INSIDE: l Will the EU make concessions to Russia? – page 3 l U.N. ambassadors: a welcome, a farewell – page 4 l Chicago marks Ukrainian Day of Unity – page 9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIV No. 7 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016 $2.00 Pysanka featured Poroshenko assures IMF he’s committed to reform on $20 Canadian RFE/RL Separately, Ms. Lagarde said Mr. The departure set off a political crisis Poroshenko “reassured me of his unwaver- and highlighted the government’s tepid silver coin KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro ing commitment to reforms, including performance on reforms, which have been Poroshenko assured the International improving governance and fighting corrup- linked to $40 billion in loans from the IMF, Monetary Fund (IMF) he remains commit- tion.” the European Union and the United States. ted to pursuing economic reforms and “We agreed on the principle of a road- Ms. Lagarde in her statement stressed purging corruption from his government. map of actions and priority measures to that she was concerned about slow prog- After receiving a sharp warning from the ensure prompt progress,” she said. ress on corruption. lender that Ukraine’s $17.5 billion bailout is Ms. Lagarde, in a highly unusual state- Ukraine’s Western backers have warned it at risk on February 10, Mr. Poroshenko ment from Washington, had strongly not to repeat the mistakes of the past when spoke with IMF Managing Director Christine warned that “without a substantial new the euphoria of 2004’s pro-European Orange Lagarde by phone and agreed to draw up a effort to invigorate governance reforms and Revolution waned as a result of political “road map” aimed at keeping reforms on fight corruption, it is hard to see how the infighting and a failure to stamp out graft. track. IMF-supported program can continue and Ukraine has been hoping to receive a “The president noted the necessity of be successful.” third tranche of IMF loans worth $1.7 bil- rebooting the government without snap The warning followed the abrupt resig- lion since October 2015, but it was delayed elections, which would only deepen the nation last week of Ukraine’s widely by political squabbles and incomplete political crisis and worsen conditions for praised economy minister, Aivaras reform efforts. carrying out reform,” a statement on Abromavicius, who cited corruption within President Poroshenko’s official website said. the ruling coalition. (Continued on page 16) Royal Canadian Mint The new coin released by the Royal Canadian Mint. Kremlin-backed militants threaten death sentences for prisoners by Orysia Paszczak Tracz by Halya Coynash Morozova or other militants suggests they life and are in no hurry to pardon them. They do reflect the position currently taken. are not being handed over, she claims, so the WINNIPEG, Manitoba – It sold out in A spokesperson for the so-called Donetsk a day – even before it was announced Ms. Morozova was asked to comment on militants “try them [their prisoners] within to the general public – and the buzz on People’s Republic (DPR) has claimed that the 30-year “sentence” handed down to the framework of our legislation. We do not social media is still going on. the militants are not holding any civilians or Yevhen Chudnetsov, a Ukrainian soldier in principle have prisoners of war, and the On January 27, the Royal Canadian anybody else illegally. All those in custody, from the Azov regiment who was captured people who are in our custody are all facing Mint announced an “Advance Product Darya Morozova asserts, are “under investi- in February 2015. The militants claim he charges. Procedural matters are under way, Notice” of new coin releases to pre- gation” and could be sentenced to death. surrendered. Novaya Gazeta writes that rel- trials, and they will soon be convicted.” ferred Masters Club Members. These The remarks came on the eve of the first atives of Mr. Chudnetsov, who is from the The interviewer then asks Mr. Morozova: are the coin collectors who spend anniversary of the Minsk II agreement, and Donbas area, missed the “trial” because it “You mean all of those captured as prison- much more than the average numisma- less than two weeks after 60-year-old reli- began half an hour earlier than scheduled. ers of war can be tried?” She answers: tist on the special fine Canadian coin gious specialist Ihor Kozlovsky and volun- The “prosecutor” had demanded the death “Quite right.” releases. In the middle of the long teer Marina Cherenkova were both seized penalty, so an appeal can in theory be Ms. Morozova chillingly goes on to claim e-mail announcement of pure silver by the militants. Prominent DPR militant lodged by either the defendant or the pros- the DPR is holding no more than 30 people and gold coins commemorating Haida Alexander Khodokovsky is reported to have ecution. This seems highly theoretical in (not the 133 cited by the SBU), and that Art, the tundra swan, a bright green asserted that Mr. Kozlovsky, who is a much- the Chudnetsov case, since from the outset there are no civilian hostages. “We have four-leaf clover for St. Patrick’s Day and respected academic, could have been he has not had a lawyer. only prisoners of war who were detained in Reflections of Wildlife (bears) was this involved in “destabilizing the situation” and There is disturbingly little information battle,” she claims, and says that they have had “multiple contacts with various organi- about this so-called trial or what indeed Mr. proof these detainees killed people and (Continued on page 14) zations in Ukraine engaged in destructive Chudnetsov was charged with. There is, were responsible for the deaths of civilians. activities here.” however, a video that was widely shown on She asserts that most of those still being According to the Minsk agreement of all Russian propaganda channels. In it, Mr. held were seized near Ilovaisk, and claims February 12, 2015, all persons illegally held Chudnetsov looks as if he has been beaten that some are accused of rape, murder and must be exchanged, on an “all for all” basis. and has had about half his teeth knocked torture. A recent planned exchange fell through, out. The torture he was almost certainly Many Ukrainian soldiers died near according to the Ukrainian side, because subjected to is not mentioned. Instead, it is Ilovaisk, after the militants’ promise of safe the militants suddenly put forward new claimed that he surrendered and then at a passage proved to be a treacherous lie. and impossible demands. The militants, in press conference he oluntarily provides Neither then, nor on other occasions, was it turn, blame Ukraine. Yurii Tandit from the what is purported to be information about only soldiers who were taken prisoner and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) center the foreigners supposedly instructing Azov tortured, as the experience of journalist trying to organize exchanges speaks of 130 – from Georgia, Sweden and the U.S. – or Yevhen Vorobyov demonstrated. people on its list of Ukrainians held hos- fighting as mercenaries, and the foreign Her list of prisoners for exchange from tage. The figure for people registered as weapons purportedly used. the militants’ side, she says, comprises missing is much higher – over 600. Ms. Morozova is asked by Novaya Gazeta if 1,490 names. She asserts that the DPR Ms. Morozova, who calls herself the people like Mr. Chudnetsov could be part of knows definitely that these people are in “DPR human rights ombudsperson,” spoke the list of people to be exchanged. She replies detention in government-controlled terri- to Yuliya Polukhina for an article published that, for the moment, that is not possible, and tory, facing criminal charges. The SBU, in the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta that the DPR is working on the same princi- meanwhile, says that it is aware of only 465 on February 8. Her words have been widely ple as the Ukrainian authorities. She claims The reverse of the pysanka coin people. discussed and commented on in Ukraine, that Ukrainian authorities have 30 people bears an image of Queen Elizabeth. so the lack of any retraction from Ms. sentenced to terms ranging from 15 years to (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016 No. 7 ANALYSIS Bypassing Russia, Ukraine becomes Sergeyev quits foreign service tive” foreign policy. “In my 50-plus years in the intelligence business, I cannot recall a KYIV – Former Permanent Representative more diverse array of challenges and crises of Ukraine to the United Nations Yuriy another “Silk Road” terminus that we confront as we do today,” Mr. Sergeyev has announced the end of his diplo- International Sea Trade Port via the route Clapper told the U.S. Senate Armed Services by John C.K. Daly matic career. “My friends, everything that has in early August (Xinhua, August 4, 2015). Committee on February 9 while discussing Eurasia Daily Monitor a beginning has an ending. Today I’ve decid- The train, carrying 82 containers on 41 his agency’s annual worldwide threat ed to retire after many years’ career as a dip- Since an uprising unseated the pro-Rus- railcars, departed Shihezi, China, on July 28 assessment. In his prepared statement to lomat,” he wrote on Twitter on February 8. sian regime of Ukrainian President Viktor (AzerNews, August 3, 2015). the committee, Mr. Clapper said disrup- The ambassador thanked everyone for sup- Yanukovych in February 2014, relations The new route is more expensive than tions in cyberspace and attacks by U.S.- port and noted that, “after all, one can serve between Kyiv and Moscow have gone from transiting goods through Russia.