The Ukrainian Weekly, 2016
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INSIDE: l Kyiv resolutely moving forward on reforms – page 3 l Nadiya Savchenko’s undelivered final statement – page 6 l UGCC leaders speak out on behalf of Ukraine – page 10 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIV No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016 $2.00 UGCC leaders: Savchenko on hunger strike, drawing worldwide support ‘Pope Francis by Zenon Zawada KYIV – Imprisoned Ukrainian military heard us’ pilot Nadiya Savchenko again drew interna- ROME – “We came to reaffirm our tional attention and support after declaring communion with the holy father and to a hunger strike on March 3 when the judge ask for his help for the suffering people in her trial denied her the opportunity to of Ukraine during the Jubilee Year of read her final statement. Mercy,” Patriarch Sviatoslav of the She reportedly refused food and water Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church stat- for six days, starting on March 4, before ed on March 5. “And the holy father announcing on March 10 that she would heard us.” begin drinking water again, relieving In Rome on the eve of the 70th anni- worldwide concern that she would die in a versary of the Lviv pseudo-synod and Russian jail. Yet she continued to refuse the Soviet Union’s outlawing of the food, marking the seventh such hunger UGCC, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav strike since her imprisonment in July 2014. and the members of the Church’s Upon announcing her decision to accept Permanent Synod came to Rome to water, Ms. Savchenko claimed victory in Yaro Bihun A large group of Ukrainian Americans gathered at the Taras Shevchenko monument meet Pope Francis. that her dry hunger strike had prompted the judge to move the verdict closer to in Washington on March 9 for the Ukrainian Embassy’s annual celebration of the The primate of the UGCC and the Ukrainian poet laureate’s birthday and, as Ambassador Valeriy Chaly stressed in his Permanent Synod members conducted March 21, as was announced at a March 9 hearing during which Ms. Savchenko ceremonial remarks, to protest the Russian imprisonment and soon-expected convic- meetings and discussions with repre- tion of Nadiya Savchenko. Afterwards, a small group went on to continue the protest sentatives of the Holy See, and pre- declared her contempt for the court. in front of the Russian ambassador’s official residence. pared a public statement denouncing “With my example, I want to demon- the invasion and hybrid war in Ukraine strate that the totalitarian regime in Russia “I went to Nadiya today, held her hands. Vladimir Putin to release Ms. Savchenko and decrying the suffering of millions can be destroyed! Here are my last words,” So blue, so very cold that they lack blood. and drop the criminal charges against her, of innocent men, women and children. she said in a shouting rant, before fiercely Her legs are swelling. That means her heart, widely accepted as fabricated. She’s (For full text see page 10.) The state- displaying her middle finger towards the her kidneys are giving up,” Maria accused of complicity in the deaths of two ment condemns the atrocities, kidnap- judge. Savchenko told reporters. Russian journalists and is likely to receive pings, imprisonment and torture of cit- Her passionate outburst was in spite of Ms. Savchenko’s latest fast, yet again the maximum sentence of 23 years impris- izens of Ukraine in the Donbas and her desperate medical condition, as bringing her to the brink of death, drew an onment. Crimea – especially abuses directed at described by her mother, who reportedly was unprecedented flood of appeals from the religious communities and ethnic able to visit her that day for only seconds. world’s leaders to Russian President (Continued on page 8) groups, as well as broad violations of civic rights and the human dignity of millions. The UGCC leadership appealed to the holy father and to the world to help St. Joseph’s Adult Care Home plans expansion stop the war and stem the humanitari- an crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ongoing undeclared Facility is the only one hybrid war – today marginalized in the of its kind in Ukrainian world’s attention – has directly affected 5 million people. It has caused 10,000 American community deaths and tens of thousands of crip- pling injuries, and rendered homeless by Roman Czajkowsky over 2 million people. “The people are SLOATSBURG, N.Y. – The scenery is stun- suffering, holy father, and they await ning: 265 acres of green meadows and rolling your embrace,” Patriarch Sviatoslav hills. In the distance, deep valleys and haze- said. “Pope Francis made it clear that he tinged mountains. A smattering of stately would act.” dwellings built of thick, grey stone – an The statement’s signatories recalled image straight out of England’s countryside. that Stalin’s regime outlawed the A mini-Downton Abbey, perhaps? Not a UGCC, making it the world’s largest far-fetched vision. You’ve just entered the banned Church, through a violent and setting of St. Joseph’s Adult Care Home, an manipulative non-canonical action accredited temporary or long-term resi- Roman Czajkowsky called by historians the pseudo-synod dential care facility located in Sloatsburg, A view of the grounds of St. Joseph Adult Care Home. of Lviv held on March 8-10, 1946. The N.Y., that is unique to our Ukrainian Soviet authorities imprisoned all of the American community. Owned and operated by the Sisters the treasury. The Sisters Servants of Mary bishops, hundreds of clergy and tens of Although it will celebrate its 75th anni- Servants of Mary Immaculate, a religious Immaculate purchased a portion of the cur- thousands of faithful, and transferred versary in 2017, it remains little known. congregation of women founded in 1892 in rent property in 1941, and set out to reno- all Ukrainian Greek-Catholic property But with the population of seniors growing, Ukraine, St. Joseph’s is special in many ways. vate the buildings, among them a former to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow many living alone without help, as well as Not the least for its location: The proper- carriage house and stable for horses that Patriarchate or confiscated it for secu- rising healthcare costs, St. Joseph’s recent ty on which it sits was formerly part of an now houses St. Joseph’s. lar purposes. announcement of a plan to expand estate owned by the great-grandson of Adult care is just one of their ministries, deserves greater attention, and support, Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of (Continued on page 7) from our community. the United States and its first secretary of (Continued on page 5) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016 No. 11 ANALYSIS Europarliament wants sanctions over Savchenko tlement of the conflict in and around A lost year for Russia Ukraine and the implementation of the BRUSSELS – Members of the European Minsk agreements.” (OSCE) by Pavel K. Baev Komsomolets, February 26). Nonetheless, Parliament have urged the European Kyiv protesters demand Savchenko’s release Eurasia Daily Monitor under the watchful eyes of thousands of Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica police officers, tens of thousands of Mogherini, to impose personal sanctions KYIV – Thousands of people rallied in It is the dubious ceasefire in Syria that Muscovites marched last Saturday to the against Russian President Vladimir Putin Kyiv’s Independence Square on March 6 to keeps Russia in the focus of global media bridge opposite the Kremlin, where Boris and 28 other individuals over the illegal demand that Russia release Ukrainian pilot attention these days, as if the outcome of Nemtsov was gunned down on February treatment of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Nadia Savchenko. That same day, protesters this catastrophic civil war actually depends 27, 2015 (Moscow Echo, February 27). Savchenko. A March 8 letter signed by 57 in the Ukrainian capital pelted the Russian upon Russian bombs falling here or there. That murder seemed to have little if any European lawmakers names Russian indi- Embassy with eggs and rocks, breaking sev- long-term effect on Russian society, and viduals and pro-Russia separatists in east- President Vladimir Putin has not commit- eral of its windows after smashing cars and nearly half now say that they have no par- ern Ukraine accused of being “responsible ted to anything binding because he has burning a Russian flag. Police officers at the always claimed that only the Islamic State ticular feelings about it (Levada.ru, for the political decision to kidnap” Ms. Savchenko, to “transport her to the territory scene did not intervene. An embassy and other terrorist groupings are being tar- February 19). spokesman said that the building was geted by Russian air- It was the annexa- of Russia, detain her unlawfully, and fabri- cate charges against her.” In addition to Mr. “attacked” overnight and that men with strikes (Rbc.ru, tion of Crimea two baseball bats damaged Embassy vehicles Russia has lost a Putin, the letter calls for the blacklisting of February 26). He years ago that sharp- and threw smoke bombs onto its territory. Federal Security Service (FSB) director appears not to care year sinking into its ly divided the coun- Ms. Savchenko’s trial was adjourned on Aleksandr Bortnikov, Russian State Duma about the humanitar- try into the majority March 3 until March 9, prompting her to economic degrada- Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Aleksei ian costs of the war of “patriots,” who declare a dry hunger strike (refusing both tion, dragging its Pushkov, senior investigators in Russia and but is keen to engage were overjoyed with food and liquids) after she was not allowed separatist leader Igor Plotnitsky.