#3 (133) March 2019 2019 Ukrainian presidential election: 5 years after Interview with Telnyuk Sisters about modernity faces, parties and maps the Revolution of Dignity of classics and the lessons of the Maidan MAIDAN: GROUND ZERO WWW.UKRAINIANWEEK.COM FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION CONTENTS 3 BRIEFING SOCIETY 4 Round 1: A warm-up 26 What’s in a campaign platform? Parliament and Ukrainian presidential What are the main candidates for election: action and reaction president proposing in their platforms and how have these changed from what POLITICS they proposed five years ago 7 Backlash of problems 29 The nomadic state Michael Binyon (London) What is unique about Ukrainian migration on the measures Europe can apply and how it impacts national identity to former ISIS militants 32 Betting on zero 8 Gas clinch How the current and former leadership Why government oversight over of the self-declared republics in occupied big business is just as important Donbas see the upcoming elections for as privatization President of Ukraine FOCUS HISTORY 10 The spirit of protest 34 Essence and specificity of the Russian- What makes it so hard to assess Soviet power the impact of the Revolution of Dignity What political system they are trying to restore in Russia today on Ukrainian society today 37 Punitive psychiatry and its victims 14 Chronicle of victims How dissidents were punished General information about in an era of a “real socialism” the victims and those killed during 40 “Born in the great hour” the Maidan for the entire time How Yevhen Konovalets managed the of the protests Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists 16 Candidates with compass as it turned to follow the course of Electoral preferences according Halychyna youth to the map CULTURE & ARTS ECONOMICS 44 Telnyuk Sisters: “It won’t be easy, but we 18 New ways to solve the old problems should always see light at the end of the Why we cannot allow the newly tunnel” introduced electricity trade market Famous duo talks about how to turn into a handy tool of concealing contemporary Shevchenko and Stus are deep problems in the sector? today, the artistic comprehension of the Maidan, and the lessons of the Revolution 21 The mirror of development of Dignity What the structure of investments in the 46 Behind the camera economy of Ukraine signals about What is happening with documentaries 24 Where’s brotherly Russia during the revival of Ukrainian when you need it? cinematography Economic decline is destroying occupied 50 The months of spring and music Donbas even faster than the armed The Ukrainian Week offers a selection conflict at this point of events to visit in March and April E-mail [email protected] www.ukrainianweek.com Tel. (044) 351-13-00 The Ukrainian Week #3 (133) March 2019 Office address Kyiv, Ukraine, 36A, vul. Bohdana Khmelnytskoho, apt. 3 Founder ECEM Media GmbH. Publisher ECEM Media GmbH Print run 15 000. Free distribution Address Austria, Am Gestade, 1, 1010 Vienna Our partner State registration certificate КВ № 19823-9623ПР 19.03.2013 Chief Editor Dmytro Krapyvenko Editors Max Nestelieiev, Lidia Wolanskyj THE UKRAINIAN WEEK | #3 (133) March 2019 Round 1: A warm-up BRIEFING BRIEFING Roman Malko The presidential race is in the home stretch. Bets have been placed, deals cut, popcorn bought, and beers uncapped. What’s left now is to see who makes it in the first cut. Some surprises are still likely. The battle among the top candidates and their support groups is seriously underway, scan- dals are catching everyone like water thrown from a bucket, and Temporary Investigative Commis- sions are trending again. Still, Ukraine is unlikely to see any major tectonic break in the political boardwalk. The best indicator of this is the way the Verkhovna Rada is playing dead in the face of this battle. For one thing, it’s already thinking of its own reincarnation and no one’s about to force the situation with the result of the presidential UNIAN PHOTO: election so much in the air. 6 BRIEFING | In contrast to Ukraine’s voters, who have been tossed After everything it has gone through in the coalition with more than 40 candidates from among which they should BPP, Narodniy Front is also now in waiting mode, having set choose, the task for politicians is much more straightfor- as their goal to do the best they can in the VR elections this ward. They understand perfectly well that the final choice fall. What form this will take will depend on who wins the cur- will only be among three names that can realistically make rent election. However, despite fairly polarized views among it to the second round. And they are the three on whom bets the party allies – Oleksandr Turchynov, Andriy Parubiy, Ser- are now being made. Of course, not always visibly or pub- hiy Pashynskiy and their team gravitate towards the president, licly, but then openness is really not required – all the more while Arsen Avakov and his supporters are more inclined to- so when it comes to players in the top league who typically wards Tymoshenko – the party does seem, if only pro forma, place their eggs in various baskets. to be a unified entity and the conflicts that once raged between Yet it’s becoming harder and harder for them to do this. the two candidates don’t seem to bother NF at all. Indeed, Access to Yulia Tymoshenko is relatively easy because she whoever becomes president, Tymoshenko or Poroshenko, it herself stated in so many words that she’s “ready to talk with will not have a fatal impact on Arseniy Yatseniuk’s project. He everyone.” The president is also open to communication be- might lose a little ballast, but that’s all. Things will be worse if cause he’s interested, like no other, in the best allies possible Zelenskiy wins. Then the entire playing field will change radi- or, failing that, at least a non-aggression pact. But getting a feel cally and the party will have to reorganize in order to survive. for Person-Ze, who is only present in virtual reality and could In terms of party discipline, Samopomich, whose leader prove to be a real comic surprise for everyone, is possible only withdrew in favor of a fellow candidate, will now support through the intermediation of his patron, Ihor Kolomoyskiy. Anatoliy Hrytsenko. Knowing his chances of winning are very slim at best, it’s unlikely that Andriy Sadoviy will throw himself into the thankless job of campaigning for Hrytsen- RIGHT NOW, PARLIAMENTARIANS ARE SITTING TIGHT AND THE DEFECTIONS ko. Instead, he will also focus on the Rada elections this fall. AMONG PARTIES THAT WERE ONCE SUCH A PREDICTABLE FEATURE ARE So far, it’s not clear whether Samopomich will actually form NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. EVERYONE HAS ALREADY DECLARED FOR ONE a coalition with Hrytsenko’s Civic Platform, as they have not CANDIDATE OR ANOTHER. AND THOSE WHO SAY “NONE OF THE ABOVE” announced any formal agreement yet. Even if they do, it will likely be only after the election of the president – if that. ARE ALREADY BUSY PUTTING TOGETHER THEIR OWN PROJECTS Batkivshchyna stands behind its “roly-poly doll” leader. Tymoshenko herself doesn’t have many allies, but she has Right now, parliamentarians are sitting tight and the a solid base of support. And until the results of the first defections among parties that were once such a predict- round are clear, it’s unlikely that any “new friends” will able feature are nowhere to be seen. Everyone has already appear. Whoever she could persuade and draw to her side, declared for one candidate or another. And those who say she has already persuaded and drawn to her side. Eve- “None of the above” are already busy putting together their rybody else is watching the ratings and is in no hurry to own projects. With the exception of UDAR splinter groups, embrace her and being left holding the bag. Among Ty- BPP is confident that its boss, Petro Poroshenko, will be moshenko’s allies there are obviously the majority of Vid- inaugurated. There are no other options. UDAR seems to rodzhennia, whose “shareholders” include Ihor Kolomoys- be sitting on its hands and not getting involved because kiy. His main and ideal protégé is, of course, Zelenskiy, but it doesn’t believe, or even really want, to see the incum- a Tymoshenko presidency would suit him, too. His persis- bent extend his career for another five years. Apparently tent twin goals of removing Poroshenko and getting his this is the reason why, The Ukrainian Week’s sources say, hands back on PrivatBank would be equally well reached UDAR’s boss, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko did not partici- with either candidate. However, the former will be consid- pate in the forum where Poroshenko declared his candi- erably cheaper and easier. dacy. He sent a video greeting, but did not come in person, In terms of solidarity against a Poroshenko victory, Ty- supposedly on the advice of political spin doctors. What moshenko can also count on the “radical” Oleh Liashko. His was behind this is not hard to guess, given that Klitschko party members pretend that they believe in their leader’s vic- and his allies have been linked to exiled chemicals tycoon tory, but are mainly focused on the Rada elections, working on Dmytro Firtash, who is being sued for money-laundering the mission of their main sponsor, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. by the US, and former Yanukovych Chief-of-Staff Serhiy The substance of the name Opposition Bloc seems to Lyovochkin, who has been connected to the Mueller inves- have come down to the process of dividing up fractions, tigation.