever. much. Cxema is no longer just standstill and the need for par- a rave, it is an influential leader ties and entertainment continu- and a quality brand in the global ously grew. Changes took place electronic music scene. within the structures of the local Another highlight of Kyiv’s nightlife economy. With econom- techno scene is the club and cul- ic growth slowing by 6.8 percent tural area called the Closer. It is lo- in 2014 and the hryvna losing two- cated on the outskirts of the Podil thirds of its value as a currency, district in the city’s industrial area, sustaining nightlife was no lon- The political surrounded by forest and near the ger affordable. Difficulties also Dnepr River. The Closer was previ- arose for local DJs: there were not situation and ously an unused factory building enough clubs and the technical in a very bad, absolutely unusable equipment was mostly poor. In the unrest in the condition. But that’s why the rent addition, the DJs’ expenditure on was very cheap, so that the Clos- music would not be in proportion country had a er was founded around the same to the fees. This status quo caused time as the Maidan Revolution in a new wave in the local scene. The unifying effect November 2013 by a network of political situation and the unrest on organisers, friends. The somewhat secluded in the country had a unifying ef- and natural environment is a plus: fect on organisers, promoters, promoters, outside, the Closer has a dance ter- musicians and cultural workers. race for after-hours and a complete The Cxema series of events, for musicians and “playground” with many corners example, is symbolic of Kyiv’s new and niches, reminiscent of a “fairy- techno scene. It receives great in- cultural workers. tale forest”. This is a perfect escape ternational media attention and from everyday life and safe space for exchange and inspiration. In addition to weekend par- of young people from all over Eu- ties, the Closer hosts jazz con- rope travel to Ukraine to experi- certs, educational lectures on ence it first-hand. By interacting music, exhibitions, and discus- with young Ukrainians, they get sions. It additionally houses a an image of what Ukraine really record store and a shop selling Young Ukrainians is like – better than internation- clothing by Ukrainian design- spend a big part al news, stories on the internet, ers, a gallery, a tea garden, a or politicians could ever portray. radio station, a tattoo studio, of their youth, They see a generation which is and a vegetarian restaurant. holding closely together and sup- There are also two major festi- if not even their ports one another, values their vals on the site of the closer in freedom above everything, and is summer – Strichka and Brave! entire youth, in the highly educated and welcoming. Factory, which are the larg- middle of political When trying to understand est Ukrainian festivals of their the Ukrainian youth, one has to kind. The Closer is more than instability and understand first what is import- a club – it is an entire ecosys- ant to them. This cultural stream tem where people can network, war, torn between emerged from the wish to escape learn, celebrate, and relax. In reality and to simply have a good seven years, the collaboration breaking free from time, which later evolved into a of creative, progressive Ukrai- political statement of being a new, nians has turned it into the best Soviet and Russian strong generation that does things club in Eastern Europe, as The influence and completely differently. Guardian called it in early 2020. The future of Ukraine is like its These two examples were moving towards youth: progressive, educated, and just the beginning of an entire displaying huge potential to bring cultural wave which spread a European future value to the European Union. throughout the entire country and evolved into the equivalent – all the while of the Zeitgeist of the young trying to live the generations. It is a mirror of the young normal life of an Ukrainian generation: dynam- ic, open-minded, progressive adolescent. – with a view to Europe and at the same time proud of its own national background. By the end of 2017, the Kyiv Biennale addressed the current challenges and signs of destabi- lization in Ukraine and the EU with the motto “The Kyiv Inter- national”. The focus was laid on card of the city for young peo- modernist concepts to think and ple, because it has become well invent social alternatives and known throughout Europe and thus bring about social change. is referred to as the “New Berlin” Part of this biennial was an ex- based on the flourishing techno hibition called “Dance, Dance, scene of the nineties with its own Dance”, which has critically ex- unique twist. amined the new rave culture in Through extensive media cov- Kyiv since the Euromaidan. The erage by many international out- curator of the exhibition, Sergiy lets, this cultural phenomenon Klimko, described this cultur- and its events gained internation- al phenomenon as the business al popularity. Today, thousands 76 • Brussels Ukraïna Review • www.promoteukraine.org • • www.promoteukraine.org • Promote Ukraine • Промуй Україну • 77

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