An update Andrew Wilson on the West How can recover money on Donbas and Crimea and Yanukovych from oligarchs

№ 4 (70) march 2014 A country of free radicals

www.ukrainianweek.com Featuring selected content from The Economist for free distribution Dozens of protesters dead Four hundred injured The exact number of victims of the regime remains unknown |contents Briefing Ukraine as the Latest The Mist of Victory: The revolution is Fashion: Poles support the Maidan gladly and over. A war begins passionately 4 22 Focus Leonidas Donskis: “Every piece of information about The Feast of Defiance: The surge of Ukraine on Russian TV was would have peacefully died down in Crimea. similar to what I had long been listening immediately after 13 Then, interfered January 1991 when the Soviet troops killed fourteen peaceful 6 civilians in Vilnius” Volodymyr Panchenko explains why the 24 Crimea is not a “native Russian land” International lawyer Volodymyr Vasylenko: 8 “There is no statute of Knockout in the Donbas: Confusion, shock and urgent need of limitations for crimes a wise solution from the new government against humanity” Divide and rule?

The Ukrainian Week has superimposed three maps of Ukraine: admini rative, economic and hi orical-ethnographic. This simple experiment shows that the maps do not match. This leads to the que ion: What principle are the political adepts of federalization going to use to carve up Ukraine? 9 Hi orical-ethnographic divisions 26 (coloured lines) Chernihiv Sumy V O L Y N Admini rative divisions Watch Out – Federalization! Volyn I S S I e O L A SL (white lines) І Rivn KYIV O P BO АЛЬНІ Zhytomyr D Economics ЦЕНТР A U Who, how and when Kyiv K ЗАХІДН Lviv P Poltava R KhmelnytskiyO A Ternopil D I СХІДНІ G Cherkasy N Luhansk Регіони A L I Vi I C nnytsia T R E E України I A L N E S federalized Ukraine – and Iv L Ihor Losev on the ano- C Fr ankivs I A k A Dnipropetrovsk Zakarp Kirovohrad k B attia LO hernivtsi WER Donets N what consequences this had C DNIEPER political side of O TRA A REGION D NSC VYN Mykolayiv ARPAT BUKO HIA AND B L AC K S E Odesa A Kherson Zaporizhzhia R E Ukraine’s oligarchy G I O Economic regions of Ukraine N (each region in a different colour) North-Weern Central 10 Capital Dnieer South-Eaern Donetsk CRIMEA Carpathian Black Sea Crimea Podillia Source: open sources 28 Neighbours Oligarch Wars: Ukrainian Economic Revolution: Western transformations perspective, Western should be profound. influence and Western Otherwise, there contribution will be no economic 13 transformations How to Be Good 30 Neighbours: Ukraine is the biggest test of the EU’s policy towards countries on its borderlands Culture & Arts Ballet, the voice of Enigma and 16 Ancient Greece: The Ukrainian Andrew Wilson: “The West did not react adequately to the Week’s choice of events to attend in usurpation of power by Yanukovych” early spring 18 33 Between the Devil and History the Deep Blue Sea: Is Britain willing Kyiv: The streets and to do more than just squares of revolutions condemn the Russian in 1917 military occupation of Crimea? 34 20

E-mail [email protected] Tel. (044) 351-13-87 www.ukrainianweek.com The Ukrainian Week № 4 (70) March 2013 Editors address 37 Mashynobudivna str., Kyiv, 03067, Ukraine Founder ECEM Media GmbH Print Novy Druk LLC, 1 Mahnitohorska str., Kyiv, 03056, Ukraine Publisher ECEM Media GmbH Ordering number 14-0626 Sent to print on 28 February 2014 Address Austria, Am Gestade,1, 1010 Vienna Print run 15 000. Free distribution State registration certificate КВ № 19823-9623ПР 19.03.2013 Chief Editor Alla Lazareva Our partner Editors Anna Korbut, Natalia Romaneс, Shaun Williams № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|3 briefing| trends &talk Internal troops and Parliament forms a MPs from South-Eastern regions Protesters take administra- riot police leave new majority and convene in Kharkiv. Despite fears tive buildings under control government district begins to set up of separatism, they do not pass any all over Ukraine. Officials after bloody clashes the government of significant decisions. Shortly after, leave the with protesters public trust they recognize the new government and resign en masse. Monu- in Kyiv ments to Lenin are toppled

Interbank market closes at UAH 10.5 per USD The Mist of Victory 1 on March 3 fter fled Аuthor: like never before. They have and before Ukraine found it- Roman Malko learned and grasped a lot and dis- Ukrainians withdraw UAH self on the brink of a war, it covered many things in them- Aseemed Ukrainians could be selves. They can now be truly celebrating the victory, but some- proud of themselves for they have how there was no euphoria. Only a accomplished something that takes 30bn mist. The only thing that could be other nations decades to do. And from deposits during the most clearly seen through it were the bod- the overthrown president should violent clashes in Kyiv ies of the deceased protesters. Noth- be given a lot of credit for this. By ing else. No-one knew what would alienating his own people beyond happen next. No-one knows now measure, this unfortunate fool has The assets of the Yanukovych family how long the mist will hang over ev- done the impossible and helped are worth USD eryone and what hides behind it. The only thing that is clear now is that the Ukrainian people cannot stop, not even for a second. Because 12bn, the revolution is continuing. Anders Åslund from the Peterson There is still a lot of work to be Institute for International Economics done – in fact, so much that it is reports dangerous to trust politicians with doing it. Because they will fail, as they did last time. They will drown it in words, sell it or hush it up. But people cannot afford to let that 984 people happen again. The victory came at are injured in clashes that started much too dear a price; too much on February 18. 95 people are blood has been shed. The souls of killed. 341 people are still missing, the deceased heroes will not for- according to SOS, a give; the living will not excuse; the future generations will curse. human rights NGO Ukrainians again have a chance, perhaps, the biggest one in many centuries – they can finally become a people, change, cleanse 285 out themselves of servility and rule in their own land. They only need to of 700-800 avoid the mistakes they made after protesters are arrested during a rally the , stay alert against Russia’s military intervention and not give in to indifference. in Ukraine in , OVD Info Yanukovych has fled, but he can come back at any moment. With a reports different surname, face and team of “professionals”. Politicians continue Ukrainian men crowd to register to play the same old games. They under the national mobilization have quickly bounced back, taken campaign in response to Russian stock of the situation and changed military intervention. In the town their rhetoric. Not even two weeks of Lutsk alone, volunteers apply for after the shocking killing of protest- THIS IS NOT ers, they are back to their old ways, VICTORY YET. registration every lying, scheming, buying loyalty and THE STRUGGLE weaving their poisonous webs. CONTINUES True, in the three months of 5-10 minutes protests Ukrainians have changed 4|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 |briefing

People get access to the man- Parliament ActingI nterior A surge of separatist rallies in the Russian occupation of sions of Viktor Yanukovych, schedules presi- Minister signs Crimea. Pro-Russian forces replace the Crimea begins. Re- ex-Prosecutor General Viktor dential and Kyiv a decree to Ukrainian flags with theR ussian ports come of Russian Pshonka and other top officials. mayor election disband the ones on administrative buildings. A troops being deployed The latter are put on a wanted for May 25 Berkut riot clash takes place between Crimean around other Ukrai- list and face criminal charges police Tatars and pro-Kremlin activists nian frontiers

resurrectthe spirit of freedom, First and foremost, Ukrainians must also be revamped with an un- which was dormant for so long, in must kill the slave in themselves. derstanding that it has to serve and Ukrainians. But should the people They must kill the slave in their rel- fear people rather than bandits The Mist ofV ictory thank the despot? Probably not. atives and friends, neighbours and whose place is in prison. It needs to Ukrainians need to thank them- close ones. They must excise this be hammered home to the police selves for mustering the strength to evil abscess in politicians, those that they cannot raise their hands rise from their knees and lift up delegated to govern the country. against the people. Ukrainians their heads. And if they refuse to change, they must change the education system We have won a battle. But this should be simply thrown out as so that it will produce wise and was just the first victory, before rubbish. honest graduates who do not even Ukraine was thrust into a new war. Ukrainians must transform the think about bribing teachers to get There will be many more battles country, from bottom up, here and good grades. The health care sys- and frustrations, but the people now. The system of power must be tem needs to be transformed to must win the war. They have no changed keeping in mind that offi- prevent people from dying due to other choice, no room for either a cials are hired servants of the peo- carelessness and greed. The media defeat or capitulation, because be- ple rather than arbiters of their des- space has to be cleansed so that hind them is an abyss. tinies. The law enforcement system people will no longer be zombified and fed filth. The country needs a There will be strong army that will make serving many more in the military an honour. In fact, battles and everything needs to be upgraded: frustrations, roads, buildings, bus stops, parks, but the people rivers and even kennels — all to be must win the painted in bright colours. Life in the war. They have country must be made comfortable. no other choice, no room for Ukrainians must feel happy about either a defeat having been born in this wonderful or capitulation, land and never ever even think because behind about going to far-off lands in them is an search of a better life. abyss Right, too much pomp here perhaps, but that is what the Zeit- geist is now. If Ukrainians were not a bit romantic and crazy, they would never have ousted this fake monster. He would still be looming on the horizon as a curse. So par- don the big words. Not everything is as nice or simple as Ukrainians would want. There are countless is- sues that must be addressed imme- diately. There are tons of fears that disturb one’s sleep, but somehow there is faith that it will all be good in the end. Russia will swallow the defeat, because it is too weak to do anything about it; Ukraine’s inter- nal traitors will quiet down given the right approach. Rest assured that Yanukovych will be caught and put in a place where he is most fit- ting. Difficulties? There is no run- ning away from them, but Ukraini- ans know how to overcome them. They have been hardened by the struggle and inoculated in case

something untoward happens. unian photo: № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|5 focus|Crimea

The Feast ofD efiance The last week, the Crimea, which had been watching the events unfolding in Kyiv with some aloofness, suddenly erupted. People took to squares with radically different slogans. Some openly stated their desire to live in Russia, while others categorically opposed separation. Against this backdrop, other, equally serious processes were taking place, potentially defining what the future authorities in the Crimea will look like

he Crimea has not seen Author: come together, shouting “Rus- themselves to replacing flags. such a surge of separatism Lenur sia!”, waving the Russian flag The city’s biggest rally ever since the early 1990s when Yunusov, and calling for an extraordinary elected its own “mayor”, busi- T Yuriy Meshkov, the first Simferopol meeting of the local councils (in nessman Oleksiy Chaly, who and last Crimean president and Simferopol, the Supreme Council turned out to be a Russian citi- Russia-leaning politician, came of the Crimea). In all places, zen. However, they stopped short to power. Back then, Kyiv there were attempts, sometimes of open separatism even there. quickly intervened and settled successful, to pull down Ukrai- Chaly indeed started taking over the situation, while this time nian flags and replace them with the executive authority in the city around the new Ukrainian gov- Russian ones and volunteers but did so with an eye to the ernment, brought to power by were registered to join some self- Ukrainian legislation. A new of- the Maidan’s victory, has been defence units and vigilante fice was introduced for the “peo- slow to react. groups. ple’s mayor” called, literally, Various forces in the Crimea The organizers were the same Chairman of the Coordinating and outside hastened to take ad- in all cases – the , Council to Create City Adminis- vantage of the situation. On 23 the and Cossack tration to Ensure the Function- February, celebrated in Ukraine as communities. In the Crimea, it is ing of the City. What hides under Defender of the Fatherland Day, no secret that each of these enti- this long and convoluted name is pro-Russian organizations ties is financed from Moscow in essentially an executive body of brought their supporters to the some fashion under the pretext the city council which, according streets and demanded a referen- of supporting “Russian fellow to the design of local council dum on withdrawal from Ukraine. countrymen”. members, is supposed to assume Separatist rallies were held in In Sevastopol, where Russia’s the functions of the Sevastopol Kerch, Simferopol and Feodosiia. supporters have always been City State Administration. Under All of them closely followed present in great numbers, the the Ukrainian legislation, the one scenario. A crowd would demonstrators did not limit mayor of Sevastopol is not 6|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 photo: unian evidently meant the laws of the the state. of Ukrainian laws the meant the he evidently this of By repeating. kept leader party, Aksenov, Serhiy order,” or law the rabid violating of accuse us from can “No-one away also separatism. stay cities, to Crimean tried in rallies the orchestrated who Rus Unity, sian the of leaders The aration. sep Sevastopol’s about public, in not least at statements, any make the by appointed Ukraine. of president but elected Russian passports to the locals. the to passports Russian out hand generously to going was and peninsula the to troops its of some relocating was Russia that rumour a was fire the to Add fuel ing Ukraine. from Crimea’s withdrawal the on vote day possibly that to held be to was Council Supreme Crimea’s the of session extraordinary an in that was formation Simferopol in passions were people gathered. 20,000 to same organizations 10,000 the of total A time. in same the at place rally their staged unacceptable. is Crimea Pro-Russian the Ukraine of from separation that declare to Simferopol in Council Supreme the of front in gathered Tatars Crimean of thousands ary, aas n sm Pry f Re of Party some and Tatars Crimean the of Mejlis the zations, organi pro-Russian – camps ing oppos even sometimes vari and by ous cherished dream a Makiyivka, was represents also Mohyliov, who Anatoliy of dismissal The natives. Donbas domi the by nated process the to access decision-making denied been have which peninsula the in forces ical polit several of grain the against years. past the in autonomy over the control complete held Russia, have in – sobriquet the hence (Makeevka Ma and kiyivka Donetsk forces the representing given have the Crimeans nickname the a from but “Makedonians”, Ukraine – from peninsula not the of in dependence Crimean discussed indeed The politicians building. ment’s parlia the consulta inside held were tions tense punches, exchanging even some and back forth pushing and other, each shout eetees o 2 Febru 26 on Nevertheless, not did Chaly Remarkably, As the two rallies tried to out to tried rallies two the As the ignited that spark The This state of affairs ran ran affairs of state This Ed. ) which which ) ------mate”. illegiti it the making and of a autonomy Council Supreme talk the ing such “discredit at aimed called provocation parlia He in agenda ment. the on not is Ukraine from is withdrawal the of sue that on saying statement February 26 official an course, might made independent Crimea an sug the pursue that publicly gested earlier Konstantynov, had who Volodymyr cil Coun Supreme the of Chairman it as quorum. a place lacked took never much, so Crimeans the agitated had which Council, Supreme the of session today!” Crimea the in authority other no is There lis. Mej the and Chubarov Refat is it Crimea, the in group population third-largest and significant very a “On Tatars, Crimean said. the of part he the party,” Rus Unity the sian and Aksenov the Serhiy of it is Crimea, the part in people the Russian “On “two peoples”. by two and forces political two Simferopol men, as in been has sumed Crimea the in happen ing is what for sponsibility re the that interview TV a in said Unity, Russian of the of one leaders the Polonsky, Dmitry nents. oppo political together brought the in closed.” ‘Makedonia’ is Crimea of branch the publicly: stated but been lips not has everyone’s on been the has what say to come has of “Time who said: Council, Supreme member Crimea’s Klychnikov, Volodymyr by press the to communi cated was of group position latter outsiders this The the Donetsk. to from playing fiddle themselves Crimea second the found in who members gions Konstantynov said. Konstantynov land!” foreign penin is it them, the To sula. on stability are political they and social the power, sacrifice to in willing stay to der or In government. Crimean the in team Makiyivka the by ported sup and organized been has tion a long-developed plan, it was was it plan, long-developed a called experts However, what to of according again. separation. talks official one Crimea’s no were fueled There was tation “Unfortunately, this provoca this “Unfortunately, separatism? about what So extraordinary the Eventually, enemy” “common The On February 28, the confron the 28, February On ------the first option would most likely prefer ch a between C I voted for alaw toan- ported themin1944, ported Ukraine. Bigoffshore tary training inKalin - sure, expectingprov- eases andhungeron sula. Meanwhile, re- bring Russian troops By March 3,theRus - supported thePresisupported - well asRussian mili- in Crimea. Stalinde- ocations andstorm- oil andgasdeposits ingrad Oblast,close water andgasfrom 266,000 Crimean Tatars live ing ofmilitaryunits Russia, theRussian Ukrainian troops in Facts AboutCrimea psychological pres - Lithuanian borders tiers ofUkraine, as Crimean Tatars are ports comeofmili- ports to theCrimea, and around otherfron - Federation Council f the residents of the all over thepenin- the Crimea are on have beendiscov- nex theCrimea to Crimea getsallits alert, facinghuge alert, the road. They re- many diedofdis- tary mobilization to thePolish and dent’s appealto ered around the rime sian Parliament nd sep turned in1989 Sunni Muslims Crimean coast the mainland a № 4 (70) nges it ent a h march a a r U d to choose bility in Ukraine to take over over take to power. Ukraine in bility insta political of period the used indecisiveness scenario that behind success. people The for chances tough Kyiv’s its boosted and the quick in while was scenario Crimea imple this group menting a want However, not did this. population the majority of Mos The jurisdiction. under cow’s Ukrai Transnistria a into nian turn to supposed passionate sentiments. sentiments. shopping, passionate and specific any routine or panic without their were doing Simferopol in people tion, interven buzzed military Russian world about media Ukrainian option. first entails, the it prefer likely most Ukraine changes would they the from all with separation and government Maidan the Ukraine by ruled between choose they to If had conservative changes. like not are do and they Crimea, do not tions. provoca those did prevent to the much government reason, some new For Crimea. the in Russian-speakers or izens cit intervention its of protection as military presented justify Russia to allow would that provoke clashes to taken numerous were as attempts escalate to con tinued tension However, the Crimea. in President the of sentative repre new the as experience Crimea, the in extensive with ficial ap of an by Kunitsyn, Serhiy situation pointing the with deal as mobilization exercise. military its present ing while not openly did intervene Russia Meanwhile, be sia. to Rus join to want that Ukrainians identify pretending not did themselves, units military and buildings administrative ing a kr 2014 tion with ntal, h pol occupy people the Initially, On February 28, when the the when 28, February On the of residents the to As to tried government new The a | ine a the ukrainian week ukrainian the ils, they

C rimea a ll the | focus | 7 ------Focus|Crimea Aleksander Griboyedov on the Crimea: “And then came we, the universal heirs, and with us the spirit of destruction”

ierce propagandists have been trying to hammer adding the territory of this former khanate to Russia. the slogan “The Crimea is Russia!” into their own Even though Catherine II promised to the Tatars that heads and those of others, insisting that Russia lost Russia would “sacredly and unwaveringly … support Fthe lovely peninsula because of “a drunk Khrush- them on part with its natural subjects, as well as protect chev”. Curiously, why necessarily drunk? Is it a refer- and defend them, their possessions, temples and their ence to the fact that the Crimea was handed over to the natural faith”, part of the Crimean nobility fled to Turkey. Ukrainian SSR in 1954 when the official Soviet appara- The last khan abdicated and placed himself at the mercy tus was boisterously celebrating the 300th anniversary of of the Russian army. the “union of Ukraine and Russia”? Still, a political di- The publication of the manifesto took place after the version of giving peninsulas as “gifts”, even for a land- Crimean nobility swore allegiance to Russia. Potemkin mark jubilee, would be way too bizarre. himself swore in mirzas, beys, the clergy and the com- In February 1954, Nikita Khrushchev was in no way a mon people. The festivities included games, horse races, magician revelling in his own tricks. He became Secre- a salute with cannons and, of course, a banquet. tary of the CC CPSU in September 1953, only several But this state of affairs did not last too long. What the months before the event. Khrushchev’s “personality Crimea became after it was subjugated by Russia can be cult” was years off; after saying goodbye to Stalinm the elicited from Alexander Griboyedov’s letter. He came to Kremlin was, for the time being, cautiously declaring the the peninsula 32 years after the manifesto and related his principle of “collective governance”. impressions with bitterness and shame to his friend Ste- As far as the legal aspects of the situation are concerned, pan Begichev on 12 September 1825: “In the place of Author: we must acknowledge that the Soviet bureaucracy did a these ashes, the Genoese Gothic customs once ruled. Volodymyr good job here. The Crimea was incorporated into They were replaced by the pastoral customs of the Mon- Panchenko Ukraine not by the decision of “a drunk Khrushchev” gols with a tinge of Turkish splendour. And then came but by the Presidium of we, the universal heirs, and the Soviet Supreme Coun- The train of history is long with us the spirit of de- cil which adopted, on 19 struction: not one building February 1954, the Edict gone, and the nostalgia of survived, not one piece of “On Transferring Crimea various “Russian blocs” land in the ancient city was Oblast from the RSFSR to left intact and not dug all the Ukrainian SSR”. Natu- is pointless, because the over. And so? We ourselves rally, the transfer was pre- Crimea is not a “native are showing to the future viously discussed by the peoples that will come after Presidium of the CC Russian land” us, when the Russian tribe CPSU, as was the custom disappears, how they in the . should handle the perishable remnants of our being.” This is how Crimea Oblast appeared on the map of What Griboyedov saw was a picture of great ruin- Soviet Ukraine. Bona fide historians admit that the ation, and the reader should not assume that the transfer occurred for purely economic reasons. After all, sarcasm of his words is caused merely by the hypochon- this is what the 1954 document actually emphasizes driac sentiments expressed in his letter where he says he where it says: “considering the common economy, terri- is going to face “madness and a gun”. torial proximity and close economic and cultural ties be- In general, those who are nostalgic about the territories tween Crimean Oblast and the Ukrainian SSR”. Russia has lost should look at Alaska instead. Indeed, The Soviet government decided to save the peninsula, another case of a “native Russian land”! Unfortunately, ravaged by the war and the deportations of the Crimean on 30 March 1867 Alexander II sold it to the USA. Per- Tatars, by putting the burden of its on Ukraine, haps he was drunk? No at all. Russia simply found it im- while keeping the military (military industrial sector, possible to swallow up and digest lands on the other side the navy and the air force) under Moscow’s direct con- of the Bering Strait. These lands were dominated by cre- trol. The labour force was also replenished by the Ukrai- oles (2,000), Aleutians (5,000) and Indians (40,000). nian SSR: in 40 years, from 1944 to the mid-1980s, over The Russians (600-800) were greatly outnumbered. a million people were moved to the Crimea from other Russia decided it would be a better idea to take posses- oblasts of the republic. sion of Sakhalin and began to fortify its positions in the The train of history is long gone, and it is in vain that vari- Amur River region. At the same time, it collected US ous “Russian blocs” are now nostalgically shaking their $7.2mn from the transaction. fists. Moreover, the Crimea is not a “native Russian land”, The official transfer ceremony took place on 18 October as some Russians would like us to believe. Russia took 1867 which has since been celebrated as Alaska Day in possession of this “wart on the nose”, to quote from Grig- the USA. ory Potemkin, in the course of long wars against Turkey. Well, Alaska was more fortunate in the 19th century than On 8 April 1783, the Russian empress issued a manifesto the Crimea in the 18th century. 8|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Donbas|Focus Knockout in the Donbas

he word “knockout” aptly describes the sentiments In a sense, they have. Everything that has been said by now prevalent in the Donbas. Total confusion and Party of Regions spokespeople is now declared a bunch shock. Alarming rumours about trainloads of of lies. Theavily armed extremists from Western Ukraine “Yanukovych forced us. We told him that was not the heading for Donetsk. It is as if you are reading Mikhail way to do it, but he didn’t listen to us. We knew it would Bulgakov’s White Guard. lead to a sad ending but couldn’t do anything about it. The citizens of Donetsk, fuelled by the hysterical propa- We thank you all for your support, people, and now go ganda dished out by local bureaucrats, called for vigi- back to work. You remember that we always work, don’t lante groups and self-defence units to be formed a week you? We don’t have time for rallies. Didn’t we tell you ago, but now they are left to handle their fears all alone. this earlier?” An army of hired goons was disbanded; bureaucrats The vigilantes that have joined self-defence groups at suddenly changed their tone by calling Viktor Yanu- the request of MPs from Donetsk and the governor of kovych a bloody usurper; only the Communist Party set the region are now calling the city administration non- up several tents in downtown Donetsk to channel, on stop, but the bureaucrats are trying to shake them as ob- the quiet, the protest potential of Donetsk residents in a trusive lunatics. “We have no say on these things. Go to desired direction. the police,” they tell them. A small group of people protecting the Lenin monument The so-called “fanatic Banderites”, “extremists” and “the against destruction in downtown Donetsk is the only re- homeless from the Maidan” which had been held up as a minder of the confrontation. The so-called Eastern bugaboo to the Donbas for so long, eventually came out Front, comprised of the supporters of the Communist victorious, and the Donetsk officials who called for the Party, Natalia Vitrenko, the Russian Bloc and other pro- most decisive repulse suddenly swore allegiance to Russian marginal forces, is likely to go away in the ab- them, leaving their citizens astonished and confused. sence of a real threat. The truth is that no-one has actu- Where can they go now? Who can they appeal to? The ally tried or will try to storm Donetsk. The local opposi- Party of Regions, which only recently appeared to be an tion still does not have a critical number of people invincible force, has fallen apart and capitulated. The willing to take down the monument. Communist Party has joined, as it has traditionally Of course, this is not 2004. Back then, Donetsk was in- done, the most powerful force in the game and is now deed brewing, and the happily voting in favour of Author: spectre of separatism The least offensive words legislation sponsored by Denys roamed among grey what was the opposition Kazanskyi, Khrushchev-era residen- he is called in the streets only yesterday. Treason, Donetsk tial buildings and facto- of Donetsk were “traitor” cowardice and deception ries. A decade ago, dozens are all around, as the last of thousands of people and “coward” Russian tsar quipped. This came to rallies in the city is what usually happens and speakers came onstage with the most radical when an autocratic vertical of power breaks down. slogans and calls. Viktor Yushchenko was portrayed What will the Donbas do next? This remains un- as a vampire who was about to ban Russian and burn clear even to the Donbas itself. Politically, the region Russian-language books in squares. The local elites rose is badly demoralized, and what will happen to it de- as one to defend the falsified election results obtained by pends directly on what the new government does. Yanukovych and continued to make waves for a long There are several possible scenarios. If the parties led time afterwards. by , Arseniy Yatseniuk and Vitaliy Today, there are no signs of popular outrage. Just a Klitschko fail to finally bring the region under their handful of people show up for rallies in the absence of control and start seriously working there, marginal orders from above. Many of them are just willing to get a political forces may sharply increase their power in drink and shoot the breeze. Overnight, bureaucrats re- the Donbas, true separatism will gradually become nounced Yanukovych as rubbish. The overthrown presi- strong or the Party of Regions will manage to quickly dent is no longer an icon or superhero. The least offen- restore its stained image on the wave of revanchist sive words he is called in the streets of Donetsk were sentiments. In these cases, the Donbas will turn into a “traitor” and “coward”. Some are lambasting Yanu- source of perennial headache for Ukraine and a kind kovych for putting insufficient pressure on the Maidan, of shackles preventing the country from making which the president tolerated for three months. Some headway towards Europe. are shocked by the luxury of Yanukovych’s mansion and Whether the new team has sufficient political will and the “golden loaf” which became an instant Internet sen- stamina to finally come up with a wise solution to the sation. Some were concerned about the fact that Party of “Donetsk issue” will become clear in the near future. If Regions leaders pronounced Yanukovych usurper and there are no major reshuffles among the Donbas leader- murderer. The idol burst within days like a bubble, and ship, if the local kingpins who have established a kind of even those who are joining the ranks of the Eastern feudal system in the region are not punished and put in Front are now spitting at him. The most frequently prisons and if the charcoal mafia is not suppressed, heard statement at the anti-Maidan in Donetsk is “We Ukraine will definitely see another “Yanukovych from have been betrayed”. the east” in the future. № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|9 Focus|Opinion cilians. The same goes for Po- land. Moreover, large European nations, such as the French, Ger- Watch Out – mans, Italians and Spaniards, are even more diverse than Ukrainians in some aspects. For example, anthropological data shows that most Ukrainians be- Federalization! long to the Dinaric racial type, while the north of France and is populated largely by Federalization of Ukraine in the past: blond northern Caucasians and the south by dark-haired south- who, how, when and with what ern Caucasians. The Poles and Russians have many more an- consequences thropological strands than Ukrainians do. hen Ukrainians re- Authors: Period, all peoples have been However, despite the ethnic cently attempted, Leonid made up ethnographic groups differences between some re- again, to draw closer Zalizniak and their languages always di- gions, European nations created Wto the European civi- vided into dialects. Therefore, mainly unitary states rather than lization, this evoked fierce resis- the division of Ukraine into cul- federations. So why should the tance from Moscow and its ar- tural-historical regions or dialect ethnographic diversity of dent supporters within the coun- groups (Lemkos, Hutsuls, Polisia Ukraine be grounds for doing the try. The EuroMaidan has shown natives, Volhynians, Sloboda opposite? This logic contradicts to the world that Ukraine can be Ukraine population, etc.) is not the European principles of state delayed but not stopped on its unique. This is a normal condi- building. way to the West. As it loses tion for any large developed eth- chances to keep all of Ukraine in nos. All great peoples of contem- How federations were its orbit, the imperial Moscow is porary Europe, including Ukrai- formed in Europe trying to cut off at least its east- nians, have ethnographic groups A federation is a union of sover- ern part by splitting the country and their languages clear dialec- eign entities based on the princi- through federalization. The sad tal divisions. The French have ples of equal rights and self-gov- history of attempts to turn the Provençals, Normans and ernment. An autonomy is less in- Ukraine into a federation is others; Italians have, for exam- dependent of the central something modern-time Ukrai- ple, the Florentines, Genoese, Si- government. However, both fed- nian federalists should keep in mind. The spectre of federalization Divide and rule? as an alternative to European in- The Ukrainian Week has superimposed three maps of Ukraine: admini rative, economic and hi orical-ethnographic. tegration was brought about by This simple experiment shows that the maps do not match. This leads to the que ion: What principle are the political the opponents of the European adepts of federalization going to use to carve up Ukraine? choice inside and outside the Hi orical-ethnographic divisions country. Home-grown federalists (coloured lines) claim that this model is common- Chernihiv Sumy V O L Y N Admini rative place in Europe, extremely demo- divisions Volyn I S S I cratic and best fits our traditions e O L A SL (white lines) І Rivn KYIV O and realities. The ethnographic P BO D ЦЕНТР АЛЬНІ map of Ukraine is extremely di- Zhytomyr A U Kyiv K Kharkiv ЗАХІДН verse, they say, and the past of Lviv P Poltava R KhmelnytskiyO A the Donbas is vastly different Ternopil D I СХІДНІ G Cherkasy N Luhansk Регіони A L I Vi I C nnytsia T R E E України from the history of Galicia or the I A L N E S Crimea. This is not the first at- Ivano- L C Frankivs I tempt to federalize Ukraine, so a A k A Dnipropetrovsk Zakarp Kirovohrad k B historical overview is in place as attia LO hernivtsi WER Donets N the past experience definitely C DNIEPER O TRA A REGION D needs to be taken into account. NSC VYN Mykolayiv ARPAT BUKO Therefore, who federalized HIA AND B L AC K S E Odesa A R Kherson Zaporizhzhia Ukraine in the past, how, when E G I O and with what consequences? Economic regions of Ukraine N (each region in a different colour) Cultural diversity is not North-Weern Central grounds for Capital Dnieer federalization South-Eaern Donetsk CRIMEA Carpathian Black Sea Crimea Since the time of ethnic divisions Podillia of humankind in the Palaeolithic Source: open sources 10|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (55) July 2013 Opinion|Focus erations and autonomies in Eu- The Swiss federal system prevalent European practice. rope usually unite peoples with with its German, French and The explanation lies not so much their ethnic lands in one umbrella Italian population is also some- in historical tradition as in the state. The only exception here is times held up as an example to fears that the neighbouring Germany where a federation be followed by Ukraine. countries had of Germany’s emerged in the course of history These models are unaccept- great-power ambitions. This is (discussed in greater detail be- able to Ukraine, because its precisely how historians in Ber- low). lands are the ethnic territory of lin explained the origins of Ger- The statement that federal- one Ukrainian people. The man federalism to me in 1996. ism is a norm of European state Crimea, the native land of the Throughout the Middle Ages, building is absurd. The continent Crimean Tatars, is an exception German lands were fragmented is dominated by unitary states: here. In Europe, individual peo- and divided among feudal lords. Poland, Finland, Sweden, the ples have autonomy only in their The number of independent Czech Republic, France, Hun- ethnic lands, so giving it to the duchies reached 365. When they gary, etc. Of 40 something Euro- Russian-speaking population of united into one state in 1871, the pean countries, only a handful the Crimea contradicts the Euro- Germans became so much more are not unitary. pean norms. In fact, it is a form powerful that the repartition of Federations arise when dis- of violence of the former empire the world was on the agenda. Af- tinct people with their ethnic ter- against both the Crimean Tatars ter two world wars started by ritories voluntarily unite (as in and a young Ukrainian state. Ex- Germany, the international com- Switzerland) or as a preventive cept the Tatars in the Crimea, munity federalized the country measure to keep multinational ethnic groups in Ukraine (even in order to reduce the threat it empires (Yugoslavia, the USSR, the largest one, Russians) are posed to its neighbours. the Russian Federation) or their not native to the Ukrainian land In contrast, Ukraine is a fragments (Czechoslovakia, Bel- and have their historical home- young state that is not a threat to gium) from falling apart alto- lands elsewhere. In other words, anyone. Why weaken it through gether. These post-imperial they cannot claim either a feder- federalization? If you think unions are essentially a weak ative status or an autonomy in form of former empires in which Ukraine. According to the Euro- a colony gained some autonomy pean canons, their status should Federalism serves but not equality with the centre be the same as that of Arabs or as a cover-up of plain (the USSR, Yugoslavia and the Poles in France, Ukrainians in contemporary Russian Federa- England or Russia, the British in separatism tion). Being vehicles of an ineffi- Spain and Jews and Turks in cient system which caused the Germany. They enjoy all civil lib- about who benefits from a weak fall of empires (Spanish, Turk- erties but not the right to form Ukraine, you will find the true ish, British, Soviet and Yugo- territorial autonomies in some- sources of Ukrainian federalism. slav), these quasi-federative en- one else’s ethnic lands. tities are bound to split into the The times of empires are Who federalized states ruled by individual peo- passing, and each nation in Eu- Ukraine and when ples. rope today is a master in its own The idea of federalizing Ukraine Thus, in Europe the federal home and a guest in its neigh- did not arise because of the coun- model and autonomous entities bour’s land. Regardless of how try’s ethnographic diversity, Eu- are present mainly in countries numerous the Turks are in Ger- ropean standards or increasing that have incorporated various many, Arabs in France, Ukraini- democratic sentiments in society. peoples with their own ethnic ans in England and Russians in It was dictated by a desire to lands. Often, these are modern- Ukraine, they cannot claim offi- weaken a young state in line with ized fragments of empires which cial status for their language, or the ancient divide-and-rule prin- had forcefully kept the territories autonomy, or federal status in ciple. History shows that all at- of several ethnoses under their the territory of these countries. tempts to federalize Ukraine were control. For example, the Rus- Unlike Switzerland, the Russian made by hostile external forces or sian Federation includes the Federation and former Czechoslo- their agents inside the country. lands of not only Russians but vakia and Yugoslavia, most Euro- One exception here is the also Tatars, Karelians, Chuvash, pean countries(France, Italy, Swe- first federalization of Rus- Kalmyks, Buryats and numerous den, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine in the 12th century. It Caucasian peoples. The Socialist Poland, etc.) are nation states and was a case of feudal fragmenta- Federal Republic of Yugoslavia their borders usually coincide with tion which was not imposed from included the ethnic territories of the borders of the ethnic lands of a the outside but was a logical the Serbs, Croatians, Slovenes, certain people. According to an es- stage in the development of me- Bosnians, Kosovars and others. tablished European tradition, na- dieval society. It weakened the Czechoslovakia was a fragment tion states are unitary. Ukraine, first Ukrainian state so much of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which occupies the lands of one eth- that the Tatar invasion wiped it comprising the Czechs and Slo- nos, also belongs to nation states. off the historical arena. vaks with their lands. In Bel- Thus, it should be a unitary state The 1667 Truce of Andrusovo gium, there are the Francophone rather than a federation. divided Ukraine between Mus- Walloons and the Flemish living Germany, a monoethnic fed- covy and the Polish–Lithuanian in their lands. eral state, is an exception to the Commonwealth along the № 13 (55) July 2013|the ukrainian week|11 Focus|Opinion Dnieper River and was also a Moscow and the pro-Russian justice system silent, while our kind of federalization. It trig- Ukrainian ruling elite are grasp- post-Soviet statesmen view sepa- gered a bloody civil war tellingly ing at the divide-and-rule prin- ratist talk as a manifestation of called “the Ruin” and eventually ciple as a drowning man grasps democracy? Are Ukrainians al- led to the demise of the Cossack at a straw. This explains the cur- ready more democratic than the state. It was then that the divi- rent attempt to weaken the French? Have Ukrainians forgot- sion into easterners and west- country through federalization ten the sad history of Ukraine erners – so tragic for Ukraine – after which its eastern part will federalization attempts? Or is emerged. go to Russia. However, modern- there anyone wishing to join the Under Bolshevik rule, Russia time Ukrainian supporters of ranks of such federalists as Sta- federalized Ukraine by setting up federalization should remember lin and Hitler? such puppet autonomies as the that what they are trying to do to Competition among nations Donetsk-Kryvyi Rih Republic Ukraine is a delirious dream of for a place under the sun in to- and the Crimean autonomy. It not only their favourite Joseph day’s crammed world is only in- also recognized and supported Stalin but also Hitler and Koch. creasing despite all the talk of de- Nestor Makhno’s “free republic” History shows that each fed- mocracy and mutual tolerance. as long as it was useful in fight- eralization attempt in Ukraine Therefore, if a nation and its state ing against the Ukrainian Na- Modern-time sup- was accompanied by prolonged are incapable of adequately and tional Republic, General Deni- porters of federaliza- bloodshed and led to subjuga- rapidly reacting to such challenges kin’s troops, the Germans and tion should remem- tion. Haven’t our leaders, who, as separatism, they are doomed to ber that what they the French. Relying on these “in- are trying to do to instigated by the Kremlin, are be subjected and assimilated by dependent republics”, Moscow Ukraine is a delirious willing to make the same histori- their more aggressive neighbours. dream of not only suppressed an attempt to restore their favourite Jo- cal mistake, learned the sobering Isn’t it time for our post-colonial a Ukrainian state in the early seph Stalin but also lessons of the past? They are criminalized “elite” to yield to a 20th century and then scrapped Hitler and Koch threatening federalization in or- new, more dynamic generation of these entities altogether. der to preserve their criminal leaders who have no memory of In the interwar period, Po- power. If history is any guide being enslaved by Russia? With- land “federalized” conquered here, this will plunge the country out this, Ukraine will keep repeat- Western Ukrainian lands and into bloody confrontation. ing the mistakes of federalization, was trying to persuade the “brotherly” unions and so on. Lemko people that they were not Federalism or Therefore, neither ethno- Ukrainian. In Lemko schools, separatism graphic diversity nor Ukrainian they even tried to replace the Eastern Ukraine is one of the re- or world history furnishes any with the gions that have been the subject grounds for a federal Ukraine. Lemko dialect. Adolf Hitler was a of federalization talk. However, On the contrary, the majority of convinced “Ukrainian federal- it is home to an ethnographic large European nations with ist”. He divided the country into group of Ukrainians (Slobozh- which Ukraine has close histori- four parts: Galicia was made part any), so its separation would be cal, cultural and spiritual ties of the General Government, not federalization but separat- have formed unitary states de- while Bukovyna and the Odesa ism, according to the European spite having ethnographically region were together named norms. Separatism is considered heterogeneous populations. Transnistria and given to Roma- In Europe, the fed- to be one of the gravest state These include Poland, the Czech eral model and au- nia, a Nazi ally. Central Ukraine tonomous entities crimes because it pushes the na- Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, was part of Reichskommissariat are present mainly in tion into a civil conflict. Nations France, Italy and others. Numer- Ukraine headed by Erich Koch, countries that have and their leaders who fail to un- ous attempts to federalize incorporated various another federalist, while eastern peoples with their derstand this are bound to step Ukraine have been imposed Ukraine was under the Nazi mili- own ethnic lands. down from the historical arena, from the outside by those who These are often mod- tary administration. ernized fragments of all the more so if they cannot want to divide and rule. These The Kremlin made another at- former empires. learn lessons from their coun- historical lessons should be kept tempt to “democratically” federal- These models are un- in mind by both the Ukrainian acceptable to try’s past. Unlawful appeals ize Ukraine under Mikhail Gor- Ukraine, because its made by ranking officials should supporters of federalization who bachev when there was a risk that lands are the ethnic not be justified by references to look up to Moscow and all Ukrai- territory of one Ukraine might break away from Ukrainian people. freedom of expression in nian citizens. They should be a the Soviet empire. Moscow consis- One exception is the Ukraine. Even in the biggest de- safeguard against another crimi- Crimea, which is the tently and openly fuelled separatist native land of the mocracies of the world, an ap- nal proposal of federalization, movements in the Transcarpathian Crimean Tatars peal to split the country is sub- which inevitably leads to a civil region, southern oblasts, the Don- ject to prosecution rather than a conflict. bas and the Crimea in the early topic for public discussion. Ukrainians should not let 1990s. After the victory of national- Imagine the reaction of Mos- themselves be fooled into de- democratic forces in 2005, the cow and entire Russian society if stroying Ukraine through federal- Kremlin’s idea to federalize Ryazan Oblast or Arkhangelsk ization that serves as a cover-up Ukraine was revived – Viktor Yan- Oblast decided to break off. for plain separatism. In all civi- ukovych and Yevhen Kushnariov What would the French do if lized countries of the world, sepa- contrived a plan for the ill-famous Brittany, Gascony or Provence ratism is recognized as a grave South-Eastern Ukrainian Republic. said they wanted to become in- crime, because it leads to splits, In our days, scared by the dependent entities within a fed- civil bloodshed and the death of European choice of Ukrainians, eration? Why is the Ukrainian the state and its citizens. 12|the ukrainian week|№ 13 (55) July 2013 Ukraine & the West|neighbours Ukrainian Revolution: WesternP erspective,W estern Influence andW esternC ontribution

t was bitter on the one hand. The at the past three weeks when this Author: cused on the revision of the Consti- West didn’t support us… Kept policy became visible. Yuriy tution, the establishment of a new waiting… Negotiating… On the On February 6 the Euro- Makarov government and a stabilization pro- Iother hand, what did we expect? pean Parliament adopted a tough gramme from international finan- Did we hope that Europe would resolution on the situation in cial institutions. Meanwhile, Cathe- immediately side with the Maidan, Ukraine demanding to “cease the rine Ashton talked about financial believe in Ukrainian civil society shameful deployment of Berkut assistance to Ukraine with the IMF and oust the tyrant out of power? riot police and other security Executive Director in Washington. Firstly, that is not how things are forces of provocations, kidnaping, She said officially that the EU was done in international politics. Sec- harassment, torturing, beating looking at two approaches to ondly, European officials had every and humiliating supporters of Eu- Ukraine: pressure and support. We reason to be skeptical. roMaidans”. On the same day, a are deeply concerned with the de- Ever since the official Kyiv pre- video with Russian subtitles where velopments and contemplating our pared documents for association Victoria Nuland said “Fuck the actions, she said. I think Ukrainian with the EU while using this as a EU” in a telephone conversation authorities have gotten our signals bargaining chip to get more money on the EU’s passivity in dealing very well, she noted. from the opposite side, European with the with the On February 13, the EU politicians, let alone public opin- US Ambassador to Ukraine Geof- hoped that an independent com- ion, have been puzzled and feeling frey Pyatt went viral. German mittee to investigate cases of vio- that “there is nobody to trust Chancellor thought that such as- lence during protests in Kyiv would there.” What about the ideals of de- sessment was unacceptable. start to work as soon as possible, mocracy, aspirations of the nation On February 7, Viktor Yanu- and common values, then? In real- kovych went to Sochi to see the it was fair enough politik, the actual balance of pow- opening ceremony for the Olym- ers continentally and globally, as pics. While there, he asked Euro- for those who fought well as the need to coordinate posi- pean officials to help him draft the for Ukrainian democracy tions within such complex and Constitution he would “later put up somewhat poorly-managed entities for national discussion”, while ac- to expect more support as the EU, NATO, UN Security cusing Europeans of interference from the West Council and the like, have pushed with Ukraine’s domestic affairs. these ideals and values to the side- On February 10, the EU Hu- Štefan Füle said during a visit to lines. man Rights Commissioner Nils the Maidan. However, it was still fair Muižnieks told Acting Interior On February 15, the US State enough for those who fought for Minister that Department welcomed the release Ukrainian democracy to expect beating protesters with police ba- of detained protesters and the op- more support from the West, even tons was unacceptable. Zakharch- position’s decision to vacate ad- if moral rather than material - es- enko agreed with that. The EU ministration buildings. pecially in the light of the stark Council of Ministers shared its On February 16, Didier contrast in the morals and even opinion on the situation in Ukraine Burkhalter, Foreign Minister of aesthetics of the forces confronting from Brussels. Only a new govern- Switzerland, said the OSCE be- the EuroMaidan. Moreover, the ment, a constitutional reform and lieved that de-occupation of the Yanukovych regime kept doing fair presidential election can im- Kyiv city hall by protesters would anything possible, from shameless prove the situation in Ukraine, they lead Ukraine out of the stalemate. daily lies to blatant muscle-flexing said while refusing to impose sanc- On February 17, German in yet another crackdown on the tions. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry Chancellor Angela Merkel said she Maidan on December 10 when the thanked them and once again did not think it was necessary to EU High Representative Catherine agreed with what they said. impose targeted sanctions against Ashton and US Assistant Secretary On February 11, the US Con- Ukrainian officials to solve the cri- Victoria Nuland were in town, to gress passed a resolution to support sis after her meeting with Vitaliy test the West’s patience. It didn’t the Maidan; EU Enlargement Com- Klitschko and Arseniy Yatseniuk work. missioner Štefan Füle met with op- who came to upon her invi- To assess the indecisive and in- position leaders in Kyiv and held tation. This was the first official effective policy of Europe and the three-hour negotiations with Yanu- contact with the opposition. She US regarding Ukraine, we will look kovych the next day. The talks fo- also approved the official Kyiv’s de- № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|13 neighbours|Ukraine & the West cision to amnesty EuroMaidan ac- On February 20, EU leaders ski tried to talk the Maidan into tivists. Martin Schulz, President of officially announced visa and - fi accepting the compromise while the European Parliament, said the nancial sanctions against officials US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt EU would be ready to sign the As- of the Yanukovych Administration said in an interview for 1+1 TV sociation Agreement and FTA with and pro-government MPs, as well channel that Ukraine needs Viktor Ukraine right after the crisis is as business owners who backed the Yanukovych to implement politi- solved and Ukraine fulfills the nec- regime thus making the use of un- cal changes and that Viktor Yanu- essary conditions agreed before the believable violence possible, at a kovych should lead the country Vilnius Summit without any addi- meeting in Brussels. US President into the future. tional terms. Barack Obama spoke on Ukraine On February 22, Yanu- On February 18, news for the first time at an international kovych who fled Kyiv earlier ac- came of new victims. Frank Wal- summit in Mexico, criticizing Vlad- cused foreign guarantors to the

ter-Steinmeier, German Foreign imir Putin for disrespect of basic agreement of treason in a video ad- Minister, said Europe would freedoms and support of repres- dress. Then, his trace disappeared. have to revise its moderate ap- sions in Ukraine and Syria. He On February 24, Elmar proach to the case of targeted called on Kyiv to set up a transition Brok, Chairman of the European sanctions against Ukrainian offi- government. Parliament’s Committee on For- cials responsible for the blood- On February 21, Yanu- eign Affairs, said that the EU was shed in Ukraine. kovych and opposition leaders ready to provide EUR 20bn as fi- On February 19, Radoslaw signed the Agreement to Solve the nancial assistance to Ukraine after Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minis- Crisis in Ukraine with foreign it has a new government. ter, claimed that the EU could im- ministers from Germany and Po- On February 25, Radoslaw pose sanctions similar to the lim- land and a diplomat from France. Sikorski said in an interview for ited sanctions against Belarus or The agreement entailed the return Polskie Radio that three states in- even those imposed against Cuba, to the 2004 Constitution and pres- cluding the US, the UK and Russia, Zimbabwe or Iran that proved ef- idential reelection in December had signed the Budapest Declara- fective. 2014. After that, Radoslaw Sikor- tion in 1994 after Ukraine gave up 14|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 nancialandorganizational fi backing direct and protests Ukrainian orchestrating of media, Kremlin) the to loyal totally (yet dependent in presumably through and cially West Washington theandparticular, in offi blaming kept Moscow fluence, the publication wrote. Still, beseen asthe spread ofthe US’ in would countries other in mocracy de of victory the where situation loud of conflicts preventplanet the a to on out stay and itself tance Times York wrote.Washingtondistrying tois New the testers...” pro the onmilitary the looseturn cations that Mr. Yanukovych might indi Americanssawwhen came it criticaluntilwaitthemoment, and – Obama (Barack disintegrate and Ukraine. Meanwhile, “aides said he destabilize to efforts Russia’s meaning Ukraine, on pressure no and integrity rial territo independence, to guarantee obligation their specified tion Declara The weapons. nuclear its Ed. wne to wanted ) ------

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Modelled on the enlargement process, it “does not work for countries that do not want close association with the EU, and the absence of the carrot of future membership frustrates those who do”, writes Lehne in his pa- per for Carnegie Europe, a think-tank. The slow process of enacting European standards, on everything from the environ- ment to food safety, was de- signed for a stable world, not tu- multuous revolutionary change. Others, though, are convinced that the victory of Ukraine’s Maidan protesters is proof that Europe's soft power can still trump Russian bullying. Ukraine presents the EU with an opportunity to redeem itself. The foreign ministers of Poland, Germany and France were in Kyiv at the height of the shooting, and may have facili- tated a controlled collapse of Ya- nukovych's rule. The EU's for- eign-policy chief, Cathy Ashton, hen the European palling civil war. Georgia has was in Kyiv to urge victorious Union expanded to lost territory after a war with anti-Yanukovych parties to cre- take in eight former Russia. Belarus languishes un- ate an “inclusive” government W Communist coun- der the dictatorial Alexander Lu- and avoid witch-hunts. The visi- tries, leaders faced a conun- kashenko. Two small countries, tors come away with a strong drum: they did not want to keep Tunisia and Moldova, are the sense that they must not let extending the club eastward, closest thing to success. down those who risked their neither did they want to tell For a time it looked as if lives. But as Lehne argues, their Ukraine and others that they Ukraine would join the list of tools may be too limited. would be shut out forever. So failures. Last November, ahead The EU decided far too late they devised a middle way: the of a summit in Vilnius of the EU to impose sanctions on Yanu- EU would offer to extend large and ex-Soviet countries, Presi- kovych's regime. The deal it of- parts of its single market to dent Viktor Yanukovych caved in fered Ukraine involved long- countries in eastern Europe, the to Russia and refused to sign an term modernisation and a Caucasus and the Mediterranean association agreement with the pledge to support an IMF-spon- rim, without making any prom- EU that included a “deep and sored adjustment programme. It ises of membership. comprehensive” free-trade deal. said it would not be drawn into a This European Neighbour- This was a pyrrhic victory for bidding war with Russia, which hood Policy was meant to create Russia. Pro-European protesters instead offered a large instant “a ring of friends”. Ten years on, took to the streets of Kyiv and, loan and cheaper gas. Now Eu- Europe's borderlands look more after weeks of confrontation that ropeans are scrambling to come like a ring of fire. Libya has been culminated with the shooting of up with a short-term financial in violent chaos since the over- protesters, Yanukovych ran package to halt an imminent de- throw of Muammar Qaddafi. In away. © 2014 The fault. They are still hoping that Egypt one military ruler was re- Opinions around Europe are Economist Russia might contribute. They placed by another after a brief divided about the meaning of Newspaper are also planning to send techni- interlude with an elected presi- events in Kyiv. A recent paper by Limited. All cal experts to help Ukraine man- dent. Syria is suffering an ap- Stefan Lehne, a former Austrian rights reserved age reforms and ensure the 16|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 EU Neighbourhood Policy|neighbours money is not stolen. Andrew with a man who now has much operation”. They should be more Wilson of the European Council blood on his hands, and having explicit and say that a future on Foreign Relations, a think- promised Ukrainians that the democratic Ukraine would be el- tank, has proposed a longer to- accord remains on the table, the igible to apply, even though the do list. It includes help to re- EU can hardly refuse if the in- prospect is far off. cover stolen assets stashed away terim government asks to sign it. The Europeans should also in Europe, limited interim trade- rethink the neighbourhood pol- agreements to help kick-start Back to the future icy, which lumps together dispa- the economy, inclusion of “civil The signature ceremony would rate countries merely because society” in political reforms and be a good time to answer the they happen to be nearby. In the facilitating EU visas for Ukraini- question Europeans have tried south it may have to devise a ans. wider concept of its interests Soon the Europeans will stretching out to the Sahel, the have to decide whether to go Russia's behaviour Horn of Africa and the Middle ahead with the accord that Yan- in Ukraine should be East. Here Europe has no real ukovych rejected. Most think friends, lots of acquaintances they should wait until Ukraine a warning to all and not a few enemies. To the holds presidential elections, Europeans east it needs better ways of help- changes the constitution and ing those who want to move then holds a ballot for the new of the danger of closer to the EU. parliament. The current crop of embracing Vladimir Putin Above all, the EU needs a co- opposition leaders taking over herent policy to deal with Rus- power in Kyiv, not least Yulia closely sia. Its members are divided be- Tymoshenko, the former prime tween Russo-sceptics, particu- minister, are viewed with suspi- to avoid for a decade: should larly in the Baltic states and cion by many Maidan protesters. they offer a “membership per- Sweden, and Russophiles in- EU officials also worry about spective” to Ukraine? Earlier cluding Cyprus, Italy and Hun- provoking Russia in its already this month EU foreign ministers gary. Russia's behaviour in resentful mood. dropped a cryptic hint in a state- Ukraine should be a warning to In fact, the timing will be de- ment, saying that the association all Europeans of the danger of cided by Ukrainians themselves. agreement “does not constitute embracing Vladimir Putin Having been prepared to deal the final goal in EU-Ukraine co- closely.

№ 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|17 neighbours|Opinion Andrew Wilson: “The West did not react adequately to the usurpation of power by Yanukovych” hoto: I hor vorobyov P hoto:

Interviewer: ndrew Wilson is a Senior UW: Do you think that it was breaking the agreement in support Dmytro Policy Fellow at the Euro- worth having the Orange of the imperative mandate, remov- Potekhin pean Council on Foreign Re- Revolution? ing the Tymoshenko government. Alations and a permanent The story and its disappoint- There were reforms that were Reader in Ukrainian Studies at the ment is a complex one. Of course it deeply reprehensible, particularly School of Slavonic and East Euro- was worth trying. That’s why we the judicial reform of summer pean Studies (SSEES), University are where we now are, ten years 2010. In October, the regime obvi- College London. He shared his views later. It’s not an action replay; it’s ously changed track completely. with The Ukrainian Week on the not an Orange Revolution 2.0. Yanukovych was a legitimately prospects for rapid reform in Clearly, one event follows another elected president, but not as a pres- Ukraine, on the inadequate reaction and it has been a learning process ident with that degree of power to of the West to the usurpation of of what went wrong and how it be used for such self-interested power by Viktor Yanukovych and might be done better this time. purpose. the absence of the rule of law, both under the Orange government and UW: Do you think it can be better UW: So did he transform into a under that of Yanukovych. this time? Do you think the usurper? Is this possible in a chances for reform after violent democratic country, for a person UW: In 2009, you published a piece action on both sides can be more who was elected with one set of titled Ukraine – From Orange efficient than in 2004? powers to usurp power and Revolution to Failed State? Why It is now looking very difficult. continue to be called a president? such a pessimistic title? One thing that Yanukovych was Quite clearly you have a situa- One reason for writing that able to do when he came to power tion where the change is made via piece back in 2009 is that Russians in 2010 was to take advantage of the Constitutional Court. And in the were using that phrase a lot. People Orange fatigue, Ukraine fatigue. Ukrainian system, as in many politi- like Gleb Pavlovsky (Russian politi- cal systems, ironically, the Constitu- cal scientist and adviser to the Rus- UW: And he did take advantage – tional Court is the guardian of the sian Presidential Administration to further his own interests! Constitution. It clearly failed in its until early 2011 – Ed.) were calling Well yes! He took too much ad- function with its decision, was rep- Ukraine a failed state. There are vantage. A lot of his early power- rehensible, shocking and confirmed hardly any real failed states in the grab was front-loaded, because he its non-judicial reputation. In fact, it world, even Somalia isn’t that bad. knew that the West would probably contradicted its earlier decisions, So it was more a question of a fail- forgive too much in the short-term. and of course the basic principle in ing, weak central state – immobile And we certainly did in the period the Constitution itself whereby state, I think was the phrase I settled between February and October changing the Constitution requires on in that case. This is the Orange 2010. The reversal of the old con- a special procedure. Some kind of period when you had state institu- stitutional change is the key mo- consultation with a popular referen- tions constantly fighting with each ment when the regime developed dum was clearly mandatory. other and weakening each other in into something different. But there the process. You had a degradation were early steps that were also UW: How about the West?I t of the judiciary, in particular. pretty much unconstitutional, would have been strange if the 18|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Opinion|neighbours Russian regime had condemned nipulation, the use of administra- America’s voice was rather soft the violation of the rule of law in tive resources, political technology, in this region during the Obama re- Ukraine, but do you think the – all of that corrupts the process set period. It seems to have woken West reacted as it should have? and reduces the quality of democ- up recently and has played a much No. The West woke up and be- racy and other elements of façade more constructive role, but very re- gan to react when the opposition democracy, but it doesn’t com- cently. was targeted with bizarre, brazen, pletely deny it. In some sense, As to domestic reaction, the selective prosecution. Justice is those 2012 elections were surpris- Yanukovych regime is not a tradi- never selective. In 2011, there was ingly competitive, but the authori- tional full-on authoritarian re- The EU was turning a the Yulia Tymoshenko case, which blind eye or did not ties had changed the rules, to rein- gime. He’s always gaming poten- was the consequence of the central- protest strongly troduce the okruhy (first-past-the- tial reaction. The government has enough in 2010, isation of power, changes to the then waking up and post constituencies where 50% of kept a blurred picture, partly be- Constitution and the judicial re- focusing on a MPs were elected while the rest of cause it is skilled in the art of blur- particular issue in form of the summer of 2010. The 2011 – the the Parliament was elected through ring, but also because the current West failed to make sufficient pro- Tymoshenko party lists – Ed.) and the Party of parliament is not completely legit- test when those building blocks prosecution Regions actually lost under those imate. The rules were changed, were put in place. It protested the old rules. We wouldn’t be where we there was political technology, consequences, rather than the are today if Ukrainian democracy there were all sorts of administra- cause. had been completely destroyed. tive resources applied, which dis- torted what was otherwise a com- UW: Many are blaming the West UW: Are you sure that this is petitive vote. The key start for the for almost everything that is going democracy? violence on Tuesday (February 18 on in Ukraine. But shouldn’t It’s pluralism. You clearly have when the most violent clashes Ukrainians themselves different parties, different regions. started as protesters tried to (politicians, political scientists, Now you have a situation where march towards the Verkhovna hoto: I hor vorobyov P hoto: analysts, human rights activists, there is a disconnection between Rada. MPs were expected to vote journalists and other public the various groups on the Maidan, for the change of the Constitution authorities and leaders of public the ordinary folks on the Maidan curbing the President’s powers opinion), who continued to and the parliamentary opposition but failed – Ed.) was the govern- recognise Yanukovych as the – now that’s another question. ment’s refusal to begin the discus- president, in spite of the sion of key questions and compro- unconstitutional situation in the UW: Yes, that’s pluralism, but can mise. country, have stopped legitimising we have a democracy without the him? Shouldn’t they have been rule of law? UW: I feel that today, Ukraine is a the first to act and provide society No. Ukraine does not have failed state… with accurate information? problems with the rule of law, Ukraine can clearly become a You do have a paradoxical situ- Ukraine does not have an imper- stronger state. Yanukovych has ation whereby Yanukovych won a fect rule of law, Ukraine has noth- been preparing his defences in free and fair election, endorsed by ing remotely resembling the rule of many ways, stronger security most of the key bodies, including law. Serious problems were already forces in particular, since 2010, for the OSCE ODIHR. And then you accumulating during the period of the 2015 election. It clearly suits have an unconstitutional abroga- the Orange government, but after him if the opposition is radical, in a tion of power. He was legitimately the reform of 2010, the rule of law broader sense. It suits his narrative elected, but acted illegitimately. In died. Then there is a problem when if the opposition is allegedly, which such a case of the conflict of one you have a pluralistic system, but it isn’t, dominated by radical na- principle or another, you need a no arbiter to support the rules of tionalists. We’ve seen all attempts constitutional arbiter. The Consti- the game, and that was a huge to slap a false narrative on the op- tutional Court abrogated that func- problem, if we’re going to get any- position in the last three months - tion. The logical route for Ukrai- where near real competition in fu- nationalists, puppets of the West nian citizens might have been able ture elections. and anti-Semitism. to take the question to the Euro- pean Court of Human Rights as a UW: Could the use of violence UW: Why did the EU not act?O r substitute constitutional arbiter, have been avoided? How could did it act, but this was such a but they didn’t. It’s not an Orange the conflicts have been resolved if sophisticated strategy that we Revolution 2.0. the institutions were not working? have not yet understood it? Clearly, one event UW: Instead,U kraine, the West, follows another and What could have been done The protests began in support and of course, Russia, kept the past decade has differently? of the EU and European values. been a learning dealing with this situation as if process of what went Well, with the West, the prob- But Brussels proved itself incapa- there were legitimate institutions wrong and how it lem was that the EU was turning a ble of acting decisively. The Euro- in Ukraine and Yanukovych was a might be done better this time blind eye or did not protest strongly pean Union’s phobia against im- legitimate president? enough in 2010, then waking up posing sanctions manifested itself. – We can’t go that far to talk and focusing on a particular issue Individual members of the organi- about a total absence of legitimate in 2011 – the Tymoshenko prose- sation should have immediately institutions in Ukraine. As often in cution. This was important as a imposed sanctions against corrupt the post-Soviet world, in the 2012 symbol of everything else that was elites. In truth, this is potentially a parliamentary election, you had el- going wrong, but not the sum total disaster for European soft power ements of façade democracy, ma- of everything that was going wrong. and reputation. № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|19 neighbours|Crimea, Ukraine & UK Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

s William Hague, the For- Author: eign Secretary, held crisis Michael talks with Ukraine’s new Binyon Aleaders in Kyiv at the week- end, London announced that it was pulling out of preparatory talks on the Sochi G8 summit, and warned President Putin that Rus- sia’s actions could lead to war. In common with other NATO allies, Britain sees the Russian military occupation of Crimea as a blatant infringement of Ukraine’s sovereignty and a threat to world peace. All weekend there were frantic telephone consultations between Britain and its European partners and the United States. British commentators and the press have described the events as the biggest East-West crisis since British Foreign Minis- the Cold War. ter William Hague While urging Ukraine not to visited Ukraine on March 3 to meet with respond to Russian “provoca- Acting President tions,” there is strong support and Premier Arseniy across the political spectrum for Yatseniuk. "UK will Ukraine’s sovereignty. “It is clear give that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine has been vio- £10m of urgent technical lated,” said Hague. “This cannot help for economic + be the way to conduct interna- political reform in Ukraine. British team tional affairs”. arriving in Kyiv today The British Government has to work on this," he wrote on Twitter. demanded that Putin withdraw Hague also visited those Russian troops who appear Maidan and de- to be in control of the airport in scribed it as a "scene of great sacrifices for Crimea and to halt preparations Ukraine's future" for a military invasion. But there is also caution about what to do sula some 160 years ago. But to- it difficult to halt any Russian next. In a year when many people day there are mixed feelings about military incursion into Crimea. have been remembering the anni- Crimea. On the one hand, televi- There is little public appetite for a versary of the start of the First sion news has shown the Russian- full-scale military confrontation World War, politicians have speaking population demonstrat- with Moscow, and few NATO warned Moscow – and also Kyiv – ing against the fall of Yanukovych countries are willing to commit not to do anything hasty to pre- and has underlined the split in troops to the defence of the cipitate a chain of events that Ukraine between the westward- Ukrainian government. NATO might end in open hostilities. Brit- looking West of the country and called an urgent meeting of its ain is trying to persuade the Rus- the south and east that have closer members, but is unlikely to issue sian and Ukrainian governments links with Russia. On the other a military ultimatum that could to talk directly to each other – ei- hand, the British press has been complicate the search for a diplo- ther at the United Nations or in forthright in condemning what it matic solution. Comparisons are European security forums. sees as aggression by Russia and being made with the war between For many Britons, Crimea has Putin’s attempt to crush the new Russia and Georgia. The most an emotional resonance because government in Kyiv. that now seems likely is that all of the long and bloody war fought What everyone realises, how- normal relations with Russia will against the Russians in the penin- ever, is that the West would find be suspended while diplomats 20|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 the Orange Revolution in 2004. 2004. in Revolution Orange after the triumph would democracy that West the in hopes high were There govern independence. since bad ment and mis of management record country’s the on scorn poured have television largely and Newspapers itself. upon tragedy this have bringing for Ukraine blamed commentators Kyiv, in government new the for for- policy. eign effective an have to seemed longer President no Britain in- that and get volved that to wish clear little had Obama was it as governments French and German Polish, the by taken be to have would initiative the that weekend British the former at said Russia, to Ambassador a Sir Lyne, aghast. Roderic are Moscow against Crimea. and Kyiv between compromise saving face- a out work to try frantically Despite the strong support support strong the Despite line tougher a urging Those - - a thre Ukraine’s sovereignty and bla occup R NA In common withother ussian milit TO allies,Brit t ant infringement of a tion ofCrimea t to world pea

photo: unian trusted and who is invariably invariably is interests. Western to who hostile and be to trusted old-fashioned not is who an dictator, of Soviet image an him given of have oppo home at repression political nents and and anti- dissidents style and ian authoritar positions, American anti-Western ing uncompromis His policies. for nation alist his and support Putin President political no tually vir is there area), London the in live 100,000 than (more in Britain working and Russians investing of living, numbers high very Yanukovych cause. anti- the for support attracted not been have have and Britain in publicity given views Their Maidan. and on present extremists were who anti-Semites of influence the ability”. EU. Ukraine, in its current state, is a li- the or Russia by lost or won within be to ‘prize’ a not not is Ukraine sight. is solution added: He “Alasting West. the from love” “tough needed now Roderic Ukraine said Sir oligarchs. and politi- cians corrupt other Yanu- and by kovych the embezzled of sums recovery huge the and sensus con- national transparency, form, government Ukrainian re- political of guarantees without a to all at money any Western lend will countries few incredulity: duced pro- has bankruptcy avert to 35bn USD of injection urgent an needs placemen”. and crooks of “nest a Rada the called week this free Economist The di vision. ethnic or bias government factional a from run or democratic corruption willing control even to or able politi seems Ukrainian cian con no to that many clude led has ernment gov Yushchenko the of by petence record incom and corruption subsequent bickering, the But Nevertheless, despite the the despite Nevertheless, at dismay some also is There now Ukraine that news The ary ain seesthe № 4 (70) ce s a C rimea, rimea, march ------worsening crisis over Ukraine, Ukraine, out. way over obvious no with crisis rapidly a worsening see all Britain in press the and Parliament The Government, would offer. such Putin any contemplate that seems unlikely it very atmosphere tense at ent presence pres the In headquarters. stronger NATO give a to and Russia Europe, across rity secu on discussions its in volved in closely more become to Russia invite to NATO for calls are There West. the for as as Russia for within much disastrous be divisions would Ukraine the sharpens con that anything to that Moscow trying vince been have Politi cians acute. more ever be coming divi west and east old between sions with country, a unified as collapse will Ukraine that is governments Western other and idarity. sol- British for appealed and ment govern- new the to support ’s ambassador to London has offered though comments, its 11,000 about people, has also been restrained in comprising nity, commu- home Ukrainian The their country. with confrontation political a in involved no get to have wish schools, private at British children and Britain invest in ments and property with ones, richer the of Some Putin. to posed op- strongly case any Russian in are whom of many – the Britain in from community lobbying no cow. Mos- with dialogue a open keep to and need still countries Western Britain other change climate and control disease terrorism, global money-laundering, tourist On economy. Britain’s hurting halted, tourists coming to Britain could be frozen. Russian of number or which large the And confiscated Russia, be could in investments huge has also Britain impossible. become would example, for Syria, over co-operation that is Ukraine over Putin confronting of danger closely The work issues. global on to Russia with has Britain cil, of the United Nations Security Coun- member permanent a As counter-produc- tive. and dangerous extremely be would this say cians politi- Wiser Putin. humiliate confront and to opportunity ideal an as crisis Ukrainian the see Britain 2014 U kraine & & kraine The main worry for Britain Britain for worry main The almost been has there far, So in Right the on some Indeed, | the ukrainian week ukrainian the UK | neighbours | 21 ------Neighbours|Opinion Ukraine as the Latest Fashion Poles supported the Maidan gladly and passionately – more so, I think, than Russia supported the anti-Maidans

uring the decisive week of romantic moustache. This was the Author: gency will be implemented, tanks protests, which ended with case during two uprisings in the Ziemowit will be brought in and everyone the flight of Yanukovych, 19th century, again in the battle Szczerek, will be slaughtered. Dwho was abandoned by his against the Bolsheviks in 1939, Poland It emerged that this speech security forces, the Maidan was and during the Solidary move- was a huge oversight, because constantly on TV screens, smart- ment. even if Yanukovych wanted to im- phones and computers. Once the smoke clears above pose a state of emergency (and Euphoria reigns in Poland, the field of battle, everything will documents from Mezhyhirya con- where events in Ukraine were fol- go back to normal – including the firm this), he was unable to do so: lowed closely, now that the “guar- stereotypes. The Poles’ romantic he was betrayed by his circle, and antor” has beaten a hasty retreat. moustache is no longer the symbol the security forces did not want to Poles remember how sincerely of a hero, but a drunken villager. risk their lives and get blood on they were greeted on the Maidan, Unfortunately, the Ukrainian os- their hands while protecting his and say that they are Ukrainians’ eledets can expect the same – the estate. blood brothers. distinction of a proud Cossack will Sikorski was strongly criti- Mutual compliments some- become something uncultured cised, particularly by the right: times reach grotesque propor- and primitive, while the people MEP Kurski (the “Maidan tour- tions. For example, ultra-right wearing it will once more turn into ist”) hurled thunder from the Kyiv MEP Jacek Kurski from Solidarna the shabby street traders in worn- barricade saying that people can- Polska (Solidarity Poland), came out unfashionable jackets. There not allow themselves such things. to Ukraine once everything was is no need to fool yourself. Al- over. He was photographed on the though I would prefer to be wrong, barricade, with Samo-Oborona and predict friendship for Poles (Self-Defense) fighters in front of and Ukrainians, similar to that of the Cabinet of Ministers’ building Poland and Hungary, even if it is and with Klitschko, then posted purely declarative. these photographs on Facebook. After all, Poland and Ukraine This photo session was soon have a mutual geopolitical enemy ridiculed in the internet and la- – Russia, and nothing joins coun- belled “Maidan tourism”, although tries together like a common ad- it does show that to a certain ex- versary. However, I think that this tent, Ukraine is in fashion in Po- pertains more to Western Ukraine. land. It would be good for this pe- Eastern Ukraine takes no note or riod to last as long as possible, al- Poland at all, and if it does, then though fashion comes and goes just like Russia, considers it to be – that’s its role. a disobedient puppy that throws The stereotype of a Ukrainian itself into the game of true geopo- in Poland is the same as that of a litical players. Pole in the West: a shabby-looking Fir the central regions – the street trader, who has uncertain core part of Ukraine - Poland was relations with vodka and self-or- only attractive as an outpost of the ganisation. However, during pop- West, and the part of it that is ular uprisings (preferably without most reminiscent of Ukraine, and grudges against Poland), this ste- the closest to it. reotype changes to that of a cam- The last “Polish accent” of the paigner for justice – a romantic previous revolutionary weeks was warrior with an oseledets (the tra- the irritated commentary of the ditional Cossack haircut). Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poles are regarded in a similar Radoslaw Sikorski that a compro- manner in the West, but the ro- mise with Yanukovych must be mantic oseledets is replaced by a found, otherwise a state of emer- 22|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Opinion|Neighbours Stanislaw Penta, a representative hide that fury whenever he shook ulated that given the opportunity, of the Law and (no- hands with Yanukovych, while his he would have taken every possi- one is more right-wing) referred undiplomatic words about the ble measure. to the Head of the Ministry of For- state of emergency were not di- On Thursday, February 20, eign Affairs as “Moscow’s puppet” rected to the camera, but to one of snipers shot at people on the and said that he should not have the opposition politicians. Maidan, as if shooting at ducks. called on Ukrainians to compro- The Minister’s fury drew more And everyone was surprised when mise, only to uncompromising attention to him than he deserved, on the night of Friday to Saturday, battle and ultimate victory. Of since he didn’t bring anything new the police, Berkut riot police and course. Paraphrasing the well- to the table when drawing apoca- titushkas withdrew from the gov- known saying, “a Pole is only wise lyptic visions for the opposition. ernment quarter, while Samo- after the damage has been done”, His words were merely the persis- Oborona (Self-Defense) entered you can say that he is wise after tent encouragement of compro- government buildings. everything has ended relatively mise, which was seen as Sikorski’s In a word, it’s easy to criticise well. Meanwhile, the bodies of the position from the very start: his Sikorski post factum. It’s far more dead dampened the euphoria a lit- solution to the crisis would have difficult to put oneself in his place. tle. left both parties unsatisfied. It finally emerged that as a whole, If there had really been dam- Should he have chosen a different the Polish right had problems with age as opposed to a successful fi- resolution? It’s hard to say. the Maidan. It was quite funny to nale, and Sikorski had called on You get the impression that observe how they fluctuated be- Ukrainians to engage in uncom- he wanted to play the role of tween support for the anti-Rus- promising battle, he would have Churchill, who similarly tried to been called a bloodthirsty idiot. cool the Polish hotheads, want- Such a scenario could not have ing to reinstate their pre-war Poles understand that been ruled out. Few remember borders after Hitler’s defeat. The those waving the red and that even former Polish President pragmatic Churchill knew well Kwasniewski, who best knew the that Stalin would not agree to black flags on the Maidan situation in Ukraine (he and Pat this, so persuaded the Poles to sit are not the ones who Cox spent half of the autumn in at the negotiation table and be Ukraine for negotiations), pre- ready for concessions. Then, Po- intend to pick up arms dicted that Yanukovych would land was still able to claw some- against them again fight until the bitter end. And he thing back from the so-called probably would if he had any outskirts on its eastern border: sian unrest (because the Polish chance. the issue at hand was Lviv or the right loathes Russia, although Sikorski was furious when he Boryslav Basin. Till the very end, with its primitive views and de- came to Ukraine. He could hardly Poland did not believe in the mands, radicalism and its craving compromise, and the border was to subjugate the interests of the Radoslaw Sikorski was established along the Curzon individual to national interests, strongly criticised in Line. Today, this seems to have lists of banned publications, lack Poland for encouraging been a good decision (although of tolerance towards sexual mi- Ukrainian protesters to we shouldn’t forget that Polish norities, it is more reminiscent of accept a compromise with nostalgia for Lviv remains quite Russia , than anyone else) and the Yanukovych strong), but this is a different Ukrainian European vector (they matter altogether. still don’t grasp the notion of the If Churchill had persuaded the liberal, tolerant, anti-nationalist Poles to resist Stalin, they would and worldly EU). not have gained anything, and the However, the funniest thing latter would possibly have recon- about the Polish right lies in sidered annexing former German something else: they are offended territories to Poland. by Ukrainian nationalism; that it Thus the British Prime Minis- cannot duly admit the demons of ter acted pragmatically, preferred its own past and recognise its to play it safe and not stake every- mistakes. Meanwhile, they fail to thing. This is what Sikorski did. do this with their own home- He could rouse the indignation of grown demons. Poland is afraid the Maidan, but making such dec- of Ukrainian nationalism. To a larations, he should have counted certain extent, this is logical, be- on the realistic support of the cause it, just like all the others, is Ukrainian opposition. This is not bad. But to be honest, Poles gen- verbal or economic assistance, but erally understand that those wav- real instruments of pressure. Oth- ing the red and black flags on the erwise, such a call could have Maidan are not the ones who in- drowned in a sea of blood. It is tend to pick up arms against them known that the option of force was again. considered. Even so, everyone was Glory to Ukraine! Dear Ukrai- surprised that Yanukovych was nians, you have achieved an unbe-

photo: ар photo: not completely decisive, and spec- lievable feat! № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|23 neighbours|Opinion The Curse of the Worn-Out Vocabulary

ver the past days and weeks, on a quick look Jesse Owens to win four gold medals for Germany. I at Russian TV channels (I have one even in wish many gay and lesbian athletes won the gold my hotel at Strasbourg not to relax from the medals in Sochi proudly emphasizing their identity Odisturbing complexities of our life in the EU and sexual orientation – for a gay or lesbian athlete and in the vicinity – especially after comparison of for Putin would be what Owens was for Hitler. Russian TV with BBC News or French TV) it was dif- Watching Russian TV channels and reading com- ficult to get rid of a déjà vu feeling. Every piece of in- ments of state officials and culture people, one cannot formation about Ukraine there is strikingly and help feeling of being back in time. Astonishingly frighteningly similar to what I had long been listening enough, nothing has changed in terms of rhetoric and immediately after 13 January 1991 when the Soviet perception of reality. If the megaphones of the Krem- troops killed fourteen peaceful civilians in Vilnius. lin sounded aggressive and bitter in the late 1980s When Lithuania declared its independence on 11 about how the Baltic States will unavoidably fail both March 1990, it was just the beginning of a long and economically and culturally (“Who needs you there in winding road of the first breakaway republic of the the West?”), now they reached the depths of madness former Soviet Union. The country had a turbulent pe- and folly – suffices it to mention the fascist political riod full of unsafety, uncertainties and insecurities, clown Vladimir Zhirinovsky launching the campaign which was a logical outcome of the threat that Lithu- of military volunteers to save their Russian brethren ania posed for the mortally in Ukraine, a grotesque form wounded and slowly dying Labeling Ukraine as of exploring how far the Krem- empire. Yet the highest price lin can go boosting the fighting was still to come. And it came fascist camouflages morale of court patriots. The on 13 January when fourteen the rise of fascism in worn-out vocabulary of some people lost their lives depriv- writers and public figures ap- ing the Soviet Union the re- Russia itself. Russian pears no better than pathologi- Author: mains of its political and society increasingly cal tirades of Zhirinovsky. Leonidas moral legitimacy. Labeling Ukrainians en bloc as Donskis, Although peaceful and innocent gets close to fascism Banderovites (banderovtsy in Lithuania people were killed, there was due to the atmosphere Russian), terrorists, fascists, not a single case of blasting or else, is not only morally re- Russia or Russians as a nation. of hatred and pugnant. It shows how miser- Everybody understood that the xenophobia able, cynical, misguided, and USSR was the name of evil. The misplaced the whole public reaction of the Kremlin had political discourse is in Russia. nothing to do with the feelings of the Russian intel- The irresponsible and embarrassingly inadequate ligentsia, not to mention fearless and noble-minded use of the term “fascism” can only be explained Russian dissidents. Immediately after bloodshed and by the spell of the political-historical narrative which casualties in Vilnius a group of Russian writers and aca- legitimized the description of anyone crushed by the demic came to Lithuania to express their sympathy to during and after World War II as a fascist, Lithuanians coupled with their dismay at the Kremlin’s and any form of anti-Communism as fascism. It actions. Among them, Sergei Averintsev, an eminent would be sobering for those in Russia who crave for Russian cultural historian and poet, read out his poem exposing the supposed Ukrainian nationalism and on Vilnius as the city of freedom on whose stones the antisemitism to remember the darkest traditions of blood of innocent people was shed. antisemitism in Russia. Yet there was another side of the coin – the official All in all, the logic of this picture bears family resem- reaction by court journalists and various groups of sy- blance to the logic of Jean Baudrillard’s simulacrum: cophants which had gone so far as to suggest that just like Disneyland camouflages the fact that it is not Lithuanian snipers were killing their own fellow citi- Disneyland that should strike us as a freakish thing zens to compromise and discredit the peaceful and but, instead, the whole USA which is a single Disney- progressive Kremlin – that same Kremlin whose mas- land. Labeling Ukraine as fascist camouflages the rise ter was at that time in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize of fascism in Russia itself. Russian society increas- which he received for his “humane policies.” ingly gets close to fascism due to the atmosphere of However, the point is that Lithuania spoiled the show hatred and xenophobia. Coupled with homophobic – just like Maidan spoiled the Sochi Olympics for the legislation and crackdown on NGOs and civil society new master of the Kremlin and the real mastermind at large, it leaves a feeling of the failed democratiza- of the Olympics as a high point in Russia’s history and tion of Russia. The projection of one’s own deceases as a seeming comeback of the country to the club of and traumas onto others does not help much. the most powerful and significant global players. Gary This is why it is pivotal to resist these regrettable in- Kasparov has made a good point suggesting that for sinuations against Ukraine whose people continue to the sake of gold medals Vladimir Putin gladly sacri- be on the frontline in the battle for decent and civi- fices his imperial chauvinism buying foreign talents lized politics, and against cleptocracy, mafia state, and offering them Russian citizenship. According to and crony capitalism defending everything that mod- Kasparov, had Adolf Hitler been less fanatical in his ern Europe stands for – including the fight against mad racist mythology, he would have bought in 1936 real, and not imagined, fascism. 24|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 B OOKST ORES KYIV 3, vul. Lysenka tel: (044) 235-88-54; 5,vul. Spaska tel: (044) 351-13-38, 33/2, Povitroflotskiy Prospekt tel: (044) 275-67-42 LVIV 7, Prospekt Svobody tel: (032) 235-73-68 VINNYTSIA 89, Soborna tel: (0432) 52-9341 TERNOPIL 7-9, vul. Valova tel: (0352) 25-4459 KHARKIV 3, vul. Sumska tel: (057) 731-5949 IVANO-FRANKIVSK 31, vul. Nezalezhnosti tel: (0342) 72-2502 VOLODYMYR-VOLYNSKIY 6, vul. Kovelska tel: (03342) 2-1957 www.book-ye.com.ua

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Society|Opinion Volodymyr Vasylenko: “Government bodies were first and foremost responsible for a civilized regulation and solution of the conflict”

he Ukrainian Week speaks Interviewer: of force and to hold fair elections servers normally come two days to Volodymyr Vasylenko, Hanna Trehub manifested complete lack of un- before the voting takes place. expert in international law derstanding of the situation in They do not go far into details T and former Ambassador of Ukraine. and do not know the overall situ- Ukraine, about Viktor Yanu- If they were actually willing ation well enough. Then, they re- kovych’s responsibility for crimes to help Ukraine, Western states port of fair elections in Ukraine against Ukrainian people, grounds should have imposed targeted while having no idea of the mas- for prosecution by the Interna- sanctions against members of sive rigging during the counting. tional Criminal Court in Hague Yanukovych’s team who are re- If Western states actually want and actual assistance the West sponsible and were engaged in to help Ukraine have fair and can provide to Ukraine today. crimes against humanity. If the transparent elections, they must West wants to help ensure fair send numerous groups of quali- UW: Apart from statements of fied observers to stay here concern, how else could the Law enforcers and the riot throughout election campaigns. international community That would allow them to actu- actually help Ukraine preserve police should realize that ally contribute to preventing fal- the remaining peace in Ukraine they have committed sifications. and facilitate democracy? Law enforcers and Berkut riot The international community crimes against humanity police must realize that crimes could help by abandoning their which have no statute of against humanity have no statute declarations and declarative of limitations. Sooner or later, statements that put protesters limitations. they will have to answer for what and the government on an equal They will be held liable they have done. Ukraine has laws scale. The West should have that entail punishment for tor- taken into account the fact that sooner or later tures and intentional infliction of the Party of Regions led by Vik- serious injuries, murder and the tor Yanukovych was not a politi- elections in Ukraine, the Venice like. The government needs polit- cal party but an organized crimi- Commission must demand ical will to launch the mechanism nal group that did not speak the A regime that Ukrainian legislature to upgrade of justice and to hold the guilty li- language of law or justice but ex- usurped power in the Law on Presidential Elec- able. However, we have seen an Ukraine and consis- ercised the right to force and ar- tently violated tions to European standards. In opposite situation. Berkut troops bitrariness. That government fo- the Constitution and its current version, the law has that took part in the violent dis- laws has no moral cused on force and fraud. Ap- right to demand that loopholes to rig election results. persal of the peaceful rally on No- pealing to both sides of the its citizens abide by Whenever elections take vember 30 was awarded, not pun- conflict to stay away from the use law place in Ukraine, Western ob- ished. Not a single Berkut officer 26|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Opinion|Society or interior troop was held liable; they did not face criminal The Statement of the Public Commission to charges. However, it will all come. They have not faced InvestigateH uman Rights Violations in Ukraine charges under the Ukrainian Criminal Code, nor the norms en- to February 18 bloodshed tailed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The events of bloody Tuesday, February 18, the traffic police on the outskirts of Kyiv and This Statute entails imprison- 2014, confirmed that the Viktor Yanukovych- near the Maidan, limiting the broadcast of TV ment for up to 30 years for crimes controlled, anti-constitutional and authoritarian Channel 5, the creating an information block- against humanity and lifelong regime resorted to large-scale war against the ade on officially controlled news and media terms for grave crimes against Ukrainian people (the statement was issued on feeds, all these measures are practically humanity. February 18. After that, Viktor Yanukovych was equivalent to introducing illegally a state of impeached so his title as president mentioned emergency in the capital. UW: Who stood behind the below is no longer valid – Ed.). This war is ac- The Commission draws the attention of massive bloodshed and the companied by a new wave of gross violations of the , Viktor Yanukovych, blocked capital of Ukraine on fundamental human rights and basic individual heads of security agencies and all of their em- February 18-19? freedoms. Using specially trained provocateurs, ployees, that under the Constitution of The regime led by Viktor Ya- who have been infiltrated well in advance into Ukraine, citizens have the right to peaceful nukovych is directly responsible the surroundings of the nonviolent protest protest, and one of the main tasks of the po- for the unprecedented violation movement, the government has now used un- lice is to ensure public order and protect the of human rights. He was manip- lawful brutal force against the participants of a life and health people. Employees of the Min- ulated by the chekist Kremlin ad- peaceful march to Parliament and initiated a istry of Internal Affairs and Security Service ministration. The illegitimacy of barbarous "cleansing" of the Maidan. should be carrying out only protective law the force operation of the au- By cruel and disproportionate use of force functions - not punitive functions. thorities against the Maidan was to suppress legitimate protest, the anti-Ukrai- The Commission calls upon all members of a tool of intimidation for the en- nian authorities are trying to intimidate law enforcement agencies that under no cir- tire Ukrainian society. Ukrainian society in its entirety. Citizens of cumstances should they participate in the cruel If we speak about closing Ukraine have become hostages and victims of and excessive use of force or take special ac- down of three metro lines in Kyiv the criminal acts of government that has tions against peaceful protestors, and reminds photo: ph l photo: and huge traffic jams resulting proved to be incapable of finding a civilized them that under Article 60 of the Constitution from the actions of the Kyiv City solution to a political crisis provoked by its of Ukraine, no one is obliged to accept and ex- Administration Head or the ad- own actions. The Government's responses to ecute manifestly criminal orders and instruc- ministration of the Kyiv metro, the just demands of society have come in the tions. Issuance or execution of clearly criminal the effective Criminal Code has form of cynical provocations and crimes orders entails criminal liability. provisions on abuse of office. against humanity that have been committed The Commission also notes that crimes This was done arbitrarily, in ex- by President Yanukovych's security forces and against humanity have no statute of limitations, cess of powers and intentionally the criminal elements under their control. and those who committed them, regardless of to not just cause discomfort for The primary responsibility for any further their status, shall be liable in accordance with passengers, but to prevent peo- escalation of human rights violations, includ- national and international law and procedures ple from going to the Maidan, to ing murder, grievous bodily harm, torture, of the International Criminal Court. prevent freedom at a critical mo- persecution on political grounds and other The Commission calls on President Viktor ment. Therefore, the administra- crimes against humanity, falls directly on the Yanukovych to immediately stop the unlawful tion of the Kyiv City Administra- President of Ukraine, his political entourage use of force against peaceful participants in tion and Kyiv metro should qual- and the heads of his security agencies. How- protests in Kiev and throughout Ukraine. ify as people involved in the ever, direct liability also falls on any member The Commission calls on the international crimes against Maidan activists of the law enforcement agencies involved in community and, in particular, on the heads of and Ukrainian society. committing such crimes. The Commission the European institutions, the governments of considers that the accomplices of these Western democracies, to adopt individual sanc- UW: The US made a clear point crimes against humanity, not only include the tions against V. Yanukovych and his team mem- that the entire responsibility for personnel of Berkut and the internal security bers for their gross violations of human rights what happened during the most forces, but also the heads of the Armed Forces in Ukraine caused by their criminal behavior. violent clashes is personally on and the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine, Also, the Commission calls on Ukrainian Viktor Yanukovych. A statement as they deliberately provided to the govern- citizens to unite Ukraine and undertake orga- was made that he should be ment perpetrators at their assembly points, nized peaceful resistance to the regime's at- held accountable at the military vehicles and equipment to be used tempts to destroy democracy in Ukraine and international court. What would against peaceful protestors. The Commission turn it into a satrapy. Only the joint efforts of take him there? also is of the opinion that the accomplices of Ukrainian society can remove from power the Ukraine has not ratified the the criminal assault of Independence Square criminals and to restore constitutional order Rome Statute, so its jurisdiction [Maidan] are the leaders of the KMDA (Kyiv in Ukraine, respect for human dignity and cre- does not cover crimes against hu- City State Administration – Ed.) and the City ating appropriate conditions for everyone to manity committed on Ukrainian Metro system, which arbitrarily stopped the live in security and prosperity. territory. In practice, people who movement of metro trains and thus deprived committed international crimes the residents of Kyiv of the opportunity to Kyiv February 18, 2014 on the territory of Ukraine, such help the defenders of freedom at a critical Volodymyr Vasylenko, Commission as Yanukovych, can only be re- moment. However, the blocking of roads by Chairman moved from power. № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|27 Economics|Oligarchs The Political Side of Ukraine’s Oligarchy

n numerous publications and discussions, authors infighting in the form of new laws, strategic economic confuse having wealth and being an oligarch. In- decisions and personnel reshuffles. deed, there are no poor oligarchs, but not every su- Party of Regions propagandists need not point to the Iperrich person falls into this category. What makes West suggesting that oligarchs and lobbyists exist a person an oligarch is not huge capital as such but there as well. They do, but the West also has an un- something else. corrupted independent judiciary, the truly free press, The Greek word oligarch describes the rule of a hand- powerful human rights NGOs and other reliable ful of rich people. In Ancient Greece, people forced mechanisms protecting citizens and democracy, while oligarchs to serve the interests of a polis and its com- all these things are missing in Ukraine. Even more lu- munity by burdening them with so-called liturgies, or dicrous are the attempts of Party of Regions lawyers, duties, such as building military ships, financing mu- such as Vadym Kolesnichenko and Volodymyr Oli- nicipal services and paying for theatre tickets so that ynyk, to compare the punitive and repressive mea- ordinary Athenians could watch, regardless of their sures adopted on 16 January 2014 with their Western income, a new tragedy by Sophocles or Euripides. An- “counterparts”. cient Greek society controlled oligarchs, while in Owning over 60 per cent of the national wealth, with Ukraine oligarchs control society. Quite a reversal af- some estimates as high as 90 per cent, oligarchs in ter 2,500 years. Ukraine rule not only the economy but also politics. Oligarchy with its modern, largely negative connota- Having huge financial resources and strong connec- tions means shadow power enjoyed by superrich peo- tions to administrators at all levels, they can manipu- ple within a country. It is mainly achieved through late parliamentary and local elections and the activi- corruption, bribery or financial enslavement of the ties of political parties. In Ukraine, it is extremely top officials when the Cabinet of Ministers becomes a hard to be a politician and resist becoming dependent committee for managing oligarch’s affairs, essentially on oligarchic capital, because there are few things in turning the state itself into a mechanism serving the this country it does not control. Author: business interests of several families. Without such It is no secret that political forces, including some in Ihor Losev covert power, riches in themselves do not lead to oli- the opposition, are financed by oligarchs, so it is vain garchy. Superrich people live in many civilized and to hope that “a Washington with a new and righteous democratic countries, but they do not have covert le- law”, as Taras Shevchenko put it, will emerge from verage with the state au- this environment. As thoritiesthere. As Ukraine becomes Ukraine becomes in- Modern Western democ- creasingly democratized, racy demands that any increasingly democratized, it will probably have to influence be transparent it will have to revert to revert to state financing and public. For example, of parliamentary parties. representatives of the state financing Oligarchs also control the Rockefellers, Kennedies of parliamentary Verkhovna and other families were able to have access to parties power only through dem- ocratic channels and governed the country, a Rada. Many political state or a city not anonymously behind the scenes scientists routinely but openly via the mandate granted to them by allege in their writ- voters, while being constantly under fire from the ings that Rinat ubiquitous free press. Add to this the powerful code of Akhmentov has 50 laws tested by the two centuries of American state- loyal MPs in Ukrai- hood, the system of checks and balances, the legal nian parliament. A and political balance which is constantly being honed question then arises: and so on. Do other oligarchs, such as Naturally, this does not eliminate powerful lobbying Dmytro Firtash, Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Vik- groups in the USA, but they operate within boundar- tor Pinchuk, Yuriy Ivaniushchenko and Olek- ies set by legislation on lobbyism and act transpar- sandr Yanukovych, have their own faithful MPs, and ently and publicly. In contrast, oligarchic clans in if so, how many? Ukraine put pressure on ex-President Leonid Kuchma There are reasons to believe that what we are dealing behind the scenes. (Kuchma belonged to one of these with here is not even lobbyism but the ancient Roman clans and was quite comfortable arbitrating interclan clientele system when a client, who was dependent on disputes.) Ukrainian society learned about — and of- his patron, joined him in people’s assemblies but ten experienced first-hand —the results of oligarchs’ voted strictly as ordered by the patron. Could this be 28|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Oligarchs|Economics the reason why many political scientists publicly said budget and total corruption in the government. This is they hoped those 50 MPs would receive orders from one of the reasons why the Ukrainian oligarchs are wary their patron and vote to help solve the social and po- of deep pro-European reforms and the country’s Euro- litical crisis in parliament? pean integration. The wild Russian-style monopolistic The clan-oligarchic system forces the entire country capitalism is something that understand better than the to develop and transform in the interests of a handful European and North American norms of business life. of “rulers of life” rather than the absolute majority of The Russian capital scares them not ontologically but at people. These selected few control the state budget, the situationallevel as a much too powerful a competitor the government, the most important government de- in a game without rules. If it were not for this factor, cisions and even the presidents, from Leonid Krav- they would happily plunge themselves into the familiar chuk to Viktor Yanukovych. environment of lawlessness, bribes, kickbacks and hos- However, experience shows that oligarchs are no sup- tile takeovers in the interests of the select few and fa- porters of social and economic progress. They have vourable monopolism for the chosen ones. vested interests in preserving archaic forms of eco- The oligarchs have small chances of becoming nomic activity and political life, particularly through “friends for whom nothing is too much to give” and their support of Soviet traditions and parliamentary high chances of finding themselves among the ene- votes in favour of ideological laws inspired by commu- mies against which “the law” will be applied. This is nism and the Soviet empire, such as the one on “the what urges them to show an overall friendly reaction protection of historical memory” in its Soviet redac- to European integration projects. However, in the 21st tion. They also form alliances with the communists, century a large European state cannot be held hostage stall modern economic and social reforms and prevent to the narrow interests, psychological complexes and healthy competition in every way by establishing mo- phobias of a few oligarchic families. As long as the nopolistic rules of the game, which they are able to do clan-oligarchic system is in place, it will impossible thanks to their exclusive access to the top government for Ukraine to make any progress. officials. The type of capitalism Ukraine experiences thanks to the oligarchs has been dubbed “capitalism with a Bolshevik scowl” by some wisecrackers. Businesses owned by the oligarchs are not prime ex- amples of technological progress, either. Most of them are low-level metallurgic and chemical process- ing plants, mines, agricultural exporters, etc. Ukrainian oligarchs are typical comprador bourgeoi- sie, to use a Marxist term. With its purely export ori- entation, it undermines the development of Ukraine’s domestic market, which is critical not only for eco- nomic reasons but also for the unity of the nation and the state. Using their pull within the government, the oligarchs are pursuing the policy of blocking and iso- lating medium and small businesses viewed as competitors that break their oligarchic monopoly. There are very good reasons to suspect that the Ukrainian oligarchs are not effi- cient owners. They can only be efficient in the absence of fair competition, while exploit- ing their exclusive access to the

№ 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|29 Economics|Oligarchs Tycoon Wars: Elusive Hope Economic changes should be deep. Otherwise there will be no change

Author: any felt outraged when the first signal came from the Dni- Another key message in this Yuriy MPs from oligarchs’ propetrovsk-based oligarch Ihor sense is the interview by Hen- Radchenko groups did not show Kolomoyskyi who publicly warned nadiy Korban, a one-time, Mup at the first session Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes posted on the Economichna of the new Parliament. The next to stop fueling separatism. Pravda (Economic Truth) web- day, however, most deputies ser- vicing the oligarch system were voting unanimously according to recommendations of their bosses on the phone. Apparently, they are feeling optimistic. That runs counter to what could make the Maidan feel that way. Undoubtedly, this opti- mism is based on solid ground. Firstly, the experts around the Maidan have barely raised the issue of deep reform of Ukraine’s feeble economy – and if they did, it was purely prog- nostic. Currently, two interesting concepts prevail there. One is that oligarchs are the force that will help lift the economy ruined by the Family out of the abyss. The other one is that nothing too bad will happen if Ukraine an- nounces a default. Secondly, the swift and virtu- ally monopolistic takeover of the current government (and the fu- ture one too given Yulia Tymosh- enko’s speech from the Maidan stage) by Batkivshchyna is very similar to 2009 when the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) and the Party of Regions (PR) tried to set up a broad coalition to turn Ukraine into a two-party coun- try. Back then, the idea of ensur- ing long-term economic and po- litical stability was another cru- cial argument in favour of the new coalition. As to oligarchs, they always switched to a new government only after they were sure that the old one was facing a defeat. They did so when Viktor Yushchenko replaced Leonid Kuchma, and when Yushchenko lost the election to Viktor Yanukovych. This time, 30|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 Oligarchs|Economics site on February 6. The inter- On February 24, Rinat the one-time raider, Hennadiy view promotes the idea of “old Akhmetov finally spoke his word Korban, can now take over the capitals” and mentions specific against separatism. Apparently, crisis. names, including those of oli- the Family was ultimately be- However, two purely eco- garchs , Ihor trayed. This impression grew nomic problems are in their way Kolomoiskyi, Hennadiy Boholi- stronger when, on March 2, Ihor in addition to the political one ubov and Viktor Pinchuk, are Kolomoiskyi was appointed the (the birth of the new Ukrainian good and perfectly legitimate, Governor of Dnipropetrovsk social community). One is tacti- and the revolutions should “en- Oblast, while another oligarch, cal. The previous government gage them and ask them for help Serhiy Taruta, headed the A question to left a financial hole so deep that in running the country.” The Donetsk Oblast Administration, Kostiantyn Matvienko, plugging it could prove too bur- member of the Public capitals of “young oligarchs” ac- without any discussions with Expert Council and densome even for all Ukrainian cumulated over the years of the the Maidan and in violation of expert at the oligarchs united if they were Gardarika strategic Family’s reign are bad because all principles of separating busi- consultancy: “Have willing to do that. they came from unfair tenders ness from power declared ear- you raised the issue of Another one is strategic. If dismantling the and embezzlement of public lier. Taruta told the press imme- oligarch system Ukraine’s economy goes under funds. Ihor Kolomoiskyi was the diately that he would “rely on among the Maidan total control of the same old peo- one to provide his plane to Kor- Akhmetov’s shoulder”. Appar- experts?” ple, more political liberalization “As far as I know, this ban to flee to from politi- ently, the Great-Absolutely-Le- issue has not been through economic liberalization cal persecution. gitimate-Capital promoted by raised. So far, we are will be its only difference from talking about liberalization of SMEs the old system. and a framework of Let us look at these problems antimonopoly laws. in detail. As to the disintegration of oligarch businesses, CONFUSING CHAOS this is not being discussed. However, The courage of people is not the this does not mean only thing that ensures victory of that it should not be done. We should wait the current social revolution. An- till the time is right,” other crucial factor is the fact is the answer. “Now, that the system of power, cum- it is important to improve the state’s bersome and expensive, is far institutional capacity less effective than the machine of and do so with the help of oligarchs. the revolution in economic Once we are in a terms, even if it operates almost normal legal process, perfectly from tactical and stra- this business will surely be fragmented tegic standpoints. When it makes into smaller pieces to serious mistakes, its efficiency prevent the economy from being plummets to zero. We have seen monopolized by this in gradual escalations of ten- oligarchs in the future. We will surely do an sion around Maidan. inventory of all The regime would need at national economy. least USD 15-20bn every year to But I can’t give you deadlines. I think the secure weak protection for itself interim government by compensating for the money will start this. But this is something that transferred offshore by oligarchs takes more than one and pacifying the part of the year.” population employed in the pub- lic-funded sector, as well as maintaining law enforcers and the prosecutor apparatus. With the protest energy, USD 10-20bn is enough since youth extremism and actual protest sentiments constitute a free resource avail- able, for instance, in the post- revolution Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Yugoslavia and Middle East. So, the West has learned to work ex- tremely effectively with the pyra- mid-like ideology as a leading post-industrial instrument. Once the government is re- placed, the long anticipated tech- nical government comes into play. What does it face? Where will it get the funds to cover the

фото: ph l фото: gap between proceeds and expen- № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|31 Economics|Oligarchs ditures if the current economic Europe still needs Russian gas. Ukraine plummets into default system remains unchanged? Re- The idea that the offer of a choice and applies austerity measures. cent hysterical talks of the up- between western or eastern part- A structural reform to revive coming default and unpopular yet nership that excluded coopera- production is hardly possible vital measures are a perfect illus- tion with the opposite party was without partial economic au- tration to the scale of systemic too much for Ukraine was al- tarky whereby the product crisis in Ukraine. ready discussed by Berlin and manufactured domestically en- The cap budget deficit of Moscow at the Russia-EU Sum- joys preferences over imported 2014 was set at UAH 71.5bn. Ac- mit in Brussels on January 28. goods to provide employment as cording to Viktor Pynzenyk, ex- Now, many publications write high as possible. Meanwhile, Minsiter of Finance and ex-Vice that Ukraine is an independent anything not produced domesti- Premier in several Cabinets, the player only politically, and all big cally should have open access to real number is UAH 200bn, European players, unlike the US the country’s market under quo- while financial analyst and in- tas and customs rules entailed vestment manager Eric Naiman by international trade agree- spoke of UAH 100bn. The recent hysterical ments. Opponents to this The new Ministry of Finance buzz of a looming default method insist on expanding the estimated the amount of macro- service industry. However, the financial assistance in 2014-2015 and unpopular yet vital 2000 crisis (when the dotcom at USD 35bn, i.e. UAH 280bn by austerity measures bubble exploded) proves that the old “stable” exchange rate of services can be expanded to a UAH 8/USD 1. Those who antici- are a perfect illustration limit. This will of course run pate a default speak of up to USD of how bad the crisis counter to the WTO arrange- 60bn which Ukraine needs in ments but the state has diplo- 2014 and 2015. This includes the in Ukraine is macy to secure its economic in- balance of payments deficit, re- terests. payments of public debt plus or new EU member-states were Since the pre-Maidan MPs payments under loans taken ear- fairly restrained during the failed to solve the WTO trouble lier, uncollected taxes, transport Maidan conflict. After all, one when it came to tariffs on the and utility charges, pension fund thing to remember is that Rus- critical 371 trade items, it is deficit, expenditures on the start sia’s proposals from December doubtful that external forces will of the farming season, outstand- 2013 were more about pro- let Ukraine revive its indepen- ing payments on wages, repay- grammes of technical and trade dent economy. And even if they ments of direct government- cooperation for a much bigger do, Ukrainians will end up on backed debt and corporate debt, sum than the USD 15bn loan another Maidan. That one will be and more. without any specific obligations a revolution of work. It will teach This chaos that leaves even on Russia’s part that would se- people to revive and preserve the top economists confused is cure strategic contracts for their own production (including further aggravated by horrendous Ukrainian enterprises. Ukraine that in the public sector), not unemployment. The official sta- always survived by balancing be- just embezzle something built by tistics only covers people regis- tween much bigger political play- others. It is hard to predict how tered at the public unemployment ers. Its economy in the current the nation will go through that service, showing a meager 1.5%. state would hardly let it quit without courage, adrenalin or This does not include shell Indi- these political privileges now, free breakfasts, just long and vidual Entrepreneurs, employees I remember Yulia unless some global geostrategic painstaking work. reporting minimum wages while Tymoshenko having a shifts take place in the near fu- 3. Oligarchs and their “cre- list of 300 Ukrainian getting the rest in envelopes (this enterprises as top ture. ative class” know better than any- is a widespread tax-minimization priorities for re- 2. It is now clear that Ukrai- one else that money lose value privatization. practice), temporary employment Eventually, only one nian economy should undergo with time when not circulating or holders of three to four jobs, underwent the structural reforms if it aims at and bringing profits that exceed each paying peanuts. Maidans all procedure. It was survival rather than dissolution inflation. However, that money KryvorizhStal. So, over Ukraine show that official where is that list now? into a more powerful neighbour. should not vanish. They can re- unemployment statistics is non- The problem is that its funda- turn to the country as foreign in- sense. mental production level is either vestment or reinvestment. They ruined or privatized. For many can convert into jewelry, luxury WHAT’S NEXT years, the budget has been filled goods and real estate. They can It is obviously pre-term to speak with one-time proceeds from a also convert into securities, fixed of any further methods now. sold enterprise and loans when and non-fixed assets. But they Moreover, the threat of a war ru- the government ran out of those stay in Ukraine, especially when ins any projections. Still, there proceeds. As long as this funda- it comes to basic infrastructure are a few points to note. mental level of local production industries and systems. 1. It may well happen that agglomerations and core city, In this sense, the magic the endless gaps in Ukraine’s county or region enterprises is words “re-privatization, nation- budget will have to be plugged revived to meet modern stan- alization and restitution” come not by Europe and US or Russia dards, not those of the 1990s, no very helpful regardless of what alone, but by all of them jointly, foreign loans will help Ukraine new posts Ukrainian business- after the current turmoil abates. as they will be eaten out even if men have taken. 32|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 events|Culture & Arts 2 March, 7 p.m. 7 March, 8 p.m. 9 March, 7 p.m. Rodin. A ballet by Boris Andru Donalds Jose Luis Merlin Eifman CARIBBEAN club Kirov Palace of Culture National Opera House (4, vul. Petlyury, Kyiv) (1A, pr. Metalurhiv, (50, vul. Volodymyrska, Kyiv) Zaporizhzhya) The unique voice of Enigma, the re- Boris Eifman’s new ballet is dedi- nowned Jamaican-born musician will His grandparents emigrated to Ar- cated to the tragic story of the life and once more visit the capital of Ukraine to gentina back in 1912, and he is the first art of the great sculptor Auguste Rodin gladden the hearts of his fans with an of the family to visit his historic moth- and his student, lover and muse, Ca- erland, Ukraine, a century later. The mille Claudel. For more than 15 years, world-renowned composer and leg- the artists complemented each other endary guitar virtuoso, Jose Luis Merlin in everyday and creative life. For this will perform a concert of classical and reason, their breakup was a heavy traditional chamber Latin-American blow to Camille’s mental health and music in Zaporizhzhya. The maestro spiritual balance. Obsessed by the idea performs his best compositions, which that there was a conspiracy against her are part of the mandatory programme and convinced that the person behind at most conservatoires of Europe, it was Rodin, she went out of her mind. America and Asia. Over the course of Eifman’s ballet does not simply depict his music career, Jose Luis Merlin has the tragedy of the story, but also the participated in more than 30 tours fine points of spiritual experiences. unbelievable concert. A vocalist with the throughout the world. creative Enigma ensemble, the singer also has a solo career, since Enigma is a studio project. He can fully express him- self on stage in his own shows. The mu- sician showed that he was a talented solo artist back in 1995, when he re- leased his single Mishale in the USA. To- day, Andru Donalds has dozens of songs, for which the public loves him.

11– 15 March, 5 p.m. 12 March, 7 p.m. 15 March, 6 p.m. The Antique Art Collection DakhaBrakha Unity of the Khanenko Museum. Sentrum Kyiv National Academic Theatre Selected Pieces (16a, vul. Shota Rustaveli, Kyiv) of Operetta The Bohdan and Varvara (53/3, vul. Velyka Vasylkivska, Khanenko Museum of Art Elements of soul, drum and bass Kyiv) (15-17 vul. Tereshchenkivska, Kyiv) style, the combination of Ukrainian singing with Eastern rhythms and the Kyiv will soon see the start of the The Antique Art Collection of the Hutsul interpretation of hip-hop – are 12th annual Unity (Yednist) International Khanenko Museum. Selected Pieces is an some of the many more musical ele- Jazz Festival, which was first held in exhibition of almost 60 works of art from ments that characterise the unusual 2002. During this time, musicians from Ancient Greece, Etruria and Rome from performance style of DakhaBrakha, a Ukraine, Russia, the USA, Norway, Ger- its museum collection. They include ter- Ukrainian ethno-quartet.The band has many, Israel and other countries of the racotta figurines, as well as painted vases recorded five albums over the course world have performed on the festival’s and goblets that are 1,700 to 3,000 stage. The well-known Polish band, years old. Most of the exhibits are from Paweł Kaczmarczyk Audiofeeling Trio, the collection of Bohdan and Varvara will be special guests at this year’s Khanenko, Ukra­inian philanthropists and event. The jazz band is the personal proj- art collectors of the 20th century. The rest ect of pianist and composer Paweł Kacz- were given to the museum from archae- marczyk, who together with his col- ological digs and by various entities. The leagues will present compositions from exhibition is dedicated to Fanny Stitel- their multi award-winning album, Com- man, archae- plexity in Simplicity. ologist, art critic and prin- cipal re- of ten years. The musicians worked on searcher of the their last album, Khmeleva Project, collection of with PortMone, a well-known Belarus- antique art at sian band. The group’s fans will hear the Khanenko compositions from the last and other Museum. albums at the Kyiv concert. № 4 (70) march 2014|the ukrainian week|33 history|One Hundred Years Before the Maidan

The February Revolution of 1917 in Kyiv: city residents in , in the square near the city duma (now Independence Square) at the time when the abdication of Nicholas II was announced

The Streets and Squares of Revolutions in 1917

Аuthor: Yaroslav Tynchenko ing the emperor’s mother, em- A number of revolutions and uprisings took press Maria Feodorovna, resided place in Kyiv in the course of its long history – from yiv residents learned about in Kyiv. The empress took care of the expulsion of princes who had gone against the the February Revolution a military hospital located in the will of Kyiv residents to the Maidan in our days. At all the next day after the tsar- Mariinsky Palace. After her son’s times, chroniclers and journalists have tried to Kist government was over- abdication, she went to Mohyliv gather as much information about urban life as pos- thrown. The first person to send a to see her son for the last time, sible at such pivotal times. However, perhaps the telegram about Nicholas II’s ab- then to the Crimea and from biggest historical gift was made by nameless pho- dication was Alexander Bublikov, there to Denmark, her native tographers in Kyiv who in spring 1917, nearly 100 a member of the State Duma. land. The last governor general years ago, chronicled the revolutionary events that At the time, several members and, somewhat later, the com- ushered the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-21. of the Romanov family, includ- mander of the Kyiv Military Dis-

The first Ukrainian manifestation in Sofia Parade of revolutionary troops in Square in Kyiv, March 1917 Khreshchatyk, spring 1917

34|the ukrainian week|№ 4 (70) march 2014 One Hundred Years Before the Maidan|history

One of the first revolutionary rallies, Rally in Volodymyrska Street Bibikov Boulevard (now Taras near the Golden Gate, Shevchenko Boulevard), March 1917 March 1917

trict surrendered their powers representing various parties and ing of the Central Rada and led peacefully. New leaders, with a organizations, including illegal to the proclamation of its First revolutionary past, were ap- ones. Initially, this body func- and Second Universals. pointed in their place from tioned in the building of the city Unfortunately, there were ca- Petrograd. duma in Khreshchatyk and later sualties, initially only among “Revolutionary masses” re- moved to the Mariinsky Palace. Ukrainians. First, several mili- sorted to violence only against The replacement of the old tary men who spoke in favour of policemen. A militia was formed government with a new, revolu- having a national military unit to replace the police and was tionary one in March was abso- were killed. Then, as the Bohdan headed by a revolutionary offi- lutely peaceful in Ukraine. In ad- Khmelnytsky First Ukrainian cer. Amidst the upheavals, a dition to a council of workers’ Cossack Regiment was leaving monument to Pyotr Stolypin, and soldiers’ deputies modelled for the frontline, 16 of its men former prime minister of Russia on the one in Petrograd, the Cen- were killed by Russian soldiers. shot dead by a revolutionary in tral Rada emerged in Kyiv as an However, the revolution the Kyiv Opera House in 1911, all-Ukrainian representative never abated. As of November was damaged. body. For a long time, it acted 1917, when the Bolshevik party Official information started cautiously and theoretically, staged a coup and seized power coming from Petrograd about mainly calling organizing con- in the capital of Russia, the Cen- the formation of the Council of gresses and rallies. In the spring tral Rada had power not only in Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies and summer of 1917, Kyiv hosted Kyiv but across Ukraine. The and the Provisional Government. several all-Ukrainian congresses Ukrainian revolution was just Kyiv organized its own council which greatly boosted the stand- beginning.

Parade of revolutionary troops in A soldier and a student – the first militia Khreshchatyk, spring 1917 in Kyiv that replaced the police with the Kyiv Opera Theatre in the background, March 1917

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