No. 43, October 27, 2019
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INSIDE: Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus’s outreach to schools – page 4 Sports: Gvozdyk loses bout, Ukraine qualifi es for Euro 2020 – page 9 10th festival of Ukrainian American Cultural Center of N.J. – page 11 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 43 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 $2.00 Metropolitan Epifaniy of Orthodox Church of Ukraine Scandals in Ukraine overshadow progress welcomed to Spiritual Center of UOC of the U.S.A. by Bohdan Nahaylo ing in the courts to undo the decision in December 2016 to nationalize “his” KYIV – Scandal after scandal, overshad- PrivatBank, the largest in Ukraine, after an owing progress. That summarizes the last estimated $5.65 billion (U.S.) went missing, 10 days or so in Kyiv, as the focus switched and to reassert his influence. Observers from foreign to domestic issues. These have note that has become conspicuously active involved a public rift over charges of cor- and outspoken in public, exuding renewed ruption and bribery within President confidence and, in effect, defying Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s majority Servant of Zelenskyy, his former business partner, to the People party that necessitated drastic either side with him or face the conse- damage-control measures and the alleged quences. exploitation of a famed Ukrainian cultural First, there was a distasteful skit on TV institution for political purposes to benefit on October 19 by Mr. Zelensky’s former col- a notorious oligarch. leagues in the Studio Kvartal 95 comedy In connection with the first case, a show team using, and for many discredit- bizarre scene unfolded on October 23. After ing, one of Ukraine’s cultural emblems – the exchanging accusations in public with the Veryovka National Folk Choir – to mock the head of the president’s faction in the former Governor of the National Bank of Verkhovna Rada, Davyd Arakhamia, Ukraine Valeria Gontareva. Christine Syzonenko Oleksandr Dubinsky, an outspoken journal- In September she was the victim of mys- Walking from St. Andrew Memorial Church to the crypt of the Holy Resurrection ist linked with the notorious oligarch Ihor terious attacks, including a fire-bombing of Mausoleum are (from left): Archbishop Daniel, Archbishop Yevstratiy, Metropolitan Kolomoisky, took a lie detector test live on her home in Kyiv. Ms. Gontareva, who had Epifaniy and Metropolitan Antony. the Internet. The following day Mr. been involved in the cleaning up the cor- Arakhamia also did so voluntarily. The rupt banking sector and the nationalization UOC-U.S.A. cephalous Orthodox Churches throughout the world. result will not be known for several days. of PrivatBank, immediately pointed the fin- SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – Since the reception of the Ukrainian The president has insisted that all the ger at Mr. Kolomoisky. He has denied Metropolitan Epifaniy, primate of the Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. into the deputies suspected of taking bribes do the responsibility, but did not disguise his glee. Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), was Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople same. In the skit, shown on Mr. Kolomoisky’s formally welcomed by the hierarchs, clergy in 1995, Metropolitan Antony said, one of These two new scandals, as well as other popular 1+1 channel, Mr. Zelensky’s close and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox recent developments, involve to a greater Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A.) at the (Continued on page 15) or lesser extent Mr. Kolomoisky. He is fight- (Continued on page 16) spiritual center of the Church in South Bound Brook/Somerset, N.J., on Monday, October 21. Welcoming Metropolitan Epifaniy on the front steps of the historic St. Andrew the- Dumka Chorus celebrates its 70th anniversary First-Called Apostle Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church, Metropolitan Antony pointed out that the church is the first monument to the victims of the genocidal Holodomor of 1932-1933. Upon entering the church and blessing the clergy and faithful in attendance, both metropolitans exchanged statements of spiritual joy for the opportunity that the Lord presented to the worldwide Ukrainian Orthodox community to re-establish a sacred bond through the Mother Church of Constantinople. Metropolitan Antony noted that count- less hierarchs, clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Western Europe and throughout the diaspora who for the past 100 years of their existence in the Western World, offered unceasing prayers of inter- Dumka/Facebook cession for the spiritual freedom of the Orthodox Church – the people of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York performs at its 70th anniversary concert. The sacred bond between the Mother by Adrian Bryttan founded in New York City as a male choir. vate the rich musical heritage of Ukraine. Church of Constantinople and the Ukrainian Barely four years after the end of the war, At the anniversary concert, the adult Orthodox Church in Diaspora served its NEW YORK – The Ukrainian Chorus these Ukrainian immigrants, striving to mixed chorus led by music director and spiritual purpose towards the unification Dumka of New York celebrated its 70th support their families and still learning the conductor Vasyl Hrechynsky presented process and canonical and sacred recogni- anniversary with a concert at Hunter new language in America, had already orga- mostly Ukrainian classic choral composi- tion of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by College on Saturday, October 6. nized this ensemble, so they could continue tions in the first half, while the second half the Holy and Sacred Patriarchate of The chorus’s platinum jubilee can be singing the music they loved so well. Their Constantinople, and most recently by the traced back to 1949, when Dumka was stated mission was to preserve and culti- (Continued on page 9) Church of Greece and soon by other auto- 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 No. 43 ANALYSIS Sevastopol port on Russian-occupied Journalist sentenced to 15 years completely illegal conviction and sentenc- ing,” the OSCE representative on freedom of A court established by Russia-backed the media, Harlem Desir, said in a statement, Crimean peninsula near bankruptcy “separatists” who hold parts of eastern reiterating his call that Mr. Aseyev must be Ukraine has sentenced journalist Stanislav “released immediately.” RFE/RL President by Paul Goble Ukrainians and their supporters to declare Aseyev, an RFE/RL contributor, to 15 years Jamie Fly has called the ruling against Eurasia Daily Monitor that this represents a Ukrainian “mission accomplished” (Krymr.com, May 8). That in a penal colony. The separatist news outlet Aseyev “an attempt by Russian-backed sepa- An old Soviet joke had it that if Saudi could be true unless Kyiv lifts its sanctions DAN reported on October 22 that the court ratists in Donetsk to silence his powerful, Arabia ever became communist, Riyadh against international shipping there. And had found Mr. Aseyev guilty of espionage, independent voice” and along with Mr. Desir would be importing sand within five years. such a prospect has become somewhat more extremism and public calls to violate the urged the release of Oleh Halaziuk, a contrib- The situation around the once-prosperous likely recently, following Ukrainian President territory’s integrity. Mr. Aseyev, who wrote utor of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service who has Ukrainian port in Sevastopol suggests a Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s acceptance of the under the pen name Stanislav Vasin, disap- been held by separatists in Donetsk since similar dynamic: if the Russians occupy “Steinmeier formula” for the Donbas and the peared in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on June August 2017. The two journalists “were something, as they have in Crimea, it will apparent desire of many Western countries 2, 2017, and has been held in detention among the very few independent journalists rapidly slide toward bankruptcy. The port’s to wrap up what they describe as “the since by the separatists. “The conviction who worked and reported from the non- insolvency is a combined result of sanc- Ukrainian crisis” once and for all. against Stanislav Aseyev, which dates from government-controlled area of Donetsk tions, mismanagement and the inevitable Still, regardless of whether that happens, August but was made public only today, is region,” the OSCE representative said. “The scramble for assets between various parts what the Russian occupation authorities reprehensible,” said RFE/RL President silencing of independent journalists is a of the Russian government that want to have done to the port since 2014 reflects Jamie Fly. “Stas is a journalist and was only crime against the freedom of expression and extract what income they can from it before the ways in which Russian government and trying to raise awareness about the situa- it is unacceptable,” Desir added. In New York, it dies and Russian firms, which appear business practices are so destructive. No tion in eastern Ukraine. The ruling is an the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) more interested in value stripping than in one doubts that the sanctions against inter- attempt by Russian-backed separatists in said the “so-called court” that convicted and making the port a success. national use of the Sevastopol port are the Donetsk to silence his powerful, indepen- sentenced Aseyev was “not legitimate.” Following the Russian annexation of most important reason for the current dent voice. Stas should be released immedi- Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Crimea in 2014, the Ukrainian government disastrous state of the port. However, the ately,” Mr. Fly added. The 30-year-old jour- program coordinator, noted in a statement infighting between various parts of the invoked international law and closed nalist was one of the few reporters in that Mr. Aseyev “is neither a spy nor extrem- Russian government, including both state Sevastopol and other Crimean ports to Donetsk who continued to work in the city ist,” but “a journalist who was providing a international shipping.