UWC cites disinformation threat
Disinformation is one of the most serious threats to a free democratic electoral process, noted Eugene Czolij, the head of Ukraine World Congress International Observation Mission to Ukraine’s 2019 Elections (UWC Mission) and former president of the UWC. He held a press conference at Ukraine Crisis Media Center in Kyiv on March 26 to present the UWC’s interim report. “The disinformation campaign is not confined to the Ukrainian information sphere and is widespread throughout the world with the goal of disillusioning Ukraine’s allies,” said Mr. Czolij. Speaking about the UWC mission, he emphasized that it was unique in its composition and scope, consisting mostly of Ukrainian-speaking observers. It includes long-term observers (LTOs), who carry media monitoring outside of Ukraine, and short-term observers (STOs), who monitor the electoral process both in Ukraine and at Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad. The UWC mission will be issuing two more reports: its preliminary observations on the day after the March 31 presidential election and its final report eight weeks after the election.
The UWC Mission is also working closely with the observation mission of its member organization, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), which has deployed 77 STOs. Together, the UWC and the UCCA boast the second largest group after the contingent of election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); 296 STOs from 17 countries and 122 LTOs observing elections in diplomatic representations of Ukraine in 24 countries are part of the UWC and the UCCA missions. The findings of both missions will be integrated into the final report of the UWC Mission. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
BBC pays damages to Poroshenko
The BBC says it has agreed to pay damages to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko over an “incorrect” report last year. “We apologize to Mr. Poroshenko for any distress caused and have agreed to pay him damages, legal costs, and have participated in a joint statement in open court,” the BBC said in a March 28 statement on its news site. It did not give any indication of the size of the payment. An article published on the BBC website in May 2018 alleged that a payment of $400,000 was made to Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to extend a meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents. The allegation related to a meeting at the White House in June 2017. Mr. Poroshenko, who is seeking reelection in the March 31 presidential election, sued the BBC over the report, which also featured in a news bulletin in Britain. (RFE/RL, with reporting by the BBC)
Crimean Tatars detained after searches
Russian authorities who control Ukraine’s Crimea region say they have detained 20 Crimean Tatars following house-to-house searches, in what rights groups call a persistent clampdown on a minority group whose members mostly opposed Moscow’s takeover of the peninsula in 2014. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 27 that the detainees were suspected of being members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group. Crimean Solidarity, a human rights group that has members in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, said that the searches were conducted on March 27 in the regional capital, Symferopol, and nearby districts. The FSB said its officers, police and National Guard troops had searched the homes of people suspected of being members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group. Since Russia seized the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, Russian authorities have prosecuted 31 Crimean Tatars for allegedly belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. In February, the FSB branch in the Black Sea region launched probes against eight alleged members of the group accused of plotting to seize power in Crimea. Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global organization based in London that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate. The group can operate legally in Ukraine. However, Russia’s Supreme Court banned it in 2003, branding its supporters “extremists.” Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities in Crimea who are targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar community and others who have spoken out against Moscow’s seizure and takeover of the peninsula in March 2014. (Crimea Desk, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
NATO confirms chances for Ukraine to join
On March 14, NATO issued its annual report, reconfirming the prospect of future membership for Ukraine in the alliance. The presentation of the annual report by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took place at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The section, titled “NATO’s Open Door,” says “In light of Ukraine’s restated aspirations for NATO membership, Allies also stand by their decisions taken at the Bucharest Summit and subsequent summits.” In its report, NATO recognizes “Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, its destabilizing military behavior and use of hybrid actions against nations across the Euro-Atlantic region [that] have significantly altered the international security environment – reducing stability and security, and increasing unpredictability.” It also highlights Russia’s use of military force against three Ukrainian naval vessels in international waters in the Black Sea, near the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, calling for the release of the Ukrainian sailors and ships Russia had seized. NATO has increased its support of Ukraine throughout 2018. “NATO’s commitment to assisting Ukraine’s security and defense sector reforms through the Comprehensive Assistance Package – including 10 Trust Funds – remains high.” The main avenues of NATO’s support to Ukraine include the “development and implementation of the framework Law on National Security, medical rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and support to Ukraine’s medical institutions, resettlement program for former military personnel, assistance to Ukrainian military personnel to manage the psychological injuries caused during the conflict as well as new NATO Science for Peace and Security project to enable real-time detection of explosives in public transport.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Estonia plans victims of communism museum
The Estonian government has announced plans to open an International Museum for the Victims of Communism in Tallinn’s Patarei fortress. Used as both a coastal artillery facility and a prison, the museum, already familiarly referred to as the Red Terror Museum, is to become a center for research on the subject. Martin Andreller, its curator, says that the museum will host “international research into the fates of the countries that were occupied and whose peoples suffered as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and then making this research available to the public.” What makes this development intriguing is that it not only is in addition to the occupation museums that already exist in Tallinn and other Baltic capitals, but that it also represents part of an international effort to open victims of communism museums in various countries so that no one will forget what communist regimes did. Among the capitals where such a museum is being planned is Washington. (Paul Goble’s Window on Eurasia)
Canada announces new sanctions
On March 15, Canada announced a large list of new sanctions in response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait and Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Canada’s black list has been increased by 114 individuals and 15 entities under the Special Economic Measures Act according to Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. “Today’s sanctions demonstrate that Canada and the international community are ready to impose costs on Russia when it ignores international law and the rules-based international order,” noted Minister Freeland. The sanctions list is a coordinated effort with the European Union and the United States. It “underscores continued trans-Atlantic unity in responding to Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine and its violation of international law,” reads the release. At the same time, Canada called on Russia to immediately release the 24 detained Ukrainian servicemen and return the Ukrainian Navy vessels seized in November 2018, as well as allow free and unhindered passage through the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
$100 M for military support from Canada
The Canadian government has submitted the 2019 budget to Parliament with a $105.6 million allocation for training Ukrainian military personnel and other security assistance. “The government remains fully committed to providing this assistance to Ukraine. To that end, Budget 2019 confirms the government’s plan to invest up to $105.6 million over three years, starting in 2019-2020, to renew Operation UNIFIER,” reads the budget. These funds will be used to provide training for the Ukrainian military and to implement the strategic goals of reforming the Ukrainian defense sector. The amount “includes $99.6 million over three years in incremental funding for Canada’s military contribution, and up to $6 million to support broader efforts on defense and security sector reforms in Ukraine allocated by Global Affairs Canada from existing International Assistance Envelope resources,” the document says. Canada is one of the largest international supporters of Ukraine’s “efforts to defend itself and implement democratic and economic reforms,” the draft budget stresses. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Eastern Ukraine contaminated with mines
On March 18, ReliefWeb, a humanitarian information source on global crises and disasters, reported that approximately 7,000 square kilometers in the government-controlled areas (GCA) of Donetsk and Luhansk oblast in eastern Ukraine are contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). This area is so big that if the minefield were to measure only 1 meter wide it could extend longer than Canada-U.S. border if the border with Alaska is excluded. A map put together by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with humanitarian organizations, shows surveyed areas where mine contamination has been confirmed. “However, vast areas of land have not yet been surveyed, so it is difficult to know the full extent of mine contamination. It is also difficult to assess the scale of contamination in non-government-controlled areas (NGCA) as no coordinated mine action has been taken there, whilst the situation is understood to be acute,” reads the report. The civilian death toll because of landmines and ERWs goes beyond 1,000 people. “In 2018, 43 percent of civilian casualties were attributed to mine and ERW-related incidents. Mine related incidents remained the leading cause of child casualties in 2018,” reads the background note of the Protection Cluster bulletin of the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). “Experts say it costs around 2.5 euros to lay a mine but around 900 euros to clear it. After the end of the conflict, Ukraine will need at least 15 years to clear anti-personnel, anti-tank mines, unexploded missiles and other explosive remnants of war. This is only a prediction: the security situation does not allow any of the three NGOs to operate either directly on the line of contact, nor in territories occupied by the separatists. And that’s where the situation might be worst,” Natalia Liubchenkova wrote for Euronews in January. “We have now established that there are 200 minefields across the Luhansk and Donetsk region, and there are obviously much more than that. The security situation prevents us from accessing the densest contaminated areas along the line of contact,” noted Nick Smart, HALO Trust regional director for Europe. According to the latest report of the UNHCR, “on February 23, two people died and one was severely injured when a minivan exploded on a landmine at Olenivka checkpoint (Donetsk region). On 26 February, three people were wounded by a landmine when collecting firewood in the forest near Hrodivka (Donetsk region).” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Turkish diplomat to head OSCE mission
The United States has said a Turkish diplomat will be taking over the international monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine as the conflict there continues to fester. A State Department statement on March 27 said Yasar Halit Cevik will take charge of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The mission is a key component of monitoring the low-level fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region, a conflict ongoing since 2014. It’s one of the only neutral sources of information on cease-fire violations. More than 13,000 people have been killed in that time, and more than 1 million people displaced, according to the United Nations. “The United States urges all OSCE participating states to reiterate support for the monitoring mission,” the State Department said. “We call on Russia and the forces it arms, trains, leads, and fights alongside in Ukraine to allow the [monitoring mission] full and unhindered access to the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” (RFE/RL)
Ukrainian soldier killed in east
Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed and two wounded as a result of clashes with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Defense Ministry said on March 22 that separatist fighters fired machine guns, mortars and grenade launchers, violating a ceasefire seven times during the previous 24 hours. Meanwhile, separatists in the Donetsk region also accused Ukrainian government forces of violating the ceasefire seven times in the same period. Ceasefire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords – September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict – have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold. A new ceasefire agreement was reached on March 8, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then. (RFE/RL, with reporting by TASS)
Nemtsov Park near Russian Embassy in Kyiv
A plaque honoring slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has been unveiled at a park near the Russian Embassy in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko and Nemtsov’s daughter, Zhanna Nemtsova, took part in the ceremony on March 15. An urban park near the area in front of the Russian Embassy was also named after Nemtsov, who was shot dead in Moscow in 2015. Mr. Klitschko said at the ceremony that Nemtsov “always wished success to Ukraine.” He noted: “Boris Nemtsov harshly criticized the activities of the Russian Federation toward Ukraine, he condemned the annexation of Crimea, openly stated that Russian troops were present in the Donbas. He was a person who supported and was concerned about our country.” In June last year, authorities in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, unveiled a sign honoring Nemtsov and named a segment of the street in front of the Russian Embassy after him. Boris Nemtsov Plaza was officially unveiled outside the Russian Embassy in Washington on February 27, 2018 – the anniversary of Nemtsov’s killing – triggering criticism from Moscow. А former deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin, Nemtsov was an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and had sought to build a viable opposition movement. He was gunned down on a bridge near the Kremlin. In July 2017, a Moscow court found five men from Russia’s North Caucasus region of Chechnya guilty of the Nemtsov murder and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms. But Nemtsov’s relatives and associates believe his killing was ordered at a higher level, and say justice will not be served until the person or people behind it are identified and prosecuted. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Canada’s short-term election observers arrive
On March 26, 110 Canadian short-term election observers, including Head of Mission Lloyd Axworthy, arrived in Ukraine as part of Canada’s election observation mission run by CANADEM. “Election observers directly support democracy, and today, “Canada’s short-term election observers will join their long-term observer counterparts and the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, recently named head of Canada’s election observation mission to Ukraine, to begin their work observing all aspects of the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine,” reads the statement released by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef. “Canada has committed up to $24 million to support initiatives in Ukraine that advance electoral reforms, the participation of women and minorities, and inclusive governance. This assistance includes $11 million in support of the Canadian election observation mission and the secondment of Canadian observers to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe election observation mission. In total, Canada will support up to 500 long-term and short-term observers in Ukraine’s elections this year,” the Canadian government’s statement noted. Canadian officials emphasized that another $2.8 million has been committed to “counter the negative impact of disinformation propagated by malign actors in the context of Ukraine’s elections.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Airports say it’s spelled “Kyiv”
Romania’s main airport has dropped the long-obsolete spelling of the capital of Ukraine, “Kiev,” which is the direct transliteration from Russian, and has switched to the correct Ukrainian-based spelling. “Today, the Bucharest Henri Coanda Airport has switched to the correct spelling of the name of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. I am grateful to the administration for their cooperation and support!” Ukrainian Ambassador to Romania Oleksandr Bankov wrote on Facebook on March 21. A similar change was recently introduced by the airport administrations in Budapest, Istanbul, Tallinn and Vilnius. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
U.S. moves to seize art stolen from Kyiv
U.S. authorities have moved to seize a French painting that was taken by Nazi forces from a Ukrainian museum near the end of World War II. Manhattan federal prosecutors said in a statement on March 21 that the painting, called “An Amorous Couple,” by Pierre Louis Goudreaux was stolen from the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of the Arts in Kyiv around 1943. U.S. officials said the painting had been missing for years, held by a London private collector and then in Massachusetts. It resurfaced in 2013 when it was listed on a website for an unnamed New York auction house. The FBI determined that it was bought from a Missouri auction house in 1993 by a New York dealer who had consigned it to the auction house. The prosecutors said they were seeking a court order to seize the painting and return it to the Kyiv museum. In recent years, U.S. officials have stepped up efforts to locate art seized from Ukraine by Nazi forces and return it to Ukraine. In December, U.S. authorities moved to claim a 107-year-old painting of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible that was stolen from a Ukrainian art museum during World War II. That painting by Mikhail Panin, called “The Secret Departure of Ivan the Terrible Before the Oprichnina,” was part of the permanent collection of a museum in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro before the war. (RFE/RL)
Ukraine seizes cocaine worth $51 M
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) says it has seized a shipment of South American narcotics worth some $51 million. The SBU said it found more than a quarter of a ton of cocaine hidden in “containers with bananas” during an inspection on a South American cargo ship that docked in the Black Sea port of Odesa. The statement did not identify the vessel’s country of origin. “A rapid analysis identified the packaged powder as cocaine,” the SBU said in a statement on March 21. “The total weight of the drug is 257 kilograms and its estimated cost on the black market is more than $51 million,” the statement said. The drugs were meant for the European market, the SBU said, adding that it has opened a criminal case in drug smuggling on a large scale. It also launched an investigation to identify possible suspects in the case. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AFP)