INSIDE: l More on Ukraine’s presidential election – page 3 l Pullout: Ukrainian Debutante Balls – pages 11-14 l Gvozdyk defends light heavyweight title – page 17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019 $2.00 Zelensky, Poroshenko headed for second round of presidential election 100 % of ballots counted Runoff candidates Turnout: 62.8% agree to debate Votes: 18,893,879 Zelensky 30.24 % by Mark Raczkiewycz KYIV – Presidential election runoff oppo- Poroshenko 15.95 % nents Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky have provisionally agreed to a Tymoshenko 13.40 % debate after the political neophyte and comedian took nearly a third of the first Boiko 11.67 % round vote tally on March 31 among 39 candidates. Hrytsenko 6.91 % The official results of the presidential election’s first round haven’t been Smeshko 6.04 % announced, but all the votes were tabulated as of April 4, with Mr. Zelensky garnering Lyashko 5.48 % 30.24 percent of the 18.9 million ballots cast – more than the combined total of the Vilkul 4.15 % next two vote-getters. Mr. Poroshenko received 15.95 percent of the vote, and Ms. Source of data: Central Election Commission of Ukraine Koshulynsky 1.62 % Tymoshenko got 13.40. Infographics by Dekoder.org Behind them were: Yuriy Boiko with 11.67 percent of the vote, Anatoliy Mr. Zelensky received a plurality of votes runoff between the top two candidates on unknown in his adversary. Hrytsenko with 6.91 percent, Ihor Smeshko in all oblasts of Ukraine except Lviv and April 21. Mr. Poroshenko, 53, didn’t debate ex- with 6.04 percent, Oleh Lyashko with 5.48 Ternopil, which supported Mr. Poroshenko; As it appears, the electorate might get to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko when percent, Oleksandr Vilkul with 4.15 percent Ivano-Frankivsk, which went for Ms. watch a contest of words between an anti- they ran for the country’s highest office in and Ruslan Koshulynsky with 1.62 percent. Tymoshenko; and Luhansk and Donetsk, establishment candidate and a veteran pol- 2014. Fugitive ex-President Viktor The rest of the field received under 1 per- which were carried by Mr. Boiko. itician who has touted experience and cent of the vote. The presidential election now goes to a accomplishment over the fear of the (Continued on page 20) UCCA mission declares Ukraine’s Cindy McCain serves as election monitor with IRI presidential election free and fair KYIV – The widow of U.S. Sen. John and said a street in Kyiv would soon be McCain, Cindy McCain, was among the named after him. UCCA minor procedural errors included: international observers who were in - Sources: UNIAN, twitter.com/cindymc- Ukraine for the presidential election on cain, Presidential Administr ation of Ukraine KYIV – On March 31, the Ukrainian ments in a few municipalities; March 31. She represented the Congress Committee of America • the presence of campaign advertise- International Republican Institute (IRI). Election Observation Mission (EOM), played correctly; and “It’s Election Day in Ukraine. It is a great consisting of 78 officially registered • information for voters not being dis honor to have the chance to observe the observers, monitored Ukraine’s presi- second and third floors, making it diffi- Ukraine election with IRI Global at such a dential election process and vote tabu- cult• thefor olderlocation and of handicapped polling stations voters on the to critical time in the history of Ukrainian lation in nine oblasts – Dnipro, Ivano- access the polling station. democracy,” she tweeted on March 31. Frankivsk, Kherson, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Based on the reports submitted, the On March 29 she said on Twitter: “John Odesa, Ternopil and Zakarpattia – as UCCA’s EOM affirmed that the March 31 was a[n] ardent supporter of the Ukrainian well as at three diplomatic posts in the presidential election in Ukraine met people & their stand for freedom. He called United States. international standards for a free and fair his ’13 visit during the Euromaidan ‘one of Throughout the day, UCCA’s EOM, election that accurately reflects the will the most moving experiences I have ever working in concert with the Ukrainian of the electorate. had... I have never seen anything like what World Congress EOM, reported that the The UCCA expressed its sincere grati- we witnessed.’ I now understand why he voting process was being conducted in a tude to the members of its delegation, loved Ukraine.” peaceful, transparent and democratic who volunteered their time and money On April 1, Ms. McCain tweeted that the manner. In fact, with reports from over to participate as international election IRI election observation mission “released 700 polling stations, the short-term observers. The UCCA noted that these our preliminary statement on the election. observation teams reported 96 percent volunteers’ commitment to democracy Proud to be part of this important mission of precincts performed with a rating of must be commended. and support Ukraine’s young #democracy.” “good” or “very good” – a high standard The UCCA, the largest representative During her stay in Ukraine Ms. McCain met of performance for any election cycle. organization of Americans of Ukrainian with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko – whom The UCCA EOM noted very few irregu- descent, is one of the few NGOs and the she called “an old friend” and with whom twitter.com/cindymccain larities. Those that were reported were only Ukrainian American organization she said she reminisced about Sen. McCain Cindy McCain, who served as an election not systemic in nature nor did they registered with Ukraine’s Central – and President Petro Poroshenko. observer with the International impact the results of the election. The Election Commission. President Poroshenko spoke of Sen. McCain Republican Institute, meets with Kyiv as “a great friend and advocate of Ukraine” Mayor Vitali Klitschko. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019 No. 14 ANALYSIS Liquidation of INF Treaty First ever voting in Edmonton commander-in-chief. “This means that Poroshenko is not very popular in the army, Ukrainians in 72 countries, including and that Ukrainians’ desire for a ‘new face’ and Ukraine’s prospects Canada, cast their votes in 101 polling loca- exists, including in the army,” Volodymyr tions on March 31 for the president of Fesenko, a Ukrainian political and security by Alla Hurska claim that Saudi interest is primarily driven Ukraine. Three of those polling stations are analyst who heads the Kyiv-based Penta Eurasia Daily Monitor by the fact that the Hrim-2 could pose com- in Canada: Ottawa, Toronto and, for the first Center, told RFE/RL. That could bode ill for petition to the Russian Iskander-M, a weap- time ever, Edmonton. The Edmonton the second-round runoff between those two On March 16, Ukrainian President Petro on that Russia refuses to export except for a Consulate is the first that Ukraine has candidates on April 21. Mr. Poroshenko’s Poroshenko signed a decree on the less advanced and shorter-range version opened since the beginning of Russia’s mili- office declined to comment on the military “Reformation of the Defense Industrial (UNIAN, January 3, 2018). tary aggression in the Donbas in 2014. It It is important to address the broad vote in the east, instead referring RFE/RL to Complex” (President.gov.ua, March 16). The serves the provinces of Alberta, spectrum of assessments by Russian and TV presenter Taras Berezovets, who works document could have major implications for Saskatchewan, British Columbia, the Ukrainian experts. As noted by Ukrainian the development of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Northwest Territories and Yukon. for a channel that reports favorably of the parliamentarian and military expert The decree was initially approved on Previously, citizens had to travel across the president’s work, for comment. Mr. Dmytro Tymchuk, the current capabilities March 6, at a session of the National country to Ottawa or Toronto to vote – a Berezovets said the first-round result was of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex Security and Defense Council of Ukraine journey of nearly 3,000 kilometers. “The “absolutely not” a referendum on President have now reached the levels necessary for (NSDC), during which Mr. Poroshenko first voters were waiting when the polling Poroshenko’s role as commander-in-chief the creation of new missiles and missile expressed firm support for the United station opened its doors at 8 a.m. Anna and chalked it up to “a lot of soldiers complexes (Obozrevatel.com, February 11, States’ decision to abandon the 1987 Makieienko and Volodymyr Krasnikov had want[ing] the war to stop and to go home.” 2019). From his side, NSDC Secretary Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) arrived from Vancouver just this morning, The president “says we’ll continue fighting Oleksandr Turchynov claimed several years Treaty and condemned Russia’s testing of more than 800 kilometers away, to cast their Russia [and] that this will be a war for ago that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had the RS-26 Rubezh (Avangard) solid-fueled vote,” reported Olena Goncharova in the Kyiv years,” added Mr. Berezovets. (RFE/RL) successfully tested intermediate-range bal- intercontinental ballistic missile (reported Post. “Most of our friends couldn’t come [to listic missiles (IRBM) at a specially created Election monitors issue preliminary reports striking range of 2,200 kilometers). Edmonton] to vote,” Ms. Makieienko military polygon. According to Mr. The Ukrainian president also criticized On April 1, Mission Canada issued its Turchynov, Ukraine wields the necessary explained. “But the election is a must for Russia’s actions aimed at expanding the mili- every Ukrainian citizen. It’s important to be Preliminary Statement of Findings of the tary capabilities of the Iskander-M mobile, potential to accomplish the goals of its mis- sile program (Zaxid.net, August 26, 2016).