FACES AND PLACES: Ukraine's bad press year (11/11/01)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Ukraine's bad press year

If media are the criteria, 2001 has not been a good year for Ukrainians.

It began with thousands of people - estimates ran as high as 18,000 - demonstrating and demanding President Leonid Kuchma's resignation in the wake of the squalid and interminable Gongadze affair. Their signs read "Ukraine without Kuchma."

Ukraine's president appeared on "60 Minutes" last April, behaving for all the world like the cat who swallowed the canary. He denied allegations of involvement in the murder of journalist Heorhii Gongadze. Claims of electoral fraud and massive political corruption also were summarily dismissed. Mr. Kuchma told correspondent Steve Kroft that the demonstrations were part of a vast conspiracy by the enemies of Ukraine. The performance was worthy of any practiced Soviet apparatchik. If the viewer knew nothing about the case, Mr. Kuchma's arrogant demeanor seemed proof enough of his guilt.

A Kyiv Post commentary in September concluded: "The Gongadze murder and the authorities' blatant mishandling of the case resulted in more Western criticism and negative publicity for Ukraine than any event in its short history as an independent nation."

Unfortunately, the killing of journalists continues in Ukraine. "It remains to be seen," the commentary continued, "how many more journalists will have to die before Ukrainians stop tolerating the indignant attitude of those responsible for law enforcement in this country. Prosecutors' lies and the far-fetched stories they dream up to explain high crimes insult the intelligence of the entire populace."

Journalists aren't the only ones whose lives are at risk. Last February The Ukrainian Weekly reported on the death of three healthy deputies under mysterious circumstances. And just last month Aleksey Romashko, a member of the State Commission for Securities and Stock Markets, was shot as he exited his apartment in central Kyiv. Another murder in broad daylight.

Then there was the sordid rampage of Nikolay Soltys, a new immigrant from Ukraine charged with the stabbing murder of seven family members in California, including that of his 3-year-old son and unborn child. He was captured after a six-day manhunt while hiding beneath a table in his mother's backyard. Before his capture, Mr. Soltys was on the FBI's most wanted list. This was a first for our 125-year-old Ukrainian American community. The press constantly mentioned his Ukrainian background during the search for his whereabouts.

The parliamentary dismissal of the popular prime minister Viktor Yuschenko by what was described by one Western analyst as a "vengeful coalition of business tycoons and Communists," only reaffirmed Ukraine's sagging reputation. Under Mr. Yuschenko's leadership Ukraine's GDP and exports had been growing and its deficits shrinking.

The accidental downing of a Russian passenger jet over the Black Sea during military exercises in October was still another negative for Ukraine. The TU-154 Sibir Airliner with 66 passengers, mostly recent Jewish immigrants to Israel, and 12 crew members aboard was flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk when it was hit by an S-200 missile fired by Ukrainian forces during military exercises on the Crimean peninsula. The United States reported that a spy satellite had identified the missile as Ukrainian in origin - an identification that was immediately denied by Ukrainian military authorities. After much stonewalling, the Ukrainian government accepted blame and began an investigation.

The visit of John Paul II to Ukraine was an enormous positive, but even that event was marred by the brutish behavior of some Russian Orthodox who labeled him the anti-Christ and protested in front of Ukrainian holy sites.

President Kuchma has been playing both sides of the Russia-United States divide since his election. In a Chicago Tribune article titled "Ukrainian Leadership Fosters Split Personality," Colin McMahon wrote: "Nearly a decade after gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine is a house divided. This division starts with President Kuchma, his senior aides and the business leaders who support and advise him. They talk democracy but dip into repression of dissent. They preach the free market but comfortably ply the levers of state control. They warm to NATO and celebrate Ukraine's sovereignty, but they allow Russia potentially troubling influence in internal affairs."

Mr. Kuchma's balancing act between East and West may be coming to an end, suggests the Kyiv Post. "For 10 years Western governments, wary of Ukraine's large, unpredictable and nuclear-capable neighbor to the east, have placated the corrupt Ukrainian government with financial assistance, words of encouragement and promises of a European future. Now the new world order brought on by the September 11 terrorist bombings threatens to take away the country's privileged status."

The truth of the matter is that President Kuchma and his cronies have squandered their unique franchise in world affairs by continuing to pander to the criminal mob. Ukraine is accused of being heavily involved in arms trafficking and money laundering, two activities that aid terrorists. A parliamentary commission, the Kyiv Post reported, "found that some $57 billion worth of state-owned military equipment simply disappeared in the mid-1990s." One can only wonder whose side Ukraine's bosses are supporting in our war against terrorism.

Interest in Ukraine's future vis-à-vis Russia has been diminished in the wake of September 11. With Russia and the U.S. warmly embracing each other, Ukraine's role as a buffer between Russia and Europe is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

A recent article by Carl Honore in the National Post suggests "Ukraine fatigue" is setting in, especially among Ukrainians in North America. "While other post-communist states press ahead with the transition to capitalism and democracy, Ukraine is stuck in a Soviet rut. Corruption is rampant, Western investment is scarce, the press is hamstrung." According to Stephen Bandera, 30-year-old grandson of the Ukrainian nationalist martyr, even his friends "who were all gung ho back in 1991, are now tired of feeling that they're beating their heads against the wall."

With less than two months remaining in the calendar year, we desperately need some positive news to bolster our spirits. Will it happen? Don't hold your breath.

Myron Kuropas' e-mail address is: [email protected].

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