Ukraine's New Ministers

INSIDE: Defending Donetsk airport: a ‘cyborg’s’ account – page 3 When ‘high culture’ mixes with terrorism – page 7 Books: reviews, notes, presentations – pages 8-9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXII No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014 $2.00 Profi le of the Cabinet: Ambassador to Ukraine says U.S. Ukraine’s new ministers and Europe must help Ukraine by Zenon Zawada that he scraped together with his allies at the last minute. KYIV – The new Cabinet of Ministers As part of the government’s reform approved by Parliament on December 2 program, Mr. Yatsenyuk announced on failed to impress Ukraine’s political December 9 such proposals as dismissing observers, many of whom are already 10 percent of the government workforce; predicting their demise, partly because of raising wages for those remaining; reasons beyond their control. replacing Soviet-era benefits with con- They described a no-win situation, in temporary social payments; reducing the which dramatic reforms will slash social personal income tax, while introducing a payments and stir protests among those real estate tax (among others); and elimi- vulnerable and dependent, while a lack of nating half of state regulatory agencies. adequate reforms will upset the creative, Age: 40 upwardly mobile middle class. Party: People’s Front Former National Deputy Taras Stetskiv Hometown: Chernivtsi called it a transition government and gave it a lifespan of three to six months, Vice Prime Minister Hennadii Zubko: while Dnipropetrovsk political expert A highly trusted confidante to the presi- Andrii Zolotariov dubbed it “the heating dent, he will serve as the minister of Yaro Bihun season government” that would last no regional development, construction and Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt shares his reflections and analysis of current and possible longer than the spring. utilities and maintenance. He gained what’s future developments in Ukraine. Many of the Cabinet’s members have called in Ukrainian politics a “khlibna posa- already served in government without da” (a bread-winning post), as are many by Yaro Bihun some ways even more important, is what demonstrating any commitment to that were secured by the Poroshenko Bloc. happens in the other 95 percent of Ukraine: WASHINGTON – U.S. Ambassador to reform, experts said. Meanwhile, “three He earlier served as Mr. Yatsenyuk’s go-to how the reform projects are sustained and Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said that the United guy in Zhytomyr. He took a course in inno- how this newly elected reformist Cabinet is foreigners won’t rescue the government,” States and Europe must help Ukraine in vation management at Northwestern able to deliver on the very high expecta- said Ihor Losiev, a lecturer at the National protecting its territorial integrity, now University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. University in Evanston, Ill. in 2006. tions that the Ukrainian people have laid threatened by Russian aggression, as well out today.” Another ominous sign was that the Age: 47 as assist the Ukrainian government in Cabinet’s composition was determined Party: Independent Looking back on the past year, since building a better future for its people. Viktor Yanukovych left the presidency, behind closed doors, with President Hometown: Mykolayiv He presented his analysis of the current Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Ambassador Pyatt noted that there have Vice Prime Minister Vyacheslav situation in Ukraine and the best possibili- been two democratic elections, resulting in a Arseniy Yatsenyuk spending weeks strug- ties for that country’s future development gling to divvy the majority of the posts Kyrylenko: A veteran of Ukraine’s pro- new government and a strong pro-European Western politics, he was part of the 1990 on December 8, during a discussion with coalition, as well as a strong consensus on between them, despite the president’s foreign policy experts, officials and journal- assurances that the Cabinet wouldn’t be student protests, joined the Rukh party, the essential requirements for reform. ists at the Atlantic Council, a leading “Ukraine’s political leaders, Ukraine’s determined by quotas. and participated in the Orange Revolution Washington think tank. democrats, have managed to put aside their “There are two big groups here – of 2004 and the Euro-Maidan. He served The crisis Ukraine faces today is unprec- parochial interests and have managed to Yatsenyuk’s and Poroshenko’s – who as vice prime minister for humanitarian edented in as many ways as its resolution is focus on the long-term task of building a gained posts through quotas. A govern- affairs in the Orange government and will hopeful, he said. more democratic, just and European ment in this form isn’t capable of any- serve as culture minister this time, draw- The resolution of the crisis in the Donbas Ukraine,” he said, adding that this makes thing. There won’t be any significant ing wide criticism for a lack of experience. region will have positive consequences for him optimistic. changes because they will be competing He is believed to have gained vice prime Ukraine, the Euro-Atlantic Security system “I am absolutely convinced that the against one another,” said Serhii Rudenko, minister status as a result of being a confi- and American interests in the region, he a Kyiv political expert. dante to Mr. Yatsenyuk. said. “But just as important,” he added, “in (Continued on page 5) Following are capsule profiles of the Age: 46 Cabinet ministers. Party: People’s Front Hometown: Village of Poliske, Kyiv Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Oblast Though his public support plummeted Biden: Ukraine can’t ‘blow’ after the Euro-Maidan, the 40-year-old Vice Prime Minister Valerii redeemed himself when taking the helm Voschevskyi: He is a leading entrepre- another chance to change of the interim government afterwards. neur and president of several agri-firms He led officials in conducting snap in the Chernihiv Oblast, which is the by Luke Johnson government formed this month fails to reforms and meeting International political stronghold and native oblast of RFE/RL reform the economy and fight corruption, Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements to Radical Party Head Oleh Liashko. He has the efforts of Ukrainians who risked their WASHINGTON – U.S. Vice-President Joe gain a $17 billion stand-by loan program, extensive experience in politics, serving lives in street protests that pushed Viktor Biden has said Ukraine cannot lose another including an immediate $2 billion tranche in the administration of former President Yanukovych from power in February could chance to change the country for the better. in April, without which the Ukrainian gov- Leonid Kuchma. This nominee drew the be in vain. Speaking at an event at the National ernment would have gone bankrupt. most controversy, given that he served as Vice-President Biden said battling cor- Democratic Institute in Washington on Though he was not a presidential con- head of Ukravtodor – among Ukraine’s ruption and “kleptocracy” would help December 9, Mr. Biden said, “These people tender in May, by the time October rolled most corrupt state enterprises – for two Ukraine protect its sovereignty, which is have braved snipers’ bullets, freezing cold, around, Ukrainians wanted Mr. Yatsenyuk months in 2010 before being dismissed. threatened by Russian-backed separatists to win for themselves a chance to funda- to remain as prime minister, casting the who have been fighting government forces most votes for the People’s Front party (Continued on page 4) mentally alter their country for the better.” His message was that if the pro-Western (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014 No. 50 ANALYSIS In annual address, Putin pledges NSDC reports on “silence regime” President Leonid Kuchma – Kyiv’s envoy in talks with Russia, separatists and the KYIV – “The silence regime established Organization for Security and Cooperation to stay the course, hits a dead end yesterday brought its first results,” said Col. in Europe (OSCE) – said on December 10 Andriy Lysenko, spokesman of the Brutal suppression was supposed to be that a new round of negotiations should by Pavel K. Baev Information Analytical Center of the one key part of an answer, while another not be held in Minsk in the coming days Eurasia Daily Monitor was extra-generous funding channeled National Security and Defense Council because separatists had violated a previ- (NSDC). Speaking on December 10 at the The Kremlin has a lot to explain follow- through local elites, who keep demanding ously agreed ceasefire deal. Mr. Kuchma ing the dangerous deterioration of Russia’s more – but the state coffers continue to Ukraine Crisis Media Center about the “Day was quoted by Interfax as saying, “In a situ- international situation and the drastic deg- shrink. The arrival of a deep economic of Silence” called for by President Petro ation where the second party is unable to radation of its economy. And President recession is perhaps the most demanding Poroshenko, he noted: “For the first time in ensure the cease-fire regime, I do not con- Vladimir Putin opted in his annual address problem that Mr. Putin should have focused quite a while Ukrainian servicemen in the sider this meeting expedient.” He also to the Federal Assembly, delivered on on in his address – but neither his instruc- east did not suffer losses. No cases of reportedly said the separatists should December 4 (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, tions to punish supposed “speculators” Ukrainian servicemen killed or wounded “show that they really want peace and not December 4) to provide one particular attacking the ruble, nor his order to coun- were observed. The number and intensity war, and that they fully control their armed explanation for all the setbacks that have ter Western sanctions with expanded of shelling in the east of Ukraine decreased.

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