INSIDE:• Kuchma reacts to downing of passenger jetliner — page 2. • Myroslava Gongadze pushes for independent investigation — page 3. • News about Ukrainian sports clubs — page 10. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIX HE No.KRAINIAN 42 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2001 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine PolishT court: 1949 state seizureUDefense minister says Ukraine’s military involved in jet’sW downing, awaits conclusive investigation by Maryna Makhnonos state,” Mr. Kuzmuk said. said Russia’s deputy procurator general, of Lemko properties was illegal Special to The Ukrainian Weekly The Air Defense Forces commander, Sergei Fridinskyi, speaking at a news Gen. Volodymyr Tkachev, said it is possi- conference in the southern Russian city by Jan Maksymiuk KYIV – Ukraine’s defense minister, ble the airliner was unintentionally hit by of Rostov-on-Don, the Interfax news RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report Oleksander Kuzmuk, said on October 13 a missile fired by Ukrainian forces during agency reported. that Ukrainian forces were involved in military exercises. “Now we are looking at the question PRAGUE – Poland’s Supreme the downing of a Russian TU-154 pas- Administrative Court in the first week of “On the basis of preliminary conclu- of handing over this criminal case to the senger jet earlier in the month, but that sions by experts, the cause of the air Ukrainian procurator’s office in order to October passed a precedent-setting ver- no dismissals are on the agenda until dict in a case over property confiscated crash could have been the unintended complete the case and fully establish the experts release their final conclusions destruction of the plane by a missile dur- guilt of the Ukrainians,” Mr. Fridinskyi by the state in 1949 from Maria Hladyk, about the causes of the crash. a Lemko who was compulsorily resettled ing exercises,” Gen. Tkachev said. said. “We don’t know the cause of this But he did not definitely confirm that Vladimir Rushailo, the chief of the in 1947 from her village in Beskid Niski, tragedy today, but we know that we are a region in southeastern Poland. fact, saying that investigators are “very intergovernmental commission investi- involved in it,” Mr. Kuzmuk said, after cautious in their conclusions.” gating the crash, said on October 12 that In 1999, Maria Hladyk’s grandson, unexpectedly joining his deputy, the Stefan Hladyk, applied to the Polish “If we don’t know the final causes of the aircraft was destroyed when a missile commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Air authorities with a request to repeal the the accident, how can we determine the exploded 15 meters above the aircraft. Defense Forces, at a news conference. 50-year-old decision by which some 11 parameters of responsibility?” Gen. “The whole of the aircraft was within It was the first admission of Ukraine’s hectares of land (including 7.55 hectares Tkachev commented. the zone of the explosion of the missiles responsibility since a TU-154 airliner fly- of forest) were confiscated from his Shortly after the crash, U.S. officials warhead,” Interfax quoted Mr. Rushailo ing from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk went grandmother. The Agriculture Ministry said the tragedy had been caused by an as saying. down on October 4 over the Black Sea, satisfied his request. errant S-200 missile fired by Ukrainian Investigators found 350 holes in frag- near the Russian city of Sochi. All 78 In early October decision, the forces during military exercises on the ments of the aircraft recovered from the people, most of them recent Russian Supreme Administrative Court rejected Crimean peninsula. Black Sea, as well as missile shrapnel in immigrants to Israel, were killed. The an appeal by Poland’s State Forests, a Ukrainian and Russian authorities at the victims’ bodies. They also determined remains of 15 people have been recov- state-run agency that manages the coun- first rejected the U.S. statement, but both that crew members were killed immedi- try’s forested areas and which had owned ered. have gradually come closer to accepting ately after an explosion on board the Ms. Hladyk’s wooded plot for the past “I arrived here with only one reason: I it. plane, Interfax said. 50 years. The court simultaneously con- offer my apologies to victims’ relatives Russian authorities said on October 16 Pressure has been mounting on firmed Mr. Hladyk’s ownership right to and those dear to them, I bring my apolo- that the Ukrainian military appears to be Ukraine’s leadership to take responsibili- the plot. gies to Ukraine’s president, the govern- responsible for the disaster. “There is ty for the crash. Ukraine’s Parliament ment, the Parliament and the Ukrainian only one theory at the moment – that the (Continued on page 15) people for harming the prestige of our plane may have been hit by a missile,” (Continued on page 3) The Ukrainian Museum celebrates its 25th anniversary by Helen Smindak um] is poised to achieve even more: to become a jewel He noted that the museum is located in a burgeon- in the crown of the Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.” ing creative neighborhood surrounded by one of the NEW YORK – The largest Ukrainian women’s Mr. Karatnycky attributed the museum’s success to country’s most respected universities, New York organization in the United States – the Ukrainian “the vision of the museum’s founders, the leadership University, in a city that is the cultural center of the National Women’s League of America (UNWLA), or of Soyuz Ukrainok and the high degree of profession- United States – all of this suggesting great potential Soyuz Ukrainok, took time out from its busy schedule alism, energy and perseverance of museum director to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its long-term Maria Shust and her excellent staff and co-workers.” (Continued on page 9) major project, The Ukrainian Museum. Ukrainian diplomats and representatives of many Ukrainian organizations were among some 250 muse- um members and friends who gathered for a gala luncheon at the New York Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue on Sunday, October 14. Over $200,000 was donated or pledged to the museum’s building fund during the afternoon’s proceedings. There was yet another cause for celebration: con- struction of the highly anticipated new $7.6 million museum facility is expected to begin very soon. Museum officials and staff are elated at the prospect of acquiring much-needed space for treasured collec- tions of folk art, fine arts and archival material, as well as for exhibits, workshops and offices. Keynote speaker Adrian Karatnycky, president since 1996 of New York’s Freedom House, a leading advocate of the world’s young democracies, hailed the museum as “one of the pre-eminent Ukrainian American institutions” and said that it enjoys a right- ful place among such institutions as Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute and the Ukrainian Institute of America, and many beautiful Seen at The Ukrainian Museum’s 25th anniversary event are (from left): Consul General of Ukraine Ukrainian churches. Serhiy Pohoreltzev and his wife, Svitlana; Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.N. Valeriy Kuchinsky; Olha He predicted that “with the generosity of the people Hnateyko, president of the museum’s board of trustees; Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States who have gathered on this anniversary and who have Kostyantyn Gryshchenko and his wife, Natalia; Iryna Kurowyckyj, president of the UNWLA; and Maria pledged significant support in recent years, [the muse- Shust, director of The Ukrainian Museum. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2001 No. 42 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS “Bigger mistakes have been made” Ukraine, Belarus to boost cooperation in the future on behalf of the families of the passengers and crew. (RFE/RL KYIV – Prime Minister Anatolii Newsline) – Kuchma’s answer to the air disaster Kinakh and his Belarusian counterpart, by Taras Kuzio equipped with self-destruct systems that Henadz Navitski, on October 16 spoke in Rada seeks accountability for crash went into action if the missiles diverted favor of broadening bilateral economic As the finger was being pointed more from the target. and trade cooperation, Interfax reported. KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada on and more frequently at Ukraine last week Finally, a few days later at a press con- Mr. Navitski was in Kyiv on his first October 16 approved a motion to request over its shooting down of a civilian air- ference, Air Force Commander official trip as prime minister. The two the Procurator General’s Office to insti- liner President Leonid Kuchma sought to Volodymyr Tkachev presented video sides signed five agreements, including tute criminal proceedings against play down the disaster by saying “bigger recordings of the Ukrainian-Russian live- on cooperation in the spheres of security, Ukrainian military officials responsible mistakes have been made.” Mr. Kuchma fire exercises that took place at the time nuclear safety, energy conservation, and for the October 4 downing of a Russian told Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine, of the crash of the Russian airliner. He customs and border control. Mr. Kinakh TU-154 airliner over the Black Sea, Viktor Chernomyrdin, that “the missile admitted that one S-200 missile had been told journalists that this December the Interfax reported. Deputy Prosecutor- of the Ukrainian armed forces does not fired at the time of the crash and had two countries hope to resolve the issue of General Oleksander Atamaniuk told the understand the Ukrainian language.” landed about 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian enterprises’ debts to agency that the Procurator General’s This was a bad joke at the wrong time. Black Sea shore. This was further out Belarusian partners, but failed to mention Office will consider opening a criminal This drew bitter condemnation from than the earlier claims of only 30 kilome- what amounts are involved.