INSIDE: l Azarov announces “Ukraine Salvation Committee” – page 3 l Ukrainian American pysanka artist exhibits in Kyiv – page 11 l Our community: from Boston to North Port – pages 14-15 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIII No. 33 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2015 $2.00 World Congress of Crimean Tatars held in Turkey Russian-backed attacks escalate Ukrainian representatives attend as widened sanctions take effect second world assembly by Zenon Zawada “If this group engages in an offensive, then that will be a direct threat to our sol- KYIV – The war being waged by the diers, and we have the right to use all Russian Federation against the Ukrainian means available, including heavy artillery,” state reached a new phase on August 10 Valentyn Fedychev, the director of the when Russian-backed terrorists intensified department of social and humanitarian pol- their attacks on towns in the Donetsk region icy of the Defense Ministry, said on a politi- where Ukrainian military forces are based. cal talk show on TV on August 11. That same day, the latest round of He was referring specifically to the expanded economic sanctions imposed by August 11 attack on Starohnativka, a town the U.S. government against private individ- in the Donetsk region on the separation line. uals and companies, both Russian and On the evening of August 13, Ukraine’s Joint Ukrainian, went into effect. Political players Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the Ukrainian and experts didn’t draw a link between the military returned artillery fire. two events. The ministry issued the warning to the The widespread view was that the Organization for Security and Cooperation Russians remain interested in fueling the in Europe and the Ceasefire Monitoring and war as part of a strategy to inflict as much Coordination Center, Mr. Fedychev said. The damage on Ukraine as possible, and on all center consists of both Ukrainian and possible fronts. Russia and Ukraine Russian military officers. exchanged their own economic sanctions in Since the warning, attacks on Ukrainian Piotr Hlebowicz the days following the U.S. measures. positions only continued to escalate. In the Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin delivers a message from Ukraine to the “Some 7,000 killed, over a million people 24 hours before noon of August 13, World Congress of Crimean Tatars. displaced on the very doorstep of Europe… Russian-backed terrorists shot at Ukrainian This must not be allowed to be [called] a positions 153 times, causing two deaths by Andrij Dobriansky One of the invited guests who addressed frozen conflict,” said British Defense and 10 injuries among soldiers, reported the congress was this writer, Andrij UCCA Secretary Michael Fallon during an August Oleksandr Turchynov, the secretary of Dobriansky, executive board member of the 11 visit to Kyiv. “It seems to me pretty red Ukraine’s National Security and Defense ANKARA – Over the weekend of August Ukrainian Congress Committee of America hot, given many of your own troops have Council. “Such intensity of gunfire practical- 1-2, with their indigenous homeland under (UCCA), the nation’s largest representation been killed since the signing of the peace ly corresponds to active military fighting,” occupation, the second World Congress of of Americans of Ukrainian descent. As the agreement.” he said, as reported by his press service. sole representative of Ukrainian diaspora The intensified violence drew the stan- The same evening, Ukraine’s Joint Chiefs – was forced to gather outside Crimea, in organizations to attend, I was afforded dard round of condemnations from the of Staff announced that the Russian-backed Turkey,Crimean the Tatars country – Dünya with Qırım the largest Tatar KongresiCrimean every opportunity to meet with Crimean West. The Ukrainian government issued an terrorists were positioning themselves for Tatar diaspora population. The congress Tatars from around the world, many of advance warning that it would respond an offensive. took place in the Turkish capital of Ankara. whom were both fluent speakers of the accordingly and detour from the ceasefire “Our agents have reported that armored When the first World Congress of Ukrainian language and students of that is stipulated by the Minsk accords – vehicles and infantry are being reposi- Crimean Tatars convened in Symferopol, Ukrainian history and culture. With UCCA and which only the Ukrainian side has con- Crimea, in May 2009, more than 800 dele- representatives having attended several sistently upheld. (Continued on page 8) gates from 12 countries and 160 NGOs community events with the Crimean Tatars attended that historic homecoming. This in New York and Washington, as well as world congress attracted 184 Tatar groups having arranged meetings for Crimean from 12 countries, representing some 200 Tatar leaders with U.S. officials and the Ukraine reports intense battles near Mariupol Crimean Tatar organizations. The total of press, the partnership with the UCCA was a 410 registered delegates, 80 invited guests natural choice. RFE/RL majority of the road is now under the and 110 additional attendees, while small- In addressing the delegates and presidi- control of government forces. er in number than the first congress, defied um, Mr. Dobriansky once again “called on KYIV – Ukraine has reported intense The OSCE has reported increased organizers’ expectations, as Russia had our president and our leaders in the U.S. battles with pro-Russian separatists near ceasefire violations in areas east and mobilized all of its best efforts – from House and Senate to put aside political dif- the government-held coastal city of north of Mariupol. threatening Crimean Tatars living in occu- ferences and stand together with all the Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. In recent days Ukraine and pro-Russian pied Crimea, to setting up a rival Crimean people of Ukraine, to further military coop- A military spokesman in Kyiv said on forces have traded accusations of attempt- Tatar body it could control, to applying dip- eration with Ukraine and enact sectoral August 12 that clashes north of the stra- ing to break a ceasefire deal that was lomatic pressure on the Turkish govern- sanctions against Russia.” He further added, tegic city of Mariupol had killed one sol- agreed upon in Minsk six months ago. ment – all to prevent the World Congress of “To our Crimean Tatar brethren, we wish dier and injured three. On August 10, the Ukrainian military Crimean Tatars from meeting at all. you great success in achieving your con- The pro-Russian militants said a civil- reported the heaviest shelling by pro- According to congress organizers, gress’s resolutions, firm in our belief that ian had died in a different part of the area. Russian separatists since the Minsk truce Crimean Tatar organizations from Ukraine, through our combined efforts we will see A resident in a village located halfway was signed in February. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Canada, Lithuania, the congress return to the Crimean Tatars’ between Donetsk and Mariupol told AFP Mariupol sits along a key route linking Poland, Russia, Romania, Turkey, France indigenous homeland in the future.” exchanges of heavy mortar and rocket parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by and other European countries were repre- Throughout his stay in Turkey, Mr. fire began on August 10 and had not the rebels and Crimea, which was sented, with over 200 attending from Dobriansky continued to work closely with stopped since. annexed by Russia in March 2014. Ukraine. Notably, Uzbekistan, with a Ayla Bakkalli, U.S. representative of the The latest battles are focused on a Crimean Tatar population of approximately Crimean Tatar representative assembly highway that connects Mariupol with the Based on reporting by Agence France- 200,000, did not send any delegates to this separatists’ de facto capital, Donetsk. The Presse and Reuters. second congress. (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2015 No. 33 ANALYSIS Ukraine subpoenas Yanukovych the spirit and the letter of the Minsk agree- Pravyi Sektor challenges ments,” the EU’s External Action Service KYIV – Ukraine subpoenaed fugitive for- said in a statement. Also on August 11, the Kyiv in western Ukraine mer President Viktor Yanukovych to testify Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the sit- in a corruption investigation. Ukraine’s uation on the front line had deteriorated in by Oleg Varfolomeyev President Petro Poroshenko traveled to state-run newspaper Uriadovyi Kurier recent days and urged Kyiv to end its “irre- Eurasia Daily Monitor Zakarpattia in the wake of the incident to (Government Courier) carried the text of sponsible actions” in eastern Ukraine. On replace the local governor, Vasyl Hubal, the subpoena on August 6. The subpoena August 10, the Ukrainian military reported Three people were killed and at least 13 with his strongman Hennadii Moskal, who stated that Mr. Yanukovych was required to the heaviest shelling by pro-Russian sepa- wounded in the western Ukrainian town of until this appointment governed Luhansk, appear at the Procurator General’s Office in ratists since the Minsk truce was signed in Mukacheve on July 11, as members of the the oblast worst affected by the war with Kyiv on August 11 for questioning related February. The fragile Minsk ceasefire is nationalist paramilitary group Pravyi Russia. The local heads of law enforcement to an investigation into crimes committed marred by daily violations. More than 6,400 Sektor (Right Sector) attacked local police agencies were reshuffled. A furious Mr. under Article 191 of the Criminal Code. people have been killed in the military con- near a local sports club with machine guns Poroshenko accused two local “clans,” Article 191, Paragraph 5, of the code relates flict between Ukrainian armed forces and and grenades. Pravyi Sektor claimed they which he did not name, of involvement in to the “misappropriation of property” and pro-Russia rebels in parts of Ukraine’s east- wanted to prevent smuggling but were smuggling.