INSIDE: l Russian military activity increases in Ukraine – page 3 l Ukraine’s envoy comments on Trump’s message – page 6 l Soyuzivka campers learn about Ukrainian heritage – centerfold THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIV No. 33 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2016 $2.00 Rehabilitation center funded by donations Summer Olympics 2016: from Ukrainian diaspora opens in Lviv Ukraine picks up three medals to start by Mark Raczkiewycz ment, treadmill, two vehicle-driving simu- lators, a kitchenette and other facilities. LVIV – After more than a year of careful Up to 25 patients can now undergo ther- planning, countless site visits and fund- apy that lasts as long as six weeks upon raising in the United States, a modern reha- receiving a prosthetic from the facility run bilitation center to help Ukraine’s wounded by the Social Policy Ministry, a testament to soldiers opened in western Ukraine’s larg- the public-nonprofit partnership. est city in August. Before, patients fitted with prosthetics The center showcased how far $40,000 were given only up to two weeks of therapy can go towards ensuring a more dignified and shown how to use their new append- life for people who’ve lost their limbs. The age upon which they would be released. amount was raised last year by the Now they could receive up to six weeks of Ukrainian National Foundation and the expanded therapy and become more self- New York-based Markian Paslawsky Fund. reliant, lead a more full-fledged life and Entrusted to the Kyiv-based International even get trained to drive a taxi or public Alliance for Fraternal Assistance (IAFA), the transportation vehicle. money was used to renovate some 3,000 About 70,000 people without limbs are square meters of space and install occupa- registered at the state-run prosthetics man- tional and physical therapy equipment in ufacturer, 53 of whom are combat war vet- five rooms that are situated at the Lviv State erans who are granted service priority, Enterprise for Mobility and Prosthetics. according to Marat Mukhametov, acting NOC-Ukr.org “I’m thrilled,” said Olena Paslawsky, a director of the state enterprise. Silver medalist in the men’s 10-meter air rifle Serhiy Kulish. sister of Markian Paslawsky in whose honor “We’ve no waiting list, people are given the rehabilitation center was named and custom-fit prosthetics according to sched- by Ihor N. Stelmach advanced to the quarterfinals against Petra who was killed on August 19, 2014, during ule, and we always manage to accommodate and Matthew Dubas Kvitova of the Czech Republic. fierce fighting in the city of Ilovaisk in those that planning doesn’t foresee,” Mr. The National Olympic Committee of Donetsk Oblast. “At the end of the day it Mukhametov told The Ukrainian Weekly. Serhiy Kulish won Ukraine’s first medal Ukraine lists 203 athletes competing in 22 wasn’t that much money and it was amazing The IAFA chose the Lviv center after evalu- at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio sports (out of 39 sports) in Rio. Ukraine’s what was accomplished… To be able to find ating 15 other such facilities in Ukraine. de Janeiro, securing the silver in the government is paying Ukrainian athletes a facility with relatively little funding, but Having worked with the Kyiv charity group 10-meter men’s air rifle finals on Monday, $125,000 for winning gold, $85,000 for sil- again [with the] commitment from the peo- prior to embarking on this project by sending August 8. He scored 204.6 points, second to ver and $55,000 for a bronze medal. ple here, it’s an amazing accomplishment.” Italy’s Niccolo Campriani (206.1 points), goods to the war front, Ms. Paslawsky said Milchev as Ukraine’s flag-bearer She added that people “are very pleased the “key was finding a trustworthy partner.” the silver medal winner in London (2012). that the money is going to good use” and And they did. Russia’s Vladimir Maslennikov won bronze Mykola Milchev received the honor of commented, “I think people want to be gen- Viktoriia Voronovych, director of the with 184.2 points. carrying Ukraine’s national flag during the erous. They just want to know that things IAFA, had conducted over 20 site visits to Gymnast Oleh Vernyayev won silver on opening ceremonies of the 31st Summer are happening with their funds. This is a the Lviv facility in the past year and found a August 10 in the men’s artistic all-around Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Olympic fabulous example.” local contractor who remodeled the rooms with a total of 92.266 points. He scored champion of Sydney 2000, holder of an The sister of the slain West Point gradu- at his expense. 15.033 in floor, 15.533 in pommel horse, Olympic record, three-time world record ate, who had joined the then-volunteer Having the “raw space” and a “dedicated 15.300 in rings, 15.500 in vault, 16.100 in holder and winner of nine awards in trap Donbas Battalion when Russia invaded staff” is what made all the difference for parallel bars, and 14.800 in horizontal bar. shooting is participating in his fourth eastern Ukraine in early 2014, was refer- His score was less than one-tenth of a point Olympic competition. ring to the modern weightlifting equip- (Continued on page 14) behind that of the gold medalist Kohei Ukraine’s Olympic athletes and officials Uchimura of Japan. selected Milchev for the honorary mission Fencer Olha Kharlan repeated as bronze at an organizational gathering in the medal winner in the women’s saber indi- Olympic Village in Rio on August 3. vidual event on August 8. It was Ukraine’s “This year marks the 30th anniversary of first bronze medal in Rio and its second me performing for the national team. These medal at the Games. The 25-year-old from are my fourth Olympics. I have always Mykolaiv won her bout against France’s dreamed to be the flag-bearer of our Olympic Manon Brunet with a score of 15-10. team. My dream came true,” Milchev com- Earlier in the competition, Kharlan best- mented on the Facebook page of the ed Mexico’s Ursula Gonzalez Garate (15-8) National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. in the round of 32, fellow Ukrainian Alina Belenyuk wrestles Komashchuk (15-8) in the round of 16, and with racism funding Italy’s Loreta Gulotta in the quarterfinal (15-14). In the semifinal, Kharlan was Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Belenyuk defeated by Russia’s Yana Egorian, the even- has successfully managed to shrug off taunt- tual gold medal champion. The silver medal ing insults over his Rwandese background was awarded to Russian Sofya Velikaya. since early childhood, standing tall as one And one of the biggest surprises was of Ukraine’s top Olympic medal hopefuls. Roman Woronowycz that Ukrainian women’s tennis star Elina Despite overcoming many years of men- Guests fill the reception hall at the Lviv State Enterprise for Mobility and Prosthetics Svitolina (ranked No. 20 in singles by the tal anguish, the 25-year-old world champi- on August 5 for the opening of a modern rehabilitation center funded by donations WTA) won 6-4, 6-3 against Serena Williams from the North American Ukrainian community, including the Ukrainian National Foundation and Markian Paslawsky Fund. of the U.S.A. in the round of 16, and (Continued on page 9) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2016 No. 33 ANALYSIS About NATO’s new force posture Ukrainian troops on alert Russian allegations preposterous fantasies and a pretext for Moscow to make more KYIV – Tensions between Russia and military threats against Ukraine. (RFE/RL, in the Baltic region: pluses, minuses Ukraine escalated one day after Moscow with reporting by AP and Reuters) claimed it thwarted an incursion into by Vladimir Socor immediate allied response to any aggres- Russia-held Crimea by Ukrainian sabo- Ex-lawmaker charged with separatism Eurasia Daily Monitor sion”: the allusion to a “tripwire” function teurs, with Kyiv putting troops near the seems fairly clear (Warsaw Summit peninsula on highest alert and Russia KYIV – A court in Kyiv has formally It was a summit of modest expectations Communiqué, Nato.int July 9, para. 40). announcing increased security measures charged a former member of Ukraine’s and modest results for the North Atlantic A “framework nation” is assigned to and new naval exercises in the Black Sea. Parliament with providing support to Treaty Organization (NATO) in Warsaw on each of the four multinational battalions: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says Russia-backed separatists in the east of the July 8-9. These results are of an interim the United Kingdom in Estonia, Canada in he wants to speak directly with Russian country. The Pechersk District Court in the nature: building blocks for further decisions Latvia, Germany in Lithuania and the United President Vladimir Putin and several Ukrainian capital on August 8 also ordered at upcoming ministerial meetings, not wait- States in Poland. These battalion battle- Western leaders amid the spike in tensions. Volodymyr Medyanyk to be held for two ing until the next summit. The Warsaw groups shall provide a “persistent presence” Mr. Poroshenko’s office said on August 11 months in pretrial detention. According to results do not, as yet, correlate with the through continuous rotations of their ele- he had asked the country’s Foreign Affairs the court, the case against Mr. Medyanyk is ments. The framework nations have growth in Russia’s capacity to threaten, Ministry to arrange telephone conversa- linked to the July 30 arrest of the former “offered” to play that role; and they shall intimidate or subvert the alliance generally tions with Mr.