The Ukrainian Weekly, 2017
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Conclusion of THE YEAR IN REVIEW pages 5-12 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXV No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2017 $2.00 ANALYSIS Ukraine mourns fallen soldiers Russia’s war in Ukraine must not be ‘forgotten’ amid uptick in Kremlin’s Donbas war by Mark Raczkiewycz by Paul Goble KYIV – Hundreds of mourners came to On January 31, the BBC described Independence Square on February 1 to the fighting in and around the honor seven soldiers from the 72nd Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka as “the Separate Mechanized Brigade who died front line of Europe’s ‘forgotten war,’ ” defending Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast from a characterization if accepted that repeated Russian onslaughts this week. ranks alongside Nevil Chamberlain’s A day after U.S. President Donald Trump dismissive remark about Hitler’s spoke with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, over the phone, combined demands on Czechoslovakia as “a Russian-separatist forces on January 29 quarrel in a far-away country between launched attacks along most of the 450-kilo- people of whom we know nothing.” meter front line in eastern Ukraine. Fighting The BBC title (bbc.com/news/ continues as of February 1, marking an esca- world-europe-38818543) at least put lation in hostilities not seen in months. the term in quotation marks suggest- Heavy artillery barrages and ground ing its problematic nature, but tragi- assaults were centered mostly on Avdiyivka. Andriy Dubchak/RadioSvoboda.org cally what the British news outlet is A town of about 16,000 people, it’s located saying is true: Many in the West are some 24 kilometers north of Russia- In Kyiv on February 1, Ukrainian soldiers pray for their comrade-in-arms killed in the Russian offensive on Avdiyivka. forgetting or out of laziness or self- occupied Donetsk, and is home to Europe’s centeredness pretending to forget the biggest coking coal production plant. Mokrenchuk, spokesperson for the 72nd Cooperation in Europe – the 57-state body bloody consequences of Russia’s con- The seven servicemen were killed on Brigade, on the stage during the afternoon whose Special Monitoring Mission in tinuing aggression in Ukraine. January 29-30. Rows of stolid-faced sol- memorial. Ukraine is tasked with ascertaining imple- In the 1930s, Prague truly was fur- diers stood on the Maidan holding carna- One more soldier fell on January 31, mentation of a ceasefire accord – called on ther away psychologically and in tions in their bare hands in freezing tem- bringing the number killed in action for “Russia to stop the violence, honor the terms of media attention than is peratures. Some eventually couldn’t January to 20, and an additional 117 wound- ceasefire, withdraw heavy weapons, and Avdiyivka today. Many in Britain were restrain their emotions and started weep- ed. Two more soldiers were killed on end attempts to seize new territory beyond still in shock from the trenches of ing. Hundreds knelt on one knee during a February 1, and six were wounded in action the line of contact.” World War I, faced the difficulties of prayer to show respect for the fallen. that day. As The Weekly went to press, the Moscow and its proxies, in turn, blamed the depression and wanted above all “They [the soldiers] protected us, all total number of soldiers killed in the Russian Kyiv for the hostilities, while President Petro to turn inward and away from the who stand here today, with their backs, assault that began on January 29 stood at 10. Poroshenko called the latest Russian assault broader world. they protected a peaceful city… They gave Kyiv blamed Moscow for instigating the an act of “barbarism” as he prematurely left Now, Europeans and the West more up the most valuable thing they possessed, escalation. Meanwhile, a U.S. representative generally have no such justification, if they gave up their lives,” said Olena to the Organization for Security and (Continued on page 13) justification that can be said to be. Not only has Russian aggression in Ukraine been documented by all observers not desirous of cooperation with Moscow “uber alles,” but the ‘Ambulances for Ukraine’ project delivers 10 vehicles from Canada Internet means that anyone who has UCC not plunged his or her head in the KYIV – During an event celebrating the sand can see what is going on. 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations The problem now is not the lack of between Canada and Ukraine on January information but its superfluity, the fact 27, the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, that people are bombarded with so together with the Ukrainian Canadian much information that they fail to pay Congress (UCC) and the international chari- attention to anything for very long and table foundation Caritas Ukraine trans- the equally important fact that some ferred 10 ambulances donated from regimes like that in the Kremlin Canada to medical institutions of different exploit that fact by promoting a fog of regions of Ukraine. “alternative facts” and suggesting it’s The project “Ambulances for Ukraine” time to “look beyond” the past. was initiated by the Saskatchewan-Ukraine That argument has always been a Relations Advisory Committee (SURAC) favorite of authoritarians. But it is fun- and now, given its national scope, is led by damentally flawed: There are some the UCC Ukraine Appeal in partnership things that can’t be forgotten, however with Paramedic Chiefs of Canada, in much some would like them to be, and response to the critical need for high-tech among those are Russia’s illegal medical ambulances created by Russia’s Anschluss of Ukraine’s Crimea and its invasion of Ukraine and the resulting continuing aggression in eastern humanitarian crisis. Ukraine. Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Waschuk (third from right) and other “The ambulances were donated from Canadian representatives in Kyiv during the presentation on January 28 of 10 ambu- across Canada, from Quebec to Alberta, and (Continued on page 14) lances donated from Canada to medical institutions in various regions of Ukraine. The vehicles were donated as part of the “Ambulances for Ukraine” project. (Continued on page 18) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2017 No. 6 ANALYSIS Ukraine upgrades military potential Tillerson OKd as secretary of state for dialogue with Russia “from a position of strength.” Mr. Stoltenberg said on January WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has con- 31 that in phone conversations with U.S. with new tanks and missiles firmed the former CEO of oil giant President Donald Trump and Defense and specialists in the field. For instance, ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, as secretary of Secretary James Mattis, “they all conveyed by Sergey Sukhankin state. The chamber voted 56-43 on Eurasia Daily Monitor Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry the same message: that the United States Rogozin declared, via Twitter, that the “mil- February 1 to confirm Mr. Tillerson. Four remains committed to NATO and the trans- Russia’s military aggression against itary industrial complex of Ukraine has cre- Democrats joined all 52 Republicans in Atlantic bond.” He added, “The message of Ukraine, starting in 2014, has naturally had ated a new tank made of trash bins”; approving him. As CEO, Mr. Tillerson over- the new administration is that they also a galvanizing effect on the Ukrainian mili- whereas, the “independent” Russian mili- saw major drilling and exploration around want dialogue with Russia but from a posi- tary-industrial complex and its potential. tary expert Alexey Khlopotov suggested the world, including in Russia. That wor- tion of strength.” Relations between NATO According to various sources, this progress that the T-rex tanks should not be taken ried some Senate Democrats, who charged and Russia have sunk to lows not seen since has been most apparent in areas including seriously since Ukraine “does not have the he would be overly conciliatory to Russia the Cold War amid tension over Moscow’s heavy weapons and equipment, production necessary technology and expertise.” and seek to undo economic sanctions annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula of small arms and light weapons, as well as According to Mr. Khlopotov, Ukraine’s tank imposed over Moscow’s 2014 annexation in 2014, its backing of insurgents in eastern mobile ballistic missile systems. development program is “merely about the of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and its Ukraine, its involvement in the Syrian con- Perhaps the most notable advancement redistribution of financial means” active support for separatist militants in flict, and other issues. Mr. Trump, who took has been related to the development of (Tvzvezda.ru , October 13, 2016). eastern Ukraine. ExxonMobil was working office on January 20, has called for advanced tanks and heavy weapons and Nonetheless, at the November 2016 with the Russian state-owned oil giant improved relations with Russia and has rat- equipment. In mid-January, it was declared International Defense Exhibition and Rosneft on a massive, multibillion-dollar tled Europe with criticism of NATO and that Ukraine had completed work on a new Seminar (IDEAS), in Karachi, many coun- Arctic drilling project when the administra- praise for Britain’s plans to leave the type of tank known as the “T-rex,” a transi- tries from the Middle East, North Africa tion of then-President Barack Obama European Union. He has called NATO “obso- tional, domestically produced, highly mod- and Asia (in particular Pakistan) in fact placed sanctions on Russia in 2014. lete” but also said the alliance is still “very ernized improvement on Soviet-era T-64 showed great interest in domestically pro- ExxonMobil later said the move was important” to him. (RFE/RL, based on and T-72 models (Uprom.info, January 12; duced Ukrainian tank designs – especially expected to end up costing it as much as $1 reporting by AFP and TASS) Euromaidan Press, January 18).