INSIDE: l Plast in New York City kicks off $1.5 million renovation of its branch building – page 9 l Plast campground Vovcha Tropa seeks volunteers – page 11 l Hundreds gather for annual St. Thomas Sunday pilgrimage – page 13 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXIX No. 21 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021 $2.00 Latest Cabinet turnover sees two ministers Medvedchuk case ‘just beginning’ of cutting forced to resign, health minister fired oligarchs down to size, says Zelenskyy Rada names new ministers of health by Todd Prince and economic development Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty WASHINGTON – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the state’s case against Viktor Medvedchuk is “just the beginning” of a process of curtailing the power of a handful of tycoons who have dominated the country’s economic and political landscape for decades. In a statement published on May 18 on the website of the Washington­based think tank Atlantic Council and aimed at a U.S. audience, Mr. Zelenskyy said this “unelect­ ed elite has rigged the system” to preserve their power and wealth indefinitely to the Serhii Nuzhnenko/Radio Svoboda.org, RFE/RL detriment of the population. Viktor Medvedchuk in court on May 13 He claimed that Ukraine under his lead­ in Kyiv. ership was now making progress on bat­ tling the tycoons, pointing to the sanctions people are “toothless” when their media Serhiy Supinsky, AFP his administration imposed in February on assets and political protection are peeled away. Viktor Lyashko was named Ukraine’s new health minister on May 20. Mr. Medvedchuk, a Russia­leaning politi­ cian and businessman with assets allegedly The president promised to unveil “key legislation” with the goal to “destroy the by Roman Tymotsko on May 14, where he was given the option ranging from television stations to oil pipe­ of writing his own resignation letter. lines. oligarchic order” and create a more equita­ KYIV – In the latest shakeup of the gov­ Before he did, Prime Minister Denys “This is just the beginning. There will be ble Ukraine. ernment here, the Verkhovna Rada on May Shmyhal asked parliament that same day to many more such measures until all of Mr. Zelenskyy’s tough words come amid 18 fired Ukraine’s Minister of Health Mak­ fire Mr. Stepanov. The Rada took up Mr. Ukraine’s oligarchs are cut down to size Western frustration over his administra­ sym Stepanov, while two other ministers Shmyhal’s request and voted 292­1 to fire and reduced to the status of ordinary big tion’s commitment to crucial reforms, were forced to resign. Parliament voted to the health minister on May 18. businessmen,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in the including cracking down on the tycoons, approve each of the moves, with more than Mr. Stepanov, who was appointed to the statement. and his own sharply falling ratings. 280 deputies voting in favor of the reshuf­ position on March 30, 2020, was the third Mr. Zelenskyy said the state’s actions A former comic and antiestablishment fling out of 226 needed. health minister under Mr. Zelenskyy’s pres­ against Mr. Medvedchuk – who will go on candidate, Mr. Zelenskyy won the 2019 Mr. Stepanov visited the office of trial in July on charges of treason that he election in a landslide in part on a promise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Continued on page 12) calls politically motivated – shows such to take on those tycoons. However, after two years in power, Mr. Zelenskyy’s administration has made little NEWS ANALYSIS progress on curtailing the biggest players. Other Targets Finally, the primacy of Ukraine’s oligarchs is in question Aside from Mr. Medvedchuk, who heads the second­largest party in parliament, Mr. Zelenskyy’s administration has launched by Bohdan Nahaylo spotlight. The notorious tycoon had the has remained an implacable political foe country’s largest bank, PrivatBank, taken of Mr. Zelenskyy’s. an investigation into Petro Poroshenko, the To the surprise of the sceptics, panic of away from him in 2016 because of brazen The moves against Mr. Poroshenko billionaire former president who is consid­ those targeted and a cautious thumbs up attempts at embezzlement. Mr. Zelens­ have included accusations of corruption, ered a competitor for the 2024 election. from those who domestically and exter­ kyy’s detractors have claimed that Mr. but also increasingly, if still implicitly, Mr. Zelenskyy has yet to go after Ihor nally had called for such developments, Kolomoisky was the president’s partner, treasonable activities while he was presi­ Kolomoisky, whom critics call one of the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaf­ if not patron, during his accession to the dent through his cooperation with the most “notorious” tycoons for his brazen firmed his determination to end the oli­ presidency. principal tycoon and politician under fire tactics and who is under U.S. investigation garchic set­up in Ukraine that has domi­ When challenged by Mr. Zelenskyy, at the current moment, the chief repre­ for money laundering. Mr. Kolomoisky’s nated economic and political life for so Mr. Kolomoisky was initially very self­ sentative of Russia’s fifth column in media companies backed Mr. Zelenskyy’s long. confident and even aggressive. But after Ukraine, Viktor Medvechuk. long­shot campaign for the presidency. Whatever the reasons and motives, the facing serious charges in both the United Mr. Medvechuk, who has flaunted his Nor has Mr. Zelenskyy taken on Dmytro Ukrainian leader has begun an unprece­ States and Britain, and with his remain­ close ties with Russian President Vladimir Firtash, whom the United States has indict­ dented shake­up of the system. For the ing assets, particularly in the energy Putin, has in recent months suffered the ed on bribery charges. A senior U.S. state first time in the history of independent sphere, threatened by legal authorities in shock and ignominy of having his propa­ department official last month raised frus­ Ukraine, a Ukrainian president has Ukraine, Mr. Kolomoisky has become con­ gandistic TV channels in Ukraine shut tration with Ukraine’s failure to investigate launched a broad offensive against the spicuously silent in recent months. down and a pipeline transporting Mr. Firtash. oligarchs – not against one, or even two, The former Ukrainian president and Russian oil products to Europe taken Ukraine, a nation bestowed with signifi­ but against almost half a dozen of the key oligarch Petro Poroshenko is also an away from him. cant natural resources and fertile land, is oligarchs all at once. obvious target of Mr. Zelenskyy’s efforts. Since then, Mr. Medvechuk has been among Europe’s poorest by average In this process, which is still unfolding, Mr. Poroshenko, who was not gracious in income because of the uneven distribution Ihor Kolomoisky has long been in the losing the presidential election of 2019, (Continued on page 11) (Continued on page 6) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021 No. 21 NEWS ANALYSIS Outreach to Putin, crackdown on Medvedchuk: Kyiv would ‘gladly’ swap Medvedchuk Medvedchuk as a hindrance. Mr. Zelenskyy, a political novice, came to power in May a hard stretch for Zelenskyy A top Ukrainian official did not exclude 2019 in part on a promise to end the war in the possibility of a prisoner swap with eastern Ukraine and free political prison­ Russia if a Kyiv court convicts a Kremlin­ unlike many others – of the need to nor­ ers. He carried out three prisoner swaps by Vladimir Socor leaning politician of treason. Oleksiy malize and qualitatively improve Ukraine­ with Russia and the Kremlin­backed fight­ Eurasia Daily Monitor Danilov, the secretary of the National Russia relations” (TASS, May 12). ers in eastern Ukraine within his first year Security and Defense Council, said in a TV Ukrainian law enforcement authorities Mr. Putin then heralded Russia’s forth­ but has made no progress since April 2020. interview that Kyiv would “gladly” hand have detained Viktor Medvedchuk, head of coming response to Kyiv’s move. Chairing Russia stills holds about 100 Ukrainians – over lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk to the pro­Russia parliamentary opposition, a session of the Russian Security Council, including many Crimean Tatars – that Kyiv Moscow in exchange for Ukrainians held in to prosecute him on treason charges (see the Kremlin leader decried “Ukraine’s deems to be political prisoners. Mr. Russian prisons if the opportunity arises. Eurasia Daily Monitor, May 13). President slow but sure transformation into some Zelenskyy’s ratings have tumbled from However, he said such a decision can only Volodymyr Zelens kyy has publicly hailed kind of antipode to Russia, an anti­Rus­ above 70 percent in 2019 to below 30 per­ be made by President Volodymyr (President.gov.ua, May 14) the move sia… A cleaning out of the political arena is cent this year amid disillusionment with Zelenskyy. Ukrainian Prosecutor­General against this personal protégé of Russian blatantly under way there. Mass media his leadership. (RFE/RL) Iryna Venediktova on May 11 charged Mr. President Vladi mir Putin; it was Mr. with country­wide impact have been shut Medvedchuk, the leading figure in the Lawmakers sack health minister Zelenskyy’s hand­picked officials – down… Politically motivated accusations Opposition Platform – For Life party, with Security Service chair Ivan Bakanov and are being proffered selectively against Ukraine’s parliament has voted to dis­ three counts of treason. A Kyiv court placed Prosecutor­General Iryna Venediktova – someone [Mr. Medved chuk] who does miss Health Minister Maksym Stepanov Mr. Medvedchuk under house arrest on who exposed Mr. Medvedchuk publicly on business with Russia […] and against over his handling of the coronavirus pan­ May 13 and set the start of his trial for July May 11, also implicating Mr.