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The Ukrainian Weekly 2014, No.7

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The Ukrainian Weekly 2014, No.7 www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: l A guide to the Maidan’s civic organizations – page 4 l 100 years of U.S. Congress support for Ukraine – page 8 l Wladimir Klitschko addresses NYC Ukrainians – page 9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXII No. 7 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 $1/$2 in Ukraine Patriarchs Filaret, Sviatoslav attend As EU refrains from sanctions, National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. Maidan forms self-defense forces Church leaders’ meetings focus on events in Ukraine by Yaro Bihun its $15 billion promise to save it from defaulting and keep it economically afloat. WASHINGTON – The leaders of Ukraine’s Patriarch Filaret noted that it was the two major Churches – Patriarch Filaret of students who were the first to react via the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv street protests. For the students, he said, it Patriarchate and Patriarch Sviatoslav of the was not a struggle for power, but a choice Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church – were for their country’s future. It was only after among the more than 20 representatives of the government used force against them Ukraine who came to the U.S. capital to join that the opposition parties, various organi- with President Barack Obama and more zation, the Churches and the nation at large than 3,000 invited guests at the annual joined them in their public protests. National Prayer Breakfast on February 6. Another very important force that joined While in Washington during the first in the protests was the Ukrainian military week of February, they also held their own veterans of the tragic 1980s Soviet war in separate meetings with U.S. government Afghanistan. Patriarch Filaret said he sees officials, members of Congress and organi- them as the trump card against Russia trying zations, discussing, among other things, the to bring Ukraine – divided on the East-West current alarming developments in Ukraine, issue – back into the Russian sphere by force. its evolving relationships with Europe, the That strong force of 40,000 Ukrainian Zenon Zawada United States and with Russia. Afghan war veterans who have experienced Euro-Maidan Civic Sector activist Volodymyr Viatrovych leads a march in central And that was what Patriarch Filaret the cruelty of war in Afghanistan may have Kyiv in late January demanding sanctions from the European Union against Ukraine’s leaders. The EU Council decided on February 10 that it will refrain from focused on following the Prayer Breakfast, psychological problems, but their combat applying sanctions unless the crisis worsens. during a briefing that afternoon at the U.S.- experience will overwhelm those current Ukraine Foundation. He recounted the diffi- Russian or Ukrainian special operation by Zenon Zawada mer National Security and Defense Council cult and trying time the past year has been troops, he said. These veterans – who also Deputy Secretary Volodymyr Sivkovych, for Ukraine – a time of struggle between have the legal right to own weapons – have KYIV – The European Union Council former Kyiv police chief Valerii Koriak and maintaining a democracy or dictatorship in organized themselves in Ukraine, he said, decided on February 10 that it would not former Kyiv City State Administration Chair the country, with Russia trying to control and they are ready to fight to the last. satisfy the Euro-Maidan’s pleas for sanc- (Mayor) Oleksander Popov. Ukraine and maintain it within its realm, “This would be the worst case scenario tions against Ukraine’s officials. Top EU offi- During his testimony, Mr. Popov impli- while most of the people would prefer to be for Ukraine,” Patriarch Filaret said, adding cials said they’d be counterproductive at cated the involvement of National Security associated with Europe. that the Church and other protest leaders this point and would only be applied if the and Defense Council Secretary Andriy That was the direction Ukraine was fol- are participating in the negotiations with crisis worsens. Kliuyev, a longtime associate of Mr. lowing in 2013 until President Yanukovych the Yanukovych government and are doing Yet a violent dispersal of the Euro- Yanukovych who was never charged and refused to continue on that path by signing everything possible to prevent this from Maidan, which this week entered its third instead was tapped as Presidential an Association Agreement with the month, grew increasingly likely after the Administration chair in late January. European Union and went with Russia and (Continued on page 12) Procurator General’s Office of Ukraine The Procurator General’s Office based its announced on February 12 that it had decision on the amnesty law approved by closed its investigations into the November parliament on January 16 that was supposed 30, 2013, violent dispersal of protesters to free from criminal responsibility all those that ignited the nationwide revolts, dis- on both sides of the civil unrest between missing the criminal charges. November 21 and December 26, 2013. The dropped charges are intended to be a A second amnesty law passed by signal from the administration of President Parliament on January 29 has been dubbed Viktor Yanukovych to all state employees, by the opposition and EU politicians as “the particularly the police forces, that they’re hostage bill” since it proposed releasing protected from criminal charges when obey- imprisoned activists and dropping criminal ing unlawful government orders, said a state- charges in exchange for the Euro-Maidan ment released by the Batkivshchyna party. protest ceasing its activity. “The refusal to investigate the orders, Since the new year, hundreds of activists organizers and executors of this crime have been criminally charged and impris- against their own people indicates the gov- oned. ernment’s lack of desire to hear the lawful The latest example came on February 11 demands of the people for the necessity of when four Afghan war veterans and Euro- justice and punishment of the guilty,” the Maidan Self-Defense activists brought a statement said. “Therefore, the government pickpocket to a police precinct for arrest, is reinforcing the position of the police, only to be criminally charged themselves, obviously wanting to fulfill a scenario of detained for several hours and then placed force against the protesters, when the full Yaro Bihun under house arrest. Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarch Filaret shares his views on current developments in submission of police subunits and their dis- “If you arrest a pickpocket, you’re Ukraine during a discussion session at the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation in Washington. regard of Ukraine’s laws will be necessary.” thrown in jail, but if you’re a police officer Seated next to him are Ihor Gawdiak of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Criminal charges were dropped against Council (right), and interpreter Peter Voitsekhovsky (left). those officially suspected by prosecutors: for- (Continued on page 11) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 No. 7 ANALYSIS Clampdown on free speech in Russia Council of Europe on excessive force close details of the conversation except to say it was brief. (RFE/RL ,with reporting by KYIV – Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence as fallout from Ukrainian crisis Europe’s commissioner for human rights, France-Presse). says those responsible for the use of exces- by Pavel Felgenhauer end of the blockade of Leningrad” (http:// sive force against anti-government protest- Air terrorist arrestd in Istanbul Eurasia Daily Monitor www.interfax.ru/russia/txt/354861). President Vladimir Putin’s press secre- ers in Ukraine should be brought to justice. KYIV – Artem Kozlov, who tried to make Moscow-based, independent television tary Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with Mr. Muiznieks visited Ukraine on February the crew of a passenger aircraft fly from cable news channel Dozhd (meaning Dozhd stated, “The channel has crossed the 5-10, when his team interviewed dozens of “Rain”) has been accused of “extremism,” line of permissibility, of what our people people who were injured or detained dur- Kharkiv, Ukraine, to Sochi, Russia, has been and a number of cable TV providers threat- may allow.” Mr. Peskov stated that by drop- ing the protests, and also met health pro- arrested based on a court decision in ened to remove it from the TV-channel ping Dozhd from their channel offerings, fessionals who had treated people for inju- Istanbul. The Anadolu Agency cited a source packages that they offer their subscribers. the numerous television providers in ries. In a statement on February 10, Mr. in special services and reported: “The On January 26, in “Dilettanty” – a panel Moscow and in the Russian provinces are Muiznieks said: “It is not necessary to crack Turkish police arrested Ukrainian Artem discussion program on the Dozhd channel “acting on their own as citizens of Russia,” people’s skulls and knock out several of Kozlov for an attempt to hijack the aircraft that deals with history topics – viewers were who do not want to lose public support and their teeth in order to apprehend them. At during a flight from Ukraine to Turkey, with asked to vote if Leningrad (today St. subscribers (http://www.interfax.ru/rus- the same time, it is not necessary to aim the aim to send it to Sochi, where the Petersburg), besieged during World War II by sia/txt/354809). rubber bullets at persons’ heads in order to Winter Olympics were held. Kozlov was Nazi troops, should have surrendered to save Russian human rights groups are sup- bring a crowd under control or counter arrested following the court decision about civilian lives (the siege or blockade of porting Dozhd. And the channel has report- violence by protesters.” He also voiced con- imprisonment.” Mr. Kozlov threatened the Leningrad lasted from 1941 to 1944, and ed a surge of viewers phoning their provid- cern over cases of abductions and the use pilots with a bomb and demanded that the more than a million civilians died, mainly ers to return it to air, as well as an influx of of nonofficial persons to police demonstra- aircraft head to Sochi.
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