The Ukrainian Weekly, 2019

INSIDE: Moscow hopes Poroshenko will be ousted – page 3 UNWLA and the spiritual rebirth of Ukraine – page 8 Exhibit: Ukraine’s independence struggle, 1917-1921 – page 17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2019 $2.00 Family of U.S. teen killed in MH17’s downing sues Candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko Russian banks, U.S. money firms fl esh out plans for next presidential term RFE/RL by Mark Raczkiewycz For which candidate will you vote The family of the only American killed when Malaysian Airlines Flight KYIV – Runoff candidates Volodymyr in the second round of Ukraine’s presidential election? 17 (MH17) was shot down in 2014 Zelensky and incumbent Petro Poroshenko have filed suit against two Russian this week elaborated on the first steps they banks and U.S. money-transfer firms would take in the next presidential term. for allegedly providing services to Both presented similar approaches to Russia-backed separatists accused of fighting corruption that emphasized the shooting the plane down over Ukraine. need to reboot the law enforcement and 51.0 60.8 71.4 The complaint was filed on April 4 judicial system. in U.S. federal court by the family of They continued to jostle on holding one Quinn Lucas Schansman and targeted or more debates ahead of the April 21 sec- 20.8 24.4 28.6 Russia’s Sberbank and VTB Bank and ond-round vote. the Western Union Co., Western Union It remains unclear whether they will 17.8 14.8 Financial Services, MoneyGram hold a contest of words as Mr. Zelensky, 41, Interna tional and MoneyGram a politically unproven comedian, is the 10.3 Payment System. clear leader with 61 percent support The suit seeks unspecified damages among those who intend to vote, according to a nationwide survey by Rating from the companies for the death of The Ukrainian Weekly graphic based on a Rating Sociological Group nationwide poll of the 18-year-old Schansman. Sociological Group that was conducted on 3,000 respondents conducted on April 5-10, 2019 (sample error doesn’t exceed +\- 1.8%). MH17 was shot down over the con- April 5-10. Multi-millionaire confectionary flict zone in Ukraine’s Donetsk region mogul Mr. Poroshenko, 58, enjoys 24 per- on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people cent support among that segment of the establishment of the long-awaited anti-cor- independent graft-fighting bodies competi- on board. electorate. An additional 15 percent are ruption court, remove parliamentary tively through an international hiring pool. The Joint Investigative Team (JIT), undecided. immunity from prosecution, pay whistle- Following his April 6 meeting with more comprising authorities from the Mr. Zelensky has shied away from the blowers who uncover graft, create a sepa- than two dozen members of civil society, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, public while engaging with potential voters rate unit to fight financial crimes and including corruption watchdogs, President Malaysia and Ukraine, determined that via virtual reality. In messages sent through remove these powers from the Security Poroshenko promised to appoint judges to a Buk missile that struck the passenger the Telegram application to followers, the Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other institu- jet came from Russia’s 53rd Anti- showman said he wants to finalize the tions. Mr. Zelensky said he wants to staff (Continued on page 10) Aircraft Missile Brigade and was fired from territory held by the Russia- backed separatists. Many of the JIT’s findings have been corroborated or supported by evi- Task Force on Elections and Civil Society in Ukraine notes: dence gathered by journalists and independent investigators such as the Voters lack information on presidential front-runner’s views British-based Bellingcat. by Adrian Karmazyn tion that broadly reflects the will of voters the event of a Zelensky victory – but no About two-thirds of the people and meets key international standards.” matter what, the West, I think, still needs to killed were Dutch citizens. The WASHINGTON – With less than two Speaking about the mood of electorate, he continue to support Ukraine, and especially Netherlands has been one of the main weeks left before Ukrainian voters make a said, we see “a frustration among Ukrainian Ukraine’s civil society.” driving forces behind seeking account- final decision on who will be their presi- voters about the state of the economy, Olga Aivazovska, who heads Elections ability for the attack. dent for the next five years, the about the state of reforms, about the ongo- and Parliamentary Programs of the Civil The lawsuit accuses the Russian Transatlantic Task Force on Elections and ing conflict in the east,” and “those issues Network OPORA, concurred with the posi- banks and U.S. money-transfer firms of Civil Society in Ukraine held an internation- are still front and center as we go into the tive assessments of the conduct of the first allowing large amounts of money, al teleconference devoted to the results of second round of the elections.” round, saying that “these elections were mainly from Russian-diaspora sympa- the first round of the election and concerns Mr. Deychakiwsky was part of the very competitive” and that “the number of thizers, to be sent to the separatists in regarding the upcoming second round in observer mission of the Organization for violations decreased” as compared to the the eastern part of Ukraine. which incumbent Petro Poroshenko and his Security and Cooperation in Europe previous election in 2014. She noted that The funds allowed the separatists to opponent, Volodymyr Zelensky, will com- (OSCE), which deployed nearly 1,000 five candidates had representatives in 99 acquire heavy weapons and to control pete. observers from 45 countries all over percent of the country’s election commis- many regions in eastern Ukraine, the In their opening remarks, Johnathan Ukraine. The election was assessed posi- sions with many of them lacking sufficient 63-page suit alleges. Katz (German Marshall Fund) and Orest tively by the OSCE, he said, and stressed training and experience. This sometimes “We realize that we will never get Deychakiwsky (U.S.-Ukraine Foundation), that: “Ukraine again showed its strong led to violations of electoral laws and pro- our son back. But we are committed to who served as first-round election observ- commitment to democracy. This irritated cedures, but they were more of a technical shedding light on – and holding ers in Vinnytsia and Mykolaiv, respectively, Moscow to no end.” He added that “the pos- nature and not systemic. The presence of accountable – all who participated in gave Ukraine high marks for the conduct of itive conduct of the elections increased the international partners helped minimize his murder,” the victim’s father, Thomas the March 31 vote. confidence of Ukraine’s international serious violations, she said. Schansman, said in a statement. Mr. Katz, who was part of a National friends and partners [with regard to] Inna Borzylo, chief executive officer of The suit is based on a 1992 U.S. anti- Democratic Institute mission, cited that Ukraine’s commitment to a brighter, demo- Centre UA, explained that her organization, terror law that allows U.S. victims of organization’s election assessment and cratic, Euro-Atlantic future. And this, I in partnership with the NGO Chesno, terrorism to sue those who provide noted that “the election was genuinely think, is ultimately what matters. And no focused on enlightening the public about (Continued on page 11) competitive” and that “despite ongoing matter who is elected president – and yes, Russian aggression Ukraine held an elec- it will probably be a bit more challenging in (Continued on page 8) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2019 No. 15 ANALYSIS Moscow mulls revising Montreux Convention Canada’s largest airport says it’s K-Y-I-V debate at Kyiv’s Olympiyskiy Stadium should be held on April 19. During a tele- Toronto Pearson International Airport vised interview on April 7, Mr. Poroshenko in response to NATO presence in Black Sea has changed the transliteration of the proposed to hold the debate on April 14. Ukrainian capital according to the national (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service) by Paul Goble another. Now, with the arrival of NATO standard: Kyiv. The correct transliteration Eurasia Daily Monitor ships, ever more Russian politicians and is now featured both on the arrival/depar- Russian state media mock Ukraine’s election experts are suggesting that it should be ture board as well as on the airport web- Russians are angry at the expanded revised before the West disposes of it alto- site. Toronto Pearson International Airport As Ukrainians voted for a new president, presence of North Atlantic Treaty gether. Their chief demand, sounded first in is the largest airport in Canada and the only Russians keeping track of the election on Organization (NATO) ships in the Black Sea Russian-occupied Crimea and repeated by one in country that has direct flights to state TV were bombarded with coverage of and especially in Ukrainian ports, viewing some in the Russian capital, is that the Ukraine. In 2018, the airport served nearly Ukraine’s failures as an independent state them as a challenge to Russian power and length of time that foreign warships can 50 million passengers and became the 30th and reports of alleged electoral fraud. “It’s influence there. Some in Moscow and espe- remain in the sea should be reduced lest largest in the world. Last October, the unclear how one can accept the results of cially in Russian-occupied Crimea are even the ships be in a position to be on more or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine such an election,” presenter Dmitry concerned that the United States is prepar- less permanent station – an outcome that launched the #CorrectUA online campaign Kiselyov said as the results came in, echo- ing to denounce the 1936 Montreux would be totally unacceptable to Moscow appealing to foreign media and foreign air- ing a sentiment advanced on other state Convention, which governs the passage of (Tsargrad.tv, April 1).

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