Canadian Symposium Spotlights 1914-1920 Internment Operations Hillary Clinton Visits Kyiv

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Canadian Symposium Spotlights 1914-1920 Internment Operations Hillary Clinton Visits Kyiv INSIDE: • Ukraine blocks the road to NATO membership – page 3. • More on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Kyiv – pages 4-5. • Parma parish dedicates Our Lady of Pochaiv Shrine – page 9. THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIII No. 28 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 $1/$2 in Ukraine U.S. envoy to Ukraine stops short Hillary Clinton visits Kyiv of criticizing Yanukovych policies Meets with government, opposition and NGOs by Zenon Zawada is pursuing authoritarian policies. “Some by Zenon Zawada Kyiv Press Bureau of those things, when we investigate Kyiv Press Bureau them – we do investigate very carefully KYIV – U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine the allegations – don’t turn out to be actu- KYIV – U.S. Secretary of John Tefft acknowledged troubling ally what they’re billed as. Some of them State Hillary Clinton met with reports of government pressure and cen- do, and we’ve raised them aggressively Ukrainian President Viktor sorship in Ukraine in his first press con- with the government.” Yanukovych and his foreign ference on Ukrainian politics since taking The ambassador addressed more than policy team during a one-day his post on December 2, 2009. His staff is 50 journalists and policy experts at the visit to Kyiv on July 2 in which they discussed security and in frequent discussions with the adminis- Institute of World Policy in Kyiv. Mr. defense cooperation, including tration of President Viktor Yanukovych, Tefft previously served as U.S. fulfilling the nuclear security he said. Ambassador to Georgia, where he dealt agreements reached recently in Yet Ambassador Tefft demonstrated with the South Ossetian War of 2008. Washington. the cautious approach taken by U.S. for- Therefore he’s considered among the eign policy leaders towards the Ms. Clinton offered much leading U.S. experts in dealing with the praise for the Yanukovych Yanukovych administration in his June Russian Federation. 24 remarks, abstaining from any criticism administration and refrained U.S. foreign policy towards the from criticism, despite evidence of its authoritarian policies and repeated Yanukovych administration consists of constitutional violations in order to that the government is pursuing five priorities: economic reform, trade authoritarian policies in monop- achieve pragmatic goals and maintain and energy, defense and security, fighting dialogue. olizing power, abusing the rule against corruption, and strengthening “We have concerns about democracy of law and restricting individual democracy and freedom of the press. and freedoms,” said Ambassador Tefft, rights. Ukraine’s path to economic recovery responding to The Weekly’s question She raised concerns about about whether the Ukrainian government (Continued on page 16) threats to freedom of speech Zenon Zawada and assembly with Foreign U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Affairs Minister Kostyantyn Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych shake Gryshchenko, while at the same hands at a July 2 press conference at the time stating the U.S. is “encour- Presidential Administration in Kyiv. Canadian symposium spotlights aged by your government’s commitment to support freedom of the will continue to raise those concerns. At 1914-1920 internment operations press and to take concrete steps to ensure the same time, she said the Yanukovych the independence of Ukraine’s vibrant administration has committed itself to KINGSTON, Ontario – The Canadian was held in the “Limestone City,” where media.” strengthening and advancing democratic First World War Internment Recognition in 1978 the Ukrainian Canadian commu- “And together we look forward to col- institutions. “It’s important, obviously, to Fund’s Endowment Council sponsored a nity’s campaign for acknowledgement laborating on how we can work with you translate commitments into actions, weekend-long symposium here at and redress began with an interview to advance democracy and the rule of which is part of the reform agenda that Queen’s University on June 17-20, bring- between former internee Nykola Sakaliuk law. Mr. Minister, Ukraine’s new leader- the government of Ukraine is pursuing,” ing together some 50 community activ- and Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, then a geogra- ship has already demonstrated a commit- she added. ists, scholars, archivists, museum cura- phy student at Queens University. ment to democracy,” she stated following Following the brief press conference, tors, internee descendants and artists to The symposium schedule, facilitated by a morning meeting of the U.S.-Ukraine Ms. Clinton’s motorcade traveled through develop initiatives that will commemo- Gail Lord, revolved around four major Strategic Partnership Commission. a heavy downpour that soaked downtown rate and educate all Canadians about themes: ”A Crippling Legacy – The Ms. Clinton’s foreign policy team also Kyiv, and eventually reaching the what happened during Canada’s first Affected Communities,” moderated by Paul made it a point to meet with leaders of Presidential Administration building national internment operations of 1914- Grod, president, Ukrainian Canadian Ukrainian civil society, who reported on where she met with Mr. Yanukovych. 1920. the Yanukovych administration’s increas- Ms. Clinton said they discussed eco- It was only fitting that the symposium (Continued on page 15) ing restrictions on rights and freedoms. nomic and energy reform, and followed Ms. Clinton met with opposition leader up on Ukraine’s “historic decision to get Yulia Tymoshenko, who told her of rising rid of its stocks of highly enriched urani- authoritarianism. um by 2012,” which was announced at Ms. Tymoshenko reported on threats to the Nuclear Security Summit in Ukrainian independence, the country’s Washington on April 12-13. loss of economic and energy indepen- The secretary of state said they dis- dence, repressions against political oppo- cussed the importance of protecting nents and the government’s monopoliza- Ukraine’s democracy by supporting a tion of the judiciary. strong civil society, media independence Yet that wasn’t the picture painted by and public sector transparency. Ms. Clinton, whose first press conference She expressed appreciation for the was with Mr. Gryshchenko. The first president’s recent statements in support question at their joint press conference at of media freedom and the desire of the the Foreign Affairs Ministry asked the U.S. to work with the Yanukovych secretary of state whether she had noticed administration in continuing to safeguard any restrictions to freedom of speech and such liberties. assembly in Ukraine. The Channel 5 television network, Secretary Clinton said the U.S. gov- whose license to broadcast news is under Participants at the Kingston symposium on Canada’s internment operations of ernment has raised concerns about threats 1914-1920. to freedom of speech and assembly and (Continued on page 13) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 No. 28 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Ukrainian opposition registers Yanukovych sends greeting to Obama the country’s NATO membership was with- drawn from Ukraine’s foreign policy goals. disappointment with Clinton visit KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych of “At the same time, a course is announced Ukraine congratulated U.S. President that has never existed in the nature – the so- by Taras Kuzio of the presidential administration). Barack Obama on the occasion of called ‘non-aligned’ status – and it is assured Jamestown Foundation Blog The passivity of the U.S. ambassador Independence Day in the United States, the that we will participate in strengthening the confirms to Ukraine’s opposition the pas- press service of the Ukrainian president European collective security system, which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sivity of the Obama administration. This reported. “Over the period of its indepen- does not exist,” Mr. Tarasyuk noted. He paid a two-day visit to Ukraine last week week’s Kyiv Post complained: “We dence, the American nation has built the asked the rhetorical question: How do the as part of a wider tour to the region. This would also hope that Clinton encourages state that became an example of democratic present authorities propose to ensure our was her fourth visit to Ukraine, which she U.S. Ambassador John Tefft to be more development, respect for human rights, and national security? Mr. Tarasyuk cites figures twice visited as first lady in the Clinton visible and vigorous in defense of liberty a symbol of welfare and prosperity,” read of the army financing over recent years that administration; her third working visit to and democracy in Ukraine. His low pro- the congratulatory message. Mr. decreased stably to 0.7 percent of the GDP Ukraine was in 2005 as a U.S. senator. file comes at a bad time. With Ukraine’s Yanukovych expressed confidence that stra- in 2009. In other words, in Ukraine $35 The visit failed to impress local democratic fate hanging in the balance, tegic partnership between Ukraine and the (U.S.) is spent per capita for defense, while Ukrainians who feel that the U.S. is all – from ambassadors, tourists and busi- United States based on common democratic non-aligned Sweden spends $606. ignoring them in the interests of re-set- nesspeople – need to strongly, publicly values would continue to be strengthened, Therefore, he said, “The only guarantee of ting U.S. relations with Russia or to and repeatedly show Ukrainians that that while respect and mutual understanding in our national security is participation
Recommended publications
  • The Case for Firing Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin
    October 9, 2015, Vol. 2, Issue 3 Obstruction Of Justice The case for fi ring Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin Special coverage pages 4-15 Editors’ Note Contents This seventh issue of the Legal Quarterly is devoted to three themes – or three Ps: prosecu- 4 Interview: tors, privatization, procurement. These are key areas for Ukraine’s future. Lawmaker Yegor Sobolev explains why he is leading drive In the fi rst one, prosecutors, all is not well. More than 110 lawmakers led by Yegor Sobolev to dump Shokin are calling on President Petro Poroshenko to fi re Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Not only has Shokin failed to prosecute high-level crime in Ukraine, but critics call him the chief ob- 7 Selective justice, lack of due structionist to justice and accuse him of tolerating corruption within his ranks. “They want process still alive in Ukraine to spearhead corruption, not fi ght it,” Sobolev said of Shokin’s team. The top prosecutor has Opinion: never agreed to be interviewed by the Kyiv Post. 10 US ambassador says prosecutors As for the second one, privatization, this refers to the 3,000 state-owned enterprises that sabotaging fi ght against continue to bleed money – more than $5 billion alone last year – through mismanagement corruption in Ukraine and corruption. But large-scale privatization is not likely to happen soon, at least until a new law on privatization is passed by parliament. The aim is to have public, transparent, compet- 12 Interview: itive tenders – not just televised ones. The law, reformers say, needs to prevent current state Shabunin says Poroshenko directors from looting companies that are sold and ensure both state and investor rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record—Senate S5627
    September 16, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5627 their ability to pay their bills and to week—merely a month before election ceiving information from the par- receive medications, and that small day. There is a dark similarity here to ticular Russian agent that I have men- businesses are not able to complete the Republican effort in the House in tioned, Mr. Derkach, but Chairman their transactions. Congress has a re- the previous election to discredit the JOHNSON has never provided a full ac- sponsibility to enact legislation that Democratic Presidential candidate counting of all the Russian- and will restore timely delivery and fully with the Select Committee on Ukrainian-linked individuals he sought fund the Postal Service. Benghazi. information from. One of the chair- Finally, we need to ensure that the You may remember the now-minor- man’s subpoenas, for example, targeted Census Bureau has the time necessary ity leader of the House Republican cau- a Ukrainian national who is an asso- to execute a complete and accurate cus bragging that the Republicans cre- ciate of Mr. Derkach. 2020 count. You know, it has been in- ated the committee to bring down Hil- So anticipating his objection to this teresting to me to see the efforts of lary’s poll numbers. You know what resolution, I would simply ask the this administration to try and politi- they say about a political gaffe: It is chairman to provide a full accounting cize the census, because this is no red when politicians tell the truth. of whom he sought information from, State or blue State problem.
    [Show full text]
  • The Future of Ukrainian Oligarchsdownload
    Ukrainian Institute for the Future is an independent analytical center that: • forecasts changes and models possible scenarios for events in Ukraine; • makes a competent assessment of the Ukrainian events; • makes specific recommendations for actions; • offers effective solutions; • offers a platform for discussions on current topics. It is a project of representatives of Ukrainian business, politics and the public sector. Founded in summer 2016. AUTHORS Victor Andrusiv Executive Director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, PhD in Political Science, analyst and opinion journalist, author of the book “Change the future” Oleg Ustenko Executive Director of the Bleyzer Foundation, President of Harvard Club of Ukraine alumni association Yurii Romanenko Co-founder of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, head of the International and Domestic Policy programme, editor-in-chief of the portal Hvylya Ihar Tyshkevich Expert of International and Domestic Politics programme of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF) © Art-direction D!VANDESIGN © Idea and design INCOGNITA INTRODUCTION. THE BRITISH DISEASE IN UKRAINE Content 05 THEORY AND STRUCTURE OF THE UKRAINIAN OLIGARCHY 06 INFLUENCE OVER ENERGY INDUSTRY 14 INFLUENCE OVER METALLURGY 26 INFLUENCE OVER TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE 38 INFLUENCE OVER MEDIA 50 INFLUENCE OVER POLITICS 62 THREE SCENARIOS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE OLIGARCHS 72 Victor Andrusiv Executive Director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, PhD in Political Science, analyst and opinion journalist, author of the book “Change the future” Introduction: the British disease in Ukraine After the fall of the Soviet Union, the starting conditions for economic development in Ukraine were advanta- geous. However, after 27 years of independence, we continue to be the most backward country of the post-Sovi- et bloc.
    [Show full text]
  • Joe Biden and Hunter Biden
    Joe Biden and Hunter Biden Like it or not, former vice-president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden have been very prominent in the news due to Dump’s seeming obsession to find (or maybe create) information which could implicate them in corruption. Dump thinks that it would be great for his 2020 election chances if he could smear the democrats for hosting a corrupt candidate. Joe Biden has been continually presented as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Dump. In recent months however it seems that Biden’s age and his relatively poor performance in debates is casting some doubts on his suitability as a first choice to defeat Dump. It has never been clear to me why the US voters think Joe Biden would be such a good candidate. He is not just seriously showing his age but his political history provides very little reason to see him as a potential winner! Ironically he is likely to be such a weak candidate that Dump should be welcoming him rather than attacking him. Getting rid of Joe Biden early on in the race may help the Dems to find a better candidate who will be far more successful. By all accounts the Dems need a moderate to defeat Dump. Buttegieg is a moderate with youth on his side, who would probably make an excellent president. Elizabeth Warren is currently painted as too left wing. Whether that would really turn out to be as prejudicial as the media tend to suggest, remains to be seen. She is a certainly a great candidate and she can attract the women’s vote.
    [Show full text]
  • Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens - Bloomberg
    1/2/2020 Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens - Bloomberg Politics Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens By Daryna Krasnolutska, Kateryna Choursina, and Stephanie Baker May 16, 2019, 3:14 PM EDT Hunter Biden, Burisma not targets, despite Giuliani’s pleas Long-running investigation said to focus on another Ukrainian Joe and Hunter Biden Photographer: Nick Wass/AP Photo Ukraine’s prosecutor general said in an interview that he had no evidence of wrongdoing by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden or his son, despite a swirl of allegations by President Donald Trump’s lawyer. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-16/ukraine-prosecutor-says-no-evidence-of-wrongdoing-by-bidens 1/6 1/2/2020 Ukraine Prosecutor Says No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Bidens - Bloomberg The controversy stems from diplomatic actions by Biden while his son, Hunter Biden, sat on the board of Burisma Group, one of the country’s biggest private gas companies. As vice president, Biden pursued an anti-corruption policy in Ukraine in 2016 that included a call for the resignation of the country’s top prosecutor who had previously investigated Burisma. Yuriy Lutsenko, the current prosecutor general, said that neither Hunter Biden nor Burisma were now the focus of an investigation. He added, however, that he was planning to offer details to U.S. Attorney General William Barr about Burisma board payments so American authorities could check whether Hunter Biden paid U.S. taxes on the income. “I do not want Ukraine to again be the subject of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Nord Stream 2 and Turkstream
    IN RUSSIA’S GAS GRIP: NORD STREAM 2 AND TURKSTREAM KRZYSZTOF KAMIŃSKI newdirection.online @europeanreform @europeanreform NDeuropeanreform [email protected] Founded by Margaret Thatcher in 2009 as the intellectual hub of European Conservativism, New Direction has established academic networks across Europe and research partnerships throughout the world. New Direction is registered in Belgium as a not-for-profit organisation and is partly funded by the European Parliament. REGISTERED OFFICE: Rue du Trône, 4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Naweed Khan. The European Parliament and New Direction assume no responsibility for the opinions expressed in this publication. Sole liability rests with the author. AUTHOR Krzysztof Kamiński Krzysztof Kamiński graduated from the University of Warsaw (Internal Security) and completed the course in The Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC. He gained his professional experience in energy sector. Currently he serves as President of the Board of the Warsaw Institute think tank. His areas of interest are geopolitics, energy security and public affairs. February 2020 New Direction CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 7 2 THE GAS STRATEGY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 3 SOUTHERN FRONT: TURKSTREAM 17 4 NORTHERN FRONT: NORD STREAM 2 27 5 UKRAINIAN FRONT: GAS TRANSIT AND DIVERSIFICATION 35 6 THREATS TO RUSSIAN PLANS 43 7 SUMMARY 53 newdirection.online @europeanreform New Direction Krzysztof Kamiński 1 INTRODUCTION he Russian Federation’s use of hydrocarbons Secondly, large gas export pipelines from Russia to in its foreign policy refers to a theory the state its top gas recipients in Europe are intended to bind Thas added to its doctrinal documents, yet it these countries close to Moscow, mainly Germany shows its practical nature in the first place.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020-08-31-Painter Interview with Exhibits.Pdf
    Page 1 1 1 UNITED STATES SENATE 2 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 3 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x 5 INTERVIEW OF: : 6 SALLY A. PAINTER : 7 : 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x 9 Room SD-342 and via Webex 10 Dirksen Senate Office Building 11 Washington, D.C. 12 Monday, August 31, 2020 13 10:08 a.m. 14 15 INTERVIEW OF SALLY A. PAINTER 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Page 2 2 1 APPEARANCES: 2 For the Witness: 3 PETER KADZIK, ESQ. 4 JACOB TULLY, ESQ. 5 Venable LLP 6 600 Massachusetts Avenue, NW 7 Washington, D.C. 20001 8 9 ALYSSA WOLFINGTON, ESQ 10 Venable LLP 11 1270 Avenue of the Americas 12 Rockefeller Center, 24th Floor 13 New York, NY 10020 14 15 For Senator Johnson: 16 JOSEPH C. FOLIO, III, Chief Counsel, HSGAC 17 SCOTT WITTMANN, Senior Professional Staff Member, HSGAC 18 BRIAN DOWNEY, Senior Investigator, HSGAC 19 LYDIA WESTLAKE, Senior Advisor, HSGAC 20 WILLIAM SACRIPANTI, Professional Staff Member, HSGAC 21 22 For Senator Grassley: 23 JOSHUA FLYNN-BROWN, Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel, 24 Finance Committee 25 QUINTON BRADY, Investigative Counsel, Finance Committee Page 3 3 1 APPEARANCES (Continued): 2 For Senator Peters: 3 ZACHARY SCHRAM, Minority Chief Counsel, HSGAC 4 ROY AWABDEH, Minority Senior Counsel, HSGAC 5 SOUMYALATHA DAYANANDA, Minority Senior Investigative 6 Counsel, HSGAC 7 VALERIE SHEN, Investigative Counsel, HSGAC 8 9 For Senator Wyden: 10 DAVID BERICK, Minority Chief Investigator, Finance 11 Committee 12 DAN GOSHORN, Minority Senior Counsel, Finance Committee
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents • International Criminal Court Demolishes Russia's Narrative on Crimean Annexation • Parliament Should
    Table of Contents • International Criminal Court demolishes Russia’s narrative on Crimean annexation • Parliament should reject intrusive NGO measure • Over 490 women, 68 children killed in Donbas • Fake observers praise primaries in occupied territories in Eastern Ukraine • IDPs in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic • School education in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic • Ukraine and EU losing the souls of the inhabitants of Eastern Ukraine • Odesa smoking gun leads directly to Moscow • Corruption convictions statistics – A few answers and a few tools • Oleksii Goncharenko, a young Ukrainian MP from Odessa looks westwards… • Is the situation tense in Odessa? Analysis of a strange opinion survey • "Faked reform" on electronic declarations lets Ukrainian officials steal with impunity • Attempts to rush through Kremlin projects under religious guise are unacceptable - Victor Yelenskyy • Hybrid war ‘à la russe’ and disinformation • War in Eastern Ukraine brings lasting misery for elderly (Op-Ed) • Nadiya Savchenko: Russia frees Ukraine servicewoman • KHPG statement on the events linked with the ‘Myrotvorets’ site • Ukrainian blogger gets long sentence for expressing contentious views • Outrage as anti-militant website publishes list of journalists working in Donbas • 5 years for a red flag? Controversial decommunization law used against Ukrainian veterans • Is the 2nd May 2014 Odessa tragedy a massacre? • People's Council of Bessarabia: Russia's Trojan horse in Odessa Oblast • Two years after Odessa’s tragedy: about
    [Show full text]
  • Begin Rooting out the Cancer of Corruption
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE - PRODUCED TO HSGAC NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE From:Pyatt, Geoffrey R Sent:Sun, 6 Dec 2015 11:13:00 -0500 To:Bedingfield, Kate J. EOP/OVP;Carpenter, Michael;Kahl, Colin H. EOP/OVP;Hochstein, Amos J;Nuland, Victoria J Subject:Re: Podrobnosti.biz : The Ukrainian scam of the Biden family (information on the website included) I'd adjust the last sentence to change our desired end state. Something like "...begin rooting out the cancer of corruption that has done so much over the years to hold back economic growth and sap the confidence of Ukrainians in those who govern them." I assume all have the DoJ background on Zlochevsky. The short unclas version (in non lawyer language) is that US and UK were cooperating on a case to seize his corrupt assets overseas (which had passed through the US). The case fell apart when individuals in the PGO acted to thwart the UK case. Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone. From: Bedingfield, Kate J. EOP/OVP Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2015 6:04 PM To: Carpenter, Michael; Pyatt, Geoffrey R; Kahl, Colin H. EOP/OVP; Hochstein, Amos J Subject: RE: Podrobnosti.biz : The Ukrainian scam of the Biden family (information on the website included) Proposed TPs for the VP if he gets asked after the stories break in the next few days. Especially interested in your feedback on how to answer the third Q if he gets asked. He is not currently slated to take any questions from reporters on the record on the trip, but he will talk to our traveling press at length off the record and will need to be prepared to answer these kinds of questions.
    [Show full text]
  • Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: the Impact on U.S
    Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Majority Staff Report TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. INTRODUCTION III. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IV. THE VICE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE AND STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS WERE AWARE OF BUT IGNORED CONCERNS RELATING TO HUNTER BIDEN’S ROLE ON BURISMA’S BOARD. V. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY FALSELY CLAIMED HE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN’S ROLE ON BURISMA’S BOARD. VI. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS VIEWED MYKOLA ZLOCHEVSKY AS A CORRUPT, “ODIOUS OLIGARCH,” BUT VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS ADVISED NOT TO ACCUSE ZLOCHEVSKY OF CORRUPTION. VII. WHILE HUNTER BIDEN SERVED ON BURISMA’S BOARD, BURISMA’S OWNER, ZLOCHEVSKY, ALLEGEDLY PAID A $7 MILLION BRIBE TO UKRAINE’S PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE TO CLOSE THE CASE. VIII. HUNTER BIDEN: A SECRET SERVICE PROTECTEE WHILE ON BURISMA’S BOARD. IX. OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS AND A DEMOCRAT LOBBYING FIRM HAD CONSISTENT AND SIGNIFICANT CONTACT WITH FORMER UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL ANDRII TELIZHENKO. X. THE MINORITY FALSELY ACCUSED THE CHAIRMEN OF ENGAGING IN A RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN AND USED OTHER TACTICS TO INTERFERE IN THE INVESTIGATION. XI. HUNTER BIDEN’S AND HIS FAMILY’S FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS WITH UKRAINIAN, RUSSIAN, KAZAKH AND CHINESE NATIONALS RAISE CRIMINAL CONCERNS AND EXTORTION THREATS. XII. CONCLUSION 2 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In late 2013 and into 2014, mass protests erupted in Kyiv, Ukraine, demanding integration into western economies and an end to systemic corruption that had plagued the country. At least 82 people were killed during the protests, which culminated on Feb.
    [Show full text]
  • Ukraine's System of Crony Capitalism
    Research Ukraine’s system Paper of crony capitalism Russia and Eurasia Programme The challenge of July 2021 dismantling ‘systema’ John Lough Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-leading policy institute based in London. Our mission is to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. Contents Summary 2 01 Introduction 4 02 Systema’s four pillars 9 03 Systema’s structure 12 04 Systema in the banking, energy, transport and healthcare sectors 16 05 Agriculture: a counterexample 25 06 The place of the media in systema 28 07 Conclusions 30 About the author 38 Acknowledgments 38 1 Chatham House Summary — Ukraine’s systema – commonly described as oligarkhiya in Ukraine – grew out of a specific form of crony capitalism that took root in the late 1990s. It has proved impressively resilient and adaptive to political and economic disruption since the 2004–05 Orange Revolution. It allocates resources inefficiently and in ways that do not benefit society, and increases economic costs by reducing competition. At the same time, it weakens institutions and perpetuates high levels of inequality and corruption. As such, it is the underlying obstacle to the development of fully functioning democratic institutions and rule of law. — Systema has proved particularly hard to dislodge because it rests on a firm alignment of interests between big business and the political class in favour of rent seeking over wealth creation for the public good. Across the state sector, and at different levels, it has spawned an extensive supporting structure of beneficiaries that service those interests.
    [Show full text]
  • Tramontano Interview with Exhibits
    Page 1 1 1 UNITED STATES SENATE 2 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 3 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x 5 INTERVIEW OF: : 6 KAREN A. TRAMONTANO : 7 : 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x 9 Room SD-342 and via Webex 10 Dirksen Senate Office Building 11 Washington, D.C. 12 Friday, August 28, 2020 13 10:16 a.m. 14 15 INTERVIEW OF KAREN A. TRAMONTANO 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Page 2 2 1 APPEARANCES: 2 For the Witness: 3 PETER KADZIK, ESQ. 4 JACOB TULLY, ESQ. 5 Venable LLP 6 600 Massachusetts Avenue, NW 7 Washington, D.C. 20001 8 9 ALYSSA WOLFINGTON, ESQ 10 Venable LLP 11 1270 Avenue of the Americas 12 Rockefeller Center, 24th Floor 13 New York, NY 10020 14 15 For Senator Johnson: 16 JOSEPH C. FOLIO, III, Chief Counsel, HSGAC 17 SCOTT WITTMANN, Senior Professional Staff Member, HSGAC 18 BRIAN DOWNEY, Senior Investigator, HSGAC 19 LYDIA WESTLAKE, Senior Advisor, HSGAC 20 SARAH SMERLING, Professional Staff Member, HSGAC 21 WILLIAM SACRIPANTI, Professional Staff Member, HSGAC 22 23 24 25 Page 3 3 1 APPEARANCES: (Continued) 2 For Senator Grassley: 3 JOSHUA FLYNN-BROWN, Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel, 4 Finance Committee 5 QUINTON BRADY, Investigative Counsel, Finance Committee 6 7 For Senator Peters: 8 ZACHARY SCHRAM, Minority Chief Counsel, HSGAC 9 ROY AWABDEH, Minority Senior Counsel, HSGAC 10 SOUMYALATHA DAYANANDA, Minority Senior Investigative 11 Counsel, HSGAC 12 VALERIE SHEN, Investigative Counsel, HSGAC 13 14 For Senator Wyden: 15 DAVID BERICK, Minority Chief Investigator, Finance
    [Show full text]