Inside: l The UNWLA and today’s young Ukrainian women – page 9 l Christina Saj’s “Transformative Paintings” – page 11 l Book review: “Ukrainian , American Church” – page 18

ThePublished U by thekrainian Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationeekly Vol. LXXXVII No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 $2.00 No more ‘business as usual’: Presidential race: Poroshenko, Tymoshenko vie Russia not a strategic partner, European Parliament declares for likely runoff spot against comedian Zelensky by Mark Raczkiewycz by Rikard Jozwiak RFE/RL KYIV – Politically untested comedian and actor contin- BRUSSELS – The European Parliament has over- ues to lead a pool of 39 presidential whelmingly voted to approve a report stating that candidates in an unpredictable first Russia “can no longer be considered a ‘strategic round of ’s presidential elec- partner’ ” and that “the EU cannot envisage a grad- tion, according to two nationwide sur- ual return to ‘business as usual’ until Russia fully veys released this week. implements the [2015] Minsk Agreement [which Polling at 25-28 percent among lays out a process for achieving peace in eastern decided voters, the 41-year-old show- Ukraine] and restores the territorial integrity of man is the only candidate showing rat- Ukraine.” ings above the teens and is the front- The March 12 report – titled “On the State of runner likely to make it into the sched- EU-Russia Political Relations“ – is nonbinding but uled April 21 runoff if no candidate represents the European Parliament’s position on gets a majority of votes. relations with Moscow. Next behind him and closely tied are The document says European lawmakers are current President “deeply concerned about the links between the and , a former prime Russian government and the extreme right and minister and current parliamentary populist nationalist parties and governments in the faction head, as reported in surveys by EU, such as in Hungary” and calls for an “EU-wide the Rating Sociological Group and Socis mechanism allowing the screening of political par- center for sociological and marketing ties’ funding,” and measures to be taken “to avoid research. The Ukrainian Weekly graphic based on Rating Sociological Group nationwide survey some parties and movements being used to desta- Ukraine’s first wartime president is of age 18 and over conducted on March 1-7, 2019 bilize the European project from within.” riding on the achievements of his (sample error doesn’t exceed +/- 1.5 %). The report also voices concern “over the poten- incumbency that is tied to nation-state tially hundreds of billions of euros being laundered building and resistance to Russia while to visit polling stations on March 31 in provocateurs in the SBU” that the pres- through the EU every year by Russian companies further integrating with the West. the first round of the election. ident controls. Additionally, Radio Free and individuals looking to legitimize the proceeds Ms. Tymoshenko is proposing a A four-part investigative series by Europe/Radio Liberty found that the of corruption” and calls on EU member states to brand of populism that includes bihus.info, a journalism group, revealed heroine of the 2004 Orange Revolution end “golden-visa/passport” programs. amending the Constitution to change that Ihor Hladkovsky – son of the presi- allegedly received more than $5 million Watchdogs have warned that so-called golden- how the government is structured and dent’s longtime business partner Oleh in campaign donations from ordinary visa programs run by some European Union coun- run, and lowering household utility Hladkovsky, who until recently was the citizens, some of whom said they never tries to sell visas and citizenship to wealthy for- bills while keeping to borrowing com- first deputy secretary of the National donated the money when approached eigners are vulnerable to abuse and corruption. mitments with the International Security and Defense Council (NSDC) – by journalists. The report says the EU should adopt a European Monetary Fund. allegedly led a kickback scheme worth “[The National Agency on Magnitsky Act similar to the Magnitsky Act – U.S. Mr. Zelensky is the beneficiary of the more than $9 million in the weapons Corruption Prevention] can investigate legislation adopted by the in 2012 protest vote who is satisfying growing industry. It furthermore alleged that all these matters,” she told RFE/RL. “We and meant to punish Russian officials responsible demand for fresh political faces with major law enforcement agencies, are transparent. Everything is done for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei offers of direct democracy via referen- including the Western-backed National absolutely publicly. All our income and Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009. dums on governance priorities. Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine expenses are absolutely public.” The bill, which has applied globally since 2016, Former Defense Minister Anatoliy (NABU), failed or dragged their feet to Some $41 million that originated in authorizes the U.S. government to sanction those Hrytsenko is further behind with 8-10 pursue procurement kickback leads in the fraudulent Privatbank that has who it sees as human rights offenders, freezing percent support. He positions himself the defense industry sector. since been nationalized allegedly went their assets and banning them from entering the as pro-democratic and recently After dismissing his associate from through the accounts of Mr. Zelensky’s United States. received backing from Mayor the NDSC, Mr. Poroshenko promised Kvartal 95 Studio, National Deputy EU lawmakers also underlined that the under- Andriy Sadovyi and former journalist there would “be no tolerance for cor- Volodymyr Ariev of the Petro construction Nord Stream 2 pipeline project to Dmytro Gnap, both of whom pulled out ruption,” notwithstanding a perpetra- Poroshenko Bloc maintained in a carry gas from Russia to Germany underneath the of the presidential race to support him. tor’s “name” or “position.” Facebook post complete with explana- Baltic Sea “reinforces EU dependency on Russian Perennial pro-Russian politician NABU and the other law enforce- tory material and documents. gas supplies, threatens the EU internal market, and Yuriy Boiko, who was energy minister ment agencies have stated that they’re The U.S.-based risk management is not in line with EU energy policy or its strategic at the beginning of ’s still either investigating nefarious firm Kroll found in 2016 that at least interests, and therefore needs to be stopped.” presidency in 2010, is polling at 10 per- weapons procurement deals or have $5.5 billion was fraudulently removed The text furthermore “reiterates that Russia has cent. He is for the country’s federation successfully prosecuted some related over 10 years from Privatbank, which no right of veto over the Euro-Atlantic aspirations by giving powers to local governments cases. was owned by Hennadiy Bogolyubov of European nations” and “calls on the Russian and wants to achieve peace in the Meanwhile, the Security Service of and Ihor Kolomoisky. authorities to condemn communism and the Donbas war by “negotiating with all Ukraine (SBU) alleges that it unveiled For more than a decade, the latter Soviet regime, and to punish the perpetrators of sides of the conflict.” an $82 million vote-buying scheme on billionaire has aired Mr. Zelensky’s the crimes and offenses committed under that behalf of Ms. Tymoshenko, 58, who comedy shows and a TV series in regime.” Scandals taint candidates made her fortune in the murky natural which he plays a history teacher- A group of mainly social democratic, liberal and Corruption, financial fraud and vote- gas business two decades ago. She has turned-accidental president on his green lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to pass an buying allegations have so far swirled dismissed the charges as pre-election nationwide 1+1 channel. around the top three contenders before mudslinging, saying that the accusa- (Continued on page 2) some 35.9 million registered voters get tions are “delusions disseminated by (Continued on page 15) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

ANALYSIS

UCC calls for renewal Manafort gets additional sentence Ukraine’s Embassy protests to Google Paul Manafort, the former campaign The Ukrainian Embassy to the United of Operation UNIFIER chairman for U.S. President Donald Trump, States issued a statement that showing has been sentenced to an additional 43 Luhansk oblasts, defending their country Crimea, the peninsula annexed by the UCC months in prison, a ruling that will put him from Russian aggression. Between July 11, Russian Federation from Ukraine in 2014, behind bars for seven and a half years. The OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian 2016, and February 20, 2019, 409 Ukrainian as Russian territory on Google Maps goes new sentence, handed down by U.S. Judge Congress (UCC) on March 13 called for the soldiers have died and 2,366 have been against the clear-cut stance of the U.S. Amy Berman Jackson in Washington feder- renewal and expansion of Operation wounded in battle, the UCC reported. Administration, the U.S. Congress and the al court, was the culmination of two sepa- UNIFIER, Canada’s military training mis- On March 13, the UCC distributed a new United Nations. The Ukrainian ambassa- rate but overlapping prosecutions against sion in Ukraine. briefing note and policy recommendation dor’s post on Facebook particularly recalled Mr. Manafort, stemming from his work on “Canada’s current commitment to to Canada’s members of Parliament regard- that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmak- Operation UNIFIER extends to March 31, ing Operation UNIFIER. This follows a stressing in the July 25, 2018, Crimea ers. Judge Jackson said the case was about 2019,” said Ihor Michalchyshyn, UCC’s chief recent letter to Prime Minister Justin Declaration that “the United States rejects Mr. Manafort’s decade of lobbying on behalf executive officer. “We believe it is critical Trudeau by UCC National President Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.” of Ukrainian politicians, and the efforts he that Canada extends its commitment to Alexandra Chyczij which called for an urgent The Embassy has asked the top managers of made to hide his income and, according to train Ukraine’s military and security per- renewal of the mission’s mandate. Google Inc. to fix the wrong designation of sonnel, at current or increased levels of The UCC urged Canadians to contact prosecutors, launder money. “It is hard to the territory of Crimea on all Google Maps participation, through to 2025.” their members of Parliament to voice their overstate the number of lies, the amount of in accordance with international legislation Every day, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting support for the renewal of Operation fraud involved,” she said. “There is no ques- and standards, as well as the official posi- and dying on the front in Donetsk and UNIFIER. tion the defendant knew better and knew tion of the United States, insisting on the what he was doing.” In comments to court inappropriateness of involving the interna- before his sentencing, Mr. Manafort, who tional corporation and Google’s search ser- was seated in a wheelchair and dressed in a vice in the information warfare that Russia suit and tie, expressed remorse, and asked has been waging internationally by spread- RFE/RL urges Ukraine to address the judge for leniency. “I am sorry for what ing disinformation, fakes and propaganda. I’ve done and for all the activities that “Google representatives have repeatedly brought us here today,” he said. “This case stated in public speeches and interviews threats to investigative journalists has already taken everything from me.” The that Google’s policy is focused on the devel- high-ranking officials. Police have said they Washington case stemmed from two con- RFE/RL opment of information technology outside are investigating the claims of surveillance. spiracy counts, one of which was directly of the information warfare,” the Embassy WASHINGTON – Radio Free Europe/ The Committee to Protect Journalists related to the work Mr. Manafort did for a noted. On March 5 Google announced that it Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is alarmed at has condemned these incidents, calling on decade for Ukraine’s pro-Russia Party of had corrected “an error that caused a small increasing pressure directed against its inves- Ukrainian authorities to ensure the safety Regions. Funded in part by wealthy and number of Russian iOS users to see incor- tigative journalists in Ukraine, following no of Schemes journalists and hold attackers powerful Ukrainian oligarchs, Mr. rect information” following complaints from fewer than three incidents in recent months. accountable. Manafort’s political strategies helped resur- Russian State Duma officials. Russian law- Expressing the company’s concern, Both developments follow an additional rect party chief Viktor Yanukovych’s politi- makers threatened to lodge a complaint RFE/RL Acting President Daisy Sindelar case in August of last year, when a Kyiv cal career and propelled him to the presi- with the Russian Prosecutor’s Office and the said that the ability of journalists to do court, in connection with a criminal investi- dency in 2010. In 2014, after Mr. Federal Service for Supervision of their jobs is indispensable to any democra- gation involving the National Anti- Yanukovych was driven from office, Mr. Communications, Information Technology cy and urged Ukrainian authorities “to ful- corruption Bureau of Ukraine, ruled to Manafort’s income dried up, and, prosecu- and Mass Media, or Roskomnadzor, thus fill their international obligations to ensure allow the Prosecutor General’s Office tors found, he resorted to lying on mort- seeking sanctions against Google Inc. that RFE/RL journalists can work safely, access to mobile phone data belonging to gage and bank loan applications, and hid- Earlier, Google Inc. assured the Russian that investigations are meaningful, and that award-winning Schemes author and host ing income for tax purposes. Prosecutors authorities that Crimea annexed by Russia impunity does not protect perpetrators of Natalie Sedletska over a 17-month period charged him with conspiracy to defraud the from Ukraine in 2014 was shown as crimes against journalists.” in 2016-2017. The ruling drew outrage United States by, among other things, fail- On March 6 reporter Katerina Kaplyuk among media rights advocates and was ing to register as an agent working for a Ukrainian territory “for technical reasons” and cameraman Borys Trotsenko, two challenged by the European Court of federal government. On March 13, shortly and “there is no politicization.” (Ukrainian members of the RFE/RL Ukrainian Human Rights (ECHR), which issued a deci- after Manafort’s sentencing hearing con- Canadian Congress Daily Briefing) Service’s investigative Schemes team, were sion on October 16, 2018, banning public cluded, Cyrus Vance, the district attorney Ukrainian Church complains to U.N., OSCE assaulted by local officials in the village of authorities in Ukraine from accessing the for Manhattan, announced more than a Chabany, just south of Kyiv, as they investi- data “until further notice.” The ECHR con- dozen new criminal charges against The new Orthodox Church of Ukraine gated the allocation of state lands con- tinues to examine this case. Manafort. The charges relate to mortgage has appealed to the United Nations and the trolled by Ukraine’s National Academy of “Schemes: Corruption in Details” is a fraud and similar fraud in the U.S. state of Agrarian Sciences for private use. The joint production of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian New York. (Mike Eckel of RFE/RL) (Continued on page 14) attack, in the offices of the village council, Service and Ukrainian Public Television left Mr. Trotsenko with a concussion and (UA:Pershiy). It also airs on the private damaged his camcorder. Ukrainian Channel 24, independent chan- Police responded to the scene, took nel Hromadske TV, and on Facebook and he krainian eekly FOUNDED 1933 statements from the journalists and subse- YouTube. T U W quently announced an investigation. About RFE/RL An English-language newspaper published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., In February, Schemes journalists pub- a non-profit association, at 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054. lished video evidence indicating that body- RFE/RL relies on its networks of local Yearly subscription rate: $90; for UNA members — $80. guards with a security company owned by reporters to provide accurate news and Periodicals postage paid at Caldwell, NJ 07006 and additional mailing offices. , Ukraine’s richest man, had information to 34 million people in 26 lan- (ISSN — 0273-9348) been following them on assignments since guages and 22 countries where media free- last September. Journalist Mykhailo Tkach dom is restricted, or where a professional The Weekly: UNA: and his colleagues have said they are con- press has not fully developed. Its videos Tel: (973) 292-9800; Fax: (973) 644-9510 Tel: (973) 292-9800; Fax: (973) 292-0900 vinced “that such actions are aimed at were viewed over 2.6 billion times on Postmaster, send address changes to: interfering” with their reporting. Facebook and YouTube in Fiscal Year 2018. The Ukrainian Weekly Editor-in-chief: Roma Hadzewycz Schemes has previously reported on Mr. RFE/RL is an editorially independent 2200 Route 10 Editor: Matthew Dubas Akhmetov, including coverage in 2016 of media company funded by a grant from the P.O. Box 280 clandestine contacts with Ukrainian U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Parsippany, NJ 07054 e-mail: [email protected] President Petro Poroshenko and other Global Media. The Ukrainian Weekly Archive: www.ukrweekly.com

important tool in minimizing the risk of The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 2019, No. 11, Vol. LXXXVII No more... further misunderstandings and misconcep- Copyright © 2019 The Ukrainian Weekly tions between the sides.” (Continued from page 1) amendment to the report stating that the Copyright 2019, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation with the permission of Radio Free Europe/ ADMINISTRATION OF THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY AND SVOBODA Committee should be resumed after it was Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Walter Honcharyk, administrator (973) 292-9800, ext. 3040 and advertising manager fax: (973) 644-9510 suspended due to Russia’s annexation of Washington DC 20036; www.rferl.org (see e-mail: [email protected] Crimea in 2014. https://www.rferl.org/a/no-more-business- Subscription Department (973) 292-9800, ext. 3040 The amendment, which failed narrowly, as-usual-russia-not-a-strategic-partner-euro- e-mail: [email protected] stated that “a dialogue [with Russia] is an pean-parliament-declares/29817516.html). No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 3

NEWS ANALYSIS Kremlin’s destabilization strategy ahead of Ukraine’s presidential election

by Mykola Vorobiov Hrytsak, revealed that a series of attempts information, broadcast via Moscow-friendly Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense. Eurasia Daily Monitor had recently been made to set fire to build- Ukrainian media outlets, including several According to Oleg Derevianko, the founder ings and facilities connected to the highly popular local television channels. Last of Information Systems Security Partners, a Expectations are high that Russia will Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow year, one of the Kremlin’s closest allies in Ukrainian cybersecurity firm that cooper- attempt to interfere in the upcoming Patriarchate. Mr. Hrytsak asserted that Ukraine, , purchased, ates with the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian presidential election, scheduled those provocations, which took place in through his business partners, two TV sta- attacks have spiked ahead of this year’s for March 31. Having failed, since 2014, to Zaporizhia region, in central Ukraine, were tions, NewsOne and Channel 112. In October, presidential elections. Since November force Kyiv back into its orbit using purely orchestrated by the Russian secret services a group of Ukrainian lawmakers initiated 2018, hacker groups have been targeting military means, the Kremlin has been gear- and carried out by the so-called MGB (ana- sanctions against these media sources, which Ukrainian magistrates, government offi- ing up a broad spectrum of instruments – logue of KGB) of the separatist, Moscow- serve as platforms for Mr. Medvedchuk’s cials, attorneys and others. The victims including cyberattacks, disinformation, backed “Donetsk People’s Republic.” He ideas about “federalizing” Ukraine and regu- receive e-mails that contain attachments courting of pro-Russian politicians and pointedly did not exclude the possibility of larly air interviews with pro-Russian politi- with malware and viruses. Those attacks their supporters, inflaming of religious ten- further provocations to discredit the newly cians who fled the country along with then- “are not only testing destruction but also sions, as well as threats of further military created Orthodox Church of Ukraine (Ssu. president Viktor Yanukovych following the testing your reflexes,” Derevianko suggest- escalation – in order to put pressure on gov.ua, February 18). Euro-Maidan revolution in 2014 (Pravda. ed (Politico, February 14). Ukraine via its democratic process. Further leverage against Kyiv is likely to com.ua, October 3, 2018). While overt military aggression to derail Three main candidates have for weeks take the form of Moscow’s exploitation of Among other previously tested the Ukrainian elections will probably be the been leading the polls in the Ukrainian pres- far-right or extremist groups inside Ukraine. approaches are Russian cyberattacks. In last option for Russia, such a possibility idential campaign: incumbent President Dozens of such formations currently exist in 2017, a number of Ukrainian government should not be excluded out of hand. The Petro Poroshenko; a former prime minister the country, including C14, , institutions came under heavy attack from attack on the three small Ukrainian naval and leader of the Batkivshchyna party, Yulia Karpatska Sich and other groups, with many a virus called Petya, which took offline sev- ships and capture of their crew last Tymoshenko; and a famous comedian with of their members having acquired military eral crucial public computer networks, zero political experience, Volodymyr experience while fighting in eastern Ukraine. including those of the National Bank of (Continued on page 12) Zelensky. None of them can be described as Notably, at the start of the year, the Central “pro-Russian.” The most popular among the Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine regis- current pro-Russian candidates, Yuriy tered the far-right organization National Boyko, recently polled fourth, with 7.4 per- Squads as official observers during the cent of support among decided voters upcoming election (UNIAN, January 12). Crimean Tatars rally in Toronto (RBC, March, 4). According to local sources, the organization One of the methods (already being is loyal to current Internal Affairs Minister to protest ongoing Russian aggression observed) that the Kremlin is using in an and could cooperate with the attempt to influence the election in Ukraine National Police to prevent possible viola- by Antonina Kumka has been to enflame inter-religious ten- tions at polling places. In a recent interview, TORONTO – The Canadian Association sions in the country. At the beginning of the press secretary of the National Squads, of Crimean Tatars, in partnership with the January, Constantinople accorded the Ihor Vdovin, warned that his organization Toronto-based Kohorta NGO, held a rally on Ukrainian Orthodox Church a Tomos of could use force if police is found turning a February 23 in front of the Consulate Autocephaly, thus officially making it inde- blind eye to falsifications during the elec- General of the Russian Federation in pendent of the Moscow Patriarchate (that tions (Radiosvoboda.org, March 5). Toronto. The purpose of the event was to is, the Russian Orthodox Church). Shortly In case of broad involvement of such remind the world that Ukraine’s Crimean afterwards, Russian President Vladimir groups in the democratic process, the peninsula is still under Russian occupation. Putin openly declared that the Kremlin was Kremlin may seek to portray the elections It has been five years since Russian mili- ready to protect the religious rights of themselves as potentially illegitimate. Such tary without insignia seized the Crimean Orthodox parishioners in Ukraine and else- an information warfare campaign could be Parliament and installed their pro-Russian where (UNIAN, February 1). used to delegitimize the next Ukrainian pres- government, following an illegal referendum. By mid-February, the head of the ident to both Russian and foreign audiences. Since then, Ukrainians and Crimean Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Vasyl Russia is also likely to employ broader dis- Tatars residing on the peninsula have been subjected to persecutions and imprison- ment based on fabricated cases, tried by UWC election observation mission Kremlin kangaroo courts. The rally in Toronto was well-attended, Mykola Swarnyk launches work in Ukrainian capital as around 100 people participated, holding Rustem Irsay, president of the Canadian pictures of political prisoners and the 24 Association of Crimean Tatars. UWC Ukrainian sailors being in Russian custody, chanting, waving flags and singing the encouraged everyone to stay united against TORONTO – The head of the Ukrainian World Congress International Observation Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian and Canadian Russian aggression. Mission to Ukraine’s 2019 elections, Eugene Czolij, concluded a working visit to Kyiv anthems. The rally was organized as a reminder of on February 11-15 to launch the mission’s work in Ukraine. Rustem Irsay, president of the Canadian the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine. Within the framework of his visit, Mr. Czolij met with representatives of the gov- Association of Crimean Tatars, spoke about Organizers noted that, as time passes, the erning authorities, specifically with the Central Election Commission of Ukraine and how the Kremlin is destroying Crimea, per- world’s attention to Crimea and the war in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the leadership of other international and national secuting Crimean Tatars and sometimes Donbas fades. They underscored that we observation missions in Ukraine, as well as representatives of civil society in Ukraine killing them. must not forget and must continue doing working mainly in the areas of media monitoring and communications. Present and former Members of the all in our power to ensure that Russia de- The meetings focused on the preparation of the Ukrainian presidential election on Canadian Federal Parliament Peter Kent occupies the Ukrainian territories and March 31, and the monitoring of this process by the UWC mission. Mr. Czolij noted and Ted Opitz, Conservative MP candidate releases all Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar that the UWC mission will be deploying long-term remote observers to monitor for Etobicoke Center, addressed the pro- political prisoners. media and short-term observers to monitor the voting process throughout Ukraine testers, as well as called for harsher sanc- and in Ukraine’s diplomatic missions around the world. The UWC mission will tions against Russian officials. Yvan Baker, Antonina Kumka is the president of encompass the work of the Election Observation Mission of the Ukrainian Congress Liberal MP candidate for Etobicoke Center, Kohorta NGO. Committee of America. On February 11, Mr. Czolij joined a coordination meeting of international observa- tion missions at the Embassy of Canada that discussed issues related to changes in the electoral legislation of Ukraine, deployment of long- and short-term observers, organization of workshops and publication of reports. The efficient exchange of information between missions was discussed during individual meetings with the leadership of observation missions including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Mission Canada – Ukraine Elections 2019 (CANADEM) and the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO). Meetings with experts in the field of media monitoring and communications touched upon the monitoring activities of long-term remote observers of the UWC mission and coverage of the electoral process in Ukraine by foreign media Mr. Czolij was accompanied to these meetings by Maryna Iaroshevych, advisor to the head of the UWC mission and director of the UWC Mission to International Organizations in Brussels. Antonina Kumka, president of Kohorta NGO, speaks at the rally. 4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

Ukrainian Catholic hierarchs in the U.S. Philadelphia Archeparchy Chancery staff meet with new metropolitan-archbishop welcomes metropolitan-archbishop-elect

Oleh Kovalskyy Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia Metropolitan-Archbishop-elect (front, center) with Ukrainian Metropolitan-Archbishop-elect Borys Gudziak is welcomed to Philadelphia by the Catholic of the U.S.: (front row) Auxiliary Bishops Andriy Rabiy and John Chancery staff of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy. Bura, (back row) Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk, Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky, OSBM, and Bishop . by Very Rev. Archpriest John M. Fields During this time, he briefly shared his goals for the archeparchy and also asked the staff by Very Rev. Archpriest John M. Fields plans for the entire Metropolia. PHILADELPHIA – Friday morning, members for their prayers and to express The following hierarchs attended the March 1, while a graceful cascade of white what their expectations were of him: “What PHILADELPHIA – The Ukrainian Catholic provincial meeting with Metropolitan- snowflakes gently fell to the ground, the do you need of your new archbishop? What hierarchs of the United States had an oppor- Archbishop-elect Borys: Auxiliary Bishop Chancery staff of the Ukrainian Catholic type of archbishop do you want?” tunity to meet and pray with the new met- Andriy Rabiy, apostolic administrator, and Archeparchy welcomed the Metropolitan- Some of his thoughts included how he ropolitan-archbishop of Philadelphia, Borys Auxiliary Bishop of the Archbishop-elect Borys Gudziak to the wanted to lead the archeparchy as a spiri- Gudziak, on March 5 and 6. Philadelphia Archeparchy; Stamford archieparchial pastoral center. tual brother, father and shepherd, who On Wednesday morning, March 6, the Eparchy Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky, OSBM; Standing in front of a banner reading, would inspire the presbyterate, the reli- bishops began the day by praying the First Chicago Eparchy of St. Nicholas Bishop “Welcome, Metropolitan Borys” in both gious and the laity, the entire archeparchy, Hour in the Archbishop’s Chapel, led by Benedict Aleksiychuk; Parma Eparchy of St. English and Ukrainian, featuring the to grow in their relationship to Christ. Metropolitan-Archbishop-elect Borys. Josaphat Bishop Bohdan Danylo. Ukrainian colors of blue and gold, Bishop He emphasized: “I want to be a good lis- During the daylong meeting, the bishops The new metropolitan-archbishop of the Andriy Rabiy offered a warm welcome to tener and I ask you to be my teachers.” discussed plans for the week of prayerful Philadelphia Archeparchy is a native of Archbishop Borys, as he was presented Archbishop Borys reflected on two qual- events June 2 through June 9 that will be held Syracuse, N.Y. He was named to this hierar- with the traditional greeting of bread and ities his mother sought to impress upon in conjunction with the pontifical divine lit- chical position by on February salt and a bouquet of sunflowers. him and instill in him – kindness and gen- urgy and enthronement ceremony of the 18. At the time of his appointment, Bishop After the welcome, Archbishop Borys tleness – character traits that he hopes can new metropolitan-archbishop on Tuesday, Borys was the eparch of St. Volodymyr the met with the staff in the Chancery confer- be shared in his relationships with the cler- June 4, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Great Eparchy of Paris serving France, ence room for an informal get-together. gy, religious and laity. the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia. Benelux and Switzerland. With the theme “From Heart to Heart,” Auxiliary Bishop Andriy has been serv- the eight days of prayer, celebration, unity ing as apostolic administrator of the and mission outreach on the occasion of the archeparchy since his appointment by Pope New metropolitan visits Basilian Sisters inauguration of the ministry of the new Francis after the holy father accepted the metropolitan-archbishop will encompass all resignation for health reasons of by Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski the clergy, religious and faithful, especially Metropolitan-Archbishop on the youth, not only of the Philadelphia April 16, 2018. FOX CHASE MANOR, Pa. – On Saturday, Archeparchy, but of all of the eparchies of March 2, the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the United States and throughout the world. The Very Rev. Archpriest John M. Fields is the Great in Fox Chase were surprised and thrilled by a visit from Metropolitan- The bishops also shared and discussed communications director of the Ukrainian Archbishop-elect Borys Gudziak, who was their pastoral plans for their individual Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of recently appointed by Pope Francis to serve eparchies for 2019 and 2020, together with Philadelphia. as head of the Ukrainian in the United States of America. Accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy, Metropolitan-Archbishop- New metropolitan visits Washington parish elect Borys spent part of the afternoon con- versing with the sisters, sharing the vision he has for the archeparchy and eliciting ideas from the sisters about future endeav- ors. It was an enlightening conversation during which the hierarch also shared sto- Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski Metropolitan-Archbishop-elect Borys Gudziak is greeted and welcomed by the Sisters of St. Basil the Great. ries of his experiences while serving as spiritual leader of St. Volodymyr the Great Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, which includes France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Switzerland. The most touching and endearing aspect of the conversation was the openness and vulnerability of Metropolitan-Archbishop- elect Borys as he asked what the Basilian WASHINGTON – The recently appointed archbishop of Philadelphia and metropoli- Sisters expected of him as archbishop-met- tan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S., Borys Gudziak, visited Washington ropolitan. This was a most impressive reve- on March 10 and participated in the Sunday liturgy at the Ukrainian Catholic National lation about his vision of leadership – a Shrine of the Holy Family and the welcoming reception that followed. In the photograph commitment to lead by listening. above, the metropolitan-archbishop-elect is joined in front of the altar on his left by The Sisters of St. Basil said they look for- Bishop John Bura and the Rev. Wasyl Kharuk, and on his right by Catholic University ward to a warm relationship with the new Vice-President the Rev. Mark Morozowich and the Rev. Robert Hitchens. Also joining Sister Bernarda Arkotin with new archbishop and extended to him their them are a few Ukrainian seminarians and altar boys. metropolitan-archbishop-elect of the heartfelt support and a “Mnohaya Lita” to – Yaro Bihun Philadelphia Archeparchy. wish him many happy and healthy years. No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 5

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM UNA CELEBRATES 125 YEARS: A snapshot from history, 1985

Seen in the photo above are the participants of the 10th Conference of UNA District Committee Chairs held at Soyuzivka on June A photo archive of UNA history has been launched 18-19, 1985. The conference was convened by UNA Supreme Organizer Stefan Hawrysz. Speakers included Supreme President on the UNA website. It is a work in progress that will John O. Flis, Supreme Vice-President Myron B. Kuropas, Supreme Secretary Walter Sochan, Supreme Treasurer Ulana Diachuk be expanded and refined. To take a look, go to and Mr. Hawrysz. At that time, the UNA had 27 active district committees (out of 30) across the United States and Canada. unainc.org/una/the-una-is-125-years-old/. UNA Ukrainian Heritage Day Camp at Soyuzivka geared toward children age 4-8 by Ksenia Olsen KERHONKSON, N.Y. – Soyuzivka Heritage Center will host its popular UNA Ukrainian Heritage Day Camp again this summer dur- ing the weeks beginning on Sundays, July 14 and July 21. This weeklong camp is geared toward children age 4-8 and families who have a desire for their children to learn more about their Ukrainian heritage. The camp is held with the sponsorship of the Ukrainian National Association. The theme this year will be farms and farm animals. Past themes from recent years include characters from Ukrainian folklore, the Black Sea and “Lys Mykyta.” Children stay at the resort with their caretakers and enjoy a half day of activities, which include Ukrainian dancing, singing, arts and crafts, stories and games. While the children enjoy camp, moms, dads, grandmothers or aunts are free to enjoy some time to themselves at the resort or venture out to the local attractions in Ulster County. Some of these include mountain Campers and counselors at the Friday night closing program of the UNA Ukrainian Heritage Day Camp.

climbing at the majestic Shawangunk off their best vyshyvanky. On Thursday Mountains, hiking at Lake Minnewaska, nights after dinner there is a bonfire during shopping at the Woodbury Common which families participate in fun skits and Outlets or touring nearby vineyards. songs with plenty of marshmallows to go As the 2019 theme will be farms, the around. The fun week culminates with a children will learn about animals and food Friday evening dance and song recital by that grows on a farm. This year’s camp will the children followed by an Odesa Night feature a cooking challenge with some of dinner. the vegetables campers harvest with By Friday night, all have made new, dear “celebrity” judges offering their critiques. friends and gained knowledge about their There will also be an afternoon scavenger Ukrainian culture. The older generation is hunt, the kids’ favorite Water Olympiad and able to rekindle old friendships and memo- special surprise guests. ries that are unique to a Soyuzivka vacation. The afternoons are perfect for family The Ukrainian cultural heritage is so time at the pool or playground. Returning special, and the aim of UNA Ukrainian favorites include the popular Tuesday night Heritage Camp is to help a new generation movie night/pajama party, Wednesday discover the Ukrainian part of themselves, Bohdana Puzyk night’s singing concert and Hutsul night make lifelong friends and perpetuate tradi- Campers and their families enjoy the Thursday night bonfire. dinner, during which guests enjoy showing tions. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

FOR THE RECORD The Ukrainian Weekly The U.N. says they’re POWs U.S. ambassador’s remarks Last week in this space we focused on the 24 Ukrainian sailors captured near the Kerch Strait by Russia back in November of last year – a deliberate and dangerous on fi ghting corruption in Ukraine violation of international maritime law – and the fact that as of March 5 they had been held for 100 days. On the occasion of that distressing milestone, the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG) wrote: “Russia’s behavior was condemned by the international community, but the sanctions thus far have been ‘like a pinprick to an elephant,’ according to Nikolai Polozov, the coordinator of the lawyers repre- senting the 24 POWs.” This week, KHPG reported on “an important first”: a report by a United Nations body forthrightly called the 24 servicemen prisoners of war. “In its first quarterly report since Russia’s attack on three Ukrainian naval ships near Crimea, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has clearly stated that Russia is in breach of international humanitarian law and that the 24 Ukrainians seized on 25 November 2018 are prisoners of war. This is the first time that such an international body has spelled this out, demolishing Russia’s attempts to deny that the 24 men are POWs, and highlighting Russia’s continuing violations in trying to foist criminal charges upon the men,” the eminent human rights group underscored. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) opened its “Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine 16 November 2018 to 15 February U.S. Embassy Kyiv 2019” with a section on violations of international humanitarian law, in which it is Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch speaks at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. noted: “by virtue of the continued occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, an international armed conflict continues to exist between the two states in Crimea and Remarks by Ambassador Marie integrity to move one step closer to becom- international humanitarian law continues to apply there. As such, a single hostile Yovanovitch on the occasion of the fifth anni- ing Supreme Court justices. This could encounter between the armed forces or assimilated armed units of two sovereign versary of the Ukraine Crisis Media Center’s result in a Supreme Court in which 30 per- states, as the 25 November 2018 incident, suffices to trigger the application of inter- founding, March 5. Source: U.S. Embassy Kyiv. cent of the justices have demonstrated national humanitarian law, irrespective of the pre-existence of an armed conflict.” flawed professional ethics, which we believe Furthermore, the OHCHR does not buy Russia’s denials that the captive sailors … the United States has been proud to is unsuited to the highest court in the land. are POWs. It points out that “based on the provisions of international humanitarian partner with UCMC [Ukraine Crisis Media Judicial integrity, I think everybody has law, the 24 detained crew members could be considered as prisoners of war and Center] since its beginning. Today, I think recognized, is crucial to transforming protected by the Third Geneva Convention. In any case, they shall enjoy the status of UCMC sets an example for many other media Ukraine into a modern, prosperous a prisoner of war until a competent tribunal determines otherwise.” KHPG com- organizations in Ukraine in its objectivity European democracy. But instead of build- ments that, though the OHCHR was cautious in its language and left the determina- and steadfast commitment to the truth. ing that future, what we’re seeing are some tion of the sailors’ status to some unnamed “competent tribunal,” it went farther That role, and that example, I think, is actions by the courts – or the courts being than the earlier resolution adopted in January by the Parliamentary Assembly of the especially critical today. Because as we used in a way – to block the reforms and Council of Europe (PACE), which KHPG characterized as “downright timid.” have marked the fifth anniversary – not just some of the progress that Ukraine has Also this week, Olha Oprysko, daughter of senior seaman Andriy Oprysko of the of UCMC but also of the Euro-Maidan – it’s made. … Nikopol, and Natalia Mokriak, mother of Lt. Roman Mokriak, commander of the clear that Ukraine is still working – and in It is increasingly clear that Ukraine’s Berdyansk, were at the United Nations in New York to speak about the plight of the some cases struggling – to live up to the once-in-a-generation opportunity for men held captive by Russia and to underline that they are indeed POWs. They held aspirations of the Revolution of Dignity. change, for which such a high price was an informative press conference within the framework of the 63rd session of the Let there be no doubt – and I think paid five years ago on the Maidan, has not U.N. Commission on the Status of Women to make their case to the world. everyone in the room would come up with yet resulted in the anti-corruption or rule In the meantime, KHPG is encouraging the public to write letters to the POWs. their own examples – of the many impor- of law reforms that Ukrainians expect or “Getting any letter is an important message to them – and to Moscow – that they are tant areas where Ukraine has progressed deserve. not forgotten,” the KHPG explains, while adding, “Letters need to be in Russian, over the last five years. So, I’ll give you my But, you know, the fight is not over, even unfortunately, and will be passed by the censor, so please avoid any mention of their list, but it’s certainly not an exclusive list. after the tangible progress since the cases, politics, etc.” Readers interested in expressing their support for the sailors There’s the new anti-corruption institu- Revolution of Dignity. may look at KHPG’s website (http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1552425883) for tions, stabilizing the banking system, the men’s names and suggestions on how to send such messages. It’s the least we encouraging the growth of civil soci- can do for these brave POWs. ety, building a new police force based It is increasingly clear on Western standards, implementing decentralization, and the list goes on. that Ukraine’s once-in-a- None of these reforms is complete. generation opportunity It’s always a process, I think in life as Turning the pages back... well as the history of countries, but for change, for which March progress has been made, and it’s been important progress. And I think such a high price was Five years ago, on March 21, 2014, Russia’s illegal annexation it shows what Ukraine is capable of paid fi ve years ago on 21 of Crimea was formalized in Moscow with pomp, flair and over- when the government, all of Ukraine’s compensation for “normalcy” during a televised and showy sign- institutions, and the Ukrainian people the Maidan, has not ing ceremony that officially absorbed Crimea into the Russian 2014 work together. yet resulted in the anti- Federation. And I think media has an especial- Pavel Felgenhauer, in his analysis, expected Russia was shift- ly important role to play in Ukraine’s corruption or rule of law ing its focus from Crimea to Ukraine’s mainland. The timeline of events that transpired progress and also in exposing corrup- reforms that Ukrainians from the initial Russian invasion to the signing ceremony took just 22 days, he noted. tion. On February 27, 2014, up to 120 heavily armed gunmen, reportedly a Russian Special We were just reminded last week, expect or deserve. Forces unit, arrived from Sevastopol and occupied the regional legislature and government and even last night, when reporters buildings in Symferopol. Under the control of these armed military units, who had hoisted informed the public about the Russian flags over the buildings, Crimean legislators installed Sergey Aksyonov as prime Constitutional Court’s decision to eliminate As observers of Ukraine during this elec- minister of Crimea. Mr. Aksyonov, who led the unpopular local Russian Unity party (which the illicit enrichment offense from the received 4 percent in 2010 elections), also has alleged ties to organized crime in Crimea. tion year, we’ve noticed that since the Criminal Code. And investigative journal- Ukrainian people want change in their lives On March 6, the Crimean authorities announced a referendum for March 16, 2014, to ists, last week and last night, revealed alle- join Russia immediately. “Crimean Tatar leaders had called for a boycott of the vote, but and in their government, everyone styles gations of corruption in the defense sector. themselves as a reformer. So what are some the officially announced results were overwhelmingly Soviet-: almost 97 percent The Constitutional Court’s decision is, voted to join Russia, with a turnout of over 83 percent,” Mr. Felgenhauer wrote. of the things that are being discussed in we believe, a serious setback in the fight Ukraine today, initiatives that could move The constitutional amendments were approved by the Russian Duma within two days, against corruption in Ukraine. It weakens and on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Aksyonov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and help institutionalize the transforma- Ukraine’s anti-corruption architecture, tion that Ukrainians seek? Crimean Parliament chairman, and Alexei Chaly, a Russian businessman, declared a “peo- including the soon-to-be established High ple’s mayor of Sevastopol” after the collapse of the Yanukovych regime, and they signed a I think one thing, coming after last Anti-Corruption Court and the National week’s decision, would be passing – actual- treaty of accession of Crimea into Russia. Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. By March 24, the Ukrainian flag was lowered from the last remaining Ukrainian outpost ly passing, not just proposing – a new and And that news from the Constitutional better amendment to the Criminal Code in Crimea. The decision was made to evacuate all the remaining Ukrainian servicemen Court broke in parallel with other concern- with their families out of Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland. Some of the servicemen that not only restores illicit enrichment as ing developments in the judicial reform an anti-corruption tool but reinstates the decided to remain and shift loyalty to Russia. The occupying forces were keen to stir up process. animosity and confusion within the Ukrainian military, as Russia set its sites on mainland dozens of cases that were undermined by We understand that the High Qualificat- the court decision. Ukraine. ions Commission is poised to approve as (Continued on page 15) many as 31 candidates with questionable (Continued on page 16) No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 7

FOR THE RECORD FROM FAR Poroshenko speaks at United Nations AND WIDE about occupied territories of Ukraine by Marco Levytsky Canadian report details extent of Russian disinformation Canada’s prestigious non-partisan think- Russians against fascists was also used to tank the MacDonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) justify the Kremlin’s illegal annexation of has recently come out with a scathing, but Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.” comprehensive, report outlining the full Mr. Kolga focuses quite a bit on the 2016 extent and threat of Russian propaganda. U.S. presidential election, noting how Although it was written primarily for the Kremlin disinformation focused not only benefit of a Canadian readership, its find- on the far-right, but also on the far-left, ings and recommendations are worthy of Green Party Candidate Jill Stein in particu- attention by the world as a whole, lar. He also details Russian hacking proce- Americans in particular. dures: Titled “Stemming the Virus: “In June 2017, Vladimir Putin told Understanding and Responding to the reporters that a child could have easily Threat of Russian Disinformation,” the hacked the U.S. presidential campaign. We

Presidential Administration of Ukraine 64-page report, written by MLI Senior now know that he was fully aware of how Fellow Marcus Kolga, a leading Canadian his GRU agents performed the hack, and President Petro Poroshenko speaking before the United Nations on February 20. expert on Russian and Central and Eastern that the process was indeed remarkably Following are excerpts from a statement about the fact that for five years the European issues, terms the Russian uncomplicated. In essence, the Russians by President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine at Ukrainian people have been living amid the Federation’s cyberwarfare a virus “infecting used some easily created online tools to the United Nations General Assembly debate longest hot conflict in Europe in modern and then replicating itself independently trick Democratic Party and Clinton cam- on agenda item 67, “The situation in the history. … within Western societies.” Its objective, he paign officials into giving up their e-mail temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” First, Russia grabbed Crimea, then it notes, is to “tear apart our society and passwords in a process called phishing. on February 20. Source: Presidential turned Donbas into a battlefield, and then it undermine our trust in our government, This information was then used to access Administration of Ukraine. continued its aggression in the Sea of Azov, media institutions, and each other.” and steal e-mails from their accounts and the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. “Truth is a mere nuisance in today’s access other systems, including analytics …Today marks the fifth anniversary of As a result, 44,000 square km, or 7 percent world of Kremlin propaganda. In the and voter data. E-mails were stolen and the start of the foreign military aggression of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and course of its conflict against Ukraine, passed to Wikileaks, who released them on against my country, Ukraine. …Five years ago eastern parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Russian state news has boldly fabricated behalf of Kremlin agents. Stolen voter data 100 innocent lives, not only Ukrainians, but regions, are currently under occupation. facts and evidence to support its positions, were used to suppress votes in key battle- also Belarusians, Armenians, Jews and many The Russian aggression has left 13,000 including fake interviews and even images. ground states, Wisconsin and Michigan.” others were lost in the name of Ukraine’s people killed and more than 28,000 During the 2013-2014 Euro-Maidan upris- In terms of concrete action, Mr. Kolga independence, dignity and freedom. wounded. This number also includes 298 ings in Ukraine, Russian television broad- recommends that the government create a When after the loss of the Heavenly passengers of flight MH17, shot down in cast interviews with people who were dedicated office for safeguarding Canadian Hundred in Kyiv the U.N. General Assembly July 2014 by the Russian military from a secretly actors, alleging that Ukrainian ‘fas- democracy against manipulation by disin- adopted the resolution on territorial integ- BUK missile system. More than 1.8 million cists’ had committed atrocities, including formation, foreign intelligence active mea- rity and sovereignty of Ukraine with 100 residents of Crimea and Donbas had to the crucifixion of a child by Ukrainian forc- sures, cyberattacks and influence cam- votes in favor, it was not only symbolic – it leave their homes due to Russia’s aggres- es. In the case of the 2014 downing of a paigns. This office, which Mr. Kolga coins as was the right thing to do. sion and occupation. … civilian aircraft, Malaysian Airlines Flight the National Center for Strategic ...the General Assembly, without any loss As in any war, the first casualty of MH17, U.K. investigative collective Communications and Digital Democracy, of time, adopted a resolution in March Moscow’s aggression was the truth. The Bellingcat discovered that Kremlin agents would be responsible for five primary 2014 reiterating Ukraine’s sovereignty occupation started with infamous “little manufactured evidence to cover up Russian actions: within internationally recognized borders. green men” and Kremlin’s outright and state involvement in the crime,” it states. - It was a timely reaction to Russia’s illegal shameful denial of its military involvement It also notes that “the distortion and fal- mation and influence campaigns; attempts to redraw the borders in Europe in the takeover of the Ukrainian Crimea. sification of history is a critical component • Monitor, detect and identify disinfor- with the illegal annexation of Crimea. of Vladimir Putin’s domestic and foreign arm disinformation and influence cam- …now for a third year in a row – the Instead, the world and the public were fed • Develop strategies to combat and dis General Assembly adopts the resolution on with lies about “mythical local self-defense strategy.” paigns; the human rights in the Autonomous units,” which somehow overnight became The report says: “The Putin regime’s Republic of Crimea and the city of equipped with the latest Russian weaponry. legitimacy depends on the presence of awareness for personal, corporate and Sevastopol. Unbelievable for many, but this Only later, the Russian President publicly powerful enemies that, they claim, are political• Increase use; cyber literacy and security resolution recognizes Russia, a permanent admitted that it had indeed been the opera- seeking to undermine and destroy Russia; member of the U.N. Security Council, as an tion by the Russian military. Putin is presented as the only Russian lead- companies to curb the spread of disinfor- occupying power. Putin’s confession makes the Russian er capable of protecting his country and its mation,• Work identify with social bots andmedia trolls, and ensure other techpri- … just a few months ago the General narrative regarding the so-called “local ref- people. vacy is protected, etc.; Assembly supported Ukraine’s request and erendum” a surreal one. The vote was held “A classic Soviet tactic was to label all adopted a resolution condemning the mili- at gunpoint, and it was nothing but part of Western adversaries as ‘fascists,’ a propa- international partnerships with various tarization of Crimea, the Black Sea and the the Russia’s aggressive plan. Let me repeat: ganda tradition revived and expanded by domestic• Expand and existinginternational and developorganizations new Sea of Azov. the referendum in March 2014 was a fake. the Putin regime. The fascist label is an to help carry out monitoring, detection and I am grateful for maintaining such close …It has absolutely nothing to do with extremely useful tool. Russians see it as counter-disinformation activities. attention of the Assembly to Ukraine and democracy, nor with the free will of people. synonymous with ‘enemy.’ When applied The conclusion of the report is most per- our region, where Russia is getting …On April 13, 2014, this war claimed its by the state, it requires little in the way of ceptive and applies to the United States, extremely aggressive – both on the land first victim in Donbas. His name was explanation and is simply accepted. In the just as much as it does to Canada: “As long and on the sea. … Hennadiy Bilichenko. He was a Ukrainian West, the term has been used interchange- as Vladimir Putin remains in power, so too Today’s consideration by the U.N. officer, a part of the group that had strict ably with ‘Nazi’ to better inflict the greatest does the menace of information warfare General Assembly of a new agenda item orders “not to respond to provocations.” amount of propaganda damage. … and the escalating danger of allowing our ”Situation in the temporarily occupied ter- Back then we had an illusion that the war “Today, the term is applied liberally to own democracies to spin into the venom- ritories of Ukraine” is a clear testimony of was still avoidable. … anyone who disagrees with the Putin ous political dysfunction that we have seen the Assembly’s readiness to address press- The Kremlin continues to deny any regime. Ukraine’s Euro-Maidan uprising in the U.S. and elsewhere. Canada’s ing issues. … involvement of the Russian military in the has been characterized as a western-sup- response must be robust and take into On this very day in 2014, Russia started , despite the overwhelming ported ‘fascist’ coup (and simultaneously as account all sources and methods of how its covert military invasion in Ukraine in evidence proving the opposite. …Five years a Jewish and gay conspiracy). Defending foreign information warfare and democrat- clear violation of norms and principles of the onwards, Moscow continues to send its reg- ic interference are conducted. Most impor- U.N. Charter. On March 3 this war claimed its ular military forces and proxies to Donbas. Marco Levytsky may be contacted at tantly, we must be prepared for a very long first victim: Reshat Ametov – a Crimean Last November the Russian naval forces [email protected]. fight.” Tatar. He went on a peaceful one-man pro- committed a direct, brutal and unprovoked test against aggression. Russians detained attack on Ukrainian warships in the inter- him, tortured and murdered him. … national waters of the Black Sea. Russia’s This was just the beginning of the horror Visit our archive online: www.ukrweekly.com in Russian-occupied Crimea. Just think (Continued on page 18) 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11 No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 9

Arberie Hetemi Sophia Kachmar Yuliya Voznyuk, Miss Ukrainian NJ. During the award ceremony at the Miss Ukrainian NJ competition. UNWLA facilitates young women’s participation in humanitarian projects for Ukraine

by Orysia Soroka the younger generation to become interested in volunteer- ing and service to Ukraine and to those in need of assis- Back on November 11, 2018, the grand finale of the Miss tance. Ukrainian NJ competition was held in the beautiful Excelsior restaurant (Saddle Brook, N.J.). Ukrainian National Women’s Girls, preparing for and participating in the compe- League of America (UNWLA) Branch 137 of Clifton, N.J., orga- tition was not the easiest assignment. How did you like nized this artistic contest in order to achieve multiple goals, the competition? What did you learn about the UNWLA including sharing information about Ukrainian culture, high- in the last months? lighting the knowledge, talents and community involvement Ms. Rak: For me, participation in the finale was like of young Ukrainian women, and raising funds to support edu- being a part of a beautiful Ukrainian fairy tale. The sched- cational and humanitarian projects of the UNWLA. ule before the finale was packed – there were two photo Three of the winners of the competition traveled to sessions, different workshops. But despite the hectic Ukraine on January 9-16 as ambassadors of the UNWLA and schedule, we had the opportunity to spend time together to participate in the Kraina Win-Win program. and become friends during these busy days. I hope that This writer sat down with event organizers and partici- such contests will continue, and we would love to help the pants to discuss the contest, the current and future projects UNWLA in its mission, in the organization and execution. It of the UNWLA, and the involvement of the younger genera- would be a pleasure to work with such a creative and ener- tion in volunteer work. getic group. Participating in the discussion were: Marianna Zajac, It looks like everyone – the participating girls, the audi- UNWLA president; Valentyna Tabaka, UNWLA Branch 137 ence and the guests, enjoyed this show. The Consulate president; Yuliya Voznyuk, Miss Ukrainian NJ; Anna Rak, sec- General of Ukraine in New York shared the information on ond runner-up and Miss Popularity; and Kamila Ivashko, its website [https://ny.mfa.gov.ua/ua/news/consular- Miss Personality. news/68514-vitajemo-peremozhnicyu-konkursu-miss- ukrainian-new-jersey-2018-juliju-voznyuk]. Your hard UNWLA Branch 137 is one of the newest branches work and that of your branch members was very success- (established in 2015) with all its members being from ful. But looking at the Miss Ukrainian NJ Facebook and the latest wave of immigration. The UNWLA is one of the Instagram pages, we found that in January Yuliya Voznyuk, oldest Ukrainian American organizations. How does it Denys Koliada feel to work within such an established institution? Anna Rak and Kamila Ivashko participated in the Kraina UNWLA representatives at the Christmas and New Year Win-Win program. [Founded by the NGO Go Great, this Ms. Tabaka: Learning about the enormous workload Charity Ball in Kyiv with Natalia Uvarova, president of project aims to create a network of local communities in that “Soyuzianky” [members of the UNWLA] faced over the the Orphans Are Our Children charity fund. the diaspora for advocating Ukrainian issues on both the course of more than 90 years, we feel deep respect towards national and international platforms.] Instead of relaxing the Ukrainian women, who not only had the awareness but encourage UNWLA branches from other states to orga- nize similar events? after preparing and executing such a large-scale event, you also made the time to take care of their families as well as started a new project. Please tell us about this new devel- the larger Ukrainian community. The recent events in Ms. Zajac: Yes, I was very happy to be one of the judges opment in your branch activity. Ukraine (, war in Donbas) give us no choice at this exciting competition. It was clear from the beginning but to participate in some kind of volunteer activity, and to the very end of this event that UNWLA Branch 137’s Ms. Tabaka: An important assignment for us is to pro- the UNWLA, with its established goals, dedication and members put a lot of thought into the planning and a lot of mote the concept of volunteering and charitable work financial transparency, was the best option for us. hard, detailed worked into the execution of the evening. among the younger generation The Kraina Win-Win pro- The enthusiasm and excitement of the contestants was felt gram is a perfect fit because it combines official and profes- Why did you decide to organize the Miss Ukrainian sional meetings, workshops with influential Ukrainian NJ competition? by all as the lovely young women entered the banquet hall. It was evident also that the contestants put a lot of effort leaders and reformers, interesting cultural programs and We attended the Miss Ukrainian Canada and Miss and originality into their preparation for the evening. good, plain fun by touring Ukrainian highlights to visit dif- Ukrainian Diaspora competitions and liked their organiz- This was an evening of contrasts, heartwarming con- ferent places. It was complicated to put together the Miss ers’ approach – to present the modern young Ukrainian trasts. Although these were modern young women com- Ukrainian NJ humanitarian mission through participation in this program. But it was a great pleasure to support the woman, a woman who harmoniously combines beauty of peting, many of them professionals in their fields, each of Kraina Win-Win organizers, and we were very happy to see the soul and the body, intellect, work ethic, and proactive the 13 participants wore a traditional Ukrainian costume the huge transformation and personal growth in our girls compassion. Also this aligns with UNWLA goals. The grand (many of which were family heirlooms) and was asked to after their short trip to Ukraine. finale became a place of celebration of Ukrainian culture describe the origins and details of each component of the and the popularization of knowledge about the modern costume. Although such a pageant often focuses only on The UNWLA Executive Board financially supported style of Ukrainian life among Americans. superficial beauty, this event focused on the whole person the participation of the girls in the Kraina Win-Win An important part of the competition was the fund-rais- – on her accomplishments, her volunteerism, her knowl- program. What future UNWLA projects will involve the ing for the existing humanitarian, cultural and educational edge about and love for Ukrainian culture and traditions. young Ukrainian diaspora? projects of the UNWLA. The winner chose which projects I congratulate Branch 137 for the unique idea and for she wanted to coordinate with, to distribute the proceeds Ms. Zajac: Yes, when the proposal was made by Branch their determination. I think that other UNWLA branch of this charity event as a representative of the UNWLA and 137 members to send the girls to participate in the winter members were interested to read about the competition in become the UNWLA Ambassador of Goodwill. session of the Kraina Win-Win program, I took the oppor- the February 2019 issue of Our Life, the UNWLA’s monthly tunity to learn about it and agreed that this was a unique, You were invited to be one of the competition judg- magazine, and I would indeed encourage other branches to es. What are your impressions of this event? Will you initiate such events in their communities in order to attract (Continued on page 17) 10 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11 No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 11 Christina Saj’s “Transformative Paintings”: An immersive experience for museum visitors

The Ukrainian Museum NEW YORK – “Re:Create – Christina Saj’s Transformative Paintings” is an installation by the Ukrainian American contemporary artist currently on view at The Ukrainian Museum. The artworks on display in the “Re:Create” gal- lery greet the viewer with an explosion of vivid color and myriad stylized shapes that allude to nature as well as con- structed objects. However, the 12 compositions with Ms. Saj’s signature bright and colorfully patterned palette are much more than just works of art to be appreciated and studied. The artist invites visitors to take part in the creative process by changing her paintings, and then invites online viewers to participate by studying these various “new” versions. The installation thus functions on two levels: a tactile and transformative experience for those who visit the gal- lery in person, and a visual feast in virtual space for those who choose to watch the exhibition’s evolution online. The

Volodymyr Gritsyk A gallery view of “Re:Create – Christina Saj’s Transformative Paintings”: on the left is “Inferno” (2018, mixed media on steel panel, 57 x 48 inches); on the right, “In the Moonlight” (2018, mixed media on steel panel, 70 x 42 inches); in the center, pole with magnetized objects. museum hopes “Re:Create” will be equally engaging and allows avid Instagram users to watch an ever-transforming cathartic for the participant who joins the artist as a collab- portfolio of art through the exhibition’s lifetime. orator, and for the online observer of the evolving images. Making art is a visceral activity, and Ms. Saj’s goal with Each piece in the exhibition is a large, titled, metal- this installation is to engage casual museum visitors as “co- backed panel painted by Ms. Saj. The artist’s painted images artists” without getting bogged down by messy materials act as a framework upon which visitors can build a person- and long involved processes. Their actions and reactions alized new work. The viewer is asked to respond to the are immediate, and the resulting works become part of a painted panels not by adding more paint but by working dialogue between collaborators. with a variety of pre-painted, magnetized objects – abstract, “I want visitors to experience working with color, shape, figurative, patterned, big, small – designed to adhere to the and ideas in order to see how abstraction and pattern hap- panels. Visitors can add, remove, and rearrange the pieces pen and relate, and how combinations of different images as they see fit, and then post photographs of their creations allow for reinvention and even distortion of meaning. I am on Instagram using the #RecreateAtUM hashtag. thus inviting the otherwise casual observer to become co- Thus, Ms. Saj’s original works provide a backdrop for the creator and to engage in thinking like an artist. As artists, new creations, and the interaction by visitors offers a mul- we are always being asked to explain our process, and here tidimensional experience that is at once instructional, I have consciously allowed the audience in with the intent insightful, imaginative and, above all, stimulating and fun. to encourage individual commitment to the creative pro- As museum visitors increasingly seek to engage in more cess,” she explains. immersive experiences, Ms. Saj meets the challenge in this Ms. Saj wants visitors who have never created a painting groundbreaking exhibition by changing the dialogue before to think about their compositions in ways that art- between artist and viewer. She encourages the audience to ists are trained to do. She hopes that the experience will co-create a piece of art which then remains as part of the vir- leave participants with a deeper understanding and more tual exhibition. Participants documenting their work using rewarding encounters with artworks everywhere. the Instagram hashtag #RecreateAtUM allow their rendering The project was conceived when Membership Committee Christina Saj’s “Above the Clouds” (2018, mixed media to become part of a continuous feed of images created for the on steel panel, 70 x 42 inches). duration of the installation. Following #RecreateAtUM (Continued on page 17) Interactive exhibition attracts new generation of museum-goers

The Ukrainian Museum inspired new interpretations of Ms. Saj’s original panels. The Ukrainian Museum came together through the hard The evening’s program also included a private tour of work of a wonderful team that was engaged specifically for NEW YORK – A special preview night for college stu- the timely exhibition, “Andy Warhol: Endangered Species” this project. It included Katherine Gudziak, who spear- dents and young professionals of the exhibition “Re:Create (which closed February 17). The event concluded with headed marketing; Xenia Vitovych, a contributing photog- – Christina Saj’s Transformative Paintings” took place on thoughts exchanged about plans to build on the evening’s rapher; and Lya Kotys, who headed design. The members January 12 at The Ukrainian Museum. success and form a group of young museum supporters. of the Membership Committee, in particular the committee Christina Lewicky, a member of the museum’s The college students and young professionals event at chair, Alla Leshko, served as an invaluable advisors. Membership Committee, conceived and proposed the proj- ect in an effort to engage a new generation of Museum sup- porters. Ms. Lewicky’s vision was to organize an exclusive, out-of-the-box event for college students and young profes- sionals that would better acquaint them with The Ukrainian Museum. With this goal in mind, she approached the artist Christina Saj and asked her to create a participatory art experience that would anchor the evening’s program. Taking her cue to develop a new kind of approach to reach young museum visitors, Ms. Saj created an interac- tive portfolio of artworks that has generated a great deal of excitement and ultimately evolved into a longer-term exhi- bition installation. The group of college students and young professionals who inaugurated “Re:Create” in early January came from schools as close as New York University and as far away as Yale University. Ms. Saj guided the group on how to engage with the individual panels and the companion pieces that she had created. Art-making and play, conversation and Jurij Stecko laughter, and lots of Instagram (#RecreateAtUM) moments Students and young professionals with artist Christina Saj (center, black dress) at a preview of the exhibit went into the mix as the young art enthusiasts produced “Re:Create – Christina Saj’s Transformative Paintings.” 12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

PARALYMPIC 3-point percentage (.444). He has also played on the Ukrainian lost the semifinal against Denis Vieru of Moldova. Ukraine sent a team of 11 athletes (eight men Ukraine tops medals table at skiing championships Ukrainian National Team during the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and for the U-20 junior Ukrainian National Team at and three women) to the competition that attracted 570 Ukraine topped the medals table with 41 total medals – the 2016 and 2017 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championships. athletes (334 men and 236 women) from 97 countries. nine gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze medals – at the World Ukraine advances to EuroBasket qualifier Para Nordic Skiing Championships on February 15-24 in BOXING Prince George, British Columbia. The competition includes Ukraine finished in fifth place in Group I of the second Super lightweight Redkach has first-round KO biathlon and cross country skiing events for visually round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers that concluded Super lightweight Ivan Redkach (22-4-1, 17 KO) won by impaired and other disabilities. Liudmyla Liashenko and on February 25. Ukraine won 90-84 on February 22 against first-round of Tyrone Harris (26-14, 16 KO) of Taras Rad won three individual gold medals each. Montenegro, and won 85-84 in overtime against Slovenia the U.S.A. on February 16 at Microsoft Theater in Los Liashenko in the women’s individual biathlon in standing, on February 25. After 12 matches played, Ukraine (five Angeles. Redkach dropped Harris three times in the open- middle distance standing, and sprint standing, and Rad in wins, seven losses with 909 points for and 892 against, with ing round before referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight the men’s individual biathlon sitting, middle distance sitting, a +17 point differential, and 17 points overall) sits in the No. (at 2:49) that was scheduled for eight rounds. and sprint sitting. Liashenko also won gold in the mixed 5 spot out of six teams in Group I, with Spain in the top spot cross country relay and two silver in the in women’s middle (22 points), followed by Turkey (20), Montenegro (19), Lomachenko fight against Commey canceled distance cross country, cross country sprint and bronze in Latvia (19) and Slovenia (15). The bottom-three teams the long distance cross country race. Oksana Shyshkova Lightweight WBC and WBA champion Vasyl advanced to the EuroBasket 2021 (qualifiers begin on Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KO) was set to fight against IBF won gold in the middle distance cross country and two sil- November 25 and conclude on February 23, 2021), and the ver in women’s visually impaired cross country races. champion Richard Commey (28-2, 25 KO) of France on top-three teams advanced to the Basketball World Cup in April 12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. However, due Ukraine fielded a team of 37 athletes, with 12 men and China on August 31 through September 15. seven women in biathlon, and 11 men and seven women in to an injury he sustained in his latest title win against Isa cross country. Per sport, in biathlon, Ukraine won seven EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC Chaniev (13-2, 6 KO) of Russia on February 2, Commey has gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals; and in cross WINTER FESTIVAL been ruled out. Lomachenko’s team and promoters at Top Rank have country two gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals. Ukraine sends 22 athletes to Sarajevo Oksana Masters, who is Ukrainian-born, but competes confirmed that a fight will happen against WBA mandatory for the U.S.A., won five gold and one silver medal – two gold Stepan Kinash won bronze in boys’ biathlon individual challenger Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KO) of England, who and one silver in biathlon; and three gold in cross country. 12.5-kilometer pursuit (44:16.3 seconds) and Anastasiia is promoted by Matchroom Boxing. If the two promoters (Masters also competes in paralympic rowing competi- Arkhipova won bronze in the girls’ figure skating at the 15th and boxers were unable to come to a deal, the WBA was tions.) The U.S. team fielded eight athletes and finished in European Youth Olympic Festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and expected to intervene. second place in the medals standings with 15 medals (six Herzegovina, on February 10-15. Arkhipova scored 58.58 in Gvozdyk named No.1 gold, seven silver and two bronze). the short program and 103.15 points in the free skating event for a total of 161.73 points. The festival attracted 911 WBC Light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING athletes (ages 13-17) from 46 countries (22 athletes repre- (16-0, 13 KO) on March 11 was named by BoxRec.com as Dancha wins silver in slalom at Worlds sent Ukraine) and featured Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross- the “best light heavyweight boxer of the world.” Gvodzyk is country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, short track scheduled for his first title-defense fight against Doudou Annamari Dancha won silver in the women’s parallel sla- speed skating and snowboarding. Arsen Bochok, the world Ngumbu (38-8, 14 KO) of France on March 30 in lom at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World champion biathlete, was the flag-bearer for Ukraine during Philadelphia. Championship on February 1-10 in Park City, Utah. Dancha, the official opening ceremonies. 28, is the first to medal for Ukraine in snowboarding at the SOCCER world championship level. She barely qualified for the com- JUDO Dynamo advances to Round of 16 petition, having made it to the 15th spot out of 16. Dancha Ukraine finishes in fourth place in Zagreb Dynamo Kyiv lost 0-3 against Chelsea in the first-leg qualified for sixth place (out of 14 athletes) going into the Round of 16 match of the UEFA Europa League on March 7 parallel giant slalom, and was eliminated in the quarterfinal. Mykola Holoborodko (50 kg) and Vladyslav Kazimirov and lost 0-5 in the second-leg match on March 14. Oleksandr Abramenko, a 2018 Olympic gold medalist, (60 kg) won gold medals in their respective divisions at the Dynamo won 1-0 on February 21 in the second-leg won silver in the men’s aerial finals, where he landed a dou- Cadet European Judo Cup on Zagreb, Croatia, on March match of the Europa League Round of 32 and advanced to ble full-full-full jump that earned him 126.24 points. (This 9-10. In the final matches, Holoborodko won against the Round of 16 after Fran Sol scored in the 32nd minute. was a first for an Olympic athlete representing Ukraine to Romain Valadier Picard of France in 10 seconds, and Dynamo had played to a 2-2 draw with Olympiacos on win gold in aerials; Anton Kushnir, born in Rivne Oblast, Kazimirov won against Mateja Stosic of Serbia. Said- February 14 at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, won gold in aerials at the 2014 Olympics while representing Magomed Khalidov (50 kg) won bronze after winning Greece, during the first-leg match. Belarus and holds the highest score in Olympic history.) against Alexandru Matei of Romania; Vladislav Kolobov (55 Shakhtar Donetsk lost the second-leg match 1-4 against kg) won bronze after winning against Yafim Vitkousko of TENNIS Eintracht Frankfurt on February 21 in Frankfurt, knocking Belarus, Serhii Nebotov (66 kg) won bronze after winning the Ukrainian team out of competition. Luka Jovic opened Svitolina exits tight Dubai semifinal against Ionut Botofei of Romania (in 39 seconds), and the scoring for Frankfurt in the 23rd minute and Sebastien Tymur Valieiev (81 kg) won bronze after winning against Haller took a penalty kick in the 27th minute. Shakhtar came Elina Svilotina lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-7(3) against Belinda Arnaud Aregba of France (in 30 seconds). Bencic of Switzerland in the semifinal of the WTA Dubai to life in the second half, after Junior Moraes netted a goal in In the women’s division, Yuliia Kurchenko (63 kg) won the 64th minute. Haller scored again in the 80th minute and Duty Free Tennis Championships on February 22. Svitolina bronze after winning against countryman Yelyzaveta made it to the quarterfinal without losing one set, but she Ante Rebic capped Shakhtar’s exit in the 88th minute. Lytvynenko and Alisa Videneieva (70 kg) won bronze after Frankfurt opted for a 2-1-4-3 formation and Skhatar used a had lost her serve early and made 10 unforced errors dur- winning against Jasmin Heinz of Germany. ing the first set. Svitolina is a two-time tournament cham- 1-3-2-4 position. Shakhtar and Eintracht tied 2-2 on Ukraine finished in fourth place in the medals table with February 14 at Metalist Oblasny Sport Complex in Kharkiv. pion (2017 and 2018). two gold and six bronze medals. The tournament attracted BASKETBALL 721 athletes (467 men, 254 women) from 34 countries. Dynamo Kyiv youth team advances to Round of 16 Ukraine fielded a team of 38 men and 13 women. Mykhailiuk signs deal with Detroit Pistons Dynamo Kyiv won 3-0 against Juventus (Italy) in the Ukraine wins gold and silver in Rome play-off round of the UEFA Youth League on February 20 The Detroit Pistons announced on February 6 that the in Kyiv. Artur Vashchyshyn opened the scoring for the team had acquired forward Sviatoslav “Svi” Mykhailiuk, 21, Fedir Panko (+100 kg) won gold and Andrii Kolesnyk Ukrainian side in the sixth minute and the score a future second-round draft pick from the L.A. Lakers in (+100 kg) won silver at the men’s European Judo Open in remained 1-0 until the 69th minute when Serhiy Buletsa exchange for guard/forward Reggie Bullock. The 6-foot-8, Rome on February 16-17. In the final, Panko won by ippon scored. Denys Popov completed the treble of goals in the 205-pound Ukrainian was drafted 47th overall by the against Kolesnyk. In the semifinal, Panko defeated Yerkebulan 85th minute. Dynamo dominated the match statistically, Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft (he signed a three-year $4.6 Abdulla of Kazakhstan and Kolesnyk defeated Soslan with 11 shots on target and seven corner kicks, compared million rookie scale contract with the Lakers on July 10, Bostanov of Russia. The competition attracted 275 athletes to Juventus with three corner kicks and four total 2018). He brings his experience at Kansas University (2014- from 46 countries. Ukraine fielded a team of 10 judoka. attempts on goal, with three shots wide of making it 2018), where he averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 count. Dynamo advanced to the Round of 16 against Zantaraia wins bronze at Paris Grand Slam assists and 1.2 steals per game in his senior year, when he Hoffenheim (Germany) where Dynamo tied 0-0 on March earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors. Georgii Zantaraia (66 kg) won bronze at the Paris Grand 12 in Hoffenheim, but was eliminated during penalty- During the 2017-2018 season at Kansas, he set the Slam on February 9-10, after defeating Abdula kicks 2-4. The final tournament is scheduled for April 3-point record with 115, and ranked first in the Big 12 in Abdulzhalilov of Russia in the third-place match. The 2-29 in Nyon, Switzerland.

entrench the position of the incumbent, Mr. Poroshenko, as winning, Russia will instead attempt to undermine the elec- Kremlin’s... commander-in-chief, the Kremlin may nevertheless tions as such. Moreover, Moscow can be expected to further attempt this option to spread panic and disintegration increase its focus on the subsequent parliamentary elec- (Continued from page 3) among Ukrainian society in an effort to deter significant tions, scheduled for the fall, in which pro-Russian political November illustrated the Kremlin’s determination to fully numbers of people from going to the polls on election day. forces will have more chances to succeed. dominate the Black Sea as well as its readiness to pay a Essentially, the Kremlin’s main goal is to discredit price for such aggressive actions (see Eurasia Daily Ukrainian democracy in general through a combination of The article above is reprinted from Eurasia Daily Monitor Monitor, November 26, 28, 29, 2018). Despite the prospect the aforementioned approaches. Having failed to promote a with permission from its publisher, the Jamestown that a renewed military provocation could serve to Moscow-friendly presidential candidate with any chances of Foundation, www.jamestown.org. No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 13 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

deportation of priests from the territory cade and called for arrests of figures linked Mr. Wehrschuetz’s own purported con- NEWSBRIEFS temporarily controlled by the Russian proxy to an alleged military corruption scandal. cerns, the SBU appears to be contradicting forces in the DPR. “Considering these The clashes in Cherkasy erupted after Mr. the initial reason for the ban given to (Continued from page 2) threats and an ongoing pressure on the cler- Poroshenko made a speech for the March Austrian authorities: that he had violated Organization for Security and Cooperation gy and believers of our Church in the 31 presidential polls. Police said that two Ukrainian law when his camera crew in Europe (OSCE) over the mounting pres- Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of law enforcement officers were also injured crossed the Kerch Strait via the Russian- sure on the Ukrainian Church in the tempo- Donbas and in Crimea, we appeal to the in clashes with National Corps activists built bridge connecting Russia to the rarily occupied territories of Crimea and United Nations, the Organization for near the presidential offices in Kyiv, with annexed Crimean peninsula. That legisla- Donbas. In its statement the OCU’s Holy Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), one hospitalized. Criminal investigations tion allows for bans of up to three years for Synod mentioned that for more than five the Minsk process guarantor states, the have been opened into the violence in both those who violate it. It also appears to skirt years the occupying Russian authorities European Union and in general to all demo- Kyiv and Cherkasy, about 150 kilometers a dispute over whether or not Mr. never ceased persecuting the Crimean dio- cratic countries, international and interfaith southeast of the capital, police said. A media Wehrscheutz actually broke the entry law, cese headed by Archbishop Klyment of institutions with a call to influence those investigation last week detailed alleged since he said he stayed behind while other Symferopol and Crimea. Among most recent who make decisions in these territories to embezzlement schemes in Ukraine’s mili- members of the crew crossed the bridge. incidents is an attempt to seize the building stop the escalation of persecution of our tary industry, including a factory controlled The ban sparked outrage from Vienna, of Ss. Volodymyr and Olha Cathedral in Church,” the statement reads. (Ukrainian by Mr. Poroshenko. The investigation which has summoned Ukraine’s ambassa- Symferopol, pressure on the church commu- Canadian Congress Daily Briefing) alleged that the son of close Poroshenko dor, and prompted calls from international ally Oleh Hladkovskyy had organized a ring nity in Yevpatoria, as well as the detention of 22 officers hospitalized after clashes media watchdogs including the Committee Archbishop Klyment. The statement also to smuggle spare military equipment from to Protect Journalists and the Organization says that “the situation is significantly wors- Police in Ukraine say that 22 officers Russia in 2015, a year after Moscow seized for Security and Cooperation in Europe ening” with respect to the right to freedom were injured in clashes with far-right pro- Ukraine’s Crimea region and threw its sup- (OSCE)’s office for press freedom to reverse of conscience and religion in certain areas of testers who tried to attack a presidential port behind militant separatists in the east- the decision. Olga Chervakova, first deputy Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine motorcade ahead of this month’s election. ern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. After chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s [the territories which are currently con- Police said in a statement on March 10 that the report was broadcast on YouTube on Committee on Freedom of Speech and trolled by the so-called “DPR” and “LPR”]. 19 officers were hospitalized the previous February 25, Poroshenko announced that a Information Policy, told RFE/RL the SBU On March 1, the Russia-supported proxies day in the city of Cherkasy, where support- probe has been launched into the allega- “did the right thing” and even “ruled mild- issued a ban forbidding all OCU activities, ers of the National Corps party tried to tions. He also dismissed the elder ly” by banning Mr. Wehrschuetz from granting full confiscation of property, and block President Petro Poroshenko’s motor- Hladkovskyy from his post. (RFE/RL, with Ukraine for one year instead of a possible reporting by AFP) three years. “It is important to understand the decision is not an attempt [at] censor- Girkin selling gold Crimea medal ship,” Ms. Chervakova said. “Ukraine has The Russian former commander of mili- never created [nor] will ever try to inter- tants in eastern Ukraine is out of cash and fere in or prevent ORF or any other TO PLACE YOUR AD CALL Walter Honcharyk (973) 292-9800 x3040 out of favor with the Kremlin, leading him Austrian media coverage.” (Christopher or e-mail [email protected] to sell a gold medal he was awarded in Miller of RFE/RL) 2014 for his role in the occupation of Hague court rules in favor of Naftogaz SERVICES PROFESSIONALS Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Igor Girkin, a 48-year-old self-described Russian nation- The Permanent Court of Arbitration in alist who goes by the nom de guerre The Hague ruled in favor of NJSC Naftogaz of Strelkov, says he is selling the medal Ukraine and six of its subsidiaries, conclud- because he needs the money and has no ing that the Russian Federation was liable respect for Russian President Vladimir for the unlawful seizure of Naftogaz assets in Putin, who is depicted on the medal trium- Crimea under the bilateral investment trea- phantly wearing a laurel wreath. Mr. Girkin ty between Ukraine and Russia. “It’s a very is under U.S. and European Union sanctions important victory, which will help put the both for his role in the seizure of Crimea aggressor to justice for the stolen assets,” and as the onetime military leader of pro- commented Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev. Russian separatists fighting against Kyiv’s “Thanks to efforts of both international com- forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. munity and Ukraine, the cost of Crimea Since 2014, Mr. Girkin has been a critic of annexation for Russia will constantly grow. FOR SALE the Kremlin and has largely fallen off the The tribunal’s decision is an important step media radar, though he was spotted in in this direction.” Ukrainian Naftogaz owned February riding alone on the Moscow sub- some of the most valuable energy assets in FOR SALE: One mile to CYM. Main way and has held single-person protests. Crimea which became the top targets when level has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living Mr. Girkin told followers on his page on the Russia invaded and occupied Crimea in room, dining room and laundry room popular Russian social-media site 2014. Later, The Hague tribunal will launch o kitchen. Studio apartment over Vkontakte on March 8 that he was selling a second phase of the proceedings to deter- one car garage with separate entrance. his Crimea medal because he now faces Lower level has 2 bedrooms. Open mine the amount of compensation Russia financial problems. “I never felt reverence owes to Naftogaz. Naftogaz experts have living room and kitchen with full bath. HELP WANTED for this award because it’s a nonstate New roof. Beautiful Trac deck. House estimated the value of Naftogaz’s stolen medal,” Mr. Girkin wrote. The award is not assets at $5 billion. Naftogaz filed for arbi- is on elevated property overlooking given for combat service, he said, and a stream. A must see. Priced to sell at tration against the Russian Federation in Live-in caregiver needed for my mother “bears the image of a person I never October 2016 pursuant to the Agreement $229,000. in Silver Spring MD. Near churches, respected, excluding for a very short period Call Bohdan at 845-434-4968 between the Government of the Russian thriving Ukrainian community, nice of time in 2014, and who I have sincerely home. Experience/patience with AZ Federation and the Cabinet of Ministers of despised since 2015.” Mr. Girkin confirmed Ukraine on the Encouragement and Mutual preferred. in the post that the award was given to him OPPORTUNITIES [email protected] Protection of Investments, more commonly or 617-566-1996 in the spring of 2014 by Russian billionaire known as the Russia-Ukraine bilateral Konstantin Malofeyev, a key figure linking investment treaty, or BIT. A hearing on mat- the pro-Russian forces on the ground in Earn extra income! ters of jurisdiction and liability was held at eastern Ukraine to the political establish- The Ukrainian Weekly is looking the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Run your advertisement here, ment in Moscow. Coins and Medals, a for advertising sales agents. Hague in May 2018. The six Naftogaz sub- Moscow-based numismatics firm conduct- For additional information contact in The Ukrainian Weekly’s sidiaries are National Joint Stock Company ing the sale, says the auction will take place Walter Honcharyk, Advertising Manager, CLASSIFIEDS section. “Chornomornaftogaz,” JSC Ukrtransgaz, The Ukrainian Weekly, 973-292-9800, ext 3040. on April 13 at Moscow’s StandArt Hotel. It Likvo LLC, JSC Ukrgasvydobuvannya, JSC says the starting bid is 1 million rubles, or Ukrtransnafta, and Subsidiary Company Gaz about $15,000. The firm says the gold Ukraiiny. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress medal includes the inscription “In memory Daily Briefing) of the reunification of the Crimea with Russia in 2014,” with Mr. Putin’s profile on UCC on election mission’s chief the front and a map of Crimea on the back. (Ron Synovitz of RFE/RL) The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) welcomes the March 13 announcement by Kyiv: Journalist barred ‘for his own safety’ Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland appointing Lloyd Austrian reporter Christian Axworthy as head of Canada’s Election Wehrschuetz said he feared being attacked by Ukrainian nationalists over reporting Observation Mission in Ukraine. “The UCC critical of the government in Kyiv, accord- welcomes the appointment of Mr. ing to the Security Service of Ukraine Axworthy, a distinguished Canadian, as (SBU). Now they’re using a one-year entry head of mission,” said UCC National ban to keep him out of the country. In citing (Continued on page 15) No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 15

Volodymyr Zelensky press service Presidential Administration of Ukraine facebook.com/YuliaTymoshenko Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky discusses Incumbent Petro Poroshenko speaks during a working Presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko, a former judicial reform priorities with civil society experts in visit to Zhytomyr Oblast on March 11. The president is prime minister and current member of Parliament, Kyiv on March 3. seeking re-election on a platform based on patriotism, a speaks at an event organized by the European Business strong army and goals of Ukraine joining NATO and the Association in Kyiv on February 4. European Union. Presidential race... Demographic breakdown Mr. Kolomoisky are “strictly professional” and said that any (Continued from page 1) Significantly, between 18.5 and 25 percent of those who money stolen from Privatbank should be returned to the say they intend to vote are still undecided – approximately The frontrunner had allegedly received the money as state budget if proven in court. Former McKinsey consul- 9 million of the electorate. More than 80 percent of the loans through intermediary companies run by Mr. tant and Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk and ex-Eco- electorate plans to vote, the Rating group found when it Kolomoisky. nomic and Trade Minister Aivaras Abromavicius are Mr. polled 5,000 respondents on March 1-7. When contacted by The Ukrainian Weekly on March 13, Zelensky’s economic advisers. Mr. Zelensky, a native of Kryvyi Rih in southeastern Mr. Zelensky’s press service said it is not presently com- Mr. Zelensky acknowledges that he is a surprise front- Dnipropetrovsk region, enjoys popularity among the 18-35 menting on the matter. The candidate has declined two runner and likened himself in a Bloomberg interview to age bracket and in the southern and eastern oblasts. Polls interview requests from The Weekly and has not respond- previously unknown politicians Emmanuel Macron of show that the more affluent voters perceives themselves to ed to subsequently e-mailed questions that were sent on France and Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro. be, the more likely it is they’ll vote for him. March 2 after information about the alleged money trans- He has promised to continue fulfilling the reform efforts Pollsters and political scientists have noted that, histori- fers had surfaced. that are part of IMF lending commitments. Predominantly cally, a third fewer of the young voters who said they would a Russian speaker, the comedian said that to love Ukraine Campaign platforms cast votes actually turn out on Election Day. However, given requires “unity, regardless of sex, language, faith or nation- the demand for new politicians, Mr. Zelensky might be able Mr. Poroshenko, 53, has touted the post-Euro-Maidan ality.” count on these younger voters to come to the polls. He also Revolution strides that have been made since 2014. These Batkivshchyna Party leader Ms. Tymoshenko promises has the highest approval and lowest disapproval ratings include delegating more power to local governments and to halve household natural gas prices while somehow ful- among the three frontrunners. expanding their tax bases, achieving visa-free travel to filling IMF requirements. She believes that Ukraine should Voters age 56 and older tend to favor Ms. Tymoshenko most European Union countries, and quickly revamping be a full-fledged member of NATO and the EU, but has been and are found mostly in rural areas. Polls find that the less the military. He promises to have Ukraine ready for EU and vague about achieving this or setting a target date. affluent voters are, the more likely they are to vote for her. NATO accession by 2023 and has enshrined Ukraine’s She wants to change the Constitution to make Ukraine a Ms. Tymoshenko enjoys the most support in the central membership in both in the . He also parliamentary republic and is for increasing the minimum regions. secured an independent, canonically recognized Orthodox wage by three and a half times. Ms. Tymoshenko also sup- Mr. Poroshenko’s base is in and the city Church last year. ports holding a referendum to change how the central and of Kyiv. He also has backing from more affluent and middle- Mr. Zelensky has called NATO membership a “guarantee of local governments are run. aged voters. Ukraine’s security” but wants to put it to a referendum, like To secure peace in the Moscow-instigated Donbas war, Sociologists note that voters tend to vote in the first many of his future governing priorities. While solidly stating she wants to hold talks with the signatories of the 1994 round based on personality and for the “lesser of two evils” that Crimea belongs to Ukraine, he wants to negotiate peace Budapest Memorandum whereby Ukraine gave up its in the second round. with Russia – but with the U.S. and Britain at the table. nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances: Thus far, none of the three top candidates have held He has insisted that longtime contractual relations with Russia, the U.S. and Britain. debates.

enacted against Russia by the United States, With deep sorrow we announce that Turning... Canada and the EU have remained in place. Numerous statements and resolutions by (Continued from page 6) the United Nations and other international Ina Dzerovych In the wake of the annexation of Crimea organizations, including the G-7, have 86, of Amherst, New Hampshire, passed away on Wednesday, by Russia, Mr. Putin’s popularity soared and upheld the territorial integrity and sover- popular support for the annexation January 30, 2019 in Morristown, New Jersey. She was born in Kharkiv, eignty of Ukraine and expressed non-recog- Ukraine, on July 21, 1932. Ina  rst arrived in the United States in 1948 approved the move. nition of Crimea as part of Russia. Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv were pre- and lived in New York City until eventually moving to Amherst, New Sanctions have also applied to Crimean Hampshire. paring for presidential elections on May 25, authority figures as well as Western busi- 2014, in which Russia attempted to disrupt nesses that conduct business in Crimea, She is survived by her son Andrew Dzerovych and daughter-in-law the election of President Petro Poroshenko, including commercial shipping. who is running for re-election on March 31 Christina and three grandchildren, Katherine, Diana and Nicholas. She is of this year. Russian interference is expect- Source: “With Crimea secure, Russia’s predeceased by her husband Arian and son Alexander. ed this year as well. focus shifts to Ukrainian mainland,” by Pavel During the past five years since the Felgenauer (Eurasia Daily Monitor), The A Memorial Mass was held at Tuttle Funeral Home in Randolph, NJ on annexation of Crimea, economic sanctions Ukrainian Weekly, March 30, 2014. February 4, 2019. The Funeral Liturgy was held on February 5, 2019 at Saint Andrew’s Memorial Church in South Bound Brook, NJ.

dedicated to advancing democracy and May her memory be eternal. NEWSBRIEFS international peace and security. In her news release Minister Freeland said the fol- (Continued from page 14) lowing about Mr. Axworthy: “An esteemed President Alexandra Chyczij. “We recognize academic, eminent statesman and former and commend the government of Canada Canadian minister of foreign affairs, Mr. DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS for its continued commitment to the demo- Axworthy has devoted his career to the cratic development of Ukraine, especially in cause of promoting and protecting human Death announcements should be sent to the Advertising Department by the face of Russian military aggression and rights and democracy around the world. … e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 973-644-9510. Russia’s amplified disinformation efforts.” His nomination is a further reflection of Canada’s Election Observation Mission in Canada’s deep and abiding commitment to Deadline: Tuesday noon before the newspaper’s date of issue. Ukraine is administered by CANADEM, an strengthening democracy in Ukraine.” For further information call 973-292-9800, ext. 3040. international not-for-profit organization, (Ukrainian Canadian Congress) 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

U.S. ambassador’s... Ukrainian Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Rep. Fitzpatrick (Continued from page 6) Instead of annulling anti-corruption laws, there are some that believe that the Constitutional Court could focus its attention on revoking the law that requires civil society to file electronic asset declarations, which was clearly intended to undermine the effective- ness of those – like media representatives – who expose corruption and hold elected rep- resentatives accountable. To ensure the integrity of anti-corruption institutions, the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor must be replaced. Nobody who has been recorded coaching suspects on how to avoid corruption charges can be trusted to prosecute those very same cases. Those responsible for corruption should be investigated, prosecuted, and if guilty, go to jail. And in order for that to happen, all of the elements of the anti-corruption architecture must be in place and must be working effec- tively. The High Qualifications Commission, we believe, should consider seriously questions about the integrity of judicial candidates. IVYLAND, Pa. – An enthusiastic group of Ukrainian Americans joined Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) at the St. Patrick’s We don’t understand what the reason Day Festival on Sunday, March 10, in Ivyland, Pa., at Spring Hill Manor. Rep. Fitzpatrick is co-chairman of the Congressional would be to appoint demonstrably flawed can- Ukraine Caucus and represents the 1st Congressional District of Pennsylvania. didates to the country’s highest court, espe- – Vera M. Andryczyk cially when there are other qualified candi- dates without such concerns available. And the Public Integrity Council must be given more power to prevent bad apples from continuing to corrupt the judiciary. ПЛЕМ’Я ПЛАСТУНОК „ПЕРШІ СТЕЖІ“ As has been so long discussed in Ukraine – I mean, for decades, really – MPs, who continue влаштовує to enjoy immunity from prosecution, a situa- tion that everyone recognizes is ripe for abuse, „ДЕННИЙ ТАБІР ПТАШАТ ПРИ ПЛАСТІ“ should vote to end that immunity for the next для дітей від 4 до 6 років, які володіють Rada. (розуміють і розмовляють) українською мовою The should also immediately fund a complete audit of Ukroboronprom and declassify the State • Дитина мусить мати закінчених 4 роки життя до 31 серпня 2019 р. Вийнятків немає. Defense Order to the maximum extent possi- • Дитина мусить мати усі приписані щеплення. ble. This will promote transparency and fight • Дитина, яка склала Заяву Вступу до новацтва, не може брати участи в таборaх для Пташат. corruption in the defense sector. Turning a blind eye to corruption in the Табір відбудеться на Союзівці у двох групах: defense sector is taking food, medical treat- • від неділі, 23 червня, до суботи, 29 червня 2019 р. ment, and weapons out of the hands of • від неділі, 30 червня, до суботи, 6 липня 2019 р. Ukraine’s brave soldiers. And the government should investigate and prosecute cases of cor- У справі кімнат просимо порозуміватися безпосередньо з Адміністрацією Союзівки: ruption at Ukroboronprom and elsewhere. SOYUZIVKA, P. O. Box 529, 216 Foordmore Road, Kerhonkson, NY 12446 Ukraine has made great strides implement- ing corporate governance reforms, especially in (845) 626-5641; www. Soyuzivka.com; Fax: 845-626-4638 the energy sector. But independent corporate governance teams, especially at state-owned • Tаборова оплата: $150.00 ($20.00 незворотні); оплата за два тижні – 290.00 дол. enterprises – whether it is Ukroboronprom, • Зголошення і таборову оплату (чек виписаний на Plast – Pershi Stezhi) надсилати до: Naftogaz, or any other state-owned enterprise – should be able to continue their reform work Mrs. Oresta Fedyniak, 2626 W. Walton Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 with full autonomy and integrity. Tel.: 773 486-0394 (від 8:00 до 10:00 ранку) And during an electoral year with both presidential and parliamentary elections com- • Реченець зголошень: 25 травня 2019 р. • Після реченця зголошень не приймаємо. ing up, I can’t think of any greater priority • Лікарську посвідку НЕ пересилати з анкетою зголошення. Просимо передати при than ensuring that Ukraine’s elections are free реєстрації. and fair. It is important that the will of the Ukrainian people be respected, no matter КАРТА ЗГОЛОШЕННЯ НА ТАБІР ПТАШАТ-2019 what the outcome. What does this mean in practice? Only the Ім’я і прізвище дитини ...... independent Central Election Commission по-українськи і по-англійськи should administer the election and count the Дата народження ...... votes. Адреса ...... Civil society observers and campaign staff should not be intimidated or harassed. Official, Телефон ...... E-mail ...... apolitical security should ensure that “titush- ky” or other armed groups do not stop voters Просимо залучити посвідку дати народження дитини, яку вперше вписуєтe на табір from expressing their will. ☐ від 23 червня до 29 червня 2019 р. ☐ від 30 червня до 6 липня 2019 р. People who buy votes should be punished. Розмір таборової сорочинки дитини: ☐ 6-8, ☐10-12, ☐14-16. But so should the people who are paying them for their vote. Campaigns that try to falsify ☐ Залучую чек на суму $...... ☐ Резервую кімнату на Союзівці vote records should be prosecuted. And gov- ernment resources should never be used to ...... target political opponents. ім’я і прізвище матері (подати дівоче прізвище) In short, a country seeking integration with the European Union and NATO should ensure its actions meet Western standards. Завваги ...... …a prosperous, stable Ukraine that is at ...... peace, that is democratic – that makes a great ...... partner for the United States. So we think that ...... Підпис батька або матері it works for Ukrainians but it also works for us and we will have a stronger partnership as a result of Ukraine’s development. … No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 17

the Ukrainian community. But in the cur- UNWLA facilitates... rent informational war, the contributions of Ukrainians who are aware of their heritage (Continued from page 9) and passionate about their country are exciting and truly a once-in-a-lifetime highly valuable and much needed. Kamila, opportunity for the girls. Since Kraina Win- it was your first time visiting Ukraine. What Win works closely with the Ukrainian were your impressions? Catholic University with which the UNWLA Ms. Ivashko: The Miss Ukrainian NJ has partnered, we suggested that the competition helped me to discover my UNWLA would cover the participation fee. Ukrainian heritage; visiting Ukraine helped The girls posted pictures on Facebook dur- me to better understand the modern politi- ing their stay in Ukraine and the meetings cal situation. I like Ukrainian people – their and lectures they attended. We all com- welcoming culture and kindness – and mented that we wished we were there. sympathize with their fight for a better The UNWLA National Board is holding future for Ukraine. I am currently studying its annual meeting next month and will be information technology and informatics, brainstorming about ways to engage and and political studies at Rutgers. I spoke interest the young Ukrainian diaspora in with Ulana Suprun, the acting minister of projects both here and in Ukraine. health of Ukraine, about my possible Yuliya, you were the Good Will internship at the Ukrainian Ministry of Ambassador representing UNWLA. Health this summer. Denys Koliada What part of your humanitarian mis- Girls, you met with the representatives sion was the most memorable? Yuliya Voznyuk (right) and Ania Rak visit the military hospital in Kyiv. of the rehabilitation center Nazareth Ms. Voznyuk: Meeting young wounded while delivering aid from the UNWLA. part of your humanitarian mission. How Attending the Christmas and New soldiers in the military hospital in Kyiv was What did you learn from this experience? would you describe your experience Year Charity Ball in Kyiv was a pleasant the most touching experience during my trip there? experience in your humanitarian mis- to Ukraine. I am not afraid to say that this Ms. Rak: The sad truth about the cur- Ms. Ivashko: Children with disabilities sion. What was your mission at this meeting really changed my life. It was an rent war in Ukraine is that many soldiers face a very unique set of challenges, and event? honor for me to meet these soldiers and to coming back home from the front have dif- helping to make their day-to-day experience Ms. Ivashko: Natalia Uvarova, president actually see the enormity of their sacrifice. I ficulties adjusting to “normal” life with the easier is truly a worthwhile cause. We were of the Orphans Are Our Children charity would prefer not to share all the sad stories corruption, with the inefficiency of federal very happy to see the high technology level about their disabilities, but I can share that institutions. Especially after seeing their fund and organizer of this event, has two and coziness of this center, to see that cours- our visit brought them a lot of happiness, at friends die in the Donbas and having to aims: conducting a fund-raiser for least for a short time. Our financial gift to return to an uncertain political reality. es for parents and caregivers are provided orphaned children and providing these each was possible thanks to organized Alcohol and drugs come as the simplest here and to learn that the UNWLA is a gen- kids with some exposure to a greater soci- UNWLA fund-raisers, and a huge thanks to solution to deal with the stress. The reha- erous donor that enabled this center to ety. All the costs of renting a beautiful hotel everyone who comes to these events or sup- bilitation center Nazareth provides not only exist. Also this location is a model center ballroom, food, hairdos for the girls and ports UNWLA in any other way. These sol- ambulatory care, but also six weeks’ stay where special care teachers from other fancy outfits were donated. It was very diers did not expect any financial help from for people suffering from addiction. The regions come to learn about new techniques good news to us that this event was held us, visitors coming from the U.S.A., who are trained psychologists adapted European for treating kids. We passed the UNWLA’s seven times. During the ball we presented neither relatives nor friends. Their reactions techniques to Ukrainian specifics. They donation to Dzherelo administrators. It is so the donations raised during Miss Ukrainian were so humble and made us cry. worked with substance-dependent patients nice to be a part of such a noble endeavor. NJ to buy sewing machines and supplies for and with their families, who need substan- The participants of Miss Ukrainian NJ The UNWLA Women’s Studies Center the orphanage. It is great that girls and tial support and knowledge on how to deal were very diverse in terms of age, origin, at the Ukrainian Catholic University was boys will be able to learn a craft during with impacted family members. talents, achievements, hobbies, involve- founded in 2012 on the initiative and their teenage years and will be better Unfortunately, there is not enough ment in Ukrainian community life, etc. Ania financial support of the UNWLA to orga- equipped for the future. During the event awareness about this social problem, there Rak came to the U.S.A. from Ukraine with nize, create and coordinate academic we played with the kids, danced and cele- are no government programs to deal with her family only one year ago. Yuliya brated with them; we were happy because these issues, and the majority of patients activities related to the research, teach- Voznyuk was born in Ukraine, but grew up they were happy. cannot afford their own treatment – they ing and popularization of women’s stud- in the U.S.A. Kamila Ivashko is only part rely on other people, on charitable organi- ies. Was it interesting for you to meet As the participants of the Kraina Win- Ukrainian; her cultural heritage includes zations like the UNWLA, to help them. the representatives of this institution? Win program, you had the opportunity Lithuanian and Poland origins. Her Ms. Voznyuk: Definitely, yes! The contri- to meet a lot of successful and inspira- Ukrainian is not fluent; assimilation makes Touring Dzherelo and meeting the bution of Ukrainian women into the cultur- tional Ukrainian people. After learning second and third generations drift out of administrators of the organization was al, political and economic life of Ukrainian about their philosophy of life, their suc- society is hugely understated. We know cess stories you had the opportunity to about Natalia Kobrynska, Milena create your own project to influence the Rudnytska – the bright representatives of future development of Ukraine. Which the women’s movement in the beginning project did you choose ? and the first half of the 20th century in Ms. Rak: It would take the whole page to Ukraine. The UNWLA was created by intel- list all the people and titles we had the ligent and energetic Ukrainian women, liv- pleasure to meet during this program. They ing in the U.S.A., and their contribution to all represent different facets of Ukrainian spreading awareness about the Holodomor life. But they are alike in that they believe in among American society is huge. They also the positive future of Ukraine and their supported dissidents during the Cold War, common contribution to build it. Their they provided humanitarian aid to the DP energy and passion are contagious; after camp refugees in post-war Europe, to the meeting with them we plan to do our first Chornobyl victims – to name only a few of project – to organize a 5K run here in the the UNWLA’s projects. And now we are part U.S.A. to help Ukraine. of the UNWLA aid to the victims of the war in the Donbas. Thanks to UCU women’s Thank you to everybody for sharing studies, women’s contributions will be rec- your opinions and stories. We will be ognized and all these “white pages” of his- looking forward to hearing updates in tory (a reference to Dr. Marta Bohachevsky- the future. Denys Koliada Chomiak’s definition from the book “Bilym Orysia Soroka is vice-president of UNWLA At a meeting with the administrator of the Nazareth rehabilitation center in Lviv. po bilomu”) will be gradually filled in. Branch 137.

tion, and contributed his technological serves and exhibits articles of artistic or museums in New York City. Each year, the Christina Saj’s... expertise and equipment to the project. historic significance to the rich cultural museum organizes several exhibitions, Organized tours of “Re:Create” are heritage of Ukrainian Americans; its col- publishes bilingual (English-Ukrainian) (Continued from page 11) encouraged, and in some cases arrange- lections include thousands of items of folk catalogues, and presents a wide range of member Christina Lewicky approached Ms. ments may be made to invite the artist her- art, fine art, and archival material. At its public and educational programs, includ- Saj about designing a participatory art expe- self as the instructional guide. Individual vis- founding in 1976 by the Ukrainian ing concerts, films, lectures, courses, work- rience for college students, with the goal of itors may enjoy the exhibition anytime dur- National Women’s League of America, the shops and special events. acquainting a new generation with The ing gallery hours, but groups must make museum was hailed as one of the finest The Ukrainian Museum is located at 222 Ukrainian Museum. Nearly a year of plan- advance reservations due to limited capacity. achievements of Americans of Ukrainian ning and production went into the effort, “Re:Create” will be on view through descent. Since then, and particularly since E. Sixth St. (between Second Avenue and resulting in this novel and cutting-edge April 27. its move in 2005 to a new, state-of-the-art The Bowery), New York, NY 10003; tele- installation with wide-ranging appeal to visi- building in Manhattan’s vibrant East phone, 212-228-0110; e-mail, info@ukrai- About The Ukrainian Museum tors of all ages. Robert Farrell, Ms. Saj’s hus- Village, it has become known as one of the nianmuseum.org; website, www.ukrainian- band, assisted with the exhibition installa- The Ukrainian Museum acquires, pre- most interesting and dynamic smaller museum.org. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

Poroshenko speaks... BOOK REVIEW: The life and legacy (Continued from page 7) actions fall exactly under the definition of aggression of Bishop according to UN General Assembly Resolution of 1974. As “Ukrainian Bishop, American Church: Constantine a result, the vessels were damaged and seized, 24 crew Bohachevsky and The Ukrainian Catholic Church,” by members, including three wounded, were captured and Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak. Washington: Catholic are now in illegal detention in Russia. I want to stress that University of America Press, 2018. 535 pp. ISBN: they are not criminals; they must be treated as prisoners of 9780813231594. $75. war under Geneva Conventions. But Russia turns a deaf ear to numerous calls for their by Msgr. John Terlecky immediate and unconditional release, including those con- This is an exemplary work of scholarship on the life and tained in the resolution adopted by this General Assembly legacy of Bishop Constantine Bohachevsky of Philadelphia, last December. who was the only bishop-eparch of our Ukrainian Catholic Today I brought with myself an appeal to the Secretary Church in the United States from 1924 to 1956 (the time of General to press on Moscow to release the Ukrainian crew- the separation of the Stamford Eparchy in Connecticut members. It was signed by thousands of Ukrainians over from that of Philadelphia) and its first metropolitan-arch- the last few days. And I speak on behalf of all of them. We bishop of Philadelphia from 1958 to his death on January sincerely count on your support. … 6, 1961 (Christmas Eve on the Julian Calendar). Moscow’s hybrid war also includes covert operations It is written by his niece in fine respect of the character and hacker attacks against Ukrainian institutions and criti- and work of her uncle. The author herself is known in aca- cal civilian infrastructure. This kind of Russian activity is demic surroundings as an American university professor by now well-known far beyond Ukraine’s borders. In addi- and a Fulbright scholar. It is this latter fact that provides tion, Russia wages unprecedented propaganda war against the book with relentless hours of scholarship using archi- Ukraine – a war that has actually started before the first val resources that were available to her from resources in victims died on Kyiv’s Maidan square. Stamford and Washington, from the Vatican, and from state Every day, with no pause or consideration for holidays and archives in Ukraine and Poland. weekends, all of Russia’s major TV channels broadcast tor- This book far outweighs any previous works written on rents of lies and fake news about Ukraine. These lies especial- the history of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United ly target the population of occupied territories, where the States. Other books seem like mere historical surveys in Ukrainian TV and radio channels are being blocked. It’s a comparison to this work formatted as a critical biography. virtual state-run hate machine working 24/7. … The book serves as both a biography of Bishop Five years ago, this war began under the pretext of Bohachevsky as well as an assessment of the trials that he defending Russian-speakers in Ukraine. It goes on now underwent in service to the Church and to a fledging immi- under the pretext of defending the Orthodox believers. grant community far from eastern in a country where German and Austrian camps and preserved for many a life- President Putin publicly confirmed his readiness to use to be Catholic meant you were Latin or Roman Catholic. saving existence. military force for this purpose in response to Ukraine cre- The book presents the formation of the character of this There is so much that can be said of the character of this ating its own independent Orthodox Church. gifted churchman from his early priestly years of service in noble churchman in scanning through a book of over 500 While continuing its undeclared war against my country Lviv and Peremyshl (presently called Przemysl, and located pages and six decades of ministry that cannot be adequate- the Kremlin desperately keeps trying to convince the inter- in Poland) during the 1910s and 1920s. It particularly cap- ly addressed in this review. national community that it is not a party to the conflict. It tures his relationship with Bishop Iosafat Kotsylovskyi of I believe that Bishop Constantine strove with all his says it is Ukraine’s internal conflict, where Russia is only an the Peremyshl Eparchy as his vicar general from 1918 to qualities to establish the acceptance of the Ukrainian objective and impartial mediator. It is a truly twisted reali- 1924. In 1924, he was secretly consecrated a bishop and Catholic Church in the American Catholic community. To ty that the Russian Federation tries to spread. Some may sent to a new missionary territory: to serve as the jurisdic- me, he did not prefer the usage of the term “Greek be tempted to go along with the Russian narrative for the tional /bishop for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics whose Catholic” in this land – he simply used “Ukrainian Catholic” sake of political convenience. I stand here today to let you roots were from eastern Galicia. on all the corporate titles of new parishes and institutions know that we will not let the lies prevail. … Thus begin over 35 years of dedicated service to his that were either founded by him or under his jurisdiction. Let’s set the record straight once and for all. There is no Church and his people in the United States – a time when [e.g. The Ukrainian Catholic Seminary Inc. was founded in so-called “crisis in Ukraine” nor “internal conflict in he inherited a Church that was chaotic in its structure. He 1933 in Stamford – it later became St. Basil Prep and St. faced great opposition from both clerical and lay circles in Ukraine”, but an ongoing military occupation and armed Basil College Seminary. aggression by Russia against Ukraine. … this new land, and survived with a steady hand and an This book deserves to be in every parish and seminary unflinching spiritual character. It was only in the 1930s The Ukrainian people are not going to give up on their library and cannot be overlooked by anyone interested in hard-won independence and bend the knee before the that structure began to take shape of his vision for this Ukrainian American church history. For me, the book clear- Church in a new and foreign land. aggressor. ly shows a comparative greatness between the Venerable The Russian aggression will be over once the Kremlin New crises arose with the suppression of the Mother Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, our Church leader in leadership decides to stop it and to withdraw its troops Church in its homeland, both under the Polish rule of paci- Western Ukraine from 1901 to 1944 for our entire Church, from Ukraine’s territory and to return the control of fication of Galicia and the two Soviet occupations of the and that of the dedicated churchman that Bishop Ukraine-Russia state border to where it belongs. same territory separated only by the Nazi invasions of Constantine was in being the lead voice for our Church in I would like to remind everyone: when you call on Eastern Europe and World War II. He became the main the free world from 1924 to 1961. voice of our Church in the diaspora following its forced Russia to stop fighting, you call for ending the war, and suppression in the homeland in 1945. He had to meet the Msgr. John Terlecky is director of the Ukrainian Museum when you call on Ukraine to stop fighting for defending needs of displaced refugees (both priests and laity) in and Library in Stamford, Conn. itself, you call for giving up Ukraine’s sovereignty. … , ATTENTION Debutante Ball Organizers! April 7. In keeping with our tradition, The Ukrainian Weekly will publish a special section devoted to the Ukrainian community’s debutantes. The 2019 debutante ball section will be published on April 1.

The deadline for submission(with captions of all materials and photo –[email protected] storiescredits) and – is photos Please e-mail materials to: No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 19

Through Art exhibit, “Re:Create – Christina Saj’s Transformative March 24 Film screening, “Recovery Room” by Adriana Luhovy, April 27 Paintings,” The Ukrainian Museum, 212-228-0110 or Victoria, BC Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Victoria Branch, Ukrainian New York www.ukrainianmuseum.org Cultural Center, www.recoveryroomthemovie.com

Through May 11 Art exhibit, “Eyes on Ukraine: Five Contemporary Ukrainian March 25 Panel discussion, “Ukraine on the Eve of the 2019 Buffalo, NY Photographers,” featuring works by Igor Chekachkov, Cambridge, MA Presidential Election: Between Past and Promise,” with Alexander Chekmenev, Vitaly Fomenko, Eugeny Kom, Lana Melinda Haring, George Kent and Mariana Budjeryn, Yankovska, CEPA Gallery Contemporary Photography and Harvard University, www.huri.harvard.edu Visual Arts Center, www.cepagallery.org or 716-856-2717 March 27-31 Film screening, “Julia Blue,” Sonoma International Film March 21 Panel discussion, “Ukrainian Dialogue: Kyiv Patriarchy and Sonoma, CA Festival, www.juliabluethemovie.com Jenkintown, PA Russian Aggression in the Kerch Strait,” with Paul Grod, the Rev. Anthony Perkins and Ambassador Roman Popadiuk, March 30 Pysanka workshop, The Ukrainian Museum, Manor College, http://manor.edu/ukrainian-dialogue New York 212-228-0110 or www.ukrainianmuseum.org

March 21 Heritage Concert, featuring works by Taras Shevchenko, March 30 Lenten retreat, “Don’t Just Go to Church, Be the Church,” New York St. George Academy, 212-473-3323 Villa Marie, PA Ukrainian Orthodox League of the U.S.A., Villa Marie Education and Spirituality Center, 412-565-9441 or March 23 Lenten retreat, “Making Space for Grace in Every Moment,” [email protected] Tampa, FL Ukrainian Orthodox League, Ybor City Campus of Hillsborough County Community College, Student Services Building, March 30 Memorial concert, honoring Lubomyr Krushelnycky, with [email protected] Chicago pianist Mykola Suk and violinist Oleh Krysa, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, www.uima-chicago.org or March 23 Artist talk, “The New Unnatural,” Ukrainian Institute of 773-227-5522 Chicago Modern Art, www.uima-chicago.org or 773-227-5522 March 31 40th anniversary concert performance, Roma Pryma March 23 Presentation by Anastasia Strakhova, “American Berdychiv: New York Bohachevsky School of Dance, Syzokryli Ukrainian New York Jewish Immigrant Life in New York in the Gilded Age,” Dance Ensemble, Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, Shevchenko Scientific Society, 212-254-5130 www.hunter.edu/kayeplayhouse or 212-457-0997 March 23 Film screening, “Harvest of Despair,” with Dr. Yuri April 5 Panel discussion, with Pavlo Ostrovskyi, Taras Shrewsbury, NJ Mishchenko, Ukrainian National Women’s League of America New York Galkovskyi, Elise Giuliano and Olexii Baranovskyi, (Branch 98), Shrewsbury Public Library, [email protected] “Reintegration of the Donbas: Different Perspectives,” Razom for Ukraine, VOLYA Institute, Columbia March 23 Embroidery workshop, with instruction by Lubow through June 1 Wolynetz, The Ukrainian Museum, 212-228-0110 or New York www.ukrainianmuseum.org Entries in “Out and About” are listed free of charge. Priority is given to events advertised in The Ukrainian Weekly. However, we also welcome submissions March 24 Divine liturgy, St. Michael Academy Chapel, from all our readers. Items will be published at the discretion of the editors Austin, TX www.facebook.com/events/2013367212291179 and as space allows. Please send e-mail to [email protected].

The UNA announces Scholarships and Awards

for students attending In commemoration of the 100th Anniversary college in the 2019-2020 of Ukraine’s initial Proclamation of Independence, academic year. THE UKRAINIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES IN THE U.S., INC. (UVAN), Students wishing to apply for a UNA scholarship or the UCCA Branch of Morris County, N.J. and the Selfreliance Federal Credit Union award must meet the following criteria: cordially invite the public to the presentation of • Have been an active, premium-paying UNA member “Ukraine in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: for at least two years by June 1st of 2019 • Have had a single premium policy or an annuity, e Unending Complexities of Survival” valued at a minimum of $5,000 during the last two a collection of essays by years • Be enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited Dr. Taras Hunczak Professor of History, Emeritus, Rutgers University college or university, studying towards their rst bachelor’s degree Th e book addresses Ukraine’s strivings for sovereignty and statehood during the past century.  e application for a UNA scholarship or award must Th e presentation includes commentaries and refl ections by be postmarked no later than June 1, 2019. Dr. Mark † omas, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, LaSalle University, Dr. Volodymyr Zaryckyj, Executive Director of the Center For complete details and applications, please call the for US-Ukrainian Relations, UNA headquarters or visit the Our Bene ts page on Dr. Albert Kipa, President of UVAN, and the author. the UNA website at: A wine and cheese reception, during which attendees can meet the author and reviewers as well as acquire www.UNAInc.org an autographed copy of the book, will follow the program. Th e event will take place on UNA, Inc. 2200 Route 10 Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 1 pm. Parsippany, NJ 07054 at the 800-253-9862 ext. 3035 Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey 60C North Jeff erson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981 20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 No. 11

PREVIEW OF EVENTS

Through Saturday, May 11 Solomon University in Ukraine, and then earned a master’s degree at Central BUFFALO, N.Y.: The exhibit “Eyes on European University in Hungary. Before the Ukraine: Five Contemporary Ukrainian Immigration Act of 1924, thousands of Photographers,” which opened on Friday, Jewish immigrants were changing the famil- March 8, will be on view through Saturday, iar life of Ukrainian “mistechka” (towns) for May 11, at the CEPA Gallery (www.cepagal- bustling New York. Some observers even lery.org), 617 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14203. In referred to the Jewish neighborhood in New the 1970s and 1980s, under strict state cen- York as American Berdychiv. The lecture will sorship, photographers mainly worked highlight elements of this new life that vividly underground, and it was only after 1990 demonstrate the clash between tradition and that artists emerged free from Soviet ideo- modernity. The lecture will take place at the logical constraints. Twenty-eight years later society’s building, 63 Fourth Ave. (between Ukraine’s photographers are experiencing Ninth and 10th streets) at 5 p.m. For addi- the freedom won by the struggles of previ- tional information call 212-254-5130. ous generations. The work presented here by five Ukrainian artists – Igor Chekachkov, Sunday, April 7 Alexander Chekmenev, Vitaly Fomenko, WHIPPANY, N.J.: The All-You-Can-Eat Eugeny Kom and Lana Yankovska – may be Beefsteak & Tricky Tray event catered by best understood as a rich example of that The Brownstone (Paterson, N.J.,) at the transition from censorship to freedom. The Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New show is curated by Igor Manko and Roberto Jersey, 60 N. Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ Muffoletto. Admission is free. For more 07981, begins at 1 p.m. Menu includes: anti- information contact: Lawrence Brose, law- pasto, sliced tender beef tenderloin dipped [email protected] or 716-856-2717. in butter served on French bread, penne, Saturday, March 23 fries, beer, soft drinks and dessert. Prizes include a flat-screen TV, $500 cash, bike, NEW YORK: The Shevchenko Scientific tech devices, theater tickets, food/wine, Society invites all to a lecture, “American loads of gift cards for spas, gyms, restau- Berdychiv: Jewish Immigrant Life in New rants, retail and entertainment, fabulous York in the Gilded Age,” by Anastasiia 50/50, door prize and much more. (Cash or Strakhova, a Ph.D. candidate in history at credit cards accepted to purchase prize bas- Emory University in Atlanta, and a 2019 ket tickets.) Event tickets are $60 if pur- research fellow at the Center for Jewish chased by April 1; tickets purchased after History in New York. Internationally trained April 1 are $65; $20 for children age 10 and in Jewish studies and history, she completed under. For tickets and more info go to her undergraduate degree at International uaccnj.org or call 973-590-8026.

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