INSIDE: l Ukrainian National Credit Union Association meets – page 4 l Vitali Klitschko in International Boxing Hall of Fame – page 8 l 400-mile trek raising awareness of orphans’ plight – page 14 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVI No. 25 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2018 $2.00 Ukrainian Canadian Congress supports Ukrainian Parliament moves closer global #RedCard4Putin campaign to completing anti-corruption architecture UCC by Mark Raczkiewycz Ukrainian television on June 7. Fifty of the 138 corruption cases that NABU and SAP OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada passed have submitted since their inception in Congress (UCC) on June 15 called on all another bill to complete the architecture of 2015 to Ukrainian courts aren’t being con- Canadians to support the #RedCard4Putin establishing a separate court to prosecute sidered – some haven’t been examined for campaign, which is drawing international corrupt public officials on June 21, but six months. attention to the many crimes of Russia’s failed to revise clauses that make it possible At stake is an additional $2 billion IMF regime. for graft cases to skirt the judiciary body. disbursement in the bailout program that During the FIFA World Cup (June 14-July Choosing to vote for creating the High 15), the #RedCard4Putin campaign will ends in March 2019. Kyiv has received only Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) in its entire- $8.4 billion so far and is behind schedule in issue multiple “red cards” to the Russian ty, instead of the optional two readings, 256 regime for its countless violations of inter- meeting other benchmarks. lawmakers voted in favor of President Chief among those criteria is raising national law and abuse of internationally Petro Poroshenko’s bill. recognized human rights. The campaign household natural gas prices to market Yet, revisions to last week’s principal bill seeks to bring international awareness prices, which hasn’t happened in almost for how the court functions never made it about the crimes of the Russian govern- two years, so that they meet cost recovery to the agenda for this week’s plenary ses- ment with the objective of securing the levels and do not drain the state budget via sions in Parliament although they were reg- immediate release of all political prisoners subsidies. That leads to maintaining a bud- unjustly detained by Russia. istered on June 14. Amendments were sup- get deficit of revenues and expenditures “Over 70 Ukrainian political prisoners are posed to send existing graft cases, including that don’t exceed 2.5 percent of gross illegally jailed by Russia,” stated Denys Volkov, appeals, to the newly formed court, not to domestic product. Canadian coordinator of the #RedCard4Putin existing courts that currently hear them. Certain unpopular changes will be more campaign, a former member of the FIFA The renewal of a $17.5 billion loan deal difficult to make the closer Ukraine comes to 2015 Women’s World Cup local organizing for Ukraine’s feeble economy from the next year’s dual nationwide elections. In 2019 committee and former vice-president of International Monetary Fund (IMF) has presidential elections are scheduled in March the Manitoba Soccer Association. One of many posters designed by artist partially been tied to finally creating a court with parliamentary elections in October. Andriy Yermolenko. “Russia is waging war on Ukraine, shot that hears corruption cases. It’s supposed “We agreed that it is now important for down Flight MH17, and carried out a chem- campaign. The campaign will regularly to legally adjoin the two previously created parliament to quickly approve the supple- ical weapon attack on the soil of the U.K. publish materials on Facebook at https:// institutions: National Agency Anti- mentary law submitted… to formally estab- We call on all people of conscience to speak www.facebook.com/RedCard4Putin/. Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized lish the court, as well as the necessary loudly against the crimes of the Russian The #RedCard4Putin campaign is an ini- Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). amendments to restore the requirement regime,” Mr. Volkov said. tiative of the International Coalition for A bottleneck for prosecuting crooked that the HACC will adjudicate all cases The UCC is calling on Canadians to officials exists in the courts, Verkhovna spread the message of the #RedCard4Putin (Continued on page 14) Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy implied on (Continued on page 18) North American premiere of Stankovych’s “Ukrainian Requiem” draws large crowd The Rev. Panchuk noted that, although anniversaries of the Program commemorates Holodomor were observed since 1948 and the current mis- sion and objectives of the foundation were being realized Holodomor’s 85th anniversary since 1983, the foundation was officially established and registered in the state of Illinois through the efforts of its by Maria Korkatsch-Groszko first president, Nicholas Mischenko, in 2002. and the Rev. Myron Panchuk The Rev. Panchuk indicated that the idea of presenting the North American premiere of Maestro Stankovych’s CHICAGO – In commemoration of the 85th anniversary “Ukrainian Requiem” was that of the foundation’s current of the Holodomor of 1932-1933, the Consulate General of president, Nicholas Kocherha, who had attended the pre- Ukraine in Chicago and the Ukrainian Genocide Famine miere performance in Kyiv in 2006. Foundation-USA Inc. on Saturday, May 19, co-sponsored the North American premiere of “Ukrainian Requiem” The Women’s Bandura Ensemble composed by Yevhen Stankovych. The program began with the Women’s Bandura The program included soloists Nina Matviyenko and Ensemble of North America (WBENA) under the artistic Stefan Szkafarowsky, the Kalamazoo Philharmonia, direction of Oksana Rodak-Lucenko and Oksana Zelinska. Kalamazoo Bach Festival Chorus, actor George Wyhinny The ensemble performed a selection of works with the and the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America. underlying theme of suffering and loss, depicting the deep The commemorative concert was performed at the religious devotion of Ukrainians to family and nation. In “The Harris Theater in Chicago, drawing an audience of over Wandering Orphan” (a song of the itinerant Ukrainian musi- 1,000 people from across various ethnic groups in the cians known as “lirnyky,” arranged by Yakiv Yatsynevych), Chicago metropolitan area and from other states. the tone for the evening was set with a most emotionally The introduction and opening remarks were delivered piercing delivery by 11-year-old Anastasia Lucenko singing by the Rev. Myron Panchuk, Ph.D., of St. Joseph the YOLAB the role of the orphan searching for her mother. Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church, who is also vice-presi- Nina Matviyenko sings “Ukrainian Requiem’s” seventh movement, specifically written for her by composer dent of the Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation-USA. Yevhen Stankovych. (Continued on page 10) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2018 No. 25 ANALYSIS Ukraine to resume privatization Council of Europe: release Sentsov Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has a “devastating toll” on children. The chief of Europe’s top human rights Since the conflict began in April 2014, at in accordance with new rules body is urging Russia to release imprisoned least 740 education facilities in the region Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who is order to prepare assets valued at more have been damaged or destroyed, accord- by Oleg Varfolomeyev currently on hunger strike while serving a than $9 million – the threshold for “big ing to the United Nations. In May of this Eurasia Daily Monitor 20-year sentence. Thorbjorn Jagland, secre- privatization” – the government has to hire year alone, the United Nations said at least tary-general of the Council of Europe, on The Ukrainian government will resume international investment banks as advisors, four education facilities sustained damage June 20 told Russian Ombudswoman its privatization campaign in October, the which should enhance the credibility of the as a result of continuous hostilities. Both Tatyana Moskalkova that Mr. Sentsov acting head of the local privatization body, process. Cheaper assets will be put up for sides in the conflict have used schools and “should be released on humanitarian the State Property Fund, Vitaly Trubarov, electronic trades. It should also now universities as bases and barracks, HRW announced on May 10. Speaking after a become possible to resolve privatization grounds,” the Interfax news agency report- said. Seventy-five countries have signed the meeting of the Cabinet of Prime Minister disputes in international courts (Segodnya. ed after their meeting in Moscow. “If there is Safe Schools Declaration, which contains Volodymyr Groysman, which discussed ua, January 18; Golos.com.ua, March 6). a need for a request for pardoning him, I concrete commitments to better protect privatization, Mr. Trubarov said all the large Two companies stand out on the privati- would gladly do it on the basis of the students, teachers, schools, and universities state-owned stakes slated for sale this year zation list as potentially the most valuable European Convention of Human Rights,” Mr. from the effects of war. “The U.N. Security should change hands by the end of the year. ones: the regional power generation com- Jagland added. On June 18, a dozen leading Council’s Open Debate on Children and Addressing his Cabinet, Mr. Groysman pany Centerenergo and OPZ. Kyiv has been names in the Russian arts, including Andrei Armed Conflict is on July 9. What better vowed to put an end to “shadow privatiza- postponing their sales since the last Zvyagintsev and fellow filmmaker platform for Ukraine to endorse the decla- tion,” apparently meaning certain past decade, and the IMF has been insisting for Aleksandr Sokurov, called for President ration than on one of the world’s most privatization schemes in which lucrative several years that the two be sold.