The Ukraine List #472 Compiled by Dominique Arel Chair of Ukrainian Studies, U of Ottawa 2 September 2014
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The Ukraine List #472 compiled by Dominique Arel Chair of Ukrainian Studies, U of Ottawa www.ukrainianstudies.uottawa.ca 2 September 2014 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Mega” Danyliw Seminar “Ukraine 2014”, Oct 30-Nov 1, uOttawa ASN 2015 20th Anniversary Convention: Call for Papers Next Week - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1- Putin Recognizes “Novorossiia” 2- Guardian: Putin Demands “Statehood” for Southeast Ukraine 3- Le Monde: Tracking the Phantom Russian Army [UKL translation] 4- Reuters: Russia Human Rights Officials Says 100 Russian Soldiers Killed 5- Negotiating with the “Rebels”: A Facebook Exchange (Kudelia et al.) 6- Washington Post: Mothers of Russian Soldiers Kept in the Dark 7- Hayla Coynash: Committee of Soldiers Mothers Branded “Foreign Agent” 8- Window on Eurasia: Russia Lacks Resources to Occupy Eastern Ukraine 9- Appeal of Polish Intellectuals to the Citizens and Governments of Europe 10- BBC: Ukraine Activist Relives Humiliation Horrors 11- UN: Excerpts from Latest Report—On Casualties, Illegal Detentions etc. 12- khpg.org: Halya Coynash, President Signs Repressive “Anti-Terrorist” Laws 13- Kyiv Post: Porochenko and His Promises, Three Months Later 14- OpenDemocracy: David Marples, The Rhetoric of Hatred Misses the Point 15- The Independent: NATO Must Refocus on Collective Defense 16- Guardian: Wesley Clark, Persuasion Requires also Assisting Ukraine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Language Politics in Ukraine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17- Foreign Affairs: Arel, Why Ukrainians Fight Over Language (19 March) 18- HURI Conference: Arel, Towards a Language Consensus in Ukraine (11 June) 1 UKL #472 2 September 2014 19- Monkey Cage: Tim Frye, Policy Preferences Trumps Language for Candidates 20- Recent Publications: American Ethnologist, Kuzio, Liebich - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thanks to Irena Bell, Brian Bonner, Hayla Coynash, Timothy Frye, Yevgeny Finkel, Paul Goble, Robert Homans, Christina Isajiw, Jeffrey Kopstein, Serhiy Kudelia, Bob Leshchyshen, André Liebich, David Marples, Kimberly Marten, Alex Melnyk, Motria Poshyvanyk Caudill, Oleksandr Sushko, Catherine Wanner, and Roman Zurba - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A classic “brain cramp” had me announcing in the last UKL that the “Mega” Danyliw Seminar “Ukraine 2014”, on October 30-November 1, will be at the University of… Toronto. Well, I may be fond of my dear colleagues at UofT, but the Seminar is a proud initiative of the Chair at U of…Ottawa. A preliminary program will be available in the next week –DA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The ASN Convention will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on April 23-25, 2015, at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University. The Call for Papers will be issued next week. No doubt, a large section will feature “Ukraine 2014”. Meanwhile, have a look at ASN’s new website: http://nationalities.org --DA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #1 President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed Novorossiya militia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prezident Rossii website, 29 August 2014 It is clear the militia has achieved a major success in intercepting Kiev’s military operation, which represents a grave danger to the population of Donbass and which has already led to the loss of many lives among peaceful residents. As a result of the militia’s actions, a large number of Ukrainian service members who did not participate in the military operation of their own volition but while following orders have been surrounded. I call on the militia groups to open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian service members who have been surrounded, so as to avoid any needless loss of life, giving them the opportunity to leave the combat area unimpeded and reunite with their families, to return them to their mothers, wives and children, and to quickly provide medical assistance to those who were injured in the course of the military operation. For its part, the Russian side is ready and willing to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Donbass, who have been affected by this humanitarian catastrophe. 2 UKL #472 2 September 2014 BACK TO MENU I once again call on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop military actions, cease fire, sit down at the negotiating table with Donbass representatives and resolve all the accumulated problems exclusively via peaceful means. #2 Vladimir Putin calls on Kiev to enter ‘statehood’ talks for south-east Ukraine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by Shaun Walker in Mariupol and Dan Roberts in Washington Guardian, 31 August 2014 Vladimir Putin has called on Kiev to enter discussions on “statehood” for the south-east regions of Ukraine a day after the EU gave Russia a week to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine or face further sanctions. In excerpts of an interview with state television broadcast on Sunday evening, the Russian president said talks between Ukrainian authorities and separatist leaders in the east should begin immediately and be about “not just technical issues but on the political organisation of society and statehood in south- eastern Ukraine”. His spokesperson later said Putin had not meant the region should gain independence, but that dialogue should begin. Western leaders have accused Russia of fanning the flames of the insurgency in east Ukraine, and in recent weeks of providing direct military assistance, as the armed rebels suffered a number of losses to the Ukrainian army and appeared on the brink of defeat. The EU said late on Saturday that if Russia did not reverse course in Ukraine within a week, a further round of sanctions would be imposed, but there is disagreement inside the 28-member block about the effectiveness of sanctions and a fear that more serious measures would also harm European economies. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said the new sanctions would build on existing measures against Russia. Senior diplomats confirmed the punitive measures were not so much new as a tightening of the restrictions imposed in July on Russian financial, energy and defence sectors. “It’s about closing loopholes,” said a diplomat. They warned, however, that it could be weeks before any new sanctions were APPLIED, perhaps as late as October. The Senate foreign relations committee chairman and Obama administration loyalist, Robert Menendez, called for the US to arm the Ukrainian military. Speaking in Kiev, he said: “This is a watershed moment. Thousands of Russian troops are here and are directly engaged in what is clearly an invasion. We should be providing the Ukrainians with the types of defensive weapons that will impose a cost upon Putin for further aggression.” Kiev has said it will not negotiate with the leaders of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, which it lists as terrorists. But in an apparent victory for Moscow, the separatists said they would be partaking in talks in Minsk this week with a delegation from Kiev. Analysts have speculated that Putin does not want a Crimea-style annexation, which would be expensive and militarily difficult, but instead wants to create a “frozen conflict” that would give Moscow permanent leverage in Ukraine. 3 UKL #472 2 September 2014 BACK TO MENU Since talks between Putin and the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, in Minsk last Tuesday, the situation on the ground has changed, with rebel forces taking control of Novoazovsk in the far south-east of the country, which they are believed to have taken with help from regular Russian army soldiers and equipment. But the promised assault on the key port city of Mariupol has not materialised. Many residents have been digging trenches on the outskirts of the city and preparing to defend it in recent days. Mariupol was under rebel control at the beginning of the uprising but was taken back by Kiev’s forces in June and most of its residents have little appetite for further violence, although many remain sceptical about the new Ukrainian government. Kiev has said it will defend Mariupol from any rebel assault, though there is little sign of serious reinforcements with which to repel any attack. The majority of the forces involved in last line of defence appear to be from volunteer battalions. Vadim, a commander in the Azov battalion, known for its far-right leanings, said on Sunday that it was imperative to defend the city because it was a strategic importance. “If we lose Mariupol we will lose the war,” said the 34-year-old,