2001: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Independent Ukraine celebrates a decade

Although planning for Ukraine's 10th anniversary of independence in some instances began a full year prior to the celebration and in others even earlier, the first tangible evidence that the country was gearing up for a special event occurred with the onset of construction of Kyiv's central plaza, Independence Square.

Most plans were centered on the nation's capital and the main ones called for a new central square and a renovated Kyiv central train station, as well as a general facelift for the city.

Unfortunately, even these preparations for a grand celebration, like almost everything in the life of Kyiv in 2001 were tainted by events surrounding the disappearance of the journalist Heorhii Gongadze.

Independence Square was sealed off with a large green construction wall in late January - at least a month earlier than had been originally planned - when protesters calling for the removal of President Leonid Kuchma in connection with the Gongadze affair, began to reassemble a tent city on the square in mid-January after a similar one was torn down prior to the New Year holiday.

With the walls up, the only glimpse Kyivans had of what was being done to the country's symbol of independence was quick peeks through temporarily open worker entryways as giant trucks lumbered out.

Plans for the new plaza called for the construction of a pantheon of Ukrainian historical figures on the south side of the plaza, behind which the new Ukrainian Historical Museum would stand. Rising before the pantheon, at the center of Independence Square, would be a 60-foot column, atop which would stand a female-inspired figure representing "Lady Independence."

Several small fountains surrounding the remains of the ancient southern gates to medieval Kyiv were to dominate the south side of the Khreschatyk. A giant subterranean shopping mall was planned for beneath the surface. While the scale of the reconstruction of Independence Square impressed most people, the project did not come without controversy.

The first hints that problems existed surfaced when an archaeologist revealed that the architectural plans called for the destruction of much of the ancient Liadski Gates buried beneath the square. Mykhailo Zahaiduk said on April 6, as the old square was being dug up, that city planners had failed to take adequate measures to ensure that the remains of the Liadski Gates were not disturbed.

Mr. Zahaiduk, an archaeologist, explained that during an earlier archaeological excavation his team had discovered the gates during hurried work at the square when it was last renovated in 1981 and conducted under tight deadlines similar to those current work crews had to meet. At that time the archaeological site was reburied with the stated intention of properly restoring the site at some later date.

Mr. Zahaiduk explained that he and his colleagues believed that new construction plans were such that a small representative portion of the gate would be preserved and the rest destroyed and hauled away - something that he called a crime. The group called on city officials to give archaeologists time to do a proper archaeological dig to record and preserve the artifacts.

The archaeologists lost their battle, and the plans ultimately did not need to be changed after a dump truck bumped up against the ancient remains and knocked them down. Some said it was truly an unfortunate accident, while some unnamed workers said the incident was far from inadvertent. As had been envisioned in the original plans, a portion of the main wall of the Liadski Gates was preserved and made available for viewing through a display at the center of the square.

Another disaster - this one with more human costs - occurred on July 12 when a 60-ton concrete platform collapsed, badly injuring two workers. The accident happened after a sand slide destabilized the platform, which was the foundation for the monument to St. Michael the Archangel that dominated the forward part of the northern portion of the square. The sand slide buried two workers who were saved by their colleagues who worked feverishly to uncover them.

By mid-summer, extensive renovation of the central railroad station was on schedule for completion, as were facelifts of many city parks, memorials and historical buildings. With most of the city center dominated by some sort of reconstruction, traffic snarls and roadblocks became the norm, which caused more than a little grumbling by commuters.

Although many had snickered with doubt as to such a possibility, the city made all its deadlines and everything was ready on time. Independence Square - dominated by marble and bleached granite, and the 60-foot pillar with the green and gilded female figure atop it - opened on August 23. Those present included President Kuchma and his honored guest, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, along with an entourage of Ukrainian state leaders.

Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko, whose stature as a politician who gets things done continued to climb with his successful completion of the various projects, opened the ceremony, which was highlighted by the release of hundreds of pigeons, a colorful daytime fireworks display and an exhibition by Ukrainian youth and sports ensembles.

President Kuchma said the new monument on Independence Square symbolized not only independence, but "liberty, faith and beauty, respect for human intelligence and human toil."

He said the figure also should come to represent the unity of the various ethnic and religious groupings in the country.

The opening of the square was part of a packed day of events for the Ukrainian president, as 10th anniversary celebrations began to reach full stride on the eve of the big day. In the morning the president attended a moleben at St. Sophia Church, where all of Ukraine's major religious confessions were represented. Afterwards he proceeded to the memorial to St. Volodymyr the Great, which overlooks the Dnipro River, for another prayer service and then placed flowers at the monuments to Ukraine's national bard, Taras Shevchenko, and its first president, Mykhailo Hrushevsky.

After lunch Presidents Kuchma and Kwasniewski, joined by two more state leaders, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Boris Trajkovski of Macedonia, attended a jubilee concert at the Ukraina Palace concert hall. Mr. Kuchma gave a 50-minute discourse on the accomplishments of the last decade and what still awaits the country in its transformation to an independent, sovereign and free-market democracy. The concert featured performances by artists and ensembles representing various regions and diverse ethnic groups of Ukraine.

The previous day, in another highlight of the week's commemorations, the same members of the Verkhovna Rada who had carried a large blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag into the session hall 10 years ago after the lawmakers voted to leave the Soviet Union and declare an independent state, re-enacted the historic event to mighty applause during a ceremonial session of the Verkhovna Rada.

A good portion of the Kyiv diplomatic corps, along with most of the past and present members of Parliament, as well as President Kuchma and Prime Minister Anatolii Kinakh, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the judges of both the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court were on hand to view the proceedings, which included an address by Chairman Ivan Pliusch.

The session also included the reading of a proclamation - addressed by the Verkhovna Rada to the Parliaments of the world - by National Deputy Ihor Yukhnovsky, who in 1991 had headed the caucus of national deputies that successfully battled for the declaration of independence.

Events surrounding the 10th anniversary celebrations had actually begun several weeks before the August 24 date. There were children's workshops and art festivals throughout the summer, which were dedicated to independence. The official first day of the central events surrounding Independence Day was the Third World Forum of Ukrainians, which opened on August 18 with 600 delegates and a like number of guests from around the world in attendance (see diaspora section for full story).

Much controversy surrounded the forum, including the opening address by President Kuchma, during which he was heckled extensively by the crowd, and a second presentation, this one by Ukrainian World Congress President Askold Lozynskyj, which drew hearty applause, at least from the diaspora portion of the audience.

The renowned Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of America was the center of a lesser debacle when organizers of the World Forum of Ukrainians jubilee concert demanded that the group cut its scheduled repertoire of songs. The Detroit-based men's chorus agreed, but only after voicing displeasure with the changes and the manner in which the concert was organized.

The bandurists performed at several other venues during what they termed a successful week in Kyiv, including an Independence Day concert on Mykhailivsky Square, the Teacher's Building, the residence of the U.S. ambassador and St. Michael's Golden-Domed Sobor.

The first event of any magnitude connected to the jubilee celebrations had occurred on August 16, when the Fifth World Congress of Ukrainian Youth Organizations opened in Kyiv with some 500 delegates from 25 countries in attendance. Among the 75 organizations officially represented were such diverse and eclectic groups as the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization, the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM), the Sich Ukrainian Children's Society, the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Ukraine and the Children's Mountaineering Movement.

One of those groups, SUM, held an international gathering of its members, called a "World Zlet" to celebrate Ukraine's 10th. Well over 200 delegates from three continents assembled for the opening on August 16 in the city of Lviv on Freedom Square. In the next days they dispersed throughout western Ukraine to visit the lands where their forefathers had lived before reuniting near the Carpathian Hutsul town of Yaremche for a giant ceremonial bonfire. The next day the group left by train for the capital city and the finale of 10th anniversary celebrations.

August 24 in Kyiv began under a bright late-summer sky with the largest military parade in Ukraine's short history proceeding down the city's main thoroughfare, the Khreschatyk, which was jammed with more than 50,000 revelers getting an early start on a day filled with festivities and parties.

Minister of Defense Oleksander Kuzmuk began the spectacle with a military review and a short presentation. After him came the goose-stepping soldiers - more than 4,000 in all from every branch of the military - followed by a steady stream of various military hardware, including giant missiles, howitzers and Ukraine's noted T-84 main battle tanks. The first part of the two-and-a-half-hour show concluded with a military flyover of 42 military aircraft of all sizes, including the MiG-29 fighter jet and the AN-225 Mria, the largest cargo aircraft in the world.

The second half of the parade featured some of Ukraine's best-known singers on floats in a display of song and pageantry. They were followed by Ukrainian Olympic champions and young athletes showing off their talents, which culminated in a gymnastics display before the main reviewing stand, where Presidents Kuchma of Ukraine, Putin of Russia and Trajkovski of Macedonia stood, along with a whole array of Ukraine's state leaders.

Increasingly larger crowds - which reached more than half a million by day's end, according to official estimates - filled the city center to view rock and pop concerts throughout the downtown area in the early evening hours. A huge fireworks salute capped the festivities.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 6, 2002, No. 1, Vol. LXX

| Home Page |