Conclusion of THE YEAR IN REVIEW pages 7-15 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVIII No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 $2.00 NEWS ANALYSIS Pompeo visits Kyiv in the middle Despite diffi culties, Zelenskyy of Trump impeachment inquiry still enjoys signifi cant support by Bohdan Nahaylo While it is not possible to explain these sharp fluctuations with certainty, much KYIV – New polling results about the rat- depends on the type of questions asked ings of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and and how the results are reported. Different Ukraine’s top political parties have con- pollsters ask about the level of trust in the firmed both relative stability in political president or degree of satisfaction with his attitudes as well as creeping impatience performance. Upon presentation in the with the pace of change. Furthermore, news media, the results are usually simpli- there have been a have been a number of fied to read as the degree of his popularity. noteworthy developments on the domestic In this most recent poll, it was also scene that help illuminate how the political pointed out by the Kyiv Post that the initial situation in Ukraine is developing. version of the survey’s results stated that The president’s ruling Servant of the President Zelenskyy’s rating stood at 51.6 People party, plagued by scandals and percent, but was later corrected to 49 per- under relentless fire from its political oppo- cent. nents, appears to be holding its own. If Paradoxically, these findings do not elections were to be held now, it would still seem to square with the results of another Presidential Office of Ukraine win more seats than its three main rivals opinion poll, conducted by the Rating U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy combined. Mr. Zelenskyy, however, has to Sociological Group and published on during their joint briefing in Kyiv on January 31. contend with an apparent erosion of his February 5, which affirm the enduring sup- popularity, which for the first time has fall- port of most of those polled for Mr. by Roman Tymotsko Atlantic integration,” according to the en to under 50 percent. Zelenskyy’s party. If elections were to be Department of State. The secretary of state According to a survey conducted on held this weekend, four political parties KYIV – On January 31, U.S. Secretary of also met with Metropolitan Epifaniy of the January 24-28 by the Social Monitoring would pass the 5 percent threshold and State Michael R. Pompeo visited Kyiv on Orthodox Church of Ukraine, civil society Center and the Ukrainian Institute for Social win representation in the Verkhovna Rada. January 31, becoming the first senior activists and business leaders, and partici- Research named after Oleksandr Yare- Servant of the People remains far ahead Trump administration official to travel to pated in a wreath-laying ceremony to menko that was published on February 3, of other parties and is supported by 42.2 Ukraine since the House of Representatives honor those who have fallen in the Russian- 49.4 percent those polled were satisfied percent of those polled. This is only slightly impeached President Donald Trump. Ukrainian war in the Donbas region while with President Zelenskyy’s performance, down from the 43.16 percent in last July’s During his visit, Mr. Pompeo met with defending their homeland. while 39.3 percent were not. Mr. Zelen- election. The pro-Russian Opposition President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign “Ukrainians continue to fight this battle skyy’s rating has plummeted from 73 per- Platform – For Life party remains in second Affairs Minister Vadym Prystaiko and as they work to build a modern, democrat- cent in September 2019 to 52 percent at the place, with 13.5 percent supporting it, a Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk to ic, Western state. They know that a free and end of November 2019, and then rose again “underscore the United States’ strong sup- sharply in December 2019 to 67 percent. (Continued on page 16) port for Ukraine and the country’s Euro- (Continued on page 16) Johnson family donates $70K for Soyuzivka upgrades by Matthew Dubas experience into the future. Maya Lew, who is front office and events manager at PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A major donation of Soyuzivka, noted, “This is a place of cher- $70,000 to renovate the Sich building at ished memories for many campers that Soyuzivka Heritage Center in Kerhonkson, pass through here and keep coming back N.Y., was announced by Soyuzivka manage- over the years, and we will keep the Ircha ment and the Ukrainian National and Johnson families informed as to the Foundation (UNF), the charitable arm of progress of the work that was made possi- the Ukrainian National Association and the ble through their donation.” owner of Soyuzivka. This all got started with the longstand- The donation, made by the Robert W. ing relationship the Ircha family has with Johnson IV Charitable Trust, of the Johnson Ms. Lew, who in speaking with The and Johnson Corp., began with an initial Ukrainian Weekly, explained that her fami- donation of $25,000, then added another ly and the Ircha family would summer $25,000, and then finally an additional together at Camp St. Basil on the shores of $20,000 for a total of $70,000. The dona- Barclay Lake in the village of Beach Lake, tion is earmarked for the renovation of the Pa., near Narrowsburg, N.Y., on property Sich building that typically houses campers operated by the Catholic Order of St. Basil and staff during the summer camps held at the Great. Soyuzivka. It was Suzanne Ircha Johnson’s brother, The Johnson family requested that its Steve Ircha, who maintained the family Maya Lew generous donation be earmarked for The Sich building that houses campers and staff during summer camps at Soyuzivka something specific to benefit the camp Heritage Center. (Continued on page 18) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020 No. 6 ANALYSIS Russia’s unilateral Black Sea aggression Number of national deputies to be 300 with a particular branch of church. In January, Metropolitan Epifaniy, the head of elicits protests from Ukraine, Georgia The Verkhovna Rada on February 4 the OCU, said some 600 parishes in Ukraine approved a bill in one of two readings that aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate had Organization (NATO) members located would amend the Constitution of Ukraine in one year switched over to the newly by John C. K. Daly and reduce the number of lawmakers in Eurasia Daily Monitor along the Black Sea basin: Turkey, Bulgaria formed Church. The UOC-MP doesn’t recog- and Romania. However, any maritime assis- the chamber from 450 to 300. A slim nize and opposes the OCU, which was Since the 1991 implosion of the Soviet tance from non-Black Sea NATO members majority of 236 lawmakers voted for granted independence in January 2019 by Union, the Russian Federation’s relations is severely constrained by the 1936 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s draft law the Patriarchate of Constantinople in with its immediate Black Sea neighbors – Montreux Convention, which heavily limits that would amend two articles of the Istanbul. The OCU now registers 7,000 par- the former Soviet republics of Georgia and the type, tonnage and duration of extra- Constitution. The other change would ishes, 77 monasteries and 47 dioceses, or Ukraine – have veered from frigid to open regional maritime forces that can be intro- enshrine a purely proportional electoral ecclesiastical districts. The OCU has been conflict. Russia engaged in a brief war in duced to the Black Sea via the Turkish system and eliminate single-seat constitu- recognized by the Greek Orthodox Church 2008 with Georgia; then, six years later, it Straits (Treaties.un.org, July 20, 1936, encies. Single-mandate districts currently and the Patriarchate of Alexandria. The forcibly absorbed Ukraine’s Crimea and accessed February 1). make up half of the Rada’s 450 seats and UOC-MP boasts 12,300 registered church sparked a “separatist” war in Donbas. In the future, Russia’s maritime Black have often been used as a way for oligarchs, communities, a figure that religious experts Now, the latest flashpoint between the Sea dominance is likely to increase given sports stars and celebrities to get elected. say is inflated and which in actuality num- trio has been over the Sea of Azov and the the Ministry of Defense’s projected acquisi- The language of the legislation still could be bers between 9,000 and 10,000 parishes. northeastern Black Sea. On January 18, tion plans. In 2019, the ministry signed changed before a final second reading, but The survey was conducted on January Ukraine and Georgia filed a complaint with nearly 50 contracts with Russian defense in its current form the bill stipulates that 17-21 with a sample size of 2,000 respon- the International Maritime Organization companies for a record-high total of more citizens who’ve lived at least five years in dents aged 18 and over who were ques- than 1 trillion rubles (over $16 billion U.S.) (IMO) over Russia’s unilateral and unlawful the country and fluently speak the tioned in all the regions of Ukraine except actions obstructing search-and-rescue (RIA Novosti, January 2). This amount Ukrainian language qualify for a parliamen- for occupied Crimea and areas of the operations in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov includes planned purchases of two Russian tary seat. A constitutional majority of 300 Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the gov- and the Kerch Strait, which connects the vessels similar to the French-built Mistral- votes is needed for the bill to pass in its ernment doesn’t control.