Ukraine

Ukraine remembers journalist Pavlo Sheremet
4-year-old murder case has yet to be solved

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KYIV – Each year on July 20, a community of journalists and friends of Pavlo Sheremet, the Belarusian-born Ukrainian journalist murdered in 2016, come to the place in the center of Ukraine’s capital where he was killed. This year a monument was unveiled near the site where an improved explosive device was planted under his car. Four years later, the murder case has yet to be solved.

The editor-in-chief of Ukrayinska Pravda, the news outlet where Sheremet worked his last years, Sevhil Musayeva, spoke at the opening ceremony. She thanked, in particular, sculptor Nazar Bilyk, who created the memorial, and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Ukraine

Government appoints acting minister of education, defying Verkhovna Rada and scholarly community

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KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers’ appointment of an acting minister of education and science of Ukraine has sparked a public outcry, marked by several public protests and official letters to the president and the government.

The appointee, Serhii Shkarlet, was a member of the Party of Regions and worked with President Viktor Yanukovych’s reviled Minister of Education Dmytro Tabachnyk. Mr. Shkarlet is also suspected of corruption and plagiarism. Nevertheless, both Pre­sident Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal supported him for the education minister’s role; as a result, Mr. Shkarlet was appointed acting minister even though the Verkhovna Rada committee on education did not vote its approval.

Ukraine

Governor of Ukraine’s National Bank resigns, pointing to political pressure

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KYIV – On July 1, the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Yakiv Smolii submitted his letter of resignation to the president. “For a long time, the National Bank of Ukraine has been under systematic political pressure. This makes it impossible for me, as the governor, to effectively carry out my duties as the head of the National Bank of Ukraine and interact with other government agencies,” stated Mr. Smolii, according to the NBU’s official website.

The next day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his commitment to the principle of the central bank’s independence and the need to preserve its institutional capacity. “An independent national bank is a guarantee of macroeconomic stability of the state and the welfare of Ukrainians. Therefore, as president, I will protect the independence of the NBU under any leadership as a basis for the financial and macroeconomic stability of our state,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a statement on the Presidential Office website.

Ukraine

Number of active COVID-19 cases makes Lviv Oblast most infected region of Ukraine

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LVIV – As of the morning of June 24, there were 4,423 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Lviv region – 120 of them fatal. There are currently 3,603 active cases of COVID-19 in the region, which makes it the most infected part of Ukraine. (There are about 3,000 active cases in the city of Kyiv and nearly 2,600 active cases in the Chernivtsi region.)

Furthermore, Lviv Oblast now has the highest rate of increase in infections with the novel coronavirus.

As a result, Lviv is among those regions of Ukraine where quarantine restrictions have not been lifted to the next level. The daily disinfection of entrances and public transport, and the washing of roads and sidewalks, as well as playgrounds, continue in Lviv.

Ukraine

Record number of new COVID-19 cases results in extension of quarantine restrictions in Ukraine

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KYIV – For the last week, Ukrainians found themselves in an uncertain state of quarantine. On the one hand, the government plan of lifting restrictions continued in most regions, and life was returning to normal. On the other, the number of new COVID-19 cases spiked and set new records.

In the last seven days, 4,853 people contracted the coronavirus in Ukraine, which is the highest rate yet since the pandemic hit Ukraine. Consequently, on June 17, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine extended the quarantine restrictions until July 31.

Ukraine

Protesters demand Avakov’s dismissal, citing evidence of failed police reform

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KYIV – Fifty-five national deputies on June 5 initiated a move to dismiss the minister of internal affairs, Arsen Avakov. Thirty-six deputies from the Servant of the People faction, 18 from Holos, and one from European Solidarity signed a statement and transmitted it to the Verkhovna Rada’s Secretariat.

To act on the initiative, Parliament needs four times as many votes, so this initiative by 55 national deputies has more of an informational impact. An actual dismissal of the powerful and controversial minister who has served under two presidents is unlikely.

At the same time, Internal Affairs Minister Avakov was summoned to the Verkhovna Rada for a report and a question and answer session with national deputies. The immediate cause was an incident in the town of Kaharlyk, near Kyiv, that happened on May 24. It was but the most recent incident in a chain of events involving police officers that point to the failure of police reform in Ukraine.

Community Chronicle

Looting in Chicago reaches Ukrainian Village neighborhood

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CHICAGO – The looting that accompanied protests over the death of a black suspect while in police custody in Minnesota spilled over to the Ukrainian Village neighborhood in Chicago on May 31-June 1.

The establishments that were looted all sold liquor, except for a cell phone store and gas station that was struck two consecutive days. Two businesses – a fresh fruit and vegetables grocery and a liquor store – remained shuttered as of June 4. Those businesses were not owned by Ukrainians, but a Polish-owned deli that reopened employs Ukrainians, who also make up a large portion of the clientele.

Vandalism was seen at one condominium unit in the neighborhood and no injuries were reported.

Ukraine

Ukraine enters second stage of quarantine easing

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KYIV – On May 25, life in Ukraine’s capital returned almost back to normal. The metro is the main transport artery of Kyiv, and after its reopening, people’s mobility increased significantly. At first, Kyiv residents were afraid of going underground, but now the city center is full of people, café and restaurant terraces are occupied, and crowds are walking on the central streets.

However, the unusually cold May weather in most regions prevented Ukrainians from dangerous overcrowding. Therefore, the burst of outdoor activity in Ukraine was just beginning.

The Ukrainian government had decided to move to the second stage of eased restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic starting on May 22. During a regular session of the Cabinet of Ministers on May 20, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that the coronavirus infection rate was showing a downward trend in Ukraine.

Ukraine

World remembers Genocide of Crimean Tatar people

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KYIV – On May 18, Ukraine remembered the victims of Joseph Stalin’s genocidal deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea. On that day in 1944, the first trainloads of Crimean Tatars were forcibly resettled from the peninsula to Central Asia and Siberia. In total, about 200,000 people were deported via cattle cars by the Stalin regime. Thousands died en route, and tens of thousands more died due to the harsh conditions of exile.

In 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had declared May 18 as the annual Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.

The Mejlis, the highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars, called for raising the Crimean Tatar flag with a mourning ribbon and urged the public to light candles in their windows on the night of May 17-18.

Ukraine

Ukraine shifts towards the West in commemorating World War II

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KYIV – May 9 is one of the most controversial dates in Ukraine’s modern history. For decades, Ukrainians were obliged to celebrate the Soviet holiday of Victory Day. During the first 20 years after Ukraine regained its independence, the country was an information battlefield: Russia continued spreading myths about the Red Army’s glorious victory in World War II without mentioning the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and downplaying the roles of all Soviet republics, except Russia.

Creating a celebration on an occasion when the rest of the world mourned and remembered was powerful propaganda that polarized Ukrainians no less than the issues of language or religious denomination. The difference in approaches to World War II can be compared by looking at the mottos used in the West on May 8 and in Moscow on May 9: “Never again” as opposed to “We can do it again.”