NEWSBRIEFS

Deputy says West sponsors opposition

KYIV - Communist Party legislator Valerii Mishura told the Verkhovna Rada on May 21 that Western organizations and funds - primarily in the United States and Germany - finance non-governmental organizations (NGO) in Ukraine in an effort to interfere in the country's political situation and help Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko win the upcoming presidential elections, UNIAN reported. "The president of Ukraine, his administration [and] the Internal Affairs Ministry should inform the international community about the actual situation in the country and resolutely resist attempts by foreign embassies and organizations to meddle in our domestic affairs, dictate humiliating conditions, and influence decision making via organizations sponsored from abroad," Mr. Mishura said. Another Communist Party lawmaker, Yurii Solomatin, proposed that the government ban all Ukrainian NGOs whose operations are supported by foreign grants. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Journalist arrested in Mukachiv

MUKACHIV - Journalist Kostiantyn Sydorenko, who monitored the controversial mayoral election in Mukachiv on April 18, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing explosives, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported on May 22. Mr. Sydorenko was reportedly told to visit the Mukachiv police station to retrieve a video camera that was stolen from him a few days earlier. "However, on his way to the police station, policemen detained Mr. Sydorenko, knocking him down on to the road. Suddenly a package in which the policemen found, quite by chance, three explosive devices [that] appeared out of the blue beside Sydorenko," the website reported, quoting a press release by the press service of Our Ukraine's local headquarters in Mukachiv. Mr. Sydorenko has reportedly rejected the accusations, saying he was not carrying anything on his way to the police station. (RFE/RL Newsline)

U.S. congressmen visit Ukraine

KYIV - Seven members of the U.S. Congress are in Ukraine to meet with government and political officials. The members, all U.S. delegates to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, are Mike Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Congressman Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), John Tanner (D-Tenn.), Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) During their meetings with government officials and political party representatives, the congressmen will discuss NATO and bilateral issues. They arrived Monday, May 24, and were to depart Thursday, May 27. No press events were scheduled during the visit. Also in Ukraine is Congressman Doug Bereuter (R-Neb.), president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He also is chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the U.S. House of Representatives. His visit has been arranged under the auspices of the Verkhovna Rada. (Embassy of the United States)

Tymoshenko charged with bribery

KYIV - The Procurator General's Office has instituted criminal proceedings against lawmaker Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the eponymous opposition bloc, on charges of attempting to bribe a judge following a complaint from Volodymyr Borovko, Ukrainian media reported on May 20. Earlier that week Mr. Borovko said that Ms. Tymoshenko had given him $125,000 to give to the judge in order to influence the court's decision and release her former business partners from custody. Mr. Borovko said the partners included Hennadii Tymoshenko (her father-in-law) and Antonina Boliura, former executives at the Unified Energy Systems, which Ms. Tymoshenko headed in 1996-1997. Mr. Borovko claimed he failed to fulfill Ms. Tymoshenko's request and that she is now threatening him and demanding the money back. Ms. Tymoshenko has denied the accusations as "totally wrong" and provocative. On May 20 police reportedly arrested Ms. Boliura, who was hospitalized, and took her into custody. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kuchma orders payment of wage arrears

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma has instructed the government and oblast chairman to pay all wage arrears by the end of this year, Interfax reported on May 20. The total sum of overdue wages in Ukraine, according to Mr. Kuchma, is 2.2 billion hrv ($413 million U.S.). (RFE/RL Newsline)

Rada rejects five motions re Iraq

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on May 19 rejected five draft resolutions calling for the pullout of the Ukrainian military contingent from Iraq, Ukrainian media reported. None of the resolutions was supported by more than 160 votes, while 226 votes were needed for approval. The voting followed a closed-door debate on the situation in Iraq. National Security and Defense Council Secretary Volodymyr Radchenko and Security Service of Ukraine Deputy Chief Yurii Zemlianskyi reportedly told lawmakers during the debate that there is a threat of terrorist acts within Ukraine in connection with the presence of Ukrainian soldiers in Iraq. On May 20 lawmakers from the Socialist Party and the Communist Party blocked the parliamentary rostrum following another abortive vote on a proposal to consider the issue of the Ukrainian contingent in Iraq. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Polls says Yushchenko would be victor

KYIV - According to a survey conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Fund and SOCIS from April 29 to May 6, Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko would beat Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in this year's presidential election if both were to qualify for the second round. The poll found that Mr. Yushchenko would obtain 36.8 percent of the vote in the second round, while Mr. Yanukovych would garner 31.4 percent. Moreover, 21.1 percent of respondents said they would vote against all candidates, 7 percent would not take part in the vote, and 12.8 percent said they are undecided. Asked about how they would vote if the election were held next week, 25.7 percent of respondents said they would cast their ballots for Mr. Yushchenko, 16.7 percent for Mr. Yanukovych, 10.4 percent for Communist Party head Petro Symonenko, 5.1 percent for Socialist Party head Oleksander Moroz, and 3.6 percent for Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the eponymous opposition bloc. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Court declines to hear Melnychenko tapes

SAN FRANCISCO - Federal Judge Martin Jenkins of the Northern District Court in San Francisco, which is conducting the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, on May 19 dismissed the defense's motion that tapes secretly made by former presidential bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko in President Leonid Kuchma's office be submitted as evidence, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported. Mr. Melnychenko claims the tapes include information that is essential for the trial. "I am sure that without [listening to] these recordings the court cannot make a just decision in the Lazarenko case," the website quoted him as saying. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Poll: public supports rapprochement

MOSCOW - The All-Russian Center for Studies of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), in cooperation with pollsters in Belarus and Ukraine, has recently conducted a survey in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine regarding respondents' attitudes toward political and economic integration, Interfax reported on May 24. According to VTsIOM, the overwhelming majority of people in the three countries think that there are reasons - in particular, based on common history, family ties, and commonality of economic interests - for the rapprochement of the three nations; only 6 percent of people in Ukraine and Russia and 10 percent in Belarus think that there are no such reasons whatsoever. The pollster also noted "peculiarities" in integration preferences in the three countries. Fifty-one percent of Russians want to live in their own country and are not enthusiastic about a supranational union, 28 percent of Belarusians would like to live in a "unified Europe," while 23 percent of Ukrainians would be happy living in a "union of Slavic states." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Court explains constitutional provision

KYIV - Following a request from President Leonid Kuchma, the Constitutional Court on May 25 announced its ruling on the constitutional provision allowing the president to disband the Verkhovna Rada if the legislature fails to gather for a plenary sitting within 30 days of a regular session (Article 90 and Article 106 of the Ukrainian Constitution), Interfax reported. The court ruled that "30 days" refers to 30 calendar days, including holidays and other recesses in the parliamentary session. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Demonstrators support Silski Visti

KYIV - More than 600 people picketed Kyiv's Court of Appeals on May 25, demanding that it annul the decision of a district court in Kyiv in January to close Silski Visti, the largest opposition newspaper in Ukraine, on charges of anti-Semitism, Interfax reported. Picketers, who reportedly included members of the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and several nationalist organizations, held placards reading "Hands off Silski Visti!" and chanted "Shame on you!" Meanwhile, some 500 people, organized by Ukraine's Jewish communities, gathered for a separate rally near the Court of Appeals. "We have come here to let our voice be heard by Ukraine, [to see how] for the first time in history a European newspaper is being closed for anti-Semitism," said Oleksander Shlayen, head of the International Anti-Fascist Committee, which sued Silski Visti. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Two parliamentary groups merge

KYIV - The deputies' groups Democratic Initiatives and People's Power have merged to form a caucus called Democratic Initiatives-People's Power, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported on May 14, quoting Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn. The newly established caucus has 30 deputies. Mr. Lytvyn also said the pro-government caucus, Ukraine's Regions, expelled three deputies who on May 12 supported the opposition-sponsored resolution on the controversial mayoral election in Mukachiv. (RFE/RL Newsline)

7.5 million use mobile phones

KYIV - The number of users of cellular phones in Ukraine increased by 4 percent in April and exceeded 7.5 million, Interfax reported on May 6, quoting official data from the country's mobile-communications operators. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Minister cites religious statistics for 2003

KYIV - Oleksander Lavrynovych, minister of justice of Ukraine, has released some religious statistics in Ukraine for the year 2003, which were posted on the rupor.org site. According to the justice minister, almost 12,000 foreign missionaries and religious activists visited Ukraine in 2003. He also reported that the religious network of Ukraine in 2003 increased by 1,200 religious organizations. The greatest number of communities in Ukraine belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC- MP), which is home to 10,310 communities. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) have 3,186 and 1,107 communities, respectively. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) is home to 3,328 communities and the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) in Ukraine has 854 communities. In 2003 the number of UOC-MP parishes grew by 360 new parishes, UOC-KP by 167 parishes, UAOC by 21 parishes, UGCC by 31 parishes and the RCC by 14 parishes. As of early 2004, Ukraine is home to more than 27,500 religious communities of traditional and new religions. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Yanukovych becomes academician

KYIV - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has become a member of the Presidium of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, Interfax reported on May 13, quoting the government press service. Academy head Borys Paton reportedly wrote in a letter to Mr. Yanukovych that the Academy of Sciences made him a presidium member in order to "strengthen cooperation with state-authority bodies." (RFE/RL Newsline)

PM's spokesperson reprimands media

KYIV - Hanna Herman, newly appointed spokeswoman of the prime minister, told journalists on May 13 that recent reports by some media recalling Viktor Yanukovych's two convictions are intended to discredit him as a presidential candidate, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported. "Someone is very eager to discredit the leading aspirant to the top post in our state," Ms. Herman said. She revealed that Mr. Yanukovych in 1967 was sentenced to three years in a colony for juveniles - where he served only a part of his term - and in 1970 to two years in prison. Ms. Herman noted that in 1978 the Donetsk Oblast Court annulled both convictions. "Thus, Viktor Yanukovych was unfoundedly called to criminal responsibility on two occasions - in 1967 and 1970 - and unlawfully convicted for the crimes in which he was not involved," she said, without naming those crimes. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russia watches Ukraine's election

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Ukrainian presidential administration head Viktor Medvedchuk at the Kremlin on April 16 that Russia is watching developments in Ukraine closely and hopes that the programs initiated by the country's pro-presidential majority in Parliament are realized, strana.ru reported. Speaking about the possible outcomes of Ukraine's presidential elections in October, Mr. Putin said Russia "will accept the will of the Ukrainian people and will work with any Ukrainian government," but would prefer to preserve continuity in its relations with Ukraine. Mr. Putin noted the good relations he has with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and said they remain in close contact. Some analysts have commented that Ukraine's presidential election is not much less important to President Putin than his own re-election in March, because the results of Russia's recent assertiveness toward the CIS states is dependent on its outcome. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 30, 2004, No. 22, Vol. LXXII

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