An overview of parties and candidates Will become Story of a man who spent running for seats in parliament the next separatist hotspot a month in captivity in Donbas

№ 13 (79) october 2014

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|contents BRIEFING Where Are Estonia’sF riends? A New World Order: The NATO does not know how to deal with small, confusing new rules imposed on challenges, so unleashes them. If they go unpunished, the world by the Russian they set a precedent dictator create a cruel no- holds-barred game. When 27 it is in full swing, the soft Nuclear Whimper: Edward Lucas on trust and the West comfort of Western life may easily disappear forever 28 4 ECONOMICS On the Edge of Recession: The West’s sanctions are hitting POLITICS Russia’s contracting economy Back to Black: The Ukrainian Week looks at party lists and independent candidates to see how many “new faces” the 29 upcoming parliament will have A Plea for Change: Transition from oligarch economy to EU 6 membership for The Next People’s Republic? Without “tourists” from Russia, 30 the separatist movement in Kharkiv has quickly marginalized. If Nobel-winning economistR oger Myerson: not for pro-Russian sympathies of the local authorities, it would “Many arguments against decentralisation are based hardly pose any threat at all on a misconception of what it means” 10 34 Separatism From Top Offices of : SECURITY Separatism in Ukraine is Ex-Defence MinisterM ykhailo Koval talks about the army, predominantly instigated military reforms, and its role in the current war from the outside: it has no powerful domestic 36 grounds despite the Oleksandr Skipalsky, the man behind mass propaganda of the Ukraine’s military counterintelligence East-West divide service and intelligence, speaks on the Security Service of Ukraine, its biggest 13 problems and ways to fix them FOCUS 38 The CommunistP arty May Be on Its LastL egs, But Social The story of a pro-Ukrainian Populism is Still Alive: The Communist Party is dwindling in activist who spent a month Ukraine. Social populism is not, bringing forth new players that in captivity are better fits for the new Ukrainian society in the “ People’s 16 Republic” Leonidas Donskis on how Lithuania got rid of Communism 41 19 HISTORY The Red Thaw in EasternE urope: Many East European ex- What Makes Kharkiv Ukrainian: The early days, Cossack times Communists survived post-Soviet lustration and remained in and Russification politics through the 1990s and early 2000s 44 20 CULTURE & ARTS The Tribal Instinct:The Tribe, a new film by Myroslav NEIGHBOURS Slaboshpytskiy, silently speaks for the teenagers who cannot EstonianP resident Toomas Hendrik Ilves: “We are clearly at the speak beginning of a period where Russia is a very different partner” 48 22 Contemporary films, freak-cabaret and a The (E)U-Turn on Ukraine: Pragmatism or Surrender? celebration of chocolate: The Ukrainian Week compiles the calendar of must-see 24 events this month French companies resist sanctions againstR ussia 50 26

E-mail [email protected] www.ukrainianweek.com Tel. (044) 351-13-87 The Ukrainian Week № 13 (79) October 2014 Editors address 37 Mashynobudivna str., Kyiv, 03067, Ukraine Founder ECEM Media GmbH. Publisher ECEM Media GmbH Print run 15 000. Free distribution Address Austria, Am Gestade,1, 1010 Vienna Our partner State registration certificate КВ № 19823-9623ПР 19.03.2013 Chief Editor Alla Lazareva Editors Anna Korbut, Natalia Romaneс, Shaun Williams № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|3 briefing| trends &talk Hryvnia plunges to UAH 14.97 per Education Ministry de- Mass rallies for peace take place in Moscow 1 US dollar, a historic low. Subse- cides to relocate Donetsk and other Russian cities. Participants call for quent pressure from President and University to Vinnytsia, end of war in Ukraine. Russian government Government push bankers to return Central Ukraine, after does not launch wide-scale repressions but the exchange rate to UAH 12.95 per plea from its students supporters of “” arrange numer- 1 US dollar and professors ous provocations A New World Order Nearly everything was predictable at the latest PACE session. Everything except confusion. It was felt not only in the speeches of adequate participants in the debates on Ukraine but virtually in everything. Strasbourg’s usual calm betrayed anxiety and unmistakable perplexity over what to do next – with the war, with Ukraine and Russia and with the entire world

hey are trying to think Author: thetical anti-Kremlin coalitions – of something, but they Alla Lazareva, that is, if there was political will to don’t know, they sim- Strasbourg form them. What remains then? “Tply don’t know what to Thinking, seeking fundamentally do,” a diplomat with many years of new decisions and inventing a new experience in the Council of Europe kind of diplomacy for information told me as he pensively sipped cap- (or perhaps post-democratic?) soci- puccino which a barmaid had ety. The Council of Europe could brought him by mistake. become a laboratory for these kinds “You see, the world has not seen of ideas. It could if it were not a situation of this kind. South Osse- weighed down by significant Rus- tia and Abkhazia are still formally considered parts of Georgia. Nago- rno-Karabakh is an object of con- The new rules imposed on tention between two neighbouring the world by the Russian states. Transnistria is marked as part of Moldova on all maps of the dictator create a cruel world. But the Crimea is simply an no-holds-barred game. annexed and appropriated land. No mechanisms are envisaged for lead- When it is in full swing, ing international organizations to the soft comfort of address such problems!” my ac- quaintance said in an effort to jus- Western life may easily tify his colleagues in the Council of disappear forever Europe. Indeed, let the Council of Eu- sian influence, which is felt even Zatuliveter whom the British special rope address exclusively human when members of the Russian dele- services accused of espionage in fa- rights and democratic standards. gation are not in attendance. vour of Russia. In every session, Let us take a look at other, more As many as 60 delegates ex- Hancock acts as an advocate of the powerful structures – the OSCE and pressed a desire to participate in the Kremlin. This time around, he again the United Nations. The OSCE can- discussion of the Ukrainian crisis at tried to convince the audience that not take radical action against Rus- this autumn session. About half of “we shouldn’t accuse Putin of every- sia, because a supranational politi- them are either active proponents of thing” and that “we need to ac- cal decision can be adopted there “dialogue with Russia” or politicians knowledge the presence of Russian exclusively by consensus, and Rus- who sometimes agree to act as tem- interests in Ukraine”. sia will itself block it. A similar situ- porary Moscow’s allies. “I believe Proposals to “hear Russia”, “un- ation is with the United Nations that this is a mistake and deeply re- derstand Russia” and “take Russia where Russia is a permanent mem- gret that the Russian delegation is into account” came from Andrej ber of the Security Council. That not with us in the session hall,” Hunko of Germany, a representa- leaves us NATO, which is in no Mike Hancock expectedly said. He tive of the Unified European Left hurry to enter open confrontation came into the limelight when a Group, and British socialist Donald with Moscow. There are also hypo- scandal erupted over his aide Katia Anderson, a member of the Euro- 4|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Separatists continue Activists demolish Assets of former officials arrested in to break cease- the monument to Latvian banks: USD 49.3mn for fire. 30U krainian Vladimir Lenin in ex-NBU Chair and military were killed Kharkiv, a key city in USD 32mn for ex-Party of Regions MP during the “truce” EasternU kraine Yuriy Ivaniushchenko

pean Democrat Group, which in- cannot prevent any delegate from cludes representatives of the Party calling a press conference. But of Regions and United Russia, as Ukraine must not only deny un- well as from Edward Leigh, German truthful accusations. Ukraine needs socialist Ute Finckh-Krämer and to have its own active communica- others. There were many more who tion strategy. And not only that spoke in the same vein: Ukraine strategy.” should not be promised NATO The carefree autumnal sun was membership; it should not work di- playing with its rays outside the rectly with the EU, because what window. A neat Strasbourg lived its Putin wants is a desire of – not God neat provincial life. Delegates who but some invincible substance, took part in the debates flatly re- more powerful than anything else. fused to believe that even on that Grigor Petrenko of Moldova day the world was changed forever. went as far as saying that “Sieg The integrity of state borders has

Heil!” salutes can be heard in Kyiv been de facto placed outside inter- and that the “Nazi government in national law. The UN Security Kyiv” is destroying communists and Council has turned into a malicious placing bans on the use of Russian. umbrella which, in essence, protects No-one objected to him, and no-one the right of a predator to conquer prevented him from organizing a the territories of a neighbouring press conference where he sent out state with impunity and kill people similar messages. No surprise there on a daily basis. The new rules im- – pluralism is pluralism, even if posed on the world by the Russian someone is exploiting freedom of dictator create a cruel no-holds- expression as freedom of deception. barred game. When it is in full “Indeed, it is a pity that no-one swing, the soft comfort of Western from the Ukrainian delegation life may easily disappear forever. thought of gathering a press confer- Meanwhile, the consumers of this ence”, a member of the PACE press comfort do not seem to be in the service said nearly in tears. “We at least willing to come forward to pro- the level of ordinary administrators tect it. Politics|Elections photo: unian photo:

Front (People’s Front) led by Premier Yatseniuk and Speaker Turchynov, 4.2% for Yulia Ty- moshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Fa- Back to Black? therland), 3.2% for the Commu- nist Party, 3% for Svoboda (Free- dom), and 2.0% for Samopomich, The parliamentary election may bring only few the party of Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi. Since the Party of Re- “new faces” to parliament gions will not run, its 2.7% will probably go to and the Opposition Bloc newly Author: n September 14-15, all the October 26 general elections created on the basis of the Party Oles political parties that will undoubtedly help clean up of Development headed by ex- Oleksiyenko stand a chance to pass the the , but not to Chief of Staff for Yanukovych, O5% threshold and get into the extent the Maidan strived for Serhiy Liovochkin, and Natalia parliament held their party meet- several months ago. Korolevska’s Ukrayina – Vpered! ings. The parties that promote (Ukraine – Forward!) backed by themselves as the continuation of Distribution of seats . the Maidan cause have nomi- According to the poll conducted Poroshenko’s Bloc is likely to nated popular activists and com- by KMIS, a sociological group, lose a fair share of patriotic voters manders of volunteer battalions on August 23-September 2, after notorious failures in the in their top 10 or 20 lists. Along- 25.5% would vote for the Bloc of anti-terrorist operation in August side, they nominate controver- , 8.9% for Oleh and September and further con- sial, even utterly discredited peo- Liashko’s Radical Party, 6.8% for cessions to Moscow. Another dis- ple. The restored fragments of the ’s Hromadi- couraging factor is the voting of Party of Regions swarm with anska Pozytsia (Civic Position) September 16 when the law on functionaries who helped Viktor and the Democratic Alliance that the special status for the Donbas Yanukovych usurp power and run together, 5.3% for Serhiy Ti- was pushed through parliament preserve dictatorship. The rea- hipko’s Sylna Ukrayina (Strong with the help of the pro-Russian sonable choice of Ukrainians in Ukraine), 4.4% for Narodnyi wing: the Party of Regions and its 6|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Elections|Politics breakaways (gathered in new Lutsenko, ex-Interior Minister ment. If the Bloc’s rating falls, its groups, such as For Peace and and political prisoner under Yan- MPs will switch to more success- Stability! whose funding is often ukovych who acts as the formal ful players. linked to the Yanukovych Fam- leader of the Bloc, and Vice Pre- First-past-the-post candi- ily), and the Communist Party. mier Volodymyr Hroysman. If the dates leave even more doubts, yet This fact creates somewhat of a President fails to gain a self-suffi- Poroshenko’s Bloc counts on déjà vu (bringing back the memo- cient majority, Hroysman will them to add far more seats to ries of the fatal deal Viktor Yush- most likely become a technical their faction in parliament. They chenko made with the Party of premier. The Maidan leaders are will have virtually no commit- Regions in spring 2005) and will represented in Poroshenko’s Bloc ments to the President and his hardly be ignored by the oppo- by doctor Olha Bohomolets and party, and will leave it whenever nents of the President’s party in Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa they see fit. Therefore, Poroshen- the rivalry for voters. The lost Dzhemilev, journalists Mustafa ko’s attempts to convert his cur- votes will probably go to the less Nayem and Serhiy Leshchenko. rent popularity into the number popular parties that spoke pub- After top 20, the list looks less of seats in parliament before his licly against this vote and law (see encouraging. Candidate 24 is Ar- rating drops will hardly have a poll results). tur Palatnyi, Vitaliy Klitschko’s long-lasting effect. As soon as his Therefore, the Bloc of Petro obscure friend surrounded by ru- popularity begins to fall, they will Poroshenko can expect to get 65- mours of murky past which, how- quickly leave him. Unless Porosh- 70 seats out of 225 elected ever, remain unproven. No46 is enko conducts another constitu- through party list voting. Oleh Li- Serhiy Trehubenko. According to tional coup (like Yanukovych did) ashko’s Radical Party may end up earlier media reports, he was and gains more powers compared with 23-24, Civic Position and known in ’s Cabi- to the scope he got when elected Strong Ukraine – 21-22 each. Yat- net as a proactive supporter of President in spring, or unless he seniuk’s Narodnyi Front (People’s Yanukovych’s Family. This nomi- has “solid arguments” to convince Front) and Tymoshenko’s Bat- nation has already stirred a lot of kivshchyna could end up with 17- negative feedback from voters. The structure of the ruling 18 each, followed by 12-13 for People of the richest oligarchs, Svoboda and the Communist Ihor Kolomoyskiy, Viktor Pin- coalition in the future Party. Samopomich and the Op- chuk and , are on parliament will be primarily position Bloc are unlikely to beat the list as well. No93 is Lev the 5% threshold. If they do, each Partskhaladze, a notorious Kyiv determined by the voting in can get 11-12 seats. developer who had switched to first-past-the-post districts Another 225 MPs are elected Leonid Chernovetsky’s team be- through first-past-the-post vot- hind Vitaliy Klitschko’s back after ing. This is what Petro Porosh- getting into Kyiv Council with MPs to stay loyal (like his prede- enko, former Party of Regions UDAR. cessor), his parliamentary major- members, oligarchs and big busi- The notorious Baloha clan ity will spin out of control shortly ness owners have the highest ex- (including , ex- after the October elections. Plus, pectations of. Chief of Staff for Viktor Yush- the appetites of separate groups chenko and Emergencies Minis- that will compete against each Seeking an independent ter in Mykola Azarov’s Cabinet, other will keep growing. majority along with his two brothers and a Poroshenko’s Bloc wants to be a cousin) runs in Transcarpathia as Minority groups dominating party in parliament, part of Poroshenko’s Bloc. Davyd The other part of the current gov- and ideally create a single-party Zhvania is running in Poroshen- ernment is running separately in majority without critical need of ko’s Bloc in Odesa Oblast: thanks Narodniy Front (People’s Front) alliances with other parties. to his intermediation in 2010, headed by Arseniy Yatseniuk and Therefore, it is extremely diverse Yushchenko’s Nasha Ukrayina . Its top 10 in its choice of members. It was (Our Ukraine) faction broke up, candidates include Yatseniuk and formed based on quotas distrib- the crossovers switched to the Turchynov, National Security and uted to different political forces Yanukovych-oriented majority in Defence Council Chief and and gruops. It includes many ex- parliament, and added their votes Maidan commander Andriy Paru- Party of Regions’ members who to the appointment of the Cabinet biy, Interior Minister Arsen Ava- served in Yanukovych’s govern- of Mykola Azarov. Eventually, kov, journalists and activists Te- ment. Quite a few members of the this all led to the bloodbath on tiana Chornovol and Viktoria Si- President’s personal quota will the Maidan in winter 2013-2014. umar, and commanders of primarily remain loyal to him, Another notorious crossover, Vi- volunteer battalions Andriy then to the bloc. Finally, the Bloc taliy Nemilostyviy, is running Teteruk and Yuriy Bereza, among includes many civic leaders, jour- with Poroshenko’s Bloc in others. No13 is Dmytro Tymchuk, nalists and activists, to make it Kharkiv Oblast. coordinator of the Information more attractive. This is a typical pro-presiden- Resistance NGO that has gained Its top candidates are Vitaliy tial conglomerate. Meanwhile, it popularity in the months of war Klitschko (his participation is is headless. Its nominated leader thanks to fairly reliable daily up- purely formal: he has said that he Petro Poroshenko, and Vitaliy dates on the frontline. will not switch his Kyiv Mayor of- Klitschko as probably formal No1 The rest of the list is full of fice for a parliament seat); Yuriy on the list, will not be in parlia- hidden turncoats who were № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|7 Politics|Elections elected to the current parliament with Tymoshenko’s Bat- kivshchyna, then betrayed their voters and voted alongside pro- presidential majority in times of Yanukovych, even though they did not quit their party. Among other things, they supported Mykola Azarov’s Cabinet when the opposition tried a motion of no- confidence against it in spring 2013. These include No14 Mykola Martynenko, No24 Denys Dzendz- erskyi, and No29 Serhiy Fayer- mark. What can make these people act differently, should they get through to the new parliament? has modi- fied her party list, leaving in only the most loyal members of the old guard (Hryhoriy Nemyria, Ivan Kyrylenko, Andriy Kozhemiakin and Serhiy Vlasenko), and adding a few popular Maidan or anti-ter- rorist operation activists. HOSTILE and Mykola Dzhyha. Vasyl Polia- marily determined by the voting in The ill-lustrated wing FRIENDSHIP: kov, business partner and close first-past-the-post districts. If The Opposition Bloc is openly The Opposition friend of Dmytro Sviatash, a noto- President Poroshenko convenes a running as the alliance of Chief of Bloc is a mix rious MP who called on the Yanu- majority of FPTP MPs who tend of ex-Party of Staff under Yanukovych, Serhiy Regions MPs. kovych regime to crush the to lean towards the epicenter of Liovochkin, and oligarch Rinat Some are close Maidan, is running as No17. No31 power at a given time, he could Akhmetov. The founding forum of to ex-Chief is Volodymyr Makeyenko who, as well avoid cumbersome allies the Opposition Bloc featured Ser- of Staff for Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, with other leading parties who hiy Larin, ex-Deputy Chief of Staff Yanukovych, was personally blocking all at- will have ambitions to run the for Liovochkin at the Yanukovych Serhiy tempts of the then opposition to Government. Meanwhile, the lists Administration; Yuriy Mirosh- Liovochkin, stop Yanukovych using parliament of FTPT candidates from the top nychenko, ex-representative of while others are tools up until the mass murders of parties remain unknown to the Yanukovych in parliament who oligarch Rinat protesters on the Maidan in Feb- public although they will proba- kept protecting his master in the Akhmetov's ruary. bly hide most of those who must people media until the very last moment, It is clear today is that the be lustrated. The Ukrainian and more. The top 5 includes ex- structure of the ruling coalition in Week will soon offer a closer Energy Minister (ac- the future parliament will be pri- look at those. cused of large-scale corruption), ex-Social Policy Minister Natalia Korolevska – both serving under Yanukovych; and several mayors of Eastern Ukrainian towns and cities. Another group of ex-Party of Regions MPs linked to Yanu- kovych is being led to parliament by , Vice Permier in Azarov’s Cabinet, in the Strong Ukraine party. Valeriy Khorosh- kovskyi, ex-Vice Permier in Az- arov’s Cabinet and the first SBU Chief under Yanukovych with close ties to Liovochkin, is running as No2. With Khoroshkovskyi as its chief, the SBU is remembered for terrorizing civil activists and scientists, and crushing the free- dom of speech and press in Ukraine. The Strong Ukraine’s top , the first SBU Chief under 20 has many loyal men of the Ya- Yanukovych, was known for attak on freedom of nukovych’s machine, such as speech and human rights. Now, he is running as No2 in Serhiy Tihipko's Strong Ukraine party Oleksandr Volkov, Tariel Vasadze, unian photo: 8|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014

Politics|Kharkiv The Next People’s Republic? Without “tourists” from Russia, the separatist movement in Kharkiv has quickly marginalised. If not for pro-Russian sympathies of the local authorities, it would hardly pose any threat at all

Author: larming news has been com- When an uncontrolled pro-Russian “The Russian border is just 38 Denys ing from Kharkiv, a key city crowd raged in downtown Kharkiv kilometres away from Kharkiv. It’s Kazansky in Eastern Ukraine. Who- in March, it did not attract mass about 80 km to Belgorod (the clos- Aever follows reports in the support and compassion of the lo- est big city in Russia – Ed.). The media alone might think that it is on cals, unlike in Donetsk. Kharkiv presence of our eastern neighbour the verge of a separatist revolt. Re- does not stand in the middle of min- has always been very noticeable ports come of occasional explosions ing villages with poor population here. Kharkiv is actually a border here and there. Rumours of the that could have risen for a revolt. city. There were lots of Russians flags of a “Kharkiv People’s Repub- “Actually, there were only Rus- here earlier – plenty of cars with lic” sewn in underground work- sians and Oplot (a pro-Russian Belgorod license plates on the shops are spreading. Videos with Kharkiv-based fight club led by roads. They bought food, clothes appeals of “guerrillas” promising an Yevhen Zhylin who fled Ukraine. and other things at our Baraban end to the “junta” appear online. Is Oplot reportedly participated in (the Barabashovo Market), because there really a threat? And will March attacks on Kharkiv Euro- shopping was always far cheaper in Kharkiv follow in the footsteps of Maidan activists and journalists. It Ukraine. Many Russians have al- Donetsk and ? was when Serhiy Zhadan, a well- ways worked in Kharkiv because It is hard to feel any threat as I known modern writer from Belgorod Oblast has high unem- roam around the city. At first glance, Kharkiv, was seriously injured – ployment, so they would come to life here is calm here. Traffic is Ed.), everything was well organ- work here. The Russians also took dense on central roads; a happy ised, this was not a spontaneous part in (pro-Russian – Ed.) protests throng of students hangs out on popular revolt,” said Olena here, which is why they initially Ploshcha Svobody, the Freedom Levytska, a local activ- seemed so big. Even today, the Rus- Square; and a tent collecting dona- ist. “The muscular men who fought sians who live and work here, are tions for the army stands before the in front of the ODA and seized it, clearly waiting for some commo- building of the Oblast Council. Still, were brought here in minivans. The tion,” Levytska says. this quiet routine does not guaran- ‘assault force’ of the crowd that Once the border between tee that the situation is actually stormed the Oblast Administration Ukraine and Russia was closed, it completely under control. Just a few building and kicked out Ukrainian became calmer in Kharkiv. You months ago, Donetsk too was hardly activists that were inside, were ath- won’t really see any cars with Rus- bothered by a handful of people oc- letes and professional fighters. The sian licence plates on the streets and cupying the Oblast State Adminis- police did not get in their way.” local separatists have become illegal tration (ODA) and lived its quiet March and early April were un- and gone underground. But most of parallel life. Very soon, it saw mis- easy in Kharkiv. During this period, the patriots here feel that it’s not so siles raining over the city. separatists seized the building of the underground, because the separat- Oblast State Administration several ist movement is directly supported Keep calm and close the times, but withdrew each time. Af- by the city Mayor, Hennady Kernes. border ter the Ukrainian-Russian border Anti-Ukrainian sentiments are very Kharkiv differs from Donetsk, like a was almost closed, movement, anti- wide-spread among people working worker from an old influential bu- government rallies attracted fewer at budget institutions, the prosecu- reaucrat. The former is used to act- participants and became far less ag- tion office, the police as well as the ing directly, on impulse, with force. gressive. The decisive battle for the local authority. The latter weighs things up and uses Oblast Administration building “I work at a medical university. reasoning. One swears loudly, the took place on April 8. On this day, In our department, all the employ- other doesn’t, but remembers ev- the police were able to regain the ees of the older generation advo- erything and chooses the appropri- seized building and arrest about 70 cated Russia – aggressively so, but ate time for manoeuvres. Kharkiv’s pro-Russian fighters who for the they have calmed down now. Per- former status of a capital, grandiose most part, it later emerged, were haps something started to get architecture, cosmopolitan youth members of Oplot. After this, street through to them, I don’t know … and the glory of an academic city fights came to an end and calm There used to be propaganda in fa- obligate it to behave accordingly. reigned in the city. vour of the “Kharkiv People’s Re- 10|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Kharkiv|Politics hoto by UNIAN by P hoto public” at the market, but people separatists have to wait for the Separatist Ukraine bleeding to death as a re- started to complain about these next excuse for activity. revolts in sult of the Kremlin’s aggression campaigners and they disap- “The company where I work Kharkiv grew and terrorist attacks. peared,” said Iryna Lytvynenko, a monitored sentiments in Kharkiv to a massive Even if the underground anti- Kharkiv resident. during and after the Maidan. The scale in spring Ukrainian movement exists, it is actual share of the pro-Russian because many According to the locals, all Russian citizens just that, not open massive separat- panic-filled rumours are generally crowd was 30%. This figure did not took part ist movement similar to that which spread on the vast Barabashovo change from one opinion poll to an- unfolded in the Donbas this spring. Market, but it is hard to say whether other. Another 15% are active The separatists in Kharkiv are small this is done deliberately, or whether Ukrainian patriots. The rest are a illegal groups, which do not really people are just gossiping. Quite re- very passive mass with limited in- have any power or mass support cently, someone said that “Kharkiv terests and indifference about ev- from the locals. On the one hand, People’s Republic” flags were being erything,” says Kharkiv resident An- this is a troubling red flag: the Don- sewn in underground workshops. ton Vasylenko. bas, too, had separatism in the form This information spread like wild- of small marginal organisations be- fire through the city, but it was im- Underground separatism fore it finally exploded. On the other possible to find any confirmation. There is actually a confrontation in hand, such elements cannot suc- Many of the traders on the Kharkiv between separatist and ceed without the support of the local market are sympathetic towards patriotic-minded citizens. But it authority and silent sabotage of law Russia and Putin, but at the same has not been really noticeable so enforcement. The main thing that time, business owners do not far, taking place in gateways and in differentiates Kharkiv from the need war. Kharkiv is more depen- the courtyards of residential areas. dent on small business, which is Almost every night, the slogans very sensitive to turmoil, than “For Novorossiya”, “Novorossiya – THE SEPARATISTS IN KHARKIV Donetsk and Luhansk. No one is peace” and “Kharkiv is Russia” ARE SMALL ILLEGAL GROUPS wants the Donbas scenario there. appear on the walls of buildings. The fact that the separatist upris- Someone regularly paints over WITH NO REAL FORCE OR ing did not gain mass support in them, but they reappear. Walls MASS SUPPORT FROM THE Kharkiv is possibly because it is have transformed into a kind of largely a city of traders, not work- chat, where patriots and separat- LOCALS ers. But the movement has not ists leave messages for one an- been entirely crushed, it is simply other. The former draw the Ukrai- Donbas is the loyalty of the local au- in hiding, and no one can say nian flag, while the latter slap red thority to Kyiv. The revolt in when and how it will manifest it- paint on them, symbolising the Kharkiv came to an immediate halt self again. The Ukrainian govern- blood of the Donbas residents that after the oblast and city councils re- ment have become stronger now Ukraine has shed in the East. To fused to support the separatists, and and there are no longer any ques- many, though, this blood-stained the police cleaned out the seized tions about its legitimacy, so the flag means quite the opposite: ODA just once. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|11 omnss n fobl uta in ultras footballCommunists and local between scuffle minor a was Tka Denys said chenko, is,” a local publisher. it game of But no one knows exactly what kind ways playing some game of his own. der here – that he is useful. He is al onlyone capable ofmaintaining or Possibly this? showtoKyiv that doingtheishe he is Why continues. battlecalm,thethatKharkivnot is wantscreateto theimpression that Mayor are The show. TV, staged a largely on aired were that here conflicts those all control, his der activists, as well as Communists un well-fedEuroMaidansomehas He something unfolding here. see you participation.Remember thiswhen happens in Kharkiv without Kernes’ has in mind, remains a mystery. oncesaidreportedly. Whatpathhe different he path,” a taking are we Kharkiv,fightingallow in notshall public,helm.“Ihimselfthewith at opportunity to declare Kharkiv a re actions separatists’and is merely the waiting behind for the secretly is believesnityHennadiythat Kernes patriotic local commuothers. The cally. Kharkiv resident saysOleksiy changes,”Stepiuk pessimisti the for it himpartly paralyzed – sassination attempt in April, leaving problems as an survived Kernes health(Hennadiy has he because punishedmayorcannotthebeand Ed. – February in protesters Maidan at shotspecial-purpose notorious that police the of support show to T-shirtsworeutiessaying“Berkut” and Kharkiv Dobkin Oblast Administration Mykhailo dep Administration of January, end the (at Dobkin Oblast Chairman former of – Ukrainian flag colours (the background blue “For yellow-and- a say on order” andpeace they now, and ground, “Kharkiv standsforstability” hadblueaonback they February and January in posters: of colours the of anti-Ukrainian support riots. and organisation the the city and punishes those guilty of lustration ingovernment conducts relapse may occur unless the central Therefore, they are convinced that a alty is temporary and opportunistic. EuroMaidantheloysuchthat feel 12 Politics | i nt eadd s separatist, as regarded not is ) However, Kharkiv supporters of n etme 1, hr really there 18, September On nothing that you assure can “I many concerns situation This changed has revolution “The the ukrainian week ukrainian the | Khar Ed. k iv . Meanwhile,). Ed. ). That’s). | № 13 (79) ­ ------october BUREA FROM ANOLDINFLUENTIL DONETSK, LIKEAWORKER KHARIV DIFFERS FROM around biggest irritants long oneofthe Kharkiv was in downtown monument The Lenin 2014 UCRA by the police. separatist crushed was city the the movement in because for option Kharkiv an longer no is sce nario Donetsk the that convinced un strangeknown people in masks.” were provocateurs the case, each In 22. a May on fight was There more. once reigned pearedinKharkiv inJune, disorder reap Hennadiy Kernes as soon as surprised. But were peacefully, we Day– Victory is 9 May while times, viet was celebrated as Labour Day in1 (MaySo 11 and 9, 1, May bances disturon expected everyone While minimum. This was very noticeable. theMayor, protests came down to a assassination on attempt the After Administration,Donetsk.in asjust Thetactic was tobesiege the Oblast Sundays. Saturdays and on curred oc usually They city. the in tions provoca and disturbances stantly attemptKernes,on there werecon assassination the “Before thatsays KharkivtheOblast Administration, of Chairman current Baluta, Ihor the conflict. endplacards, tobeforestepping in severalup tearand take tackers to at the allowed police the first, At men. young masked of group a by withSovietflags were and attacked Svobody Ploshcha people onto out elderly came mostly 30 About reality.inwas itthan TVbigger on thecity centre, which seemed much T t h sm tm, ahi is Pakhnin time, same the At to Adviser Pakhnin, Mykola Ed. ), the),month passed very ------integrity and state sovereignty. territorial protect to ability its and fore most, on the Ukrainian and government first So, depends, Ukraine opinion. of part remains locals’ Kharkiv whether the care toabout intend Kernes nor Putin neither that appears it Butpeople. languageandthe as well ferent,as architecturedifthehere,plantsis huge any hardly are Theretowns. ferenceis the most striking in small difDonetskOblast.Thelike all at rorist operation,” Pakhnin stated. anti-terthe of areathe from us to diversionist and groups that are forces coming external by organised concerned,weretheythatsure I’m Ed. administrativesionsin buildings – stabilizepeacefulexplocitieswith ported.Theywerepreparing deto re SBU the Kharkiv, in were detained services secret Russian the ofinstruction upon actingsionists diver of groups few a September, oc two curredSeptemberon 26.Earlier in least (at explosions last the as far As fiasco. a as endedect proj Republic” People’s The “Kharkiv left leaders. was without completely Kharkiv in movement entire The detained. were leaders The of arrested. were participants conflict mass 300 than him. More the of ahead work of difficult had Chief chaos. AnatoliyDmytriev,police,Kharkiv in oblast the over took Baluta everyone. by hospital,forgottenwoundedin ing Maidan; ly were officers police local the many from returned only just had Berkut Kharkiv’s time, that demoralised.At very was one spring,all?thewakeitEveryinof it can’t. Why didn’t the police act in repeated here? I am convinced that Ofcourse, Kharkiv Oblast is not be scenario Donetsk the “Can ad errs at are acts terrorist and ) ------

Photo by Anatoliy Mazhora National security|Politics Separatism From Top Offices of Kyiv Separatism in Ukraine is predominantly instigated from the outside: otherwise, it has no powerful domestic grounds despite the mass propaganda of the East-West divide photo: unian photo:

Author: kraine does not have its own Separatist projects in Ukraine in Minsk (the Russian-controlled Ihor Losev version of Scotland with its are destined to fail without outside and funded terrorist organizations unique ethnicity and a long intervention. And even with one that call themselves Donetsk and Uhistory of statehood, per- they are also doomed, provided Luhansk People's Republics and are haps apart from the Crimean Tatar there’s a consistent policy by Kyiv as centered in the two respective cities people, but they know full well that the capital of the Ukrainian state of Ukraine – Ed.). The media refers being part of Ukraine as a national and not the headquarters for pluto- to them as the documents on “spe- and territorial autonomy is their cratic clans. However, such policy cial status” of Donbas, that de-facto best chance to realize their right for by Kyiv is nowhere to be seen. In legitimize the separatist groups on self determination. Therefore, as an fact there were many instances 30% of the region’s overall territory, artificial phenomenon, any separat- when the capital acted in a way that and thus recognizes Kremlin’s mili- ism in Ukraine is weak, unless there only fueled the rise of separatist tary and political enclaves on the is powerful influence from the out- moods and groups in the regions ar- Ukrainian land. side. This sets the situation in tificially provoking such processes. Among other things this act of Ukraine apart from the likes of Ab- Kyiv’s capitulation to the terrorists khazia with its own ethnicity, Imported laws will have rather ugly consequences Transnistria formed out of Bessara- The Ukrainian public is now eagerly for Ukraine as a unitary state, as we bian and Ukrainian lands and discussing the “Putin’s laws” that are talking about recognizing a ter- added to the Moldavian SSR in were successfully peddled through ritory with a fundamentally differ- 1940 or Karabakh which is part of the Verkhovna Rada by Petro Po- ent status and rights, as compared Azerbaijan yet has predominantly roshenko after some extremely du- to the rest of the country's regions. Armenian population and a tragic bious talks with separatists and ter- This includes the right for own history full of ethnic cleansing. rorists of the “DNR” and the “LNR” armed formations, i.e. "people's mi- № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|13 Politics|National security litia", appointing prosecutors and solidarity of the people and states. powerful pro-Ukrainian movement judges independently from the cen- Any American knows: his country, of Crimean Tatars for example. If tral authorities etc. Therefore Kyiv whatever happens to him, will do anything, it frightened the central has effectively approved the cre- everything possible and a little bit authorities. They saw a threat to the ation of a state within a state, a "sov- more to save its citizen. integrity of the country not in pro- ereign pro-Moscow terrorist Bantu- When the USA decided to leave Russian forces, but in the activity of stan", if you will. South Vietnam, along it took hun- the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar Peo- Addressing the congressmen in dreds of thousands of its propo- ple. Washington Ukrainian President nents; when France pulled out of Kyiv saw the pro-Ukrainian Petro Poroshenko talked about his Algeria, it brought to its territory forces of the South and the East as a readiness to give the Donbas the not only the French, but also Alge- bargaining chip for political games kind of rights that no other part of rian Arabs and Berbers that cooper- that could always be sacrificed. Pa- the country has. Such an exclusive ated with Paris. Respected countries triotic forces in Crimea often had to approach is in violation of the Con- do not abandon their own… stand on their own against Mos- stitution of Ukraine and a disrup- In these parts, however, hun- cow's aggression and the betrayal of tion of the country's unitarity dreds of thousands of Ukrainians, Kyiv. (which again violates the Constitu- the Ukrainian-speaking, the Ukrai- This rule of liberal Kuchmists tion). Thus a political inequality of nian-oriented citizens on the Ukrai- (officials nurtured under the presi- regions has been introduced, which nian territory are being "left at the dent – Ed.), who will inevitably result in other terri- mercy". are now busy carrying out visual re- tories willing to change their status As a member of Ukrainian Par- modeling of the nepotistic and plu- as well, and therefore provoke a fed- liament and Crimean native Andriy tocratic system (a great number of eralization movement. What has Senchenko put it, “In the Donbas appointments attest to this), to been signed by Ukrainian represen- people gripe that after passing these avoid responsibility for surrender- tatives in Minsk allows Kremlin's laws (on the special status of the ing Crimea (while in the process of criminal/terrorist creations known Donbas – Ed.) Ukraine has aban- surrendering Donbas, albeit in a as the "DNR" and the "LNR" to "le- doned them and left them with no somewhat different manner), are gally" function for three years, and, choice but to flee their own land”. actively peddling the myth about perhaps, even much longer than Such a move by central authori- mass treason by the Crimean popu- that. ties will only inspire separatists, lation: all Crimeans are pro-Russian The legalization of the Donbas while demoralizing and discourag- traitors, and so are the Ukrainian separatists spells tragedy for all pro- ing pro-Ukrainian forces. Many po- military servicemen in Crimea, trai- Ukrainian residents of those areas, tential patriots in the East are opt- as they are now left at the mercy of ing to keep quiet, they don't trust Had Kyiv supported anti-Ukrainian forces that will no Kyiv authorities, they suspect (alas, doubt make the most of their given not unreasonably) they may be be- pro-Ukrainian forces in rights to appoint their own judges, trayed. And this kind of policy has Crimea and the Donbas all prosecutors, investigators, etc., who been prevalent for over 20 years. will do their utmost to exterminate Yours truly saw it in action in these years, it would have patriotic citizens on seemingly legal Crimea, where not pro-Ukrainian, stronger positions there grounds. They will have the plea- but pro-Moscow forces were the fa- sure of telling their victims: 'It was vored ones, as the latter were pow- Ukraine that abandoned you'… erful and influential, while the for- tors everywhere. Everywhere, ex- mer were weak and marginalized. cept the high offices in Kyiv appar- Abandon your own But the power of the local pro- ently… In this country the propensity to Kremlin fifth column has always But as one war reporter noted, surrender, to abandon, is unfortu- lied not within itself (it always “after the Perevalne coastal forces nately characteristic not only of the tended to be rather inept, uncre- brigade and the navy battalion of ruling authorities but of a large part ative and primitive), but in compre- Feodosiya were captured a number of the educated folk. Back when Ya- hensive support from Moscow. By of soldiers stayed in Crimea to be- nukovych was still in power a re- the way, the "green men" popped up come Russian servicemen. Some nowned writer and Ivano-Frankivsk all over the peninsula precisely be- labeled them traitors. Ukrainian native Yuriy Andrukhovych made cause Kremlin had no illusions as to journalists later wrote about these public calls about giving the Donbas the capabilities of their minions, of “traitors”, after spending three and Crimea the "opportunity for all those criminal "goblins" ["Gob- weeks with these soldiers, eating self-determination". Today this lin" is the old criminal nickname as- together and sleeping under one highbrow dream is being realized by cribed to Sergei Aksionov, the cur- roof with them. The soldiers never the Russian General Staff, while the rent so-called Head of the Republic let go of their rifles. “Until the very dreamers have gone quiet. Perhaps of Crimea – Ed.]. Moscow knew full end they kept waiting for the order they are now hoping to be "accepted well that without boots on the to use force,” the journalists wrote. to the Europe" at last… ground, solely through the efforts of The order never came. The then in- The authority of any state both Aksionov, Konstantinov, Tsekov at cumbent Verkhovna Rada did not internally and internationally to a al, occupation of the peninsula perform its function. Such a behav- large extent depends on how it would never be accomplished. ior by the top leadership persuaded stands by its citizens and allies. The Meanwhile the weakness of pro- the Donbas separatists that in their might of the United States, among Ukrainian forces always was in their region things would also go accord- other things, is held together by the total neglect by the capital. Take the ing to the Crimean scenario, i.e., 14|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 National security|Politics culture, the future of the country, anything at all, as long as own busi- ness interests taken care of. And this is why Petro Poroshenko, while doing a decent job in the dip- lomatic domain, didn't fare bril- liantly when it came to being the Commander in Chief. Military problems, however, cannot be re- solved at a negotiation table. After the capitulation in Minsk the pro- ponents of the unitary Ukraine re- siding in areas adjacent to the Don- bas have every reason to think hard: 'Will we be surrendered too?' Separatism in Ukraine is pretty much entirely held together by Moscow's support. While the likes of Abkhazia and Karabakh having the grassroots separatist move- ment on their own would still

krayinske P hoto U krayinske by P hoto maintain their course directed at splitting from Georgia and Azer- smoothly. Kyiv officials effectively Virtually all and East. Ukrainian patriots in baijan respectively, Crimea, just inspired them and their puppeteers separatism places like Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, like the Donbas, would still be in Moscow to undertake this armed in Ukraine Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Myko- Ukrainian in its entirety if it wasn't mutiny. It was a display of victim- lives thanks to layiv and Odesa are beginning to for the Russian intervention. Thus support from ity that Kyiv still has propensity Moscow wonder whether the president's any courting with anti-Ukrainian for. next bargain with Putin may in- movements in Ukraine is an utterly Later tens of thousands of volve them. ludicrous affair, because those re- Crimean residents, that were left Kyiv's ever-compromising sorting to it are dealing with pup- unprotected by Ukrainian authori- course, all this haggling around na- pets, whose master is elsewhere, ties, had to flee the peninsula into tional interests only stimulates behind the Kremlin walls, to be the mainland Ukraine. It's worth separatism in the regions and un- precise. pointing out that the motivation of dermines the integrity of Ukraine. And therefore Petro Poroshen- these people dramatically differs ko's promises to the Donbas to in- from that of the IDPs fleeing Acquired Separatism crease, enhance and broaden what- Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Syndrome ever are equally ludicrous. In real- There is actual , so How did this phenomenon even ity this region is in need of everyone ran, including the sup- emerge in Ukrainian politics? For Ukrainian nationwide social and porters of the "DNR" and the more than 20 years political elites economic reforms, not some ob- "LNR", because missiles and have been growing more and more scure "special status" that will only bombs do not pick their victims entangled with the criminal busi- serve Moscow and the local crimi- based on political beliefs. Whereas ness circles (undeniably criminal nal gangs. in Crimea no fighting took place so by most civilized standards: cor- Central authorities never did the citizens moving to Ukraine ruption, bribery etc.). This brought anything of note to support pro- were driven purely by political ra- to power a great number of politi- Ukrainian population in Crimea tionale. It was those that couldn't cians with purely entrepreneurial and Donbas, opting instead to coop- bear living under the Russian occu- thinking, which in Ukrainian real- erate with the local pro-Moscow pation that left their homes on the ity is the direct opposite of the post-communist nomenclature, peninsula. state-building mindset. perhaps due to the latter being eas- In effect, by passing the "Putin- For a typical Ukrainian oli- ier to relate to… Practically through- Poroshenko" laws on the Donbas garch the state is not a form of exis- out the entire history of Ukraine's Kyiv planted a time bomb under it- tence for the nation, not a value in independence the dominating ten- self and Ukraine as a state. It may itself, but an asset to be bought and dency was a pro-Soviet one. take awhile to go off, its effect may sold. Therefore this industrialist But when the central govern- even be gradual, but the long-term (even if he happens to work as the ment fails to protect its natural al- devastating force should not be un- country's president it doesn't really lies in the regions, it inevitably loses derestimated: the central authori- change a thing) always remains ad- them along with the territories. ties will be losing the vote of confi- amant that any "issues" can be Had Kyiv supported pro-Ukrai- dence in the regions, and thus in- "settled" through under-the-table nian forces in Crimea and the Don- evitably centrifugal forces will agreements and "arrangements", bas all these years, it would have emerge. The "Munich" path fol- price cuts, lucrative proposals. He stronger positions there. But that lowed by President Poroshenko, is adamant that that the fate of mil- would require a different kind of Speaker Turchynov and Premier lions of Ukrainians can be put on central authorities, the ones made Yatseniuk does nothing to reassure the negotiation table along with the up by someone other than criminal the residents of Ukraine's South prospects for the language and the oligarchs. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|15 focus|Fall of Communism The Communist Party May Be on Its Last Legs, But Social Populism is Still Alive The electoral fiasco of the Communist Party in Ukraine does not mean less demand for social populism. It only brings to the political arena new players that are better fits for the new structure of Ukrainian society

Author: ccording to a recent survey old and not making it to parlia- it was said to be close to demise Oleksandr carried out by the Demo- ment. To many, this is a definitive but then rose as a phoenix from Kramar cratic Initiatives Founda- argument in favour of abandoning the ashes. In the late 1990s, it was Ation jointly with the Kyiv any active efforts to achieve a the main apparent alternative to International Institute for Sociol- court ban on the Communist the Leonid Kuchma regime, until ogy on 12-21 September 2014, 3% Party. Let them take away some Nasha Ukraina (Our Ukraine), a of potential participants in the votes from other pro-Russian national democratic alliance, parliamentary election would vote projects; they won’t make it to the came onto the stage to take the for the Communist Party, which is Verkhovna Rada anyway, these number one place from the com- 4.6% of those who have formed a people seem to be thinking. munists in the 2002 parliamen- clear electoral preference by now. However, the Communist tary election. Their popular sup- Thus, the communists risk failing Party has gone through several port dropped from 22% in the to cross the five-per cent thresh- such swings in the past 15 years – first round of the 1999 presiden-

Ele oral support for the Communi Party in the pa 15 years across Ukraine and in the regions where it polled

over 1% in the la ele ion 1 4 5 0 6 4

1.30 22.6 16.63 5.4 6.6 13.2 5.79 5

Chernihiv Obla 19.1 16.49 5.36 12.2 1.64 0 5 2

1 Obla 7

9 1.2 21.85 18.8 5.3 5.8 12.8 69 8 7. 4

22.24 22.24 19.98 3.66 5.39 13.18 1.51 Zhytomyr Obla .15 8 21.77 1 5.4 6.4 13.49 1.38

Total for Ukraine 5

Poltava Obla 32.8 30.6 4.56 8.2 20.84 2.6 Eleion year 4 Kharkiv Obla 1999 2002 2006 2007 2012 2014 47 39.68 4.43 8.48 25.14 5.43 3 2 6 .6

2 Luhansk Source: Central Eleion Commission

28.91 31.86 5.65 7 19.38 3.2 Obla 28.03 22.2 6.08 6.4 13.4 1.50 8 Kirovohrad Obla Dnipropetrovsk Obla 9 0 9 39.4 29.7 3.14 6.05 18.85 4.34 8 0 .1

4 Donetsk 31.31 29.2 5.33 7 19.09 3.72 9 30.7 33.4 5.3 21.16 4.15 8.3 Obla Odesa Mykolaiv Zaporizhia Obla

0 Obla Obla 35.11 31.5 6.76 9.09 23.34 3.41

6 Kherson Obla 24.79 26.2 3.18 6.1 18.16 3.83

16|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 tial election to less than 4% in the nearly 20% are still undecided 2006 parliamentary election, the and a little over 20% will not first one held after the Orange come to polling stations-. This Revolution. The communist ship means that the communists may began to sink, it seemed, but it re- actually obtain twice the number emerged with new strength, col- of votes that opinion surveys give lecting over 5% in the 2007 par- them. liamentary election and more Their programme and rhetoric than 13% in 2012. continue to include a typical array After the Revolution of Dig- of social populist slogans, which, nity, Petro Symonenko, the leader however, are highlighted to a of Ukrainian communists, barely much lesser degree than in previ- garnered 1.5%. The communists ous campaigns: legal nationaliza- did not receive many votes from tion of strategic sectors; a ban on their supporters who are tradi- agricultural land sale; “abolition tionally concentrated in the of the pension and medical re- Crimea and Sevastopol, now an- form imposed by the IMF and the nexed by Russia, and in the Don- EU”; repayment of savings; creat- bas territories currently con- ing a network of state-owned and trolled by terrorists. On 25 May, a communal retailers, service pro- mere 168,000 voters cast their viders and drugstores; providing ballots in Donetsk and Luhansk free-of-charge housing to the un- oblasts, which is a mere 5% of derprivileged; limiting utilities to voter turnout in the past years. no more than 10% of family in- The communist nominee tradi- come, etc. Instead, priority is now tionally enjoyed the highest sup- given to slogans like “a secure port level there in comparison to shield against pro-NATO inten- other regions, but this did little to tions”, “making a pathway for re- improve his overall result. More- storing good neighbourly and over, there was another reason – brotherly relations with the CIS by closely cooperating with the members, above all Russia” and regime until “preserving the unity of the Slavic the last minute and openly play- peoples”. Moreover, “atheist com- ing into the hands of Russian ag- munists” specifically emphasize gression after Yanukovych’s their “support for traditional de- ouster, the Communist Party lost nominations” by which they, nat- a good portion of its supporters in urally, mean only one religious most regions of the country, end- group – the Russian Orthodox ing up with virtually no followers Church, the religious hand of Rus- in central and western Ukraine. sia’s FSB. The Communist Party is head- Heading into the last ing into “the last battle” as a typi- battle? cal party appealing to the USSR- The party’s chances have risen nostalgic pensioners. This is re- somewhat now that a number of flected in the composition of its traditionally pro-communist in- list of nominees. Of the top 15 dustrial cities in the Donbas have candidates, 10 are aged 61-76 and been freed of terrorists. More- only three are under 50. The over, southern and eastern youngest candidate in the top five Ukraine is becoming increasingly is the party’s leader Petro Sy- de-communized as evidenced by monenko, 62. Close to the top of the recent demolition of what was the list are such odious fomenters Ukraine’s biggest Lenin monu- of separatist attitudes as Alla ment (in Kharkiv). This may be an Aleksandrovska (she recently said additional rallying factor for those in Kharkiv that “Ukraine is not a consumed by nostalgia for Soviet state”), Spiridon Kilinkarov (a times as it prompts them to vote leader of Luhansk communists for the communists, rather than who has actively supported sepa- the Opposition Bloc, on 26 Octo- ratists), Yevhen Tsarkov (a ber (see p.6). Finally, the survey Ukrainophobe from Odesa) and mentioned above shows that the others. communists have the most loyal support group of all the political Political nature abhors forces elected to the Verkhovna a vacuum Rada in 2012: 37% of communist In the 23 years of Ukraine’s inde- sympathizers are going to vote for pendence, political forces which the Communist Party again, aspired to left-wing status but, in focus|Fall of Communism fact, had no constructive social 2006, which turned both left- factories to workers – these famil- programmes and advocated a re- wing political parties into junior iar slogans are clearly discernible turn to the Soviet past or preserv- partners of oligarchic capital in in its agenda. Freedom insists ing its rudiments in the social and the pro-government coalition. that the local state administra- economic spheres have been sub- On 4 August 2007, speaking at tions be dissolved and their au- ject to gradual erosion. Ukraine a pre-election congress of the Party thority transferred to the execu- has not been blessed with a nor- of Regions, attended by Ukraine’s tive committees of the local coun- mal centre-right political party all biggest oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, cils. Further, it wants to ban this while, but the situation in the Symonenko said: “Strange as it strategic enterprises from privati- left wing has been simply cata- may sound, I urge all of us to pro- zation and restore state owner- strophic. As the social structure of tect national capital”. It would have ship of the already privatized Ukrainian society evolved and made classic communist thinkers ones, including cases when their nostalgia for Soviet times natu- turn in their graves. As the Com- owners have failed to meet their rally abated, the communists and munist Party became more inti- social and investment obligations. the socialists began to yield their mately involved with large capital, Freedom is opposed to agricul- spot in the political sun to social- its programme was increasingly tural land becoming a commodity, populist political projects spon- dominated by foreign-policy, wants to reduce the prices of basic sored – often with little effort at rather than social and class, issues. goods by taxing luxury goods, leg- disguise – by oligarchs. This is no surprise, considering islatively limit interest rates on To use Marxist criteria, mod- that it shared responsibility for the bank loans, etc. ern Ukrainian society is largely policies of the “anti-popular gov- Liashko’s party programme is “petty bourgeois” or “declassed”. ernment” for more than five years even more populist: 10-year loans Its social structure is conducive to within the span of less than eight at a five-per cent interest rate, social populism but not to classic lower salary taxes and bigger left-wing ideology. In 2013, a li- The Communist Party taxes on products manufactured on’s share of voters depended on by oligarchs, a crisis tax on oli- centralized distribution of the na- is heading into garchs to fill budget holes and tional product through the state “the last battle” stop the inflation, forcing oli- budget, pension or other social garchs to shell out more for com- funds rather than on money as a typical party appealing panies they privatized on the earned through employment by to the USSR-nostalgic cheap, a ban on agricultural land private capitalists. The majority of sale and eliminating the illegal small entrepreneurs are barely pensioners land market, a tenfold increase in making a living and would gladly budget spending on health, set- take a well-paid job instead. 30% years (2006-2014). Without its ting up primary health centres in of the 10 million “self-employed” votes, the Yanukovych government every village, etc. citizens are peasants who are, in of 2006-2007 and the Mykola Az- Thus, even as the old left-wing fact, jobless and survive with the arov government of 2010-2014 political parties are falling into help of subsistence farming and would not have been able to oper- oblivion, a new generation of poli- irregular, seasonal employment ate. ticians is coming on the scene. as internal or external migrant In these conditions, constitu- They are aptly exploiting the fact workers. They are focused on sur- ents in central, western and later that a large proportion of Ukrai- viving and take little interest in southern Ukraine, where the ex- nians lean towards primitive so- the traditional conflict over the isting social structure is more cial populism, while still viewing distribution of added value be- conducive to social populism, the world through the Soviet lens tween hired workers and employ- have not changed their prefer- despite embracing “nationalism” ers – if only because this added ences. The niche which belonged or adopting a “pro-European value is simply not generated. to the communists and the social- stance”. If continued, this trend Since the Orange Revolution, ists was first occupied by the Yu- will further erode assets that can the traditional left-right electoral lia Tymoshenko Bloc (even still be redistributed to offer an division has been increasingly though it tried to formally posi- easy solution to citizens’ problems supplanted by a civilizational tion itself as a centre-right force) at the expense of “that guy”. choice between Russia as a con- and, after ensuing disillusion- Moreover, this is happening pre- tinuation of the USSR and Eu- ment, was penetrated by Svoboda cisely at the moment when the rope. In these conditions, the (Freedom) and later Oleh Liash- country badly needs the bitter choice first made by the commu- ko’s Radical Party. This latter truth and an ideology for generat- nists and then by the socialists party started to gradually win ing the national wealth rather has alienated voters in western over Freedom’s voters. At least than dividing its dwindling assets. and central regions that lean to- 9% of those who supported Free- The positive aspect of the situa- wards social populism. In 2006, dom in 2012 now prefer the Radi- tion is that the programmes and Natalia Vitrenko’s Progressive So- cal Party, according to the survey rhetoric of Batkivshchyna (Fa- cial Party, once popular in central mentioned above. therland), Narodny Front (Peo- Ukraine, failed to be elected. Sy- Closer inspection reveals that ple’s Front), Hromadianska Po- monenko supported Yanukovych Freedom’s socioeconomic pro- zytsiia (Civic Position) and Samo- during the Orange Revolution, gramme and the rhetoric of its pomich (Self-Assistance) are, by and socialist leader Oleksandr spokespersons are patently social- and large, free of social populist Moroz followed in his footsteps in populist. Land to peasants and elements. 18|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Opinion|focus How We Got Rid of Communism

he towering scholars in the area of Eastern and A high-profile Soviet dissident irreconcilable with the Central European studies have analyzed Commu- Soviet regime that spoke and acted in its name, Shtro- nism as the failed modernization of Russia. Al- mas dismissed all considerations about the alleged fa- Tthough operating as a secular ideocracy – to recall naticism and ideological single-mindedness of the So- a brilliant term employed by Raymond Aron and then viet people as ill-founded political propaganda. Instead reinterpreted by Ernest Gellner – and as a messianic of searching for the special qualities of homo sovieticus promise of collective salvation, Soviet Communism was or depicting the allegedly ever-present fanaticism and always reminiscent of the nearly Byzantine sacrosanct ideological zeal of Russians or the “Soviet people,” he fo- structure of symbolic authority, and the fusion of the cused on the analysis of the Communist Party and sacral and secular elements of power. Modern in intent, Marxist-Leninist ideology as the sword and the shield of yet archaic in symbolic organization, Soviet Commu- the Soviet regime. nism is likely to continue puzzling and striking, for a According to Shtromas, the Communist Party is the sole long time, many Western scholars as a false promise of political party-based and oligarchic regime, or partoc- modernity with a human face. Therefore, an apt com- racy, which wages the never-ending war against its own parison of Communism and Protestantism initiated by society, while pretending to be constantly surrounded Max Weber sheds new light on Communism as a failed and plotted against by external and internal enemies. civilization-shaping movement. Ernest Gellner aptly described the fall of Communism Analyzing the reasons of the Western misconceptions of in 1989-1990 as sudden death of a rival civilization the , the Lithuanian émigré political scien- which proudly asserted its legitimacy as heir to the tist Aleksandras Shtromas subscribed to the point of Enlightenment. In fact, it fell in the most banal way view of the French philosopher and political scientist leaving the entire generations of Eastern European Alain Besançon: “failure to understand the Soviet re- societies in a political and moral void. It was as if the Author: gime is the principal cause of its successes.” Shtromas Pope has declared one day that the whole world of Leonidas was starting his harsh criticism of the Western miscon- Roman Catholicism was just a huge historic mistake Donskis, ceptions of the nature and logic of the Soviet regime and fiction. People in Eastern and Central Europe Lithuania from a valuable remark that the Soviet Union by no were confronted by a cruel question as to whether means represents a con- they were fools or cow- tinuation of the pre-revo- Soviet Communism was ards or cynics, and if their lutionary Russian Empire. lives were wasted and To think otherwise, ac- reminiscent of the nearly lost. cording to Shtromas, is a Byzantine sacrosanct Lithuania has abandoned self-deception, “for the So- Communism in a rather viet Union is first and fore- structure of symbolic decisive manner. The most an ideological state authority, the fusion most important aspect of whose very substance is that story was a strong re- Communism and whose of the sacral and secular jection of the KGB in all rulers have at heart only elements of power its incarnations, whether one interest, that of Com- in administration, new munist domination, not only over Russia and its vi- entrepreneurship, or political class. Needless to cinities, but over the entire world.” say, some of high-ranking party officials played a Interestingly, the distinction that Shtromas makes role in Lithuanian politics after 1990, yet nobody between the ancien régime of pre-revolutionary Russia had even the slightest doubts about the legitimacy and and the Soviet Union stands in contrast not only to the validity of the independent Lithuania. Latvia and Esto- aforementioned identification of the two concepts wide- nia had long regarded their respective Communist Par- spread in the West, but also to a theory worked out, after ties as dominated by ethnic Russians both from within 1990, by some politicians in the Baltic countries, accord- and from without, and rightly so, Lithuanian Commu- ing to which the Soviet Union was nothing other than nists prized their unquestionable domination in their Some of high-rank- the same old Russian Empire masquerading as a Com- party. ing party officials munist state. I remember how some of my Estonian colleagues were played a role in Lith- The former Chairman of the Lithuanian Parliament, Vy- poking fun on Lithuania in 1992 after the then stunning uanian politics after 1990, yet nobody tautas Landsbergis, whose name had long been and con- victory of the former Communist Party in the parlia- had even the slight- tinues to be raised as the banner of the independence mentary elections. However, ever since that party closed est doubts about the legitimacy and valid- movement in Lithuania, made it clear that Communism ranks with their archrivals and had no gaps concerning ity of the indepen- was nothing more than a perfect disguise for Russian Lithuania’s top priorities in foreign policies, such as ac- dent state imperialism. Like his friend Aleksandras Shtromas, the cession to NATO and the EU. Although the country is of Lithuania Lithuanian poet Tomas Venclova has never accepted the still divided when it comes to assess the role of Antanas political and moral equivalency between Communism Sniečkus, the former head of the Communist Party who and Russian imperialism. In the light of the resurgence is said to have been an ardent Stalinist with an oddly of imperialism and the resulting rise of fascism in Rus- sentimental attachmentto Lithuanian culture, nobody siathat it projects onto Ukraine so cynically and shame- has ever put into question the fact that the country was lessly, this question seems far from trivial and easy, united in its dedication to get rid of the legacy of Com- though. munism and join the family of European nations. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|19 Focus|Fall of Communism The Red Thaw in Eastern Europe After 1989, East European Communists transformed into social-democrats. Those who survived lustration remained in politics at home through the 1990s and early 2000s

Author: Olha Vorozhbyt newly-created party of the former regime representatives very regor Gysi’s speeches in the closely, with a grain of suspicion. Bundestag regarding This differentiated German Com- Ukraine are always a well- munists, for example, from the Pol- Gselected set of theses in de- ish ones, who found a way to fill the fence of and the Social Democratic niche. German current position of Russia. This Communists found it difficult to German politician is a lawyer by accomplish the same thing at home profession. Close your eyes for an because the West Germany centre- instant when listening to him, and left held solid and influential posi- you will feel as if you are in court tions there. After the 1994 election, hearing the counsel for the de- when questioned about whether he fence. With equal fervour, Gysi, the viewed Gysi’s party in his coalition last leader of the GDR’s leading So- with Social Democrats, Co-Chair- cialist Unity Party of Germany man of the Green Party, Joschka (SED), stood for the existence of Fischer, stated that he saw his po- his political force, and this is prob- litical force either with the Social ably one of the reasons why he suc- Democrats or in the opposition, ceeded in transforming it into the but did not intend to depend on Party of Democratic Socialism Gysi’s party. The centre-right (PDS) first, then The Left party, as Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, called we know it in the current German East German Communists “fascists parliament. painted red”, and in publications in However, both today, when his the early 1990s, there were discus- party members only won 11.9% sions on whether it was at all pos- support in the last election, and af- sible to trust the newly-established ter the fall of the Berlin wall and PDS as the successor of East Ger- the first free democratic election in man Communism. East Germany, former Commu- Many politicians, who were nists immediately ended up in the members of the Communist Par- caste of parties with little influence. ties of the former Soviet Bloc, such An important factor that contrib- as Gysi, remain in the politics at uted to this was the significant in- home, but not as actively. Else- public from their German col- volvement of West Germany in the where, such as in Poland and leagues: in spite of everything, na- political process of that time, which Hungary, their forces were not tional interest was of paramount helped to quickly establish a new marginalised, but transformed importance to them. party system where the centre- into powerful social democratic “Communism was a kind of right gained a majority under the movements, which after the disil- freezer… The defrosting process careful but important support of lusionment in the first elections was conducted gradually: first of the “father” of German unity, following 1989, often played a all, we saw wonderful flowers; then Helmut Kohl. leading role in the country. Their – mud and nasty scum,” wrote Pol- As Daniel Ziblatt, a professor at representatives became presidents ish publicist Adam Michnik, clearly Harvard University, noted in one or prime ministers. However, referring to the early 1990s. It is of his studies, a significant role in there is another distinctive sign, this second layer of “defrosting” the marginalisation of Communists which differentiates the succes- that brought to the surface new un- was also played by the West Ger- sors of the Communist Parties in expected results and social move- man media: they watched the Poland, Hungary or the Czech Re- ments, and at the same time, rein- 20|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Fall of Communism|Focus stated some former politicians to The gravitation of Polish leftist the horrors of Communism. It is the position of statesmen. parties and former Communists to important, that the Czech Republic “Polish leftists on the back- the right (in spite of their tradi- became the first East Bloc country ground of leftist parties in West tional rhetoric, the maintenance of in which the Communist Party European countries, for example, national interests) helped leftists played a dominant role prior to France, are significantly more with ideas to avoid such discredit- 1989 but was recognised as being a rightist. If you compare the Com- ing, as seen in Ukraine. criminal organisation and the re- munist Party of France to the Pol- In Hungary, just as in Poland, gime itself - illegal. In the latest ish Democratic Left Alliance, the there was a transformation of what general elections, the Communist direct successor of the Polish was the leading party prior to 1989. Party of Bohemia and Moravia cre- United Workers' Party, the latter is However, if in Poland and Ger- ated in 1989 landed third, and this ideologically more rightist,” – says many it seemed quite harsh, Hun- is extremely painful for country of Pawel Fleischer, a Polish re- gary had it gradually, although Havel. Although party members searcher. party members themselves played asked forgiveness for the actions of The history of Polish Commu- an important role in it. Politicians their predecessors and do not con- nists after 1989 is a great example Károly Grósz and Imre Pozsgay sider themselves to be their succes- of how the party transferred to the strived to rid the party of its “Gou- sors, it is the nostalgia for the Com- social democratic wing, as well as lash Communist center”, which munist past, clearly, that brought it this result. The Devil’s Today, the successors of the Advocate. During a Communist Party in the parlia- meeting ments of Eastern Europe hold po- with Petro sitions that are not particularly in- Symonenko, fluential (with the possible excep- the leader of tion of the Czech Republic). The the Communist politicians that were members of Party of these political forces one way or Ukraine, in another prior to 1989 are gradu- August, Gregor ally leaving the political arena be- Gysi stated that cause of their age and demand of the German Left will provide society. It is important for lustra- their lawyer to tion to eliminate those who are the Ukrainian guilty of Communist crimes. In Communist most countries, Communists Party transferred to the social demo- cratic field, a more familiar policy for Europe. This is evidence that by taking on the ideology imposed on them by the USSR, they still stuck to the national interests of The current war in Ukraine has revealed issues that are common for many former Communists from Eastern Europe: fear and at the same time love for Russia and its leader of a “pendulum effect” – when the brought along liberalisation. Just their countries. However, the cur- main official positions have long as in other East European coun- rent war in Ukraine has revealed been in the hands of former party tries, the first democratic election issues that are common for many officials. For instance, President was won by the Hungarian Demo- former Communists from Eastern Lech Walesa was succeeded by cratic Forum, which was not Europe: fear and at the same time Aleksander Kwasniewski, the tainted with Communism. How- love for Russia and its leader. Ger- Minister for Youth Affairs in the ever, the subsequent disillusion man Gregor Gysi talks about Fas- Polish People’s Republic. The brought reformed Communists to cists in the Ukrainian government. need for qualified statesmen was power in the Hungarian Socialist Czech Vojtěch Filip of the Com- the factor partly responsible for Party. munist Party of Bohemia and this. West Germany provided such In 2009, the Czech Václav Moravia reportedly says that personnel to East Germany, but in Havel confirmed that it would take “Ukraine is a Neo-Nazi country” the case of Poland the involve- decades to overcome the deep now. This syndrome will continue ment of ex-Communist officials wounds suffered by the European for many years to come and no was not unjustified. society that had already survived one knows how to cure it. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|21 neighbours|Opinion Toomas Hendrik Ilves: “We are clearly at the beginning of a period where Russia is a very different partner”

kraine chooses its strategy, or their security allies, in own path and for this the future? it has become a victim The only historical analogy I “Uof aggression,” Mr. know of is the period between 1945 Ilves said at the opening of the YES to 1947-48. In that period, the Brit- summit in Kyiv. “The EU as a whole ish, Americans, the French and the must stand with Ukraine in its sup- Soviets were allies fighting the Nazi port to the country.” Ukraine’s For- Germany. When the Germans were eign Minister Pavlo Klimkin later defeated, we started to see that the wrote on Twitter that Estonia would Soviets began to move on the coun- take Ukrainian troops injured in tries that were in between. Everyone Eastern Ukraine for treatment in re- was confused then, in 1946-47. The covery centers, and offer Ukrainian common thought was that they had civil servants training in e-elections, been allies in defeating the Nazi Ger- a segment where Estonia is a leader. many together, and now they were In his interview for The Ukrai- doing to us what the Nazis had been nian Week, Mr. Ilves draws paral- doing. This shouldn’t have been too lels between transformations of the surprising. Today, everyone talks of international order caused by Rus- September 1 being the beginning of sia’s actions today and circum- WWII. But we should keep in mind stances that encouraged the estab- that 75 years back from now, on lishment of NATO and EU over 60 September 17, 1939, the Soviets, as years ago, and between the presence A ndriy L o m akin by P hoto allies with the Nazies, invaded Po- of Russian troops on Ukrainian soil land. It took a while to understand today and Soviet occupation of Esto- Interviewed by be changed through the use of force what was going on in 1946-47 be- nia. Anna Korbut or violent force. That has been the cause it wasn’t making sense, just underlying fundamental truth of like what Russia is doing today is not U.W.: What has happened to the European security – even during the making sense. Back then, it was Estonian security service officer Soviet period. Now, the things that what led to the creation of NATO in detained recently by the Russians? we have always believed in are no 1949. It also resulted in the Marshall Where is he now? What signal does longer true. Plan which was aimed at assisting this send? Europe, while Stalin did not allow He has been charged. Clearly, he U.W.: Barack Obama has recently that in any of the Eastern European was on our side of the border doing visited Estonia to reassure you of countries. It also led to the Coal and a criminal investigation. He was ab- support from NATO and the US. Do Steel Community in 1950-1951 ducted in the process of that crimi- you feel reassured? which later became the European nal investigation. That criminal case We got everything that Estonia Economic Community, and the Eu- involves smuggling into Estonia. had worked for in the years leading ropean Union eventually. So, two of He works for the internal secu- up to the summit without any com- the most fundamental institutions rity service of Estonia; its staff does promise. More specifically, the staff, we have today – the EU and NATO not go abroad to work. They only the permanent NATO presence – – started in response to Soviet be- work inside Estonia. That is a very “We have all kinds of our NATO base. It is now aug- havior which no one could under- clear line that we have in our coun- events, rallies in mented with significant presence of stand but realized that we need to do support of Ukraine. try. It is based on the rule of law. Estonians support allied troops, more officers. Politi- something. The response was NATO Why this was done – I can’t figure Ukraine. It’s not just cally, he reiterated that there is no as the security element, and the EU the president or it out. prime-minister, it’s a difference between Tallinn, Riga as the economic element, to prevent common feeling” and Vilnius and Paris, Berlin or Lon- the disruption of countries economi- U.W.: Do you expect any real don from NATO perspective. cally and to boost the economies of threat from Russia to Estonia? Europe. That took pretty much five I do not expect it. However, U.W.: The Baltic States, Poland and years, beginning in 1945 and ending what we have seen in Ukraine in the Ukraine seem to form a sort of a in 1949-1950 when the institutions past six months is all unexpected. buffer belt between the ever more were in place. We are witnessing the complete aggressive Russia and Western I don’t know how many years it abandonment of all the rules fol- Europe. Do you think this could will take to move beyond the current lowed since WWII. Borders cannot somehow change their security institutions and to create something 22|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Opinion|neighbours new, but we are clearly at the begin- Russian market is now closed, a lot ebrated the 20-years anniversary ning of a period where Russia is a of goods from European farmers since the last Russian soldier left Es- very different partner, or rather no that are not going to Russia but stay- tonia. That lasted from August 31, longer a partner. This stage will take ing within the EU, so we now have 1991, till August 31, 1994. All that a while. huge amounts of milk. The prices of time we had Russian troops, Rus- “We have just As to the allies, we have 28 agricultural goods have gone down. celebrated the sian tanks and Russian planes on NATO allies who have pledged to This is enough to bother farmers. 20-years anniversary our soil. It took a long time to get since the last Russian defend us and whom we have soldier left Estonia. them out but we did. That was when pledged to defend. In terms of coun- U.W.: Russia is waging a powerful That lasted from our true sovereignty began. information war. Estonia is one of August 31, 1991, till tries that we get closely along with, August 31, 1994. All Another important issue now is Ukraine has been one. I came here the targets, and you have a Russian- that time we had Crimea. I am a very strong supporter in 2004 and froze on the Maidan speaking part of the population. Do Russian troops, of the policy of absolute non-recog- Russian tanks and 1.0. as Vice President of the Foreign you feel threatened by it, and how Russian planes on nition of the occupation and annexa- Affairs Committee of the European does Estonia resist it? our soil. It took a tion. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania long time to get Parliament, I went along with Ger- The average salary of a miner in them out but we did. were occupied in 1940. NATO coun- man MEP and some the Donbas is EUR 200 a month. That was when our tries all maintained the policy of other leading MEPs, to see Leonid The average salary of a Russian- true sovereignty non-recognition till the very end – began” Kuchma. We told him “You have to speaking miner in Estonia is EUR for 50 years. This meant that simple stop doing this”. And he did. It never 2,000 a month. Why would they Estonian citizens could visit the US got to the point to which it got under want to give up that? Every perma- or Germany. But no one who said Yanukovych where he did not listen nent resident of Estonia, whatever “I’m the official of the Estonian So- to the Europeans. Kuchma did lis- their citizenship, has the right to free viet Socialist Republic” would ever ten. We are all people who are very movement in Europe with no visas, get in in that status. It was a little dif- supportive of Ukraine, and we shall to free movement of labour. If they ferent for Ukraine. It had the so- continue to be. want to go work in London or Paris, called “foreign ministry” and a seat Estonians feel very strong soli- they just do it. Why would they want at the UN; did too. darity for Ukraine. We have all kinds to secede? Would they want free In terms of reforms, the Ukrai- of events, rallies in support of movement of labour to Tambov nian President says “we could do re- Ukraine. Estonians support Ukraine. Oblast? I don’t think so. We also forms while we are fighting”. There It’s not just the president or prime- have euro, and the rouble is plum- was a new wave punk rock band minister, it’s a common feeling. meting. So, that is not really bother- called Talking Heads. They had the ing us. We know from opinion polls song “Life During Wartime” that U.W.: In one of your earlier that there is no sentiment about interviews, you said that Europe joining Russia among people who would need a new rulebook for are citizens and residents of the EU. “We are witnessing Russia now. Is this happening now? We have noticed, however, that the complete abandonment What do you expect the new there are two separate issues. Many rulebook to be like? Russians in Estonia who watch Rus- of all the rules followed We are in the beginning of what sian television support the annexa- since WWII” I think will be a longer process. But tion of Crimea. We don’t. On the smart people are thinking about other hand, when asked whether said “this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no how to proceed. Not every country they would want to join Russia, they Mudd Club, this ain’t no CBGB” in Europe is convinced of the need say ‘no’. (Mudd Club and CBGB were well- for a new set of rules. We see that known New York nightclubs for un- there are EU member-states that do U.W.: The widespread opinion has derground and alternative music not like sanctions. One of the prob- been that, if Ukraine resistsR ussian and culture in the 1970-1980s – lems is that they used to have this aggression decisively, the Ed.). It’s basically war. Trying to do attitude towards Ukraine, Estonia or international community will be reforms in the middle of people dy- Poland, that “those East Europeans more prepared to act tougher to ing in a war is very difficult. I have are always afraid of the Russians but support it againstR ussia. How do respect for the idea that people try to they don’t understand things”. That you assess Ukraine’s response to implement reforms at this time. But is now changing significantly. In Russian aggression, both in the the first step is to stop the fighting, fact, there is a completely new un- military sphere, and in terms of get the troops out. Then, do the re- derstanding of the fact that Eastern reforms in the country? forms. Europeans were not paranoid at all. There is a general rule in inter- BIO national security policy: a country Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth President of Estonia, in of- U.W.: How have European and that believes in itself will defend it- fice since 2006. Born in 1953 in Stockholm into a family of Esto- Russian sanctions been affecting self. If you say “we are going to de- nian refugees, he grew up in the US and studied psychology Estonia so far? fend our country”, people under- there. Before he started his diplomatic career as Estonia’s -Am European sanctions against Rus- stand that. If you say “we won’t de- bassador to the US in 1993, Mr. Ilves had worked as research as- sistant at the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, sia do not affect us. Russian sanc- fend our country”, no one will force as the teacher of English, and as a journalist for Radio Free Eu- tions against European countries are Ukraine to do that. That is Ukraine’s rope. In 1996, Mr. Ilves became Estonian Minister of Foreign -Af slightly affecting us. The goods Rus- choice. fairs, then resigned in 1998 to join the Peasants’ Party, a small sia has banned from Europe were The main thing I see right now opposition force which he soon chaired. In his second term as banned for Estonia already in Janu- is, with the Russian troops and Foreign Minister, he launched the talks that resulted in Estonia’s ary. So, it’s nothing new for us. The equipment in your country, that joining the EU in 2004. In 2004, he was elected MEP from Esto- new thing is, given the fact that the they have to leave. We have just cel- nia. In 2006, he was elected President of Estonia № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|23 Neighbours|EU & Ukraine The (E)U-Turn on Ukraine: Pragmatism or Surrender?

Authors: Rilka Dragneva The tri-lateral negotiations re- for the negotiations. It's all coming and Kataryna Wolczuk sulted in compromise: the Agree- into force. It's just being imple- ment was ratified by the Ukrainian mented incrementally, as is often ew bilateral agreements have and European parliaments, but im- the case with contracts. From the le- had such a turbulent history plementation of the key trade-re- gal point of view, the whole contract and implications as the Associ- lated part (the DCFTA), was sus- will be enforced in all its details. It's Fation Agreement be- pended until the end of 2015 just that there are often transitional tween the EU and Ukraine. due to ‘Russia’s concerns’. arrangements. That's normal in First, the refusal to sign the This middle ground is already business.” agreement by then president proving to be unstable, with No doubt, the EU has found it- Yanukovych triggered mas- Russia reinforcing its de- self in a particularly difficult position sive protests in Ukraine re- mands for legal revisions and where it has tried to balance princi- sulting in his overthrow in the exclusion of 2,000 com- ples, economic interests and com- February 2014. And then modities from the free trade plex constraints. Yet, in opting for this provoked Russia’s re- regime. To assert its position, this latest compromise, has sponse: annexing Crimea it has imposed tariffs with sus- performed a U-turn with potentially and fuelling separatism in pended application to mirror high and diverse costs without secur- Eastern Ukraine, including the EU’s approach. Further- ing a lasting resolution of the core is- direct military incursion in more, in a spectacular U-turn, sues in the post-Soviet region. Cer- August 2014. it seems that at least the out- tainly many – the present authors Importantly, the Agree- going Commission President included – have pointed out the need ment envisages a Deep and Barroso is not averse to the for a comprehensive overhaul of the Comprehensive Free Trade Dr. Rilka thought of revising an agree- EU’s Eastern Partnership policy so Area (DCFTA), which entails tariff Dragneva, ment that has been signed and cere- as to address a range of serious con- Senior Lecturer, moniously ratified. cerns. changes but also provides for Birmingham Ukraine’s integration into the EU Law School, Who favoured this ‘compro- However, a last-minute decision single market. Russia has objected to University of mise’ and why it was adopted still announced three days before the both, alleging potential damage to its Birmingham, needs to be fully clarified. EU offi- Association Agreement’s ratification economy. Clearly, an important as- UK cials indicate that it was requested and taking many top EU officials by pect of this ‘damage’ lies in by the Ukrainian side con- surprise hardly constitutes such a the fact that the DCFTA pre- cerned about the economic review. Allowing Russia to dictate cludes Ukraine’s member- and social implications of EU-Ukraine relations does not indi- ship into the Eurasian inte- Russia’s trade sanctions. Sim- cate the application of a comprehen- gration bloc, something ilarly, there was pressure sive, sustainable strategy. Whether which Russia has actively from EU member states put- it is born out of a pragmatic trade- sought and presented as a vi- ting a premium on ‘appease- off or a tactical retreat, it is a short- able (and indeed preferable) ment’, or the ‘normalisation’ term fix based on a set of shaky as- alternative to integration of relations with Russia and sumptions. Its far-reaching implica- with the EU. an end to the costly spiral of tions, however, will still need to be Asserting its indepen- reciprocal economic sanc- confronted. dence, Ukraine signed the tions. Despite what is un- First, allowing Russia to partici- Agreement in June 2014. doubtedly a complex back- pate in the EU’s negotiations on a bi- Russia’s opposition to it in- ground story, the postpone- lateral agreement with another tensified over the summer ment of the agreement was country sets a dangerous precedent. leading to its delayed ratifica- labelled ‘business as usual’. If It is a blatant reversal of the EU’s tion. Trilateral EU-Ukraine- Dr. Kataryna anything, the EU’s response earlier position. It opens a minefield Russia negotiations continued Wolczuk, to Russia’s pressure for a say on EU- for international lawyers. Even more against the backdrop of military in- Reader in Ukraine’s relations was presented importantly, it undermines the prin- tervention and threats of a trade war Politics and as a success, on the grounds that ciple of dealing with Ukraine as an International ratification had taken place without independent country: regardless of against Ukraine. Indeed, Russia’s Studies, Center demands have been far-reaching in- for Russian and ‘a single word having been changed’. its ‘semantic framing’, the EU has ac- cluding a revision of the already East European As Elmar Brok, a veteran member cepted Russia’s right to determine signed agreement. The Russian gov- Studies, of the European Parliament put it: the essential terms and the limits of ernment has in fact drafted amend- University of “… this process [i.e. negotiations] its post-Soviet neighbours’ integra- ments to substantive terms in some- Birmingham, has been concluded. And the Rus- tion choices. The potential applica- body else’s agreement. UK sians are part of it. They were there tion of this precedent to other neigh- 24|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 EU & Ukraine|Neighbours bours is obvious, but also has impli- and saving human lives is an objec- Ukraine. Recent statements of Com- cations for relations further afield tive one certainly cannot disagree missioner Füle, however, reveal the involving Turkey or China. Impor- with; however, as it stands, the deal EU ‘warming up’ to Eurasian struc- tantly, the EU likewise concedes to offers few guarantees and carries tures, based on a presumed func- Russia’s double-standards in inter- considerable costs. While Russia tional and rule-based equivalence of national relations: while Putin com- refuses to acknowledge its role in both regimes. While the Eurasian plains that nobody talked to Russia the conflict, the deal legitimises structures certainly contain promise, about the potential consequences of and validates Russia’s ‘hybrid war’ its actual delivery is circumscribed the DCFTA, he conveniently forgets strategy: by instigating conflict, by a range of problems of institu- By instigating con- that the Eurasian Customs Union Russia is able to extract conces- flict, Russia is able to tional design and implementation. was launched in 2010 with no con- sions from the EU for the sake of a extract concessions The EU continues to state that from the EU for the regional economic integration sultation with the EU and no ade- ‘contribution to peace’. sake of a ‘contribu- quate transitional arrangements re- Fourth, the EU’s actions rest on tion to peace’ frameworks need to contribute to sulting in significant damage to EU the assumption of a ‘fixed and sta- trade liberalisation and WTO com- businesses. ble agreement’, one that reflects pliance. Yet, ironically, Russia’s Second, it is not only the inclu- and accommodates Russia’s pref- threats to Ukraine – rather than sion of a third party as such, but erences. It assumes that agree- the success of the Eurasian project also the mode and the professed ments and rules will be imple- itself – might end up earning it ex- reasons for accommodating its pref- mented. The source of this opti- ternal recognition just as these very erences that are questionable. Rus- mism – given Russia’s track record same threats undermine it inter- sia’s justifications for its ‘trade con- of behaviour – is unclear. Indeed, it nally. Furthermore, while the EU cerns’, have been highly spurious has already been revealed that might be willing to enter into a and are, as Michael Emerson put it, Russia is not satisfied by the mere comprehensive free trade area ‘a non-story’. For example the prob- delay of the Agreement’s imple- ‘from Lisbon to Vladivostok’, there lem of Russia being ‘swamped by mentation. Furthermore, the con- is actually no certainty that free EU goods’ can be addressed by the sensus on what constitutes ‘imple- trade is what Russia wants and proper application of rules of origin. mentation’ might be overestimated pursues. The EU has been involved in con- given Putin’s reference to ‘any leg- On balance, it is hard to avoid sultations with Russia on the sub- islative implementing acts under the conclusion that by agreeing to ject for many months now making a the Association Agreement’. There this pragmatic, ‘principles-lite’ strong case as to why the DCFTA is no reason to assume that Rus- deal, the EU accepts and legiti- need not disrupt existing trade ar- sia’s decision to trigger sanctions rangements. It is unclear how fif- will be based more on law and Allowing Russia to teen more months of discussions shared understanding than in pre- will help resolve a problem thatin its vious instances. The EU’s longing participate in the EU’s essence is neither legal nor techni- for ‘business as usual’ obscures the negotiations on a bilateral cal. Above all, Russia’s concern is a fact that this is the last thing it is thinly veiled contestation as to who and that Russia’s claims are de- agreement with another the rule-setter in the post-Soviet rived not from legal agreements country sets a dangerous space is. Russia principally objects but from claims to a sphere of in- to the EU expanding its regulatory fluence. precedent framework – via the Association Fifth, while the need to ensure Agreements – to Russia’s perceived the compatibility of the DCFTA with mises a particular way of conduct- exclusive backyard, the post-Soviet interregional linkages is understand- ing international relations fa- space. This is especially so given the able, the EU has shown a sudden voured by Russia. Acquiescence to clash of EU policy with the expan- ready acceptance of post-Soviet inte- this pattern of behaviour comes at sion of Russia’s own economic inte- gration structures. After many years the very time when Moscow’s ac- gration project. Faced with a com- during which the EU had raised valid tions vis-à-vis Ukraine amount to a plex bundle of economic and geopo- concerns: for example, about the de- shake-up of the international or- litical concerns, the EU conceded to gree to which the Eurasian Customs der. The EU’s pragmatism has not pressure rather than sound argu- Union acts as an economic rather been lost on the people of Ukraine, ment. than a Russia-steered, political entity with the prevailing interpretation Third, EU statements on the with an unclear division of compe- The EU’s pragmatism on social media being one of ‘hav- has not been lost on deal refer to the peace process in tences, or the degree to which it con- the people of ing been abandoned’. For an out- Eastern Ukraine, implying that it tributes to trade liberalisation and Ukraine, with the going team of the European Com- prevailing interpreta- amounts to a necessary sacrifice for WTO commitments implementa- tion on social media missioners to present this as ‘busi- the sake of ensuring a peaceful res- tion. We, amongst others, have criti- being one of ‘having ness as usual’ while leaving a series olution between the separatists cised the EU’s lack of strategic en- been abandoned’ of ‘landmines’ for future interac- and the Ukrainian government. Its gagement with the Eurasian project, tions between the EU and Russia political acceptability is justified yet the show of caution has not been should be a source of deep concern. against the backdrop of a military entirely unjustified. Yielding to Russian anxieties conflict in which Russia has been a If anything, Russia’s policies to- rather than comprehensively ad- party. However, Moscow has ada- wards Ukraine amplify these con- dressing existing questions, opens mantly refused to acknowledge its cerns: the Kremlin has in effect (and a raft of new issues. They need to involvement, endeavouring to with its partners’ consent), destroyed be confronted rather than obfus- present the conflict as a local, bot- the Eurasian Customs Union by im- cated behind the rhetoric of nor- tom-up rebellion. Securing peace posing unilateral trade measures on mality. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|25 Neighbours|Sanctions time, the country was known as be- ing high-risk from the financial French Companies viewpoint. The second line emerged in the 1990s, when the “strategic partner- ship” project came into being. The EU supported this concept, which Resist Sanctions was promoted the most by Ger- many. It entailed the creation of privileged relations with the Krem- lin under the “oil for technology” Against Russia principle. Russia sold its raw mate- rial to rich European clients, and the latter invested in the moderni- Big businesses in France have significant investments sation of the country. The scheme in Russia. EU restrictions are causing losses. Yet, they lasted 10 years. The current crisis reflects that it has outlived its use- are not planning to leave the Russian market fulness. Federica Mogherin, the EU's new foreign policy chief, has already here are currently 1,200 Author: year. The sales of Renault cars have delivered a verdict: “Russia is no French enterprises operating Alain fallen by 9%, the Russian domestic longer a partner of the European on Russian territory, making Guillemoles, automobile market is collapsing. Union” she announced in recent TFrance Russia’s third largest France The oil concern Total is probably days. investor. Some of them had truly the one that is troubled the most. It In spite of numerous risks, ambitious goals, such as Renault, joined the project for the develop- France’s big business is trying to together with its Japanese partner, ment of oil deposits in Yamal, to- move contra to decisions approved Nissan AvtoVAZ. The sale of gether with Novatek (which holds in the EU, not wishing to give up its 200,000 vehicles a year guarantees long-term presence in Russia. Some it the status of the largest foreign succeed in their active resistance to investor in Russia, owning an 8% the sanctions. When Sergey Narysh- share of the Russian automobile kin, the Chairman of the State market. With the sales of Nissan Duma who is on the EU visa ban and AvtoVAZ added up, the alliance list, visited Paris on September 1, makes every third car currently quite a few managers of French bought in Russia. And Russia is the companies operating in Russia hur- third largest consumer of the ried to meet him, including the ex- French car-building giant in the ecutives of Auchan, Total, GDF Suez world. (a large client of Gazprom and an Other French companies have investor in the Nord Stream pipe- made massive investments, too. When Sergey 18% of shares) and the Chinese line). Emmanuel Quidet, President Naryshkin, the For example, Auchan, an interna- Chairman of the CNPC, investing USD 27bn. This of the French-Russian Chamber of tional retailer, has opened 80 su- State Duma, project was to have made Russia Commerce and Industry, a French- permarkets in Russia, employing who has been Total’s first production zone in man, who has long lived in Moscow, 38,000 workers. Danone, a dairy prohibited from 2020. However, this initiative is continuously protests against the company, gets 11% of its annual entering the now under threat, because the sanc- sanctions, which “are holding enter- turnover from Russia: this is the EU, visited Paris tions could prohibit Western banks prises hostage”. company’s most important foreign on September from financing it. Official Paris is extremely sensi- market. Russian assets significantly 1, quite a few The situation is also influenced tive to the issue of employment and impact the operations of the French managers of by the general slowdown of the Rus- is also resisting the sanctions, be- bank, Société Générale, which the French sian market which sanctions will ag- cause they will inevitably increase companies bought out the ninth largest Rus- operating in gravate further. French enterprises France’s unemployment. The issue sian bank, Rosbank. The producer Russia, hurried are afraid of a chain reaction in dif- of jobs is the principal counterargu- of railway technology, Alstom, to meet him ferent sectors, because it is as yet ment in favour of the sale of Mistral which acquired 25% of the leader of unclear how far Moscow is prepared helicopter carriers to Russia. Even Russian locomotive manufacturer, to go in the confrontation with the so, the reality of war in Ukraine has Transmashholding, is also depen- West. It is well-known that above all forced at least a temporary suspen- dent on the Russian market. else, business hates the unexpected sion of the contract. Other sanctions All of these enterprises believed and risks. are faced with similar situations. in the potential of Russia. Many When talking about Russia, the France is forcing itself to implement have already felt the consequences French constantly waver between them, without enthusiasm, agreeing of political decisions and are afraid two lines of behaviour. The first is to them at the last moment, when of what the future holds. Société fed by memories of “Russian impe- there really is no other option. Let’s Générale has just announced posi- rial debts” (the money that was lent be realistic: this behaviour will not tive results at a level of EUR 16mn to it before the Bolshevik Revolu- change in the coming months, in in the second quarter of 2014. But tion of 1917). The Communists con- spite of all its brutality and egocen- this is 30% less than in the previous fiscated all funds, and for a long trism. 26|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Security|neighbours Where Are Estonia’s Friends? NATO does not know how to deal with small, confusing challenges, so Russia unleashes them. If they go unpunished, they set a precedent

he safest way to attack some- Author: slovak Social Democrat, was ingly, most media are reporting one’s credibility is to nibble at Edward Lucas, snatched from Vienna in 1953 and the case as if both sides’ claims it. This is what Russia is do- UK died after being given psychotropic were of equal weight. Ting to NATO with its abduc- drugs. Abduction of defectors and The abduction comes just af- tion of an Estonian security official. dissidents (and sometimes of West- ter Barack Obama came to Tallinn The kidnapping exemplifies ern soldiers) was endemic in West and sent spirits soaring in a coun- the way the Kremlin works. Gang- Berlin at the height of the cold war. try rattled by the war in Ukraine. sterdom, intelligence, propa- Kohver ended up in a Moscow NATO would defend Tallinn just ganda, a sense of history and di- prison, facing a possible 20-year as it would Berlin, London or plomacy all overlap. The timing is sentence for spying. Russia has Paris, he said, invoking “a solemn excellent and so is the targeting: launched a textbook disinforma- duty to each other”. The alliance’s hitting the West in its weakest tion campaign, saying that he was Article 5 is “crystal clear”: an at- spot, in the zone between what caught inside Russian territory, tack on one is an attack on all. frontline states find intolerable, and with espionage equipment. Russian ambassadors should and what their allies are ready to notice. The result is the slow collapse of NATO. The alliance does not know how to deal with small, con- fusing challenges. So Russia un- leashes them. If they do provoke a reaction, the Kremlin has not risked much (Kohver could have been bundled back across the bor- der within hours). But if they go unpunished, they set a precedent. Future breaches makes bigger ones seem more likely. Small countries, who depend on the rules being enforced always and everywhere, become demoralised. Eston Kohver is a decorated Estonian crime-buster. Presum- ably he was on some kind of sur- Eston Kohver The historical echoes are chilling: be summoned in all NATO and veillance mission, or possibly is a decorated In 1938 the Soviet Union seized capitals, to be meeting with an informer in a Estonian and executed three Estonian bor- told that if Kohver is not released Russian crime gang. Whether he crime-buster. der guards, Artur Pungas, Volde- at once, they can pack their bags. was kidnapped by criminals and Presumably mar Käo and Vassili Eva. Two Our ambassadors in Moscow will he was on then handed over to the FSB, or some kind of years later, it invaded. be withdrawn. No Western visas whether the mobsters were work- surveillance Russia has left no room to back for any official of any state agen- ing alongside the notoriously cor- mission, down. It will be hard to admit now cies involved in the abduction—in- rupt Russian internal security or possibly that the evidence was planted, or cluding family members. An agency is unclear. Estonian media meeting with that Kohver was abducted by crim- emergency session of the UN Se- say the kidnappers used smoke an informer in inals. It may try to trade him for a curity Council. grenades and jammed electronic a Russian crime real Russian spy held in Estonia, That might show Russia that communications. That doesn’t gang such as Herman Simm. That would Obama was not joking when he sound like run-of-the-mill gang- twist the screw neatly. declared that an “attack on one is sters. Estonia has a stellar record of an attack on all”. What we do know is that kid- truthfulness even in the notori- Kohver is that one. All Estonia napping is an old Soviet habit. Bo- ously murky world of intelligence. feels under attack. But where are humil Laušman, a notable Czecho- Russia is a habitual liar. Annoy- Estonia’s friends? № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|27 neighbours|Russia & the West Nuclear Whimper Author: Edward Lucas, UK

ollective security depends on a mixture of a whimper. NATO and the EU become steadily trust and fear: trust that your allies will make more dilute. We will have to get used to a world in sacrifices for you, and fear that you will suffer which Russia is centre-stage in regional and Euro- Cif you challenge or break the rules. pean security arrangements. Both of those are fraying in Europe. It is hard to see It is not inevitable, yet. Perhaps the West will get how the new European Commission will be able to its act together. We could see a serious row with impose its will on Russia’s South Stream gas pipe- Russia over energy, in which the EU tries to bring line, now that Italy and Austria, as well as Bulgaria, Gazprom to heel, and the Kremlin responds by Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia are all signed up for cutting one or more of the four east-west transit it. It looks as though the EU’s ambitious bid to be pipelines. In the long run, Europe could survive the rule-setting body for the continent’s energy without Russian gas: it is a lot bigger and richer market has been derailed. Russia was simply too than Russia, and can find alternative energy else- strong. where. True, it would mean recession, unemploy- That opens a new era, in which countries stop ment and hardship for a few years; voters and thinking about the wider interest, abandon the politicians have little appetite for that. But you now-toothless rules, and find the best terms they never know can with Russia. It reopens the prospect of long- In security, NATO could yet get serious in the de- term bilateral gas deals, fence of Baltic States. struck by politicians not But that too requires a businessmen, with Europe’s reaction to willingness to accept plenty of room for Russia’s recent actions risk. Suppose Russia murky intermediary terms the deployment companies, convenient opens a new era, in which of a rapid reaction force side payments, sine- countries stop thinking to the Baltic ‘provoca- cures and the like. tive’ and Western gov- Such arrangements will about the wider interest, ernments politely tell put Russia back at the abandon the now-toothless Vladimir Putin to mind heart of national poli- his own business. The tics and decision-mak- rules, and find the best Kremlin then puts its ing in a slew of coun- terms they can with Russia forces on alert. The tries in the eastern half West does the same. of the continent (al- Here a nasty hole ap- ready, troublingly, the case in the Czech Re- pears in Western credibility. Russia relies public, Bulgaria and Croatia). Countries with heavily on nuclear weapons at an early stage in frosty political relations with the Kremlin will any potential conflict, and regularly rehearses find that their voters and businesses pay a lot more their use. The West hates thinking about this. In a for gas. Those prepared to hum a different tune will crisis would Barack Obama, the apostle of the nu- get a better deal. clear ‘global zero’ in nuclear weapons, really agree The same is happening in hard security. Western to deploy his country’s Europe-based tactical nu- credibility is ebbing. Ukraine has been abandoned. clear warheads from their bunkers in the Dutch Policymakers are distracted (again) by the Middle countryside? Probably not. East. Russia has launched a series of provocations to If the increasingly reckless Putin rattles his nuclear test NATO, and has noted the unimpressive results. sabre, the most likely response is that the West The alliance does what it can, but not what it must. loses its nerve and backs down. That would mean The most likely outcome, to paraphrase Thomas no bangs, but a humiliating collapse of confidence Eliot, is that the West ends not with a bang but with in NATO – call it a nuclear whimper. 28|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Russia|Economics On the Edge of Recession

igns of Russia’s economic problems appeared long be- fore the annexation of Crimea Sor the war in the Donbas re- gion in Ukraine. The country’s pre- vious growth model, in which profits from oil and gas sales were fun- nelled into the consumer economy, petered out around the time Vladi- mir Putin returned to the presidency in 2012. But Mr. Putin in effect re- jected a new model, based on inno- vation and investment, because of its troublesome political implica- tions. This state-imposed stagnation is made much worse by the combined effect of the West’s sanctions, a lack Gor Sechin of access to financing, capital flight (right) is calling and a climate of uncertainty, which in a favour is locking Russia into a sustained pe- riod of near-zero growth. The eco- Last month the Russian govern- The demands of national secu- nomic spillover of the Ukraine crisis ment unveiled a new budget for rity are a convenient excuse for reveals “the downside of state capi- 2015-17 based on a number of as- sidelining critical voices. A new law talism”, says Alexander Kliment of sumptions that seem unrealistically limiting foreign ownership of me- Eurasia Group, a think-tank. When optimistic: inflation of 6% (several dia companies will in effect see the things are going well, he says, the analysts put it closer to 8%), GDP dismantlement of the Russian edi- power of the market helps growth at 1.2% (the World Bank’s tion of Forbes, an American strengthen the state. But when the most optimistic scenario puts weekly, and Vedomosti, a daily state starts to have problems with growth next year at 0.3%) and a part-owned by foreigners. National the outside world, the economy suf- global oil price of USD 100 a barrel security has become “a universal fers—dramatically. (prices fell below USD 95 a barrel way to push through all sorts of Foreign firms such as Black- this month and further decreases stupidity”, says Tatiana Lysova, Ve- stone, a private-equity group, and are all too plausible). Studies by the domosti’s editor. Adobe, a software maker, are leav- Economic Expert Group, a Russian Greed masquerading as patri- ing Russia. The rouble continues to consultancy, show that a USD 1 drop otic duty may also explain the trou- depreciate. On September 30th re- in the oil price per barrel leads to a bles of Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the ports of possible controls on capital loss of USD 2.3 billion in budget rev- billionaire boss of Sistema, a hold- outflows pushed it to 39.7 against enue. Because oil and gas make up ing company, who now finds him- the dollar, a record low. around half of government income, self under house arrest. Igor Alexei Kudrin, a former finance the Kremlin’s ability to buy itself so- Sechin, a longtime Putin confidant, minister, warns that growth may be cial and political stability is at stake. who is in charge of Rosneft, a state- one percentage point lower in each The risk is of a cycle of low or owned oil giant, is said to covet Mr of the next three years. “We will be zero growth, high inflation and rou- Yevtushenkov’s oil company, Bash- balancing on the edge of recession ble devaluation. All told, sanctions neft, as a way of shoring up declin- all the time,” he said at a gathering “dramatically accelerated the worst- ing production at Rosneft. of investors. Mr Putin is betting that case scenario,” says Natalia Orlova Western sanctions are making he can do enough to shield his core of Alfa Bank. With less money to go it difficult for Rosneft to pay off its electorate—state workers and in- around, a geopolitical standoff with looming debts and finance new in- habitants of provincial cities—from the West gives momentum to those vestment, and export controls have the effects of economic slowdown, voices surrounding Mr Putin who largely cut it off from the technol- while raising the costs for the elite favour state-led consolidation. The ogy it needs to drill in the Arctic. of turning against the system, says country’s political and business elite With prosecutors calling for Bash- Mr Kliment. The Kremlin will is finding itself in a position of “more neft to be handed back to the state, blame the West for its hardship and demand for less money”, says Ms. the prospect of a campaign for na- prioritise spending on salaries, de- Orlova. The impulse to control re- tionalisation is perhaps not far off. fence and other parts of the state © 2014 The sources, she adds, is not based on Russia may finally settle on a new sector. Military spending alone will Economist the desire to “allocate this money economic model—but not one that reach 4% of GDP in 2015, an in- Newspaper more efficiently, but to make sure it would offer much prospect for re- crease of more than USD 80 billion Limited. All goes to a certain circle of companies vived growth in the foreseeable fu- from this year. rights reserved and banks”. ture. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|29 Economics|Transformations A Plea for Change Transition from oligarch economy to EU membership for Ukraine

he economic system in Authors: change that occurs in general in Private sector accounts for Ukraine today is very fragile. Pasquale transition to market economy). around 60% of GDP in Ukraine to- It faces several challenges and Tridico, Privatization in Ukraine turned po- day (compared to the average of Tthreats. This is very much the Roma Tre litical groups into clans with oppo- 75% in EU member-states and 70% results of more than 20 years of bad University, site economic interests, fighting for in NMSs). According to the Euro- economic policies and inadequate Rome, Italy accumulation of assets rather than pean Bank for Reconstruction and institutions introduced in the coun- for ideal models of privatization and Development (EBRD), Ukraine re- try during what we call “the first Iryna Zhak, ideas for political and economic ceived just a small fraction of the transition” which was supposed to Parthenope change. worth of assets actually privatized bring about a market economy and University of The practice of market rules in revenues from privatization. In liberal democracy, but moved Naples, Italy was not known in most of Former Poland, this share accounted for Ukraine from a planned economy to Soviet Republics (FSR), including about 30-50% of GDP in the an oligarch type of economy in- Ukraine. Therefore, the benefits of 1990s, the years of privatization stead. privatization went only to people the years of privatization in the This was caused by a number and agents who had more informa- 1990s (see Ukraine: privatiza- of factors: the lack of a strategy in tion and strategic positions. These tion and private sector, % of the 1990s and 2000s, which would included former nomenclature, oli- GDP). give Ukraine the prospect of EU garchs, those involved in the oil The chaos and the vacuum membership along with other Cen- business, the mafia etc. Property created during the “first transi- tral and Eastern European Coun- rights were not simply acquired tion” in Ukraine were deeper than tries (CEEC); strong connection through legal and normal proce- in other CEECs, and it lasted with Russia, which dominated the dures. Clans, organizations, families through all the three phases of economy and politics of the coun- and oligarchs fought with each other transition and of privatization try with advantages for Russian for more individual rights and spe- listed above. This is for a number and only; un- cific benefits. Eventually, mass of reasons. Firstly, Ukraine not controlled and ideologically biased privatization failed to serve the idea only was giving up the planned implementation of a transition In 1989, Russia of distribution of property rights to system, but it was obtaining its na- strategy from planned economy to- counted for everyone in pursuit of economic de- tional independence for the first wards market economy, which was 33% mocracy. time. Secondly, a handful of peo- wildly ruled by a handful of people of Polish imports The vacuum of power was lethal ple concentrated political power in dominant position from former and in terms of the miss-distribution of and monopolized national assets nomenclature and business; and 28% property rights. The lack of fair, effi- in their hands. Thirdly, and prob- the lack of social cohesion which of exports. Today, cient and transparent bureaucracy ably most importantly, EU mem- would boost unity among all peo- Germany has re- was one of the major problems. It bership option was not considered placed it, counting ple in the country. for failed to ensure a fair privatization viable at the beginning at all. In- process, but allowed it to slip into stead, Russian influence was still The first transition: 38% chaos and, given the lack of anti- predominant and economic strat- from planned economy of Polish exports trust organizations, to result in the egy that was put in place was a and to the oligarch system concentration of power in the hands typical “post-soviet” political- The social cost of this “first transi- 27% of few officials inherited from the economy strategy where political tion” in the past 20 years was huge of imports. In 2007, Soviet regime. elites become oligarchs and rule a few years after Po- the country directly or indirectly. in terms of poverty, inequality, life land joined the EU in expectancy migration and reduction 2004, only of living standards. One of the most Ukraine: privatization and private sector, % of GDP telling variables that reflect it well is 5% of Polish imports the demographic trend. Ukrainian came from Russia, population has declined dramati- and cally from over 51 to less than 46 million people in two decades, a 2.6% of Polish exports phenomenon never observed in a headed there. This country in time of peace. pattern is similar to The most important economic other CEECs changes and institutional transfor- mations which characterized the 1990s in Ukraine were privatization of state assets and distribution of property rights (a key institutional 30|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Transformations|Economics stable transformation path from the planned economy as the defined point A to the market economy as an undefined point B. On the contrary, it had been unstable from the very beginning: institutional reforms were delayed, although the market was introduced suddenly and prices were liberalized immediately, and privatization was launched. It should be also clear that the transi- tion in Ukraine was a complete fail- ure for the economy, although sev- eral economists have argued for the opposite. From the very beginning, the The rise of tycoon clans two decades. It is a necessary com- Ukrainian transition had been char- The oligarchic system in Ukraine be- ponent of the oligarch system. This gan to be formed immediately after level of corruption also underscores Ukraine now needs a the collapse of the Soviet Union, but a very low level of civicness and so- it was finally established firmly in cial capital (as described by Robert radical change based on the second half of the 1990s, during Putnam, an American political sci- three strategic objectives: the presidency of Leonid Kuchma. entist), i.e. low participation of civil The three main oligarch clans that society in the political and economic the goal of EU membership, emerged to dominate the Kuchma’s system. the removal of oligarchs presidency represented the main re- In 2010, Ukraine ranked 134 out gional clans of Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk of 177 countries measured. In 2013, from politics, and and Donetsk. They had also domi- it dropped to 144 out of 177. Increas- economic independence nated and ruled Ukraine in the So- ing perception of corruption was not viet time. In a country with weak fi- the only issue. Resources wasted by from Russia nancial and economic institutions, companies in some former Commu- these clans easily took control over nist economies (NMSs and Ukraine) acterized by two important criteria many former state-owned enter- on bribes to public officials for get- which made transformation unsta- prises, buying and privatizing na- ting “things done” were another ble and uncertain: the choice of pos- tional assets at the low prices. Sub- problem (see Informal pay- sible EU membership on the one sequently, the new institutional ments to public officials). In hand, and strong relations with Rus- framework in Ukraine was shaped Ukraine, corruption increased dra- sia which influenced and de facto to fit their preferences and interests. matically after 2009, while in NMS, limited Ukrainian independence A situation where prices were not set affected by EU conditionality and from the very beginning. By contrast In 1990, Poland and by the market but were subject to the need to get EU funds, corruption Ukraine had similar to Ukraine, all CEECs had from the the interests of dominant groups decreased constantly, before and af- initial conditions, very beginning chosen to be part of measured as GDP soon became a reality. As a result, ter enlargement in 2004/2007. The both per capita and the EU, and advanced their candi- the whole economy is reckless, pro- reasons why corruption is still grow- in absolute terms. Af- dacy to the EU immediately after the ing in Ukraine after 2009 may be ter the 1989-1992 re- duction is inefficient and obsolete, cession, Poland saw fall of the Berlin Wall. It took markets are monopolized and jeop- due to three factors: the return of ex- growth that allowed Ukraine much longer, not until the ardized. Markets are controlled by President Viktor Yanukovych and it to outrun Ukraine. Orange Revolution of 2004-2005 at few people, and are far from being his clan to power, in 2010, with a 20 years least, to make its steps towards EU competitive or fair. So, Ukraine’s consolidated system of informal accession. However, even after the private sector today has a lot of ob- payment and the vicious circle be- later, Orange Revolution the Ukrainian stacles and has limited impact on tween business and politics, oli- Poland saw its GDP government and parliament failed in absolute terms abstract mechanisms of market garchs and politicians; the crisis and purchasing to bring about real steps for economy, such as regulation of the which made business more difficult, power of income Ukraine’s EU integration because of demand/supply balance. Inequality and economic relations more reliant grow while Ukraine “internal feuds” and clan conflicts. lagged behind in has increased dramatically, while on informal payments rather than both aspects When Viktor Yanukovych and his social mechanisms of income distri- the rule of law; and the weakening of clan won presidential election in bution are completely absent. This Ukraine’s EU membership prospect 2010, the country’s vector of part- has aggravated regional differences during the rule of the Yanukovych nership was in favor of Russia. and political fragmentation, further regime, which contributed to loos- weakening social cohesion of the ened conditionality and reduced Benefits of EU membership country and creating threats to its transparency. Economically, EU membership unity. would have been a guarantee for The lack of an efficient legal and FDI and trade: new hopes foreign entrepreneurs encourag- institutional framework that could for a “second transition” ing them to move their capitals prevent this distorted informal be- towards the EU and start businesses in Ukraine. haviour, resulted in corruption that The Ukrainian “first transition”, or As it happened in other CEECs, in emerged furiously in the 1990s and better to say, the abandonment of particular during the process of accompanied Ukraine in the past the planned system, did not follow a accession preceding actual mem- № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|31 Economics|Transformations ented at Russia. Poland, now the biggest economy in Central and Eastern Europe, offers a good ex- ample of a similar pattern changed. Therefore, the main challenge Ukraine is facing today, on the verge of its “second transition” as far as trade and changes in pro- duction are concerned, will once again involve the role of oligarchs. It is twice more difficult than what CEECs had to go through for two reasons: it requires political change, and politics, as said above, is controlled by oligarchs. More- over, the big companies that need to change the structures of their bership in the 1990s and 2000s, dustrial goods and natural re- production and orientation are huge flow of Foreign Direct In- sources, integration into the Euro- owned by these same oligarchs vestments (FDI) could have come pean economic system (followed who dominate politics and who to Ukraine. Without it, Ukraine by the inflow of FDI and intensifi- would thus be the ones in charge lacks new capitals and technologi- cation of international trade) of changing the rules. This vicious cal assistance which would be use- would be a better choice for the circle could only break under ful to restructure its 1970s obso- country. strong pressure of civil society lete production chain. With the In the past years, FDI from the that should influence both further prospect of EU membership, EU to Ukraine have increased, ex- changes in the upcoming parlia- Ukraine would have gotten advan- ceeding those from Russia or any mentary elections, and the politi- tages not only in terms of capital other country. This is a good sig- cal agenda of the current Presi- and innovation, but also in terms nal for future relations between dent who was elected thanks to of political stabilization, freedom the EU and Ukraine (see Vol- the support of EuroMaidan pro- from oppressive and monopolistic ume of FDI in Ukraine). Para- testers. oligarch capitals, safer economical doxically, about 30% of total FDI Economically, the new Ukrai- environment, fair contractual come to Ukraine from Cyprus. nian model will involve the possi- guarantee for investors, lower This is due to the particularly easy bility to export products that have country risk, and secure economic tax policy applied to foreign capi- higher technological component relations. tals in the Cyprus jurisdiction. and added value during its “sec- In the 1990s and 2000s, many Most of the Cyprus FDI in Ukraine ond transition” towards the EU. multinationals invested heavily in are investments from oligarchs Moreover, EU membership re- CEECs, helping them build com- quires continuous investments in petitive advantage based on lower The key to changing innovation and organization to labor costs, skilled labor force and ensure the ability to compete with marketing positioning. All this can political economy of the old European firms. For Ukraine, be perfectly replicated in Ukraine. country strongly depends this also means the restructuring FDI inflow to Ukraine could in- of the agricultural sector which crease its trade flow with the EU. on the prospect has high employment (around 18- These two factors, FDI and inter- of politicians and 20% of the workforce) but lower national trade, could be the key productivity (the agricultural sec- factors to spur further develop- oligarchs feeling watched, tor generates a mere 8-9% of ment of the Ukrainian economy. controlled and dismissed GDP). In addition to that, big for- Still, opinions vary on this. Some mer state-owned enterprises will economists argue that FDI boost by the civil society have to go through restructuring commercial deficit because for- if necessary and attract foreign capital by eign investors import capital forming joint ventures to innovate goods, technology and other ser- who first go to Cyprus to avoid and foster productivity. vices from their own country in taxes and to be “cleaned” from The EU will play the main role massive amounts. Moreover, FDI dirty business, and then return in the import-export flow with and trade could increase inequal- part of this capital to Ukraine as Ukraine, and the trade pattern is ity within the country since new FDI with the possibility to gain slowly changing already (see investments would use skilled la- further profits there. However, de- Ukrainian exports and im- bor and pay differentials would spite this “fake” FDI from Cyprus, ports: main partners). So far, increase. However, despite these the investment position of Europe the EU has removed most of its potential threats, in this particular is still ahead the Russian one. tariffs for Ukraine exports, in or- case of Ukraine with its oligarch- Go to Similarly to CEECs, Ukraine der to favour Ukrainian business ukrainianweek. dominated economy, strong con- com would see its trade pattern change during the shock which is been nections to distorted trade with to read the full as a result of integration with the caused by the military and trade Russia, domination of obsolete in- article EU system. Today, it is mainly ori- conflicts with Russia in the frame- 32|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Transformations|Economics Top 50 oligarchs in work of the Eastern Partnership will bring about higher productiv- Ukraine own almost Possible negative effects of programme between the EU and ity gains, since new production stronger EU competition and Ukraine. At the same time Ukraine would be more capital intensive 46% more efficient EU firms on in- found new commercial partners in and equipped with more advanced of its wealth worth equality and unemployment (re- USD China, Turkey and Egypt (accord- technology. As seen in Poland, this sulting from closing down and ing to Ukraine’s State Statistics is difficult but not impossible to 62.7bn. bankruptcies of inefficient Ukrai- Committee, Ukrainian exports to do. Russia follows with nian companies) caused by the en- However, policy makers need 16% of its GDP worth trance of EU firms in Ukraine these countries has grown from USD 251.3bn. In the 11% in 2011 to 17% today). to be careful and take into account USA, the wealth in could be coped with through social international constraints: trade the hands of the rich- institutions that guarantee mini- est 50 people is Policy suggestions deficit should be kept under con- much higher in abso- mum wages for unskilled workers This analysis is rooted in political trol in order to avoid further de- lute terms, worth and subsidies for big yet obsolete economy and draws conclusion valuation of the hryvnia. It is a pri- Ukrainian enterprises. Even if less and lessons which are based on ority to use national resources to USD efficient compared to their Euro- the three factors that caused the import capitals and machinery 666.3bn. pean competitors, these enter- However, it consti- failure of the Ukrainian economy rather than consumption goods. tutes only prises could still value added and in the period of the first transition. Moreover, a devaluated hryvnia absorb large part of employment, In order to boost its economic de- could benefit Ukrainian exports 4% hence they could deserve tempo- velopment, Ukraine now needs a and could protect, for a while, a of America’s GDP rary protection. Europe would radical change based on three new infant industry within a easily accept a transition phase for strategic objectives: the goal of EU framework of an import substitu- Ukraine where these subsidies in membership, the removal of oli- tion strategy similar to the ones the forms of state aid still persist. garchs from politics, and eco- used in many East Asian countries Another crucial element in nomic independence from Russia. during their development stages. Ukraine’s new “second transition” The EU membership should will be the role of FDI, mostly be a priority mostly for strategic from the EU. It could contribute to reasons, not purely economic. the breaking of the oligarch-domi- Such a prospect would break the nated system, and guarantee the interdependent “strategic policy distribution of growth and social triangle” so far followed by the benefits of development that Ukrainian ruling class and com- would boost social cohesion and posed of the three pillars: non-EU political unity. membership, dependence on Rus- Meanwhile, remaining distant sia, and rules of the oligarchy. It from the EU and delaying the be- would serve as an important con- ginning of the membership process ditionality against oligarch inter- indefinitely would result in a ests and corruption, help restruc- Ukraine that stays closer to Russia ture the economy, particularly and is subject to the oligarch econ- that of Eastern Ukraine domi- omy and rules. Today, the approach nated by obsolete heavy industry of the new Ukrainian government where the interest of oligarchs are and President seems to have intertwined with those of Russia; changed towards EU membership. and integrate Ukraine’s economy However, the crucial role in into the European space, rather this “second transition” should be than into Russia’s, introducing in- played by the civil society which novation and technological prog- strongly emerged during the pro- ress, and pushing the country to- tests between November 2013 and wards a higher technological fron- February 2014. The radical change, tier and a demand-driven growth. key to changing political economy Russia used to be Ukraine’s of the country, strongly depends on main commercial partner, both in the prospect of politicians and oli- imports and in exports. The “sec- garchs feeling watched, controlled ond transition” should change and dismissed by the civil society if this: trade with the EU will brings necessary. This political game, in higher added value and boost turn, will depend very much on the Ukrainian productivity since the level of social capital and trust that European market is more dynamic it is possible to find in society, as and more advanced than that of many economists have already ar- Russia. However, this means that gued. Social capital is weak in Ukraine will have to restructure Ukraine, as in other former Soviet most of its firms, especially those countries. However, it is not un- located in the East. The latter will changeable, but can be reproduced have to switch their production to- and increased. This occurred in wards cleaner and more sustain- Ukraine during the mass protests able forms, and become more which may have helped “glue the technologically advanced. The society together”, at least in most of change will require new skills, and the country. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|33 economics|Decentralization Roger Myerson: “Many arguments against decentralisation are based on a misconception of what it means” The Ukrainian Week speaks to Roger Myerson, an Economics Nobel laureate, about the essence and consequences of decentralisation and other important reforms that Ukraine needs

Interviewed U.W: Americans often see Ukraine very important in the life of my by Lyubomyr as a third world country. What ancestors. Perhaps my family Shavalyuk made you interested inU kraine, would still be in Europe if that had why did you start to study its not happened, and would not have socio-economic problems? moved to America if they had not First of all, Ukraine is a coun- been absorbed into the Russian try of the former Soviet world, lo- Empire. The fall of the Polish Re- cated between Europe and Russia. public was ultimately a question of We appreciate its importance. constitutionalism – it was a con- Ukraine and America, should tes- I learned about the problems stitution that was too decen- tify to the people of Ukraine, that of the Ukrainian Constitution tralised. This is not exactly the just because the President of Rus- seven years ago. As an economist same, but I would argue, as one sia says that Ukraine should de- and a theorist, I’m interested in who studies these things, that a centralise, that doesn’t mean that understanding questions such as constitution can be too centralised some form of decentralisation what makes a good society – that’s or too decentralised; either way, a would not be a good idea. the big question and the value of nation can become weak from too Many people said that with de- democracy for a good society is much centralisation or too much centralisation, we will have all these important. When a country be- decentralisation. problems, but that results from bad comes more democratic but still A country has to find the right ways of designing decentralisation. suffers frustration because democ- balance. Today, 220 years later, a One way to decentralize it is to sim- racy does not seem to perform great country in Europe is again ply allow raion and oblast councils well, is it possible that the struc- being threatened by the possibility to choose their own head of execu- ture of democracy matters? of a partition by Russia, because of tive and give them a budget be- After all, democracy is saying the constitutional questions that tween the municipalities, raions that the rules by which we choose are at the centre. I am not a citizen and oblasts; they should have a our leaders are important. As a of Ukraine, but I feel deeply, emo- combined budget that adds up to game theorist, I study rules, so I tionally involved and I do care. So somewhere less than half, but more know a few countries, where the I do want to raise the question. than a third of total public spending rules seem as terribly badly de- (20% in 2013 – Ed.). So, the na- signed as in Ukraine. So I talked a U.W: What do you propose? What tional government still has the ma- bit about the unique problems of is the essence of decentralization? jority of the finance flow. But it the Constitution of Ukraine. If I’m When the President of Russia, should have no power to veto proj- right, then it is a chance to do who was sponsoring subversive ects initiated by local governments. something to help people and if separatists in Ukraine, announced These should of course act under I’m wrong, people will tell me I’m that he felt that Ukraine should national law: if they violate the law, wrong and then I’ll learn better decentralise (there is no difference they can be prosecuted in the court, the question of what makes a dif- between federalisation and decen- then found guilty, and so on. ference in a democracy, how de- tralisation in the West – Ed.), ob- Our initiative was to try to help mocracy can succeed. So that is viously, this could, in people’s raise the question of decentralisa- my intellectual reasoning. minds, become a reason not to de- tion in Ukraine. And it has been Can I say one other thing; my centralise. So raised in Ukraine, today. I don’t ancestors are not from Ukraine, and I felt it was important that know whether we helped at all, but but from other areas: Lithuania, foreigners and academics who are the media and others, like your Romania, Poland. The end of the responsible, including some in publication, probably did most of Polish Republic in the 1790s was Russia, but also in Europe, the work in Ukraine. If we have 34|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Decentralization|economics When parents do not like what the school is doing, they might want to be able to call a local govern- ment, not the national one, and know that their votes count a lot more in local voting. This is a question of balance. In Poland, the national gov- ernment is the most important one. Then come the municipalities and the oblast levels in the hierar- chy of importance of spending. Austria may have it the other way round, with the national govern- ment coming first, followed by the province or oblast level, and the municipality being the last one with about 10% of public spending left to it to manage. Ukraine can choose a different option, but it is not going to be all local. U.W: Can decentralisation serve as an effective anti-corruption tool? No one really knows the an- swer to the question of whether it is easier for a foreign head of state who wants to corrupt your politics

hoto by U krinfor m by P hoto to do it in a centralized or decen- tralized state. I would argue that contributed in any way, and the run by local authorities respon- centralization makes it easier be- fact that responsible, respected sive to the voters who know cause he just has to corrupt one professors of economics and politi- where they actually want to leader. And Ukraine has some ex- cal science in Europe, America, BIO travel. In the United States, there perience of this. But it could be Russia and Ukraine were all willing Roger Bruce is an interstate highway system even worse, when he can go round to say that there are good reasons Myerson is an that is managed by the national and bribe every mayor and every for well-designed decentralisation American econo- government, but all other roads governor. I think it is harder to of power to be considered by mist, professor are handled by state or local gov- bribe every mayor and every gov- Ukraine now, it was worth every ef- at the University ernments. Tax money from gaso- ernor. But do I have any proof? fort I put in. of Chicago, lau- line is shared. The national gov- No, it’s just logic. reate of the No- For a broader support for dis- bel Prize in Eco- ernment distributes some money cussion about reform, Tymofiy is nomics in 2007 to the states for these purposes, U.W: You have been in Kyiv for organising VoxUkraine. I think for “having laid but the actual administration, several days. Do you have the that is also going to be part of a the foundations construction and repair of the impression that the current general attempt to bring trained of mechanism roads, is typically done by the Ukrainian authorities are ready to scholarly analysis to questions of design theory”. towns. If you have a hole in the make reforms, including reform, including decentralisa- He was born in middle of the road, you want to decentralisation? tion. VoxUkraine is really continu- 1951 in Boston. phone your mayor’s office to get At the YES (Yalta European ing the work on important issues He studied at the road filled, not the President Strategy) Ukraine Conference, I that Tymofiy and I started with Harvard Univer- in Kyiv. heard many speeches and when sity, where he our initiative. received his Many arguments against de- talking about reform, every politi- Batchelor’s De- centralisation are based on a mis- cian I heard, spoke very persua- U.W: Opponents of gree, Master’s conception of what decentralisa- sive, articulated and good argu- decentralisation feel that it is Degree and PhD. tion means. If someone thinks ments for reform, and seemed to necessary to focus funds in the Myerson was a that it means all public spending is understand the urgency and im- centre, in order to implement professor of eco- administered by the municipali- portance of it. On the other hand, projects of national importance. nomics at North- ties, then of course, that’s a terri- since they all said this, why hasn’t For example, Ukraine has very western Univer- ble idea. Good decentralisation the reform happened? At least bad roads, even though its sity's Kellogg would involve probably about some of them are good at talking geographic position justifies the School of Man- 60% of the public spending being it, but not necessarily doing it. I’m agement in construction of a net of highways. Evanston, Illi- done by the national government hopeful, but I know we must Are such projects possible without nois, for an ex- on the military, long-distance watch. centralized finance? tended period of highways, social welfare pro- As far as civil society is con- That’s ridiculous. Long-dis- time, where he grammes, the regulation of banks, cerned, I sense a deep patriotism, tance roads should be coordi- conducted much and so on. Primary schools, how- deep optimism about the future nated from the national level. Lo- of his Nobel-win- ever, could be funded by the mu- of this country. I was very struck cal roads are often much better ning research nicipalities or raion authorities. by this. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|35 Security|War chevsk had been dissolved; the best weapons had been sold, etc. Importantly, not only was there no Mykhailo Koval: task force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces there ready to fulfil mili- tary tasks, but the locals had sim- ply become accustomed to the ab- “Thank the army” sence of any troops in the region. There were no military trainings Ex-Minister of Defence shares his views or any other activities, for that matter, where people would see on the recent developments in Eastern the Ukrainian military. Ukraine with The Ukrainian Week I vividly remember how Colo- nel Momot of the Border Guard Service, who is sadly no longer with us (Ihor Momot was killed in in July in the shelling of Ukrainian border guards from GRAD missile launchers – Ed.), and I led Border Guard units into the territory of Luhansk Oblast in early March. We were met as enemies – people shouted that we were fascists and Banderites and tried to tear off our shoulder straps. It took us a long time to explain that we were sim- ply Ukrainian and had come to de- fend our own state. I say this as a military professional: the army was like a corpse when the conflict erupted. Ihor Teniukh (Acting De- fence Minister from 27 February through 25 March, 2014, the pe- riod when the “little green men” appeared in Crimea and it was subsequently annexed by Russia – Ed.) was right in estimating the

hoto by A ndriy L o m akin by P hoto size of Ukraine’s battleworthy troops at around 6,000, even Interviewed U.W.: How efficient are the promised an amnesty for partici- though he perhaps should not by Bohdan strategy and tactics of the pation in the military conflict in have gone public with this state- Butkevych Ukrainian army in this conflict? Ukraine. In general, a thorough ment. Remember how Vladimir What troubles me the most is analysis of the situation should in- Zhirinovsky, a Russian buffoon that people who have not served a volve a discussion of the state of through whom Russia leaks its single day in the army are now try- Ukraine’s Armed Forces in the views, said back on 25 April that ing to answer this question in TV past years. Look at who was in Russia was going to send in its programmes. We are indeed fac- charge – direct agents of Russia’s troops? It did not do so only be- ing a war of a new generation Chief Intelligence Directorate or cause we had managed to deploy which started with a powerful spe- simply bribe-takers who are now battle-ready forces at virtually all cial operation planned by Russia’s being investigated by the Prosecu- points of possible intervention, Chief Intelligence Directorate and tor’s Office. protect Kyiv and other large cities carried out by the 45th airborne I state with confidence that with air defence troops, carry out spetsnaz regiment in Crimea and Ukraine’s Armed Forces were be- training to repel the Russian ag- later in the Donbas. All of this was ing purposefully destroyed in the gressions, etc. In general, a big supported by the fifth column, past years. The best proof of this is thank you is due to company and likewise created in advance. More- the situation in Eastern Ukraine, brigade commanders, as well as to over, the situation in Ukraine has or rather the nearly complete ab- ordinary soldiers who are bearing been persistently destabilized by sence of Ukrainians troops there all the hardships of war. However, Russia since late 2013. Moscow’s at the beginning of military action. most of them have not received main efficient step at the first We had one light-armoured bri- even the simple words of grati- stage of the conflict was not so gade, one airborne brigade, one tude, not to mention awards or much the deployment of Russian tank brigade and an artillery decorations. military units in Ukraine, but arm- rocket regiment in Sumy. That ing local separatists whom Russia was all. A powerful motorized rifle U.W.: Could you tell specifically reinforced using fitting contin- division in Artemivsk and the 90th about the strategy of battle gents, such as prisoners who were light-armoured regiment in Al- action?W as it right to use elite 36|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 War|Security paratroopers as ordinary infantry? under my command, the General like the political elite – in a bad How come the command of Staff was working overtime. I do sense of the word. The same peo- Ukraine’s Armed Forces had no not have specific data on anyone, ple who embezzled the army’s adequate reserves near Ilovaysk? but there are, of course, spies. property continue to command it. Why were territorial defence However, we should not forget battalions used as regular army that Ukrainians are like scorpions U.W.: But you would not deny that units on the frontline despite the – they keep stinging themselves. the Armed Forces need to be fact that they are not equipped for We are criticizing everyone left fundamentally reformed, both in this? and right, failing to understand terms of their personnel and It is hard for me to answer this that sometimes it does more harm strategy? question, because I am an active than good, especially now, in war- A reform is indeed necessary. I military man. As far as territorial time. conveyed my vision several times defence and volunteer battalions Whether the top command is personally to the president: a small are concerned, I have great re- scared, I don’t know about that, (some 150,000 men) mobile army spect for these units. However, but I can tell you frankly: now, in that would be able to immediately they had to be turned into regular the office of deputy Chairman of react to any threat and allow time army units before being sent into the National Defence and Security for mobilization if necessary. It action. They had to be given nor- Council, I am busy doing com- would be based on a system of nor- mal commanders, armoured pletely meaningless stuff instead mal territorial defence, which has groups, artillery, etc. The ones of leading at least a company on to be the Armed Forces’ reserve, that exist now should be used ex- the front. But they won’t let me go. while the National Guard has to be clusively in the rear to guard secu- On personnel issues: Ihor charged with more serious tasks. rity road blocks. Volunteer battal- Teniukh came and tackled them Meanwhile, we should stay away ions should be used as the basis before doing anything else, and I from a massive rush when every- for forming spetsnaz units in the am sorry to say he simply let one suddenly needs the army, ev- army, police and the National Crimea slip into Russia’s hands. eryone is a great expert in army-re- Guard. With a sensible approach, Meanwhile, I had no choice what- lated issues and people propose these could be unique units – mo- soever. The mobilization process (commander tivated, patriotic and brave. did not allow me to dismiss mili- Unfortunately, the situation in tary men, but I did fire corrupt ci- The situation in our our military leadership now is vilians. You know, I still regret I such that an ignoramus teaches an had not entered the minister’s of- military leadership now ignoramus and both believe they fice earlier, before Teniukh. Ibe- is such that an ignoramus are great experts. We need to sim- lieve our troops had a chance to ply follow the laws of the military stand their ground in Crimea. We teaches an ignoramus science to have a battalion operate would have sunk several ferries in and both believe they are in a military way rather than the Kerch Strait, installed Rapira stretch along the entire frontline, anti-tank cannons and fired at he- great experts as was the case with our troops. licopters and planes. Some would We also need to have a reserve have burned; some others would of the Donbas volunteer battalion echelon of troops and so on. How not have even taken off. I believe – Ed.) for Chief of the General can an army fight for three months there were enough men there pre- Staff. When things settle down a without having evacuation paths pared to execute a normal order. bit and there is no longer need for and collection stations for dam- I am, in general, against carry- PR, the issue will again be forgot- aged vehicles? That is why we are ing out lustration in wartime, even ten. And then they will again cut abandoning equipment. The truth though this is an unpopular no- to the quick, sell weapons, etc. is that we suffered colossal human tion. During a war, the military ex- The process must be constant: an losses and even bigger losses in pect gratitude and should not be army that is not modernized on a terms of equipment. The military thinking about checks and inspec- daily basis becomes outdated command lacks a strategic vision tions. But the counterintelligence overnight. of the conflict. service and the Military Prosecu- BIO tor’s Office should be working ac- Mykhailo Koval is a professional military man in the rank of U.W.: A lot is now being said tively. However, I believe that in colonel general. He was born in 1956 in Iziaslav, Khmelnytsky about the large-scale infiltration order to achieve efficiency, it Oblast. He graduated from the Kamianets-Podilsky Higher Mili- of Ukraine’s military command by would have been enough to avoid tary Engineering Command Academy in 1979, from the Frunze direct and indirectR ussian agents. placing gendarmes at the top of Military Academy in Moscow in 1990 and from the Academy of The army has never carried out a the Ministry of Defence as is the the in 1997. While in combatant purge, so the situation is still the case now. You cannot run these forces, he rose from platoon commander to chief of staff to army corps commander. In 2001-2002, he was chief of staff same? kinds of experiments – any experi- and the first deputy head of the Chief Directorate of the Inter- I do not have this information. ments, for that matter – in the nal Troops of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2002, I am not a counterintelligence of- army during wartime. We have a Koval moved to the State Border Guard Service where he ficer. Moreover, let me repeat that burning need for experienced pro- served as the first deputy head and director of the Personnel I am an active serviceman and do fessionals who can get down to Department. On 25 March 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of not have the right to publicly criti- work immediately. Bring them Ukraine appointed him acting Minister of Defence. Koval was cize the General Staff. I can say back from the reserve if the cur- dismissed from this office and instead appointed deputy Secre- that during the three months rent ones are failing. However, our tary of the National Security and Defence Council on 3 July when the Ministry of Defence was military elite is, for the most part, 2014. He has numerous orders and decorations. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|37 security|sbu Oleksandr Skipalsky: “The SBU’s biggest problem – a leaky top story”

Interviewed by Bohdan Butkevych

leksandr Skipalsky is the man behind two extremely important elements in the OUkrainian system of state security: military counterintelli- gence service and intelligence. Ed- ucated in the KGB, he then worked in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for many years and is a pro- fessional counterintelligence offi- cer. Skipalsky witnessed both the emergence of modern Ukraine and its special services, and their recent decay. The Ukrainian Week talks to Oleksandr Skipalsky about the need to purge the SBU and pos- sible instruments for this. U.W.: How do you assess the SBU’s activities in the past six months? Efficiency and purging – are they there? There have been no funda- mental changes. We need to un- derstand that a facelift, which is now being undertaken to create an appearance of reform, will not be enough. The special service has been formed based on the princi- ple of personal devotion, rather than patriotism and professional- ism, for way too long. Starting from 1993-94, SBU officers have not been educated in the spirit of allegiance to the Ukrainian state. Patriotism has been perceived simply as an empty word. As a re- sult, we have a structure perme- ated with non-professionalism and corruption, and anti-Ukrai- nian, pro-Russian, thievish and amoral people. Our state has been left unattended and underdevel- oped while the wealth has been flowing to oligarchic clans. No president has paid due attention to the development of special ser- vices. The result is now easy to see. The SBU has been flooded

hoto by A ndriy L o m akin by P hoto with haughty mediocrity which 38|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 sbu|security can only generate more medioc- trious career, rapidly rising from a BIO The reason is that former KGB rity. The reform of it must be pro- regular consul to deputy Foreign Oleksandr Skipal- officers who stayed in Ukraine and sky was born in found. Affairs Minister. When the sea- 1945 in Vyzhgiv, a kept their jobs did not counteract soned Foreign Affairs Minister Bo- village in Volyn but, on the contrary, fostered anti- U.W.: Do you mean something rys Tarasiuk sorted out the situa- Oblast. He gradu- Ukrainian sentiments and the ac- like they did in the Czech tion, he dispatched Nalyvaichenko ated from the tivities of Russian special services. Republic, where everyone was as an ambassador to Belarus, but Moscow Higher Look at the trio that fanned the dismissed and then absolutely the latter exploited his familial Border Guard flames of anti-Ukrainian hysteria new people were hired? connections to [ex-president of Academy in 1968 in Eastern Ukraine after Viktor The Czech did it in a less pain- Ukraine] and and the Depart- Yanukovych’s flight from the ful way, because they had the great became First Deputy Chief of ment for Counter- country – MPs Oleksandr Yefre- Ukraine’s Security Service. When intelligence in the Václav Havel for president and Higher School of mov and Valeriy Holenko, and peace at the beginning of the re- he just entered his SBU office, I the KGB in 1975. Oleksandr Tretiak, ex-chief of the form. We irrevocably wasted time liked his patriotic rhetoric about Skipalsky served in SBU Directorate in Luhansk suitable for this method 20 years “us Ukrainians”, his training in the the Far East, in- Oblast. Tretiak personally super- ago. Most importantly, the Czech intelligence academy and his natu- cluding the Kuril vised the transportation of weap- success is impossible to replicate ral talent for apt reporting and self- Islands. He has ons to the local SBU office in April at the time of war and with the promotion. However, when it got lived in Ukraine and later the seizure of the build- leadership of the special services, to deep serious processes, he since 1987. In ing. It was a sort of revenge to including the Security Service of showed a totally different style. I 1991, Skipalsky Kyiv for his dismissal from office Ukraine, that we have now. am talking here primarily about headed the Direc- on March 13. After his dismissal, torate of Military personnel decisions: selection, Counterintelli- he worked as counsellor to U.W.: Many people say that you checking and training of people. gence in the SBU, Governor Serhiy personally dislike ’s criteria in hiring later the Chief In- Taruta (according to the sources Nalyvaichenko, the current SBU people were based on personal loy- telligence Direc- of The Ukrainian Week, Ta- chief. Some claim that the alty and interests, and Ukraine was torate in the Min- ruta is in fairly friendly relation- Russians hate him for allegedly losing its security potential in every istry of Defence. ships with Nalyvaichenko – Ed.) allowing Americans access to segment. Remember Andriy Kys- He was an MP in classified documents of Ukraine’s linsky and Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, 1994-98, deputy U.W.: Have there been any Security Service in 2008. What facilitating a split between Viktor chief of the SBU in positive changes recently? can you say about public Yushchenko and Yulia Tymosh- 1997, Deputy Min- The only changes that I notice detentions and deportations of ister for Emer- enko, for instance. Most impor- gency, chief of the are in the Counterintelligence De- Russian agents in 2009, tantly, why did Mr. Nalyvaichenko security service for partment which is starting to declassifying documents on the as SBU Chief never make a state- Viktor Yushchenko stand on its own feet. You need to activities of Soviet special ment about the threat of the as candidate for understand that natural transfor- services, etc.? Donetsk clan coming to power in presidency in mations are taking place in the This will be my personal opin- 2009-2010? Also, remember the 2004 and deputy country and the level of patriotism ion – and please take it for what it recent scandal in Dnipropetrovsk chief of the SBU in is rising. The same applies, in is. The only thing I disagree about involving Heorhiy Yaroshenko, the May-October spite of everything, to the SBU. is “personal dislike”. I have never SBU’s “supervisor” and Nalyva- 2007 You can’t stop a train moving in had and, I am sure, will never have ichenko’s man (In June 2014, Svia- full speed. Similarly, no one, in- personal relationships with Mr. toslav Oliynyk, Deputy Head of cluding agents, will be able to stop Nalyvaichenko. We have different Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Adminis- changes because the personnel categories and criteria for evaluat- tration, told the media that Kyiv has a lot more freedom now in ing events and people. If the lives Council deputy Hryhoriy Yarosh- making their choice – whether to of citizens and the future of enko arrived at Dnipropetrovsk, go down the path of corruption or Ukraine did not depend on the of- convened local businessmen and not. Under Yanukovych, they sim- fice he is now holding for the sec- told them that he would be the new ply did not have this choice. Im- ond time, you would never hear my “supervisor” from the SBU from assessment and commentaries. Southern Ukraine, meaning that he “The SBU has to be We met on the day when I was would now collect kickbacks from appointed SBU chief in Donetsk them. SBU Chief Valentyn Nalyva- transformed into a tool to Oblast in 2006. Unfortunately, our ichenko and Vitaliy Klitschko, head protect law and security. acquaintance began with Nalyva- of the UDAR party of which ichenko trying to manipulate the Yaroshenko is a member, denied It is not important whom it choice of transport for my presen- allegations of their connection to catches red-handed – even tation. He has good training in in- this. A criminal case was reportedly telligence matters; he graduated opened for fraud but no results are if it is a president” from the Russian Academy of the yet known – Ed.)? There are many Foreign Intelligence Service. On more cases of this kind – security portantly, the leadership of the the recommendation and at the re- specialists discuss many more in- country has finally listened to us, quest of the commanders of the formally. even though we have been scream- Russian special service, he was ad- ing about this since March. It has mitted to the consular department U.W.: How come the SBU, of all finally begun to restore military of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign agencies, was the main counterintelligence. Essentially, Affairs and posted to Finland and locomotive of separatism in the this is like SMERSH (Special the USA. There, he made an illus- Donbas? Methods of Spy Detection, an um- № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|39 security|sbu brella name for three independent paid thugs to Kyiv, paying cash for operating like that, either. What counterintelligence services in the wrecking cars, etc. has not been do we do then? What is your Soviet Red Army established in exposed yet. There is no condem- recipe for purging the SBU? 1942. The services fulfilled a num- nation, not even moral, to say First, we need to bring back ber of tasks, including counterin- nothing of any disciplinary actions from the reserve all former officers telligence and counterterrorism, against the personnel. who have not stained their reputa- protection of the frontline from Using this opportunity, I tion through cooperation with the the penetration of the enemy and would like to appeal directly to Yanukovych regime, contacts with anti-Soviet elements, investiga- Petro Poroshenko as the Com- Moscow and persecutions of demo- tion of traitors and deserters, and mander in Chief. I hope he under- cratic forces. They need to be given checking of the military personnel stood at the example of ex-Deputy specific operational tasks, primar- returning from captivity – Ed.). Chief of Staff Yuriy Kosiuk that a ily in Eastern Ukraine. Second, we Naturally, they immediately expe- billionaire, or anyone except pro- need to drastically improve the rienced a huge lack of personnel, fessionals for that matter, cannot quality of personnel selection and but they are still making progress, be in charge of a law enforcement training. Third, an independent and this is comforting. I believe division. It is also impossible to public attestation commission that we laid a good foundation for have an ignoramus coming up must be set up and given sufficient the security system back in the with a statement about secret power. It should consist of civil ac- 1990s. In the years when all sorts arms supply deals (Yuriy Lut- tivists, journalists and independent of “dealers” and “businessmen” senko, ex-Interior Minister and specialists who will painstakingly came to power, they ruined many №2 of the Bloc of Petro Porosh- check every professional, starting things – this is a fact. But the big- enko, claimed shortly after the from chief commanders. You can gest problem facing both the NATO summit in Wales that five call it “lustration”, if you will, but I country and the SBU is a leaky top NATO members agreed to supply personally do not like this word. story - inadequate leadership. The weapons to Ukraine. None of the What I like instead is “fundamental foundation is, no doubt, still there countries he mentioned confirmed overhaul of special services”. This and will stand. It was for a reason this – Ed.). We have no time for commission must include experi- that, back in Soviet times, many games and behind-the-scenes in- enced people who do not do mind- professional officers were from trigue – the country is at war. We less sabre rattling as was the case Ukraine. I believe we have huge need to urgently purge this sys- with Viktor Yushchenko who fired potential and the only thing that is tem: this must include across-the- 18,000 civil servants based exclu- lacking is the political will. The board attestation, filtration cen- sively on formal criteria. I would SBU has to be transformed into a completely discard the idea of ex- vehicle for the protection of law We need to examine each haustive lustration of former Soviet and security. And it is not impor- agents. It has been 23 years since tant who will be caught red- individual based the breakup of the USSR, which is handed – even if it is a president, on the criteria an entire epoch, and much more he will have to be held responsi- harm is now being done by turn- ble. In general, our special ser- of professionalism, moral coats with false rhetoric who have vices have not looked beyond their qualities, management never been KGB agents. Moreover, noses in the past 10 years and all respective documents were have done nothing to steal the ini- ability and experience moved to Moscow a long time ago tiative from Russia on all fronts. and can now only be purchased We need to start using our inter- tres and commissions, reinforce- provided that Moscow agrees to nal resource correctly. For exam- ment of our strongholds in sell them. ple, some say that Ihor Kolomois- Eastern Ukraine, and much more. I personally know many for- kiy is simply cashing in on the Never mind that human rights ac- mer secret KGB agents but reveal war. But even if this is true, the tivists are going to lament: let him this information only when a per- main thing is to keep the Russian raise his hand who believes we can son starts working against tanks away from both Odesa and overcome such a powerful enemy Ukraine. We need to examine each Dnipropetrovsk. as Russia - an enemy who has be- individual based on the criteria of come even stronger, while we have professionalism, moral qualities, U.W.: How badly is the infiltration grown weaker - without these management ability and experi- of the SBU by enemy agents? measures. Moreover, Russia is apt ence. Plus, we should clearly de- Here is a small fact for you. at dealing through indirect agents. fine what qualifies as discrediting Under Yanukovych, nearly all For instance, a person may not ex- factors. We need to make sure we heads of departments of the Inte- actly be sending encrypted mes- know the person’s sources of in- rior and Defence Ministry (these sages to the Russian Chief Intelli- come. If a person is a law-abiding include the police, special forces gence Directorate, but is simply citizen, he will have all the docu- and the Army – Ed.) were mem- led, through financial means, into ments in his briefcase, like I do, bers of Russia’s Union of Para- actions that are beneficial to Mos- for example. If he does not, it troopers which is headed by one of cow without even realizing the changes the whole situation. We the deputies of Russian Defence fact. need to also use assistance from Minister . Most of foreign special services. The world these people still hold their offices. U.W.: So we cannot fire everyone respects only the smart and the The role the SBU played in form- and hire new people because of strong. Time has come for us to ing the anti-Maidan, bringing the the war. But we cannot continue become precisely that. 40|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Occupied territory|security A month in captivity in the “Donetsk People’s Republic” Ruslan Petrenko (not his real name) from a small town near Donetsk was a pro-Ukrainian activist. This got him in trouble: he was taken hostage by the “DNR” terrorists and spent more than a month in captivity

hat he had been through Interview by ceal that they had come from Slo- inside. There was another guy in it. could make a thick book. Denys viansk. Our cops cooperated with We arrived late in the afternoon. I Ruslan says jokingly Kazansky them, some 30% defected to the was locked up in an isolation ward. Wthat his story could be a ‘DNR.’ Some of them had known Pitch-dark, not a beam of light any- script for a film. In summer, how- me for a long time, since my school where. Two boys were already there, ever, joking was the last thing he years, and it was weird and un- and I realized that they had been would do. His survival was a mira- thinkable to see people I knew sud- beaten cruelly. One kept moaning, cle. denly turn into enemies and tor- he was feeling very bad. He was a “I took part in all the pro-Ukrai- mentors. I was accused of spying firefighter but would not tell why nian rallies in Donetsk from the and allegedly making a video of they had arrested him. He had spent very start. I remember the first them with my phone, which of almost a week there without food. fights in Donetsk very well. When course was a lie. “At night we heard voices in the Dima Cherniavsky (the 22-year old “Then they began an interroga- corridor, and the boys began to activist and member of Svoboda. He tion. They said that I was known to worry. They thought it was the was stabbed by the fighters at a pro- be a pravosec (member of Pravy change of guards, and that the or- Ukrainian rally in March and did Sektor, the . This is the deal would start again. Indeed, the not survived – Ed.) was killed, we most widespread, mostly un- door opened, and some schmuck were near. Frankly speaking, when grounded, accusation, and often a walked in, ugly as sin. Short, de- the fight began, we just managed to cause of violent torturing – Ed.) formed, cross-eyed, with crooked get away, so we were not injured. and was working to build an under- teeth. His nickname was Butcher. What shocked me was the fierce ag- ground movement in the town. I He called some names and asked gression. I could not explain where don’t know what gave them the me if I knew them. I didn’t. He left, it comes from in those people. It and the boys breathed out. They takes something to amass so much TWO PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT said I was very, very lucky, because spite. IN, A WOMAN AND A MAN normally hostages are taken for a “We arranged a motor rally for ‘night talk.’ the unity of Ukraine. A few dozen FROM BATKIVSHCHYNA PARTY. “Later I heard what they cars was quite a number for our THEY WERE TAKEN TO AN meant. All night long I heard in- small town. No one reacted aggres- human screams echoing. Some- sively to it, and no tried to fight us INTERROGATION AND one was dragged along the corri- even though we had Ukrainian TORTURED. WE COULD HEAR dor. For some reason, they always flags. Later, an office of the “DNR” beat people at night. Either be- (Donetsk People’s Republic – Ed.) THEM SCREAM. ACTUALLY, cause the higher-ups were not appeared, and fighting in SOMEONE SCREAMED THERE around, or because they were told and began. Then I real- to do so. ized what was coming. I moved my EVERY NIGHT “This Butcher enjoys torturing family and some stuff out of the people. He has been beating every- town, and then came back. idea. Of course I had pro-Ukrainian one, practicing his punches. Ru- “I was captured the day before I views, I rallied with a flag, but that’s mour had it that he once trashed was to leave the town. They grabbed all there was to it. some poor guy for looting for an me right in the street. I think some- “They promised me that if I hour, till he died. one from the municipal executive named my commander and what “One day, there was another in- committee saw me and called the orders I got, they would let me go. cident: some captured, blindfolded militants. Armed men got out of two But I had nothing to confess. Then men were brought in. A ‘militant’ cars, pushed me to the ground, they said they would send me to the fired his AK at one man’s foot, just kicked me in the kidneys. I offered SBU in Donetsk, where I would for fun. They stood there roaring no resistance. surely start talking: ‘If you don’t with laughter, looking at him bleed- “Then they brought me to the talk, bastard, you’ll meet the ing. local police department and hand- Butcher.’ “The next day it was my turn to cuffed me. There was the militants’ “They got me into a paddy be interrogated. There were two in- base. They did not even try to con- wagon lined with tin sheets from the terrogators, who played the classical № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|41 security|Occupied territory game of the good and bad cop, try- a half of his body was blue, one leg talked them out of defecting to Rus- ing to loosen my tongue. They asked was black. sia when the occupation began. In- me who my curator was. Then they “There were also Ukrainian pa- deed, an acquaintance of mine told me about the ferocities of the triots. One boy was grabbed for served there, we talked on the phone Ukrainian army: how they crucified comments on the internet. He had when all that began. As it turned out, a little boy in Sloviansk, how they spent a week in an isolation ward, someone reported on me: another tied a woman to a tank and dragged and then in our cell. He had been friend wrote to the ‘DNR’ that I was her around, how an armoured re- locked up for 15 days. Later two an enemy of Russia. frigerator rides along the front line people were brought in, a woman “I said I just wanted to support collecting body organs from and a man from Batkivshchyna (Yu- my friend. Then the interrogator wounded men. lia Tymoshenko’s party – Ed.). called a ward and ordered him to “Afterwards I was transferred to They were taken to an interrogation shoot me. The ward swore at me an ordinary cell, and it was a little and tortured. We could hear them and said that at last I was a dead easier. There were 15 inmates in my scream. Actually, someone man. I asked him to take my hand- cell. We slept on sheets of carton. screamed there every night. cuffs off, so I could make a sign of We had lights, but had to use jars to “One woman ended up there cross. He would not. He told me to go to the toilet. Depending on the because of her pro-Ukrainian views, walk down the corridor. I heard the wardens, there were shifts when she was reported by a man whom breechblock click. At that moment I you could go to the toilet, or when she had turned down. A neat busi- felt so sorry for my children, who you were beaten up if you asked for ness-lady. They came to her office would never see me again. But the anything. with a search, confiscated cash and ward did not fire. He waited a little, “Women and men shared cells together. Remarkably, there were four persons from the ‘DNR,’ who ended up in prison because someone had reported them. One woman from Sloviansk used to work at the city council. She was accused of spy- ing and arrested for having told someone on the phone that she thought Donetsk would be attacked soon. The woman spent seven days in the cell without interrogation. I asked them how this could be hap- pening, these weren’t Stalin’s times after all. But they said Mr. Girkin (, aka Strelkov, a Russian- born terrorist leader – Ed.) is a very competent and intelligent man and that he would put things right. “There were businessmen with us. They were hardly interrogated or beaten. They just were closed down there for some time, so later they were happy to pay and leave unian photo: immediately upon release. There computers. A check of the browser and then swore and brought me was one such man who had been history on one of the laptops re- back to the cell. After that I could delivering food and cigarettes to the vealed that she had been reading not speak for a long while. My cell- ‘DNR’ checkpoints. Once he was news about the Donbass Battalion mates were scared. driving after a heavy drinking bout. and its commander Semen Se- “Then I wrote my address and They smelled alcohol and took away menchenko. That was enough to ac- my wife’s phone number for each of his car, even though he had been cuse her of being a nationalist. They them. Should someone be released, bringing them grub for two months. promised they would shoot her. I they could tell her where I was in When he began to protest, they felt very sorry for the woman. She captivity and what happened to me. threw him in a cell. Now he had sat just could not believe that some- I wrote a farewell note asking her to there for nine days. Another ‘DNR’ thing like this could be happening raise the children and tell them fan came to a checkpoint and in- in Donetsk. about me. I did not believe I would quired the men there if they planned “The food was disgusting, por- be able to get away. an offensive against Kyiv. He was ridge with carrots and bread, but no “Afterwards I and another guy arrested as a spy. Another guy just one felt like eating, we only drank were taken away. We were told had a bad luck. He was mowing water. The ventilation was good for again that we would be executed, grass in the evening and saw some- nothing, we suffered from a lack of but instead we were led outside. one walking in his yard. He con- oxygen. There was a bus and around 15-20 fronted the stranger who turned out “And then the worst began. I was hostages next to it. We were an- to be a ‘DNR’ militant. The poor guy called to an interrogation and told nounced the sentence: 30 days of was thrown in gaol for assaulting a that they knew that I had supported digging entrenchments. Then we soldier! He was beaten mercilessly, the Ukrainian military in Crimea and were taken to . 42|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Occupied territory|security “In Snizhne we were dumped in limbs torn off. I was sick at once, I was absolutely deserted. Cows a sort of enclosure next to their couldn’t help it. The stench was un- roamed in the streets. All the inhab- headquarters. There already were bearable. A woman who worked itants ran away, only two old some 25 persons there, so together there said that on an average day a women stayed behind. we were almost 50. We took turns few dozens would come in, but on “In Stepanivka fighters from to sleep on the floor, there was not some days there would be a hun- Sloviansk were stationed, who had enough room. The food was quite dred or more. retreated from there together with bearable. Locals fared a little better, “Then a so-called buyer came Strelok (Igor Girkin, aka Strelkov – their relatives brought them food. and we were picked out for jobs. I Ed.). Among them was one deserter We were all slaves who had to dig was ‘lucky’ to go to Stepanivka. This from the Ukrainian army from trenches. It was then that I could is a village at the border where later Mykolaiv, as well as men from take a good look at the armed everything was totally swept away Donetsk and Yenakieve. As I ob- groups. I saw that they had loads of during violent fighting. served them I understood that some weapons, all of them brand-new, “On the way there I saw the war 60% of them were low-skilled work- and their vehicles were in a very for the first time. The burnt vehi- ers, Lumpenproletariat, up to 25% good condition. Russian Ural trucks cles, the shell-holes, the flattened were thugs, and another 15% more came back and forth all the time. checkpoints, the charred ruins, or less educated, intelligent people. “In our enclosure the atmo- someone’s belongings on the road. “Then I had another stroke of sphere was very bad, with lots of We could hear the cannonade luck. The fighters needed a cook. hoodlums, tramps, and criminals. nearby, the battle at Savur-Mohyla They asked who could cook, and I There was one real schizophrenic, a was going. We were referred to as said I could. As a cook, I didn’t have village idiot. They bullied and beat ‘robocops’ (from Russian rab, a to dig trenches at the front line. I him and wouldn’t give him anything slave and kopat, to dig – Ed.) be- kept pondering over getting away, to eat. I said to the guards: why do cause we were slaves and had to dig. over to our troops, they were close you keep him here, he is mentally Each company took a few prisoners by, but it was very dangerous. There ill, they will kill him. But they only for digging. I was lucky to get a were mine fields everywhere. answered that he was going to plant more or less humane treatment. “Of course, the fighters would mines. After all, I had to share food The militants gave us an emergency not let ‘robocops’ go. I talked to with him, because otherwise he safety instruction: how we should other prisoners, and they told how would get none. hide from mines, how to survive un- they were sentenced to 15 days of “There was also one old man der shelling, where to take shelter. hard work, which eventually turned who coughed all the time. Everyone into 40. They only let those go decided that he had tuberculosis What amazed me was the whose relatives could pay a ransom. and ordered him to stay away, in the The fighters kept persuading me to corner, yelled at him if he tried to militants’ confidence that take arms and fight. They said I walk around, and didn’t give him they were fighting against must think about it because I must any food. I asked him if he was sick defend my land from the ‘junta.’ indeed. He said, ‘Yes, and do you fascists. It was a sort of They promised to pay 20,000 rou- think the others aren’t? They are fanatic faith bles per month. just as sick as I am!’ “I remember how they went to “At night it was terribly cold. They said, if you heard a shot, wait ‘hunt for Ukies.’ They were missing This is the steppe, so it’s normal. 10 seconds, and if you then hear a all day long, and came back very an- Everyone wore shorts and T-shirts whistle, it’s flying your way, drop to gry, swore at their command, and and cuddled all together for warmth the ground, or take shelter in any were about to thrash the company at night. Then suddenly one of the crack or nook you can find. We were commander. Later I learned that guys, who came with me from shelled a lot, so we constantly had to one company was completely elimi- Donetsk all beaten up, got a fit. We hide from shrapnel. Normally death nated. Our troops pretended they called for a medic. At first the toll among ‘robocops’ was around retreated, leaving the high grounds guards would not send anyone and 30%, but we suffered no losses. to the enemy. They (the fighters – yelled at us to shut up. The poor guy “In comparison with Donetsk Ed.) ceased it, only to find trenches had foam around his mouth. At last we had quite a humane treatment a foot deep, and bunkers covered a doctor appeared. He gave him an there. Later I understood why. with twigs. All dummy stuff. Mean- injection, and he was carried away. When we were handed out to the while, the spot was under sound Next day we heard that he had been ‘buyer’ from Stepanivka, no one fire. And then artillery came down. taken to a hospital but there was lit- said why we had been arrested, and Three shells killed more than 60 tle hope because his liver was rup- no one knew that I was a pro-Ukrai- fighters in a matter of seconds. tured. nian activist. I said I had been “I did my best as a cook, and “Next day I and a couple of caught drunk in the street, just as they treated me well, even in a other men were taken to the mortu- most of the prisoners. So we were friendly way I would say. So when ary, to load the corpses of the ‘mili- considered almost equal. There was my time was out, I just went to the tias.’ It was a horrible sight. There no more torture or beating. We commander and asked to be re- were loads of bodies, and they had could have a rest. leased. They drove me to Snizhne lain there without refrigerators. We “Our living conditions were not and just dropped me out in the picked out 12 corpses, which were worse than those of the ‘DNR’ fight- street, no papers, no money. How I recognised by the family and had to ers. In a house we found some blan- got out of the city is another long be buried. The bodies were disfig- kets and stuff to sleep on. We found story. But after a few days I finally ured after explosions, burnt, with clothes to change into. The village managed to leave the town.” № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|43 history|Eastern Ukraine What Makes Kharkiv Ukrainian Russia insists that Kharkiv does not belong to Ukraine. Meanwhile, even several waves of Russification failed to make it truly Russian

A fragment of the Kharkiv Fortress diorama, Kharkiv Historical Museum

Author: n May 1917, the delegation of Assembly, and started fidgeting, local Cossack garrison along with Svitlana the Ukrainian Central Council fell into disarray, and showed all the from the villages Potapenko (Centralna Rada), the then par- the essence of Russian fat, greedy around it (see ) Iliament, negotiated with repre- nationalism.” formed the Kharkiv Cossack Regi- sentatives of the Russian Provi- Russian appetites have barely ment that existed from 1660 till sional Government in Petrograd. changed over the past century. 1765. The Provisional Government was This article reminds us who According to Kharkiv censuses brushing off any attempts to in- founded Kharkiv, why Baiky conducted in 1655, 1660, 1667, and clude Kharkiv and the oblast into kharkivski (Kharkiv Stories) by 1669, the migrants brought to the the jurisdiction of the Central Hryhoriy Skovoroda, one of the terrain social structure similar to Council. Volodymyr Vynnychenko, best-known Ukrainian philoso- that later seen in the early modern its authorized representative in ne- phers, are the gem in the crown of Ukraine in 1917-1920, the years of gotiations, later recalled: “As they the Ukrainian baroque literature, the national liberation campaign. measured the territory of the fu- and how the Kharkiv University The locals were Cossacks, bour- ture autonomous Ukraine, they became one of the earliest centers geoisie and peasants, most of them mentioned the Black Sea, Odesa, for Ukrainian studies. with typical Ukrainian surnames Donetsk region, Katerynoslav re- ending with –enko: Kondratenko, gion (today Dnipropetrovsk – Dating back to Cossacks Fedorenko, Ivanenko, Panchenko. Ed.), Kherson and Kharkiv re- 1645 is considered to be the official The census of 16 regiments of the gions. The mere thought of the year when Kharkiv was founded. A Hetmanate held in 1649 reflects Donetsk and Kherson coal, Kat- group of migrants from the this homogeneity: 56% out of erynoslav iron and Kharkiv indus- Dnieper Ukraine (also known as 40,475 people recorded had -enko try taken away from them made Great Ukraine) settled down along surnames. them so concerned that they forgot the banks of the Lopan, a river that The founding of Kharkiv by the their professorial status, their aca- flows through Kharkiv. Shortly af- Cossacks is well-remembered in demism and their high Founding ter, they built a fortress while the the oral tradition of Sloboda 44|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Eastern Ukraine|history Ukraine, the historic region cover- Sloboda Ukraine Lubny Regiment, student of the ing parts of Sumy, Kharkiv and Lu- O rohozk Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, philoso- hansk oblasts, as well as southern Russian pher of the European tradition and Federation O rohozk parts of Voronezh, Kursk and Bel- Regiment poet whose works were the peak of gorod oblasts in today’s Russia. Ukrainian baroque literature, Sumy Belgorod One of the stories recalls Cossack Regiment Gubernia taught poetry, syntax, Ancient Sumy Kharko as the founder of Kharkiv. Greek and ethics at the Kharkiv th Hadiach Okhtyrka Kharkiv In 2004, Kharkiv’s 350 anniver- Regiment Regiment Collegium. He stayed in touch with sary, the city got a new monument Okhtyrka his students even after he left the Regiment Kharkiv for this mythical Cossack. Another Collegium, wandering around Slo- Izium Poltava Regiment rumoured founder is a legendary Regiment boda Ukraine and staying at their Cossack leader, Ivan Karkach. Ac- Izium houses for long periods. In his cording to archive documents, the Ukraine philosophical Kharkiv Stories leader of the group of migrants Slavo-Serbia Skovoroda described his wander- that arrived to the unsettled spot Modern-day borderline between Voronezh Gubernia ing around the “forests, fields, or- in 1654 was otaman Ivan Kryvosh- Ukraine and Russia chards, villages, hamlets and api- Borders of Sloboda Ukraine lyk. He is to be considered the aries surrounding Kharkiv”. Territories of Sloboda th th founder of Kharkiv. Cossack regiments The verge of the 18 and 19 The Cossack Kharkiv thrived centuries is seen by historians as a from the 1650s through the mid- tectonic shift in the history of Eu- 18th century. It was the center of bles. Just like the Ukrainian Cos- rope that drew a clear line between the Kharkiv Cossack Regiment, sack nobles in general, those in pre-modern and modern epochs, close to other four regiments from Sloboda Ukraine used coats of with different worldviews, social Izium, Okhtyrka, Sumy, and Os- arms that demonstrated their an- trohozk (now in Russia). They cestry in elites of the earlier ep- Sloboda Ukraine Cossack were not formally subject to the ochs. The Donets-Zakharzhevski Hetman’s rule but were closely family’s coat of arms was a combi- regiments were not tied to the early modern Ukrainian nation of Rose (Poraj or Róża), formally subject to the state, the Hetmanate, primarily Column (Kolumna), Kytavrus through their leaders and com- (Centaur) and Ursin – the symbols Hetman’s rule but were manders. used in the coats of arms of old closely tied to the early The spine of the Cossack elders Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusian and (starshyna, the ruling class of in Czech noble and royal families dat- modern Ukrainian state, the Cossack state – Ed.) was com- ing back to the 10th century and the Hetmanate, primarily prised of Ukrainian noble families later. The Ktivtkys, another aristo- who took over leadership in Ukrai- cratic Cossack family, used six ele- through their leaders and nian society after the turbulent ments in their coat of arms (see commanders and dramatic Khmelnytsky Upris- Coats of arms). ing in the 1640-50s. It was further The Cossack-dominated structure of societies, and reinforced with descendants of Kharkiv is unthinkable with- economic systems. In non-aristocratic social groups, the out the Kharkiv Collegium Kharkiv, just like in townspeople and peasants. Inter- (1722-1817), the center of Ukraine overall, this was a twined through marital and family education and academics in line between the Cossack ties, the starshyna class accumu- Sloboda Ukraine. Founded and the tsarist periods. In lated power and wealth, primarily by Yepifaniy Tykhorsky, a 1764, Russia’s Catherine land, and created – or, rather, graduate of Kyiv-Mohyla the Great abolished the po- modified – its own noble identity. Academy (founded in 1659, sition of the Hetman, the The Donets-Zakharzhevskis it remains one of the top head of the Cossack state. were one such family. It started universities in Ukraine till In 1765, Sloboda Cossack from Kharkiv colonel Hryhoriy present days – Ed.) and regiments were disrupted. Yerofiyovych (?-1691) known for Belgorod bishop, it was the In 1775, she ordered violent his participation in many battles most popular school among demolition of the Zaporizh- against the Tatars, expansion of the children of the Cossack zhian Sich, the Cossack is- the territory of his garrison, and elite. It offered the Euro- land stronghold in what is the construction of the magnificent pean-style seven liberal arts today Zaporizhia Oblast. In Porkova (Protection of Our Most education, placing the main accent The Donets- 1783, Cossack regiments of the Holy Lady Theotokos) Cathedral on profound study of Latin, the Zakharzhevski Hetmanate seized to exist. Ukrai- in Kharkiv, one of the earliest rules of poetry and oratory skills, family coat nian territory ended up redrawn in buildings in Cossack Ukrainian ba- and Ancient Greek literature. Phi- of arms from accordance with the imperial ad- the panegyric roque style. The Cossack elders re- losophy and theology were the Bogaty wirydarz ministrative system, and the local garded support of the Orthodox highest levels of education. In the Zacharzewskich social order was crushed. Church and donations to the con- 1760s, French and German were (The Rich Eventually, Kharkiv became struction and decoration of included in the curriculum, in ad- Orchard of the the capital of Sloboda-Ukrainian churches an honorary cause. dition to music, mathematics, ge- Zakharzhevskis) gubernia (administrative unit in Coats of arms were another el- ometry, history and geography. written by Jan the Russian Empire – Ed.), and of ement that helped the Cossack In 1759-1794, Hryhoriy Skovo- Ornowski in Kharkiv viceroyalty in 1780. From elites identify themselves as no- roda, son of a Cossack from the 1705 1835 to 1856, it was part of the № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|45 history|Eastern Ukraine

1 2 3 4 Malorosiya (Little Russian) Gen- Coats of arms witnesses suggest that the local Another key figure in the new eral-Governorate along with 1. Rogala teachers were forced to speak Ukrainian literature was the Cher- Chernihiv and Poltava oblasts. 2. Strzemie Russian to the students, and Rus- kasy-born Petro Hulak-Arte- Kharkiv was the administrative 3. Radwan sian teachers were generally pre- movsky (1790-1865), a graduate center. 4. Bończa ferred. and later president of the Kharkiv 5. Pahonia This policy was only partly suc- University. Just like Hryhoriy UNIVERSITY VERSUS cessful. Descending from the local Kvitka-Osnovianenko, he is re- MILITARY COLLEGE Cossack nobility, the Sloboda elite garded as a “Kharkiv romanticist”. The beginning of the 19th century spoke Ukrainian and cherished These were intellectuals who wrote was a landmark for Kharkiv: its memories of the military glory of about or researched Ukraine (Iz- university opened there in 1805. their forefathers. Hryhoriy Kvitka- mail Sreznevsky, Levko Boro- The most proactive, and somewhat Osnovianenko (1778-1843), the fa- vykovsky, Amvrosiy Metlynskyi, adventurous role in this belonged ther of the new Ukrainian prose Opanas Shpyhotskyi). to Vasyl Karazin (1773-1842), a and a prominent figure in Ukrai- This environment shaped small local nobleman of Serbian nian culture of the early 19th cen- Mykola Kostomarov, a prominent origin and descendant of Ukrai- tury, emerged from that environ- historian and civil activist. His nian Cossack elite family on his ment. work had a huge impact on the so- mother’s side. In fact, the local A descendant of a Cossack elite cio-political life in the 19th-century elite wanted to have a military col- family himself, he used Osno- Ukraine. His was mostly interested lege in the city. They even began to vianenko as his penname (Kvitka in the National Liberation Struggle collect donations to build it. Kara- was his real family name). His of the mid-17th century and the his- zin managed to persuade the cen- great-grandfather was Hryhoriy tory of the early modern Ukrainian tral Russian government that the Kvitka, a Kharkiv colonel who sup- State. He also researched histori- local nobility were actually collect- ported the construction of John cal paths of Eastern European peo- ing financial support to start a uni- the Baptist Church in the family’s ples, primarily Ukrainians and versity. It was opened eventually, village, Osnovy, in 1713. The writ- Russians, pointing at stark differ- leaving the noblemen disap- er’s ancestors on his mother’s side ences in their worldview and men- pointed. were too a family of Cossack colo- tality. His Books of Genesis of the The founding of the university nels, the Shydlovskys. The Kvitkas Ukrainian People was used as a was an important event. It kept detailed family chronicles, foundation document by the launched transformations of the some fragments have survived till Brotherhood of St. Cyril and Meth- entire city as foreign professors present days. odius (1845-1847). It manifested came visiting, the local intellectual Unsurprisingly, Hryhoriy often the concept of social and national community emerged and civil ser- mentioned historical episodes, liberation of Slavic peoples in vants mushroomed. Apart from true stories of Tatar attacks on Slo- which Ukrainians would play the traditional wooden buildings, the voda villages, and the census of the central part. city saw new stone houses and Sloboda Ukraine residents con- The late 19th century brought cobbled roads built. Kharkiv was ducted by the Russian military in about noticeable social and na- turning into a modern city. 1732. In his letters to Taras tional transformations of Kharkiv. Meanwhile, the government Shevchenko, one of the greatest The changes were stirred by Alex- of the Russian Empire then lo- Ukrainian poets, Hryhoriy kept ander II’s “Great Reforms”, a set of cated in St. Petersburg had an- encouraging the young poet to liberal reforms that took place in other goal in mind: in addition to write in Ukrainian. Taras appreci- Russia in the 1860-1870s and in- being the center of education and ated this preaching in one of his cluded abolition of serfdom as the science, the university was ex- poems: pivotal change. This was when the pected to serve as a tool of Russi- economy was pushed to the capi- fication. It also acted as the su- …Our thought and our song talistic model, the transition to pervisor over junior and middle Will not die. It will not perish new manufacturing technologies school education in the region. There, people, is our glory was completed and industrializa- The records of evidence from eye- Glory of Ukraine! tion started. Kharkiv was gradually 46|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Eastern Ukraine|history celed, Kharkiv saw the first news- Kharkiv remained the capital paper in Ukrainian in 1906, titled of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Slobozhanshchyna (the Ukrainian Republic until 1934. Initially, it word for Sloboda Ukraine). In had been reviving its Ukrainian 1920, Mykola Mikhnovsky face: Moscow was forced to con- launched Snip (Sheaf), another duct “Ukrainization” because it newspaper. The Kvitka-Osno- would not have managed to keep vianenko Ukrainian Literature, Kharkiv under control otherwise. Art and Ethnographic Society In the process, it identified pro- emerged to conduct Ukrainian re- active Ukrainians whom it later search and studies. killed in mass repressions of the World War I and Ukrainian 1930-1940s. The undesirable yet National-Democratic Revolution inevitable byproduct of “Ukrain- in 1917-1921 redrew the political ization” was a temporarily more map of Eastern Europe com- favourable environment for eth- 5 pletely. Under the Third Univer- nic Ukrainian culture compared sal of the Tsentralna Rada (Cen- to the tsarist times. Many books becoming an important railroad tral Council), adopted as the dec- and newspapers in Ukrainian junction, and a crucial economic laration of the Ukrainian People’s were published, Ukrainian domi- and industrial center. Republic (UNR) in November nated in the local government New plants required more and 1917, Kharkiv Oblast along with authorities, and at schools and more workforce, boosting the city’s most ethnic Ukrainian territory universities. Writing and artistic populace. In 1912, it had 238,466 would become part of the UNR. people making it the third biggest The Fourth Universal signed in city in Ukraine after Kyiv and January 1918 declared indepen- The government in St. Odesa. The newcomers were dence of the UNR. The subse- Petersburg intended mostly ethnic Russians from quent military aggression of the Kursk, Orel, Moscow and Kaluga Soviet Russia launched in 1917, to use the Kharkiv gubernias. A special privilege pol- unfavourable international situa- University as a tool of icy encouraged them to move to tion and internal political squab- Kharkiv. The share of local Ukrai- bles dealt a fatal blow to the education, science and nians thus declined unstoppably. Ukrainian People’s Republic. It Russification In the 1897 all-Russian census, lost its struggle for the indepen- 25.6% of Kharkiv residents listed dent national state. The result life flourished: writer Mykola Ukrainian as their mother tongue, was Soviet government an- Khvyliovyi and theater director while 63.2% listed Russian. Not all nounced by the illegitimate First and playwright Les Kurbas of the latter were ethnic Russians. All-Ukrainian Convention of worked in Kharkiv. This situation was partly the result Councils in Kharkiv in December The 1932-1933 Famine, col- of the Russification policy whereby 1917 with the support of the Rus- lectivization and repressions speaking Russian guaranteed pro- sian military. It lasted for the killed a huge part of the popula- fessional and social success. Out- next 70 years. tion in Kharkiv Oblast, as well as side of Kharkiv, however, the cen- all over Ukraine. “Ukrainization” sus found that the share of Ukrai- The monument stopped. Kyiv became the capital nian-speakers ranged from 98.6% to wandering of the Ukrainian SSR. to 70.5%. philosopher In the years of World War II, Hryhoriy Skovoroda by Kharkiv Oblast alongside Cherni- TRAPPED IN THE FIRE OF Ivan Kavaleridze hiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Luhansk WAR AND RUSSIFICATION oblasts, was the borderline zone, 1900 was yet another landmark so it saw the most violent regime year in political history of both of the Nazi occupation. The Kharkiv and the entire Ukraine: tragic Barvinkove trap took place activists of student communities nearby in 1942 when the mistake founded the Revolutionary Ukrai- of Soviet commanders left nian Party (RUP), the first political nearly 200,000 troops encircled party in the Dieper Ukraine. by the Germans. Kharkiv cele- Headed by Dmytro Antonovych, it brates August 23, 1943 as its lib- took Samostiyna Ukrayina (Inde- eration day but bloody battles in pendent Ukraine), a brochure by fact continued around it until Mykola Mikhnovsky, as its politi- August 29. cal platform. Over the next years, The post-war Kharkiv re- RUP went through a slew of di- tained its status as a great educa- vides. Eventually, it ended up a so- tion, industrial and commercial cial-democratic party known as center. Meanwhile, Soviet poli- the Ukrainian Social-Democratic cies continued to crush its Ukrai- Workers’ Party in 1905. nian character with creeping “in- After bans on publishing in the ternationalization”. The conse- were can- quences are still felt today. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|47 Culture & Arts|Films The Tribal Instinct The Tribe, a new film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, silently speaks for the teenagers who cannot speak

Author: yroslav Slaboshpytskiy membered as a runway for the ris- within a state. The life of the board- Kateryna was both lucky and un- ing prestige of new Ukrainian cin- ing school is not subject to the ad- Barabash lucky. He was lucky, be- ema. No matter what, this is quite ministration, teachers or even phys- Mcause his new film he T an accomplishment already. ical affliction of its residents: here, Tribe embarked on its victorious Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s everything is subordinate to the path at the Cannes Festival, the name was not unknown before this group calling itself “the tribe”. It de- dream of any filmmaker. breakthrough: his short film Nu- cides the fate of the teens, takes fe- It was awarded the Cannes' clear Waste competed in many in- male students to turn tricks with the Critics' Week Grand Prix (the Nes- ternational festivals, standing out truckers, and mugs passers-by. It presso Prize). This programme is for its somewhat obscure rough aes- has its own hierarchy and its own for films that did not make it to the thetics. laws. Sooner or later, Serhiy, who is main competition but are consid- For his feature film debut, Sla- not used to such rules, will have to ered worth an award for reasons boshpytskiy chose a subject that has declare war against them. And this that only the festival jury knows. virtually not been touched in either is a war to defeat. There will be no The downside of Slaboshpytskiy’s Ukrainian or world cinema: deaf- victors. film and its timing is the train of mute teenagers abandoned by their The film is not simply unusual politics that will follow The Tribe for families to be raised by the state – in a certain sense, it is unique. as long as it is watched and remem- which, in turn, abandons them to be Some call it a silent movie, but that bered. raised by life. They are the main he- is something completely different The fact that the film made it to roes of Slaboshpytskiy’s drama that where the characters do speak, but the Cannes and its subsequent vic- evoked lively interest in interna- the director does not want the audi- tory there left few doubts that this tional cinematography. The board- ence to hear them. The Tribe is a was a political step, the jury’s wel- ing school for deaf-mute teenagers different matter altogether. In it, the coming gesture towards Ukraine, a that the main character, freshman viewer hears trees rustle, cars roar, lightly veiled recognition of its right- Serhiy played by Hryhoriy Fesenko, things that fall rattle and a deaf- ness. However outstanding The arrives at has its own life, cut off mute girl sobs out loud from the Tribe may be, it is destined to be re- from the rest of the world. A state pain in an illegal abortion room. 48|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 Films|Culture & Arts There are a lot of sounds in this film you have to the question: Why are unusual and “touching”. But what but the main thing missing is hu- the deaf-mute teenagers here? is there that is unique about the man voice and spoken words. When the euphoria of the new deaf-mutes? The authors made The authors desperately want sensation, freshness and strange- The Tribe bold in form but bare the audience to cry out at the un- ness of the style fades, the affliction in unique, original substance. usual silence, and make every sec- of the characters suddenly seems to This is probably more of artistic ond of the film work for it. The very be not important. It becomes clear speculation that thrives on hu- first scene – the silent last bell be- that deafness and muteness helps man curiosity. fore summer vacation at the board- the director create a beautiful film. No matter what, the film has re- ing school to which Serhiy comes, is But that’s all. If all these teenagers ceived international acclaim. The

For his feature film debut, Slaboshpytskiy chose a subject that has virtually not been touched in either Ukrainian or world cinema: deaf-mute teenagers abandoned by their families to be raised by the state which, in turn, abandons them to be raised by life

savoury and detailed, possible too suddenly start to speak, nothing will main reason of this is probably the detailed. It seems that from the very probably change in the film. The curiosity that pushes people to peek first minutes, the film is trying to get shabby boarding school with aban- in a small gap in the curtains as a us used to silence, the main charac- doned children will still be there. veil between the familiar and the ter in this movie. This too, becomes The students will still be there – but unknown: what is there, in terra in- understood from the start, from the they will thrash out their problems moment when the headmaster be- loudly and vociferously, not in sign gins a silent sign dialogue with one language. There will be the same in- There are a lot of sounds of the teachers. Actually, employees different and lewd teachers – the in the silent film, at deaf-mute institutions, particu- only difference is that they will talk. larly the management, generally Constant trips to the truck stops will but the main thing missing can hear and speak. continue – but the girls will also is human voice and spoken Then, the audience follows the chatter in the breaks between their deaf-mute personnel of the board- feigned groans. Just one scene will words ing school into shabby teenagers’ probably disappear – the one in dorms and the school yard, where which one student, a member of the cognita? How do people live there? the boarding school’s adult riffraff “tribe”, is run over by a truck at How do they speak with each other? gather, into night-time adventures night: the driver did not see him Do they make love differently than I of the school’s beauties with the and run him over at the parking lot do? Moreover, the actors playing truckers under the beady eyes of at night while the boy was standing See The Tribe teenagers are all deaf-mute. Let’s trailer here their classmate pimps, and into with his back to the truck and could leave the political momentum be- storerooms where love blossoms not hear it coming. hind. Let’s assume that The Tribe between Serhiy and one of these In every other aspect, this film has come out at a time when it is girls played by young Belarusian ac- is about teenagers. Simply teenag- impossible to ignore a film from tress Yana Novikova. The further ers. The authors wanted them to be Ukraine. Neither Slaboshpytskiy, the characters take you into the lab- deaf-mutes – so why not? That not his deaf-mute actors are to yrinth of the plot, the fewer answers makes the film intense and stylish, blame for this. № 13 (79) october 2014|the ukrainian week|49 Culture & Arts|calendar of events 5 – 7 October,7 p.m. Through 12 October 17 – 19 October Valmedia Contrasts 7th National Chocolate Kinopanorama Cinema Lviv Oblast Philharmonic Festival (19, vul, Shota Rustaveli, Kyiv) (7, vul. Tschaikovskoho, Lviv) City Centre (Lviv)

The International Cinema Forum The 20th Anniversary International There is only one other thing that celebrates the 120th birthday of Olek- Contemporary Music Festival Contrasts Lviv loves as much as coffee and sandr Dovzhenko, Ukrainian film di- will offer the widest possible range of doughnuts – chocolate. Chocolate is rector and writer. It offers a retrospec- contemporary music: from the classics sold in just about every shop and tav- tive of Dovzhenko’s films and the Arse- of the 20th century to the latest creative ern. The festival will leave a multitude nal multimedia show. The audience experiments of Ukrainian and foreign of sweet memories, offering visitors will see six films: Love’s Berries, The composers. In addition to world fa- the most diverse chocolate attractions: Diplomatic Pouch, Zvenyhora, Ivan, mous Georgian composer Gija a sweet waterfall made of chocolate Arsenal and Earth, as well as Dov- Kantscheli, visitors will hear musicians balls, a chocolate fountain, workshops zhenko Begins, a biography of the ge- from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland and in chocolate-making, the baking and nius Ukrainian film director by Vasyl other countries. Celebrity guests in- tasting of the longest chocolate cake, Dombrovsky. The screening of Arsenal clude Nordic Saxophone Quartet from the carving of chocolate sculptures and will be accompanied by live music and Switzerland, the Deutsche Oper Berlin more fun. What can be better than a a light show. Maksym Shorenkov, an string quartet, the Kyiv Chamber Choir fun, richly-chocolate day! accomplished virtuoso pianist, will and NeoQuartet from Poland. play his own music.

18 October,6 p.m. 21 October,7 p.m. Until 26 October SHEVCHENKO proROCK Dakh Daughters Paradiso Perduto Dynamo Stadium Sentrum National Art Museum (3, vul. Hrushevskoho, Kyiv) (16a, vul. Shota Rustaveli, Kyiv) of Ukraine (6, vul. Hrushevskoho, Kyiv) Music lovers and the fans of poet The women’s theatrical-music Taras Shevchenko will have a unique band, comprised of seven talented According to painter Pavlo Makov, opportunity to hear their favourite actresses and singers, was born in his project began as a game with met- musicians sing and recite the poems the walls of Dakh, a contemporary aphors, which in time began to de- of the Great Kobzar to music. The festi- theatre. Vladyslav Troyitsky, the the- velop according to its own scenario. val’s performers include TNMK, Tar- atre’s director, plays an active part in The Lost Paradise depicts the artist’s tak, Kozak System, Perkalaba, Mad own world, which hides many possibili- Heads XL and many others. The mas- ties and hidden symbols. Containers, sive festival will not only be a worthy emptiness, targets – all of these spaces conclusion of the poet’s 200th birth- hide something that can reveal itself in day year. It will also support the Ukrai- time. Pavlo Makov is a member of the nian army as all proceeds will be Royal Society of Painters-Printmakers transferred to (London), member of the Ukrainian Art aid the Cher- Academy and holder of numerous kasy battalion. Ukrainian and international awards. the ensemble’s productions, an un- believable mixture of styles and genres, music and texts, images and voices. Their viral debut video Rozy/ Donbas is a fusion of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 35, Ukrainian folk songs and deliberate theatrical pathos. This type of performance is now known as freak-cabaret, where songs and the- atrical games are used to reflect the paradoxes of life. 50|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (79) october 2014 17 – 19 October

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