www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: l World Press Freedom Day is observed – page 3 l A look at a “scandalous” exhibit in Kyiv – page 7 l Chrystia Freeland’s book on plutocrats – page 9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXI No. 20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2013 $1/$2 in Ukraine Nationalists defy authorities Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister in dismantling Soviet past makes the rounds in Washington by Zenon Zawada destroying Soviet monuments – and Special to The Ukrainian Weekly offered the legal means to do so, while the Opposition activist Doniy also visits U.S. capital administration of President Viktor KYIV – Ukrainians’ efforts to dismantle Yanukovych has made vandals out of the the Soviet past got a renewed impetus under same dismantlers and has prosecuted the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko. Now mere protesters. the torch is being carried by the nationalist A notable example was Hanna Sinkova, Svoboda Party, whose politicians are taking 21, who wanted to expose what she up the cause in defiance of authorities. described as the Yanukovych administra- In mid-February, National Deputy Ihor tion’s hypocrisy towards Red Army veter- Miroshnychenko, 37, assisted by a dozen ans by frying eggs on the eternal flame at colleagues, pulled up in a truck to the the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Glory Vladimir Lenin monument in the town of Park in Kyiv in December 2010. If the state Okhtyrka (population 50,000) in his native has enough funds to fuel the eternal flame, Sumy Oblast. Openly defying a team of she argued, then it should have enough to policemen, he climbed the monument, pay veterans better pensions and provide attached a steel towing cable, hopped back them with that same natural gas for their in the cab and began slowly driving until home stoves. the statue snapped in half. Instead of a being slapped with a stan- “In an independent Ukrainian state, there dard fine and three-day arrest for hooligan- can’t be monuments to those people who ism, she spent three months in detention denied its existence and participated in its before receiving a three-year suspended destruction,” he told The Ukrainian Weekly. prison sentence in October 2012 for dis- Yaro Bihun Soon afterwards, local police announced honoring a grave – though not a single sol- Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Leonid Kozhara (right) continues his discussion that those involved could face up to four dier is buried at the site. with Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), the co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki years’ jail time. Mr. Miroshnychenko enjoys With such prosecutions, the Party of Commission, at the conclusion of his testimony before the commission at the Senate. prosecutorial immunity as a national depu- Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine Standing next to him is Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Olexander Motsyk. ty, though that didn’t stop the local have milked incidents involving Soviet mon- bilateral relationship, Ukraine’s developing Communists from distributing a flier uments in hopes of reaping electoral divi- by Yaro Bihun relations with Europe and the West, and depicting Mr. Miroshnychenko in prison dends from their loyal base of pensioners Special to The Ukrainian Weekly other important international issues of garb behind bars beneath the words, and Soviet nostalgists, observers said. mutual interest. WASHINGTON – The foreign affairs min- “Prison for vandals!” “The Ukrainian authorities are people Several days earlier, a Ukrainian opposi- ister of Ukraine, Leonid Kozhara, met with In the last decade, Ukrainian society has raised in the Soviet Union with that very tion activist, Oles Doniy, came to vacillated between two extremes: the his American counterpart, Secretary of Yushchenko administration encouraged (Continued on page 4) State John Kerry, on May 10, to discuss their (Continued on page 4) Behind the scenes during the Bandurist Chorus’ concert tour DETROIT – Before the first note of any performance is played or sung, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus (UBC) has a rehearsal. Prior to the concert in Windsor, Ontario, at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, members of the UBC gathered in the gymnasium of St. Vladimir Church and members greet- ed one another w i t h a n On the road with embrace and the Ukrainian the Ukrainian formal greeting Bandurist Chorus of three kisses, as they arrived from cities across the United States and Canada. Instrumentalists began tuning their banduras and stretching their vocal chords in anticipation of the rehears- al to begin. Matthew Dubas The rehearsal came to order under Oleh Mahlay, artistic The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus is introduced to students of the Ukrainian School (Ridna Shkola) in Warren, director and conductor of the UBC, and with a group mas- Mich., by School Director Andriy Pereklita. sage performed by the members standing in arranged by Matthew Dubas 19-21, in Windsor, Ontario, Detroit and Cleveland. This rows, with instrumentalists up front and vocalists grouped report focuses on the “behind the scenes” aspects of the tour, by vocal range. The massage included shoulder rubs, chop- This is the second installment of a three-part series on the including a performance at a local Ukrainian school, and ping, shoulder rolls and facial massage. This was followed Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus’ concert tour “The Sounds of highlights of an ethnomusicologist researching the bandura Spring: Songs of Easter, Shevchenko and Nature,” held April and the UBC. (Continued on page 15) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2013 No. 20 INTERVIEW: EU enlargement chief finds many ways to say ‘more work needed’ Kirill: Rus’ celebration to begin in Moscow who is at the end of his term. Mr. Sadchikov by Daisy Sindelar saying that we stand ready to assist you was the first ambassador of the Russian whenever there is a good time in helping LVIV – The head of the Russian Orthodox RFE/RL Federation to the Vatican after full diplo- the parties to make those final steps in Church, Patriarch Kirill, stated that the matic relations were established in 2009. PRAGUE – European Union enlargement building up on this European agenda.” international events for the 1,025th anni- (Religious Information Service of Ukraine) chief Stefan Fule has lashed out at a defiant Mr. Fule adopted a decidedly softer tone versary of the Baptism of Rus’ would begin Belarus and bemoaned a political crisis that on Azerbaijan, which has escaped EU sanc- in Moscow. He said, “the events will begin in CPU: GTS should remain state-owned Moscow on July 24, on the day of Holy threatens to upend the EU aspirations of tions despite mounting international con- KYIV – The Communist Party of Ukraine Righteous Princess Olha, the grandmother Moldova, a one-time star pupil in Western demnation of that energy-rich country’s will adopt and defend a principled position of Prince Volodymyr, who can be called the integration. heavy-handed tactics with journalists and during the vote on a bill on the possible first Christian ruler who prepared the Speaking at RFE/RL headquarters in protesters. lease of the Ukrainian gas transport system Baptism of Rus in many ways.” Speaking in Prague on May 9, Mr. Fule addressed a vari- On a more positive note, Mr. Fule sug- (GTS) to third parties. A member of the an interview with TV channels Russia-1 and ety of issues related to the enlargement gested both Armenia and Georgia could CPU faction in the Verkhovna Rada, Russia-24 broadcast on May 5, the patriarch aspirations of the six Eastern Partnership expect to take steps forward in their EU Oleksander Holub, said in an interview said the celebratory service will be conduct- countries and the nations of the western integration bids this fall, when the bloc with the GolosUA online newspaper that ed in the Church of Christ the Savior and Balkans. hosts an Eastern Partnership summit in the GTS should remain state property. “If that the heads of local Orthodox Churches But he reserved his strongest rhetoric Vilnius. the question about the need for the lease is are invited. A popular festival on the occa- for the two countries that have traditionally Mr. Fule said Georgia’s shift in political raised really acutely, the Communist Party been at opposite ends of the enlargement leadership had not set back the country’s sion is also planned for that day. The events will do everything possible at the legisla- spectrum. Western-integration aims, although he will then move to Kyiv, where a celebratory tive level to ensure that such a lease brings Mr. Fule said Belarus, which remains called on Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili service is to be held on St. Volodymyr’s Hill. major dividends only to the state. We will under EU sanctions following a flawed and outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili “We hope that the heads of the Churches prevent the enrichment of oligarchs,” the presidential vote in 2010 and a massive to do more to set their political differences will be present. The Ukrainian leadership politician said, according to May 14 news crackdown on opponents, has seen civil aside and cooperate on policy goals. came forward with an initiative to invite to reports. As previously reported, the ques- liberties strangled by autocratic leader The enlargement chief offered muted this event, the prayer service on St. tion of the status and functioning of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. encouragement to Ukraine, whose own Volodymyr’s Hill, the heads of the Orthodox Ukraine’s GTS has been put on the agenda “In Belarus, it is not only political prison- integration aims have faltered over the jail- Churches and heads of states where most of of the Verkhovna Rada.