The Ukrainian Weekly 2011-18

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Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association

$1/$2 in UkraineVol. LXXIX No. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011TheUkrainianWeekly

Rada approves displayof Soviet victory ag

by Zenon Zawada

Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV Ukraines pro-Russian par-liamentary coalition voted on April 21to require all administrative buildingsto hang the Soviet victory flag on thenational holiday of Victory Day (May9), recognized as the day that theGerman Nazis surrendered to theSoviet Red Army.

Not since Ukraine declared indepen-dence from the Soviet Union in 1991had the state required displacing ahammer-and-sickle flag, which is con-sidered a symbol of tyranny and geno-cide by millions of Ukrainians. Yetmillions of others view the flag withnostalgic fondness and as a symbol ofliberation.

(Continued on page 22)

by Zenon Zawada

Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV The Kharkiv agreementssigned on April 21, 2010, by PresidentsViktor Yanukovych of Ukraine andDmitry Medvedev of Russia were billedas a boon to Ukrainian security and theeconomy, offering discounts in naturalgas and $40 billion in investmentresources.

Yet, a year later, natural gas prices

have doubled for Ukrainian households,with the discount going only to the coun-trys industrial barons. The Ukrainianeconomy is reeling, as economists esti-mate the real inflation rate this year atbetween 20 and 50 percent.

The price reduction for natural gas which we gained when signing theKharkiv agreements gave Ukraine $40billion over 10 years, meaning theRussian Federation was supposed toinvest in the Ukrainian economy $4 bil-lion annually, said former Minister of theEconomy Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who headsthe Front for Change party.

I looked at statistics and the realamount of income which Russia placed inthe Ukrainian economy amounted to $728

million. $3.3 billion disappeared some-where. Then I checked where these $700million went into Russian banks whichare buying Ukrainian assets, he said.

Indeed, the vast majority of observershold the view that was apparent just daysafter the Kharkiv agreements weresigned: the Ukrainian government wasgiving a lot putting the nations sover-

by Yaro Bihun

Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON The evening rush-hour traffic in front of the UkrainianEmbassy in the Georgetown area of theU.S. capital on April 25 was easing andquiet ing down when AmbassadorOlexander Motsyk asked the hundred orso people gathered inside to observe amoment of silence. It was 6:26 p.m. 1:26 a.m., April 26, in Ukraine themoment when 25 years ago the Chornobylnuclear power plant exploded, becomingthe most destructive civilian nuclearcatastrophe to date.

This memorial observance was the cul-mination of the Embassys ChornobylCommemoration Week, which includeda wreath-laying ceremony at the Taras

Kharkiv agreements elicit protestsone year after their signing

Embassy of Ukraine organizesChornobyl Commemoration Week


About 1,500 Ukrainians gathered at Shevchenko Park in Kyiv on April 27 todenounce the Kharkiv agreements signed on April 21, 2010, by Presidents Dmitry

Medvedev of Russia and Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Musyak

Ukrainian Ambassador Olexander Motsyk leads the memorial observance of the25th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Among those participating inthe ceremony was William Green Miller (right), former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Andrew Bihun

Shevchenko monument earlier that after-noon and began on April 21 with a confer-ence, Lessons from Chornobyl: 25 Years

Later, featuring international expertsaddressing the causes and short- and long-term consequences of that tragedy.

Attended by representatives of theU.S. government, the diplomatic corps,non-governmental organizations, theUkrainian American community andexperts in the various fields dealing withnuclear energy, the evening began with abrief memorial service led by the pastorof St. Andrew Ukrainian OrthodoxChurch, the Rev. Volodymyr Steliac.

Ambassador Motsyk, in his remarks,informed the gathering about the resultsof the recent international meetings in


eignty under threat for another quartercentury for precious little.

The Ukrainian government extended theRussian Black Sea Fleets lease on itsSevastopol base for another 25 years,beyond 2017, when it was scheduled toabandon the port. In return, the nations oli-garchs got a $100 discount on natural gasprices higher than $330 per 1,000 cubicmeters, and 30 percent off prices that arelower.

The average Ukrainian got no benefit

because the natural gas used in householdsto fuel ovens and heat radiators is fromUkraines own domestic supplies, saidAndriy Novak, chair of the Committee ofEconomists of Ukraine.

But the discount gained for industrialcustomers still failed to bring the price thatUkraine pays for Gazproms natural gasinto line with that paid by European coun-terparts, critics said. Gazprom is theRussian state monopoly that exports naturalgas to Europe.

Ukraine has been practically subsidiz-ing Gazprom during the last several years,Mr. Yatsenyuk said. I reviewed all theprices between Ukraine and EuropeanUnion countries. On average, we overpaidour Russian partners close to $50 per 1,000

cubic meters of gas. Last year we subsi-dized Russian Gazprom by $2 billion. Thisis money that we take from theInternational Monetary Fund and give ourRussian partners for gas. This year, I expect$3 billion.

Besides pragmatic concerns, critics ofthe Kharkiv agreements agree they violate

InsIde:

A Ukrainian Summer

a special 24-page pullout section.


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No. 18THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 20112

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Obama on massacre of Armenians

WASHINGTON Marking the anni-versary of the massacre of Armenians inTurkey nearly a century ago, PresidentBarack Obama called it a horrificslaughter, but once again stopped short ofcalling it genocide. In a written state-ment, Mr. Obama said the 1915 killingsof some 1.5 million Armenians representone of the worst atrocities of the 20thcentury. But for the third straight year, hefailed to use the word genocide todescribe it, the Associated Press notedon April 23. The news service pointed outthat, As a candidate for president,Obama repeatedly vowed to recognizethe genocide once in office, vowing aprincipled commitment to commemorat-ing and ending genocide. But since 2009,Obama has declined to use the word in theface of furious resistance from Turkey, akey NATO ally. (Associated Press)

Yanukovych and Medvedev meet

KYIV Presidents Viktor Yanukovychof Ukraine and Dmitry Medvedev ofRussia, who arrived in Kyiv to participatein commemorative events marking the25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disas-ter, met at the Zalissia state house outsideKyiv, it was reported on April 27. Mr.Yanukovych noted that the meeting was agood opportunity to discuss topical issuesof bilateral relations between Ukraine andRussia, in particular, the fifth Ukrainian-Russian intergovernmental commissionmeeting in June. We still have a lot ofquestions that we have to solve togetherwith you, the president of Ukraine said.Mr. Yanukovych thanked his Russiancounterpart for the active participation ofthe Russian delegation in the events com-memorating the 25th anniversary of theChornobyl tragedy. The Russian presi-dent, in turn, assured that Russia wouldcontinue to cooperate with Ukraine inovercoming the consequences of theChornobyl accident, in particular on theissue of construction of a new shelterfacility. Mr. Medvedev also noted theneed to discuss current issues and newprojects that have emerged in connectionwith the positive developments in rela-

tions between the two countries. Onething is absolutely certain: our relation-ship has gotten out of crisis, both interper-sonal and economic, the Russian presi-dent said. (Ukrinform)

Yanukovych: Chornobyl has no boundaries

KYIV The Chornobyl catastrophehas no boundaries, President ViktorYanukovych of Ukraine said after therequiem service in memory of victims ofthe Chornobyl disaster celebrated byPatriarch of Moscow and All RussiaKirill I and Metropolitan of Kyiv and AllUkraine Volodymyr of the MoscowPatriarchate. Mr. Yanukovych said thatChornobyl clean-up workers 25 years agowere not separated by borders of differentcountries. These were people who foughttogether with the consequences of thisaccident, the head of state emphasized.He added that the authorities today aredoing everything to ensure that peoplewho are directly related to the elimination

of the Chornobyl accidents aftermath livebetter. Mr. Yanukovych expressed confi-dence that the feat of the Chornobyl acci-dents liquidators will forever remain inour memory. From the distance of time,we see that this tragedy has no boundar-ies, likewise the tragedy that happened inJapan at the Fukushima-1 nuclear powerplant. The entire world saw that one can-not fight the grief alone, he stressed.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev saidthe Chornobyl clean-up workers gavetheir lives to save other people. He saidthat over the past 25 years very difficultwork on the aftermath of the Chornobylaccident has been done. Unfortunately,for many who worked right here it costtheir lives. And at the expense of their

lives they saved other people, theRussian president emphasized. He saidthat, due to the clean-up workers, fire-fighters, rescue workers and doctors, theeffects of Chornobyl have not acquired aglobal nature, although they were tremen-dous. We must remember this, Mr.Medvedev said adding that no one has yetoffered an alternative to nuclear power.(Ukrinform)

ANALYSIS


by Pavel Korduban

Eurasia Daily Monitor

Ukraines leadership has left Moscowsinvitation to join the Russia, Belarus andKazakhstan Customs Union unansweredeven after Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin personally traveled toKyiv to advertise its benefits. Instead, Mr.Putin was told once more that the problemof expensive Russian gas is more impor-tant for Ukraine. Moreover, Kyiv has cho-sen a new tacti in the gas pricing dispute,trying to prove that the January 2009 con-tract according to which the price of gasfor Ukraine is calculated per quarter isillegal.

Mr. Putin arrived in Kyiv on April 12and the Customs Union dominated hisagenda. The prime minister repeated hisearlier warnings that Russia would erect

trade barriers against Ukraine if Kyiv pre-ferred free trade with the European Union.At the same time, Mr. Putin said Ukrainewould earn an additional $6.5 billion to$9 billion and up to 2 percent in additionalGDP growth per annum if it joined theCustoms Union (Interfax, April 12).

He did not provide any details on hiscalculat ions, but Customs UnionExecutive Secretary Sergey Glazyevexplained that the benefits for Ukrainewould include lower gas prices, lower oilexport duties and more Ukrainian exportsto Customs Union countries. Additionally,Ukraine would be compensated for lossesresulting from violations of World TradeOrganization (WTO) norms which would

be inevitable if Ukraine joined theCustoms Union (Kommersant-Ukraine,April 18). While Ukraine is a WTO mem-

ber, Customs Union countries are onlynegotiating to join it.

Mr. Putins words apparently fell ondeaf ears. Ukrainian President ViktorYanukovych and Prime Minister MykolaAzarov left his invitations unanswered asUkraine prefers to continue political asso-ciation and free trade talks with theEuropean Union, which had made clearthat the talks would collapse if Ukraine

joined the Customs Union. On April 18,Mr. Yanukovych and visiting EuropeanCommission President Jose ManuelBarroso agreed that the talks should becompleted by the end of this year(UNIAN, April 18).

Mr. Yanukovych reportedly told Mr.Putin that political association and free

trade with the EU remained the priorityfor Ukraine while cooperation with theCustoms Union should be developeda c c o r d i n g t o a 3 + 1 f o r m a t(Kommersant-Ukraine, April 13).

The format, which Yanukovych men-tioned for the first time in his April 7 stateof the nation address, has yet to beexplained. It must have been invented toeither politely refuse Moscows invitationto join the Customs Union or to put morepressure on the EU in the free trade talks,which are proceeding with difficulty asUkraine wants to receive more access toEuropean markets than the EU is ready tooffer.

by Vladimir Socor

Eurasia Daily Monitor

Undermining their own negotiatingposition, Ukraines top leaders sound des-perate for a price discount on Russian gasand hurriedly offer pre-emptive conces-sions to Moscow. On April 21 PresidentViktor Yanukovych, declared, Ukrainecannot afford this [current] price. The sit-uation is on the edge. Our industry can

barely compete.Mr. Yanukovych announced the start

of efforts to negotiate a second phaseof lowering the price of Russian gas, afterthe first phase embodied in the Kharkivagreements exactly one year ago.According to Mr. Yanukovych, it wouldbe perfectly acceptable to Ukraine toswitch to Russian ruble accounting forgas, if Russia lowers the price (Interfax-Ukraine, UNIAN, April 21).

With similar urgency, Prime MinisterMykola Azarov proclaimed the goal oflowering the price of Russian gas to $200per 1,000 cubic meters (bcm), meaning aone-third cut from the present level. Mr.Azarov relentlessly described the existingprice as enslavement of Ukraine, blam-

ing the former government of YuliaTymoshenko while pleading with Russiafor fairness and proposing Ukrainianasset transfers in return.

Mr. Azarov hopes for an even deeperdiscount to $170 per 1,000 bcm, asagreed by Gazprom for a volume of 4bcm delivered to Ukrainian oligarchDmytro Firtashs fertilizer enterprises,timed to the agricultural season. Mr.

Firtash has qualified for this favor as themain Ukrainian owner of Gazproms

joint venture in Ukraine, RosUkrEnergo(Den, April 19).

Under the Kharkiv agreements of April21, 2010, Russia granted Ukraine a 30percent discount on the price of gas, rela-tive to the January 2009 agreement con-cluded by the Tymoshenko government.In return for the favor, Mr. Yanukovychagreed with Russian President Dmitry

Medvedev to prolong the stationing ofRussias Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainesterritory until well into the 2040s.

That discount notwithstanding, the gasprice per 1,000 bcm is rebounding to lev-els that hurt Ukraines inefficient steeland chemical industries. After a fleetingdrop from $306 in the first quarter of2010 to $233 in the second quarter (animmediate result of the Kharkiv agree-ments), the price rose to $249 in the thirdquarter, $252 in the fourth, $264 in thefirst quarter of 2011, $295 in this yearssecond quarter and is forecast at $300 onan annualized basis in 2011. The mainfactor behind the upward curve is the pegof the gas price to the cost of the oil prod-ucts basket. The latters cost surge is

attributed to the Arab turmoil, amongother factors (Interfax-Ukraine, April 14,21).

Ukrainian leaders, particularly Mr.Azarov, almost beseeched Russian PrimeMinister Vladimir Putin for another pricecut when Mr. Putin visited Kyiv on April12. Mr. Putin sternly warned Kyiv (ormore to the point, Donetsk) to comply

Kyiv ignores Russias invitationto join Customs Union

Ukraines government seeksanother discount on Russian gas




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3THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011No.18

On April 19, upon the initiative ofPresident Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine, ahigh-level meeting dubbed the KyivSummit on Safe and Innovative Use of

Nuclear Energy was held in Kyiv with theparticipation of delegations representingmore than 60 states and internationalorganizations. Following is the declarationissued at the conclusion of the summit.

We, heads of states, governments andthe representatives of the participatingstates and organizations, have gathered inKyiv on the eve of the 25th anniversaryof the Chornobyl accident to reaffirm ourcommitment to work cooperatively in thearea of nuclear safety, with the aim ofstrengthening our collective capabilitiesto prevent and mitigate the occurrence ofsuch accidents in the future.

Earlier today, we discussed the out-come of international cooperative efforts,embracing the G-8 countries, as well asmore than 20 other states, the EU[European Union] and the EBRD[European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment] to decommission theChornobyl nuclear plant and transformthe damaged reactor site to an environ-mentally safe and secure condition. We

demonstrated our will and ability to worktogether to bring resolution to nuclearincidents. The Chornobyl pledging con-ference raised 550 million euros. Somestates consider the amount of their contri-bution. These funds support completionof the final stages of work to render thedamaged Unit 4 site safe and illustrateour ability to collectively bring closure tothis nuclear legacy.

Keeping in mind the lessons learnedfrom the Chornobyl disaster, we are con-vinced that application of safety measuresmust continue to be a top priority in allactivities related to nuclear energy use.The highest standards of nuclear safetyare an indispensable prerequisite for theuse of nuclear energy.

Th e u n f o l d i n g e v e n t s a t t h eFukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant remindus of the importance of strengtheningnuclear safety and of responding prompt-ly to nuclear accidents and emergencies,including those caused by large scale nat-ural disasters. These events demonstratethat nuclear safety is enhanced when theglobal community works together to meetthese challenges.

We strongly believe that cooperationand exchange of best practices in the fieldof planning, siting, building and opera-tion of nuclear facilities will contribute tothe enhancement of nuclear safety. In thisconnection, we urge all of the states thathave not yet acceded to the Conventionon Nuclear Safety to do so as soon aspossible. We urge the nuclear energyindustry and regulators in states withnuclear power plants to review existingpower plants in order to verify their capa-

bilities to maintain safety even in the faceof severe adverse events.

We are committed to maintaining thehighest levels of emergency preparednessand response capability to mitigate theeffects of a nuclear accident. In addition,we strive to maintain, to the extent possi-ble, transparency during such crises tokeep the public informed as events tran-spire and on the evolution of events.

FOR THE RECORD: Declarationof Kyiv summit on nuclear energy

Quotable notesTheres a lovely saying that time heals all wounds. But in Chornobyl, time is

healing nothing because the radioactive danger will continue to exist for hundredsand thousands of years. In the case of plutonium, we are talking about a half lifeof 24,000 years. The new protective casing is officially expected to last for 100years, but that is just a blink of an eye.

We must face the fact that Chornobyl donor conferences will still be heldfor decades to come even for hundreds of years. The accident was a catastropheof Europe-wide scope. If we truly believe in the idea of a common Europe, thenwe cannot force Ukraine to deal with the problem on its own.

Tobias Mnchmeyer, deputy director of Greenpeace Germanys policy officein Berlin and the organizations nuclear power expert, in an April 20 interviewwith Spiegel Online titled How Many Chernobyls Can the World Afford?

by Daisy Sindelar

RFE/RL

Tovstyi Lis was once a pretty villagein northern Ukraine surrounded by roll-ing hills and orchards. Today, the villageno longer exists, razed to the ground

after the Chornobyl catastrophe.On April 26, 1986, the powerfulexplosion that tore through Chornobylsnuclear power plant spewed radioactivematerial across large swathes of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

Tovstyi Lis, just 11 kilometers away,was one of the worst-hit areas. It wasevacuated within weeks and became partof the exclusion zone that now surroundsthe crippled nuclear reactor.

Olha Bolyura was born in Tovstyi Lis.Of the 3,000 people who lived in the vil-lage before the accident, she says only ahandful are still alive.

There are almost no people left. Allthe drivers have died, all the buildershave died. These were young people,and now just a few are left, she says.Somehow its the young people whodied first. The elderly are still alive.

All because of Chornobyl

When the reactor exploded, Ms.Bolyura, who was then 32 years old,lived in Kyiv with her husband and theiryoung son. But the rest of her familylived in Tovstyi Lis or in neighboringtowns and was exposed to massive dosesof radiation.

Ms. Bolyuras father died one yearafter the Chornobyl explosion. Herbrother, who helped clean up the con-taminated wreckage, died four yearsago, after suffering a brain tumor andthree strokes.

Her other relatives are all battlingserious health conditions that Ms.Bolyura blames on radiation.

Ms. Bolyuras niece Natalya, whowas a healthy teenager at the time of theaccident, is the most severely disabled.

She cannot walk. She is blind. She

is an invalid of the first category, shesays. Its awful to see her suffering. Shedrags herself through the house on herbackside. Her legs have given out; herarms are weak. This is all because ofChornobyl.

Natalya is the only member of thefamily to receive compensation from thestate in the form of a monthly invalidspension that is barely enough to coverher basic needs.

Like many in Ukraine and Belarus,Ms. Bolyura resents the Soviet govern-ment for initially covering up the disas-ter. Now, 25 years later, she says author-ities are deliberately playing down itslong-term health effects.

Imprisoned for criticism?

Yury Bandazhevsky is a medicalpathologist who was the first expert inBelarus to study the consequences of theChornobyl disaster.

While head of the Gomel MedicalInstitute located in one of the citiesworst affected by the meltdown Mr.Bandazhevsky chronicled a growingincidence of cancer and other afflictionsin the wake of Chornobyl. He criticizedSoviet authorities for their failure torespond urgently to the crisis by provid-ing quick supplies of substances likepotassium iodide, which can prevent theabsorption of radioactive iodine into thethyroid.

Mr. Bandazhevsky was imprisoned by

NEWS ANALYSIS: Chornobyl a troubled health legacyBelarusian authorities in a case thatinternational watchdogs like AmnestyInternational believe was tied to hisopenly critical stance. After his release,Mr. Bandazhevsky left Belarus and nowworks in France and Ukraine.

An ardent opponent of nuclear power,

he tells RFE/RLs Belarus Service thatauthorities in Minsk even today continueto disregard the massive health crisiscaused by the disaster. He says falloutfrom Japans Fukushima reactor, dam-aged in Marchs earthquake and tsunami,as well as plans to construct a newRussian-built reactor in Belarus, willonly exacerbate illnesses in peoplewhose health has already been compro-mised by radiation from Chornobyl.

Several generations already havebeen exposed to large doses of radiation,and the result is the poor state of healththat were now seeing, he says.Cardiovascular disease and cancer allthis is a consequence. And any additionaldoses [of radiation], even small ones, willcause peoples health to deteriorate fur-

ther because theyre already in poorhealth, with lowered immunity and meta-bolic problems. So to receive additionalradiation on top of that is highly undesir-able.

The health effects of the Chornobyldisaster have long been subject to debate.But researchers generally agree that theincidence of thyroid cancer, particularlyamong children, increased thirtyfold after1986.

Tens of thousands of cases have sincebeen reported, as have rises in the inci-dence of breast cancer, intestinal cancer,cancer of the bladder, lung cancer andgastric cancer. The risk of leukemia inchildren in the contamination zones isthree times higher than elsewhere.

Blame it on Chornobyl

Disorganized research standards inBelarus, Ukraine and Russia have meantthat not all health effects of Chornobylwere measurable. And that, say research-ers like Ukrainian psychiatrist SemyonGluzman, has caused a knock-on psycho-logical effect the sense among manysurvivors that all ailments are tied, in oneway or another, to Chornobyl.

Its interesting to observe that today,people who were born into an indepen-dent Ukraine, or people who have longsince forgotten about Chornobyl and areliving their nice Kyiv lives all the same,these people almost all say that their poorhealth is a result of the Chornobyl disas-

ter, Dr. Gluzman says. This isnt aproblem of Chornobyl. Its a problem oflack of trust in medical practitioners, inUkrainian medical science.

Such se l f -d iagnoses have l edChornobyl to play a disproportionate rolein authorities thinking on health-carematters. Johan Havenaar, a Dutch psychi-atrist who has conducted numerous stud-ies in Belarus and Ukraine since 1990,

has consistently found lower incidence ofpsychological illnesses among Chornobylsurvivors than studies done by local doc-tors.

Dr. Havenaar, who currently workswith the Altrecht Institute for MentalHealth, chalks up the discrepancy to poor

epidemiological standards in Belarus andUkraine, and a willingness among someresearchers to blame Chornobyl for all ofsocietys ills.

At the same time, however, he says theChornobyl accident which came justyears before the Soviet collapse undoubtedly left deep psychological scarson those it affected, particularly the400,000 people who were forced to evac-uate their homes.

All these people really have lost a lotof trust in their environment, Dr.Havenaar says. Theyre confused by allthe contradictory reports; they dontunderstand why some people are receiv-ing examinations every year while theyare living in almost the same conditionsand theyre not getting anything. Many

people had to be evacuated. [The disasteralso] had an enormous impact on theeconomy, which was already going downwhen the Soviet Union was falling apart.So this disaster had an enormous societalimpact.

History repeating itself

Japans Fukushima disaster has servedas an eerily appropriate backdrop to theChornobyl anniversary, with the worldonce again fixated on the dangers ofnuclear power. Many Chornobyl expertssay Japan is better equipped to deal withits nuclear crisis because of strong com-munity support systems and a moretransparent government.

But the government of Japan, like that

of the former Soviet Union, has comeunder criticism for failing to accuratelyassess the severity and scope of its ownmeltdown. Mr. Bandazhevsky saysJapanese authorities are poised to pre-side over their own unfolding healthdisaster and are turning a blind eye tothe true scale of the problem, just asauthorities did a quarter-century agowith Chornobyl.

The situation is being repeated, hesays. Twenty-five years ago we werehearing the same things about theChornobyl disaster that there was noproblem, that Chornobyl was safe. Theyreally said almost nothing at all the firstweek. And then we found ourselvesfaced with a terrible nightmare.

RFE/RLs Belarus and Ukrainian ser-vices contributed to this report.

Copyr ight 2011, RFE/RL Inc .Reprinted with the permission of RadioFree Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC20036; www.rferl.org. (See http://www.rferl.org/content/chernobyl_disaster_health_leukemia_cancer/9504400.html.)


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THEUKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

THE UNA: 117 YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY

UNA Organizing Report for the year 2010by Christine E. Kozak

UNA National Secretary

2010 was an extremely busy year for the UNA andbranch secretaries as preparations were being made forUNAs 37th Convention held May 20-23, 2010, at theSoyuzivka Heritage Center. Despite the preparations, thelanguishing economy, a difficult environment in sellinglife insurance and annuities, the UNA surpassed all pro-

jections for its new annuity and life insurance business.Annuity and traditional life insurance premium incomerose from $35,916,516 in 2009 to $50,465,577 in 2010 reflecting an increase of $14,549,061 or 40.51 percent.

Several key elements have helped to bolster the per-formance of 2010; sales initiatives, increased marketing,great products, a very dedicated Home Office staff,hard-working branch secretaries and the UNAs indepen-dent sales agents.

The UNAs sales force is a multi-pronged forceemploying branch secretaries who sell within their local

communities, independent agents who are contracted tosell UNA products in various states where the UNA islicensed, the UNA professional agents working hard toanswer and/or solve each and every question or issue

Ukrainian National Association, Inc.

Organizers Report By Annual Premium

January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010

Organizers Policy Face AnnualName Count Amount Premium

*Lubov Streletsky 25 $82,000 $14,922.55

**Eugene Oscislawski 21 2,900,000 9,706.75

*Nicholas Fil 14 580,000 6,424.00

*Oleg Palaschenko+ 2 750,000 3,407.50

Myron Pylypiak 6 75,000 2,421.25

Motria Milanytch 2 20,000 2,000.00

Joseph Chabon 7 230,000 1,897.20Ulana Prociuk 4 40,000 1,840.00

Joyce Kotch 9 115,000 1,713.65

Myron Kuzio 4 95,000 1,499.50

Alice Olenchuk 6 55,000 1,124.95

Michael S. Turko 2 7,000 1,028.35

Adam Platosz 2 20,000 1,010.00

Zoyana N. Keske 2 15,000 810.00

Eli Matiash 4 20,000 807.50

Barbara Boyd 1 15,000 780.00

Eugene Osidacz 2 20,000 687.50

Nicholas Diakiwski 5 40,000 665.25

Peter Hawrylciw 1 10,000 520.00

Judith Hawryluk 1 10,000 520.00

*Michael Koziupa 3 15,000 514.55

Oksana Lopatynsky 3 15,000 497.90

Adolph J. Slovik 4 55,000 439.10Michael Shean 3 15,000 433.70

George Fedorijczuk 3 35,000 426.00

*Stephanie Hawryluk 5 25,000 400.40

*Maya Lew 1 10,000 364.30

Myron Luszczak 2 10,000 348.70

Alexandra Dolnycky 2 10,000 333.45

George Soltys 2 10,000 333.10

Alexandra Lawrin 1 5,000 310.00

Natalie Shuya 5 25,000 214.50

Lida Kolodchin 1 5,000 205.00

Stanley Plocharczyk 2 40,000 200.80

Genet Boland+ 2 5,000 176.20

*Gloria Horbaty 1 5,000 170.30

Stefan Lysiak 1 75,000 139.10

Nicholas Pryszlak 1 25,000 97.25

Stephanie Majkut 1 25,000 80.75Eugene Gulysz 1 10,000 51.50

William Slovik 1 10,000 33.30

Oksana Koziak 1 25,000 26.00

*General Assembly member

** UNA Executive Committee member

+ Now deceased

raised by members. Each UNA branch has an assignedbranch representative, giving our members the opportu-nity to get to know their rep and interact with the sameindividual. This personalized customer service gives theUNA an edge that the larger companies do not have.UNA members are not just account numbers, they areour members. Getting to know our members and ourmembers getting to know us is a great advantage andextremely important to the UNA.

Each group compliments the other to achieve a levelof professionalism and personalized membership servic-es which is reflected in the UNAs steady growth in itstraditional life premium and annuity income.

In 2010, 243 life insurance policies were issued for atotal of $8,786,000 in face amount with an annual pre-mium of $233,559. The traditional life products make up59 percent of the total life income versus 27 percent ofterm insurance and 14 percent of endowments. UNA

insurance is quality insurance with lower rates since thepublication of the 2009 rate book. The commitmentmade by the member to the UNA is a long-term commit-ment, reflecting a confidence and loyalty the membershave for the UNA as a viable and professional organiza-tion that is here to stay another 100 years.

The UNAs top-producing branch secretaries areinducted into UNAs Championship Clubs. The tradi-tional Championship Clubs are based upon the numberof members a branch secretary recruits to the ranks ofthe UNA or, in other words, how many polices a branchsecretary or organizer sells for the UNA. Following thelines of this long-standing tradition, I am proud toannounce that the winner and only UNA organizer toqualify into the top category is Lubov Streletsky(Branch 10), who organized 25 members in the amountof $492,000.

Congratulations, Lubov!

The following branch secretaries qualified for mem-bership in:

2010 CLUB OF UNA BUILDERS(enrollment of 10-24 members)

Number Insuranceof members Amount

**Eugene Oscislawski (Br. 234) 21 2,900,000*Nicholas Fil, (Br. 13) 13 580,000

2010 CLUB OF DEDICATED UNAERS(enrollment of 5-9 members)

Number Insuranceof members Amount

Joyce Kotch (Br. 39) 9 115,000Joseph Chabon, (Br. 242) 7 230,000*Myron Pylypiak (Br. 496) 6 75,000Alice Olenchuk (Br.112) 6 55,000

Nick Diakiwski (Br. 161) 5 40,000*Stephanie Hawryluk (Br. 88) 5 25,000Natalie Shuya (Br. 452) 5 25,000

Another criterion used as a measuring tool is premi-um income. Each application for life and/or annuity isaccompanied by cash with application (CWA) or thefirst premium payment. For 2010 the top three individu-

als who brought in the most life insurance premiumswere:

* Lubov Streletsky (Br. 10) $14,922.00**Eugene Oscislawski (Br. 234) 9,706.00* Nicholas Fil (Br. 13) 6,424.00

Completing the new business sales criteria of lifeinsurance for 2010 is the face amount sold by UNAbranch secretaries. The face amount is the amount ofinsurance purchased by the member. The following werethe three top producers in the face amount category:

**Eugene Oscislawski (Br. 234) $2,900,000+ Oleg Palaschenko (Br. 102) $750,000* Nicholas Fil (Br. 13) $580,000

Life insurance is a sustaining and long-term product the life blood of fraternal organizations. The UNAs con-tracted independent agents sold mostly annuity products,

however, this is translating into an increase in the sale oflife insurance and endowment products. Independentagents have increased their production of UNA lifeinsurance to 10 percent of the total sold.

The UNA expresses gratitude to all individuals,branch secretaries, organizers, agents and, of course,members of the UNAs General Assembly for the fine

job they have done in their production of life insurancefor 2010, and wish them continued success in 2011.

In 2010, annuity production once again surpassed theprojections for the year. The year 2009 ended with$34,675,180 in annuity premium income; 2010 endedwith $49,093,324 in annuity premium income a 41 per-cent increase over 2009. These totals reflect not onlynew business but also additional deposits that may bemade once the annuity has been issued.

The UNAs licensed branch secretaries and HomeOffice (HQ) professionals sold $4,573,605 in annuities

and the UNAs contracted field agents sold $37,744,516in annuities for a total of $42,318,121 annuity CWA.The UNAs top producers with the most annuity pre-

mium CWA for 2010 are:

Oksana Stanko (HQ, Br. 37) $1,320,955Steve Woch (HQ) 1,028,697Stephan Welhasch (HQ, Br. 172) 601,368

In 2008, the UNA began a strong concerted effort inthe recruitment of independent agents, which we are con-tinuing. An extremely positive result of this recruitment isthe word-of-mouth recruitment we are experiencing.Agents are referring other agents to contract with theUNA. In essence, this is free advertising and bodesextremely well for the UNA reputation as a great compa-ny with great services and great products. This recruit-ment of independent agents is an ongoing process, open-ing new doors and opportunities for the UNA. All thesesteps are enhanced by the increased promotions and

advertising not only in UNAs publications, but localpapers, church bulletins, and various Ukrainian andnational publications.

The total annuity amount sold by our field agents in2010 was $37,744,516. An additional $16,000,000 was

Nicholas FilLubov Streletsky Eugene Oscislawski



5/48


UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

AGENT LIFE AND ANNUITY PREMIUM RECAP REPORT

NEW BUSINESS - CWA ONLY

January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010

Name Life Face Amt Annl Prem Sgl Prem Life Prem Annuity Prem Life & Annuity

**Tysiak, Gerald 4 $188,000.00 $188,000.00

**Fil, Nicholas 14 $580,000 6,164.40 $260.00 $6,424.40 10 148,628.97 155,053.37

Brodyn, Christine 2 114,135.47 114,135.47

Chabon, Joseph 7 230,000 1,897.20 1,897.20 2 99,423.40 101,320.60

Hawryluk, Judith 1 10,000 520.00 520.00 7 99,730.78 100,250.78

Bohdan, Michael 1 75,000.00 75,000.00

*Oscislawski, Eugene 21 2,900,000 9,186.75 520.00 9,706.75 1 50,000.00 59,706.75

Koziak, Oksana 1 25,000 26.00 26.00 2 48,203.61 48,229.61

**Horbaty, Gloria 1 5,000 170.30 170.30 2 25,000.00 25,170.30

**Streletsky, Lubov 25 492,000 14,922.55 14,922.55 14,922.55

Prociuk, Ulana 4 40,000 1,840.00 1,840.00 1 5,000.00 6,840.00

**Serba, Eugene 4 5,500.00 5,500.00

Palaschenko, Oleg + 2 750,000 3,407.50 3,407.50 3,407.50

Pylypiak, Myron 6 75,000 2,421.25 2,421.25 2,421.25

Milanytch, Motria 2 20,000 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00

Kotch, Joyce 9 115,000 1,713.65 1,713.65 1,713.65

Kuzio, Myron 4 95,000 1,499.50 1,499.50 1,499.50Olenchuk, Alice 6 55,000 1,124.95 1,124.95 1,124.95

Turko, Michael 2 7,000 56.35 972.00 1,028.35 1,028.35

Platosz, Adam 2 20,000 1,010.00 1,010.00 1,010.00

Hawryluk, Peter 1 1,000.00 1,000.00

Keske, Zoryana 2 15,000 810.00 810.00 810.00

Matiash, Eli 4 20,000 507.50 300.00 807.50 807.50

Boyd, Barbara 1 15,000 780.00 780.00 780.00

Diakiwsky, Nicholas 5 40,000 665.25 665.25 665.25

Hawrylciw, Peter 1 10,000 520.00 520.00 520.00

*Koziupa, Michael 3 15,000 514.55 514.55 514.55

Lopatynsky, Oksana 3 15,000 497.90 497.90 497.90

Slovik, Adolph 4 55,000 439.10 439.10 439.10

Shean, Michael 3 15,000 433.70 433.70 433.70

Fedorijczuk, George 3 35,000 426.00 426.00 426.00

**Hawryluk, Stephanie 5 25,000 140.40 260.00 400.40 400.40**Lew, Maya 1 10,000 364.30 364.30 364.30

Luszczak, Myron 2 10,000 348.70 348.70 348.70

Soltys, George 2 10,000 333.10 333.10 333.10

Lawrin, Alexandra 1 5,000 310.00 310.00 310.00

Shuya, Natalie 5 25,000 214.50 214.50 214.50

Kolodchin, Lida 1 5,000 205.00 205.00 205.00

Boland, Genet + 1 5,000 176.20 176.20 176.20

Lysiak, Stefan 1 5,000 139.10 139.10 139.10

Pryszlak, Nicholas 1 25,000 97.25 97.25 97.25

Olenchuk, Alice 3 15,000 90.95 90.95 90.95

Majkut, Stephania 1 25,000 80.75 80.75 80.75

Gulycz, Eugene 1 10,000 51.50 51.50 51.50

Slovik, William 1 10,000 33.30 33.30 33.30

Total 162 5,839,000 52,009.45 6,442.00 58,451.45 37 859,622.23 918,073.68

CANADA

**Osidacz, Eugene 2 20,000 687.50 687.50 687.50

Dolnycky, Alexandra 2 10,000 333.45 333.45 333.45

Home Office 2 50,000 480.25 480.25 480.25

Total 6 80,000 1,501.20 1,501.20 1,501.20

Home Office 45 2,202,000 13,839.34 4,665.00 18,184.34 84 3,631,517.31 3,649,701.65

Fraternal Agents 31 68,000 9,390.61 145,803.00 155,193.61 1129 37,744,516.60 37,899,710.21

*Member of the Executive Committee

**General Assembly Member

+ Now deceased

in renewals; for example, a one-year annuity renewinginto a five-year annuity, thereby joining UNAs LoyalMember Program which pays an additional .25 percentof interest over the then current interest rate.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for anexcellent job.

The UNA takes this opportunity to welcome all of itsnew members and thank them for joining the UkrainianNational Association, the oldest and largest Ukrainianfraternal organization in the world.

From our modest beginnings in 1894, throughout thedecades of the 20th century and into the 21st century, wehave served the insurance needs of our members in the

United States and Canada and we look forward to con-tinuing to do so. This fact gives us great pride and confi-dence as we go into the community sharing with all whatthe UNA has to offer our members. UNA and theCommunity: Partners for Life!

For product information and to see how the UNA canhelp you secure your familys financial future, please contactyour local branch secretary, or contact one of our profession-al agents at the Home Office by calling 800-253-9862.

(Continued from page 4)

UNA Organizing Report...


6/48


On April 21, 260 of Ukraines national deputies thats out of the 375 reportedlypresent (where the other 75 national deputies were we dont know, but such absen-teeism is common in the Verkhovna Rada) voted for a law directing that a replica ofthe Soviet victory flag the banner that was raised by the Red Army on theReichstag in Berlin on April 30, 1945 be flown alongside the Ukrainian nationalflag at all administrative buildings on Victory Day. Thats the national holiday cele-brated on May 9 to mark the date when the Nazis surrendered to Soviet forces. Theholiday is a leftover from Soviet days that continues to be celebrated in the RussianFederation, Ukraine and some other states once part of the USSR.

The national deputies who voted in support of the legislation were from theParty of Regions, the Communist Party and the Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc all mem-bers of the pro-Russian majority coalition in Ukraine. Clearly this latest vote byUkraines Parliament is a continuation of the Yanukovych-Azarov governmentspolicies to not only draw Ukraine nearer to Russia, but to bring back the gloriousdays of the USSR.

The flag in question is the assault flag of the 150th Idrytskyi Rifle Division, oneof several banners of this type made to be raised by Soviet forces on the Reichstag,but the only one that survived. It is considered the official symbol of the victory ofthe Soviet people, its army and fleet over fascist Germany during the years of theGreat Patriotic War (i.e. World War II). The Russian Federation has flown this flagto mark Victory Day since 1996. The Verkhovna Radas legislation mandating thatthis banner be flown on May 9 demonstrates, once again, how Ukraines authoritiesare unquestioningly following the lead of their Russian counterparts.

Let there be no doubt: the victory banner is a Soviet flag, complete with thehammer and sickle. True, it is not the Soviet flag, but it is a potent Soviet symbolused to glorify the power of the USSR. It is also a symbol of what the USSR trulywas: a totalitarian genocidal state. What did the Soviet Union mean for Ukraine?Millions dead, millions persecuted, millions repressed. It is a past that is not meantto be celebrated.

Opponents of the new law say it violates the Constitution of Ukraine which stip-ulates the state symbols of Ukraine: its national flag, its national coat of arms and itsnational anthem by equating the Soviet banner of victory with the national flag.

And, some observers say the law was passed with the intention of inflamingemotions in Ukraine and increasing the divide between east and west, which playsinto the hands of the Kremlin and its sycophants in Ukraine. Indeed, Russian mediasources like pravda.ru have already picked up on this, pointing to seemingly irrec-oncilable differences between eastern Ukraine and the countrys western regionswhere the propaganda to glorify the Ukrainian nationalists who fought on the sideof the Nazis has been ongoing for over 20 years. Those words also harken back tothe Soviet past the propaganda of the Soviet era that portrayed the Ukrainianindependence movement as Nazi collaborators.

We fully share the sentiments expressed by National Deputy Arseniy Yatsenyukwho said to the majority coalition in Parliament: Have some national dignity! Headded: If you dont love the Ukrainian state, hate the Ukrainian people and if thisisnt your country, surrender your Ukrainian passports, your deputies mandates andgo to where they hang red flags. He and other opposition leaders are calling onPresident Viktor Yanukovych to act like the leader of Ukraine and veto the law. (Itshould be noted that back on April 4 Mr. Yatsenyuk had registered a draft resolutionwhich mandated that only the state flag of Ukraine be displayed on all national hol-idays and special celebrations.)

Flying the Soviet banner of victory on official buildings on May 9, 2011, willmark the first time since Ukraine declared independence in 1991 nearly 20 yearsago that the Ukrainian state has required any flag with Soviet symbols to beflown. Hanba shame!

Shameful vote for the Soviet past

The UkrainianWeekly

Last year, on May 6, 2010, during a briefing in Kyiv, the dayafter a monument to Stalin was unveiled in Zaporizhia,Ukraines former President Leonid Kuchma (1994-2004) saidhe was totally against the opening of monuments to Soviet dic-tator Joseph Stalin.

Im totally against this There should be at least a localreferendum on such issues, but if this is done without rhyme or reason, then I think itsabsolutely incorrect, he said.

In a letter on behalf of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the ExternalChurch Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian OrthodoxChurch, to Alexander Prokhanov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zavtra, the Rev.Phillip Ryabykh, deputy head of the department, wrote: Stalin established an inhumansystem, and nothing can justify it neither industrialization, nor the nuclear bomb, northe preservation of the borders, nor even the victory in the Great Patriotic War, becausenot Stalin but our multiethnic people accomplished all this.

Stalins regime, added the Rev. Ryabykh, was based on terror, violence, suppressionof personality, lies and snitching. This regime devoured itself when the executionersthemselves were turned into victims, and its success was temporary.

As a result of Stalins [domestic] policy, we are currently reaping the harvest ofextremism, nationalism and xenophobia, said the Rev. Ryabykh.

Mr. Kuchma said that the number of soldiers killed during World War II could not becompared with the number of those who died in Nazi Germany. Stalin, he said, usedpeople as cannon fodder.

Therefore, we can say that we gained a victory by quantity, rather than quality, Mr.Kuchma added. So I think that monuments to such people should not be built.

Source: Kuchma against monuments to Stalin in Ukraine, (Interfax-Ukraine),The Ukrainian Weekly, May 2010.

May

62010

Turning the pages back...

COMMENTARY

by David Marples

Ukraine is currently undergoing a cri-sis, according to several of its leading

intellectuals. It is not an economic quan-dary, but rather one of self-perception andfuture path. Six years after the OrangeRevolution had appeared to put an end toa neo-Soviet leadership, the country hasyet to establish a national identity and aclear direction.

One of its leading writers commentsthat, although Ukraine is celebrating its20th year of independence, it will ceaseto exist in 20 years time.

Are such statements credible? Why isthere such a crisis of identity today?

In terms of politics, there is no ques-tion that the presidency of ViktorYanukovych has reversed some of thegains made in 2004-2005. Both westernanalyst Alexander Motyl and Ukrainianwriter Mykola Riabchuk have highlightedthe cronyism and corruption of theYanukovych team.

But it was author and poet YuriAndrukhovych who expressed thedoomsday scenario in an interview onthe website www.polit.ua (UkrainianPolitics) on April 5. Noting that Ukraineis divided today between SovietRussians and Ukrainians, he maintainedthat opponents of the countrys indepen-dence are as numerous as its supporters.In this situation, normal development isimpossible. Instead, Ukraine is beingdragged into what Mr. Andrukhovychcalls the Russian world under the lead-ership of its east Ukrainian clan.

Writing on March 18 on the websiteCurrent Politics in Ukraine (http://ukrai-

neanalys i s .wordpress .com/) , Mr .Riabchuk observes that the leadingUkrainian oligarchs are afraid of a pro-Western policy, open competition and therule of law. Thus, they have abandonedthe more moderate and centrist positionthey held under the presidency of LeonidKuchma (1994-2004) and opted insteadto back the Russophile group that is cur-rently in power, which relies on tight con-trol and brutal crackdowns against oppo-nents, in the best of Soviet traditions.

Regarding the pro-Ukraine policiesheralded by the Orange Revolution,Kyrylo Halushko, a sociologist fromMykhai lo Drahomanov Nat iona lUniversity in Kyiv, speaking at theUniversity of Alberta last week, com-

mented that they were identified closelywith the personal fortunes of PresidentViktor Yushchenko and thus disappearedfrom view once the latters popularitybegan to drop sharply. Thus, nationalsymbols such as Ivan Mazepa, SymonPetliura, and the Famine-Holodomor of1933 are barely recognized in contempo-rary school textbooks.

An additional problem has been the

figure responsible for those textbooks,Dmytro Tabachnyk, Ukraines minister ofeducation and science, youth and sports.In fact, Mr. Tabachnyk, who has even

been chided by Ukraines Prime MinisterMykola Azarov for antagonizing teach-ers, symbolizes what critics perceive asthe fundamentally anti-Ukrainian natureof the Yanukovych Cabinet.

How can Ukraine attain a nationalidentity if its national leaders deny thatone exists?

A study conducted several years agoby scholar Yaroslav Hrytsak contrastedpopular opinion in two antithetical cities,namely Mr. Hrytsaks native Lviv andDonetsk one Ukrainian-speaking,Europe-oriented and pressing hard forrecognition of nationalist heroes; theother Russian-speaking, Sovietized andsupportive of the Red Army heroes of theGreat Patriotic War.

The point, however, is not that bothidentities exist, they surely do but thatthey represent the extremities.

Most Ukrainians are not interested ingoing back to the Soviet Union, and theyounger generation cannot even remem-ber it.

Moreover, even the Yanukovychadministration wishes to join the FreeTrade Area of the European Union. It isnot yet confined within what Mr.Andrukhovych calls the Russian space.It has not even joined the CommonEconomic Space with Russia, Belarusand Kazakhstan.

This week, Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin is in Kyiv, with a missionto coax President Yanukovych to inte-grate the Ukrainian economy more close-

ly with Moscow. Economic pressure istodays substitute for the more forciblemethods of the Soviet era. Already thereis talk that the agreement on gas pricesmight be waived, and Ukraine could pay$350 (U.S.) per 1,000 cubic meters ratherthan its current $260.

Ukraines situation admittedly is trou-bling, but even the Donetsk group cur-rently in control has its own priorities,and these are national by default. Theyhave no wish to be subsumed to the inter-ests of their larger neighbor.

Ultimately then, Ukraine may bedefined not for what it is, but what it isnot.

And the key goal for Ukrainian intel-lectuals should be to find issues of com-

mon consent to identify what is Ukrainewithout alienating a large portion of thepopulation. The recent past remains toodivisive to be used as a basis.

The first task is to build up a strongopposition force that embraces democra-cy and the centrism of the Kuchma erawithout the corruption. The removal ofMinister Tabachnyk should be the firsttask, and focus should be on the parlia-mentary election set for October 28,2012. Given the growing unpopularity ofthe government, there is a real opportuni-ty to bring change.

The response to Mr. Andrukhovych isencapsulated by the title of Ukrainesnational anthem: Ukraine is not yetdead!

Recent past weighs heavily on Ukraine

David Marples, a history professor,directs the Stasiuk Program for the Studyof Contemporary Ukraine at theUniversity of Albertas Canadian

Institute of Ukrainian Studies. The arti-cle above was originally published inThe Edmonton Journal on April 13.

Whether theyre 15 or 50,give your children a gift subscription to

TheUkrainianWeekly.To subscribe call 973-292-9800, x 3042

or e-mail [email protected].


7/48


The things we do ...by Orysia Paszczak Tracz

Back in April 1987 (yes, children, inthe olden days....) I wrote a three-partarticle for The Ukrainian Weekly titledConfessions of a pysanka nut. Nothingmuch has changed since then in thepysanka nut realm, that is. I still have thesame designation.

I thought of this as I began goingthrough my pysanka supplies in prepara-tion for a move. We are leaving a two-and-a-half-story house after 40 years foran apartment, and the sorting, deciding,de-accessing and packing is mind-bog-gling.

To other members of my family (i.e.,my husband), this is just a cabinet full oflarge glass jars with some dried dye stuffat the bottom, a whole bunch of beeswax

in various forms of meltdown, manykystky, and other sundry pysanka-relateditems.

What do you mean theyre just oldjar s!? To me, the yre precio us. ForPetes sake, where are you going to finda large wide-mouthed mayonnaise orpeanut butter glass jar anymore?! Its allplastic now not the best to store dyesin. Those jars are a treasure, as anypysanka writer will know. I have hadthese supplies for years.

An indication of the Mesozoic Era ofthis assemblage is the brittleness of thesewing elastic bands who knew theyget old? I use these for drafting the paral-lel lines of various width (rubber bandsare uneven). OK, I admit, I didnt write

pysanky last year and my conscience stillbothers me.

The dried-up residue at the bottom ofsome jars with the crystallized crud ontop of the now-powdered dye is anaward-winning science project for somekid. Then theres the miniature fakirboard that I made but its not a bed-of-nails for some Indian holy man just asmall one for drying the varnished

pysanky. My collection of kystkyincludes American and Canadian ones, aswell as some very fine ones fromUkraine.

Its been a while since I had time to sitdown for a good pysanka writing session,but bright red, scarlet and brick still runthrough my veins. So there is no way Iam giving up my pysanka writingskarb (treasure), which took me yearsto amass. The books ah, such wonder-ful books cards and photos also stay,although I did give up the pysanka puz-zles they found a home at the PysankaMuseum in Kolomyia. I donated them,and then returned about five minuteslater for something I forgot. The museumstaff was already working on one of the

puzzles. They did not know the wordskladanka I forget what they calledit.

My hoard of pysanky, my own and theones bought in various places in Ukraine,is now in an enormous storage container(still light and easy to carry, since thepysanky are empty). I got the usualfunny looks when I asked for empty eggcartons at the store. When I explainedwhy, the clerk thought it was a perfectlyreasonable request. After all, this isWinnipeg.

One supermarket discovery Im verypleased with is a way of protecting thelarger goose pysanky. The foam net sockcoverings for the Fugi apples and gour-met pears are perfect and the store is

happy to let you collect the discardedones in the bins. Theyre also great forwrapping pysanky for mailing.

In our new home, I will have a placefor my books, embroidery, and pysanky.And everything will be all right.

Confessions of a pysanka nut (contd)

Orysia Tracz may be contacted at [email protected].

The following statement was issued bythe Ukrainian Canadian Civil LibertiesAssociation (UCCLA) on April 9 inresponse to reports that have misrepresent-

ed its position on the Canadian Museumof Human Rights (CMHR), includingdescriptions of its latest postcard featur-ing the cover of the Ukrainian edition ofAnimal Farm by George Orwell and thequotation All animals are equal but someare more equal than others as a depic-tion of Jews as pigs.

Misrepresentations have been broad-cast about the Ukrainian Canadian CivilLiberties Associations position withrespect to the taxpayer-funded CanadianM u s e u m f o r H u m a n R i g h t s .The UCCLA wants all 12 CMHR galler-ies to be thematic, comparative and inclu-sive. We have never opposed the inclu-sion of the Shoah (Holocaust) in a galleryrecalling the many incidents of genocideand crimes against humanity that havebefouled human history.

We are, however, against any groupssuffering being elevated above all othersin this national museum, and thatincludes allocating a separate gallery forthe genocidal Great Famine of 1932-1933in Soviet Ukraine, the Holodomor.Overwhelmingly , (60 .3 percent )Canadians reject preferential treatmentfor any group. And we have never equat-ed the Holocaust with the Holodomor orany other genocide.

We do reject having any hierarchy ofsuffering implied or advocated in thismuseums ga l l e r i es and exhib-its. UCCLAs Animal Farm postcard

does not paint Jews as pigs. Claimingthat is a calumny.And, those introducing offensive

remarks made by Islamic extremists intothis debate and then implying thatUCCLA or its supporters share theirviews, are indulging in yet another exam-ple of deceit.

The orchestrated outcry about theAnimal Farm postcard reflects the des-peration of those who, having failed tocounter UCCLAs legitimate concernsover the proposed contents and ongoinggovernance of this national institution,are now resorting to bully-boy tactics andname-calling to obfuscate the truth: thatmost Canadians want this publicly fund-ed museum to focus on Canadian storiesand human rights, not human wrongs.

Genuine dialogue can still reconcilethis controversy. We believe Israel Asperhad a genuine and decent vision of whatthis museum could become, for Canadaand the world. We believe his dream canstill be achieved. But it wont be if all wedo is fall upon each other.

The distinguished Holocaust scholarProf. Michael Marrus, has said recentlythat the CMHR needs a rethink.Exactly right. Weve been saying so allalong.

UCCLA position on the CMHR

Need a change?Join Dumka!

FOR THE RECORD

Dear Editor:

Three years ago my college-aged sonbluntly stated Mom, you just dont doanything that is fun. I thought about it,and he was right. I was a single momspending 60 hours a week at work, andthe rest of the time I donated every freehour volunteering for various functionsat the Ukrainian American YouthAssociation. And, while I enjoy my joband the volunteer positions, they stillconstituted work.

A week later I received an e-mailfrom an unexpected source telling methat Dumka was starting a Bound Brookbranch for New Jersey residents. I tooka chance and walked into a room full ofstrangers. I have not regretted it.

The songs that the Dumka Chorusperforms are classical, truly beautiful,and lift your soul to the next level. Thedirector, Vasyl Hrechynsky, cares aboutthe selections and the way the songs areperformed; and he goes into great detailexplaining why they need to be sung acertain way.

But, in the end, it is the members ofthe choir itself that makes this such aunique experience.

About 40 percent of the membershave recently arrived from Ukraine, 20percent immigrated to the U.S. after

World War II, and the rest are likemyself first-generation Ukrainian-Americans.

The mix is phenomenal. The agesrange from high-school students toretirees. Everyone is friendly andrespectful of each other and their back-grounds. There is always a coffee andcake break during which everyonesocializes.

Since I joined we have performed at

St. Patricks Cathedral in New YorkCity, at Merkin Hall (Lincoln Centerarea), in Washington and in variousbeautiful Ukrainian churches in the tri-state area. At every concert the appre-ciative attendees have greeted us with atruly generous Ukrainian spirit. It isheartwarming and reminds you that ourmusic touches people.

Consider joining this wonderful cho-rus if you live in the New York/NewJersey area. I promise that you will notregret i t . I have made wonderfulfriends, as well as wonderful music inthe past three years. If you are interest-ed, please visit www.dumkachorus.orgfor additional information.

Lesia Cebrij-Rago

Cranford, N.J.

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8/48


NEWS AND VIEWS

Manchester center is the heart and nucleus of a communityby the Rev. Ewhen Nebesniak

MANCHESTER, England Six yearsago, the Ukrainian Cultural Center in

Manchester a hall with a capacity of 300performing space, archives, school class-es, and restaurant burned down unex-pectedly due to a short circuit, leaving thelocal community in dire straits and theinability to continue activities inherent inkeeping alive Ukrainian culture within thecommunity and transmitting it to futuregenerations of Ukrainians in Manchester.

An ethnic community without its owncultural center is destined to disappearwith grave consequences for younger gen-erations, leaving them without any knowl-edge of their cultural background and her-itage.

For my generation of Ukrainians thecenter call it kliub, domivka oroseredok was the only place we had,

aside from home, where the only languagewe heard was Ukrainian. It was, practical-ly, our second home. There were no dis-cos then, no computers, no video camerasand no mobile phones, so our whole lifeafter school revolved around the club.Every single day there was somethinggoing on that required our presence:dance rehearsals (twice a week),Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) choir

practice, sports, school on Saturdays andSUM on Sundays.

As soon as I could stand on my owntwo feet, my parents would bring me to

the club in Whalley Range and thatswhere I started to frequent Saturdayschool. Later it was the club in BrideoakStreet. I was in Rome, in the MinorSeminary, when the club on SmedleyLane was acquired.

Everything I learnt in those culturalcenters was very useful, and still is, in mywork as a priest, first in Rome, then Lvivand now in Bolton. In those centres Icame to know about our traditions (e.g.,St. Nicholas representations, Christmasand Easter customs).

And for the older generations the clubwas an anchor of salvation, socially andculturally. It was a place where they couldcongregate in order to go down memorylane, talk about the war, their villages,

communicate good and less good news,and celebrate happy events (weddings,christenings, wedding anniversaries,zabavy) alongside sad ones, such asfuneral wakes.

But, most importantly, they had thepossibility to remember and celebrateimportant historical dates with all kinds ofakademiyi (special programs). In theclub they kept alive their Ukrainianism

and tried to instil in the hearts of theirchildren the same love they felt forUkraine, their mother country.

I always get somewhat emotional when

I wri te about the community inManchester, where I was born and raised,because I am who I am: a stalwartUkrainian patriot and priest, thanks to theManchester community where I wasraised and where I grew up. How many ofthose, who tried to imbue in my heart andsoul a sincere love for Ukraine, amongstthem my father, lie in their graves in vari-ous Mancunian cemeteries. I have veryfond memories of them all and will, tillthe day I die, cherish the moments I spentwith them at the Ukrainian CulturalCenter, wherever it was situated.

Six years ago, because of a technicalfault, most probably a short circuit, thehall in Manchester burned to the ground,with dire consequences for all the com-

munity.But after six years of various planning

views, all sorts of tribulations, painstakingmoments for the finalization of planningpermission paperwork, the hall has beenrebuilt and is standing for all to see. TheUkrainian community in Manchester now,once again has a place of its own.

There is no longer any need to knockon the doors of other Ukrainian communi-

ties, begging for a place to stage aChristmas concert or other importantevents. Now my generation can teachtheir children how to instill in their own

children a sincere love of Ukraine. Thecontinuity in our community is restoredand, hopefully, the good work my parentsdid with me will be prolonged for genera-tions to come.

Though the building itself is standing,it needs a lot of interior work in order tofunction on a regular basis. A good100,000 pounds a huge sum of money has to be collected. Therefore, a HallReinstatement Fund has been created, andwith it, a committee responsible for fund-raising. A car lottery has been organized atthe cost of 1 pound per ticket, 5 poundsfor a bundle of five tickets. Tickets areavailable at most of the Ukrainian clubs inBritain. The car is the prime prize, butthere are also other prizes to be won.

(Visit the website www.augb-manchester.org.uk for more information about therebuilding of the hall with updated photo-graphs of the work done thus far, and thelottery.)

Contributions may be sent to HallReinstatement Fund, 31 Smedley Lane,Cheetham, Manchester M8 8XB or Rev.Ewhen Nebesniak, 104 Lonsdale Road,Heaton, Bolton, BL1 4PN.

DP camps and the preservation of our heritageby Bohdan Malaniak

After World War II, many Ukrainians found them-selves outside the borders of their homeland. Althoughthe Soviets encouraged and tried to force them to returnto their country, they knew the reality in life of theCommunist utopia and refused to go back. These refu-gees were called displaced persons (DPs).

Now, looking back, we realize that those misfortunes,in the end, perhaps by Divine Providence, actuallybecame a blessing.

From the displaced persons, the Allied Forces discov-ered the truth about communism. The Allies providedfood, shelter and clothing, and quickly organized DPcamps for them throughout occupied Germany andAustria after World War II (1945-1950). These campsbecame a country within a country, encompassingschools, hospitals, churches, an administration and asocial network.

Now, many years later, the remaining survivors wish

to share the memory of their experiences in the campswith the community at large by hosting an exhibit ofcommemorative items from the camps. This exhibit willbe called Archives of Life in the Displaced PersonsCamps.

A committee on archives of DP camp life (KomitetArchiviv Taborovoho Zhyttia) was conceived by formerstudent of the Ukrainian Gymnasium in Regensburg,Germany, composed of former students who had attend-ed higher education, high school, middle school, tradeschools and other educational entities at the camps, aswell as other former residents of the camps. The com-mittee hopes that the Ukrainian community will beenthusiastic about the value of this unique project andwill respond positively to its appeal.

Human events are best preserved if a society leavesbehind some evidence of their existence for future gener-ations. Our generation was very fortunate. We were ableto preserve many historical records during our journey tofreedom while living in the DP camps. In those camps

we were given the opportunity to continue our education,worship according to our religious beliefs, participate ina variety of sports in order to keep physically fit, and bepart of active Ukrainian youth organizations.

So, for all of our many accomplishments and the pres-ervation of our culture and faith, we express our grati-tude to our parents, our elders, faculty and clergy for alltheir unselfish efforts to instill their values in us whilewe were growing up in the camps.

The archives committee is composed of Bohdan Gol,president; Borys Zacharchuk, vice-president; IrenaStercho, secretary; and Daria Fedak, treasurer.

Camp representat ives are Anna Havryluk,Ashafenburg; Slava Bilas, Bayreuth; Jarko Saldan,Berchtesgaden; Lubomyr Luchanko, Salzburg; PetroKrul, Karsfeld; Alexander Slonevskyj, Landshut; DariaShust, Mittenwald; Nadia Oranska, Regensburg; JaroslavRozumnyj, Dillingen.

Ihor Sochan is coordinator of the next gymnasiumreunion of schools in Bayreuth, Berchtesgaden, Karsfelt,Landshut and Regensburg.

Press committee members are Jaroslav Lyktej,

Bohdan Malaniak and Dr. Jaroslav Rozumnyj.The program, including exhibits, will take place onMay 18-20, 2012, at the Ukrainian Educational andCultural Center in Jenkintown, Pa.

The event will include an exhibit of archival materi-als, such as photos, letters, posters and publications,along with the presentation of film and videos depictingthe lives at the DP camps, as well as annual reunions,especially at Soyuzivka. Organizers also would like toinclude a boasting section, highlighting the accom-plishments of outstanding former residents of the DPcamps and their contribution to society.

The newly organized committee is seeking any publi-cations, newsletters, posters, letters, etc. We are verymuch in need of photos, especially those of historicalvalue, e.g., the repatriation by Soviet authorities ofUkrainian and other nationalities then living in occupiedAllied Forces territory.

We ask readers to submit the needed materials at theirearliest convenience. Please include the date of the activ-ity, the event, and the names of persons appearing in thephoto. Also please indicate whether you would like thematerials to be returned or included in the permanentarchives.

All materials should be sent to: Komitet ArchivivTaborovoho Zhyttia, Ukrainian Educational and CulturalCenter, 700 Cedar Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Demonstrations against forceful repatriation of Ukrainians to Soviet Union on the streets of Regensburg,May 30, 1946.


9/48


NEW YORK In her second engagement with New York City Opera, Ukrainian American soprano Stefania Dovhan won

plaudits from the public and press alike for her performance as Adina in the delightful Donizetti opera The Elixir of Love.One critic said she sings her music with flair and fluidity ... in a fuller, darker timbre than the light soprano that were used to.Another wrote: Stefania Dovhans crystal-clear, ringing top notes and lustrous lower ones combined to express Adinas con-flicted feelings toward [her would-be suitor] Nemorino. In a production that has been transported from the Italian countrysideto the 1950s American Southwest, Ms. Dovhan appears in a blonde Marilyn Monroe wig and a waitress uniform as the ownerof Adinas Diner, a popular gathering place for bobby-soxers and men in leather motorcycle jackets. The Kyiv-born sopranomade her New York debut with a breakout performance in NYCOs 2009 production of Mozarts Don Giovanni. In this yearsMarch-April performances, Adina throws up her hands in dismay as gas-station attendant Nemorino (David Lomeli) and theswaggering Sergeant Belcore (Jose Adan Perez) vociferously vie for her affection.

Helen Smindak

Carol Rosegg

Genocide Revealed wins for best documentaryMONTREAL The feature documen-

tary film Genocide Revealed has justwon first prize, The Albert Statuette, atthe 2011 Litchfield Hills Film Festival(formerly the Kent Film Festival) for bestdocumentary. Held at New Milford,Conn. On April 7-10, the film festivalsawards ceremony was held on Saturday,

April 9, by founders and directors Frankand Patrice Galterio.

The festival showcases films in vari-ous categories, creating a platform forfilmmakers to reach the broadest possibleaudience.

Genocide Revealed had its festivalpublic screening on Saturday, April 9,followed by a question and answer periodwith the films producer-director, YurijLuhovy. Participating also was AdrianaLuhova, cameraperson on the films pro-duction.

Present in the audience was Lana Babijo f t h e Co n n e c t i c u t Ho l o d o m o rCommittee, who has been working tire-lessly with her committee members toinclude the Famine-Genocide in the

states classroom curriculum for students.Genocide Revealed is a welcome addi-tion to be included into the teachers kit,as this documentary captures the broadscope of Stalins genocide against theUkrainian nation.

During the festival, Mr. Luhovy wasinterviewed on the CTV television pro-gram Local Edition hosted by PhilisCortese about the making of the Famine-Genocide documentary and the back-ground of the Holodomor.

Mr. Luhovy mentioned that the

Holodomor is also an American story as

some Famine-Genocide survivors cameto America after World War II and, withthe community, tried to alert the U.S.government and public of Stalins crimesagainst the Ukrainian people in Soviet-occupied Ukraine. This television pro-gram, whose executive producer isGregory Van Antwerp, serves 14 towns inwestern Connecticut.

During these international festivals,Genocide Revealed is being seen by thegeneral public, most learning abut theHolodomor for the very first time. There

are no monetary prizes for winning, but a

win for this documentary helps sparkmore public awareness. Winning for bestdocumentary generates more interest inthe subject and helps get this story into themainstream, Mr. Luhovy commented.

To arrange a showing of GenocideRevealed or to help support this project,readers may write to: Yurij Luhovy,MML Inc., 2330 Beaconsfield Ave.,Montreal , QC H4A 2G8; e-mail ,[email protected]; telephone 514-481-5871 or visit the website www.yluhovy.com.

Litchfield Hills Film Festival directors Frank and Patrice Galterio present thebest documentary award to Yurij Luhovy (center) for Genocide Revealed.

Adriana Luhovy

Soprano Stefania Dovhan has another hit

Three Storiesof Galicia

to premiere

U.S.-Ukraine Business Council

WASHINGTON The feature doc-umentary Three Stories of Galicia,produced by two local filmmakers,Olha Onyshko and Sarah Farhat, willbe shown in the United States for thefirst time in May, premiering in theWashington-Baltimore area, withthree special showings at LandmarkTheaters on Tuesday-Thursday, May10-12. The premiers are open to thepublic.

The documentary film offers aunique glimpse into the events thattook place during and after World WarII in the Eastern European region ofGalicia. The film pays tribute to themany unknown heroes of that war, theregular people who rose above fearand prejudice to do what was rightinstead of what was easy: a Jewish

family that chose to save its worstenemy; a Ukrainian woman whoendured the theft of her children tosave her country; and a Polish priestwho risked everything to end the sec-tarian hatred that tore at his parish.

Ms. Onyshko of Bethesda, Md., anative of Lviv, Ukraine, and Ms.Farhat of Washington, a native ofBeirut, Lebanon, traveled throughoutwestern Ukraine and eastern Polandover a period of four years. In thisregion shrouded by speculation andcontroversy due to its untold history,they discovered an amazing wealth ofstories that had been hidden from notonly the West, but also from families.

Recording the survivors memories

became a race against time as many ofthem were already in their late 80s orolder. Thats how the stories of a Jew,a Ukrainian and a Pole, that wererepressed for so many years by theSoviet Union, were able to be toldside by side, for the very first time.

Three Stories of Galicia has beenshown with great success at theCannes Film Market, Hamburg FilmFestival, and theaters in Lviv, Kyivand Ottawa. Another achievementwas the films translation intoUkrainian and its narration by thefamous Ukrainian actress AdaRogovceva.

Morgan Williams, director of gov-ernment affairs for the Washington

office of SigmaBleyzer Private EquityManagement Group and serves aspresident of the U.S.-UkraineBusiness Council (USUBC), said theUSUBC along with several other per-sonal, corporate and organizationalfinancial sponsors, including theDAAR Foundation, have been proudto support, over the past several years,the making of this historic documen-tary. Additional support has beenprovided by the U.S.-UkraineFoundation (USUF).

The Washington-Baltimore areascreenings are on: May 10, at 7 p.m.at Landmark E-Street, 555 11th St.NW, Washington, DC 20004; May 11at 7 p.m. at Landmark Harbor East,645 S. President St., Baltimore, MD

21202; and May 12, at 7 p.m. atLandmark Bethesda Row, 7235Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD20814. The two filmmakers will bepresent at all three screenings to leada post-screening Q&A session.

For more information about thefilm, visit www.threestoriesofgalicia.com.


10/48


with the existing agreement fully. On that

condition, Mr. Putin did not rule re-exam-ining the gas price, and tasked DeputyPrime Minister Igor Sechin to do so withthe Ukrainian side. The Russian govern-ment is clearly inclined to consider a fur-ther discount, in return for substantialasset transfers from Naftohaz Ukrainy toRussia.

On April 19, Mr. Sechin held talkswith Ukrainian First Vice Prime MinisterAndriy Kliuyev in Kyiv. They agreed toset up a group of experts to re-examinethe gas price. Mr. Azarov asked Mr.Klyuyev and the Fuel and EnergyMinister Yurii Boiko publicly to deployall the arguments, all analyses, all theirknowledge, in order to persuade theRussian side (Interfax-Ukraine, April

12-14, 19, 20).Rather than persuasiveness, however,

Moscow expects material concessionsfrom Ukraine in return for a second phaseof lowering the gas price. Mr. Putin andother Russian officials, as well asGazprom, are suggesting a rather widerange of quid-pro-quo options:

1. Switching to Russian ruble account-ing (or in an even more radical version,ruble pricing) for Russian gas supplies toUkraine. In his April 20 annual report toRussias Duma, Mr. Putin aired this idea,attributing the initiative to Ukrainianleaders themselves (ITAR-TASS, April20). Mr. Putins remark implies drawingUkraine into a would-be ruble zone and

Mr. Putin did not conceal his disap-pointment and cancelled his briefing for

jo ur na li st s af te r me et in g wi th th eUkrainian president (UNIAN, April 12).

Rather than discussing the CustomsUnion, Mr. Azarov during his meetingwith Mr. Putin preferred to focus on gas,telling his Russian counterpart that the2009 contract should be revised. Thecontract was unfair, he repeated as hedid during several previous meetingswith Mr. Putin (UNIAN, April 12).

Speaking in China on April 16, Mr.Azarov told the Bloomberg news servicethat Russian gas should cost Ukraine$200 per 1,000 cubic meters. Ukrainewill pay $293 this quarter and the pricemay reach $340 by the end of 2011.Gazprom insists that Ukraine has toadhere to the price formula stipulated bythe January 2009 contract, but Kyivargues the price paid according to theformula is too high compared to the pric-es paid by other major importers ofRussian gas such as Germany andPoland.

As Gazprom has no intention of low-ering the gas price in addition to the dis-count which was granted to Ukraine oneyear ago in exchange for extending thebasing of the Black Sea Fleet inSevastopol by 25 years, Kyiv has tried adifferent tactic. Kyiv indicated that itmay turn to the courts in order to cancelthe 2009 contract.


Kyiv ignores...


Ukraines government... ruble-based currency union. This wouldreduce Ukraine to dependence onRussias Central Bank, which would setthe currency course and rates ofexchange, imposing them on Ukraine.

2. Joining the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union. This shouldqualify Ukraine to further discounts onthe price of Russian gas. This would,however, kill Ukraines prospect to signan association agreement and a deep-and-comprehensive free trade agreement(DCFTA) with the European Union,which both Brussels and Kyiv plan tosign by this years end.

3. Forming a joint company ofGazprom and Naftohaz Ukrainy. Thiscould take the form of a merger (Mr.Putins opening gambit); a 50 percent-50percent joint venture (Mr. Yanukovychsresponse); Gazprom takeover of Ukrainian gas transit pipelines or distri-bution networks, under the rubric ofprivatization in Ukraine (GazpromVice-Chairman Valery Golubevs propos-al, RIA Novosti, April 7); or Gazprominvestment in the Ukrainian transit sys-tems modernization, apparently in returnfor some form of control over it (Mr.Azarovs suggestion, Interfax-Ukraine,April 12, 13).

Such would be Ukraines price to pay,if Donetsk industrialists and the govern-ment representing them fail to adapt thesteel and chemical industries to therequirements of a modern economy.

The article above is reprinted fromEurasia Daily Monitor with permissionfrom it s pu bl is he r, th e Ja me st ow nFoundation, www.jamestown.org.

Hardly by coincidence, ahead of Mr.Putins visit, Ukrainian prosecutorscharged former Prime Minister YuliaTymoshenko with exceeding her authori-ty when she instructed the NaftohazUkrainy national oil and gas company toconclude the 10-year contract withGazprom in January 2009 (Kommersant-Ukraine, April 12). Also, a criminal caseover the contract was opened against thethen CEO of Naftohaz, Oleh Dubyna

(Inter, April 16).Ukrainian Deputy Procurator GeneralRenat Kuzmin said on a talk show onInter TV on April 15 that the 2009 gascontract violated Ukrainian laws, makingit possible to cancel with the help ofinternational courts. It remains to be seenwhether Messrs. Yanukovych andAzarov will try to cancel the contractthrough the courts or whether it is onlyan element of pressure on Russia.

If Kyiv opts to sue Gazprom, this mayresult in another gas war between thetwo countries ahead of the presidentialelection in Russia and parliamentaryelections in Ukraine, both scheduled for2012, with unclear consequences for theruling elite in Ukraine. Mr. Yanukovych,who is usually cautious in dealing with

Russia, is unlikely to take such a risk.Mr. Yanukovych admitted during a meet-ing with Mr. Barroso in Kyiv thatUkrainian courts had no powers to can-cel the contract (ITAR-TASS, April 18).

The article above is reprinted fromEurasia Daily Monitor with permissionfrom it s pu bl is he r, th e Ja me st ow nFoundation, www.jamestown.org.

Wherever you are,The Ukrainian Weekly can be there with you

Check outTheUkrainianWeeklyonline atwww.ukrweekly.com

by Marusia Kvit-Flynn

CLEVELAND Ukrainian NationalWomens League of America Branch 8 ofCleveland is leading an effort to restorethe statue of Ukraines beloved poetess,Lesia Ukrainka.

The beautiful bronze monument islocated in the Cleveland Cultural Gardensat Rockefeller Park in Cleveland. Thisyear marks the 50th anniversary since itsunveiling in 1961 through the efforts ofthe UNWLA Regional Council of Ohio.

The passage of time has taken a physi-cal toll on the statue. The bronze shows

signs of extreme wear, and the base iscracking and threatening the stability ofthe monument. The monument is in criti-cal need of restoration or it will soondeteriorate beyond repair.

A CALL TO ACTION

Help save ClevelandsLesia Ukrainka statue

The Cleveland Ukrainian community with the newly dedicated Lesia UkrainkaMonument in 1961.

The Lesia Ukrainka monument today.

The Lesia Ukrainka statue is an inte-gral part of the Ukrainian CulturalGardens, which were established in 1940.The three original bronze busts that wereunveiled at that time were those of IvanFranko, Taras Shevchenko andVolodymyr the Great all works by theUkraini

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The Ukrainian Weekly 2011-18