NEWSBRIEFS (05/15/05)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine to re-examine OUN-UPA activities

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has instructed Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to resume an inquiry into the activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and its partisan force, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), by a relevant governmental commission no later than July 1, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Interfax reported on May 10. According to the Presidential Secretariat, the commission is tasked with reaching legally and historically substantiated conclusions on the OUN-UPA and working out an official government position on these organizations. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President leads V-Day march

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, after attending the Moscow military parade in Red Square on May 9, returned to Kyiv to lead a march of Ukrainian World War II veterans in the capital center later the same day, Ukrainian media reported. Mr. Yushchenko delivered a speech to the veterans, wishing them long lives and urging them to help build a "free and independent Ukraine." Mr. Yushchenko also reiterated his earlier appeal for reconciliation between Soviet veterans and those who fought in the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) against both the Soviet and the Nazis during World War II. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Holocaust victims recalled at Babyn Yar

KYIV - A gathering commemorating Holocaust victims at the Menorah monument in Kyiv's Babyn Yar on May 5 started with a moment of silence. Over 30,000 Jews, Ukrainians, Russians, Gypsies and representatives of other ethnic groups were shot there over a two-day period in 1941. In all, 150,000 were killed there by the Nazis during World War II. Moshe Asman, chief rabbi of Kyiv, said in an interview with TV Channel 5: "We must do everything possible to prevent outbreaks of racism and anti-Semitism in Ukraine. We must learn the lessons of history. We must understand what ignoring this horrible tragedy can lead to." That same day representatives of the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine awarded the title of "Righteous Among the Nations of the World" for saving Jews during World War II to several more Ukrainians. In total, according to the embassy's press service, 279 Ukrainians have already been awarded this distinction. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Putin denies "occupation" of Baltics

MOSCOW - In an interview with German television channels ZDF and ARD, President Vladimir Putin said on May 5 that the term "occupation" is not appropriate for Soviet control over the Baltic states and Eastern Europe after 1945, and he called for an end to speculation on the topic. Mr. Putin said that the Baltic states first gained their independence as a result of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that Bolshevik Russia and Germany concluded in February 1918, according to a transcript of the interview published on kremlin.ru. "Later, in 1939, Russia and Germany decided differently: Germany agreed that this part of Europe should return to the influence of the Soviet Union," he said. "In fact, the Baltic countries were pawns in big world politics and this, of course, is the tragedy of these peoples," Mr. Putin added. As for condemnation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, the Russian president said that "the highest representative body of the Soviet Union condemned it in 1989. ... Should we do it every day, every year?" In another interview with the German daily Bild published on May 5, Mr. Putin said he is against comparing Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. "I can't understand you equating Stalin and Hitler. It goes without saying that Stalin was a tyrant, whom many call a criminal. But he wasn't a Nazi. And it was not Soviet troops that first crossed the border, but the other way around," Mr. Putin stated. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Visas for EU citizens may be abolished

KYIV - Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told journalists in Kyiv on May 11 that Ukraine is considering lifting visa requirements for European Union citizens indefinitely, CTK reported. Svoboda was commenting on his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk earlier the same day. If this happens, Mr. Svoboda added, the Czech Republic will reciprocate by issuing free visas to Ukrainians. Ukraine scrapped visa requirements for EU citizens and Switzerland from May 1 to September 1. As a reciprocal measure, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Hungary decided to grant free visas to Ukrainians within the same period. Mr. Svoboda also said in Kyiv that the Czech Republic is interested in legalizing Ukrainian laborers in that country, who usually perform unqualified work and mostly work illegally. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kyiv, Toronto sign memorandum

KYIV - Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko and Toronto Mayor David Miller signed a memorandum in Kyiv on May 12 on deepening cooperation between the two cities, Interfax reported. The document envisages the development of cooperation and exchanges of experience in the fields of municipal administration, construction, transportation, waste processing, environmental protection, science, culture and other areas of public life. According to Mr. Miller, there are some 80,000 people of Ukrainian origin living in Toronto. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Miensk frees four jailed Ukrainians

MIENSK - Belarusian authorities on May 6 released the final four Ukrainian anti-Lukashenka protesters who were arrested during a demonstration in Miensk on April 26, RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Belapan reported. In addition to Oleksander Hrymaliuk, Oleksander Mishlai and Ihor Huz, the leader of Ukraine's National Alliance youth organization - who were all expected to be released on that date, which completed their 10-day jail terms - the Belarusian authorities freed Andrei Bokach, who had been sentenced to 15 days and was to be released on May 11. Along with the four Ukrainians, five Belarusian opposition activists sentenced for the same demonstration were released on May 6, while two others are continuing to serve their 15-day terms. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Presidents discuss Miensk protesters

MOSCOW - Ukrainian President Yushchenko met with his Belarusian counterpart, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in Moscow on May 8, on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Ukrainian media reported. Mr. Lukashenka reportedly told Mr. Yushchenko that he failed to grant early release to five Ukrainian citizens jailed in Miensk over their participation in an anti-presidential protest on April 26 because of "technical reasons." Mr. Yushchenko said Mr. Lukashenka told him that he had been unaware of all details of the arrest. "We have turned this page, and I think this issue will be removed from the [Ukrainian-Belarusian] agenda," Mr. Yushchenko added. Ten Russians arrested along with the Ukrainians on April 26 were granted early release on April 30, while all the Ukrainians, with the exception of one, had to serve their jail terms in full. All have now been released. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Christian Churches pray for presidency

KYIV - The Christian Churches of Ukraine organized a prayer event dedicated to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the first 100 days of Viktor Yushchenko's presidency. The event took place on May 2 in Kyiv's Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, which still has not been returned to the faithful. At the start of the event, Church hierarchs gave welcoming speeches. Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate mentioned in his speech that all present at the event met, as during the Orange Revolution, to join in sincere prayer for the president and government, walking "the road of truth, democracy and liberty." The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church was represented by Bishop Vasyl Medvit of Kyiv and Vyshhorod, who recalled the need to change our lives and to overcome the "wickedness and deception" that stand in the way. Auxiliary Bishop Vitalii Skomarovskyi of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kyiv and Zhytomyr recalled that during the Orange Revolution the people of Ukraine made a "choice of hope" for the better. The bishop said he looked forward to seeing these hopes come true and stressed that what the parishioners of St. Nicholas were praying for during the event in the church's basement are the president, the government and that their hopes of gaining the church back as their property come true. Hryhorii Komendant, head of the All-Ukraine Union of the Association of Evangelical Baptists, expressed certainty that the new government's program is based on faith in Jesus Christ. Senior Bishop Leonid Padun of the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church stressed in his address that Christ's Resurrection is the most important holiday for the whole of humanity and that it is very significant that Churches understand the need for each other and the importance of common prayer. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Ukrainian-Russian commission formed

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, signed a statement in Moscow on May 8, setting up a Putin-Yushchenko commission and outlining 15 points of cooperation, Ukrainian media reported. President Yushchenko told journalists that the Single Economic Space and a free-trade zone are priorities in the countries' bilateral cooperation. Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Petro Poroshenko said on UT-1 television on May 8 that the other aspects of Russian-Ukrainian interaction relate to problems connected with the deployment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and border cooperation, including a simplified procedure for crossing the border and an agreement on readmission. Mr. Poroshenko also said the Ukrainian president asked President Putin to facilitate the creation of national Russian television and radio stations in the Ukrainian language and a national newspaper in Ukrainian. Mr. Putin reportedly supported this initiative. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Yushchenko for veterans' reconciliation

KYIV - President Viktor Yushchenko appealed to Ukrainian veterans of the Soviet Army and the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) on the 1+1 television channel on May 8 to find mutual understanding and reconciliation on the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. "We have forgiven the Japanese, the Germans, the Poles," Mr. Yushchenko said. "We only have not forgiven each other. ... For the glory of your children and grandchildren - shake hands with each other! The Ukrainian people will appreciate your step." According to a recent poll by the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, possible reconciliation between German and Soviet veterans is assessed positively by 37 percent of Ukrainians and negatively by 29 percent; possible reconciliation between Soviet and UPA veterans is backed by 33 percent and opposed by 33 percent of Ukrainian respondents. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Pope roomed with Ukrainian seminarian

LVIV - Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, said on April 22 that the new pope, Benedict XVI, should be well-acquainted with the affairs of Ukrainian Greek-Catholics. "The fact is, he shared his room at the seminary with a Ukrainian, Pavlo Kohut, now a priest in France. Father Pavlo is an ardent patriot of his Church and his people. I imagine that during that year the young Josef Ratzinger must have heard a lot about Ukraine and its Church life," said the cardinal. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

Bakai, Scherban put on wanted list

KYIV - Following a court ruling, the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry has put Ihor Bakai, former head of the presidential property-management department, on Interpol's wanted list, Ukrainian media reported on May 4. Simultaneously, ministry officials appealed to their Russian colleagues for help in discovering the whereabouts of former Central Election Commission head Serhii Kivalov, former Internal Affairs Minister Mykola Bilokin, former Sumy Oblast Chairman Volodymyr Scherban, and former Odesa Mayor Ruslan Bodelan, against all of whom Ukrainian prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings. The next day Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry put Mr. Scherban on the international wanted list following a decision by regional prosecutors. (RFE/RL Newsline)

FSB opens SMERSH museum

MOSCOW - The FSB (successor to the KGB) has opened at its headquarters on Lubianka Square a museum devoted to the Soviet wartime military counterintelligence service SMERSH (an acronym from the Russian phrase "death to spies"), RTR reported on May 6. Speaking at the opening ceremony, SMERSH veteran Maj. Gen. Leonid Ivanov said he and his group in May 1945 took part in the identification of Adolf Hitler's corpse, as well as the personal belongings and documents of other leaders of Nazi Germany. Analysts noted that SMERSH was also responsible for repression and mass deportations in the occupied countries of Central and Eastern Europe. SMERSH was directly subordinate to Stalin, who during World War II was also defense minister. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Putin denies interference in election

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin told German journalists on May 6 that the Kremlin did not interfere in last year's presidential election in Ukraine, ITAR-TASS reported. "We did nothing that can be qualified as direct interference into the affairs of the republic," Mr. Putin said. "Give me at least one example of when I campaigned for one of the candidates." He said that Moscow "intensified contacts with the acting authorities [in Ukraine] mostly upon their own initiative," adding that Moscow's only goal in such situations is "not to allow using unlawful methods in the political struggle in the post-Soviet space." Mr. Putin said that he is "worried about destabilization" in the region, adding, "look what happened in Kyrgyzstan." During the campaign, Mr. Putin met several times with then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his favored successor, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. On December 8, just days before the final vote, State Duma Speaker and Kremlin insider Boris Gryzlov said, "Only the victory of the pro-Russian candidate [Yanukovych] ... can save the country from collapse." (RFE/RL Newsline)

Lukianenko: Hero of Ukraine

KYIV - The title of Hero of Ukraine was conferred on National Deputy Levko Lukianenko, a legendary fighter for independence of Ukraine. In a decree, signed by President Viktor Yushchenko, it is underscored that this highest state award is presented to the parliamentarian "for unconquerable will, civil courage and selflessness in defending ideals of freedom and democracy and for outstanding personal contribution in the formation and development of independent Ukrainian state." (Ukrinform)

Ukraine closed to NATO membership talks

VILNIUS - Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk told a news conference after a foreign-minister level NATO-Ukraine meeting in Vilnius on April 21 that Kyiv could complete the necessary military and political reforms for joining NATO within the three years, Ukrainian and international news agencies reported. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer backed Kyiv's NATO membership goal but refused to give a timetable. "NATO has invited Ukraine to begin ... an intensified dialogue on Ukraine's aspirations to membership ... without prejudice to any eventual alliance decision," Reuters quoted Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as saying. "It would be the choice of Ukraine to choose its partners and it is the sovereign matter of Ukraine," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Vilnius the same day. (RFE/RL Newsline)

NATO chief sees "long road"

BRUSSELS - The secretary-general of NATO pledged his support for Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's quest to join the 26-nation alliance, but warned that Kyiv faces a "long and winding road" before it can finally become a member. In an interview with the Financial Times, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said, "Ukraine has clearly indicated that it wants to go along the long and winding road to membership." He added, "Given the fact that there has been a peaceful revolution, the membership standards can be much more easily fulfilled by the Yushchenko government than by the [former] Kuchma government." But the secretary-general refused to set any timetable for Ukraine's membership ambitions. (Financial Times)

Ukrainians trust Church most

KYIV - Ukrainians have the highest trust in the Church, then the president and the Cabinet of Ministers, according to a poll conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Fund whose results were posted on April 8 by rupor.org. The high rankings of the president and the Cabinet of Ministers are a first, according to poll organizers. The Church received the highest trust ranking of 66 percent. Then 60.4 percent of the respondents said they trust President Viktor Yushchenko and 52.2 percent declared trust in the Cabinet of Ministers. "For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, the poll demonstrated a high level of trust in the central government," noted the commentary by Democratic Initiatives. Polling took place on March 18-27 in all regions of Ukraine, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol. Sociologists polled 2,039 respondents age 18 and older. The sample error is 2.2 percent. (Religious Information Service of Ukraine)

| Home Page |