Ukraine

International Criminal Court pushes for full probe of war crimes in Ukraine

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KYIV – Ukraine reached another legal breakthrough on the world arena in its efforts to hold Russia accountable for war mongering and human rights abuses in the country when the International Criminal Court (ICC) on December 11 decided to recommend a full-fledged probe.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said there was enough evidence to “believe that a broad range of conduct constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity” have occurred and, therefore, warrant further investigation by the court.

Community Chronicle

Selfreliance N.Y. office closes in aftermath of neighborhood fire

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NEW YORK – A massive fire that destroyed a historic church in the heart of the Ukrainian neighborhood in the East Village here on December 5 also resulted in physical damage to the Selfreliance New York Federal Credit Union’s main office at 108 Second Avenue.

Bohdan Kurczak, president and CEO of the credit union, said that the fire did not spread to the building at 108 Second Avenue.  However, firefighters needed to access the credit union’s roof in their effort to extinguish the six-alarm inferno, which was first reported just before 5 a.m.

Holodomor

Ukraine commemorates victims of Holodomor

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KYIV – During a series of events here on November 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska paid tribute to the millions of victims who perished as a result of Stalin’s Famine-Genocide – the Holodomor of 1932-1933.

In the morning, the president and first lady arrived at the memorial to the victims of the Holodomor in St. Michael’s Square, where the president and his wife put a composition of wheat ears and viburnum near the memorial and paid tribute to the Holodomor victims.  They then visited the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide, where other participants in the ceremony put woven sheafs of grain near the statue “The Bitter Memory of Childhood.”

Ukraine

Choice for great state emblem of Ukraine draws criticism

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KYIV – It percolated from grumbling on social media to controversy after a jury panel of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture on November 19 selected the nation’s great state emblem – the constitutionally stipulated coat of arms that never was designated after the country’s fundamental law was ratified 14 years ago.

“Trash,” one Facebook user commented. Another noted Archangel Michael is “wearing white socks.” Another commenter said, “it takes me back to childhood and makes me want to start coloring it.” Others criticized the colors of the Ukrainian flag being stepped on, while some noted the Kozak banner standing above a Christian figure. Still others on Twitter noticed that the Kozak looks “theatrical” or “cartoonish” and that the depiction of wheat and the Eurasian guelder rose (kalyna) look similar to the images used in Soviet propaganda.

Ukraine

Amid surge in Ukraine’s coronavirus cases, opposition to ‘weekend quarantine’ grows

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LVIV – On Saturday, November 14, Ukraine entered the first weekend of its new quarantine regime, whereby there are additional restrictions on weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, bars, restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments are closed. Shopping centers and entertainment establishments are closed. Establish­ments of trade and consumer services are closed, with few exceptions. Gyms and swimming pools are closed. The government’s “weekend quarantine” is slated to last until November 30. In addition, previous anti-epidemic restrictions that affected regions with the worst coronavirus outbreaks will now apply to all regions.

Ukraine

Ukrainian government implements “weekend quarantine” restrictions
Zelenskyy battles case of COVID-19

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KYIV – On November 9, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the public that he had tested positive for COVID-19. “Despite all the quarantine measures, I also received a + result. I have 37.5. I wish everyone 36.6!” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on his Facebook page. (The reference was to his body temperature.) He added that he was feeling well and would continue to work in isolation.

“I was even a little surprised how I escaped the infection when my family fell ill [in June]. Unfortunately, we have to accept this axiom: everyone is at risk until there is a reliable vaccine. The only thing we can do is try to break the chains of infection and thus significantly reduce the load on the hospitals,” the president added.

Ukraine

Milan Appeal Court acquits Ukrainian soldier Markiv in 2014 killing of Italian journalist

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KYIV – When Ukrainian National Guardsman Vitaliy Markiv was released from a maximum-security prison in Italy on November 3, it seemed that Ukraine also was vindicated of the false criminal charges of being an accessory to murder.

After spending three years, four months and two days in a Milan prison for his alleged role in killing an Italian photojournalist and his Russian interpreter in an eastern Ukrainian war zone, an appellate court ordered Mr. Markiv’s immediate release upon acquitting him of all charges.

At around 9:50 p.m. local time, the 31-year-old native of Ternopil Oblast regained his freedom, emerging with a Ukrainian flag draped over his shoulders and wearing a T-shirt bearing the Ukrainian trident symbol (tryzub) with the insignia of his 1st Battalion of the National Guard.

Ukraine

Ukrainians choose local leaders and deputies in historic elections

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KYIV – On October 25, local elections were held nationwide in Ukraine, except in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The elections were held on a new administrative-territorial basis, as new united territorial communities have been created in connection with decentralization reform.

“The government has changed the outdated division into raions, which was adopted in the first half of the last century. It transferred more power to the communities, forming almost 1,500 united territorial communities,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal commented after voting in Lviv. “For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, people on the ground will manage funds independently and decide where to spend resources. This is a key element of the decentralization reform,” he noted.

Ukraine

President Zelenskyy announces nationwide poll for October 25

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KYIV – On October 25, millions of Ukrainians will vote in local elections, choosing leaders and deputies of their communities, raions, cities and oblasts. As they leave their polling stations, the voters will also be asked to voluntarily answer five more questions posed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the poll will not have any direct legal consequences.

The president has no legislative right to develop a nationwide survey, especially when it comes to state funding. To observers, the poll looks like an illegitimate referendum that might bring about real change since the president’s party, Servant of the People, controls the legislative branch, the Verkhovna Rada.

Ukraine

22nd Ukraine-EU summit marks deepening partnership

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KYIV – The plenary session of the 22nd Ukraine-EU Summit took place in Brussels on October 6 with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, European Council President Charles Michel and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell participating.

It was the first in-person summit with a European Union partner country since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The two sides focused on implementation of the Association Agreement, the continuation of reforms in Ukraine and security issues. As a result of the summit, the partnership between the EU and Ukraine will be deepened in various sectors.