Ukrainian Week v Vol. LVII No. 9 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1989 50 cents Cancers increase in Ukraine Gorbachev's visit to Ukraine in area of Chornobyl plant spurs detentions, angry protests JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The lasting ed. JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Soviet leader residents the day before. after-effects of the tragic Chornobyl In the Narodychy district, where the Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Ukraine Mr. Gorbachev's visit to the nuclear reactor explosion are being felt Petrovsky collective farm is located, last week prompted detentions and Ukrainian capital on Monday, in Ukraine, as cancer cases have dou­ eight percent of the population is demonstrations in Lviv and Kiev, February 20, was preceded by a mass bled in the area around the plant, contaminated at a rate of 3 to 10 micro- reported the press service of the public rally on Sunday which, Moscow News reported on February curies, although Soviet radiologists Ukrainian Helsinki Union and The according to Reuters, attracted some 15. have determined that a level of 4.4. Washington Post. 2,000 people to October Revolution Almost three years after the explos­ micro-curies of Cesium 137 can cause Seven leading Ukrainian national Square in the city's center. The meeting ion, more than half the children in a "major modifications" in the body. rights activists were detained for more was reportedly organized by the Kiev district 31 to 56 miles from the reactor Moscow News stated that the Ukrain­ than six hours during the Soviet branch of the Ukrainian Helsinki Union are suffering from a thyroid gland ian authorities have divided the area president's brief swing through the and the Hromada society in accordance disease and the number of cancers, near the plant into "clean" and "non- western Ukrainian city of Lviv on with a recent notice in Izvestia allowing mostly esophagus and mouth cancers, clean" zones and have allocated to February 21, reported the UHU. public meetings focused on the has doubled, according to the Moscow residents of the "non-clean" zones a The dissidents were detained by KGB upcoming March 26 national legislative News disclosures. ruble a day to help them purchase food agents before Mr. Gorbachev's arrival elections. Although official reports over the last from other areas. However, "clean- and were held in local militia stations UHU activists carried signs and 33 months have denied any signs of zone" foods were in short supply and until he departed at about 8 p.m. The distributed leaflets calling on citizens lasting effects due to the nuclear explos­ local contaminated foods continued to detainees were: Ukrainian Catholic not to cast votes for Ukrainian party ion, birth defects in animals near be eaten by the people. activist Ivan Hel; Mykhailo Horyn, boss Volodymyr Shcherbytsky, Zhytomyr have increased substantially. Volodimir Kolinko, a writer for Bohdan Horyn, Pavlo Skochok, Ukrainian President Valentyna At the Petrovsky collective farm, more Moscow News, described the calves Hryhoriy Prykhodko and Ivan Shevchenko and other members of the than 30 miles outside Chornobyl, dur­ born without heads and pigs with Kandyba of the UHU; and Iryna "old guard" to the new Congress of ing the first year after the accident, 64 deformed skulls or no eyes that he saw Kalynets, editor of the independent People's Deputies. deformed animals were registered, during his visit to the farm. journal Yevshan Zillia. On Monday, the day of Mr. among them 37 pigs and 27 calves, while "My daughter got married recently, "I was just walking out of my building Gorbachev's visit, some 5,000 people in the first nine months of 1988, 76 such what will my grandchild look like?" when all of a sudden I was arrested," . gathered in October Revolution Square cases were reported. During a five-year cried an old woman who pushed an Mr. Hel was quoted as saying in a to protest against Mr. Shcherbytsky period before the April 1986 accident eyeless pig toward the Moscow News telephone interview, The Post reported and demand the formation of a only three such births were document­ correspondent. on February 22. "They obviously didn't Ukrainian popular front. During the want us around when Gorbachev came Monday rally someone in the crowd to town." reportedly held up the blue and yellow "What they did, in arresting us, flag of the Ukrainian National Republic Party, writers clash on creation ignores the most elementary laws we are causing a melee between plainclothes supposed to live by," The Post quoted police and activists. The police, of popular front in Ukraine Bohdan Horyn as having said. however, were unsuccessful in their Upon arrival in Lviv, the Soviet attempt to seize the flag because a large crowd surrounded its bearer in order by Bohdan Nahaylo Shcherbytsky — the man appointed by leader was reportedly greeted by First to protect him, reported the UHU press Leonid Brezhnev in 1972 to suppress all Secretary Pohrebniak of the Lviv service. A serious dispute has broken out in forms of Ukrainian national asser- Communist Party, Lviv poet Roman Kiev that threatens to widen the already tiveness — made it clear that they were Lubkivsky and a group of children Two more days of demonstrations broad rift between the Communist anxious not to allow Ukraine to go the dressed in Ukrainian national costume, concerning the March 26 elections took Party authorities in Ukraine and the way of the Baltic republics. who welcomed him with the traditional place in Kiev's city center to protest the nationally minded Ukrainian intelli­ The new groups were not allowed to bread and salt. unfairness of the elections, according to gentsia led by the Writers' Union of hold gatherings, unauthorized public Mr. Gorbachev was driven to the city the Associated Press. Ukraine, Since November, leading meetings were broken up and dissenters center in front of the Lviv Opera On Tuesday, February 21, protesters Ukrainian writers have been calling for, were harassed, detained, and attacked Theater where scores of police and KGB displayed an eight-foot replica of a and attempting to form, a mass-based in the press. Through the use of strong- had condoned off the area from angry ballot with the names of the candidates Ukainian organization on the model of arm tactics the fledgling popular fronts protesters and allowed in only three crossed out and criticized the the Baltic popular fronts. in Lviv and Kiev were effectively busloads of people selected from among government's failure to permit multi- The party authorities in Kiev, ho­ stifled, though not snuffed out comp­ employees of local factories by area candidate elections. Mr. Shcherbytsky's wever, appear as determined as ever not letely. officials. name was crossed out on the protesters' to allow such a movement for national "Gorbachev spoke a great deal about banner, as were the names of other renewal and genuine restructuring to Writers revive the idea openness and reform, but what actually Ukrainian officials. A poster in the come into being regardless of whether happened was just the opposite," Mr. crowd reportedly said: "Fear! Why is its organizers are dissidents or repre­ During the next few months, the Hel was quoted as saying. "The people there only one candidate on the ballot?" sentatives of the Ukrainian cultural contrast between the remarkable suc­ were told to ask Gorbachev about Oles Shevchenko, head of UHU's establishment, including party mem­ cesses of the Baltic popular fronts and housing problems, and so on, but Kiev branch, told the AP that virtually bers. the continuing "stagnation" in Ukraine nothing really acute or about the all Ukrainian leaders were running under Mr. Shcherbytsky contributed to national situation. Gorbachev was unopposed and voters seeking For related story, see page 2 the growth oi Irustration and radica- deceived if he believes this was alternatives would only be able to cross lization among nationally minded representative." out their names. Meanwhile the party Last summer, attempts were made by elements of the Ukrainian population. Some protesters did manage to break had promised that the March 26 "informal groups" in both the western There were even signs of admiration for through the police barricades, but by elections would offer more than one Ukrainian city of Lviv and in the what the Baits were doing within the that time the Soviet leader had entered candidate for seats in the new all-union Ukrainian capital, Kiev, to follow the Ukrainian Komsomol. the opera house to view a performance, legislature. example of the Baits and to launch Nevertheless, although as early July the UHU press service reported. Mr. Protesters were confronted with popular movements in support of rest­ 1988, Ivan Drach, the Ukrainian poet Gorbachev also toured the local competing demonstrators who, activists ructuring. The Ukrainian authorities, and chairman of the Kiev Branch of the television factory before returning to claimed, were government agents. however, still headed by Voioaymyr (Continued on page 10) Kiev, where he was confronted by angry (Continued on page 14) A GLIMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY GLASNOST DIARY: Party attacks Ukrainian writers recording changes in the USSR for proposing front program interested in the music we made, so that M.B.A. in USSR? always made me very optimistic about the relations between our countries. It by Bohdan Nahaylo From what can be gleaned from the The first Soviet business school didn't put us off Russians. We love you material published by the two newspa­ recently opened in Kiev, the capital of — madly," Mr. McCartney said. Leading members of the Writers' pers, the draft program has a broad Ukraine. Its founder, Sergei Berezo- Union of Ukraine have come under scope and deals with political, econo­ venko, a U.S.-trained business graduate strong attack from party ideologues and mic, language and ecological issues.