INSIDE: l Thousands participate in online protest in Ukraine – page 4 l Ukrainians prohibited from owning land in Crimea – page 7 l Bishop uses social media to connect with U.K. faithful – page 9 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXXVIII No. 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020 $2.00 NEWS ANALYSIS Verkhovna Rada dismisses two crucial ministers Breakthrough in Ukraine’s and approves their replacements amid pandemic land privatization saga by Bohdan Nahaylo The World Bank and others viewed this ban as an unduly conservative and unwar- KYIV – On March 30 and 31, the ranted impediment to Ukraine realizing its Ukrainian Parliament finally delivered on economic potential. It estimated that the two crucial issues set as preconditions by moratorium has deprived Ukraine’s econo- the International Monetary Fund in order my of billions of dollars in land taxes and for the country to receive financial support investment in agriculture. of up to $8 billion to help offset the effects Furthermore, in May 2018 the European of the coronavirus pandemic and its devas- Court of Human Rights declared that the tating impact on Ukraine’s fragile economy. moratorium on farmland sales violated The first involved the adoption in its first Ukrainians’ human rights as Ukrainian reading of the so-called “banking” or “anti- farmers – an estimated 7 million of them – Kolomoisky” bill named after the notorious because they were not allowed to manage billionaire oligarch who wants to recover their property freely. Ukraine’s largest bank, PrivatBank. It was In 2018, a coalition of 39 companies and nationalized in 2016 after he allegedly over 1,500 agricultural producers peti- embezzled $5.5 billion from it. The new leg- tioned for the abolition of the land morato- Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine islation has been designed to ensure that rium. In September of that year President Ukraine’s new minister of health, Maxym Stepanov. Mr. Kolomoisky and others who bankrupted Petro Poroshenko reminded the Ukrainian by Roman Tymotsko fessionals who are capable of implement- banks won’t have them returned or receive Parliament that the land moratorium was ing long-term reforms. But now the coun- compensation at the taxpayers’ expense. not in line with Ukraine’s European strategy KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine try needs immediate action. That is why it But the second was no less important, and had been condemned by the European on March 30 dismissed Minister of Health was decided to submit to the Verkhovna and in a historical sense probably more sig- Court of Human Rights. Nevertheless, for Illya Yemets and Minister of Finance Ihor Rada resolutions on the dismissal of the nificant. It saw the breaking of a psycholog- three years in a row, he authorized the Umansky, in accordance with the submis- minister of health and the minister of ical taboo inherited from the Soviet period, extension of the land moratorium. sion of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. finance,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal which had been fostered for self-serving In December 2018, with presidential Later, the Ukrainian Parliament support- commented, while expressing his hope that political and business purposes ever since elections looming, Ukraine’s Parliament, ed the government’s nominations for health Messrs. Yemets and Umansky would con- by powerful forces with vested interests: the Verkhovna Rada, passed a law prolong- minister, Maxym Stepanov, and finance min- tinue to help the government team. the opening up of the country’s land mar- ing the ban until January 2020. The main ister, Serhii Marchenko, during an extraordi- Apart from that, Mr. Shmyhal noted that ket to privatization. A moratorium on this argument was the lack of a proper mecha- nary session of the legislature initiated by the current Cabinet of Ministers had been issue had been in place since 2001, having President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. been regularly extended. (Continued on page 8) “Ilya Yemets and Ihor Umansky are pro- (Continued on page 27) “Heroes of Liberty” congressional event dedicated to Ukraine’s veterans UNIS administration officials and the Ukrainian American Veterans (UAV). WASHINGTON – In mid-March, the United In his opening remarks, Mr. Sawkiw States Congress witnessed a unique briefing spoke of the significance of being a veteran dedicated to the plight of Ukrainian veterans of the current war in Ukraine: “This war, a who served on the frontlines in defending war of Russian aggression, came about not Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. by the will of the Ukrainian people. But the The honorary co-hosts of the event were might and strong will of the Ukrainian peo- the Congressional Ukraine Caucus and the ple have stood fervently in defense of their Senate Ukraine Caucus, while sponsors country from Russia’s 2014 illegal annexa- included the Ukrainian Congress Committee tion of the Crimean peninsula and [Vladimir] of America (UCCA), Pylyshenko Family Putin’s invasion of eastern Ukraine.” Foundation, United Ukrainian American Quoting the South African human rights Relief Committee (UUARC), Embassy of activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu – “If you Ukraine in the U.S.A., Ukrainian American are neutral in situations of injustice, you Community Foundation of the Ukrainian have chosen the side of the oppressor” – Mr. Federal Credit Union Foundation and Sawkiw related that the purpose behind the OliaFilm. congressional briefing was to prevent com- UCCA Executive Vice-President and placency about the Russian aggression Ukrainian National Information Service against Ukraine that has occurred since (UNIS) Director Michael Sawkiw Jr. moder- UNIS February 2014 and continues to this day. ated the panel discussion, which brought Panelists at the congressional briefing (from left): Roman Fontana and Darren Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), co-chair of together hierarchs and clergy, government Holowka, Ukrainian American Veterans; Bishop Stepan Sus, Ukrainian Greek- the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, reiterat- officials from Ukraine, members of Catholic Church; Henry Huntley, senior advisor to the executive director at the U.S. Congress, representatives of NGOs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Continued on page 8) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020 No. 14 ANALYSIS Kozak-Yermak plan on Donbas: Ukraine records 804 coronavirus cases UGCC ready to help in coronavirus fight Ukraine’s Health Ministry on April 2 said The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is A look at the fine print the number of confirmed coronavirus cases ready to work closely with doctors and can had reached 804, including 20 deaths. provide them with premises on its church by Vladimir Socor between Kyiv and Donetsk-Luhansk, the Thirteen people have recovered. Mean- properties if necessary, Patriarch Eurasia Daily Monitor Consultative Council would work out while, a second transport of medical equip- Sviatoslav, primate of the UGCC, stated on “political and legislative decisions” for ment arrived in Kyiv from China on March March 22 in his sermon. “Dear health work- The meeting of the Minsk-based Contact implementing the Minsk “agreements” in 29. The plane carrying 300,000 respirators, ers, you are on the frontline today, you sac- Group, held by videoconference on March Ukraine’s legislation. Evidently, it can refer 35,000 protection suits and 1.8 million sur- rifice your health and life to save the health 24-26, had been expected to officially cre- such decisions to the Contact Group’s polit- gical masks landed at Boryspil airport, said and life of sick people in need. Your Church ate a new negotiating forum, named the ical working group; but just as obviously, it Kirill Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the is with you! We are praying for you,” he Consultative Council – in fact, an accretion can short-circuit the Contact Group by Presidential Office of Ukraine. The emer- said. The patriarch assures that the Church to the Minsk Contact Group on the conflict means of direct negotiations between Kyiv gency situation declared by Ukraine’s gov- will do everything possible to prevent the in eastern Ukraine. The meeting, however, and Donetsk-Luhansk in the Consultative ernment remains in effect and has been point at which doctors will have to decide did not finalize that decision, as Kyiv Council. extended through April 24. (RFE/RL) who should live and who should die due to demurred at the last moment. Officials in This initiative proceeds from the “neces- the lack of medical supplies. “In the days of 107 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kyiv Kyiv declared that signing the documents sity of a comprehensive political settlement the Maidan, all our parishes, churches, by videoconference would have been of the conflict” and singles out “elections” In Kyiv, there are 107 confirmed corona- monasteries were opened and immediately “physically impossible” (see accompanying in Donetsk-Luhansk in this regard. But it virus cases, Mayor Vitali Klitschko told turned into hospitals, underground hospi- article on page 3). omits any mention of the security prerequi- reporters on April 1. Mr. Klitschko said tals. If needed, the entire ecclesial and spiri- Russia’s presidential envoy, Dmitry sites to elections and to any political settle- fines for people with COVID-19 who do not tual space will become the hospitals where Kozak, had initiated the plan and prepared ment, undermining Kyiv’s defense of the self-isolate range from $600 to $1,200. we will save human lives together with you. the documents for the Contact Group’s pre- “security first” principle. Police and National Guard are now ran- But you are to teach us how to do it. We are ceding meeting, on March 11, in Minsk. The The Consultative Council would com- domly checking the temperatures of driv- able to learn quickly and well so that Ukrainian presidential envoy, Andriy prise 10 representatives “of Ukraine [sic]” ers and passengers of cars entering the city.