INSIDE: l UCU awards Ukrainian doctors Light of Justice Award – page 4 l UOL chapters host Souper Bowl fundraiser – page 9 l Plast makes a comeback in Minneapolis – page 13 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXIX No. 9 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 $2.00 Ukrainian national security council sanctions Protests ensue after Odesa anti-graft and pro-Ukraine top Russian ‘proxy’ Medvedchuk activist Sternenko gets 7 years in prison by Mark Raczkiewycz chuk that transports Russian oil products – mostly diesel – to Ukraine and Europe, and Case is labelled ‘politically motivated’ KYIV – Russian President Vladimir five aircraft controlled by companies con- Putin’s loyal and chief point man in nected with the political heavyweight, Mr. Ukraine, lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, Danilov said. and his spouse – Oksana Marchenko – were Mr. Medvedchuk and other politicians in hit with three-year sanctions on February his cohort have enjoyed privileged direct 19 by Ukraine’s National Security and flights to Moscow from Kyiv in circumven- Defense Council (NSDC). tion of existing travel bans to Russia, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr has waged an undeclared war against Zelenskyy signed off on the restrictive mea- Ukraine since early 2014, killing more than sures the following day. 14,000 people in the east of the country. The imposed measures include the Ms. Marchenko holds a minority stake in freezing of assets, restriction of trade oper- the popular, nationwide 1+1 channel, ations, and a ban on the withdrawal of capi- which is majority-owned by oligarch Ihor tal from the country. Kolomoisky, who had backed the current They follow similar measures two weeks president’s election campaign. Ms. earlier that took three pro-Russian televi- Marchenko’s stake in 1+1 was also frozen. sion stations off the air. Those TV stations The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine tweeted in were responsible for more than 50 percent support of the measures, while reminding of the disinformation and Russian propa- the public that Mr. Medvedchuk has been ganda seen on Ukrainian television. Those under U.S. sanctions since 2014 for his role stations are also linked to Mr. Medvedchuk “in undermining Ukraine’s security, territo- and are nominally owned by his fellow rial integrity, and democratic institutions” party member in parliament, Taras Kozak. when Russia forcibly seized Ukraine’s RFE/RL Mr. Kozak’s common-law wife, Nataliya Crimean Peninsula. Serhiy Sternenko in an Odesa courtroom on February 23. Lavrenyuk, was also targeted in the latest The law stipulates that Ukrainians can round of sanctions. only be sanctioned for alleged terrorism, no by Mark Raczkiewycz abducting an openly pro-Russian local poli- “Sanctions are imposed on assets which other exceptions apply and none of the tician, beat and robbed him of 330 hrv (the belong to Mr. Medvedchuk,” NSDC chief imposed restrictive measures have been KYIV – Perhaps Odesa’s most visible pro- equivalent of $15 then) and his cell phone’s Oleksiy Danilov said. Property controlled proven in court. Ukrainian, anti-graft activist from the Euro- SIM card, though not his actual phone. by him and the other associates, who In September, an investigation by Maidan era was sentenced to seven years Mr. Sternenko pled not guilty while call- include five Russian citizens, would be Schemes, a joint program of Radio Free and three months in prison on February 23 ing the allegations politically motivated, seized, Mr. Danilov added. Europe/Radio Liberty and the Ukrainian by a court in the Black Sea port city. and was sentenced on only the battery and Nineteen entities were also sanctioned, First TV channel, found that a Russian oil Judge Viktor Poprevych of the Seaside robbery charges because the five-year stat- the most notable of which were an oil pipe- District Court ruled that Serhiy Sternenko, line in western Ukraine tied to Mr. Medved- (Continued on page 11) 25, almost six years ago took part in (Continued on page 12) First COVID-19 vaccine administered in Ukraine After the injection, Mr. Horenko was monitored 500,000 doses arrive in Kyiv by a doctor for 30 minutes in order to ensure that from India he did not experience any severe side effects from the vaccination. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by Roman Tymotsko has been approved by the World Health KYIV – Yevhen Horenko, an intensive care doctor Organization, and it has been approved for use in who works in a COVID-19 ward in the Cherkasy the United Kingdom, the European Union and India. Regional Hospital, became the first person in The first vaccines were sent to the Cherkasy Ukraine to receive a vaccine against the coronavi- region, which got 16,200 vials of the vaccine – rus on February 24. The previous day, Ukraine enough to vaccinate 8,100 people. received 500,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Like most other COVID-19 vaccines, the Oxford- vaccine from India, a day after it was officially regis- AstraZeneca vaccination is given in two doses. tered for use in the country on February 22. Recent research published in the international Just before getting his vaccine, Mr. Horenko had medical journal The Lancet indicates that this par- his temperature taken and was given instruction by ticular vaccine is most effective when the interval the person who administered the vaccination. He between the first and second vaccination is three said that he felt fine, but was a little nervous about months or more. the historic moment. Ukraine’s Minister of Health, Maksym Stepanov, “Vaccination is a marker of a civilized society,” Mr. said the vaccine was safe and urged Ukrainians to Horenko said. “It is better to be warned [about the Courtesy of Oleksandr Skichko get vaccinated. side effects] than to be treated for complications of Doctors at Cherkasy Regional Hospital prepare to administer the the disease.” first COVID-19 vaccination in Ukraine. (Continued on page 11) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 No. 9 ANALYSIS More contentious issues surface between U.S. awards Ukrainian anti-corruption figure on February 23 that “Iran committed multi- ple human rights violations in shooting Kyiv and Moscow in the Minsk Contact Group The editor-in-chief of a Kyrgyz investi- down Ukraine International Airlines flight gative website and a former Ukrainian PS752 and in the aftermath of the deadly prosecutor general are among 12 people those breaches. Three issues are the most attack. The inconsistencies in the official by Vladimir Socor who have been recognized by the U.S. salient: territory, border and international explanations seem designed to create a Eurasia Daily Monitor State Department as anti-corruption presence. maximum of confusion and a minimum of champions. The winners of the new The latest session of the Minsk Contact The Minsk One document clearly delin- clarity,” Ms. Callamard said in the text, International Anti-Corruption Champions Group (see EDM, February 18) lifted a cur- eated the Russian-controlled territory of which was reportedly delivered to Iranian Award were announced on February 23 tain’s corner on several disputed issues “certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk officials two months ago. “They seem con- by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who that had not been publicly aired thus far. regions” (Russian acronym: ORDLO), trived to mislead and bewilder.” After days said in a statement that the award recog- The Ukrainian delegation had raised these where “elections” would be staged and to of official denials following the crash, Iran nizes people who have worked tirelessly, issues in a position paper within the Minsk which a special status would apply. From admitted that its forces had inadvertently often in the face of adversity, to combat Group in November 2020 (see below) but September 2014 to February 2015, howev- shot down the Kyiv-bound plane, killing all corruption in their own countries. Bolot refrained from unveiling them outside this er, Russian and proxy forces pushed that 176 people on board, after firing two mis- Temirov, editor-in-chief of the Kyrgyz forum until now. The issues stem, largely, demarcation line deeper into Ukraine, cul- siles amid heightened tensions with the investigative website FactCheck, and from the Minsk One “agreements” (Septem- minating with the seizure of the Debaltseve United States. But Iran’s civilian aviation ber 5, 2014, Protocol and Septem ber 19, area. Six years later, Kyiv’s position paper in Ruslan Ryaboshapka, who was forced out authority in its final report from July 2020 2014, Memorandum) and Russia’s multiple the Minsk Contact Group (see above) seeks of his job as Ukraine’s prosecutor general cited “human error,” saying a broken radar violations thereof, which were carried over a return to the September 2014 demarca- last year in a parliamentary no-confidence system created communication problems into the Minsk Two “agreement” (Package tion lines. It argues that the territory poten- vote, were among the recipients. Mr. with a military unit. “The Iranian govern- of Measures, February 12, 2015) and were tially eligible for a special status must be Ryaboshapka was well-regarded by anti- ment claims it has nothing to hide, yet it promptly compounded by Russia’s viola- clearly defined on the map before any fur- corruption activists for his efforts to has failed to carry out a full and transpar- tions of Minsk Two (conquest of Debal- ther discussion. Moreover, it is up to streamline and professionalize the scan- ent investigation in line with its interna- tseve, February 14, 2015). Ukraine’s parliament to delineate that terri- dal-ridden Prosecutor General’s Office in tional obligations. As a result, many ques- The just-held Minsk Group’s session tory, namely along the September 2014 Ukraine.