THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXVIII No. 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020 $2.00 UOC-U.S.A. Spiritual Center Yermakgate scandal rocks thanks health-care workers Zelenskyy administration by Bohdan Nahaylo pose lucrative posts for cash without being confident that his brother would back him KYIV – While struggling to address the up. Mr. Leros has handed over the record- unprecedented challenges posed by the ings, along with a crime report, to the coronavirus pandemic, the incessant war National Anti-Corruption Bureau, an inde- with Russia in the Donbas, and the looming pendent agency investigating high-level economic crisis, Ukraine has been shaken corruption. by potentially the biggest political scandal Neither Denys nor Andriy Yermak deny since Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected that the leaked video recordings do indeed president almost exactly a year ago. show the former meeting with “business National Deputy Geo Leros, a member clients.” But Andriy Yermak insists he was of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People major- not involved, that his brother was acting ity faction in Parliament and a former independently, and that in any case none of adviser to the president, on March 29 pub- those with whom appointments were dis- lished video online implicating Denys cussed actually landed jobs with or through Yermak, the bother of the head of the the Zelenskyy administration. Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, in cor- On March 31, Andriy Yermak claimed ruption. that Mr. Leros had published the tapes on The many hours of videos, filmed secret- the eve of crucial voting in the Verkhovna ly between August and September 2019, Rada on two bills whose passage had show Denys Yermak meeting with individu- become a precondition for Ukraine to als seeking appointment to rewarding posi- receive a financial bailout from the tions in the government or state-owned International Monetary Fund. He said that companies. Payment for his services is dis- Mr. Leros was being used by political oppo- cussed, though as yet no evidence has been nents and that his real motive was revenge, provided of money changing hands or of because he had failed in lobbying for a SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – The Spiritual Center of the Ukrainian Orthodox any of the candidates having secured the friend to obtain a government post. Church of the U.S.A. in South Bound Brook, N.J., may be closed for visitors and posts they were after. The presidential chief of staff announced pilgrims, but it marked World Health Day, April 7, by honoring those on the front- Mr. Leros has refused to disclose the that he has filed official allegations against lines of the coronavirus fight. It did so by lighting up St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox source of the secret recordings and what the lawmaker to the Security Service of Memorial Church in light blue colors. The UOC-U.S.A. website noted: “All offices of their motive was. He says that in acting as a Ukraine (SBU) and the State Bureau for the Consistory and entities of the Church unite with the rest of the world – with a mes- whistleblower he is fulfilling his responsi- Investigations (SBI) – both of which are sage of thanks and appreciation to celebrate the brave men and women (doctors and bility to expose corruption at the highest ultimately subordinated to the president. nurses, chaplains and service personnel) who are helping so many during COVID-19 levels and to expose the president’s right- For a political leader who came to power pandemic.” hand man for what he is. After all, Denys – UOC-U.S.A. Yermak would not be in a position to pro- (Continued on page 3) Plast in Ukraine marks its 108th anniversary with nationwide 11-hour celebration online by Roman Tymotsko KYIV – Every year on April 12, Plast, the largest and old- est Ukrainian youth organization, celebrates the anniversa- ry of the first Plast Oath, which is considered the date Ukrainian scouting was formally established. Under the current conditions of the coronavirus quarantine, mem- bers of Plast – National Scouting Organization of Ukraine did not cancel the celebration, but instead opted to go online. On the day before the historic date, April 11, Ukrainian scouts simultaneously across the country marked the 108th anniversary online. More than 9,000 people joined the 11-hour broadcast via the Internet. The four largest branches of Plast in Ukraine – Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv – all played a part in the pro- gram. “The plan was that I would lead the organizers’ team for Plast Oath Day in Kyiv,” said Bohdan Hultai, coordinator of the online national celebration. “However, by the time event planning began it was March and it was clear that there was no possibility to carry it out as a result of the (Continued on page 4) A screenshot of the post-event meeting of organizers of the Plast Oath Day celebration held via the Internet on April 11. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020 No. 16 ANALYSIS Ukrainian espionage incident highlights Ukraine reports 4,161 COVID cases secret operations against Russia-backed mil- itants in eastern Ukraine and recruited addi- ongoing Russian naval shortcomings The Ministry of Health reported on April tional agents, the SBU said. (RFE/RL’s 16 that Ukraine has confirmed 4,161 cases Ukrainian Service) of COVID-19. The ministry said 116 people the Russian Federation has illegally by John C. K. Daly have died and 186 have recovered. Two Wildfires in Chornobyl area extinguished annexed Crimea; the Russian Federation Eurasia Daily Monitor days earlier, Ukraine had reported 392 new has conducted military intervention on the Emergency crews have extinguished cases of coronavirus over the past day, Russian-Ukrainian relations, increasingly territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions wildfires that had been burning near the bringing the total number to 3,764, accord- tense since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet [Donbas]; the Russian Federation is a dan- defunct Chornobyl nuclear power plant. ing to information released by the Public Union, plummeted to a new low after ger to the Ukrainian state and its territorial The acting director of Ukraine’s State Health Center. The Public Health Center also Russia’s forcible absorption of the Crimean integrity. And that is why the agreement on Ecology Inspection, Yehor Firsov, said in a said on April 14 that some 39,084 tests have peninsula in March 2014 and subsequent military-technical cooperation with Russia statement on Facebook on April 14 that been conducted in Ukraine to detect new invasion of the Donbas. On March 18, is being broken by the Cabinet of Ministers after 10 days, firefighters had managed to coronavirus infections. A total of 2,145 peo- Russian President Vladimir Putin visited of Ukraine” (Pravda, May 20, 2015). finally extinguish the blaze. “In short, the ple in the country are undergoing treatment Sevastopol, home of the country’s Black Sea Even before Ukraine withdrew from bilat- fire was extinguished. The rain helped a lot. at home under doctors’ supervision, while Fleet, and delivered a rousing patriotic eral military cooperation, the Russian mili- The level of the radiation background is 1,368 people have been hospitalized, includ- speech commemorating the sixth anniver- tary was already searching for alternative permanently being measured, but accord- ing 59 children. (Radio Svoboda, Ukrinform) sary of Russia’s “reunification” with Crimea import-substitution sourcing for some of its ing to the data we have, in general, every- (Kremlin.ru, March 18). The following day, most crucial logistical needs. Three months 227 servicemen remain isolated thing is normal,” Mr. Firsov wrote. Mr. likely not coincidentally, the Security Service prior to Mr. Yatsenyuk’s announced termina- Firsov’s Facebook statement came hours of Ukraine (known as the SBU) agents tion of the 1993 agreement, then-Russian No new cases of coronavirus have been after Viktoria Ruban, spokeswoman for the arrested a Ukrainian from Mykolayiv on navy head, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, acknowl- confirmed for servicemen of the Armed Kyiv regional directorate of the State espionage charges of seeking information edged that one consequence of the post- Forces of Ukraine as of the morning of April Emergency Situations Service, told report- on advanced Ukrainian naval technology to Crimean deterioration in Russian-Ukrainian 14, while more than 200 people are in iso- ers at the Dytyatky checkpoint near the sell to Russia’s Federal Security Service relations was that the Russian naval forces lation, the press service of the Command of Chornobyl restricted zone that the situa- (FSB) (Ssu.gov.ua, March 19). would no longer be able to acquire maritime the Medical Forces of the Ukrainian army tion has been complicated by heavy winds It is not surprising that the SBU would gas turbines manufactured by Ukraine’s said. Nineteen cases of COVID-19 have been in the area. The day before, the fire had uncover a spy for Russia in Mykolayiv, state-owned enterprise, Zoria Research and registered, including one recovery and one approached the ghost city of Prypiat, which which for decades housed the most Production Complex of Gas Turbine Building fatality. Some 227 people remain in isola- was abandoned by all residents in April advanced shipyards in the Soviet Union. – Mashproekt, in Mykolayiv. Admiral Chirkov tion and self-isolation, the command said. 1986 after the nuclear disaster at Interestingly, Mr. Putin had obliquely commented that, as a result, the Russian (Interfax Ukraine) Chornobyl. Ms. Ruban said that firefighters addressed the issue of purported Russian Military-Maritime Fleet would transfer its SBU official suspected of collaboration had managed to stop the fire near Prypiat.