INSIDE: l Moscow’s response to Zelensky’s election – page 3 l Our community: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida – page 11 l Soccer update: striker Roman Zozulya – page 16 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 $2.00 Fifth anniversary Kyiv argues for release of 24 crewmen of Sentsov’s arrest at U.N. tribunal, as Kremlin skips hearing marked in Ukraine by Mark Raczkiewycz RFE/RL KYIV – Ukraine argued during a hearing Activists in Ukraine marked the fifth at the United Nation’s International Tribunal anniversary of the arrest of Ukrainian for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, film director Oleh Sentsov, who is serv- on May 10 for the release of 24 military ing a 20-year prison term in Russia on crewmen and three vessels that Russia charges of terrorism that have been impounded in shared waters six months ago. criticized by human rights groups and Joined by an international team of law- Western governments as politically yers and experts, Deputy Minister of motivated. Foreign Affairs Olena Zerkal argued that Activists in black clothes, with their Moscow violated the U.N. Convention on mouths taped and hands chained, the Law of the Sea when its naval forces marched in Kyiv on May 10, stopping at detained the 22 Ukrainian sailors and two 14 embassies of Western countries. Security Service officers who were aboard The activists called their demonstra- three vessels in the Black Sea on November tions Save Sentsov and said they wanted 25 en route to Mariupol from Odesa. to raise awareness among foreign politi- Russia did not attend the hearing, and a cians about the incarceration of Mr. ruling is expected later this month. itlos.org Sentsov and many other Ukrainians by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Olena Zerkal argues before the Russia on politically motivated charges. (Continued on page 15) International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, on May 10. The demonstrators wore signs say- ing “Activist, Not a Terrorist,” “Dentist, Not a Terrorist,” “Historian, Not a Terrorist,” etc., and carried a banner reading: “Do You Remember?” Inauguration of Zelensky set for May 20 Mr. Sentsov, a Crimea native who by Mark Raczkiewycz newly inaugurated president to dissolve the nominate personnel in the defense and for- opposed Russia’s 2014 takeover of the Parliament and call for snap elections. The eign ministries, as well as law enforcement Ukrainian peninsula, was arrested by KYIV – President-elect Volodymyr president-elect has not explicitly stated – namely, the chief prosecutor. the Moscow-imposed Crimean authori- Zelensky will get to hold the “bulava,” or mace whether he will exercise that right. Mr. Zelensky “hopes that lawmakers will ties on May 11, 2014, and charged with – a Kozak symbol of authority – on May 20 Mr. Zelensky and his team of advisers continue adopting laws that are necessary planning the fire-bombing of pro-Rus- when the Verkhovna Rada hosts his inaugura- have indicated that they want to swiftly for the country sooner than we saw in set- sian organizations in Crimea. tion as post-Soviet Ukraine’s sixth president. pass laws that clearly outline procedures ting the inauguration date,” his press service A Russian court convicted him on An overwhelming majority of 315 nation- for presidential impeachment, eliminate said on the Telegram cellphone application. multiple terrorism charges on August al deputies voted on May 16 for the resolu- immunity from prosecution for lawmakers 25, 2015, and sentenced him to 20 tion setting the date, which would allow the and other officials, as well as appoint and years in a maximum-security prison. (Continued on page 19) Human rights activists and Western governments have called on Russia’s authorities to release the film director, saying his arrest and trial were politi- Nearly 2,000 attend annual St. Thomas Sunday pilgrimage cally motivated. Imprisoned in Russia’s Far Northern UOC-U.S.A. Yamalo-Nenets region, Mr. Sentsov held a 145-day hunger strike last year, SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – Nearly demanding that Russia release 64 fel- 2,000 visitors arrived during the weekend low Ukrainians he considered political of May 4-5 to mark the annual St. Thomas prisoners. Sunday pilgrimage at the Metropolia Center He ended his protest in early October, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the saying it was necessary to avoid being U.S.A. Despite the rain and wind, many con- force-fed by prison authorities. gregated to remember their deceased loved Also, on May 10, artists, scientists, ones with graveside memorial services. and coordinators of the #SaveSentsov Archbishop Daniel, the ruling hierarch of action planted dozens of flowers in the Western Eparchy and president of the Kyiv’s Kreshchatyy Park. Next to each Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox flower, they placed a small sign with a Church of the U.S.A., greeted thousands of name of a Ukrainian national currently pilgrims during the hierarchical divine lit- in Russian custody. urgy on Bright Saturday morning, May 4. Copyright 2019, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted As the early morning sunlight shone with the permission of Radio Free upon the Metropolia grounds, the first pil- Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut grims started to arrive in order to share the Ave. NW, Washington DC 20036; www. joy of Pascha (Easter) with each other and rferl.org (see https://www.rferl.org/a/ the faithful of the Church buried at St. fifth-anniversary-of-sentsov-s-arrest- Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery. marked-in-ukraine/29933540.html). Yaroslav Bilohan (Continued on page 4) Archbishop Daniel and Metropolitan Antony concelebrate divine liturgy. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 No. 20 ANALYSIS Can the ‘Donbas experience’ help U.N. court hears detained sailors’ case Crimea” by Russia in 2014. The document stressed that “a set of historical sources Ukraine has called upon the International refers to the purposeful pursuit of genocide Kyiv deal with ‘hybrid’ threats? Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order the by the Soviet authorities against... Crimean immediate release of 24 Ukrainian sailors oblast administrations to start creating such Tatars as an ethnic group to destroy their by Alla Hurska and three naval ships that were seized by forces (UNIAN, December 6, 2014). cultural and social heritage and their histori- Eurasia Daily Monitor Russia near the Kerch Strait off the coast of Meanwhile, with growing instability in the cal affiliation with the Crimean peninsula.” Russia-occupied Crimea in November 2018. In an April 23 interview on Ukrainian Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, Ukrainian In May 1944, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin At the start of the May 10 hearing in the television, Col. (ret.) Ivan Aparshyn, a mili- Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov ordered the mass deportation of the entire Hamburg-based court, Ukrainian Deputy tary advisor to Ukraine’s President-elect issued a decree creating “special corps Crimean Tatar population from the region to Foreign Minister for European Integration Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke on the subject tasked with counter-terrorist and counter- Central Asia, collectively accusing the com- Olena Zerkal said the tribunal should use of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and touched separatist operations.” The first such special munity of collaborating with Nazi Germany. upon three crucial aspects for their future unit was “Vostok” (not to be confused with “interim measures that require Russia to Tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars died development. the Russian Vostok Battalion), which immediately release the Ukrainian naval while being transported on cattle trains or First, he claimed that the standing emerged in Luhansk (Zn.ua, April 13, 2014). ships and their crew members and return during the first few months after they Ukrainian military should not exceed According to Hennadiy Korban, a them to Ukraine.” Russia claims the arrived in Central Asia. Survivors and off- 200,000 personnel; but in cases of national Ukrainian businessman and politician close Ukrainian Navy ships illegally entered spring of the survivors began unauthorized emergency, it should have the capacity to to Mr. Kolomoisky who oversaw the organi- Russian territorial waters near Crimea, returns to Crimea in the late 1980s. rapidly increase to 1 million personnel zation of such structures in Dnipropetrovsk which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula was seized and based on active reliance on a pool of reserv- Oblast, victories of these new paramilitary Ukraine in 2014. The first day of the hearing illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Since ists. Second, he mentioned that “territorial formation were mixed, with quite painful on May 10 was devoted to Ukraine’s argu- then, the Crimean Tatar community has defense units” should have a more impor- defeats (Iskra, Karlivka). Nevertheless, he ments. The judges are expected to rule in been subjected to repression by the Russia- tant practical role within the Ukrainian added, if “those formations had not been the case on May 25. Russia is not taking part installed authorities for voicing opposition Army. Third, he implied that “rapid deploy- enacted, we would be living in a different in the trial. The Kremlin has said the U.N. to the annexation. (RFE/RL) ment forces” ought to become a reality, not court does not have jurisdiction over its mil- country… Dnipropetrovsk Oblast would have Crimean Tatar memorial vandalized just a rhetorical promise (see Eurasia Daily been lost… Ukraine would have ceded the itary activities. Ukraine has been seeking the Monitor, May 1; Telekanal ZIK, April 23). Kherson, Mykolayiv, Odesa and Zaporizhia release of the sailors and ships since Russian Unknown vandals on May 9 desecrated a None of these ideas are particularly new oblasts.” Mr.