INSIDE: l Archbishop of Cyprus recognizes Orthodox Church of Ukraine – page 3 l Holodomor education: lesson plans and webinars – page 4 l Chef elevates Ukrainian cuisine as key to national identity – page 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXVIII No. 44 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020 $2.00 Ukrainian National Guardsman Markiv Ukrainians choose local leaders appeals his conviction by Italian court and deputies in historic elections by Roman Tymotsko The prime minister also reminded the public that safety is essential during these KYIV – On October 25, local elections elections. Therefore, he called on Ukrainians were held nationwide in Ukraine, except in to adhere to anti-epidemic measures at poll- the temporarily occupied Autonomous ing stations. “Take your own pen with you Republic of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and leave the children at home. Follow social and Luhansk oblasts. The elections were distancing, wear a mask, and use antiseptic held on a new administrative-territorial before and after visiting the station. Show basis, as new united territorial communi- your passport to the members of the com- ties have been created in connection with missions; avoid handing it over to others,” decentralization reform. advised Mr. Shmyhal. “The government has changed the out- The Ukrainian Weekly’s reporter experi- dated division into raions, which was adopt- enced the quarantine restrictions at his ed in the first half of the last century. It trans- polling station. To enter, voters had to wear ferred more power to the communities, a protective mask; the entire staff of the forming almost 1,500 united territorial com- station also complied with the rules. munities,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal However, it was difficult to follow the dis- commented after voting in Lviv. “For the first tancing requirement in the small area time in the history of independent Ukraine, assigned to the station. people on the ground will manage funds According to the Central Election Natalia Kudryk/Radio Svoboda independently and decide where to spend Commission, voter turnout in the local elec- Vitaliy Markiv inside the courtroom in Pavia, Italy, on June 21, 2019. resources. This is a key element of the tions in Ukraine was 36.88 percent. A total decentralization reform,” he noted. of 10,556,621 voters received ballots and Mr. Shmyhal also pointed out that local voted. The highest turnout was in the by Mark Raczkiewycz Oksana Maksymchuk told RFE/RL in June that she was convinced he would be authorities have never had as much power Ternopil region – 44.68 percent, the lowest KYIV – When Ukrainian National acquitted “because there wasn’t any proof” as they will have after this election. “From in the Donetsk region – 31.67 percent. In Guardsman Vitaliy Markiv was given a of his guilt and that the verdict came “as a now on, communities will have their land the previous local elections, held in October 24-year prison sentence by a court in shock to us… we had always remained opti- and their full-fledged budgets. More than 2 2015, 46.62 percent of Ukrainian voters northern Italy on July 12, 2019, for his role mistic.” million hectares of agricultural land have cast their ballots. Voter turnout in the par- in the deaths of an Italian photojournalist Mr. Markiv was 29 years old when the been transferred to local communities. And liamentary elections of July 2019 was 49.84 and his Russian interpreter, and wounding jury in the Lombardy regional city of Pavia next year, the local communities’ budget percent. In the last presidential election in a French journalist, his mother said it was will amount to over 500 billion hrv” (about the “most painful moment of her life.” (Continued on page 13) $17.5 billion U.S.), he added. (Continued on page 14) Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church consecrated in Palatine by Lesia Kuropas west suburbs [of Chicago] has grown sub- stantially over the past decade. We need our PALATINE, Ill. – A long-anticipated day church to be big enough to serve the spiri- for parishioners of Immaculate Conception tual needs of the community. This is a day Ukrainian Catholic Church in Palatine, Ill., that many of us have prayed for,” said Stefko came on October 10, when the parish’s new Kuropas, president of the Parish Council. church and shrine was consecrated by The new church is designed in the style Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk. of a traditional Hutsul wooden church. In addition to being a church, it is also Architect Joseph Mycyk took his inspiration designated as the Eparchial Shrine of the from the church’s Hutsul bell tower that New Martyrs of Ukraine for the Chicago- had been erected in 1988 by the original based St .Nicholas Eparchy. founders of the parish. Mr. Mycyk was able “The late Bishop Richard Seminack told to design the new church around that bell us that he wanted our parish to be an epar- tower, making it one of the focal points of chial shrine. We hope to have many spiritu- the new design and miraculously without having to move it from its original spot. engraved on the cornerstones blessed by This created a beautiful transition between Patriarchal events Sviatoslav,and pilgrimages it is designated planned. as Аs ‘a the old church and the new church. house of prayer for all nations,’ ” said Father Tragically, Mr. Mycyk succumbed to cancer Mykhailo Kuzma. two months before the blessing of the new The day started with Bishop Benedict church but his vision, creativity and attention announcing that Father Kuzma had been Courtesy of Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk to detail will remain in the church for genera- elevated to mitered archpriest. The bishop The Immaculate Conception Building Committee along with the general contractor: tions to come. His widow, Natalka Mycyk, then presided over the “Rite of Consecration (from left) Myron Wasiunec, Lesia Stasiuk, John Panko III, Stefko Kuropas, Father was in attendance for the consecration. of a Temple” and the divine liturgy. Yaroslav Mendyuk, Ron Maldonado (general contractor), Bishop Benedict “The Ukrainian community in the north- Aleksiychuk, Father Mykhailo Kuzma, Michael Panko and Oksana Shtogryn. (Continued on page 15) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020 No. 44 ANALYSIS U.S. Congressional Ukraine Caucus worried Critical blow to anti-corruption agency cerns over Ukraine’s performance in tack- ling corruption and implementing reforms. Nord Stream 2 sanctions bill could be dropped Ukraine’s Constitutional Court has Visa liberalization with the EU is also con- stripped the country’s anti-corruption tingent on Ukraine fighting endemic cor- agency of some of its critical powers. The future, free from malign Russian influence,” ruption. The court ruling is also controver- RFE/RL high court’s ruling published on October 28 their October 27 letter said. sial because four judges are under investi- declared it unconstitutional to hold officials WASHINGTON – Members of the The letter was signed by the Ukraine gation by the NAZK for failing to properly criminally liable for intentionally providing Congressional Ukraine Caucus are con- Caucus’s four co-chairs: Marcy Kaptur declare assets in their declarations. The cerned a U.S. bill to expand sanctions on a (D-Ohio), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Brian false information on asset declarations. It four judges did not recuse themselves from Russian natural-gas pipeline to Europe Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Andy Harris also struck down several powers of the the case, despite calls to do so from the gov- could be dropped from the 2021 National (R-Md.). National Agency for Preventing Corruption ernment and anti-corruption campaigners. Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Sanctions against Nord Stream 2 have (NAZK). The court decision may impact (RFE/RL, with reporting by the Kyiv Post, The bill, known as the Protecting been a source of friction in U.S.-German lending from the International Monetary Reuters and RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service) Europe’s Energy Security Clarification Act relations, which have soured noticeably Fund and threaten visa liberalization with Monitors: vote was generally transparent (PEESCA), would widen the scope of sanc- under President Donald Trump. the European Union. Anti-corruption cam- paigners said the ruling undermines tions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline run- But there are now growing calls in International observers say local elec- Ukraine’s battle against graft. “The decision ning under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany to halt the project following the tions in Ukraine, in which Ukrainian of the Constitutional Court will lead to a Germany to include any individual or entity poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the significant rollback in Ukraine’s anti-cor- providing insurance or welding services for with a military-grade nerve agent in Servant Of The People party appear to have ruption reform,” watchdog Transparency the project. August. suffered a blow, were “well-organized and International Ukraine’s Executive Director PEESCA has been included in the NDAA The NDAA passed by Congress last year transparent,” but cite concerns such as Andrii Borovyk said in a statement. “These defense spending bill passed by both the included a bill that sanctioned any vessel “widespread” allegations of vote-buying and legislative provisions were the corner- House of Representatives and the Senate building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, forc- lack of objectivity in the domestic media. “In stones of the anti-corruption system, while earlier this year with slight variations. The ing a Swiss-based company to exit the proj- the limited number of polling stations visit- corruption has been recognized as one of Senate bill would also sanction any compa- ect shortly before its completion.