INSIDE: l Analysis: Six questions answered about the Russia-Ukraine situation – page 3 l Scholars publish book on archaeological findings in Baturyn – page 12 l Ukrainian pro sports update: soccer – page 14 The Ukrainian Weekly Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association

Vol. LXXXIX No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 $2.00 Unruly Ukrainian judges evade justice Ukraine calls up military units in southern regions as Zelenskyy sanctions top smugglers as Zelenskyy urges NATO membership shared before getting married, and another lawyer were charged the following day of enriching themselves via “illicit gain.” Detectives from the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) later found $3.7 million, 840,000 euros, 20,000 British pounds, and 230,000 hrv in cash during searches of their premises, in addition to antiques and documents addressed to the OASK chief justice. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, where Mr. Zontov is employed, subsequent- ly suspended him from service during the pre-trial investigation. The two detained lawyers have stated through their lawyers that the money they had received was for “legal services.” OASK chief justice Vovk denied being National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine one of the intended recipients of the bribe. After searches were conducted in his cham- Hordes of cash in U.S. dollars, British Gleb Garanich, Reuters pounds, euros and hryvnias were found bers, Mr. Vovk spoke of constantly “living in in the premises of the brother of the chief an atmosphere of pressure from NABU” for Ukrainian Army personnel display U.S. Javelin anti-tank missiles during a military justice of the Kyiv Circuit Administra­ six years, which is why “we have long been parade marking Independence Day in Kyiv on August 24, 2018. tive Court. accustomed to provocations and violations on their part.” by Mark Raczkiewycz About 100,000 Ukrainian reservists are by Mark Raczkiewycz Mr. Vovk is under investigation for alleg- attached to 25 territorial defense units that KYIV – Territorial defense units have edly conspiring with 11 fellow judges to gain are subordinate to the Armed Forces’ lead- KYIV – Ukraine’s unruly justice system been called up in Ukraine’s southern influence over other courts and government ership. The military’s southern command regions as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was laid bare this week when additional bodies “for purposes of blackmail, as political encompasses five regions: Odesa, Kherson, has urged NATO to accelerate his country’s developments emerged in the anti-graft favors or for kickbacks,” according to the Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad, and Vinnytsia. bid to join the defensive military alliance probes of three of the country’s most noto- Financial Times. Mr. Vovk failed for the fourth The call-up comes as Russia continues rious judges. time on March 9 to appear before the High amid a massive mobilization of Russian mobilizing thousands of military personnel The brother of Pavlo Vovk, who is the Anti-Corruption Court for a bail hearing. troops near the state border. and hardware along Ukraine’s state border chief justice of the powerful Kyiv Circuit NABU is charging him and the other On April 6, units were scrambled for in the east, south and north, raising the Administrative Court (OASK), was detained judges of attempting to “seize power.” The drills in regions situated along the adminis- specter of high-intensity fighting re-emerg- on April 6 while allegedly accepting a OASK core function is to hear appeals trative border with Russia-occupied ing in a smoldering war that is entering its $100,000 bribe to secure a favorable ruling against government decisions. Crimea and the Black Sea coastline that eighth year. in the court. could be vulnerable to amphibious and Yuriy Zontov, whose surname Mr. Vovk (Continued on page 4) land attacks by Russia’s military. (Continued on page 5)

Ukraine sees new pandemic lockdown as country suffers worst COVID-19 infection rate in Europe, 7th in the world

by Roman Tymotsko Other Ukrainian regions remain in the orange zone, which is the level below the KYIV – With 13,276 new cases reported highest lockdown level, with limited use of on April 5, Ukraine topped the list of public places and a ban on work at night. European countries with the highest Gyms and cultural institutions are also COVID-19 infection rate, according to the closed in the orange zone. Only Kherson statistics portal Worldometer. The follow- Oblast remains in the yellow zone with the ing day, Ukraine also saw record numbers lowest rates of COVID-19 infections and of hospitalizations and fatalities since the hospitalizations. Local authorities have the pandemic began more than a year ago, right to impose additional restrictions. with 5,587 people hospitalized and 481 On April 2, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko dead on April 6. said that, due to the rapid spread of the Throughout the country of some 41 virus and the increase in mortality, the million people, 11 of Ukraine’s 27 regions capital would impose stricter restrictions are now under the highest level of lock- starting on April 5. down, with all public places closed and “This is a forced step. We understand events canceled. Schools, restaurants, how unpopular it is. But the situation is shopping malls, cinemas, theaters, educa- critical,” the Kyiv mayor said. “If we do not tional institutions, food markets, and other stop the rapid spread of the disease quick- Roman Tymotsko institutions are all officially closed in those regions. Police officers check special passes at a metro entrance in Kyiv. (Continued on page 11) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

ANALYSIS

Ten charged over downing of airliner urged NATO member states to strengthen War scare is Putin’s natural element their military presence in the Black Sea Iran says it has charged 10 officials over Merkel and French President Emmanuel region as a “powerful deterrent” to by Pavel K. Baev the crash of a Ukraine International Moscow. Mr. Stoltenberg tweeted that Eurasia Daily Monitor Macron held a video-conference with Mr. Airlines (UIA) jet that was shot down last “#NATO firmly supports #Ukraine’s sover- Putin on March 30 (Kommersant, March year, killing all 176 people on board. The current escalation of tensions 31; see EDM, April 1). The departure from eignty and territorial integrity. We remain Gholam Abbas Torki, the former military committed to our close partnership.” A around eastern Ukraine is dangerous and the principle of never discussing Ukraine prosecutor for Tehran Province, said on may appear untimely and inopportune behind its back was upsetting for Kyiv, but spokesman for Russian President Vladimir April 6 that the 10 have been “brought to while Europe and Russia seek to focus on the Kremlin had few reasons to revel Putin later misleadingly characterized the responsibility” and will face trial to deter- managing the latest COVID-19 pandemic because the European duo insisted on dis- situation as a “domestic problem” and said mine “the necessary conclusions” over the wave as well as addressing its accumulat- cussing matters not to Mr. Putin’s liking Ukrainian membership in the transatlantic incident in January 2020, the semiofficial ing economic and social consequences. (Rosbalt, March 31). The harsh persecu- military alliance would make things worse. ISNA news agency reported. Mr. Torki, who Nevertheless, a deliberate political choice tion of Alexei Navalny, who has been Since occupying and annexing Crimea from made the comments at a ceremony where is dictating the uptick in violence in the denied medical support while suffering in Ukraine early in 2014, overwhelming evi- he was handing over the office to his suc- Donbas war zone, raising the risk of prison, is a particularly sensitive issue for dence suggests Russia has continued to cessor, gave no further details. Tehran ini- renewed major military conflict. This the Russian president, so the high-level lend diplomatic and military aid to armed tially claimed the plane had crashed, but choice is being made in the Kremlin, and chat with Ms. Merkel and Mr. Macron left separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, admitted three days after the tragedy that the rationale becomes comprehensible him even more anxious (Grani.ru, April 1). despite denials to the contrary. “We very Flight PS752, which was headed to Kyiv, only within the context of the ongoing Russian pressure on Ukraine intensified much doubt that this will help Ukraine set- had been shot down “unintentionally” by transformation of President Vladimir with a series of snap military exercises tle its domestic problem,” Kremlin spokes- the country’s air defenses. Iranian forces Putin’s regime into an autocratic police near its borders and the deployment of man Dmitry Peskov said on April 6. “From say they downed the Boeing 737 after mis- state (VTimes, March 31). heavy armor into Crimea (Nezavisimaya our point of view, it will only worsen the taking it for an incoming missile at a time of The latest spike in frontline clashes (see Gazeta, April 1). The Kremlin confirmed situation.” Earlier in the day, Russian high tensions with the United States. Iran EDM, March 11, 15, 24) was triggered in the rise in tensions but placed the blame Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei later called it a “disastrous mistake” by part by United States President Joseph for “multiple provocations” squarely on Ryabkov said high-level Russian and U.S. forces who were on high alert. Iran’s Civil Biden’s statement last month labeling Mr. Ukraine, noting that Russia moved its officials had discussed the situation in Aviation Organization’s interim report Putin a “killer,” which Russian Foreign troops as it saw fit and needed no justifica- southeastern Ukraine. That TASS report blamed the tragedy on the misalignment of Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov continues to tion (Meduza.io, April 1). The U.S. was has not yet been confirmed by U.S. officials. a radar system and lack of communication decry as “outrageous” (Russiancouncil.ru, compelled to take the lead in managing The Russian report follows a demand a day between the air-defense operator and his April 1). Mr. Lavrov may just be demon- this crisis, and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. earlier by the U.S. State Department that commanders. Those who died in the crash strating his loyalty, but Mr. Putin’s behavior Austin called Ukrainian Defense Minister Moscow explain “provocations,” including included citizens of Afghanistan, Britain, has, indeed, changed since those words Andrii Taran, while Gen. Mark Milley, the military movements in the region. On April Canada, Germany, Iran, Sweden and exploded like a bomb in Russia’s stagnant chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had a 5, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Ukraine. (RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, with political arena (Rosbalt, March 30; see conversation with Gen. Valery Gerasimov, expressed “significant concerns” about the reporting by ISNA) EDM, March 18, 22). The Kremlin leader the chief of Russia’s General Staff (TASS, Russian buildup near Ukraine’s border. In a has come out of his extended quarantine April 1). On April 2, Ukrainian President Western public support for Ukraine mounts call with Mr. Zelenskyy on April 5, Mr. and now seeks to prove that the levers of Volodymyr Zelenskyy finally held his first Johnson voiced “unwavering support” for control remain firmly in his hands, noting conversation with President Biden, and he Western expressions of support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integ- that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is received reassurances of U.S. support in Ukraine are growing amid an uptick in vio- rity, Mr. Johnson’s office said. U.S. President quite effectively reformatting the govern- the face of Russian aggression (RBC, April lence and an increased Russian troop pres- Joe Biden spoke with Mr. Zelenskyy on ment according to Mr. Putin’s own agenda 2). ence across the border that have height- April 2 about the buildup in his first call (Riddle, March 29). One might have expected that, faced ened concerns of a widening conflict. NATO with the Ukrainian leader since taking Russia’s sluggish economic recovery with these reactions by Washington and its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on power in January. Fighting between somewhat mars Mr. Putin’s reappearance allies, Mr. Putin would back off; but the April 6 that he had called Ukraine’s presi- Ukrainian government forces and Russia- in the political limelight, and yet he inertia of the Russian propaganda cam- dent “to express serious concern about backed separatists in two eastern provinc- remains reluctant to disburse state paign has kept him on track to keep esca- Russia’s military activities in and around es has spiked in recent weeks despite a reserves through a meaningful stimulus lating, despite rising risks and diminishing Ukraine and ongoing ceasefire violations.” cease-fire agreement reached in the sum- package (Kommersant­ , April 2). What wor- returns (Novaya Gazeta, April 3). Official Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mer. Officials in Kyiv reported on April 6 ries Russians the most, at present, is the commentaries in Moscow insinuated that reportedly told Mr. Stoltenberg that a path that two more Ukrainian servicemen had widening gap between their incomes and the U.S. encouraged and even pushed toward NATO membership was the only been killed by Russia-backed forces in the fast-rising consumer prices: only 25 per- Ukraine to launch offensive operations in way to end war in eastern Ukraine, where previous 24 hours. Four soldiers were cent of respondents in a recent opinion Donbas (RIA Novosti, April 3). Other pun- Russia-backed separatists continue to bat- killed by separatist shelling in late March. poll confirmed that their income is higher dits speculated that Mr. Biden berated Mr. tle Ukrainian government forces seven than what they consider a necessary mini- Zelenskyy for the latter’s lack of progress years into the conflict. Mr. Zelenskyy also (Continued on page 10) mum (Newsru.com, March 26). The gov- with reforms and rampant corruption ernment relies on administrative measures (Izvestia, April 4). Disinformation designed to curtail inflation, but prices on basic food to swing public opinion is a favorite instru- products keep climbing (Novaya Gazeta, ment for the Kremlin (Levada.ru, March 3). The Ukrainian Weekly FOUNDED 1933 March 30). The agricultural lobby accepts The problem is that the habitual denials of the limitations and even some bans on Russia’s own misdeeds and blunders as An English-language newspaper published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., export, but as compensation, farmers well as reliance on lies about the inten- a non-profit association, at 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054. demand guarantees of profits on the tions of its opponents generate a distorted Yearly subscription rate: $90; for UNA members — $80. domestic market; and this undermines the political reality, in which virtual war-mak- Periodicals postage paid at Caldwell, NJ 07006 and additional mailing offices. political instructions to ensure price stabil- ing becomes indistinguishable from actual (ISSN — 0273-9348) ity (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 31). fire-fights in the muddy trenches cutting The Weekly: UNA: Mr. Putin appears to have little interest across the Donetsk and Luhansk regions Tel: (973) 292-9800; Fax: (973) 644-9510 Tel: (973) 292-9800; Fax: (973) 292-0900 in these mundane matters but feels the (Moscow echo, April 2). need to address the deepening discontent Starting a real war would surely be a Postmaster, send address changes to: in order to boost his sagging popularity – step too far for the Kremlin at this The Ukrainian Weekly Editor-in-chief: Andrew Nynka and, in his experience, nothing works bet- moment, but Moscow’s conscious intensifi- 2200 Route 10 Editor: Matthew Dubas ter toward these aims than a crisis on cation of the situation represents another P.O. Box 280 Russia’s borders (Republic, April 2). step forward along the slippery ground of Parsippany, NJ 07054 e-mail: [email protected] Ukraine presents a target of convenience, political posturing and faking muscular and Mr. Putin also wanted to express his resolve. Mr. Putin is by no means a risk-tak- The Ukrainian Weekly Archive: www.ukrweekly.com irritation over Kyiv’s prosecution of his er or a natural warrior, yet his experience useful local proxy, pro-Russian politician with waging wars, starting from Chechnya The Ukrainian Weekly, April 11, 2021, No. 15, Vol. LXXXIX Viktor Medvedchuk, accused by the in the early days of his “reign” and continu- Copyright © 2021 The Ukrainian Weekly Ukrainian authorities of treacherous col- ing in Syria, tells him that the costs are laboration with Moscow (Carnegie.ru, affordable while human suffering is of little March 29; see EDM, February 24). Four import. He used to be a cynical and cold ADMINISTRATION OF THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY AND SVOBODA Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives in a fire pragmatic, but the extra-long access to exchange on March 26, and Kyiv took that unconstrained power and the eager servil- Walter Honcharyk, administrator (973) 292-9800, ext. 3040 and advertising manager fax: (973) 644-9510 incident quite seriously (Moscow Times, ity of his courtiers have changed him into a e-mail: [email protected] March 27). whimsical despot. The year-long self-isola- Subscription Department (973) 292-9800, ext. 3040 The escalation has alarmed European e-mail: [email protected] neighbors, so German Chancellor Angela (Continued on page 9) No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 3

ANALYSIS The guns of April: six questions about the Russia-Ukraine situation

by Mike Eckel er unit based in the northwestern city of RFE/RL Pskov, the 56th Air Assault Brigade, would be reorganized and redeployed to the Train convoys of heavy Russian military Crimean port of Feodosia. The closure of equipment, seen on multiple videos on the Kerch Strait Bridge was reported to be social media, reportedly shipping from connected with the transport of related Siberia to the border regions of Ukraine. equipment. The Kerch Strait Bridge to the occupied But while Russia regularly conducts Crimean Peninsula shut down briefly, large-scale, district-wide training exercises apparently for a major shipment of weap- – often involving thousands of troops, and onry. dozens of units, across wide areas – some An uptick in shelling along the line of observers have said the scale of the equip- control separating Ukrainian forces from ment movement seen of late is far beyond Russia-backed fighters in eastern Ukraine. normal. Ominous rhetoric on Russian state TV. On April 6, Mr. Shoigu announced broad- Is the Ukrainian-Russian “cold war” er-scale exercises in all military districts about to go “hot”? RFE/RL, krymr.org nationwide. Amid talk of war, here are six questions A convoy of Russian military equipment is seen on the move in Crimea on March 24. Isn’t there a cease-fire? framing the flareup in tension between Russia and Ukraine – and some potential What’s with all that equipment? lysts say these deployments don’t seem to The oft-violated cease-fire in eastern answers. make sense in that context. Ukraine stems from the Minsk accords. A Over the past two weeks or so, there’s two-part deal, the second was signed in Isn’t there already a war? been a steady accumulation of photographs, What does Russia say? February 2015 by Ukraine and Russia, Yes. The conflict in the eastern Ukrainian video, and other data suggesting major Not much, or not much that’s clear. along with Russia-backed separatists who region known as Donbas began seven years movements of Russian armed units toward Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last hold parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and ago this month and, despite multiple cease- or near Ukraine’s borders and into Crimea. week turned away reporters’ questions Luhansk regions. The Organization for fire agreements, has never really ended. That’s sent open-source researchers, about the troop movements, saying that Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) More than 13,000 people have been killed journalists, and others to try to geolocate there was nothing to fear and that the repo- was also a signatory. since April 2014, according to the United the imagery and divine the intentions of sitioning of armed units within Russia’s There’s also the Normandy Format: a Nations, and more than 1 million have been Russian military command, not to mention borders was a strictly domestic concern. grouping made up of Russia, Ukraine, displaced. the Kremlin. When it comes to Crimea, though, Kyiv France and Germany that has been trying The last bout of large-scale fighting One prevailing theory is that this is and the West – and nearly all of the rest of to end the conflict. That goal has been elu- occurred in January 2017 in the town of merely a show of force aimed at spooking the world, for that matter – do not accept sive due to factors that include Russia’s Avdiyivka, but sniper fire and mortar or intimidating Kyiv and sending a message that, because they do not accept Moscow’s funding and support for the militants in exchanges happen regularly – the deadliest to the West that Russia is willing to put claim to the Black Sea peninsula. eastern Ukraine, internal Ukrainian politics, in months occurring on March 26, near “boots on the ground” – and a lot of them – Meanwhile, Russia’s Southern Military and German and French wavering on how Shumy, north of the city of Donetsk. very quickly. District, the command unit with responsibil- forcefully to confront Moscow – and how More than 70 Ukrainian military person- “The ostentation with which the troops ity for areas near the border with Donbas much support to give Kyiv. nel have been killed and several hundred are being moved confirms that Russia is and the North Caucasus, announced it was In a statement issued on April 3, the wounded since the beginning of 2020, saber-rattling rather than contemplating a conducting an annual readiness check, with German Foreign Office called for restraint Ukrainian officials say. blitzkrieg,” Maksim Samorukov, a fellow several dozen related exercises being held in the current tension, but also used the Since late March, though, there’s been a with the Moscow Carnegie Center, said in between March 29 and April 30. (The dis- phrasing “all sides” – which drew criticism noticeable uptick in Russian troop move- an opinion piece published on April 5. trict also technically oversees Russia’s mili- from some officials who said it equated ments close to Ukraine’s borders and into Observers have also pointed out that tary command for Crimea.) threatening Russian troop movements with Crimea, which Russia seized in March 2014. Russia has done large troop movements in A few days earlier, Russia’s defense min- Ukraine’s defensive posture in Donbas. (As It’s also set off alarm bells in Western the past, in connection with regular mili- ister added further to the fog. On March 25, capitals. tary exercises, without invading. Some ana- Sergei Shoigu announced that a paratroop- (Continued on page 9)

FOR THE RECORD Ukraine-2050 welcomes joint statement by members UWC calls on international of European Parliament, calls for international action community to stand with Ukraine The following statement was released by situation in eastern Ukraine in order to The Ukrainian World Congress released in recent years, poses a threat not only to Ukraine-2050 on April 2. deescalate tensions and eventually rein- the following statement on April 2. the stability of Ukraine but also to the Black state the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” Sea and European regions. The UWC con- The non-governmental organization Russia is currently escalating its military The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is demns Russia’s escalating provocations, (NGO) Ukraine-2050 welcomes the follow- aggression in eastern Ukraine, which just deeply concerned with Russia’s recent which have been coupled with brutal ing “Joint Statement by Members of the last week claimed the lives of four more build-up of military forces at Ukraine’s bor- threats from Russian Foreign Affairs European Parliament on increased tensions Ukrainian soldiers. der and violation of its ceasefire agree- Minister Sergei Lavrov that Ukraine could over Russia’s military build-up in eastern The international community and leaders ment. Equally troubling are the series of face destruction. Ukraine” issued on April 2: of democratic countries must react now by provocative statements by Russian “We welcome the strong statements by “It is with great concern that we witness additionally supporting Ukraine’s capacity to President Vladimir Putin, other officials international leaders, including U.S. the ongoing build-up of Russian military defend its territorial integrity and by impos- and Russian media personalities regarding President Joe Biden and the foreign minis- forces and provocations in eastern Ukraine ing stronger sanctions against Russia to Ukraine. All these developments have ters of Canada and the United Kingdom and close to Ukraine. We deeply deplore ensure that it fully complies with its obliga- raised the prospect that Moscow might condemning Russia’s recent actions. the continuous loss of life and other dam- tions under the ceasefire agreements, includ- launch a new offensive in Ukraine. These reassurances to the Ukrainian peo- age inflicted on Ukraine. ing the Minsk agreements, that it has signed. In recent weeks, Russia has been amass- ple are comforting as they face an increas- “We call on full adherence to the text and Ukraine-2050 is very pleased that three ing unprecedented forces along the border ingly belligerent and aggressive Russian spirit of the Minsk agreements and the members of its Honorary Board are among with Ukraine, particularly in the occupied leadership. We call on all European lead- agreed ceasefire. We urge Russia to take the members of the European Parliament who Crimean Peninsula, and in the Rostov, ers as well as the entire global community active steps to reduce tensions by ending signed this statement, namely Petras Auštrevi­ Bryansk and Voronezh regions of the to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s its military build-up in and close to Russian Federation. This has coincided increasing military aggression,” said UWC Ukraine, ceasing its military provocations with a breakdown in the ceasefire on the President Paul Grod. and intimidation against Ukraine. čius,Ukraine-2050 Michael Gahler is aand non-profit Andrius Kubilius.organiza- part of Russian proxy forces along the line The Ukrainian World Congress urges “We also appeal to the international tion established to help implement, within of contact in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukrainian communities and friends of community and leaders of democratic one generation – by 2050 – strategies for the Ukraine, which has led to several deaths Ukraine worldwide to closely monitor the countries to express their concern and sustainable development of Ukraine as a and multiple casualties of Ukrainian service current situation and call on their respec- strong disapproval to the actions of the fully independent, territorially integral, dem- people. tive governments to support Ukraine in Russian authorities. ocratic, reformed and economically competi- The current escalation in and around defending its sovereignty and territorial “We will continue to closely monitor the tive European state. eastern and southern Ukraine, the largest integrity. 4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

NEWS ANALYSIS ‘Nothing about us without us’: Normandy without Ukraine?

by Vladimir Socor agenda items, with Ukraine taking less Normandy counterparts in the wider stra- the July 2020 agreement on additional Eurasia Daily Monitor space than most other items in the German tegic context (see above), outside the forum measures to strengthen the ceasefire.” But, and French readouts, and far more space itself. The leaders’ March 30 video-confer- also predictably, Mr. Putin is not closing Russian President Vladimir Putin, than any other item in the Russian readout ence amalgamated that wider strategic down the quadripartite Normandy format; German Chancellor Angela Merkel and (Kremlin.ru, Bundeskanzlerin.de, Elysee.fr, context, for the first time, with the subject he is only reducing its level, and he has French President Emmanuel Macron con- March 30). matter of the Normandy forum, allowing Franco-German support for this: “the lead- ferred, on March 30, by video-conference Throwing the Russia-Ukraine conflict the former to impinge on the latter. Only ers’ advisors will continue their joint work.” on multiple international issues, including into a mixed bag with other crises is a game Russia stands to win from such adultera- Moscow, Berlin and Paris share the posi- the intensification of the “internal conflict to Russia’s advantage. In almost all of those tion of the Normandy agenda. tion that there is no alternative to the in Ukraine” (according to Mr. Putin) or crises, Germany and France (or the To be sure, the Franco-German-Russian Minsk Two “agreement” and that Kyiv must “conflict in Ukraine” (Ms. Merkel and Mr. European Union) play a weaker hand than discussion of Ukraine without Ukraine was carry it out on Russian-defined terms: this Macron, though still not naming Russia). Russia or even no hand. Taking up these not and could not have been a “Normandy is the essence of the Franco-German pro- Thus, three members of the Normandy issues with Russia is a move that places summit,” which presupposes a quadripar- posals recently forwarded to Kyiv confiden- Four group discussed the other member, Berlin and Paris in the position of soliciting tite meeting. The Kremlin stressed this dif- tially and leaked by the Kremlin in order to Ukraine, in Ukraine’s absence. Amidst a problem-solving assistance from the ference more emphatically than Berlin or embarrass Kyiv, Berlin and Paris (see EDM, military conflict (see EDM, March 11, 24), Kremlin. This imbalance, in turn, can set Paris did. But this is a technical-legalistic March 30). Moscow, Berlin and Paris also moreover, Berlin and Paris held talks with the stage for tradeoffs, based on each side’s point. In practice, the core subject matter of share the position that Ukrainian President one belligerent while bypassing the other order of priorities in their respective neigh- the Normandy Four was discussed within a Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not deserve belligerent. Furthermore, Berlin and Paris borhoods. With Ukraine as its front-and- power triumvirate of Normandy members. another summit opportunity unless and approached Moscow for this tripartite dis- center priority, Russia holds leverage over That discussion’s broad strategic context until he complies with the December 2019 cussion after all three of them together had Europe in Syria and Libya, two theaters and its novel procedure hold greater signif- Paris summit’s decisions, which he accept- turned down Kyiv’s appeals for a quadri- where Europe has not only failed but is icance than the content devoted to Ukraine ed at that time but could not fulfill against partite video-conference that would have even failing to support a more capable in the three readouts. Ms. Merkel routinely Ukrainian public opinion (and might possi- been dedicated to this conflict and unen- Turkey for counter-leverage on Russia. called, on behalf of herself and Mr. Macron, bly have changed his own mind on some- cumbered by other crisis topics. Furthermore, a completed Nord Stream for using the [full] Normandy format in what since then). Berlin and Paris might still call Kyiv to 2 gas pipeline – if the Joseph Biden admin- order to “advance the implementation of In parallel to that, Moscow seems about share information about their discussion istration falters on sanctions enforcement – the Minsk agreements.” In Mr. Macron’s to make a casus belli out of Ukraine’s non- with Mr. Putin and mitigate Kyiv’s under- would give Russia yet another pressure readout, he urged Russia to “decisively sta- compliance with the July 2020 agreement standable discomfiture at being left out lever on a consenting Germany, a reluctant bilize the ceasefire”; he also called for on additional measures to strengthen the from the Franco-German outreach to the Europe and a beleaguered Ukraine. Finally, adherence to the Minsk “agreements” but ceasefire. That agreement would, in its Kremlin. But those calls to Kyiv must be as the Navalny item on the leaders’ video- did not mention the Normandy format (see practical consequences, undermine forthcoming immediately in order to conference agenda illustrates, Russia below). Ukraine’s military sovereignty (see EDM, achieve those reassuring effects. immunizes its political system from Mr. Putin repeated all his familiar theses February 22, March 25). Kyiv has backed The Kremlin’s readout of the leaders’ Western influence, even as Russia itself can in the readout and the accompanying out of that document soon after signing it. video-conference devoted by far the largest and does influence Western systems. Ms. Kremlin comments: internal Ukrainian con- Russia’s ongoing concentration of offen- space to Ukraine; the German readout put Merkel and Mr. Macron are acutely aware of flict, “no alternative” to the Minsk Two doc- sively postured forces on Ukraine’s borders Ukraine in second place, after the coronavi- it in this German election year and French ument, Kyiv to fulfil “all agreements made seems designed to threaten Kyiv into com- rus pandemic; and the Elysée Palace’s read- pre-election year. at previous Normandy summits” (alluding pliance with that document. out ranked Ukraine in third place, after The German and French position, there- to the December 2019 Paris summit com- COVID-19 and the imprisonment of Aleksei fore, is far weaker vis-à-vis Russia today munique), Kyiv to negotiate with Donetsk- The article above is reprinted from Navalny, and before the crises in Belarus, than it was in 2014, when the Normandy Lukansk toward their special status. In the Eurasia Daily Monitor with permission from Libya, Syria and the Iran nuclear energy forum was born. Russia’s leverage has, military sphere, “Ukraine is provoking the its publisher, the Jamestown Foundation, problem. All three readouts listed these since then, increased continuously over its conflict’s escalation by refusing to carry out www.jamestown.org.

Another Ukrainian judge accused of the named smugglers is Vadim Alperin, Unruly... corruption this week was allegedly whom the media often refer to as the “god- (Continued from page 1) abducted in Moldova and brought back to father of contraband.” Ukraine, the Moldovan Interior Affairs Based out of the Black Sea port city of Prosecutors are asking for a bail of 3 Ministry said on April 5. Odesa, Mr. Alperin was detained on million hrv ($109,000). The High Council Former Kyiv Dnipro District Judge November 27, 2019, on suspicion of head- of Justice, which disciplines judges and Mykola Chaus is suspected of taking a ing an organized group that illegally where Mr. Vovk holds sway, hasn’t lifted $150,000 bribe in 2016 and fled the coun- imported goods into the country. He also his judicial immunity so he cannot be try that year before being detained in featured prominently in a far-ranging arrested. Moldova on March 1, 2017, where he September 2013 journalistic investigation Another magistrate evading justice is unsuccessfully applied for political asylum. titled The Odessa Network that refers to ousted Constitutional Court chief justice Moldovan authorities, likewise, haven’t him as an arms smuggler. Oleksandr Tupytsky. honored Kyiv’s extradition request. He was released under house arrest last He for a second time this month did not Through his lawyer, Iulian Balan, the year but then in May any limits on his free- appear for a bail hearing at the Pechersk former justice has claimed innocence of dom were removed, including a require- District Court in Kyiv on April 7. Mr. any crimes. The money he allegedly took ment that he wear a monitoring bracelet. Tupytsky, whom President Volodymyr was later found by investigators stuffed in Facebook page of Kyiv Circuit Administrative Court He is also now allowed to see other sus- Zelenskyy has dismissed in a questionable two 3-liter jars buried in his garden. Kyiv Circuit Administrative Court chief pects in his case. executive order, is suspected of witness Following his disappearance from justice Pavlo Vovk. Additionally, alleged former Lviv mafia tampering and other criminal charges that Ukraine, Mr. Chaus was subsequently boss Volodymyr Didukh was named among include providing false testimony and fab- stripped by parliament of prosecutorial On April 2, the National Security and the list of corrupt officials. rication of evidence. immunity and the High Council of Justice Defense Council (NSDC) sanctioned the Insisting that he is an honest business- The case is being investigated by the disrobed him in October 2017. nation’s alleged top 10 smugglers by freez- man, Mr. Didukh has told local media that State Bureau of Investigations and stems His current whereabouts are unknown ing their assets and property inside the his attitude toward the criminal world is from his service in a Donetsk court more and Moldovan authorities have said that country. “don’t touch my past…everyone has a than a decade ago relating to the privatiza- one of his alleged abductors and one of the After signing off on the NSDC decision past.” tion of an energy and mechanical plant in vehicles used in the operation were both over the past weekend, Mr. Zelenskyy He has had a public spat with Svoboda, that region. detained. Police officials there have stated equated “contraband” with “economic ter- a nationalist political party which he has Prosecutors are seeking a bail of $1,636. that the correspondence used by the rorism” while saying that the illicit prac- funded. In 2014, he demanded the party They are also asking that he be banned judge’s kidnappers was conducted in tice deprives state coffers of nearly $11 return to him $48 million that he allegedly from visiting the Constitutional Court, and Ukrainian. billion yearly. gave it for its development. Svoboda that he be forced to wear a monitoring The Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry, About $3.6 billion of the losses are due denied having a connection to Mr. Didukh bracelet, surrender his passport and not border control service, interior ministry, to the “inefficient customs operations,” he and has initiated lawsuits for slander leave the locality where he lives. NABU and the Security Service of Ukraine added. against newspapers who have published Mr. Tupytsky has denied wrongdoing have all not commented on the incident. After the sanctions went into effect, the the allegation. and is also under investigation for not list- Smuggling and the work of customs customs service announced that 100 offi- An attempt on the businessman’s life ing on his compulsory yearly asset decla- officials are additional sectors rife with cials, including 17 in managerial roles, had was made at least once in 2012 when a ration a luxurious property he owns in corruption that Ukrainian authorities have been fired. sport utility vehicle in which he was riding Russia-occupied Crimea. targeted. Perhaps among the most prominent of was fired upon in downtown Lviv. No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 5

“This shouldn’t alarm anybody in the least,” Mr. Ukraine calls up... Peskov said. “Russia does not represent a threat to (Continued from page 1) any country in the world, including not representing a threat to Ukraine.” A new Russian military field camp was allegedly located The U.S. hasn’t been convinced of Russia’s recent as close as 153 kilometers (93 miles) from the northern actions and wants additional explanation for the mil- border of Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast, a Moscow-based itary maneuvers, which appear to be offensive in open-source research group found. The group’s findings nature. can be viewed online at https://citeam.org/ru-military- “We call on Russia to refrain from escalatory camp-near-ukraine.html?2. actions,” State Department spokesman Ned Price Using images and videos posted on social media, the said in a news briefing on April 6. “We’ve asked Conflict Intelligence Team says it found a new army camp Russia for an explanation of these provocations…But 250 kilometers (155 miles) by car from Ukraine in Russia’s more importantly, what we have signaled with our Voronezh region. Another camp was found closer to Ukrainian partners is a message of reassurance.” Ukraine, “possibly near the town of Ostrogozhsk” in the Monitoring of Russian media over the past week same region, CIT reported. by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty concluded that On April 8, Reuters also reported that Russia’s defense Moscow is psychologically preparing the nation for ministry said it was “moving more than 10 navy vessels, war. including landing boats and artillery warships, from the Russian state-run TV channels have been devoting Caspian Sea to the Black Sea to take part in exercises.” their prime-time programs to Ukraine with the over- After Russia forcibly seized Crimea in early 2014, Kyiv all narrative being that Kyiv is preparing a military cut off key water supplies to the peninsula and it has expe- offensive to retake the occupied parts of Donbas. rienced water shortages and draught. “Is Ukraine about to start war?” one TV channel Ukrainian and Western military experts, including for- titled its program. Another program asked: “A second mer commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe Ben fratricidal war?” Hodges, have posited that Russia’s next offensive could Russia’s embassy in Australia also tweeted a false focus on creating a land bridge to Crimea by seizing the key news story reported by state-run Tass news agency ports of Mariupol, Berdyansk and Odesa, essentially cutting that said a 5-year-old child was killed by a Ukrainian Defense Ministry of Ukraine Ukraine off from the Black Sea. drone strike in Donetsk. Mr. Zelensky, meanwhile, used the 72nd anniversary of A map of the two easternmost Ukrainian regions of Donetsk This story was denied by Ukrainian officials and and Luhansk. NATO’s founding on April 4 as an opportunity to call on it Kyiv-based media watchdog Stope Fake debunked to expedite Ukraine’s accession to the alliance. the fake news in a researched analysis. versations with his British and Canadian counterparts. In a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Still, Mr. Peskov alarmingly said that it is Russian He asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Stoltenberg two days later, he said membership would President Vladimir Putin’s “priority” to protect Russians prove to be a “powerful deterrent” to Russia. support Ukraine’s NATO membership ambitions and living in Donbas. “Reforms alone will not stop Russia,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “stressed the need to increase international pressure on “The safety and the fate of the Russian citizens are cer- “NATO is the only way to end the war in the Donbas.” Russia to prevent further escalation,” the Ukrainian presi- tainly an absolute priority for the Russian state and Ukraine is the latest of six NATO Enhanced Opportunities dential website says. Partners alongside Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and President Putin personally,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on Separately, Mr. Zelenskyy told his British counterpart Sweden. April 6 when asked what steps Russia would take to pro- Boris Johnson that “Russia’s recent actions pose a serious Ukrainian Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily tect its citizens if tensions in Donbas escalate. challenge to the security of Ukraine, NATO member states Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov stated in February Mr. Reznikov also said in February that “about 400,000 and the whole of Europe.” that more than 14,000 people have been killed in the east- people…in the occupied areas of Donbas” have been He also urged Britain, “along with other allies, to ernmost regions of Luhansk and Donetsk since Russia coerced into taking Russian citizenship. Compulsory “pass- strengthen its presence in the region and increase sanc- covertly invaded the area in early 2014. portization” in Crimea has affected about 2.5 million tions pressure on Russia.” Twenty-seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war Ukrainians, he added. In turn, Mr. Johnson’s spokesperson said “they dis- zone since January, including five in the last 72 hours as of Ukraine’s Western partners, including the U.S., Britain, cussed the U.K.’s significant concerns about the recent April 8. Shelling by forces Russia commands and controls Canada, NATO and the EU have voiced support for Ukraine Russian military activity on Ukraine’s border and in illegal- reportedly severed the water supply to around 50 towns and concern over Russia’s troop buildup. ly annexed Crimea.” and villages near the front line. After Kyiv first announced it on March 30, U.S. President France and Germany, who both twice took part in bro- In response to Kyiv’s wish to join NATO, Kremlin spokes- Joe Biden initiated a phone call with his Ukrainian counter- kering a cease-fire in Donbas that never firmly took hold, in man Dmitri Peskov this week said that such rhetoric threat- part for the first time since taking office. a joint statement urged “all parties to show restraint and ens to further destabilize the situation in Ukraine’s east. The two held a 45-minute conversation on April 2 dur- immediately deescalate.” He furthermore warned NATO of sending troops to help ing which Mr. Biden “affirmed the United States’ unwaver- Retired U.S. Gen. Mr. Hodges criticized the statement for Ukraine. ing support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integ- not identifying Ukraine as the victim of Russian military “There is no doubt such a scenario would lead to a fur- rity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the aggression. ther increase in tensions close to Russia’s borders. Of course, Donbas and Crimea,” the White House readout said. “One of the most pathetic statements I’ve ever seen,” he this would call for additional measures from the Russian After the phone call, Mr. Zelenskyy said in a video state- tweeted on April 6. “To equate the Ukrainian side with the side to ensure its security,” Mr. Peskov said on April 2. ment that “we discussed the situation in the Donbas in Kremlin’s aggression, by calling on both sides to ‘show Regarding the amassing of troops and hardware near detail…President Biden assured me that Ukraine will never restraint and de-escalate’ is disgusting. It’s like calling on Ukraine’s border, Mr. Peskov insisted they were not threat- be left alone against Russia’s aggression.” the French Maquis to de-escalate against the Wehrmacht ening. This week, the Ukrainian president also held phone con- occupiers.” 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

EASTER PASTORAL LETTER The Ukrainian Weekly The fight against corruption in Ukraine Today the heart is jubilant Amid an ongoing pandemic currently spiking throughout the country and amid a growing threat of renewed Russian aggression and more Russian troops mobilizing and the soul rejoices along its northern, eastern and southern borders, Ukraine has simultaneously been Easter Pastoral letter from his Beatitude This past year we have lived as if in a tasked by Western allies with rooting out corruption and graft endemic throughout Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic tomb “behind the locked doors” of quaran- much of the country. Church. tine restrictions that periodically intensi- A recent case illustrates how high that corruption goes, but it also provides a fied. Our churches and monasteries in some small glimmer of hope that officials at the National Anticorruption Bureau of Most Reverend Archbishops and parts of the world were truly inaccessible to Ukraine (NABU) are serious about tackling the issue. Bishops, Very Reverend and Reverend worshipping faithful, out of concern for the In a story on the front page of this week’s issue of The Weekly, our correspondent Fathers, Venerable Brothers and Sisters in safety and health of both clergy and reli- in Kyiv, Mark Raczkiewycz, wrote that the brother of the chief justice of the Kyiv Monastic and Religious Life, Dearly Beloved gious, as well as the laity. However, today Circuit Administrative Court was detained on April 6 while allegedly accepting a Laity in Christ of the Ukrainian Greek- Paschal Matins help us accept these restric- $100,000 bribe to secure a favorable court ruling. That individual, Yuriy Zontov, and Catholic Church: tions as a form of expectation – of the exo- Christ is Risen! dus and of the risen Bridegroom-Christ, another lawyer were charged the following day of enriching themselves for their whose arrival is awaited vigilantly in the own “illicit gain.” Bearing torches let us meet the bride- night by the wedding guests (Mt 25:1-13). NABU detectives then found $3.7 million, 840,000 euros, 20,000 British pounds, groom, Christ, And here we sense that this time is and 230,000 hrv in cash during searches of the premises of both men. Detectives also As He comes forth from His tomb, approaching. The Bridegroom draws near, And let us greet, with joyful song, the found antiques and documents addressed to the chief justice of the Kyiv Circuit announcing to us that the exodus has begun. saving Pascha of God. Administrative Court, Pavlo Vovk, who is Mr. Zontov’s brother. Both Mr. Zontov and The light of hope shines through, that with Ode 5, Paschal Canon the other lawyer have denied wrongdoing and said the money was for “legal services.” God’s help we will be able to emerge from According to a report in the Financial Times, Mr. Vovk is currently under investi- Beloved in Christ! this global “incarceration,” to return from gation for allegedly conspiring with 11 fellow judges to gain influence over other Today the heart is jubilant, the soul the virtual world to the expanse of our courts and government bodies “for purposes of blackmail, as political favors or for rejoices, feet rush to church, arms stretch churches and communities, in order to pray kickbacks.” He has failed to appear before Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court four out to the Lord, resounding song comes together “with one heart and one voice” in times already. from our mouths, for this day is truly the God’s assembly. But for this to happen, is it Meanwhile, in the first call between the leaders of the United States and Ukraine, feast of feasts and solemnity of solemnities: especially important that the torch of the U.S. President Joe Biden on April 2 “affirmed the United States’ unwavering support “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling Resurrection – the light of faith, hope and for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing down death by death, and to those in the love – not be extinguished. aggression in the Donbas and Crimea,” per a White House readout of the call. But tombs bestowing life!” As smoke which is In going out to meet the risen Christ this that support, and the support of other Western democracies, is connected to blown away by the wind, and as wax which Paschal night we carry our torches of faith! Ukraine’s success in rooting out corruption. disappears in fire (see Ps 67:2-3), so today Even in circumstances of strict quarantine The White House statement noted that Mr. Biden “emphasized his administra- all our anguish, worries, doubts, and fears we’ve learned to practice our faith, to dif- tion’s commitment to revitalize our strategic partnership in support of President dissipate and lose their power over us: ferentiate between its substance and its Zelenskyy’s plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda based on our “This is the day that the Lord has made, let forms of expression. We may have had to shared democratic values that delivers justice, security and prosperity to the people us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 117:24). change our practices and customs, but we of Ukraine. The leaders agreed these reforms are central to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Let us meet… Christ, as He comes forth did not weaken our relationship of faith aspiration.” from His tomb… with our Lord God, a faith that filled our life The recent steps taken by the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine We go to encounter the One, who emerg- with light through prayer and daily reflec- described in Mr. Rackiewycz’s story give us a small glimmer of hope that some offi- es from the grave, having undergone horrif- tion on the Word of God, through participa- cials in Ukraine might just be serious about tackling what we believe is Ukraine’s ic torture, suffering and death. In rising, tion in the Divine Liturgy in a different way, greatest obstacle on its path to becoming a strong, independent, just democratic Christ passes from death to life. He emerg- through a heartfelt desire to receive the state. If this is truly the aspiration of all Ukrainians, then together they must root out es from the confines of a limited and nar- Body and Blood of our Savior. The torch of the corruption that so cripples their society. row tomb, with the entrance closed by a faith in us did not go out. stone and signed with a seal. Christ passes We carry today the torches of our hope! by the guard, placed there at Pilate’s com- Drawing strength from our faith, we have mand. The glorified body of the Savior can- fostered expectations that we will over- not be held, neither by time, nor by the come and survive these complex times. April Turning the pages back... space of earthly human existence, as we Christian hope gave us strength to continue pray in the Anaphora of the Liturgy of St. living, to adapt to a culture of preserving a Basil the Great: “He loosed the pangs of healthy life in these new circumstances. We Fifteen years ago, on April 16, 2006, The Ukrainian Weekly’s shone our torches of faith and hope in the 16 editorial for that issue commented on the broken condition of death, rising on the third day and making a resurrection even as we mourned our dead. the U.S. immigration system. way for all flesh to the resurrection of the 2006 dead – for it was not possible for the Prince When the world became disoriented and The House of Representatives in December 2006 passed a bill lost its bearings, the torch of Christian hope that would erect hundreds of miles of fencing along the southern of life to be mastered by corruption.” Christ opened a new Pascha of God, for helped us find an exit-exodus, move border and make illegal immigrants felons, without providing a towards an encounter with the path or even a chance at legalization or eventual citizenship. The editorial called that bill not Moses, but the God-Man leads human- kind – not from Egyptian captivity, but from Bridegroom, who today joyfully and victori- “draconian” and a “disgrace” considering the U.S. is a country of immigrants. ously emerges from the tomb! The U.S. Senate proposed a different solution that would have allowed undocumented death to life, and from earth to the heavens. The paschal matins service depicts this pas- We are encountering the risen Christ, workers in the U.S. to become legally employed and offered them a chance to become per- carrying our torches of love in action – of manent residents, and, ultimately, citizens. The Senate measure proposed a guest worker chal movement, this exodus of the New Covenant as that of a Bridegroom emerging God and neighbor. As the wise virgins of the system that set a path to citizenship for immigrants after five-plus consecutive years resid- Gospel parable (Mt 25:1-13), this pandemic ing in the U.S. Those who have been in the U.S. two to four years would have to apply for from the wedding chamber. This image is familiar to us! Already, during Passion night of waiting for the coming of the legal status after returning to a border crossing to have their documents processed, while Bridegroom filled our lamps with works of others would be subject to deportation. The Senate was unable to pass the measure, with Week, the Church prepared us for the com- ing of Christ the Bridegroom: “O faithful, let mercy and service to our neighbor. We both political parties sharing the blame. us be on fire with love for the Bridegroom, understood that we will find our way out of The editorial noted that these illegal immigrants, who often work in landscaping, con- and with lamps burning, let us go out to these complex circumstances of life only if struction, restaurants, or as domestic and cleaning people, tend to be invisible to many meet Him. May the light of our virtues shine we create authentic and vibrant Christian Americans. Many of them are exploited by greedy employers who desire cheap labor, and communities, built on mutual assistance brightly, and may our faith be radiant. With those same laborers feel helpless with nowhere to turn to defend their basic human and sacrificial service to one another. The the wise virgins, let us prepare to enter the rights, often leading to slavery-like work conditions. torch of love for neighbor in us did not die banquet hall of the Lord; for the divine The Karnaoukh family from New Jersey made headlines in 2006 when they were out, and on this paschal night it allows us to Spouse offers us the crown of immortality.” deported to Ukraine after living in the U.S. for 15 years. Having bought a home and sent go out to meet the risen Christ! (Great Tuesday, Matins, Lenten Sessional their sons to college, the family thought it was on the road to legal status in the country. And let us greet, with joyful song, the Hymns). And lo, the grave is transformed However, thanks to the work of “incompetent and unprincipled lawyers,” the family was saving Pascha of God. into a chamber, with Christ’s Resurrection deported in February 2006. We joyfully praise Christ, who emerges funeral services are transformed into the It is these lawyers who need to be prosecuted and suffer for their misdeeds, the editori- from the tomb, as a spring bird, who, with joy of encountering the Bridegroom, who al suggested, rather than immigrants who are taken advantage of by these legal represen- the thaw, begins to sing louder and more dispels sorrow, fulfills the time of expecta- tatives. cheerfully, and does not cease, even when it tion, and invites us to the paschal feast of senses that the branch on which it is The editorial concluded: “Clearly, our immigration system has to be fixed. And the soon- the Heavenly Kingdom. With Christ’s perched is swaying – for it knows that it has er Congress stops playing politics and gets down to serious business, the better. It’s time Resurrection, we become partakers of eter- wings of faith, hope and love! Let us gaze our political parties stopped worrying about losing support in the upcoming congressio- nal life – not observers, but real participants nal elections and started worrying about the well-being of our country. In short, they must upon the body of Christ, covered in wounds in the life of God’s children. from brutal scourging, without breath or do the right thing – not the politically expedient thing.” Bearing torches let us meet the Source: “Our broken immigration system,” The Ukrainian Weekly, April 16, 2006. Bridegroom! (Continued on page 7) No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 7

COMMENTARY My friend Professor Bohdan Medwidsky The complexity of Ukrainian Jewish relations

by Zenon E. Kohut and culture, and preserving its identity. The by Askold S. Lozynskyj pogroms. As to accusations of Nazi collab- fourth topic was the academic scene: uni- oration in the extermination of Jews, there On Sunday, March 28, I was waiting for versity politics and programs, Ukrainian Let me preface my remarks with a cave- is so much Jewish historiography that the dreaded phone call and it came. My courses, how can you obtain students, what at. This is a personal analysis but not anec- Ukrainians were reluctant to collaborate friend Bohdan Medwidsky had passed at is the latest outrage that the university has dotal with few stereotypical examples and despite animosity or even revenge consid- 4:30 p.m. from the coronavirus. This sev- done. The fifth topic was fundraising, par- conclusions and, unfortunately, some bias. erations. The preeminent Jewish scholar ered a virtually 30-year friendship. Bohdan ticularly for Ukrainian courses, the Also, this is a very sensitive topic, which on this topic Raul Hilberg wrote as much will be remembered for his outstanding University of Alberta, folklore, and the may offend even some of my friends who in his “The Destruction of the European achievements: pursuing with vigor and Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. are Jewish, those who are very thin Jews.” Hilberg is not very popular among determination his academic career, the For me these meetings were dramatical- skinned. Nevertheless, fences or distance purporting Jewish scholars today. building of the Ukrainian folklore program, ly interrupted in 2017 by my own health make good neighbors and Ukrainians and The state of Israel and the Jewish people community activism, fundraising and phi- issues. However, in 2018 I was sufficiently Jews were close neighbors with few fences are and will always be in peril. They are sur- lanthropy. His life has made an enormous on the mend to be able to rejoin the discus- for a long time. However, that proximity of rounded by psychopathic foes and treaties difference in all of these endeavors. sion club. At that time, in addition to habitation does not explain today’s exist- come and go. Eighty years ago, the Jewish For me Bohdan will also be remem- Bohdan Medwidsky, the club consisted of ing albeit perhaps irrelevant conundrum. people experienced an attempted genocide. bered as a dear friend. For virtually three Dr. Andrij Hornjatkevyc, Dr. Bohdan Why is there so much animosity between To prevent a recurrence a safe haven was decades Bohdan and I were engaged in Krushelnycky, my wife, Zirka, and me. the two peoples, mostly on the Jewish formed – the state of Israel, armed to the what I referred to as the Medwidsky politi- These lunches continued until November side? For most Ukrainians contemporary teeth with nuclear capability that everyone cal discussion club. Barring other obliga- 2018 when Bohdan broke his hip. Bohdan’s irrelevance has healed old wounds. ignores even though it contravenes interna- tional norms. Every Ukrainian who knows tions or illness, my wife, Zirka, and I went recovery from the hip replacement was After all they are not neighbors today, his own tragic history cannot help but feel to lunch at a restaurant with Prof. slow and difficult. His loss of strength and nor are they dependent upon each other in any meaningful way. For centuries they empathy for the Jewish people. That empa- Medwidsky after the 9:30 a.m. liturgy at mobility necessitated Bohdan to move into lived next to each other in a colonial envi- thy is rarely reciprocated. Saint George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. an assisted living home only four blocks ronment not by choice. Oppressors gov- How do you get into the Jewish mind? On occasion, we had been joined by from our condominium. This enabled us to erned through divide et impera. Israel Without determining who has suffered Andrew Beniuk and by Jaroslav Fedoruk, keep in close contact with Bohdan and became independent in 1948, Ukraine in more, I would venture to say that Jews but Zirka and I formed the core. What did assist him in his needs. We also resumed 1991. Whatever cohabitation exists today have caused Ukrainians much pain, suffer- we discuss at the restaurant? Well, we did attending the weekly liturgy followed by is by choice and even the most ardent ing and killing. My saintly mother who was discuss our personal lives, illnesses, all lunch. This was much more difficult than in Ukrainophobe has to admit that there is no extremely opinionated and partially Polish kinds of other such things, but these topics the past. Neither Bohdan nor Zirka and I governmental, institutional or societal anti- told me on many occasions that we have at were really a rarity. In essence there were had the physical stamina to be able to be semitism in Ukraine, merely individual big- least three enemies who have persecuted five topics. One was of course Ukraine – ready for the 9:30 liturgy. There was also otry. Ukraine has had two Jewish presi- and murdered us over the years: Russians, politics, religion, society, corruption, the difficult task for elderly people of trans- dents. Jews are disproportionately repre- Poles and Jews. I understood the first two Russian-Ukrainian relations, Russification, porting Bohdan’s wheelchair and walker. sented in government, business and media. accused inasmuch as they invaded and reforms or lack of them, Euro-Maidan, the However, we persevered and were able to I have never been to Israel so I am unable occupied Ukrainian territory several times. Russian attack on Crimea and eastern get everything together for the 12 p.m. lit- to address societal Ukrainophobia there. The last I could not understand until she Ukraine. urgy and lunch. The tradition continued Unfortunately, governmental, institutional, explained. She was not a witness to the Another topic was Canada. And Bohdan but with the passing of Bohdan Krushel­ including media, are out of control. Holodomor. But she was a witness to the loved this – politics, federal, provincial and nycky and Andrij Hornjatkevyc’s other Animosity on issues of historical signifi- Soviet invasion into western Ukraine in local, and the use of political influence in commitments the club was reduced to cance or self-pity is flagrant. A case in 1939. According to her, every Jew she order to promote Ukrainian issues. And a Bohdan, Zirka, and me with the occasional point is the refusal by Israel to recognize knew collaborated with the Soviets in per- third topic – Ukrainian diaspora, particular- participation of Lilea Wolanska. the Holodomor, insisting that there was petrating atrocities, except for the one who ly in Canada, and what it should be doing in only one genocide in history – the worked for her father, who joined the promoting Ukraine, Ukrainian language (Continued on page 15) Holocaust. Granted, Jewish lack of empa- Soviet administration, but then used his thy is a minor issue perhaps to be best influence to protect her family. addressed by their religious leaders if it Leonard Shapiro, another Jewish histori- example of their dad. pervades society. an, wrote in his “The Communist Party of the Today... I greet those who in this pandemic feel Today’s negative interaction mostly Soviet Union,” that 75 percent of the Soviet lonely and abandoned. Remember: when comes from the Jewish side. In fact, the special services in Ukraine in the 1930s were (Continued from page 6) you pray, the risen Lord is always with you, only interaction has been institutional and Jews. I cannot help but understand that to life. A body crucified and buried, it would and by the power of Christian prayer you governmental accusations that have ema- mean that the Holodomor in Ukraine, during seem, irrevocably and forever. And yet, the are united with the entire community of nated from the Jewish side. This is rather which some 7 million Ukrainians starved, Spirit of God revives this broken human His Church. You are not alone! ironic since it would appear that was directed from Moscow, but implement- body, which in the brightness of Divine I greet all the sick and frail, as well as Ukrainians have gone out of their way to ed in Ukraine by Jews. glory comes out to meet us and lay a path medical professionals and your family and heal old wounds. Consider the Babyn Yar Today Poles are strategic allies. Jews are observances in September 2016 initiated for us to eternity. This is the salvation of friends, who care for you. On this feast of not relevant to Ukraine’s defense, but by Ukraine’s president and shamefully which we sing today: “O Son of God, who victory over death I ask you: cherish the gift those that live in Ukraine are germane to marred by Israel’s. are the giver of life to the whole world, for of life, and embrace bodily suffering as sac- help build a strong and prosperous Jewish accusations against Ukrainians this the whole world glorifies You.” rifice in prayer, for this is “a spiritual fra- Ukraine. My friend the rabbi of Kyiv insists date back to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, then that Jews love Ukraine and are coming Therefore, if we are under the impres- grance” pleasing to the Lord. again with Symon Petliura and resound back even from Israel. sion that humanity has become like a body To our soldiers and to those who remain with Nazi collaboration, particularly, The problem is not with the Jewish peo- tortured unto death by the pandemic – and in occupied territories and in Crimea, I Bandera, Shukhevych, the Organization of ple. The problem is with the hate mongers, our people suffer this evil in the midst of send you my sincere paschal greeting and Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian the Holocaust industry, and many in lead- the horrors of war, which continue now for assure you of my prayers, that the risen Insurgent Army. Interestingly enough ership. Jews have murdered or been the eighth year – let us gaze towards the Lord strengthen you and keep you alive while there is ample documentation and accomplices to the murder of many more Bridegroom, who emerges from the tomb and healthy. evidence of the events available, there is Ukrainians than Jews who were murdered fully alive and surrounded by light, and let I embrace with a fatherly love all the no proof which anyone may consider evi- by Ukrainians in pogroms or in collabora- us not doubt even for a moment, that a clergy, religious, and faithful in Ukraine and dence that Khmelnytsky or Petliura were tion with the Nazis. Blaming Ukrainians for light-filled resurrection also awaits us, that throughout the world, and sincerely wish involved in Jewish pogroms. The Middle the sad history of the Jewish people is an we too are true partakers of the you all a blessed Easter feast, a tasty shar- Ages as well as the halcyon period follow- attempt to whitewash Jewish sins against Resurrection which we celebrate today by ing of our traditional blessed egg, and a ing World War I were quite free spirited. Ukrainians. We Ukrainians forgive them. the power and action of the Holy Spirit! Paschal joy that is full of light. As to actual documentation there is no Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! The grace of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, document where Petliura directed a Askold S. Lozynskyj is an attorney at law On this bright, joyful day I greet all of you the love of God the Father, and the commu- pogrom. To the contrary there is documen- based in New York City who served as presi- with the Pascha of our Lord. Especially in nion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. tation of Petliura’s orders that imposed the dent of the Ukrainian World Congress in this Year of St. Joseph the Betrothed I greet Christ is risen! – Truly, He is risen! death penalty on those who carried out 1998-2008. all our husbands-fathers. My wish for you is + SVIATOSLAV that you be a light of faith, hope and love for your families, models and icons of God’s Given in Kyiv at the Patriarchal Cathedral OPINIONS love, fidelity, courage, creativity, industri- of the Resurrection of Christ, on the day of Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are ousness, patience, openness – for your our Venerable Father and Confessor their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly edi- beloved spouses and children. Christ is the Theophanes of Sigriana, Our Holy Father torial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association. only icon of God the Father, but children, as Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome and Similarly, paid advertisements do not reflect the opinions of either they grow up, develop an image of Him on Blessed Priest-Martyr Omelian Kovch March The Ukrainian Weekly or its publisher. the basis of their family experience and the 25 (12), 2021 A.D. 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15 No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 9

imprisonment when he returned to Russia The guns... from Germany three days before Mr. (Continued from page 3) Biden’s inauguration. The administration has also threatened unspecified action for a of April 7, there was no public evidence massive cyberattack on U.S. government suggesting Ukraine is doing similar large- computers, which it has blamed on Russian scale equipment movement – and, unlike intelligence. Russia in Crimea, any deployments it is On April 2, in Mr. Biden’s first phone call making are inside its borders.) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr The European Union, meanwhile, has Zelenskyy, the U.S. leader pledged “unwav- spoken up in support of Ukraine. But the ering” support. That call was preceded by bloc’s lead diplomat, Josep Borrell, was calls between top U.S. defense and military humiliated when he traveled to Russia in officials and their Ukrainian counterparts. early February in an effort to mend fences While the E.U. has provided hundreds of with Moscow, leading observers to con- millions of euros to help Ukraine build a clude that the EU has little leverage with more functional, and less corrupt, govern- Russia in this specific context. ment, the United States has provided Moscow may be trying “to make it clear weaponry and training to Ukrainian forces, to the West that the more it backs Ukraine including anti-tank missiles, night-vision rhetorically, the more the potential risk goggles, and counter-battery radars. that it might be forced to make good on its That effort continued on March 1, with Serhiy Takhmazov, Reuters promises,” Mark Galeotti, an analyst and the U.S. Defense Department announce- A Ukrainian soldier stands guard near Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov author on Russia, wrote in a column for ment of another $125 million in new aid: says there is nothing to fear and that the repositioning of military forces within BNE Intellinews. “This is, after all, some- “capabilities to enhance the lethality, com- Russia’s borders is a strictly domestic concern. thing the Kremlin thinks Europe in particu- mand and control, and situational aware- lar is unwilling to do.” ness of Ukraine’s forces through the provi- including Georgia’s breakaway regions of ritory, at least for the time being. James sion of additional counter-artillery radars Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Sherr, the former head of Chatham House’s What about the United States? and tactical equipment; continued support Transnistria in Moldova. Russia program, has suggested that putting Observers also say the timing and scope for a satellite imagery and analysis capabil- In all of them, Russian forces have a Russian peacekeeping force inside of the Russian maneuvers suggest a chal- ity; and equipment to support military deployed and remained, either as peace- Ukraine may be Moscow’s desired end- lenge to the United States and in particular medical treatment and combat evacuation keepers or as fully garrisoned units, though game. President Joe Biden. He’s been one of procedures.” in reality, they go in unilaterally without “A localized escalation, dramatic and Ukraine’s staunchest supporters dating The Kremlin bitterly opposes the notion the blessing of the United Nations or the devastating, leading to the deployment of back to the period leading up the outbreak that Ukraine could someday join NATO. But OSCE and end up destabilizing the status Russian ‘peacekeepers’ on the current of war in 2014, when he was vice president. while Kyiv’s membership in the alliance quo in favor of Moscow. demarcation line, is probably the most Washington hit Russia with sanctions seems to be a distant prospect, that hasn’t Deploying international peacekeepers to realistic option,” he wrote in a commentary after the seizure of Crimea, and despite his stopped Mr. Zelenskyy from making public Donbas under the aegis of the Vienna- for the International Center for Defense often-conciliatory rhetoric, Mr. Biden’s pre- statements about it. “We are committed to based OSCE has been discussed in the past. and Security in Estonia. decessor, Donald Trump, kept those sanc- reforming our army and defense sector, but Those proposals, however, have been hung tions in place. reforms alone will not stop Russia,” he said up on questions including whether they Copyright 2021, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted Mr. Biden’s administration has signaled on Twitter after speaking with NATO’s sec- would be allowed to patrol the Russian- with the permission of Radio Free Europe/ a more confrontational approach: neither retary-general. “NATO is the only way to Ukrainian border or merely the line of con- Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, reset nor escalation, U.S. officials have said end the war in Donbas.” trol in Ukraine. Washington DC 20036; www.rferl.org (see repeatedly since Mr. Biden took office In Many observers say that Russia seems https://www.rferl.org/a/six-questions-rus- What’s Russia’s endgame? January. “We have asked Russia for an unlikely to risk a renewal of full-scale war sia-ukraine-military-buildup/31191350. explanation of these provocations, but If there is a Kremlin endgame beyond a or an attempt to seize more Ukrainian ter- html) most importantly what we have signaled couple of big military exercises and relocat- directly with our Ukrainian partners is a ing a combat brigade, it’s certainly not message of reassurance,” State Department clear to Washington, Kyiv or other Western spokesman Ned Price said on April 5. capitals. The new U.S. administration has hit But one other place to look for guidance Moscow with economic sanctions in is how Russia has handled other simmer- response to the near-fatal poisoning of ing conflicts in its backyard. These so- opposition activist Aleksei Navalny with a called “frozen conflicts” have persisted in military-grade nerve agent and to his several places since the Soviet collapse,

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Students wishing to apply for a UNA scholarship or award must meet the following criteria: l Have been an active, premium-paying UNA member for at least two years by June 1st of 2021; l Have had a life insurance policy or an annuity, valued at a minimum Euromaidan Press of $5,000 during the last two years (term policies excluded); A collage of screenshots in social media allegedly showing Russian military hardware l Be enrolled in an accredited college or university in USA or Canada. deploying toward Ukraine’s state border. The application for a UNA scholarship or award must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2021. these self-pleasing perceptions through a For complete details and applications, please call the UNA Home Office War scare... high-level dialogue is likely a senseless or visit the Our Benefits page on the UNA website at: approach, but determined containment (Continued from page 2) www.UNAInc.org can still cut across the layers of propagan- tion has only aggravated Mr. Putin’s depar- da delusions. Ukraine stands firm against ture into a solipsistic world, where his Russian threats and bluffs, and with sus- Ukrainian National Association, Inc. word rules unchallenged. tained Western help, it can prove Mr. 2200 Route 10, Parsippany, NJ 07054 He sees Ukraine as an artificial state rid- Putin’s failure. den by internal divisions, Europe as a con- 800-253-9862 ext. 3035 glomerate of disagreeable nations unable The article above is reprinted from to take a joint stance, and the United States Eurasia Daily Monitor with permission from as a declining hegemon sinking into its publisher, the Jamestown Foundation, domestic discord. Dissuading him from www.jamestown.org. 10 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

to impose tougher sanctions on Russia for the country from joining NATO. Ukraine has Minister Andrei Rudenko told state news NEWSBRIEFS its destabilizing activities and invite blamed the Russia-backed separatists for agency RIA Novosti in response to the (Continued from page 2) Ukraine into NATO’s Membership Action the recent spike in hostilities, while recent allegations. Germany, Russia, France Plan. Russia is opposed to Ukraine joining Moscow has pointed the finger at Kyiv. and Ukraine are part of the so-called Russia has acknowledged moving troops the military alliance and recently warned Some analysts have suggested that the Normandy Format set up to try to resolve toward its border with Ukraine in what NATO countries against sending troops to recent actions may be Russia’s way of test- the Ukraine conflict. Germany and France Moscow says is an exercise. The United support Ukraine. Ukraine has been battling ing the new Biden administration’s com- recently expressed concern about the States has called it an attempt to intimidate the Russia-backed separatists in a low-sim- mitment to Ukraine. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian “growing number of cease-fire violations,” Ukraine. “Russia’s recent actions pose a mering war since 2014, when unrest in Service, with reporting by Reuters and adding that “we are closely monitoring the serious challenge to the security of Ukraine, Kyiv toppled Kremlin-friendly President AFP) situation and in particular Russian troop NATO member states, and the whole of Viktor Yanukovych. More than 13,000 peo- movements and call on all sides to show Europe,” Mr. Zelenskyy reportedly told Mr. ple have been killed in the ensuring seven Ukraine assured of EU’s ‘unwavering’ support restraint and to work towards immediate Johnson during their conversation, adding years. Russia is demanding Ukraine give E.U. foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell de-escalation,” they said in a statement. a call for a stronger physical presence in the separatist-controlled regions greater has assured the Ukrainian government of (RFE/RL, based on reporting by dpa) the region. He also urged Western nations autonomy, which would effectively prevent “unwavering E.U. support” in the conflict EU accuses Russia of ‘conscription campaign’ with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country. Mr. Borrell said on Twitter The European Union has accused on April 4 that he spoke by phone with Moscow of launching a “conscription cam- Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro paign” in the Russia-controlled Ukrainian Kuleba and added that he was “following region of Crimea, in a move that the bloc TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL WALTER HONCHARYK (973) 292-9800 x3040 with severe concern the Russian military said violated international law. The EU’s or e-mail [email protected] activity surrounding Ukraine.” He said the strongly worded statement came as matter would be further discussed at the Ukraine accused Russia of massing troops next meeting of EU foreign affairs minis- near their shared border, an accusation SERVICES PROFESSIONALS ters. Mr. Borrell’s call with Mr. Kuleba rejected by the Kremlin. “Today, the Russian comes after a call on April 2 between U.S. Federation has launched yet another con- ОКСАНА СТАНЬКО President Joe Biden and Ukrainian Ліцензований продавець President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which (Continued on page 11) Страхування Життя Mr. Biden sought to reassure Mr. Zelenskyy OKSANA STANKO of “unwavering” U.S. support for Ukraine’s Licensed Life Insurance Agent Ukrainian National Assn., Inc. sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatists Tel.: 908-872-2192 in the Donetsk region have accused each email: [email protected] other of attacks over the weekend. The ten- sions come after Ukraine alleged last week that Russia had been massing troops at their shared border. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by saying that Russia was “moving troops within its own territory at its own discretion, and this shouldn’t concern anyone.” Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014, has consistently denied involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions despite significant evi- dence to the contrary. “Russia is not inter- ested in any conflict with Ukraine, especial- OPPORTUNITIES Available on Amazon.com PERSONAL ly a military one,” Deputy Foreign Affairs EARN EXTRA INCOME! A 35 y.o. highly educated and good looking man wishes to meet a lady The Ukrainian Weekly is looking for advertising sales agents. YAROSLAVA TKACHUK, Realtor of Ukrainian descent for a long- For additional information contact term relationship. Please email: Walter Honcharyk, Advertising Manager, Real estate sale and purchase [email protected] The Ukrainian Weekly, 973-292-9800, ext 3040. in Hunter, NY, and surrounding area.

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ment passed a law providing financial sary in a democratic society,” the decision Ukraine sees... assistance to businesses from the state NEWSBRIEFS read. Ms. Sedletska turned to the European (Continued from page 1) budget,” Mr. Klitschko said. (Continued from page 10) rights court after a Ukrainian court ruling “With such a dynamic spread of the dis- in 2018 gave authorities unlimited access ly, the medical system of the capital will col- ease and the number of hospitalizations, scription campaign in the illegally-annexed to 17 months of her smartphone data. lapse.” we will soon not have enough beds in hos- Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Schemes had reported on several investi- Kyiv city council banned the use of pub- pitals. Therefore, I once again appeal to the city of Sevastopol to draft residents of the gations involving senior Ukrainian officials, lic transport for unnecessary travel; only government, the Ministry of Health, to peninsula in the Russian Federation Armed including Prosecutor-General Yuriy essential workers can use the city’s public monitor the situation so that governmental Forces,” the EU said in a statement on April Lutsenko, during the period in question. transportation with special permits. As a medical institutions would accept patients 1. Observers noted that Russia has in the Ms. Sedletska has argued that the result, on the morning of April 5, the streets with coronavirus in Kyiv,” Mr. Klitschko past conducted military call-ups in the Ukrainian ruling contravened domestic law of the capital were largely snarled with said. springtime. The bloc said the Russian mili- and Kyiv’s commitments to a free press. multi-kilometer-long traffic jams. During the previous week ending on tary conscription drive in Crimea was Her application to the ECHR sought protec- The presidential office said that the Kyiv April 4, police issued 1,881 administrative “another violation of international humani- tion from the seizure of her communica- authorities had not properly fulfilled the reports for violation of quarantine rules, tarian law.” It stressed that “the Russian tions data as such judicial action was not task of providing special transport permits while they issued 11,044 fines for not Federation is bound by international law, “necessary in a democratic society,” and to employees who work in jobs that sup- wearing masks or respirators. The police and obliged to ensure the protection of was grossly disproportionate and not justi- port the country’s critical infrastructure. reported that they also issued 1,095 viola- human rights on the peninsula” and reiter- fied by any “overriding requirement in the Many people, including doctors, were left tions to local businesses and 136 business- ated “the EU does not and will not recog- public interest.” The ECHR agreed and without permits. Thus, they could not use es were closed for various quarantine relat- nize the illegal annexation” of Crimea. stressed that “the protection of journalistic public transport to get to hospitals. ed violations. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean sources is one of the cornerstones of free- City officials in the capital announced “Some entrepreneurs who do not Peninsula in March 2014, sending in troops dom of the press.” In a statement, RFE/RL the requirement for the special transport respond to the ban on working during the and staging a referendum denounced as President Jamie Fly said in connection with permits on March 31, leaving only two lockdown deserve special attention,” said illegitimate by the international community the April 1 decision that “RFE/RL applauds working days for all enterprises to ask the the head of the national police, Ihor after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President this ruling, which protects the confidential- city authorities for the permits. Klymenko. “If you think you are the crafti- Viktor Yanukovych was ousted amid a wave ity of journalistic communications and sets “Printing, organizing their issuance, and est, you are wrong. The police record all of public protests. Moscow also backs sepa- limits for executive power. The work of providing special passes to all employees of your violations,” Mr. Klymenko wrote in a ratists in a war against Ukrainian govern- investigative journalists, by its nature, is critical infrastructure enterprises is the Facebook post. ment forces that has killed more than hard and often dangerous. Credible investi- Kyiv authorities’ responsibility,” the presi- “Thank you to the concerned citizens 13,000 people in eastern Ukraine since gative journalism cannot be done in an dential office said in a statement. “We are who inform us about the work of leisure, April 2014. The EU has imposed several atmosphere of official impunity, and with- forced to state that this task was not per- food and trade facilities. Every day more rounds of sanctions on individuals and enti- out the certainty that exchanges between formed properly.” than 1,200 raid groups check the obser- ties accused of undermining Ukraine’s terri- source and journalist will remain private.” “We emphasize that the Kyiv authorities vance of quarantine requirements by busi- torial integrity and sovereignty. (RFE/RL) The prosecutors pressed for access to Ms. Sedletska’s phone data in connection with must urgently rectify the situation by pro- ness entities. But sometimes we don’t have Rights court backs Ukrainian journalist a criminal investigation into the alleged viding the city residents with special passes time everywhere, so public help is vital,” disclosure of state secrets to journalists in for the use of public transport following the Mr. Klymenko said. The European Court of Human Rights 2017 by Artem Sytnyk, director of the established procedure. A sufficient number On April 4, the president approved the (ECHR) has ruled in favor of a journalist country’s National Anti-Corruption of transport units on the routes for trans- creation of the National Vaccination Plan from RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service who has Bureau. On August 2018, Kyiv’s Pechersk portation must also be provided,” the presi- against COVID-19, which will provide for battled against the handover of her smart- district court approved a request by the dential office said in its statement. the vaccination of most of the adult popula- phone data to authorities in what the court Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office to In the capital, 437,000 special passes tion of Ukraine by the end of the year. agreed is an essential defense of a free allow investigators to review all of Ms. were issued for the use of public transport, According to the National Security and press and privacy in democratic society. Sedletska’s mobile-phone data from a said the Kyiv Administration’s Department Defense Council’s decision, the Cabinet of Natalia Sedletska, who hosts the award- winning investigative TV program 17-month period. The European of Transport Infrastructure on April 5. Ministers of Ukraine must ensure the Schemes, has been locked in a three-year Parliament in 2018 passed a resolution Medical workers, rescuers, communal, development and approval of the National effort to protect her phone data from sei- expressing “concern” at the Ukrainian rul- transportation and social workers, trade Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 within zure by Ukrainian prosecutors investigat- ing and stressing the importance of media workers, and the military received priority seven days, taking into account the best ing a leak of state secrets nearly four years freedom and the protection of journalists’ passes. international practices. ago. The ECHR concluded that Ms. sources. The Organization for Security and Police officers in the capital checked According to the plan, “the minimum Sedletska should be protected from the Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the whether passengers who used public trans- required monthly number of vaccinations data search under Article 10 of the watchdog groups Committee to Protect port had the required passes, while mobile should be established, the sources and Convention for the Protection of Human Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without groups of law enforcement sought to terms of vaccine supply for coronavirus Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and Borders have also backed Ms. Sedletska’s ensure that traffic on the city’s roads was prevention should be determined and the stressed the importance of protection of arguments. Schemes is a corruption- not congested. Officers also patrolled parks people responsible for implementing the sources for a functioning free press. “[T]he focused TV program produced by RFE/RL’s and other public places where crowds were plan need to be identified, with the ulti- court is not convinced that the data access Ukrainian Service and Ukrainian Public possible. They also used a loudspeaker to mate goal of vaccinating the majority of authorization given by the domestic courts Television. It had a combined audience address passers-by and warn them to com- adults in Ukraine no later than December was justified by an ‘overriding requirement across its two channels of more than 10 ply with the heightened quarantine 2021 to develop collective coronavirus in the public interest’ and, therefore, neces- million last year. (RFE/RL) requirements. immunity.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr On April 6, Ukraine signed an agreement Zelenskyy stressed the need to provide with the American pharmaceutical corpo- financial assistance to businesses that have ration Pfizer for a supply of 10 million suffered during the lockdown as soon as doses of the vaccine against COVID-19, possible. which was agreed on in February by Mr. “Small and medium-sized businesses are Zelenskyy and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. an important component of the Ukrainian “Today is a very important day for economy, and first of all, these are our peo- Ukraine and Ukrainians – today we have ple. Today, they no longer have anyone to finally signed an important contract with rely on except for the state during a global Pfizer for the supply of 10 million doses of Ділимося болючою вісткою з родиною і знайомими, pandemic. And we, the state, must help and Pfizer vaccine. It was challenging to do, but protect our people in this difficult time,” the Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla promised to do що 9 березня 2021 року відійшла у вічність president stressed. everything possible and impossible. And he наша найдорожча Сетра і Тета “We understand that strict restrictions did it,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. will hurt both business and the city’s econ- On April 6, 15,585 people were vaccinat- св. п. omy,” Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said dur- ed against COVID-19 in Ukraine. In total, ing a press briefing on April 2. “Today, we 320,265 people have been vaccinated since Марта Шараневич received many questions about whether the beginning of the vaccination campaign, the capital will provide financial aid to while only two people have received both У глибокому смутку залишилися: entrepreneurs. I will note that the parlia- two doses of the vaccine. сестра - Дада з чоловіком д-ром Александром Слоневським племінники - Андрій Слоневський з родиною DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS - д-р Данило Слоневський з родиною. Death announcements should be sent to the Advertising Department by e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 973-644-9510. Родина дякує за молитви і співчуття. Deadline: Tuesday noon before the newspaper’s date of issue. Вічна Їй пам’ять! For further information call 973-292-9800, ext. 3040. 12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

Scholars publish illustrated book on recent archaeological findings in Baturyn “Rozkopky u Baturyni 2019 roku. Kakhli het’mans’koi stolytsi XVII – pochat- ku XVIII st.” (Excavations at Baturyn in 2019. Stove Tiles of the Hetman Capital, 17th and Early 18th Centuries), by Zenon Kohut, Volodymyr Mezentsev, Yurii Sytyi. Toronto: Homin Ukrainy/Ukrainian Echo Publishing Company Ltd., 2020, 36 pp. in Ukrainian, 70 color illustrations. by Volodymyr Mezentsev This attractive and colorful publication is the ninth annual booklet in a series (2011-2020) devoted to the archaeological and historical research of Baturyn, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. The town was Burnt polychrome glazed ceramic stove plaque with a relief heraldic emblem of one of the capitals of the Kozak state, or Chancellor General Pylyp Orlyk, 1707-1708. Computer photo collage and graphic Hetmanate, and is remarkable for its glori- reconstructions by Serhii Dmytriienko, 2018. ous and tragic history. This publication is recommended for both scholars and gener- Hetmanate, is the founder of this project tunnel on Mazepa’s estate, the home of his al readers interested in Ukrainian antiqui- and its academic adviser. Dr. Volodymyr closest assistant, Chancellor General Pylyp Richly illustrated booklet on the 2019 ties. Mezentsev (CIUS) is the project’s executive Orlyk, and the dwelling of a well-to-do excavations at Baturyn. Fragment of a glazed ceramic tiled stove with the armo­ Since 2001, the Canada-Ukraine project director. Archaeologist Yurii Sytyi of the Kozak within the town’s environs which rial bearings of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, for the study of the history and culture of National University of “Chernihiv were burned during this onslaught. The 1707-8. Hypothetical computer graphic early modern Baturyn has been sponsored Collegium” heads the archaeological expe- investigators present their computer reconstructions of the tiles by Serhii by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian dition, which is based at this university. It graphic reconstructions and photos of poly- Dmytriienko, 2020. Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta, has conducted annual excavations in mer clay replicas of the unearthed broken the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies Baturyn from 1995. The Ukrainian Studies and burnt ceramic tiles that faced the heat- continued benevolent support from at the University of Toronto, and the Fund in New York supports the archaeolog- ing stoves at Mazepa’s palace and Kozak Ukrainian organizations, foundations, com- Ucrainica Research Institute in Toronto. ical and historical investigations of this houses of the late 17th and early 18th cen- panies and private benefactors in North Prof. Zenon Kohut, the former director of town with annual subsidies. turies. They have graphically recreated the America would be most needed to sustain CIUS and an eminent historian of the In light of the latest research, the authors masterful floral ornaments and the unique- further archaeological explorations of of this booklet survey the foun- ly designed coats of arms of both Mazepa Mazepa’s capital and the publication of its dation of Baturyn as an 11th- and Orlyk depicted on the multicolored findings this year. American citizens are century border fortress of the glazed ceramic and plain terracotta plaques kindly invited to donation by sending a Chernihiv Principality of Kyivan found at Orlyk’s home. Also included are check made out to Ukrainian Studies Fund, Rus’, its history and material cul- graphic reconstructions of the upper P.O. Box 285, North Billerica, MA, 01862, ture during the Polish rule over façades of two ruined tiled stoves adorned U.S.A. Checks may be made out to Left-bank Ukraine, the with heraldic emblems of the hetman and Ukrainian Studies Fund (memo: Baturyn Khmelnytsky revolution, and the his chancellor. These locally manufactured Project). town’s dynamic development as stove revetment tiles from the Kozak elite Canadian residents are advised to send the capital of the Kozak realm residences of Mazepa’s capital represent their donations to Orest Steciw, president, from 1669, particularly under valuable examples of Ukrainian baroque Ucrainica Research Institute, 9 Plastics Ave., the illustrious reign of Hetman ceramic and heraldic arts. Toronto, ON, Canada M8Z 4B6. Checks may Ivan Mazepa (1687-1709). His During the second half of the 18th centu- be made out to Ucrainica Research Institute uprising, in alliance with ry, Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsky rebuilt and (memo: Baturyn Project). These Ukrainian Sweden, against Moscow’s repopulated the devastated Baturyn. institutions will issue official tax receipts to increasing curtailment of the However, the local production of such stove all donors in the United States and Canada. political autonomy of Kozak tiles with relief images in the Ukrainian They will be gratefully acknowledged in Ukraine and the total destruction baroque style never recovered in the town related publications and public lectures. Fragment of the upper façade of the heating stove of the insurgent Baturyn by after its ravaging by tsarist forces in 1708. For more information about the Baturyn at Orlyk’s home faced by the terracotta tiles fea­ Russian troops in 1708 has been For a detailed Ukrainian-language aca- project, readers can contact Dr. Volodymyr turing floral relief patterns and the multicolored described. demic article by Mr. Mezentsev on the Mezentsev in Toronto, Canada (416-766- glazed ceramic plaque with his arms in the centre, The brochure examines in heraldic stove plaques unearthed at Orlyk’s 1408, [email protected]). Its partic- 1707-1708. Hypothetical reconstruction by details the results of the 2018- residence in Baturyn, please visit the web- ipants kindly thank the Ukrainian commu- Volodymyr Mezentsev and Serhii Dmytriienko, 2020 excavations of remnants of site “Ivan Mazepa Name” under the follow- nities in North America for their generous computer graphic by Mr. Dmytriienko, 2020. an intriguing underground brick ing link: http://www.mazepa.name/batu- ongoing support of the historical and rynski-kahli-z-herbamy-mazepy-y-orlyka- archaeological study of the Kozak capital, prodovzhennya-doslidzhen/. Brief reports especially during the pandemic. on annual excavations at Baturyn in 2001- 2020 in English are available online in Canadio-Byzantina, Nos. 13-32 (https:// uottawa.scholarsportal.info/ottawa/index. php/cb/issue/archive). The publication of the advertised book- let was funded by the BCU Foundation (Roman Medyk, chair; Lada Kozak, manag- ing director) and the Ucrainica Research Institute (Orest Steciw, M.A., president, executive director of the League of Ukrainian Canadians). This and earlier bro- chures of the Baturyn series can be pur- chased for $10 from the office of the National Executive of the League of Ukrainian Canadians in Toronto (416-516- 8223, [email protected]) and through the CIUS Press in Edmonton (780-492-2973, [email protected], https://www.ciuspress. com/product-category/archaeology/). These booklets can be ordered online from the CIUS Press website. Researchers of Baturyn in Ukraine and Canada plan to resume excavations there Yurii Sytyi this coming summer. However, the 2019 excavations of the remnants of Ukrainian government may suspend its brick walls and steps of the underground funding of the field research in this town tunnel at Mazepa’s manor in Baturyn, during the pandemic quarantine. Thus, the ca. 1700. No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 13 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15

foreign players. It is noteworthy to appreci- ate Shevchenko’s amazing arrival came Shevchenko a top-tier European footballer when Italy’s national team was peaking. Youngster Francesco Totti had led the One of the best places for a soccer fan to probably would have made his move to Azzurri to within seconds of winning Euro learn about who’s who in his sport is the Serie A (top Italian league) a year later, 2000 shortly after Sheva’s 1999-2000 cam- city’s tourist shops, stocked with local favor- based on his 19-goal rookie season with paign concluded. His breathtaking first sea- ites and the true stars of the game. A visit to Dynamo Kyiv. Today’s social media would son in Milan had trumped the success of Italy in the early Noughties (2000-2009) have boasted Instagram clips of his fantas- Italy’s own up-and-comers. It was still would have had jerseys for Fiorentina’s tic finishes and “Welcome to AC Milan” another example of Shevchenko demon- Gabriel Batistuta or Rui Costa in Florence, YouTube videos, generating enough hype to strating he knew how to grasp the moment. Francesco Totti or Hernan Crespo in Rome, procure “Sheva” a huge transfer from The talented young man with the big con- depending on club loyalties. Sometimes a Ukraine to England’s Premier League, tract was making a name for himself in visitor might find souvenir apparel from a Italy’s Serie A or Spain’s La Liga. northern Italy. rival city’s club, almost always with the Of course, Ukrainian football would have Clutch. It mattered not that he had name on the back of an Italian player like missed out on his back-to-back 30-goal sea- scored in only five league matches and a Alessandro Del Piero or Christian Vieri. sons between 1997 and 1999. mere four in Europe. A healthy Shevchenko A non-Italian whose jersey was readily Highlights of the above first season was tabbed to play all 120 minutes of the available in cities like Florence and Rome included a first-half hat-trick at FC final because he had earned it based on his was Andriy Shevchenko. This Ukrainian’s Barcelona when Dynamo defeated the prior three seasons. Sheva’s worst goal- skills on the pitch and influence on the home club 4-0 in the UEFA Champions scoring campaign while wearing red and football.ua sport were a result of his success as a foot- League. The second season witnessed black saw him score the winning penalty Andriy Shevchenko, head coach of the baller in Milan. Dynamo eliminating defending champion shot in the 2002-2003 Champions League Ukrainian national team, during a match These days, top talents from lesser Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of final versus Juventus. against Malta in 2017. leagues move to bigger leagues at earlier Europe’s top competition. Shevchenko tal- Now one of his four Champions League ages, grabbing for big bucks and glory. lied all of Kyiv’s goals in that 3-1 aggregate goals that season happened to be a group- score three goals in six minutes. This Some 20 years ago it was common practice victory, demonstrating a reason and single- stage winner against Real Madrid. Once momentum along with a miraculous save for teams from afar to retain their top play- mindedness to showcase him as a player again, the reigning champs were not able to on a Shevchenko strike by goalkeeper Jerzy ers for longer tenures. who grasped the moment as his audition stop their Ukrainian nemesis. A defense- Dudek set the stage for another one of If a player of Andriy Shevchenko’s abili- for the big leagues. splitting assist from Rui Costa was tagged those ultra-special moments. The man who ties were to have emerged in 2018, he Some have offered that Shevchenko into the net by the man with no fear who some believed could not fail in this compe- treated the 1998-1999 Champions League knew how to seize the ultimate moment. tition, could not best Dudek with the final as his own private talent show – the hand- Shevchenko went on to repeat as penalty shot of the shootout. For the first some young striker, eagerly playing up to capocannoniere again in 2003-2004, tally- time, on the grandest stage where he had the cameras, knew how important it was to ing 24 times in 32 Serie A games, leading always grabbed the spotlight, his powers perform perfectly against Europe’s grand- AC Milan to its first title in five years. He did not prevail. est club, Real Madrid. scored in the UEFA Super Cup win over There was one more season with AC The 1-1 draw on Real’s home turf in the Porto, he scored three goals in his club’s Milan, followed by the 30 million-pound first leg had opened the door for him and Italian Super Cup victory over Lazio, and he move to Chelsea where he underwhelmed he was well on his way. The night of the was awarded the 2004 Ballon d’Or, anoint- on the pitch. Shevchenko did lead his native second leg saw the Ukrainian forward ed as Europe’s most outstanding player. Ukraine to the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal treating Los Blancos like unwanted visitors round and returned to Dynamo Kyiv for on his pitch, despite their lofty profile from Turning point three additional years of club football in past proficiencies. The 23-year-old tore Once one has achieved the ultimate it is 2009. He captained Ukraine at Euro 2012, past Real goalkeeper Bodo Illgner to win a usually difficult to improve on perfection, his last games as a player. penalty and converted the rebound after and the 2004-2005 season proved to be a He is a respected soccer icon in Ukraine, the German saved the initial shot. He pro- low point. Whereas AC Milan had a miracu- and for a while was one of Europe’s most ceeded to score the match winner on a per- lous run to Champions League glory in feared strikers. A professional athlete’s fect pass from Sergei Rebrov. 2003 (stoppage-time win against Dutch time at the top is limited, which means one club Ajax, away-goals triumph over Inter must capitalize on one’s opportunities. On to Milan Milan, last five matches decided in extra Reflecting back on Shevchenko’s career, it is In his first year with AC Milan (1999), time), their 2005 run saw them gain the quite safe to say he achieved everything he Shevchenko was the top goal scorer in Serie final against Liverpool as favorites could. One might even say he overachieved. Wikipedia.com/Anastasiya Fedorenko A, winning Italy’s golden boot, the capocan- (Manchester United and Inter were defeat- Andriy Shevchenko runs down the pitch noniere. Italian soccer has historically ed home and away). Ihor Stelmach may be reached at iman@ during his time with AC Milan in 2004. always balanced homegrown talent with Down 3-0, Liverpool stormed back to sfgsports.com.

Ukraine holds second place in group of World Cup qualifiers

by Matthew Dubas against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Dynamo and Shakhtar exit October 12 and November 16. The 2022 Europa League PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine tied with FIFA World Cup is scheduled for November Dynamo Kyiv lost 0-4 on aggregate (0-2 Kazakhstan 1-1 on March 31 in a 2022 21 through December 18, 2022, in Qatar. on March 11, 0-2 on March 18) against World Cup Group D qualifier in Kyiv. Ukraine is competing among 55 countries Villareal (Spain) in the Round of 16 of Roman Yaremchuk opened the scoring for in the European region. the UEFA Europa League. Shakhtar lost Ukraine in the 20th minute, but Serikzhan International friendlies 1-5 on aggregate (0-3 on March 11, and Muzhikov equalized in the 59th minute. and Euro 2020 matches 1-2 on March 18) against Roma. Ukraine tied 1-1 with Finland (third place, Dynamo is in first place (49 points) in 2 points) on March 28 in Kyiv. Junior Ukraine is set to play an international the Ukrainian Premier League after 20 Moraes scored for Ukraine in the 80th min- friendly match against Bahrain on May 23 matches played. Shakhtar (42 points) is ute, but Teemu Pukki leveled the score for in Kharkiv as part of preparations for the in second place. The first-place team the Finns in the 89th minute with a penalty final stage of the Euro 2020 tournament. qualifies to the UEFA Champions League kick. Ukraine also has scheduled friendly match- group stage, and second-place finishers Ukraine, in second place in Group D with es against Northern Ireland (June 3) and qualify to the UEFA Champions League three points after three matches (three against Cyprus (June 7). Other scheduled third qualifying round. Third place in draws, with three goals for and three friendly matches for 2021 include against the standings, held by Zorya Luhansk against; Ukraine tied 1-1 against France on the Czech Republic on September 8 and (35 points after 19 matches), qualifies to March 24), plays its second-leg match against Bulgaria on November 11. the UEFA Europa Conference League against Kazakhstan (fifth place, 1 point) on In Group C of Euro 2020, Ukraine plays third qualifying round; fourth place, September 1, and against Group D leaders against the Netherlands (group hosts) on uaf.ua held by Desna Chernihiv (33 points after France (with 7 points) on September 4 in June 13, against North Macedonia on June The logo of the Ukrainian Association of Kyiv, and against Finland on October 9 and 17 and against Austria on June 21. Football. (Continued on page 15) No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 15

April 12 Webinar with Serhii Plokhii, “Nuclear Folly: A History of April 18 Online children’s workshop with Oksana Pasakas, “Crafts for Online the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Harvard University, Online Kids with the UHEC: Easter Reverse Glass Painting Workshop,” www.huri.harvard.edu or 617-495-4053 Ukrainian History and Education Center, www.ukrhec.org

April 13 Lenten webinar with Rev. Deacon Nicholas Denysenko, April 19 Book talk, “Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin’s Online “Journeying Through Lent, Holy Week and Pascha in Ritual Online Russia” by Timothy Frye, Columbia University, Art,” Ukrainian History and Education Center, www.ukrhec.org https//harriman.columbia.edu

April 14 Online discussion, “Access to Services for Women Who Use April 20-21 Conference, “Ukraine in Washington: Conference Series in Online Drugs in Ukraine: A Multidisciplinary Perspective,” with Polina Online Virtual Reality,” U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, www.usukraine.org Alpatova, Alyona Mashnaya, Jill Owczarak and Sarah Phillips, Harvard University, www.huri.harvard.edu or 617-495-4053 April 21 Webinar with Matthew Light, “Contested Decentralization: Online Local Policing in Ukraine since 2014,” Harvard University, April 14 Webinar with Peter H. Solomon, “Manipulated Justice in www.huri.harvard.edu or 617-495-4053 Online Russia: Influence in Prosecutions and Conflict Resolution,” April 22 Book talk with Marta Dyczok, Andriy Kulykov and Oksana Columbia University, https://harriman.columbia.edu Online Smerechuk, “Ukraine Calling: A Kaleidoscope from Hromadske Radio 2016-2019,” Columbia University, April 16 Youth lock-in, Junior Ukrainian Orthodox League, St. www.harriman.columbia.edu or 212-854-4697 Philadelphia Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, [email protected] April 22 Online presentation, “Celebrating Earth Day: Live Your Best April 17 Presentation by the Rev. Bohdan Hladio, “Haivky and Online Eco-friendly Life,” with Halyna Zalucky, Jacob Kachuba, Online Vesnianky: Ukrainian Spring Games, Songs and Traditions,” Katrusia Balan and Zandra Zalucky, St. Vladimir Institute, Ukrainian History and Education Center, www.ukrhec.org www.stvladimir.ca

April 22 2021 Wolodymyr Dylynsky Memorial Lecture with Serhii April 17 Online Pysanka workshop, “Reawaken, Revitalize and Online Plokhii, “The Rockets of October: Ukraine and the Cuban Online Create Pysankas,” Ukrainian National Museum, Missile Crisis,” Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, [email protected] or 312-421-8020 University of Alberta, [email protected]

April 18 Presentation by John Hewko, “The Power of Passion: UIA April 25 Online cooking demonstration with instruction by Slava Online Conversations with Leaders Who Share Their Vision and Social Online Iwasykiw and Sonia Potichnyj, “Culinary Series: Bake an Easter Purpose,” Ukrainian Institute of America, Syrnyk Cheesecake,” St. Vladimir Institute, www.stvladimir.ca https://ukrainianinstitute.org/events/Hewko April 28 Online event, “The Chernobyl/Chornobyl Disaster: The April 18 Online presentation by Vasyl Makhno and Yohanan Petrovsky- Online Presentation of the New MAPA Project,” Harvard University, Online Shtern, “Perpetual Calendar,” Ukrainian Institute of Modern www.huri.harvard.edu or 617-495-4053 Art, www.uima-chicago.org Entries in “Out and About” are listed free of charge. Priority is given to events April 18 Online presentation with Julian Kytasty, “Songs of Repentance advertised in The Ukrainian Weekly. However, we also welcome submissions Online and Salvation: The Non-liturgical Sacred Music of Old Ukraine,” from all our readers. Items will be published at the discretion of the editors Ukrainian History and Education Center, www.ukrhec.org and as space allows. Please send e-mail to [email protected].

Women’s Euro 2020 and Georgia. Ukraine is scheduled to play My friend... Ukraine holds... and youth tournaments against Serbia on September 3 and (Continued from page 7) (Continued from page 14) Ukraine’s women’s team plays against November 16, against France on October 8 Northern Ireland in Kovalivka on April 9 and March 29, 2022, against North Our world was shattered by the outbreak 20 matches), qualifies to the Europa and on April 13 in Belfast as part of the Macedonia on November 11 and June 7, of the coronavirus in March 2020. Bohdan’s League second qualifying round. UEFA Women’s Euro 2020 tournament. 2022, against Faroe Islands on October 12 residence enforced a lockdown and Bohdan Top goal-scorers in the Ukrainian Ukraine advanced to the playoff round after and June 2, 2022, and against Armenia on became a virtual prisoner in his apartment Premier League, as of April 3, included: it finished in second place in Group I with March 24, 2022, and June 2, 2022. The top with no visitors or outside meals delivered Viktor Tsykhankov (Dynamo, with 10 15 points after eight matches played (five team of each group advances to the final to him. To keep tabs on Bohdan’s welfare goals, four of which were penalty kicks); wins and three losses). Germany, undefeat- stage of the tournament, while second- and to mitigate his isolation we initiated the Shahab Zhaedi (Olimpik/Zorya Luhansk, ed in the group stage, topped the group place finishers advance to the playoff daily phone call. Every day, seven days a nine goals, two of which were penalty standings with 24 points. The final stage of round. week, I would call at 7 p.m. While we would kicks); and Vladyslav Kulach (Vorskla the tournament will be hosted by England The UEFA Women’s Under-19 and U-17 discuss his increasing health issues, his pri- Poltava, nine goals, three of which were on July 6-31, 2022. Championships have been cancelled due to mary focus remained on his favorite topics: penalty kicks). Ukraine’s U-21 Euro 2023 team has the COVID-19 pandemic. The announce- Ukraine, politics, the university, and Artem Bondarenko (FC Mariupol) drawn Group H with France, Serbia, North ments came in late February and early Ukrainian studies. In fact, I would scour the scored a hat-trick against Inhulets Petrove Macedonia, Faroe Islands and Armenia. March, after Ukraine was set to play in both internet and make notes on these issues in on April 3, to win the match 4-3. The tournament is co-hosted by Romania tournaments. preparation for the 7 p.m. call. The calls continued even during his last hospitaliza- tion, when four days before his death Bohdan was still asking me about Ukraine and the university. For virtually three decades Bohdan Medwidsky provided a forum for assessing, rejoicing, lamenting, reacting, planning, and acting in response to events in Ukraine, to the Ukrainian diaspora, to the university and fundraising. He fostered a close and long-lasting friendship. I am personally very grateful that I was able to tap into Bohdan’s knowledge and wisdom and to observe his enthusiasm and his persever- ance, some may even say stubbornness, in pursuing his goals and causes. We all will greatly miss his impish smile and sardonic sense of humor. Vichnaya Yomu Pamiat!

Zenon E. Kohut is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta and the former director of the Canadian Institute of uaf.ua Ukrainian Studies (1994-2012). Ukraine’s men’s national team for the 2020-2021 season. 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 No. 15