INSIDE: l Winter gala raises $200,000 for Soyuzivka Heritage Center – page 5 l UCCA-Illinois Division commemorates Unity Day – page 9 l UUARC spreads Christmas joy in Ukraine – page 12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXIX No. 7 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 $2.00 Indicted oligarch Firtash found to have accounts open Kremlin claims Ukraine is part of ‘Russian World,’ at insolvent German bank as he fights extradition Kyiv protests Russian ‘offical’ Twitter account in Crimea by Mark Raczkiewycz Moscow’s tool box for holding sway over its neighbors by promoting Russian language KYIV – Less than a week after President and culture to augment and justify the use Volodymyr Zelenskyy muted three nation­ of “hard power” by covertly employing mil­ wide television channels for broadcasting itary, informational and cyber warfare Russian disinformation, Moscow reiterated whenever needed to assert its influence. its stance that Ukraine is part of “the In 2013, Russia introduced a new for­ Russian world.” eign policy concept with an emphasis on Following a national security meeting regional priorities, including Ukraine, that was chaired by Russian President whose territory it illegally annexed and Vladimir Putin on February 9, Kremlin invaded the following year. It fit into the spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the agenda country’s National Security Strategy to focused on the “Russian world” and that 2020 and its military’s doctrine. Ukraine was considered a part of it. Mr. Peskov’s statement was a reminder He was responding to a question posed to Kyiv’s leadership that Moscow doesn’t by a Ukrainian UNIAN news agency consider Ukraine a legitimate nation­state Moscow correspondent. on equal footing with Russia. Mr. Peskov noted the topic remains a pri­ As recently as January 28, a chief ority for the government and that the Russian propagandist called on Moscow to Voice of America Kremlin will use “soft power” to promote annex Ukraine’s Donbas, consisting of the Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash waits for the start of his extradition trial at the this concept in Ukraine. two easternmost regions where a war has Austrian Supreme Court in Vienna on June 25, 2019. “Of course, there are a lot of Russians raged with combined Russian military, and Russian­speakers in Ukraine – they all irregular and Kremlin­backed forces since by Mark Raczkiewycz By the time Wirecard had declared belong to the ‘Russian world,’ and it would April 2014. bankruptcy in June 2020 with a nearly $4 be really foolish to deny cultural, historical Margarita Simonyan, the global editor­ KYIV – Around the same time that billion hole on its balance sheet, Mr. Firtash, ties, and common roots,” Mr. Peskov said. in­chief of the Russian state­run RT televi­ Austria’s highest court ruled to extradite 55, had at least nine accounts opened with “We know that such a line – to deny these sion network (formerly Russia Today), Ukrainian billionaire Dmytro Firtash to the the bank and its executive caste of manage­ common things – is being pursued by attended the “Russian Donbas Forum” in U.S. on bribery and racketeering charges in ment was partly in custody, while its chief Ukraine, but we don’t like this.” occupied Donbas where she said, “Mother June 2019, he and his companies were open­ operating officer – Austrian citizen Jan To many Western and Ukrainian Russia, take Donbas home.” ing accounts at Wirecard, a German bank Kremlin watchers, Russia’s use of the term that is now insolvent due to malfeasance. (Continued on page 4) “Russian world” is a component of (Continued on page 14) NEWS ANALYSIS Stormy, turbulent outlook for Ukrainian Zelenskyy kicks off first of 30 public forums dedicated domestic politics in the months ahead to Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of independence by Bohdan Nahaylo situation and raised more questions than they have provided answers. New The start of the new year in Ukrainian opportunities have opened, but consider­ domestic politics has been characterized able challenges and dangers have also by turbulence, surprises, and the redraw­ been exposed. ing of shifting battle lines. The country’s Already domestic and foreign com­ embattled president, Volodymyr Zelens­ mentators are saying that a turning point kyy, finding himself squeezed from many has been reached and that a tougher, quarters, seems to have gotten a second more assertive, Mr. Zelenskyy has wind and decided to stand his ground emerged. They conclude that he has and carry the fight to his adversaries. hoisted much clearer colors to his mast The unexpected banning at the begin­ and has signaled, whatever skeptics and ning of February by the Ukrainian leader­ detractors have suggested, that he wants ship of several pro­Russian TV channels to be seen as the real defender of linked with Russian President Vladimir Ukraine’s independence and democracy Presidential Office Putin’s close associate and point man in – that he is prepared to stand his ground President Zelenskyy announces “Ukraina 30,” a series of 30 public forums that began Ukraine, tycoon and lawmaker Viktor and confront his opponents in an open on February 8. Medvechuk, has captured the headlines. political contest. by Roman Tymotsko coincide with Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of But it is rather more complicated than Briefly here are but some of the events independence, is an effort by the Ukrainian this. of the last weeks that have formed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelens­ government to focus discussion in the During the first weeks of 2021, context and broader factors. First, as the kyy announced a series of 30 large­scale country on topics the president believes Ukraine witnessed unexpected develop­ public forums on various topics of national are most important to Ukraine. ments that have in effect shaken up the (Continued on page 5) importance that will take place over the next six months. The initiative, meant to (Continued on page 11) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 No. 7 ANALYSIS Does the Normandy group have Yanukovych’s son likely off sanctions list Twitter must remove “official” Russian account European Union diplomats are consider­ Ukraine is calling on Twitter to remove a a future on the Russia-Ukraine conflict? ing removing several of the 10 remaining “blue check” verified account of the Russian Ukrainians – including Oleksandr Foreign Affairs Ministry’s office in Crimea, Part 1 with the U.S. media outlet Axios, on January Yanukovych, the son of former Ukrainian accusing the social­media giant of promoting 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr President Viktor Yanukovych – from a list Kremlin propaganda. Ukraine’s ambassador by Vladimir Socor Zelenskyy described how Russia is block­ of sanctioned people the bloc believes are to the United States, Volodymyr Yelchenko, Eurasia Daily Monitor ing the negotiations in order to impose a responsible for the misappropriation of sent a letter to Twitter asking the company solution on its own terms, “to preserve the Ukraine is multiplying calls for changing Ukrainian state funds. The EU imposed to deactivate the Russian account, the separatists” by some kind of “federaliza­ asset freezes on Viktor Yanukovych, part of embassy in Washington said on February 8. the composition of the “Normandy Four” tion.” group (Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine) his family, and his inner political circle The account of “Russian occupation authori­ “I told European leaders, frankly: if we shortly after the collapse of his government ties in Crimea cannot be described as official and its derivative Minsk Contact Group (see continue with this [Normandy and Minsk] below). The Kremlin has effectively used in late February 2014, but the list has slow­ and legitimate,” the diplomatic mission said format, it will have exhausted any useful­ ly been whittled down over the years after on Facebook. Moscow illegally annexed these negotiation forums from 2014 to date ness. This is why I want such a powerful some of them challenged, and sometimes Crimea in early 2014 and later threw its sup­ in order to conserve, instead of end, its world player as the United States to make won, court cases against the EU sanctions. port behind pro­Russian separatists in occupation of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas. its impact felt, involving President Biden in The bloc’s losses in court have led to grow­ Ukraine’s east, where some 13,200 people The Normandy forum has not met at the the Normandy format. I am ready to do ing demands that the list should be pared have been killed in an ongoing conflict. The summit or ministerial level since 2019; it anything to reach an agreement with the down further or even annulled. Several EU account in question describes itself as the has operated at the level of senior political U.S. president and the Normandy Group. I diplomats who are familiar with the talks “official twitter account” of the Russian advisors since then; and it has been moving also told our European partners openly: if but not authorized to speak on the record Foreign Affairs Ministry’s representative against Ukraine’s interests when not com­ this does not work, then [we should] create told RFE/RL that there were “a number of office in the city of Simferopol, Crimea’s sec­ pletely deadlocked (see EDM, December another format, which must include the ‘weak cases’ on the list that are bound to be ond­largest city. The account has nearly 11, 12, 2019; January 16, March 26, July 9, United States and Russia, in parallel with challenged in the EU court” and that a lack 12,000 followers and a “blue check” verifica­ 15, August 5, 12, 13, 2020). the Normandy format,” Mr. Zelenskyy said of compelling evidence from Ukraine has tion.