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The Ukrainian Weekly, 2015 INSIDE: l Senate resolution seeks Savchenko’s release – page 2 l News analysis of the Minsk 2 ceasefire – page 3 l Community: Houston, New York, Montreal – page 11 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIII No. 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 $2.00 Mustafa Nayyem honored for efforts Ukrainian forces surrender Debaltseve by Zenon Zawada the National Security and Defense Council. to establish democracy in Ukraine That day, Mr. Poroshenko tried to project KYIV – Ukraine’s armed forces suffered a sense of calm, order and success in their latest military defeat on February 18 assessing the events surrounding when Ukrainian President Petro Debaltseve through February 18. In video- Poroshenko announced their retreat from recorded remarks, he said that the attempt the key railroad hub of Debaltseve, about to keep control of Debaltseve and “its suc- 47 miles northeast of Donetsk after the cesses were very necessary during the fiercest battle of the Donbas war so far that negotiations, and after Minsk,” referring to raged since mid-January. the successful defense achieved the week- Rather than adhering to the February 12 end of January 31-February 1. ceasefire, the Russian-backed forces threw “We were able to demonstrate to the all their resources at the battle and slaugh- whole world the true face of the bandits, tered Ukrainian soldiers as they retreated, the separatists supported by Russia, which news reports said, citing eyewitnesses. acted as a guarantor and direct participant The battles between Russian-backed in the Minsk talks,” Mr. Poroshenko said. rebels and Ukrainian forces that have con- “We asserted and proved that Debaltseve sumed Debaltseve resulted in much of the was under our control and there was no town (pre-war population of 25,600) being encirclement,” he said, at the same destroyed, including its police station, City acknowledging “fierce artillery fire from Council building, train station building and rapid-fire systems.” the railroad junction itself, rendering it use- “Our units and subunits exited as Yaro Bihun less, said Andriy Lysenko, the spokesman planned and organized. They exited com- Mustafa Nayyem, the recipient of the 2014 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award (left), for the government’s Anti-Terrorist pletely with military hardware, tanks, vehi- answers questions after his presentation about “Ukrainian Democracy after the Operation (ATO). cles, armored infantry carriers, self-pro- Maidan: Threats and Opportunities.” Seated next to him is Christian Osterman, As of February 19, the Joint Chiefs of pelled artillery units and tractors,” Mr. director of the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program. Staff estimated 13 dead, 157 wounded, 90 Poroshenko noted. captured and 82 missing, with 90 percent Yet news reports quoting surviving sol- by Yaro Bihun were held, Mr. Nayyem was elected to the Verkhovna Rada. of the soldiers evacuated. diers – and government military sources as WASHINGTON – Mustafa Nayyem – jour- In his keynote remarks at the Wilson Yet soldiers estimated the counts to be well – painted a picture that contrasted nalist, democracy activist and member of Center, Mr. Nayyem spoke about what is much higher. The New York Times quoted a sharply with what the president had Ukraine’s new Parliament – was honored being done today to eliminate the corrup- surviving sergeant, identified as Volodymyr, described for the television networks. with the 2014 Ion Ratiu Democracy Award tion that has been prevalent in the saying that “a third of us made it, at most” Indeed, Russian-backed separatists suc- for his efforts to establish a true democracy Ukrainian government for years. Even of the total fighting force of 2, 475 at ceeded in encircling Debaltseve on in Ukraine. Debaltseve, as estimated by President Petro The award was presented on February (Continued on page 14) Poroshenko in his February 18 address to (Continued on page 4) 12 here at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars during the 10th annual Ion Ratiu Democracy Award Workshop, which this year focused Shokin replaces Yarema as top prosecutor its accompanying panel discussions on the opportunities and threats to the develop- New leader orders restructuring of Procurator General’s Office ment of democracy in Ukraine since the Euro-Maidan demonstrations. by Zenon Zawada February 17 report in the Wall Street Mr. Nayyem was born in Kabul, Journal that stated the European Union Afghanistan, in 1981. His family moved to KYIV – Ukraine’s top law enforcement will soon begin to drop sanctions against Moscow in 1989 and then to Kyiv in 1992. officer, Procurator General Vitaliy Yarema, members of Mr. Yanukovych’s entourage – After graduating from the National submitted his resignation on February 9 starting with four out of 22 targeted – for Technical University in Kyiv, he began amid mounting criticism of his failure to lack of evidence provided by the working as a journalist, covering the 2003- prosecute any officials in the administra- Ukrainian government to back up corrup- 2004 Orange Revolution for Context Media. tion of President Viktor Yanukovych for tion allegations. He went on to work for the newspaper alleged economic crimes, violence against “I stated several months ago that, in the Komersant; then as a correspondent for the historic Euro-Maidan protest and sep- event that EU sanctions are removed from Ukraine’s largest TV channel, Inter; the aratism in the Donbas region. the Yanukovych entourage through the Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper; and in April “It’s very good that we achieved the fault of the procurator general, Vitaliy 2013, along with several of his journalist resignation of the procurator general, who Yarema should be held politically respon- colleagues, he established Ukraine’s first showed no results,” Self-Reliance National sible and resign,” wrote National Deputy Internet television platform, Hromadske- Deputy Yegor Sobolev told the February Serhiy Leshchenko on his Facebook page TV, which at the end of that year, with a 10 parliamentary session during which the same day as the resignation. “It’s posting on Facebook, was instrumental in Mr. Yarema’s resignation was approved. almost certain that sanctions will be helping launch the mass protests on Kyiv’s “That’s the first time in Ukrainian history removed from some of them in early Maidan. Hromadske remained the only that a procurator general left who suited March, a year after they were imposed. Mikhail Koyfman/UNIAN Ukrainian news outlet covering those pro- Viktor Shokin was approved by the president, suited the majority of politi- Yarema decided not to wait for the storm- Parliament as the new procurator gen- tests without government censorship. cal forces but didn’t suit society.” eral on February 10, replacing the When President Viktor Yanukovych fled Mr. Yarema resigned ahead of a (Continued on page 9) highly criticized Vitaliy Yarema. the country and parliamentary elections 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 No. 8 ANALYSIS U.S. senators accuse Merkel and Hollande U.S. condemns ceasefire violation reporting by Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse) WASHINGTON – Vice-President Joe of legitimizing dismemberment of Ukraine Biden spoke on February 17 with Putin urges surrender of Debaltseve WASHINGTON – Sens. John McCain mising siege of Debaltseve. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko BUDAPEST – Russian President Vladimir (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on “Western leaders say there is no mili- about the situation in the eastern part of February 17 stated that “The chancellor of tary solution to the conflict in Ukraine. the country. According to a readout of the Putin on February 17 urged Kyiv to allow Germany and the president of France, with Vladimir Putin clearly does not think so. He phone called released by the White House: Ukrainian soldiers who are encircled in an the support of the president of the United continues his aggression, and in the “The vice-president strongly condemned eastern Ukrainian town to lay down their States, are legitimizing the dismemberment absence of greater Western support for the violation of the ceasefire by separatist weapons as Washington warned Moscow of a sovereign nation in Europe for the first Ukrainian forces, a Russian-imposed mili- forces acting in concert with Russian forces, that “the costs to Russia will rise” if it keeps time in seven decades.” tary solution is exactly what will continue in and around the town of Debaltseve. The supporting the rebels. A Ukrainian defense The two senators underscored that the U.S. to unfold in Ukraine, just as it has in parts leaders both noted the ceasefire violation spokesman, Anatoliy Stelmakh, said “several must provide defensive weapons to Ukraine of Georgia and Moldova. was confirmed by the Special Monitoring [army] units were surrounded” in and apply additional sanctions on Russia. “With more than 5,000 Ukrainians Mission of the Organization for Security Debaltseve, as fighting for the strategic rail- The full text of their statement follows. killed and many more wounded, it is long and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The way hub continued. Rebels have said * * * past time to provide defensive weapons to vice-president also strongly condemned Ukrainian forces must lay down their weap- “The chancellor of Germany and the Ukraine and to impose additional sanctions Russia and the separatists for blocking ons in order to be allowed safe passage. Mr. president of France, with the support of the and costs that can change Putin’s behavior, access to Debaltseve by OSCE monitors, Putin, speaking on a visit to Hungary on president of the United States, are legiti- including the removal of Russia from the which is allowing the separatists to contin- February 17, said the conflict could not be mizing the dismemberment of a sovereign SWIFT financial system. President Obama ue their attacks without inhibition. The solved by “military means.” Mr.
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