LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (06/08/97)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Difficulties in Kyiv and discrimination

Dear Editor:

There has been much said in the Western media and in inter-government negotiations of late about widespread corruption in Ukraine and the problems of doing business there. Let me recount my story which shows one example of the difficulties encountered in Ukraine.

In May I returned to Kyiv after a nine month break and stayed in my apartment. During my absence the telephone line had been cut off. This despite the fact that I was in credit because in the summer of last year I had mistakenly paid a phone bill twice. When I rang them to explain this situation last summer, they said they could not refund me the money (approximately $80), but my account would be instead credited.

Despite this credit, my phone was cut off in the winter of 1996-1997 after the phone bill which came after I left was not paid. This phone bill was for less than the credit I allegededly had on my account (the bill was for approximately $40).

When a Ukrainian citizen friend of mine went to the telephone station to explain the mistake, there was complete disinterest in my case. The cashier's office was in a different location than the place which connected/disconnected phones and they, as is usual in Ukraine, never talk to each other. Despite my credit, the decision to disconnect me could not be reversed as my telephone number had already been given to another person.

What of reconnecting the telephone then? Despite my credit and their mistake, I was told that was out of the question. As a foreigner the cost for installing a line is $700 (private) or $1,000 (business). For Ukrainian citizens the cost is $300. The equivalent in Britain is around $150 - regardless of whether you are a British citizen or not. So, despite their mistake, I am expected to pay $700 minimum to have my telephone re-installed.

Two questions arise. First, how much of this fee goes to the state, and how much of it goes into somebody's back pocket? Secondly, why are non-Ukrainian citizens discriminated against? Do Ukrainian citizens get discriminated against if they install telephones or rent hotel rooms in the West?

Taras Kuzio
Birmingham, England

The writer is a research fellow at the Center for Russian and East European Studies at The University of Birmingham.

Another perspective on "Perspectives"

Dear Editor:

Andrew Fedynsky's April 6 "Perspectives," was confusing, and I wasn't sure of its intent. Perhaps the readers of The Weekly can join and add their own perspectives.

It is commendable that President Leonid Kravchuk attended the 1991 commemorations of the Babyn Yar massacre conducted by the Nazis. However, we must keep history in perspective. Mr. Fedynsky states only that it was "mostly Jews" who died at that ravine. This statement leaves out a crucial historical fact: it was both Jews and Ukrainians who were murdered at Babyn Yar. Most readers may remember how the Denver community had to prove to the mayor that Ukrainians were murdered in large numbers at Babyn Yar. The Ukrainians were proven correct and Babyn Yar Park in Denver now clearly states that it was mostly Jews and Ukrainians who were murdered at Babyn Yar.

Mr. Fedynsky goes on to praise President Kravchuk's apology to the Jewish people for "... many injustices in our (Ukrainian) history." It would be interesting to know what that means and how far back we go. Is it an apology for a few, or was it for policies conducted by an independent state? Later in the article it appears that President Kravchuk apologized for the few. If that is the case, has Israel apologized to Ukraine? Has Germany apologized to Ukraine? What did the apology by President Kravchuk seek to accomplish?

The article by Mr. Fedynsky also states that the European Jews suffered more than any other people. What is this based on? Numbers? Organized genocide? If we address numbers alone, since the beginning of the century to the end of World War II, Ukraine suffered more than any other nation on this earth. It goes without saying that this fact doesn't diminish the horrendous suffering of the Jews under the Nazis. Can we really compare Holocausts? Is Ukraine's famine holocaust any worse than the Jewish Holocaust? Of course not. Each and every genocide experienced by mankind should be remembered and studied. We must practice historical inclusion, not exclusion.

The columns "Perspectives" by Andrew Fedynsky and "Faces and Places" by Dr. Myron Kuropas are important to our community; they provide an arena to exchange ideas and viewpoints. I hope The Weekly continues to publish thought-provoking columns, but more importantly I hope the community becomes engaged and becomes active participants in discussion and activity.

Roman G. Golash
Schaumburg, Ill.

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