The Ukrainian Weekly, 2018
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INSIDE: l Lomachenko makes boxing history with Linares TKO – page 8 l Save the Spirit Lake Internment Camp cemetery – page 14 l Our community: Fort Lauderdale and Montreal – page 15 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVI No. 20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 $2.00 Syracuse U. bestows honorary doctorate Kyiv moves on Russian media outlets on Bishop Borys Gudziak, president of UCU suspected of treason against Ukraine by Mark Raczkiewycz edly made from the Russian state-con- trolled parent company to the Kyiv bureau KYIV – Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief through an elaborate financial scheme officers and prosecutors raided at least two that involved money flowing from Serbia, Russian government-controlled media out- originating in a Russian state-owned bank lets on May 15 and detained one bureau through a chain of dummy companies that chief in Kyiv on suspicion of high treason. the suspect ultimately controlled. Local RIA Novosti head Kyrylo “Many believe that anti-Ukrainian pro- Vyshinsky was taken a day later to a pre- paganda originates exclusively in Russia or trial detention center in Kherson, 340 miles in the [Kremlin-occupied] territories,” the south of Kyiv, where he will face a hearing SBU deputy head said. “But as we see, a on whether he will be jailed, placed under large quantity of propaganda content is house arrest or released on bail. Since most produced in Ukraine.” of his alleged anti-Ukrainian activities were As a result, Mr. Vyshinsky allegedly based in Crimea, jurisdiction falls under the received two Russian state medals for his Crimean Prosecutor’s Office, which moved work. During the briefing, Mr. Kononenko to Kherson after Russia illegally annexed showed one for “services to the fatherland” the peninsula in March 2014. issued by presidential order and another Mr. Vyshinsky, 51, is accused of directing for the “return of Crimea” bestowed by a media campaign while allegedly taking Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. orders from Russian superiors that justi- The global Russian-controlled television Borys Buniak fied the Kremlin’s takeover of Crimea, as conglomerate RT (formerly known as Russia Syracuse University Chancellor Dr. Kent Syverud presents an honorary doctorate to well as the subsequent formation of two Today) also had its office raided by law Bishop Borys Gudziak. Moscow-created breakaway entities in the enforcement on May 15. Its office phones in Donbas known as the Donetsk and Kyiv and website were allegedly down, RT with his students during the Revolution of by Alexander Kuzma Luhansk “people’s republics.” editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan tweeted. Dignity in 2014. He has dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen- SYRACUSE, N. Y. – Syracuse University Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Bishop Gudziak received his undergrad- ship, deputy SBU chief Viktor Kononenko on Sunday, May 13, awarded an honorary spokesperson called the moves by Ukrainian uate degree from Syracuse University in said at a briefing on May 15, while showing authorities “outrageous” and “scandalous.” doctorate to Bishop Borys Gudziak, the 1980. The honorary doctorate was award- slides depicting images of the passports. He vowed that Moscow would respond to president of the Ukrainian Catholic ed by the chancellor of Syracuse University, The native of Dnipro (formerly called the Ukrainian law enforcement’s actions, but University in Lviv and bishop of the Dr. Kent Syverud, during the 2018 Dnipropetrovsk) purportedly received didn’t specify how. Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great in Paris, Commencement exercises at Syracuse monthly payments of 53,000 euros to fund “Russia never waits long with retaliatory in recognition of his “vision of freedom and University. what the SBU officer called “subversive measures, especially when such actions are love of humanity” and for his courageous informational activities” and “participating leadership in defying tyranny and standing (Continued on page 18) in propaganda acts.” Payments were alleg- (Continued on page 13) Putin opens Crimean bridge condemned by Kyiv and EU RFE/RL took place days before the anniversary of the mass deportation of Crimean Tatars from Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened their homeland by Soviet dictator Joseph the country’s newly built bridge to the annexed Stalin in 1944. Crimean peninsula, driving a truck across the European Union’s foreign policy chief span and drawing angry condemnation from Kyiv Federica Mogherini’s spokeswoman said con- and the European Union. struction of the bridge “constitutes another Mr. Putin was shown live on state television at violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territo- the wheel of a Kamaz truck in a convoy of vehicles rial integrity by Russia.” that crossed what Russia calls the Crimean Bridge “The construction of the bridge aims at the – a symbol of Moscow’s control over the further forced integration of the illegally annexed Ukrainian peninsula – on May 15. peninsula with Russia and its isolation from After an excited reporter welcomed “our Ukraine, of which it remains a part,” spokeswom- heroes” as the convoy arrived on the Crimean an Maja Kocijancic said in a statement. side, Mr. Putin hopped out of the cab in jeans The 19-kilometer bridge over the Kerch and a jacket and praised builders for the “mira- Strait had been scheduled to open in December cle” he said they had created. 2018, but Russian authorities recently “Throughout various historical epochs... peo- announced it would open for cars and buses on ple have dreamed of building this bridge,” Mr. May 16. Putin said, calling it a “historic day.” Construction on the bridge from Russia’s Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Krasnodar Krai to Crimea’s eastern end start- that “the illegal construction of the Kerch ed in 2016, two years after Russia seized con- bridge is the latest evidence of the Kremlin’s www.most.life trol of the peninsula following a military occu- disregard for international law.” A $3.7-billion, 19-kilometer long bridge connecting Russia to the Ukrainian pation and a referendum denounced as illegit- In a statement posted on Twitter, he said it peninsula of Crimea that Moscow illegally annexed four years ago was officially was “particularly cynical” that the opening opened on May 15. (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 No. 20 ANALYSIS Germany wrestles with Nord Stream 2’s Ukraine’s MFA protests Kerch bridge and Germany in detail about the situation in the Donbas. “We clearly emphasize and implications for European solidarity Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs insist that the truce that was announced (MFA) on May 15 expressed “its strong pro- before Easter must be strictly followed by test in connection with the opening of the with Slovakia’s Prime Minister Peter Russian terrorist troops,” he stressed. Mr. by Rauf Mammadov bridge through the Kerch Strait and in turn Pellegrini, Ms. Merkel tried to square the Poroshenko raised the issue of the de-occu- Eurasia Daily Monitor emphasizes the illegality of Russia’s con- circle by calling for “constructive and long- pation of Crimea. “Obviously, we discussed struction of this infrastructure facility with- term solutions aiming to keep Ukraine a the deoccupation and the imposition of Vladimir Putin started his fourth term out the consent of Ukraine.” A statement transit country for Russian gas” (TASS, sanctions for the illegal conduct of the elec- as Russia’s president by promising ambi- issued by the MFA went on to say: “Such May 2). tions. I spoke about it from the very begin- tious new social programs (Kremlin.ru, actions by Moscow are fundamentally con- Meanwhile, Russia has chosen a general ning,” Mr. Poroshenko commented. “We May 7). He may be able to deliver on these trary to generally accepted norms and prin- contractor for its segment of Nord Stream coordinate actions. The package of sanc- promises because the price of petroleum, ciples of international law, grossly violate 2 – Stroytransgaz, half-owned by tions on the implementation of the Minsk one of the mainstays of Russia’s state bud- the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, President Putin’s billionaire friend agreements and cessation of Russia’s get, has risen steadily. A barrel of oil, 1982, and bilateral contractual obligations Gennady Timchenko (RBC, May 3). And aggression in the Donbas is inextricably which was $30 two years ago, fetched $70 towards Ukraine. In the face of Russian Gazprom’s deputy CEO, Aleksandr linked to the package of sanctions for the this week. armed aggression against Ukraine and the Medvedev, has even said on Russian TV illegal annexation of Crimea.” (Presidential Another reason Mr. Putin may be opti- temporary occupation of the Crimean pen- that he would not rule out a Nord Stream Administration of Ukraine) mistic is Germany’s unswerving support insula, it is actually an attempt to legitimize 3, if there is European demand (Vesti, for Nord Stream 2, the undersea Baltic the annexation of part of the sovereign ter- Ukrainians warned on travel to World Cup April 24). pipeline that will supply Russian natural ritory of Ukraine. Construction of the Along Europe’s southeastern flank, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of gas directly to Germany and other parts of bridge, as well as any other actions of the Gazprom has also completed the first seg- Ukraine has recommended that citizens of Europe. Nord Stream 2 will double the Kremlin occupation authorities, can in no ment of the Turk Stream pipeline, which Ukraine refrain from traveling to the capacity of the previously built Nord way change the status of the Autonomous will send Russian gas under the Black Sea Russian Federation to attend the final of the Stream 1 pipeline from 55 billion to 110 Republic of Crimea and the city of to Turkey and on to southern Europe Football World Cup in connection with seri- billion cubic meters per year.