The Ukrainian Weekly 2002, No.30
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• President Kwasniewski speaks of Poland’s regional role — page 3. • Ukrainian chaplain of Canadian forces during World War II dies — page 4 . • The Ukrainian community from Tbilisi to Chicago — centerfold. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXX HE KRAINIANNo. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2002 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine T U Soviet-eraW mass grave Ukrainian government prepares bill unearthed in western Ukraine on recognition of OUN-UPA by Dr. Taras Kuzio has led to this conclusion was under- RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report taken by the Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences, under The announcement on July 12 that its prolific head, Stanislav the Ukrainian government had pre- Kulchytskyi. The institute recom- pared a draft bill on honoring the mended, and the commission accepted, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists that OUN and UPA veterans should (OUN) and its partisan force, the finally be classified as having been Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), as subjected to repression and therefore “fighters for freedom and independ- should fall under the law on the reha- ence of Ukraine” has stirred another bilitation of victims of political repres- controversy within both Ukraine and sion in Ukraine. This would then allow Russia. them to obtain social and other privi- The government commission, leges accorded to Soviet veterans. which is chaired by Russophile Vice At the same time, only OUN-UPA Prime Minister Volodymyr veterans will be scrutinized under this Semynozhenko, now believes that law to see if they committed “crimes from 1939 to the mid-1950s, the OUN against humanity.” This one-sided appli- and UPA organized a “resistance cation of the law to nationalist-only movement” “for the purpose of uniting forces is in line with post-Soviet and and creating a unified [independent] international custom since the Ukraine.” The main academic research that (Continued on page 19) AP/UNIAN A student of the Lviv Medical Institute, Roman Narepekha (left), and serviceman Andrii Shtereb extract human remains discovered in a mass grave in the base- Six die in mine accident in Dnipropetrovsk ment of a monastery in the town of Zhovkva. by Roman Woronowycz ground. Nineteen workers were hospitalized by Roman Woronowycz parts came tumbling out of the niche in Kyiv Press Bureau as a result of the blast, seven of them criti- Kyiv Press Bureau which they had been sealed. cally. The local procurator’s office By the time the area was fully exca- KYIV – Six more miners died in eastern announced that it was investigating the acci- KYIV – More than 230 skeletal vated, three rooms had been uncovered Ukraine and more criminal charges were dent as “a violation of safety rules in a very remains – a third of them belonging to containing the skeletal remains of 150 brought after a methane explosion rocked dangerous work environment which result- infants, children and at least one unborn adults, 83 children from infants to about the Yuvileina Mine in Dnipropetrovsk ed in death,” reported Interfax-Ukraine on – have been unearthed over the last two age 16 and one unborn child, a fetus months in the basement of a monastery Oblast on July 21. July 22. about three months old. According to 25 kilometers outside of Lviv. And while The deaths came 15 days after a fire First Vice Prime Minister Oleh Dubyna reports in The Washington Post and experts from the Procurator General’s killed 35 miners at the Ukraina mine, locat- visited the mine on July 23 and told Interfax-Ukraine, many of the skulls ed 100 kilometers to the east. The director Office of Ukraine have yet to officially seem to have been fractured by sharp reporters after viewing the site of the under- explain how the deaths occurred, there is of the Ukraina mine was charged with neg- ground explosion that the accident was the instruments or crushed by blunt objects. ligent homicide in that accident. widespread belief in this area that the Others were pierced by bullet holes. result of improper use of electronic devices NKVD, the notorious Soviet secret The latest fatalities occurred after an and violations of procedures during blasting Many more, however, had no outward explosion at 11:45 a.m. at the Yuvileina police, committed the grisly deeds as it appearance of violent death. The last of mine while 423 miners were working below (Continued on page 9) consolidated authority over the region in the remains were uncovered on July 17. the post-World War II years. They have been turned over to law Yet, few experts believe that the hor- enforcement officials and are now under- rific details will ever come to light or the going forensic examination. specific perpetrators will be identified, as Photos and coins found in the crypt Ukraine hosts GUUAM meeting has also been the case at Demianiv Laz with the body parts suggest that the by Roman Woronowycz issued. outside Ivano-Frankivsk, the Bykivnia killings took place between 1946 and Kyiv Press Bureau Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Forest outside Kyiv and in the town of 1949. Also, bullet casings that have been Anatolii Zlenko, who signed the agree- Vinnytsia, other sites where the secret recovered are of the type used by the KYIV – Ukraine and three fellow ment opening up trade among the four police is suspected of committing similar Soviets in the immediate post-war years. member-states of GUUAM, the interna- countries, said that it would do much to atrocities against the Ukrainian populace Mykhailo Pavlyshyn, assistant director tional multilateral organization, signed a re-energize the organization, which was to pacify it against resistance to Soviet of the oblast chapter of the Memorial free trade agreement during their annual founded to stimulate trade among the rule. civic group, an organization that has ded- summit in Yalta, this year held on July states through which the ancient Silk The first bones in the latest discovery icated itself over the last 13 years to 19-20. Road once bisected. were found in early May in the town of unveiling the horrors committed by In addition to Ukraine, the economic “The signing creates the economic Zhovkva, while monks of the Basilian Soviet authorities in Ukraine, said the organization counts Georgia, Azerbaijan basis for the existence of GUUAM,” said Monastery remodeled a little-used cellar building under which the bodies were and Moldova as members. Uzbekistan Mr. Zlenko. area of the residency and happened upon discovered housed the county headquar- officially still holds membership as well, In addition to stimulating commerce, it a door-like structure. ters of the NKVD in the post-war years. but it suspended that membership last is hoped that a regional free trade zone “We were preparing a basement meet- The NKVD shared the monastery’s terri- month and has indicated it may withdraw on Russia’s borders will force the eco- ing hall for the parishioners when we dis- tory with a medical school. over what it believes was a lack of activi- nomic giant of the region to agree to covered a slab of concrete. When we Mr. Pavlyshyn explained that the ty. While Tashkent was officially repre- become part of a similar zone. Russia has broke up the concrete we found skulls monks of the Basilian Order were sented at the summit by Uzbekistan’s resisted all calls to organize free trade and bones,” explained the Rev. Marko removed to another monastery in ambassador to Ukraine, he did not sign Maksymiv, the monastery’s hegumen, any of the nine documents that were (Continued on page 15) who was present when the first body (Continued on page 9) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2002 No. 30 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Turkish-Ukrainian relations receive NEWSBRIEFS Symonenko calls for protest campaign third term, and the repeat elections test- ed the mechanisms that will be put in a boost during ministerial visit KYIV – Communist Party leader operation in 2004,” Mr. Bezsmertnyi Petro Symonenko has called for launch- commented. (RFE/RL Newsline) by Taras Kuzio immediate aftermath of disintegration,” Mr. ing a “broad and powerful civic protest RFE/RL Newsline Kiniklioglu added. campaign” against the expanding pau- Ukraine hosts GUUAM summit Since the mid-1990s greater pragmatism perization of Ukrainians, Ukrainian Turkey was one of the first countries to in Russian policies, increased attention on news agencies reported on July 23. YALTA – The presidents of Georgia, support Ukraine’s May 23 announcement domestic Turkish problems, and the interna- “[Ukraine’s] political system needs not a Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova met in that it will seek NATO membership. That tional isolation of Ukrainian President correction but a radical change,” Mr. the Crimean resort of Yalta on July 19- expression of support came during a June Leonid Kuchma after the “Kuchmagate” Symonenko said in a statement. He said 20 and signed a number of accords, 11 visit to Ukraine by Turkish Foreign crisis all lessened Turkish interest in one of the key goals of the proposed including on the creation of a free-trade Minister Ismail Cem. Turkey has historical- Ukraine. The death of Turkish fishermen at protest campaign could be holding an zone and on combating money launder- ly seen Ukraine as a strategic partner. In the hands of Ukrainian border troops and early presidential election in the country. ing, organized crime and terrorism, 1918-1921, the governments of independ- high-profile Turkish media reports blaming “All of us should have a clear under- Western and Ukrainian media reported. ent Ukraine had good relations with the Slavic women for bringing a potential standing that the early election is not a GUUAM was set up in 1997 as a politi- new Turkish state as both countries per- AIDS epidemic to the country also have not goal in itself but one of the tools for cal, economic and strategic alliance ceived Russia as their main threat.