INSIDE: l Soprano Victoria Loukianetz debuts in D.C. – page 10 l Historic cemeteries in the Lemko region – page 11 l Wladimir Klitschko notches 50th KO – page 16 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXX No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012 $1/$2 in Ukraine Ukrainian Canadian Congress New bill calls for transfer opens National Office in Ottawa of religious sites to UOC-MP by Zenon Zawada “No one is talking about the transfer of Special to The Ukrainian Weekly the Monastery of the Caves National Historic and Cultural Reserve now,” Mr. KYIV – The Party of Regions of Ukraine Kulyniak said at a January 31 briefing. “I and its allies have launched their latest am acquainted with the draft law, even campaign to aid the Russian Orthodox though it has not been passed to the Church (ROC) – through its proxy, the Ministry of Culture for elaboration and Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow expert assessment so far.” Patriarchate (UOC-MP) – in gaining owner- As soon as President Viktor Yanukovych ship of Ukraine’s holiest sites with legisla- was elected two years ago, his government tion introduced in Parliament in mid-Janu- began issuing decrees setting the condi- ary. tions for the UOC-MP to take control of The proposed law “On Transferring those holiest sites that are currently owned Cultural Heritage Sites to Religious and administered by the state, including St. Organizations,” or Bill No. 9690, calls for Sophia Cathedral and the territory of the UCC transferring ownership from the state to Church of Tithes (Desiatynna Church). At the opening of the UCC National Office in Ottawa (from left) are: Dr. Mykhailo the UOC-MP of several of Ukraine’s holiest As for the Monastery of the Caves Khomenko of the Embassy of Ukraine, Ukrainian World Congress President Eugene sites, including the Pecherska Lavra com- (which dates to the 11th century), the Czolij, Ukrainian Canadian Congress National President Paul Grod, Olenka plex in Kyiv and the Pochayiv Lavra com- Pochayiv Monastery (16th century; 13th Reshitnyk, and Members of Parliament Robert Sopuck (chair of the Canada-Ukraine plex in the Ternopil Oblast – both historic century, according to some accounts) and Parliamentary Friendship Group) and Nycole Turmel (leader of the Opposition). monasteries. the Epiphany Monastery (17th century) in OTTAWA – In the presence of over 100 Congress National President Paul Grod. “We The bill’s sponsors are Andrii Derkach nearby Kremenets, the UOC-MP controls people, including the Ukrainian Canadian have shown over time that we can work (Party of Regions), Vasyl Horbal (Party of these complexes but doesn’t own the prop- Congress board of directors, clergy, mem- with government to represent the issues of Regions), Dmytro Shentsev (Party of erty. Bill No. 9690 would transfer the prop- bers of Parliament, the media and the concern to our community to government, Regions), Serhii Hrynevetskyi (Volodymyr erty to the UOC-MP’s ownership. Ukrainian Canadian community, UCC’s and today’s office opening is another step in Lytvyn Bloc), Oleksander Holub Although the Council of Europe has long National Office in Ottawa was officially that journey.” (Communist Party) and Ihor Rybakov recommended returning religious sites to opened on March 2. The UCC National Office is led by (Reforms for the Future’s Sake). their respective Churches, critics said the “This is a very proud moment for the Executive Director Taras Zalusky, a long- Religious authorities, including legislation favors the UOC-MP without any Ukrainian Canadian people who have been time policy advisor and chief of staff to Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox attention given to other Churches. working diligently for the past 120 years many ministers of the crown. “The opening Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, and politicians The UOC-MP’s crusade to gain owner- and have succeeded on implementing of a national UCC office in Ottawa fulfills a have voiced their opposition to the legisla- ship of Ukraine’s holiest monasteries is a numerous accomplishments such as multi- resolution adopted by the November 2010 tion. Culture Minister Mykhailo Kulyniak, a threat to Ukraine’s spiritual autonomy, but culturalism, human rights law in this coun- triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians,” native of Drohobych, Lviv Oblast, said the not only that, said Ternopil Oblast Council try and, more recently, anti-human traffick- bill should be discussed by the All- ing initiatives,” stated Ukrainian Canadian (Continued on page 5) Ukrainian Council of Churches. (Continued on page 5) U.S. dedicates new Embassy compound in Kyiv WASHINGTON – U.S. Ambassador to ous sustainable features, most notably OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure represent American values and the best in Ukraine John F. Tefft dedicated the new advances in engineering design to maxi- and functional facilities for the conduct of American architecture, engineering, tech- Embassy facility in Kyiv on February 29. mize efficiency and minimize energy use, a U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. nology, sustainability, art, culture and con- Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr green roof system, and rain gardens which interests worldwide. These facilities should struction execution. Lytvyn, Foreign Affairs Minister Kostyantyn pre-treat stormwater before it is infiltrated Gryshchenko, U.S. Undersecretary for on-site. The compound is registered with Management Patrick F. Kennedy, Deputy the Green Building Certification Institute Chief of Mission Eric Schultz and Deputy and is entering the formal review process; Director of the Bureau of Overseas it is the first LEED® registered project in Buildings Operations (OBO) Heather Ukraine. Townsend participated in the ribbon-cut- B.L. Harbert International of ting ceremony. Birmingham, Ala., constructed the project, Occupying a 10-acre site in Kyiv, the which was designed by Page Southerland multi-building complex is a platform for Page of Arlington, Va. The $247 million increased U.S. interaction with the project generated hundreds of jobs in both Ukrainian people. The Embassy’s perma- the United States and Ukraine. nent art collection celebrates the exchange Since 1999, as part of the State of artistic expression between the United Department’s Capital Security Construction States and Ukraine through work by con- Program, OBO has completed 88 new dip- temporary Ukrainian, American and lomatic facilities and has moved more than U.S. Embassy Kyiv regional artists, curated by OBO’s Office of 27,000 people into safe, secure and func- U.S. Ambassador John F. Tefft (right) and dignitaries from the United States and Art in Embassies, the release noted. tional facilities. OBO has an additional 41 Ukraine cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening the new U.S. Embassy com- The new Embassy incorporates numer- projects in design or construction. pound in Kyiv. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012 No. 11 ANALYSIS PRU, Strong Ukraine to merge not only understand that, but if you like, to Putin prepares to fight internal, remedy that using the standards of interna- KYIV – The Party of Regions of Ukraine tional justice. And that we would continue (PRU) has proposed Strong Ukraine sign a to call on them to do. We want this external enemies after re-election political agreement on a merger during the Association Agreement, but we recognize In the Moskovskiye Novosti article and March 17 congress. This was announced by Pavel Felgenhauer that the political structures which we oper- during a meeting with defense experts in by Olena Bondarenko, a member of Eurasia Daily Monitor ate in within Europe will wish to see move- the nuclear closed city of Sarov, Mr. Putin Parliament and first vice-chairman of the ment on the issue.” Polish Foreign Minister In the last days before his seemingly inevi- continued to single out U.S. and NATO plans Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Freedom Radoslaw Sikorski said that his country table re-election for a third six-year term as to deploy ballistic missile defenses (BMD) in of Expression and Information, according president on March 4, Russian Prime Europe as the main military challenge to the PRU press service on March 7. would like to see the Association Minister Vladimir Mr. Putin aggressively Russia is facing. Mr. Putin announced: “It is Strong Ukraine is led by Sergey Tigipko, a Agreement signed, ratified and implement- attacked internal and external enemies. In the our national task, we are bound by duty to presidential candidate in 2010 and cur- ed, adding that this was what Ms. last of a series of seven lengthy articles Mr. all mankind to keep the balance of strategic rently the vice prime minister. Ms. Tymoshenko wanted herself, irrespective Putin described his future presidential for- forces and capabilities [against the U.S.] and Bondarenko said the Party of Regions pro- of what was happening to her. However, he eign policy agenda that seems to be almost their BMD plans imply we must make all posed that Strong Ukraine sign the political said that Ms. Ashton’s words reflected the exclusively about lambasting the United needed efforts to maintain that balance as agreement during the congress, after strongly held opinion of some member- States as the main source of evil in the world. an element of international world stability” which Strong Ukraine would make a deci- states that “it will not happen unless the The program article was published in the (http://premier.gov.ru, February 24, 2012). sion at its congress to disband and merge Tymoshenko case is resolved, and the gov- Moskovskiye Novosti daily and on Mr. Sarov (Arzamas-16) is a city northeast of with the PRU on the basis of individual ernment of Ukraine knows that.” (Interfax- Putin’s campaign website. The other six Moscow with some 100,000 inhabitants.