the ukrainian weekly 2011-17

8/7/2019 The Ukrainian Weekly 2011-17

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Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association

$1/$2 in UkraineVol. LXXIX No. 17 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011TheUkrainianWeekly

U.S. STATEMENT TO THE PRESSCommemorating the 25th anniversary of ChornobylFollowing is the full text of the press

statement by U.S. Secretary of StateHillary Rodha m Clinton, which wasreleased on April 19 in Washington.

On behalf of President Obama andthe people of the United States, I reaf-firm the commitment of the UnitedStates to stand with Ukraine and the 44other nations participating in the Kyivsummit as we mark the 25th anniversa-ry of the Chornobyl nuclear disasterand complete Chornobyls transition toan environmentally safe site. The com-pletion of two nuclear safety projects,construction of a new safe confinementshelter and a storage facility for spentfuel will help finally close this difficultchapter for the people of Ukraine andthe region.

Nearly two decades of cooperationbetween Ukraine and the United Stateson nuclear energy and safety, health

and nonproliferation has made a last-ing contribution to nuclear safety in theregion and throughout the world. TheUnited States has already contributed$240 million to this internationaleffort, and today we are announcing apledge of $123 million in new funding.

As we remember this anniversary,we are also following the grave situa-tion at Japans Fukushima-Daiichinuclear power plant. It is a reminderthat nuclear safety requires the globalcommunity to work together. This iswhy today the United States joinsUkraine and the rest of the internation-al community in renewing our supportfor the government and people ofJapan.

As we pause to reflect on the eventsthat took place at Chornobyl 25 yearsago, we must recommit ourselves toensuring the safe use of nuclear powerfor generations to come.

25 years after nuclear disaster, lack of funds plagues Chornobylby Zenon Zawada

Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV Like no other problem, lack offinancing continues to plague the

Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant a quarter-century after it was the site of the worldsworst nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986.

U k r a i n i a n P r e s i d e n t V i k t o rYanukovych extended his tin cup to glob-al leaders in Kyiv on April 19 when hehosted a donors conference followed by anuclear energy summit, attended by morethan 60 high-profile participants, includ-ing European Commission President JosManuel Barroso, Polish Prime MinisterBronislaw Komorowski and Dr. ZbigniewBrzezinski, the leader of the U.S. delega-tion designated by President BarackObama.

The conference succeeded in raising550 million euros ($802 million) towardsthe construction of a new containmentshelter, gaining support from the RussianFederation ($66 million), Germany ($62million), France ($69 million) and theUkrainian government ($42 million).

Never since the moment of the horri-ble tragedy in Chornobyl was there suchsolidarity, such preparation in gaining areal result in the collection of necessaryfunds to complete the construction, saidHorst Reichenbach, the vice-president forrisk and resources at the European Bankfor Reconstruction and Development(EBRD).

Though another 190 million euros($277 mil l ion) was needed, Mr.Yanukovych said he expected the state-of-the-art containment structure, to prevent

any radiation leaks, will be built by 2015.The raised funds will be applied towardbuilding the new shelter, and perhapstoward the spent nuclear fuel depository.

Those involved with Chornobyl on aday-to-day basis, such as the plants cur-rent managers, as well as those whoselives were affected by nuclear disaster,such as the liquidators, complain that theUkrainian government hasnt earmarkedenough funds to finance even their mini-mal needs to function, as stipulated bylaw.

The main problem today is the inade-quate attitude of the government and soci-ety towards Chornobyls problems and theissues of liquidation, said MykolaT e t e r i n , a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f AtomProfSoyuz, the labor union that rep-resents the power plants current 3,000-plus workers.

The source of all problems remainsunresolved that thousands of tons ofradioactive waste in the ground havent

Speaking to journalists during an April 20 visit to the Chornobyl Nuclear PowerPlant are United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and President Viktor

Yanukovych of Ukraine.

Official Website of Ukraines President

!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Chornobyls Reactor No. 4 as it looked in 2008. In the foreground is a monument To the heroes, professionals who savedthe world from nuclear catastrophe.

Tania DAvignon

(Continued on page 19)

been reburied. Now they pollute thewater, which is among the main sourcesof the nations life and health.

Such experts reported little progress indealing with the remaining hazards of theChornobyl plant, largely because of paltryfinancing from the Ukrainian government.

Indeed 185 tons of radioactive fuelremain buried in the ruins of the fourthreactor, over which a temporary shelter


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Yanukovych on nuclear energy

KYIV Nuclear safety can be ensuredonly through joint efforts by the interna-tional community in the development ofcutting-edge technologies, UkrainianPresident Viktor Yanukovych said in hisfinal speech at the Kyiv summit on thesafe and innovative use of nuclear energyon April 20. He said that the Chornobyldisaster and recent events in Japanrequired from the international communitya new level of responsibility on the part ofgovernments to their own people concern-ing the safety of peaceful nuclear facilities.Todays discussion has proven that nucle-ar energy has a future, but it is possibleonly if we find the answer to man-madeand natural challenges facing nuclear ener-gy, Mr. Yanukovych said. The Ukrainianpresident called on the governments of for-eign countries to cooperate in the improve-ment and further development of nucleartechnology. He said that, for Ukraine,nuclear energy would continue to play a

significant role in ensuring energy andeconomic security and would remain anessential factor in maintaining sustainableeconomic development. Your participa-tion in the summit demonstrates the under-standing by each country of the serious-ness of the challenges facing the commu-nity in the sphere of nuclear energy, Mr.Yanukovych said. The summit participantsalso adopted a declaration of the heads ofstates, governments and their representa-tives. The document outlines the interna-tional communitys approaches to the safeand innovative use of nuclear energy, aswell as confirms the need to improvemechanisms for practical cooperation toprevent accidents at nuclear facilities.(Ukrinform)

Ukraine ready to help Japan

KYIV President Viktor Yanukovychof Ukraine expressed readiness to helpJapan with the liquidation of the accidentat the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear powerplant, which occurred on March 11.Speaking at the Kyiv summit on safe andinnovative use of nuclear energy, he said,We have the sad experience of overcom-ing the consequences of a nuclear disaster

and are ready to apply it. The presidentstressed that the speeches at the summitwere evidence that at the international levelthere is a need to unite efforts around over-coming the nuclear crisis. Unfortunately,we still do not see today when this calamity

will end; it is continuing. And it is hard tosay when it will be stopped. Therefore, youare welcome to ask any questions, and allour efforts and resources will be used toprovide you with assistance, Mr.Yanukovych promised. (Ukrinform)

Shakhtar gives $1 M to Japan

KYIV The Shakhtar Donetsk soccerclub, which earned 18.6 million euros inthe 2010-2011 Champions League, hasdecided to support the people of Japanaffected by disaster, it was reported onApril 19. A contribution of $1 million(U.S.) has already been sent to alleviatethe consequences of natural and man-madedisasters on the Japanese islands. We, inUkraine, the survivors of the Chornobyl

disaster, understand quite well what Japannow feels. Unfortunately, its impossible tobring back those who died, but we musthelp those who are alive, the president ofFC Shakhtar, Rinat Akhmetov, said. Thefunds have been transferred to a specialaccount opened by the Japanese Embassyin Ukraine for donations. As reported earli-er, Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers has allo-cated 19.894 million hrv (about $2.5 mil-lion U.S.) in humanitarian assistance toJapan. (Ukrinform)

Kyiv pledges $104 M to Chornobyl fund

KYIV During a donor conference toraise money for the Chornobyl ShelterFund (CSF), Ukraines contribution willtotal $104.163 million (U.S.), said the

chairman of the State Agency for theChornobyl Exclusion Zone Management,Volodymyr Kholosha. The government,by its decision of April 13, 2011, hasincreased Ukraines contribution to theChornobyl Shelter Fund by $54.163 mil-lion. It will amount to $104.163 million.These funds will be made in installmentsuntil 2014, and the remaining $22 millionafter 2014, the official said on April 18.

ANALYSIS


by Taras Kuzio

RFE/RL

The U.S. Embassy cables fromUkraine leaked recently by the websiteWikiLeaks prompt two observations.

The first is that the embassy believedParty of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovychhad changed from what he was during the2004 election, when he sought to come topower through election fraud. The secondis that U.S. officials believed YuliaTymoshenko was not a better option thanMr. Yanukovych in the 2010 presidentialelection. One cable quotes former PresidentLeonid Kuchma as saying the 2010 elec-tion was one of choosing between bad andvery bad with Ms. Tymoshenko alleged-ly being the latter.

Both of these positions were funda-mentally wrong especially as seen from

the hindsight of Mr. Yanukovychs firstyear in power.

The WikiLeaks cables critical of Ms.Tymoshenko were a reflection of her ownmistakes and of lobbying by U.S. politi-cal consultants working for Mr.Yanukovych and the Party of Regionssince 2005. One of the main criticismswas that Ms. Tymoshenko is a populist,a claim that ignores widespread populismamong all Ukrainian politicians. Indeed,Mr. Yanukovych was the most populist inthe 2010 elections and the prize for themost populist billboard goes to formerPresident Viktor Yushchenko, who prom-ised to place a 20 percent tax on yachts,limousines and villas.

The U.S. Embassy bought into the accu-

sation that Ms. Tymoshenko was beholdento Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.Ms. Tymoshenko was allegedly the biggestthreat to Ukraines sovereignty and willingto be Russias pawn, according to a cablequoting oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Evidenceto back this conclusion was her supposedconcessions on Georgia during Russias2008 invasion and Moscow-friendly posi-tions on the Holodomor and the Black SeaFleet.

In reality, Mr. Yanukovych has caved into Russia on all three issues. During theGeorgian crisis, the Party of Regions andthe Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU)supported Russias dismemberment ofGeorgia. Likewise, the Party of Regions andthe CPU did not support the 2006 law onthe Holodomor, and Mr. Yanukovych hasadopted Russias position that it was aSoviet (not Ukrainian) famine. As president,he has extended the Black Sea Fleet base inSevastopol until 2042-2047. A January 2010U.S. cable reports Mr. Yanukovych tellingthe U.S. ambassador that he was ready toextend the base in exchange for economicpreferences from Russia.

The pro-Russian candidate

All this led to the mistaken impressionthat Russia supported both Ms.Tymoshenko and Mr. Yanukovych in the2010 election, as they were both pro-Rus-sian and Moscow would be satisfied witheither winning the election. Mr. Yushchenkomade this argument during the campaign,calling for his supporters not to vote for

either candidate in the second round of bal-loting. That decision probably cost Ms.Tymoshenko the election, since she endedup losing by just 3 percentage points.

Other cables claimed it made no differ-ence whether Mr. Yanukovych or Ms.Tymoshenko were elected as both areauthoritarian and would allegedly seek tobuild a Putinist vertical power. Such anal-ysis contradicted the reality that Ms.

Tymoshenko did not have the politicalmachine, ability to blackmail deputies, or

control of television stations necessary forsuch a project. In addition, since 2008 Ms.Tymoshenko has consistently argued for theneed to move toward a full parliamentarysystem.

The authoritarianism of the Party ofRegions is well documented amongUkrainian sociologists and has been plain tosee during the transformation of parliamentinto a rubber-stamp institution and thereturn to a presidential constitution.

U.S. cables also buy into the argument ofa pragmatic wing in the Party of Regionsthat supposedly desires to unify Ukraineand is pro-European, even possibly willingto compromise on NATO. Such views wereintensely lobbied by U.S. political consul-tants working for the Party of Regions.

But the pragmatic wing of the Party ofRegions was not evident in 2005-2008when the party voted with the CPUagainst legislation to join the WorldTrade Organization. Ukraines 2008WTO membership paves the way for thesigning of a Deep Free Trade Agreementwith the European Union, a process thepragmatic wing of the Party of Regionsallegedly supports.

These cables also ignored the anti-NATOstances of Mr. Yanukovych and the Party ofRegions, arguing that this was election rhet-oric to mobilize eastern Ukrainian votersthat would be ignored after the voting.Again this was wrong, as PresidentYanukovych is the first of four post-SovietUkrainian presidents to not support NATOmembership. The party has also adopted

contradictory positions on Ukraines partici-pation in NATOs Partnership for Peaceexercises, opposing them when in opposi-tion (leading to the cancellation of the SeaBreeze exercises in 2006 and 2009) andsupporting them when in power.

U.S. cables from Ukraine also claimedthat Mr. Yanukovych, if he won the 2010election, would not be a Russian pawn andwould defend Ukraines interests, even ifonly in the economic sphere. Although Mr.Yanukovych defends his economic interestsfrom Russia, he has adopted domestic,national-identity and foreign policies thatare in Russias national interests.

Russia successfully lobbied for the fourcandidates who became the chairman of theSecurity Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the

ministers of education, foreign affairs anddefense. Russian citizens illegally controlthe presidents bodyguards and the media-analytical section of the presidential admin-istration.

The real Yanukovych

U.S. cables from 2005-2006 weremore critical of the Party of Regions, butin 2008-2010 two factors changed. First,public-relations efforts by U.S. consul-tants persuaded many in the West, includ-ing the U.S. Embassy, that Mr.Yanukovych had changed. This ignoredhis unwillingness to concede the electionfraud of 2004 and his continued conten-tion that he won that election.

A December 2005 cable quotes Mr.Yanukovych as complaining that a putsch

and Kuchmas machinations had deniedhim the presidency. One cable analyzed theParty of Regions heavily pro-Russiancampaign rhetoric in 2006, attributing thisto its co-option of Communist voters.

A second factor that changed the tone inthe U.S. cables by 2008 was Westernfatigue with the feuding Orange political

Leaked cables show U.S.was wrong on Yanukovych



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3THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011No.17

NEWS ANALYSIS: Top Ukrainian officials admit justice inequalitiesby Pavel Korduban

Eurasia Daily Monitor

U k r a i n i a n P r e s i d e n t V i k t o rYanukovych and his team have admittedtheir helplessness in fighting corruption.While Mr. Yanukovych complained in hisstate-of-the-nation address that corrupt

officials had torpedoed his reform effortslast year, his chief financial inspector, in acandid interview with a national weekly,accused unnamed members of the currentexecutive of corruption.

These revelations coincided with theU.S. State Departments report for 2010on human rights in Ukraine, which saidthat the Ukrainian government was notdoing enough to curb corruption andinstead was engaging in selective justice.Mr. Yanukovych inadvertently confirmedthis conclusion on a visit to the westerntown of Lviv, where he said he knewlocal officials were stealing but added thatputting them behind bars was not a priori-ty (Kommersant-Ukraine, April 8).

President Yanukovych told Parliament

in his address on April 7 that he was dis-satisfied with the pace of reform as nomore than one-third of the reformsplanned were launched last year. Heblamed this on the bureaucratic statemachine that was trying to preservecorrupt enrichment schemes. Mr.Yanukovych urged the Verkhovna Rada tofinally pass the anti-corruption law overwhich lawmakers have been draggingtheir feet for several years (UT1 TV, April7). Parliament, which is dominated by Mr.

Yanukovychs allies, did so on the sameday, passing the law that was submittedby the president several months ago by277 votes in the 450-seat unicameralchamber.

The law, which should come into effectnext year, introduces spending declara-tions for officials and their family mem-

bers, and forbids them from receivingexpensive presents. However, oppositionrepresentatives said that the law leftnumerous loopholes for corruption as itwould be possible for corrupt officials tocontinue declaring low incomes andspending, while real figures are registeredin the names of their distant relatives andfriends. The anti-corruption law will notapply to medical workers, teachers, ath-letes and artists (Kommersant-Ukraine,April 8).

Meanwhile, chief financial controllerPetro Andreyev, whose Main Control andRevision Directorates findings were usedby Ukrainian prosecutors last year as evi-dence in the corruption cases against for-mer government officials, including the

f o r m e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r Y u l i aTymoshenko, openly accused the execu-tive of covering up corruption. During aninterview with the Zerkalo Nedeli weekly,Mr. Andreyev complained that, no matterhow often he reported to Prime MinisterMykola Azarov about corrupt activitiesinvolving current officials, nothingchanged. Asked by the newspaper if hewanted to say that some ministers weresupporting corrupt practices, he said thatunfortunately it looks like this in certain

cases (Zerkalo Nedeli, April 9).During his visit to Lviv on April 11,

Mr. Yanukovych openly admitted that,although the government knows whosteals what, corrupt officials remain atlarge. Speaking in the presence of theoblast governor and the citys mayor, Mr.Yanukovych wondered how much money

local officials had stolen from funds allot-ted to fight the consequences of naturaldisasters over the past several years. Mr.Yanukovych said he knew their names butnoted that he did not aim to put anybodybehind bars if stolen funds were returned( U kr a y i ns ka P r a vda , A pr i l 11 ;Kommersant-Ukraine, April 12).

By the i r s t a tements , Messrs .Yanukovych and Andreyev effectivelyadmitted that justice in Ukraine is selec-tive as both the U.S. and the EuropeanUnion claimed earlier this year. Whilemany former government officials havebeen charged with corruption, little isbeing done to eradicate corruption in thecurrent government.

The U.S. Department of State said in

its human rights country report releasedon April 8 that far from enough was donein Kyiv last year concerning official cor-ruption and government transparency andthat, while dozens of former officialswere prosecuted for embezzlement, somecurrent high-ranking officials wereengaged in corrupt activities with impu-nity. The report also underscored corrup-tion among police and judges (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/eur/154456.htm).

However, Mr. Yanukovychs PR aideHanna Herman dismissed the report asoutdated, saying that the situation haschanged compared to early 2010. Shesaid officials who worked in theYanukovych administration governmenthave been charged with corruption thisyear. Ms. Herman said that the arrest in

mid-April of Denys Komarnytsky, thel e a de r o f K y i v Ma yor Le on i dChernovetskys caucus in the local coun-cil, as well as the earlier arrest of thechief price controller, Tetyana Rud,showed that the government was alsofighting corruption among its ranks(Ekonomicheskie Izvestiya, April 12).

This is only partly correct. Mr.Chernovetskyi has long fallen from favorwith Mr. Yanukovych, and the arrest of achief price controller from the currentgovernment cannot be compared in scaleto the arrests last year of a former internalaffairs minister, a former environmentminister and a former vice-minister ofjustice, let alone the three criminal casesopened against Ms. Tymoshenko.

Ukraine shares the 134th position outof 178 in Transparency InternationalsCorruption Perceptions Index for 2010.Corruption will thrive in Ukraine as longas the top officials do not understandthat the law should be applied equallyfor all.

The article above is reprinted fromEurasia Daily Monitor with permissionfrom it s pu bl is he r, th e Ja me st ow nFoundation, www.jamestown.org.

by Kristin DeasyRFE/RL

For a while, life in Libya was goodfor Oksana Balinskaya, one of Libyandictator Muammar Qaddafis Ukrainiannurses.

She made plenty of money, lived in atrendy apartment and even had a person-al driver at her beck and call.

A special Qaddafi-emblazoned goldwatch given to her by Papik aRussian term of endearment used forQaddafi meaning little father couldbe used to open any door or solveany problem in Libya she tel lsNewsweek.

But maybe he was a little like Stalin,

she admits, estimating that about half thepopulation resented his tyrannical holdon power.

And he was a little weird.He liked to listen to Arab music on

an old cassette player, she recalls, andwas obsessive about his outfits, add-ing that during trips through poverty-stricken African countries, he wouldfling money and candy out the windowof his armored limousine to childrenwho ran after our motorcade.

Even so, Ms. Balinskaya is careful toremind readers that there are a lot ofsi l ly rumors f lying around aboutQaddafi, denouncing as nonsense sug-gestions that his fantastically beautifulUkrainian medical staff also served as aharem.

The truth is that Papik was muchmore discreet than his friend, the wom-anizer Silvio Berlusconi, she says,explaining that he only hired prettyUkrainian women because he simplyliked to be surrounded by beautifulthings and people.

Including himself, according toreports from a Brazilian plastic surgeonwho says he performed a beauty proce-

dure on Qaddafi back in 1995.Dr. Liacyr Ribeiro, rumored to have

treated the similarly beauty-mindedBerlusconi, said at the time that Qaddafitold me he had been in power for 25years at that time, and that he did notwant the young people of his nation tosee him as an old man.

But the Libyan leader didnt seem tooworried and even ordered a hamburgerbreak midway through the procedure,according to Dr. Ribeiro, despite the factthat part of the surgery was... removingbelly fat. Hmm.

For her part, Ms. Balinskaya was afresh-faced 21-year-old who didnt knowa drop of Arabic when she took her placein a line of candidates vying for employ-

ment with the eccentric North Africanleader.But the girl had spirit, looking him

right in the eye and giving him a solidhandshake. Next thing you know, shesays, he picked me.

I learned he made all his decisionsabout people at the first handshake, sheexplains. He is a great psychologist.

That might be overs ta t ing i t .Balinskaya managed to play Qaddafiquite well, having made off with the nicedeals when times were good and escap-ing Tripoli before he forced two remain-ing Ukrainian nurses to help protect himfrom the mass demonstrations calling foran end to his decades-long rule leavingher to share memories with Newsweek

back in Ukraine.All in all, not bad for a Qaddafi gig.

Copyr ight 2011, RFE/RL Inc .Reprinted with the permission of RadioFree Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC20036; www.rferl.org. (See http://www.rferl.org/content/ukrainian_nurse_dish-es_on_qaddafi/3554852.html.)

PARSIPPANY, N.J. The German court

hearing the Nazi war crimes trial of JohnDemjanjuk on April 14 rejected thedefenses request to suspend the trial due tonewly found materials indicating that theFBI considered a crucial piece of evidencein the case to be quite likely fabricated.

The Associated Press reported in anexclusive story on April 12 that a 1985 FBIfile questioned the authenticity of theTrawniki ID card purportedly issued to Mr.Demjanjuk and said that it was likely aSoviet-made fake.

However, Judge Ralph Alt said the APstory does not offer any grounds for a sus-pension of the trial. The report does not

bring forth any concrete aspects that have

not already been analyzed as part of theexamination of evidence, the judge wasquoted as saying by the AP.

Defense attorney Ulrich Busch had saidhe needed more time to investigate whethermore such material could be found at theNational Archives in Maryland, where theAP found the FBI field report.

Mr. Demjanjuks son, John DemjanjukJr. said in an e-mail message to the AP:The decision to slam the door on moreevidence continues a long trail of prosecu-torial misconduct and the withholding ofexculpatory evidence. He added, TheGermans are afraid of what they will find.

Ukrainian nurse dishes on Qaddafi Court wont suspend Demjanjuk trial

UCCLA welcomes passage ofHolocaust monument billOTTAWA The chairman of the

Ukrainian Canadian Civil LibertiesAssociat ion (UCCLA), RomanZakaluzny, expressed his thanks onMarch 26 to Member of Parliament TimUppal, whose private members bill inthe House of Commons An Act toEstablish a National HolocaustMonument, will commemorate all ofthe victims of Nazi Germany, includingthe many millions of Ukrainiansenslaved or murdered by the Nazis andthe Ukrainian survivors of the Holocaustwho made Canada their home.

Canada welcomed tens of thousands

of Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, Jews andothers who were persecuted by theNazis, who lost family members andfriends during the second world war,who saw their homelands devastated byboth the Soviet and Nazi regimes, as sothoughtfully underscored in Prof.Timothy Snyders book, Bloodlands,said Mr. Zakaluzny. Mr. Uppal is to be

congratulated for crafting a bill that willensure that all of the victims of NaziGermany are remembered, a perspectivetoo often lost when the focus is only onone or another communitys suffering.

We would also like to congratulate theCanadian Jewish Congress (CJC) for itsdetermination in moving this legislationforward, Mr. Zakaluzny continued. Weknow how hard it can be to get a privatemembers bill to the stage where itreceives royal assent. And, of course, wewill support a Canadian national monu-ment that, as the CJCs Bernie Farberaffirmed, will pay homage to the thou-

sands of Holocaust survivors who madeCanada their adopted home after the sec-ond world war and contributed inremarkable ways to all aspects ofCanadian society [and] honor those whoperished, Jews and non-Jews alike. Agenuinely inclusive commemorativeproject of this sort is one that we willsupport.


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INTERVIEW: Ukrainian member of Polish Sejm Miron Siczby Zenon Zawada

Kyiv Press Bureau

STRYI, Ukraine Among those attending the March26 funeral of Bshop Yulian Gbur, who served theUkrainian Catholic community in northern Poland formore than two decades, was Miron Sycz, a deputy in thePolish Sejm representing the Warmia-Masuria province

that is home to thousands of Ukrainians.Mr. Siczs family fell victim to the Akcja Wisla ethno-

cide of 1947. His father was sentenced to death afterbeing imprisoned at the Jaworzno concentration campfor Ukrainians. He was amnestied and his sentence wascommuted to 15 years in prison.

He resettled in the village of Ostre Bardo in northernPoland near the Kaliningrad border, where Miron Syczand his siblings were born.

Mr. Sicz belongs to the Civic Platform party thatformed the coalition government in the Sejm, led byPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and PresidentBronislaw Komorowski. He is deputy chair of theSejms ethnic minority commission and deputy chair ofthe Polish-Ukrainian commission.

He was among more than 50 faithful who traveledmore than a thousand kilometers to honor Bishop Gburat his funeral in Stryi.

Below is a transcript of Mr. Siczs interview with TheUkrainian Weekly

Who organized you delegation from Poland?

After voting at night I left Warsaw with my friends,who came from Gorowo Ilaweckie from those parishes,where [Bishop Gbur] served. Not everyone fit, obvious-ly. Bishop Yulian was our pastor in Gorowo Ilaweckie,and organized parishes in Bartoszyce, in Lelkowo, inBraniewo and also in Pieniezno, where the mostUkrainians were resettled in 1947. Its the Warmia-Masuria province, near the border with KaliningradOblast of the Russian Federation. A parish was also

formed in Orneta with former parishioners fromPieniezno. Some of those believers also came.

Bishop Yulian engaged us as the youth intelligentsia to also form a strong intelligentsia. He always said thatthe intelligentsia is supposed to responsible for the com-munity. With him, we organized the Ukrainian highschool in Gorowo Ilaweckie. This is the largest Ukrainianschool [in Poland] with instruction in the Ukrainian lan-guage, along with Bartoszyce as well. For us, he alwayswas the biggest source of support and determination.

He had hoped to travel to Kyiv in 1990, before thedeclaration of independence, to hold a divine liturgy. Wewere able to do that, and he said that he was now happy.

However, he was a very modest person in life, withdeep respect for the elderly. He said learn so that you lis-ten to them with understanding. This was truly a greatperson, but at the same time very modest. He built manychurches, and repaired them in difficult times.

Was it hard for Ukrainians in Poland in the 1970sand 1980s?

It was very hard, because we practically didnt have achurch. We were attached to the Roman CatholicChurch, and occasionally Polish priests forbid us to goto our churches. By 1957 we were in several villageswith churches. Ukrainians came from afar 50 to 100kilometers to be with each other.

When Bishop Yulian was ordained in 1970, helaunched a dynamic growth of those parishes, whereverit was possible. The most parishes were establishedunder his leadership, which led to further development.

He was a very strong person who defendedUkrainian interests

He was very strong in the most important moment inPoland. He always looked after everyone, meeting and

creating communities, not only spiritually but theUkrainian community in general. And that was truly aspiritually and civically strong person, which is why heis remembered so well and why we cry. Its worth notingthat he was ordained the same year Major Archbishop[Sviatoslav Shevchuk] was born, in 1970. A nice historybegan that very year.

Did he baptize you?

No, but he christened my daughter. My wife and Iwife knew the bishop for at least 40 years. Our meetings


Miron Sycz, a deputy in the Polish Sejm.

Zenon Zawada


5/24


Young UNAers

Do you have a young UNAer, or potential young UNAer in your family?

Call the UNA Home Office, 973-292-9800, to find out how to enroll.

Benjamin P. Ilkiwskyj, son of Michaeland Tiffany Ilkiwskyj of OrchardPark, N.Y., is a new member of UNABranch 360. He was enrolled by his

great-aunt Nadia Marc.

Zenon Maksim McKay, son of Dariaand Steve McKay of Westminster,Colo., is a new member of UNA Branch292. He was enrolled by his grandpar-ents Roman M. and Viktoria

Maksimovich.

Isabella Lilliana Kuropas, daughter ofRoman M. and Tanya Kuropas ofHinsdale, Ill., is a new member of UNABranch 20. She was enrolled by Roman

J. Kuropas.

Lev Sofron Ferencevych, son of Xeniaand Taras Ferencevych of Durham,N.H., is a new member of UNA Branch25. He was enrolled by his grandpar-ents Chrystyna and the late Jurij

Ferencevych.

ThE UNA: 117 yEARS of SERVIcE To oUR coMMUNITy


6/24


Fifteen years ago, on April 26, 1996, first lady HillaryRodham Clinton hosted a special commemorative afternoonprogram A Call to Healing and Prevention, which wasfocused on the continuing effects of the Chornobyl nucleardisaster that occurred on April 26, 1986, in Ukraine.

The program, in the East Room of the White House, which attracted nearly 200guests, many from the Ukrainian American community, brought together activistsfrom both the private and government sectors who had worked to help the victims ofthe nuclear catastrophe, and the ambassadors of the three republics most affected bythe accidents fallout, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

April

261996

Turning the pages back...

On April 26, 1986, the unimaginable happened: an explosion rocked theChornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, sending a radioactive plume acrossEurope.

It was only two days later that the first official announcement of the accident wasmade: An accident has taken place at the Chornobyl power station, and one of thereactors was damaged. Measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences ofthe accident. Those affected by it are being given assistance. A government commis-sion has been set up. Four days later, Soviet authorities said the situation aroundthe Chornobyl plant had stabilized.

May Day parades went on as usual, even as radiation rained down on marchers,including children in Kyiv, some 68 miles away. On May 5, Vladimir T. Lapitski,counselor at the Ukrainian SSRs Permanent Mission to the United Nations, told aUkrainian American community delegation: The main problems are solved wedont need any help. On May 14 Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev firstspoke about the accident, telling the public that nine people had died and 299 hadbeen hospitalized with radiation sickness. The most serious consequences [of theaccident] have been averted, he said.

Back in 1986 we commented: The Soviet Union failed in its international obli-gation to let its own people know what happened. And, because of this, people willbe affected for generations to come.

Now 25 years later, the effects of the worlds worst nuclear disaster continue tobe manifest.

According to information presented at a Verkhovna Rada hearing in March, 2.11

million citizens of Ukraine are victims of the Chornobyl catastrophe and 2,000 pop-ulated areas have been designated as polluted as a result of the nuclear accident.Neighboring Belarus counts 1.8 million victims. The National Cancer Institute inthe U.S. has said that children and teenagers who consumed contaminated milk orcheese in the aftermath of the accident continue to suffer from an increased risk ofthyroid cancer. Volodymyr Kholosha of Ukraines Ministry of Emergencies toldReuters: About 600,000 people were involved in mitigating the consequences ofthe accident. About 300,000 of them were Ukrainians. Out of those, 100,000 are dis-abled now.

And yet, there is no consensus on the medical and social consequences ofChornobyl, writes Dr. David Marples on page 7 of this issue. And, he adds, thereports of two United Nations agencies, the U.N. Scientific Committee on theEffects of Atomic Radiation and the International Atomic Energy Agency, haveobfuscated the impact of the 1986 disaster, downplaying its disastrous results for thepeople of Ukraine and Belarus. Dr. Janette D. Sherman, consulting editor for thebook Chernobyl Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and theEnvironment, noted in an article released this month that data from multiple sci-entists estimate the overall mortality from the Chornobyl catastrophe, for the period

from April 1986 to the end of 2004, to be 985,000 a hundred times more than theWHO [World Health Organization]/IAEA estimate.Furthermore, Greenpeace reported in early April that hundreds of thousands of

Ukrainians are still eating food contaminated by radiation from the Chornobyl acci-dent. The environmental group said samples of milk, berries, potatoes and root veg-etables in the Rivne and Zhytomyr regions, which were in the direct path of the fall-out after the disaster, contained radiation that was up to 16 times higher than accept-ed norms. And thats outside the so-called 30-kilometer (18.5 mile) Exclusion Zone.

According to the government of Ukraine, more than $12 billion (U.S.) has beenspent thus far on eliminating the consequences of the accident. And it will takeabout 100 years to completely decommission the Chornobyl nuclear plant, reportedDmytro Bobrov, first deputy chairman of the Ukrainian State Agency forAdministration of the Exclusion Zone, according to a March 29 story carried byUkrinform. The sarcophagus hastily constructed around the stricken No. 4 reactor isdecaying and a new shelter must be constructed ASAP.

In an April 20 interview with Spiegel Online, Tobias Mnchmeyer, deputy direc-tor of Greenpeace Germanys policy office in Berlin, stated: Theres a lovely say-ing that time heals all wounds. But in Chornobyl, time is healing nothing becausethe radioactive danger will continue to exist for hundreds and thousands of years. The new protective casing is officially expected to last for 100 years, but that is justa blink of an eye. He added, We must face the fact that Chornobyl donor con-ferences will still be held for decades to come even for hundreds of years.

As we solemnly mark the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, we praythat the world does not forget this is an accident with real victims whose effects areongoing. At the same time, we are witnessing the worlds second worst nucleardisaster at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant, and we pray for the people of Japan. Theglobal community must act in unison to ensure the safety and well-being of theworlds populace.

Chornobyl: the 25th anniversary

The UkrainianWeekly

Twenty-five years ago, in the earlymorning hours of Saturday, April 26,1986, the residents of Prypiat, a largetown and administrative center located onthe river of the same name, one of themany tributaries along the upper reachesof the mighty Dnipro north of theUkrainian capital, Kyiv, were awakenedfrom their sleep by an event that wouldchange their lives forever. This eventwas of such immense proportions that itsdevastating effects spread far beyond thelimits of the city and even of Ukraineitself, and indeed, they are still being felttoday.

At precisely 1:23 a.m. local time ahuge explosion rocked reactor No. 4 ofthe nearby Chornobyl Nuclear PowerStation, splitting its walls and sending atoxic plume of radioactive fallout 400

times greater than that emitted by theatomic bomb in Hiroshima high intothe night sky. Although the Sovietauthorities initially attempted to mini-mize the magnitude of the nuclear acci-dent and even deny its occurrence, theimmense scale of the disaster becamequickly evident to the entire world as thetoxic cloud passed from Ukraine intoRussia, Belarus and eventually intoScandinavia and Western Europe.

The economic, environmental andhuman costs of the nuclear accident in theimmediate vicinity of Chornobyl thatnight have been truly staggering. Manypeople living in the immediate vicinity ofthe power plant were killed outright inthe aftermath of the explosion. Many

more suffered agonizing deaths due toradiation sickness. Others were sickenedwith cancers and other illnesses directlylinked to excessive exposure to radiation.Children proved especially vulnerable. Itis estimated that in the 25 years since thecatastrophe, over 4,000 children inUkraine, Belarus and Russia havebecome ill with thyroid cancer. Theirnumbers are still growing.

The explosion and ensuing radioactivecontamination also forced the evacuationand eventual resettlement of 350,000people living in Chornobyl and in 90 sep-arate communities in the surroundingarea. The Chornobyl exclusion zone anarea almost 40 miles in diameter sur-rounding the crippled power plant is offlimits to human habitation and willremain so for generations to comebecause of radioactive toxins that havepoisoned the once rich and productivesoil.

A quarter century on, the catastrophein Chornobyl remains the largest andmost devastating nuclear accident in his-tory and has rightly been described as theworst technological disaster of the 20thcentury.

Recalling and reflecting upon thesesobering and saddening facts on the 25thanniversary of the Chornobyl catastrophe,we can only lift up our hearts in prayer tothe Almighty God and beg for His contin-ued mercy and compassion as we remem-ber those who suffered indescribable painand loss.

We recall, firstly, on this solemn anni-versary, the many innocent men, womenand children who perished in this tragedy,and we pray for the repose of their souls.We remember in particular the brave andselfless firefighters, who, in the hours anddays following the explosion, knowinglyand willingly exposed themselves to mor-tal danger and almost certain death inorder to extinguish the flames and con-

struct and place the sarcophagus on thesmouldering ruins of the reactor. Of suchmen Christ speaks eloquently when Hedeclares: Greater love has no one thanthis, than to lay down ones life for hisfriends. (Jn. 15:13) We pray that Godgrant them eternal rest in a place of ever-lasting light where there is no pain, sor-row or mourning.

We also remember and pray for thosewhose health was irrevocably damagedby the radiation that was released thatday, those who were taken ill and are liv-ing with sickness to this day, and for theirfamilies, and for those whose lives werecut short by premature death. We espe-cially remember the children, most ofwhom who were born after the catastro-phe itself, who suffer physical and psy-chological disabilities today because of

Chornobyl. We also remember and prayfor the many thousands of people whowere forced, by the noxious cloud ofradiation, to flee their homes and leavebehind, forever, everything that wasfamiliar and loved by them: the villages,houses, fields and farms where they andgenerations before them were born, lived,labored and died. May God grant all whosuffer His peace, hope and consolation.

And, in a special way, we also remem-ber and pray for our beloved homeland ofUkraine: so rich, generous and abundant,yet so often neglected, plundered andabused over the centuries by the men whoruled over her.

We read in the opening verses of HolyScripture in the Book of Genesis that,

after creating Adam and Eve, God theFather blessed them and entrusted theearth and everything He had created on itto them and their posterity, saying: Befruitful and multiply; fill the earth andsubdue it, and have dominion... overevery living thing that moves on theearth (Gen. 1:28). Then God saweverything He had made, and indeed itwas very good (Gen. 1:31).

As the summit of Gods creation, madein His image and likeness, mankind wasthus given the great privilege of beingstewards of Gods creation, entrusted byHim with the awesome responsibility ofcaring for, preserving and nurturing theearth and all that God had deemed verygood for all generations. Sadly, howev-

er, we know that through its sinfulness,mankind, time and time again, through-out history has neglected the sacred dutyof responsible stewardship over the earthand has abused its privileged position inexchange for prestige, profit and personalgain, often desecrating and destroyingGods creation in the process.

And so it was in Chornobyl. Theworld now knows that the nuclear acci-dent in Chornobyl, according to the find-ings of the Nuclear Safety AdvisoryGroup, was entirely avoidable and can beattributed to a deficient safety culture,not only at the Chornobyl plant, butthroughout the Soviet design, operatingand regulatory organizations It wasthe morally bankrupt and dehumanizingCommunist idealogy of the Soviet Union,and those who were unfortunate slaves toit, the system that placed the fulfillmentof five-year plans before the good of thepeople, that are the true causes of thenuclear catastrophe in Chornobyl.

From the distance of a quarter centurywe can see, despite the incalculable deathand destruction caused by Chornobyl,

May the land of Ukrainebe renewed and blessed

Pastoral message from the Ukrainian Catholic and the Ukrainian Orthodox hier-archs of United States of America and Canada issued on the occasion of the 25thanniversary of the Chornobyl tragedy.

(Continued on page 11)(Continued on page 19)


7/24


U.S. delegation to Kyiv summit,Chornobyl pledging conferenceWASHINGTON President Barack

Obama on April 15 announced the des-ignation of a presidential delegation toKyiv to attend the Kyiv Summit on theSafe and Innovative Use of NuclearEnergy as well as the ChornobylPledging Conference on April 19. Bothevents commemorate the 25th anniver-sary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

A release from the White HouseOffice of the Press Secretary noted

that Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, counsel-or and trustee at the Center forStrategic and International Studies andformer national security advisor toPresident Jimmy Carter, will lead thedelegation. Members of the presiden-tial delegation are: John F. Tefft, U.S.ambassador to Ukraine; and RichardL. Morningstar, special envoy forEurasian energy, U.S. Department ofState.

Chornobyls legacy in Ukraine: Beyond the U.N. reportsby David R. Marples

The Chornobyl disaster of April 1986continues to elicit debate. Twenty-fiveyears later there is no consensus on itsmedical and social consequences, buttheir impact continues to affect morethan 2 million people in Ukraine and 1.8million in Belarus who are officially list-ed as victims.

Why is this the case? Although severalfactors can be postulated, the chiefamong them is the near monopoly onpublic discourse of two closely linkedUnited Nations agencies: the U.N.Scientific Committee on the Effects ofAtomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and theInternational Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA). Several UNSCEAR reportshave been issued, the most recent ofwhich appeared in 2008, while the IAEAhas monitored the consequences of thedisaster and safety of the Chornobylplant since 1986.

The World Health Organization(WHO), theoretically independent, hascollaborated closely with the IAEA onChornobyl issues and was partly respon-sible for the Chernobyl Forum Reportissued prior to the 20th anniversary ofthe accident. Alongside the IAEA,UNSCEAR and several other U.N. agen-cies, it also participates in the U.N.Action Plan on Chernobyl to 2016, aprogram for recovery of the affectedareas. Nonetheless, the reports releasedby these agencies, and particularlyUNSCEAR and the IAEA, have servedpartly to obfuscate the impact of the

1986 accident.For example, Volume II, Annex D ofthe UNSCEAR report focuses on healtheffects due to Chornobyl radiation.Suffice it to list two statements concern-ing overall casualties. The first notes that19 ARS (sufferers of Acute RadiationSyndrome) survivors had died by 2006but from different ailments and usuallynot associated with radiation exposure.The second can be found in its GeneralConclusions:

To date, there has been no persuasiveevidence of any other health effect in thegeneral population that can be attributedto radiation exposure (p. 19).

The use of the adverb usually andadjective persuasive are typical devic-

es of these pamphlets, which appeardetermined to assuage any remaining

A view of the damaged No. 4 reactor of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant thatwas published in the 1987 book Chernobyl by Andrey Illesh.

doubts readers might have had of prob-lems other than those outlined in the

report, namely some 56 Chornobyldeaths to date, 6,000 thyroid gland can-cers among those under age 10 at thetime of the accident, and 4,000 futurecancer deaths linked to radiation fromthe 1986 accident.

On April 21 in Kyiv, the IAEA partici-pated in a conference on Chornobyl host-ed by the president of Ukraine, ViktorYanukovych, who has already acceptedRussias proposal to finance and com-ple te two new reac tors a t theKhmelnytsky nuclear power plant (units3 and 4, VVER-1000s) and to maintainuntil 2050 the 50 percent share of nuclearpower in national production of electrici-ty a ratio that will require significantexpansion.

President Yanukovych has also stated

his governments intention to re-cultivatethe contaminated agricultural lands, mostlikely with technical crops, following theexample of his Belarusian counterpartAlyaksandr Lukashenka several yearsearlier. The point is that the two leader-ships, UNSCEAR and the IAEA have astrong vested interest in the developmentand expansion of nuclear power. As in1986 with the Soviet Union, the industryis also a key means of future integrationof the three republics, Russia, Ukraineand Belarus.

No report for 2011

Unfortunately, the Ukrainian govern-ment has yet to release its 25th anniversa-ry report. But it is still worth consulting

the 20-year report on Chornobyl and itseffects produced by Ukrainian scientistsunder the general editorship of ViktorBaloha, formerly chief of staff forPresident Viktor Yushchenko (cited here-after as Ukraine Report).

The Ukraine Report notes that in 2006,2,293 villages and towns in Ukraineremained contaminated, with a popula-tion of around 2.6 million. (In the formerSoviet Union overall, the number of vic-tims has been estimated at 7.1 million.)It points out several critical errors thatoccurred after the disaster unrelated tothose conducting the rash experiment onan unstable graphite-moderated reactoron the night of April 25-26, 1986.

First, the accident was concealed from

the public on orders from Moscow andspecifically the Ministry of MediumMachine-Building (sredmash), i.e., theministry responsible for nuclear weapons.The ostensible reason, repeated ad nause-am by Soviet officials, was to preventpanic. Yet news of the evacuation ofPrypiat (April 27) and Chornobyl (May6) soon filtered through Ukraine.

Second, information on health, radia-

tion levels and areas of fallout was offi-cially classified. It would be three yearsbefore many residents of Ukraine discov-ered they were living on contaminatedlands.

Third, radiation fallout outside theevacuated zones proved more dangerousthan anticipated. The migration of cesi-um-137 through the soil was much higherin northwestern regions of Ukraine that

lay outside the chornozem region or claysoil areas, leading to the contamination ofmeat and milk in the Rivne and Volynregions especially. Cesium contaminatedover 80 percent of Ukraines forests.Other pervasive and harmful radio-nucl ides inc luded s t ront ium-90,iodine-131 and plutonium-239.

Fourth, the close cooperation betweenthe Ukrainian government and the scientif-ic community, evident at the outset of theaccident, disintegrated. The Soviet govern-ment, it should be added, rejected all out-side aid other than that of UCLAs DrRobert Peter Gale who carried out bonemarrow transplants on the most severelyaffected firemen and first-aid workers. Allbut one of these patients died.

A closer look

Let us look at some of the events inmore detail. The two explosions at theChornobyl-4 reactor on April 26, 1986,led to the evacuation of some 116,000people (90,784 from Ukraine) living inan 18.5-mile zone around the unit. Therefollowed a sustained effort to cover thereactor and eventually to construct a sar-cophagus, or shelter, over the fourthcomplex. Clean-up workers or liquidatorshad to remove graphite from the reactorroof and then decontaminated the topsoilthroughout the zone. Most sources concurthat about 600,000 took part in this work,first on a volunteer basis and later as mil-itary reservists.

The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at the

Chornobyl nuclear power station wererestored to operation by the fall of 1986,and unit 3 by December 1987. Despite alitany of problems, and a belated decisionby the IAEA to declare the station dan-gerous in 1994, the plant continued tooperate until December 15, 2000, when itwas closed on the orders of PresidentLeonid Kuchma. In the interim, a newtown had been built for Chornobyl work-

ers and their families at Slavutych(Chernihiv Oblast), some 40 miles east ofthe nuclear plant, with a rail connectionto their workplace that crossed Belarusianterritory.

Radioactive iodine, dispersed widelyacross north and western Ukraine andmost of Belarus in the first days after theexplosions, caused thyroid cancer todevelop among several thousand children

by 1989. About 3,400 children inUkraine had surgery between 1989 and2004. In the 21st century, the illness hasnot disappeared and there are regularlysome 300 to 400 new cases each year. By2004, 11 children had died (the figure inBelarus was 19).

Thyroid gland cancer was also ninetimes higher among liquidators and 13times higher among females who workedin the zone. In addition, the incidence ofbreast cancer among female liquidatorswas double that of the rest of Ukraine.Adults living in contaminated areas haveseen a 400 percent rise in thyroid cancer.

In addition to the cited 11 thyroidgland cancer deaths in Ukraine, five liqui-dators have died from leukemia. Ukrainealso reported 26,000 deaths of those who

worked in the zone (a further 18,400deaths have been reported among Russianliquidators). Also in Ukraine, 19,109 fam-ilies in different areas of the country werereceiving benefits in 2005 as a result ofthe loss of the family breadwinnerwhose death is related to the Chornobylaccident (Ukraine Report, p. 53).

Whether or not the evidence is per-suasive enough for the contributors tothe UNSCEAR report, simple mathshows that, in addition to its official tollof 56 deaths, one has at the least a further19,125 in Ukraine alone, along with anunspecified proportion of the 26,000 liq-uidators who have died prematurely. InBelarus the toll is likely to be at least ashigh.

In addition one would need to calcu-late the impact in the area of high radia-tion fallout in Bryansk region of Russia,and in most areas of Europe the latterare not even included in the calculationsof the U.N. agencies, yet significant plu-tonium fallout has been discovered as faraway as Sweden.


David R. Marp les is Dist inguishedUniversity Professor, Department of

Histo ry and Cla ss ics , Univers ity ofAlberta. He is the author of three bookson Chornobyl and its impact on Ukraineand Belarus.


8/24


by Tania Mychajlyshyn-DAvignon

My first visit to The Zone wasin spring 1988. Sneaking into a villagein the exclusion zone took severalhours enough time for my curiosityand sense of adventure to overcomethe fear of this invisible dangercalled radiation. Yet the adrenalin rushwas quite strong as we passedthrough a barbed wire gate with thesign: Attention! Dangerous Zone! It isforbidden to enter this area!

My camera in hand, car windowsclosed, we drove on in silence. It was

a warm, sunny spring day. Everythingwas lusciously green. There were noroads only fences demarcated wherethey had once existed.

We stopped the car and walkedtowards several wooden houses.Paths to them were overgrown withtall grass reaching almost to my waist.There was an eerie feeling of timestanding still

Even though two years had passedsince the homes had been abandoned,there were personal items strewneverywhere. In one house, in the cor-ner, hung an icon intact with itsembroidered towel.

After examining several houses, Ineeded to leave The severity of this

terrible disaster, this immense tragedyfinally hit me While walking back tothe car, I realized what was so strange:there were no sounds no voicesno birds singing only the wind blow-ing through the broken windows ofsomeones life

Tania Mychajlyshyn-DAvignon is aphotographer based in Newton, Mass.

Memorial Sunday (Providna Nedila) in the village of Opachychi, 1991.

Tania DAvignon in The Zone, 1988.The Chornobyl Nuclear Power Stations Reactor No. 4, 1989.

An abandoned homestead, 1988.

The Prypiat town center, with the Ferris wheel that was never used, 1989. School auditorium in Prypiat featuring a wall of propaganda posters, 1993.

PHOTO ESSAY: Visits to the zone


9/24


Samosely (self-settlers) Nastia and her husband, Volodya, 2004.

Chornobyls Reactor No. 4, 2008.

A Chornobyl child in a village near Ovruch, 1989.

Interior of a village home, 2008.

One of the homes taken over by nature, 2008.

The nuclear plant seen in the distancefrom a Prypiat building, 1993.

A village path in the exclusion zone, 1988.


10/24


Following are excerpts of PresidentViktor Yanukovychs address at the con-clusion of the Chornobyl donors confer-ence held on April 19 in Kyiv. The textwas released by the press office of the

president of Ukraine.

Today, together with our partnerdonors to the Chornobyl funds, we havesuccessfully held a conference to raisefunds for the Chornobyl projects. Theconference has become a real break-through against the background of previ-

ous similar events. The results areunprecedented.Together with our international part-

ners we managed to raise 550 millioneuros today, which we believe is a pre-liminary figure, for the implementation ofthe Chornobyl projects. Ukraine has con-tributed 29 million euros.

I would like to add that such countriesas Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Bulgaria havenot decided yet, and we are expectingthem to make specific proposals on theirparticipation in the Chornobyl fund.

Of course, I would also like to appealto other countries that could participate inthe financing of the Chornobyl fund. Weare always grateful to our friends for theirtimely assistance and participation in thismost important event for the wholeworld.

I would also like to stress that thedonation Ukraine has received today isthe largest among those made at previousdonor conferences.

Constructive cooperation with the EUin everything that concerns Chornobylproves, among other things, that Ukraineand the EU realize the prospects of strate-gic cooperation in all areas. This is howit should be between the two parties, whoare in an active integration process.

France, which chairs the Group ofEight and the Group of 20 this year, hasdone its best for the conference to notonly happen, but succeed.

We also appreciate the traditional sup-por t of the European Bank for

Reconstruction and Development and itspresident, Thomas Mirow. The EBRDhas once again proven that it is a success-

ful and effective manager of theChornobyl funds.

If someone thinks that the process ofraising funds for Chornobyl was easy,they are certainly mistaken. The obstacleswere numerous economic and financialdifficulties due to the consequences ofthe global financial crisis.

However, our partners have shownstrong support for Ukraines efforts inaddressing the Chornobyl problems.

Also, I would like say that todayUkraine has witnessed an unprecedented

participation of a Ukrainian foundation infinancing the Chornobyl fund. I wouldlike to thank the president of this founda-tion, Mr. [Rinat] Akhmetov, for the con-tribution into the Chornobyl Fund.

For Ukraine, the urgent tasks of todayare building a new, safe sarcophagus overthe destroyed fourth reactor of theChornobyl NPP, constructing a new,secure spent nuclear fuel storage [facili-ty], and converting the Chornobyl NPPinto an ecologically safe system.

Completion of these projects is impor-tant not only for the people of Ukraine.Without exaggeration, successful solutionof problems of the Chornobyl NPP hasglobal importance.

The alarming events of these days atthe Japanese Fukushima I NPP confirmedthat nuclear safety is beyond nationalboundaries. Just like the pain ofChornobyl was not alien to Europe andthe international community, Japans painis not alien to us.

In addition to the already providedhumanitarian assistance, we are ready tocontinue providing every possible sup-port to the people of Japan in overcomingthe terr ible consequences of theFukushima disaster.

Heads of states and governments, anddistinguished representatives of morethan 50 countries and international orga-nizations will take part today in a summiton safe and innovative use of nuclearenergy in Kyiv, convened by my initia-tive. During the summit we will discuss

topical issues of nuclear safety, especiallyin view of the lessons of the Chornobyldisaster and the accidents in Japan.

Yanukovych: Todays Chornobylconference is a real breakthrough

Statement by the Ukrainian Congress

Committee of America on the 25th anni-versary of the Chornobyl nuclear accident.

As Japan today battles to prevent ameltdown at the Fukushima-Daiichinuclear plant in the wake of the recentearthquake and tsunami that shook itsvery foundation, our minds cannot helpbut recall the horror of the tragedy thatoccurred in Ukraine 25 years ago.

On the night of Saturday, April 26,1986, an act of unforgivable negligenceat the Chornobyl nuclear power plant innorthern Ukraine resulted in disaster. Anexplosion at the plant blew the concreteroof off reactor No. 4, sending largeamounts of toxic radioactivity billowinginto the atmosphere. This was not simply

an industrial accident, but the unimagina-ble result of carelessness and disregardon the part of Soviet authorities that ledto human tragedy on a massive scale.

Cognizant of their error, the regime didthe unthinkable. It imperiled millions oflives by remaining mute and refusing toadmit that anything out of the ordinaryhad happened. It was only after Swedishdiplomats, having detected abnormalamounts of radioactivity within their owncountry, gave notice on Monday, April28, of their impending desire to file anofficial alert with the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency, that Moscowfinally issued this brief five-sentencestatement: An accident has occurred atthe Chornobyl nuclear power station. Oneof the atomic reactors has been damaged.

Measures are being taken to eliminate theconsequences of the accident. Aid isbeing given to the victims. A governmentcommission has been set up.

In the meantime, the people of Ukrainewere completely left in the dark becauseSoviet authorities failed to take the prop-er precautions to secure the safety of theircitizens and did not warn them of theimpending danger. Evacuations from theimmediate area surrounding Chornobylwere not even initiated by the authorities

until 36 hours after the explosion.

Moreover, five days after the catastro-phe, in Ukraines capital city of Kyiv, amere 60 miles south of Chornobyl, thou-sands of unsuspecting citizens paraded inthe streets in celebration of May Day,oblivious to the silent and invisible dan-ger that had by that time already infiltrat-ed their city.

The result of this tragedy is not onlystartling, but long-lasting. Although therewere those who died immediately fromexposure to high levels of radiation, wemust not forget the ongoing effects thatcontinue to plague Ukraine today: thealarming increase in birth defects andinfant mortality, the extremely high rateof thyroid and other cancers, and thecountless other side effects that will

plague Ukraine for centuries to come.On this 25th anniversary we honorthose who perished in this catastrophe,and those who survived. We remember thehundreds of emergency workers whoresponded to the catastrophe; the hundredsof thousands who were uprooted fromtheir homes; and the millions who sufferedand continue to suffer from health issuesrelated to Chornobyl. We commemoratethe heroic efforts of those whose task itwas to clean up the site after the disaster;the bravery of the millions in the sur-rounding area who have lived with thetragic legacy of this disaster for 25 years.

At the same time, we remember in ourprayers those who today in Japan face thesame uncertain future as our brethren inUkraine. May the Lord God help them in

this, their time of need.On this 25th anniversary of the

Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe, theUCCA reaffirms its resolve to ensure thatthe ongoing needs of the victims of thistragedy in Ukraine are not forgotten. Weurge the United States government andthe international community to providethe moral and financial support needed toassist the affected communities and easethe continued suffering of the countlessvictims in the wake of this tragedy.

FOR THE RECORD: UCCAstatement on Chornobyl anniversary

Sen. Richard G. Lugar, the ranking

Re pu bl ic an on th e Se na te Fo re ig n

Relations Committee, on April 14 intro-

duced a resolution recognizing the 25th

anniversary of the disaster at the

Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant .

Ukraine became the first of the former

Soviet states to eliminate all their nuclearweapons under the Nunn-Lugar program.

Following is the text of the resolution.

Whereas, at 1:23 a.m. on April 26,1986, during an experiment, a majorexplosion occurred at the Chernobyl [sic]Nuclear Power Plant in Unit 4, an RBMK1000-type, graphite-moderated nuclear

power reactor in Prypiat;Whereas, the initial explosion dis-

persed a stream of radioactive particlesover nearby towns, farms and eventuallyto many other countries;

Whereas, 500,000 brave firefighters,engineers, technicians and emergencyworkers worked for more than six monthsto minimize one of the worst civiliannuclear disasters in history;

Whereas, radioactivity emanating fromthe Chernobyl disaster has been detectedin Belarus, Poland, Russia, Scandinaviaand other areas;

Whereas, since the disaster, serioushealth, environmental and socioeconomicrepercussions have been identified inmany areas near the Chernobyl plant;

Whereas, the Chernobyl Forum, an ini-tiative by the International Atomic EnergyAgency in cooperation with the WorldHealth Organization, numerous UnitedNations agencies, and the governments ofUkraine, Belarus and Russia was launchedin 2003 to examine the scientific evidenceof human and environmental effects of the

nuclear disaster at Chernobyl;Whereas, the Chernobyl Forumsexamination of the catastrophe has con-tributed to the understanding of theeffects caused by the nuclear disaster;

Whereas, the Chernobyl Forum foundthat more than 5 million people lived incontaminated areas in Ukraine,Belarus, Russia and other countries;

Lugar resolution recognizes

anniversary of Chornobyl disaster

President Viktor Yanukovych addresses participants of the donors conferencethat raised funds for projects at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Official Website of Ukraines President


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Whereas, the lives and wellness ofpeople in the affected areas continue tobe impacted by the catastrophicChernobyl nuclear disaster;

Whereas, the government of theUnited States the people of the UnitedStates, and the international communityhave provided contributions to humani-tarian organizations to address the effectsof the Chernobyl disaster;

Whereas, the Chernobyl Shelter Fund(CSF) was established in December 1997by the G-7, in cooperation with Ukraine;

Whereas, the purpose of the CSF hasbeen to construct a safe confinement overthe damaged Chernobyl Unit 4 and toconvert the site to a stable and environ-mentally safe condition;

Whereas, the Nuclear Safety Account(NSA), supported by the United Statesand 16 other donors, finances the Interim

Spent Fuel Storage Facility that allowsfor the decommissioning of ChernobylUnits 1 through 3;

(Continued from page 10)

Lugar resolution... Whereas, April 26, 2011, is the 25thanniversary of the Chernobyl nucleardisaster; and

Whereas, the ongoing crisis in Japan atthe Fukushima nuclear power plantserves as a reminder to the United Statesand the international community of the

need to make strong commitments tonuclear security throughout the world:Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Senate (1) recognizes the 25th anniversary of

the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and thecourage of the Ukrainian people in perse-vering to address the consequences of thedisaster;

(2) commends efforts to mitigate theconsequences of the Chernobyl nucleardisaster, including the assistance that theUnited States and the international com-munity have given to the ChernobylShelter Fund and the Interim Spent FuelStorage Facility; and

(3) requests that the secretary of the

Senate transmit an enrolled copy of thisresolution to the ambassador of Ukraineto the United States.

that some good has come from it as well.For one, the catastrophe in Chornobylproved to be, in some ways, the death

knell of the Soviet Union. The explosionshook not only the nuclear power station,but the foundation of the godless systemthat built it as well. The world came torealize, perhaps as never before, withwhat utter duplicity and callous disregardthe Soviet leadership treated its citizens.It is no surprise that within a few years ofChornobyl the entire Soviet empire hadcollapsed in ruins.

In addition, over the years many peo-ple, Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike,as well as organizations from nations theworld over have been united in theirefforts to aid the victims of Chornobyl inwhatever way they can, especially theinnocent children. They are people wholive the reality that we all form one Body

of Christ and that, as St. Paul says: Ifone member suffers, all the members suf-fer with him (1Cor. 12:26). Weremember and pray for them as well, thatGod reward them for their good heartsand kind deeds.

In conclusion, on the solemn 25thanniversary of the nuclear catastrophe inChornobyl, let us invoke the loving pro-tection of the most holy Theotokos,


May the land... Queen of Ukraine. May she shelter uswith her omophor and, through Her pow-erful intercession, may those who per-ished find eternal repose, may those whosuffer find spiritual and physical healing,and may the land of Ukraine be renewedand blessed.

Given April 2011.

ConstantineMetropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox

Church of the U.S.A.

YurijMetropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox

Church in Canada

Archbishop Antony Bishop Ilarion Bishop Andriy Bishop Daniel

StefanMetropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic

Church in the U.S.A.

LawrenceMetropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic

Church in Canada

Bishop Richard Bishop Stephen

Bishop Paul Bishop David

Bishop Kenneth Bishop Bryan

Bishop John

To read more about the Chornobyl disaster,visit our online archives at www.ukrweekly.com

and search through back issues.

A sign at the edge of the 30-kilometer evacuation zonearound the Chornobyl plant reads Exclusion Zone and

lists regulations for the zone. The photo was taken in 1994.

A 1992 protest in Kyiv held on the anniversary of theChornobyl nuclear disaster. The banner reads: Remember

April 4, 1986. Kyiv.

Roman Woronowycz

Moreover, Chornobyls impact is notonly reflected in the death toll. The level

of illnesses among the families sufferingfrom Chornobyl has long been cause foralarm. The proportion of healthy liquida-tors had fallen from 67.6 percent in 1988to 7.2 percent by 2005. Among evacueesthe healthy ratio declined from 67.7 per-cent to 22 percent. Mental health amongevacuated women has declined sharply.The incidence of chronic diseases hasincreased significantly especially thoseof the cardiovascular, digestive and ner-vous systems.

Social problems

Social problems linked to Chornobylpersist. In Slavutych, where 10,000 peo-ple lost jobs in 2000 because of theChornobyl plants closure, 71 percent of

the towns 24,365 residents are catego-rized as accident victims. Over 53 percentof those who died in 2004 were betweenthe ages of 18 and 59, and HIV, alcohol-ism and drug addiction were reported askey problems a bitter irony in what wasoriginally intended to be a model townfor the 21st century.

In the so-called Exclusion Zone(18.5 mile radius) around the shelter,most of the so-called samosely (self-settlers, i.e. returned evacuees) are dyingout. In 2007, there remained 314 scat-tered throughout 11 villages, with anaverage age of 63. In 1986 there were anestimated 1,200. Ten villages were bull-dozed in the zone and others are in a stateof decay. The 1986 disaster has destroyedsettlements and patterns of life that dateback to medieval times. Of those movedfrom the Exclusion Zone, only 3 percentwere employed in 2003 (though somehad retired by then).

Finally, the remains of Chornobyl-4are to be reburied under a new shelter,according to a contract between Ukraineand the French company Novarka, a proj-


Chornobyls legacy...

ect estimated to cost $2 billion to erect aroof that will be higher than both theStatue of Liberty (93 meters) and theMotherland monument that towers overKyiv (102 meters). The goal is to keepthe surrounding area safe for another 100years, and to create a spent nuclear fuelstorage facility.

Twenty-eight countries have contribut-ed to the cost of this edifice it is wellbeyond the means of Ukraines budget and the current structure has an estimatedlifespan of 12 more years. Constructionstarted last August and is supposed to be

completed by 2013.

Close control over data

Chornobyl was a Soviet-era accident,but its legacy is still being felt in Ukraineand Belarus today. It began with an offi-cial cover-up and censorship of healthinformation and radiation fallout. A quar-ter of a century on, it is still difficult toascertain accurate information about itshealth effects in particular, mainlybecause of the close control over data ofagencies that wish to minimize its impactand assure the public that outside those

who suffered from ARS, it has had littlediscernible health consequences.

However, UNSCEAR and the IAEAhitherto have needed to produce materialsonly on significant Chornobyl anniversa-ries. After the crisis at Fukushima inJapan, their task has been made muchmore difficult, as world attention is onceagain focused on problems linked to thepeaceful atom. Arguments pro or anti-nuclear power aside, one can only hopethat more profound attention is onceagain focused on the continuing ramifica-tions of the 1986 tragedy.


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Pianist Alexej Gorlatch makes Washington debut

THEATER REVIEW: Yara Arts Groups Raven

by Yaro Bihun

WASHINGTON Alexej Gorlatch, aUkrainian-born pianist who at 23 years ofage is swiftly gaining international recog-nition for his musical achievements, madehis Washington debut here on April 10before a large and appreciative audience.

His concert was sponsored as a cooper-

at ive effort by The WashingtonConservatory of Music and TheWashington Group Cultural Fund at theWestmoreland Congregational UnitedChurch of Christ.

The program began with BeethovensSonata Op. 110 and Bartks Out ofDoors. After intermission, Mr. Gorlatchcontinued with four prludes by Debussyand concluded with Chopins BarcarolleOp. 60, four Mazurkas and Polonaise Op.53. His performance received more thanone standing ovation, and Mr. Gorlatch,in turn, responded with three moreChopin pieces as encores.

Born in 1988 in Kyiv, Mr. Gorlatchbegan establishing his international musicpresence at the age of 11, performing as a

soloist and with orchestras in Ukraine,Germany, Japan and the United States,and winning honors at international com-petitions, among them first prize at theprestigious Hamamatsu InternationalPiano Competition in Japan in 2006, sec-ond place at the Leeds InternationalPianoforte Competition in England in2009 and, that same year, first prize at theDublin International Piano Competition.

His Washington performance was notreviewed in the local media. Four dayslater, however, as part of his winning theDublin Competition, Mr. Gorlatch repeat-ed the same program at the CarnegieZenkal Hall in New York City. There,Gorlatch had no problem impressinghis New York audience with his solidwinning program, especially through hissubtleness of tone and velvet like qualityof touch in its second half, as music crit-ic Ilona Oltuski noted in her review inContemporary Classical. One felt put atease by his relaxed stage manner andsecure sovereignty at the keyboard, gar-nering him two standing ovations, sheadded.

The Washington areas UkrainianAmerican classical music lovers weretwice blessed with the coming of springthis year. As the temperatures went up, sodid the number of concerts and recitalsfeaturing Ukrainian artists. And some-times one had to choose between con-flicting performances.

This was the case on April 10, whenMr. Gorlatch was performing on the

Maryland-Washington border, whileorganist Paul Stetsenko was continuinghis two-year-long presentation of theBach Vespers at the WestminsterPresbyterian Church in Alexandria, Va.With Mr. Gorlatch at 3 p.m. and Mr.Stetsenko at 6 p.m., it may have beenpossible to attend both Sunday trafficpermitting.

On the previous Sunday, Mr. Stetsenko

had a Ukrainian scheduling conflict withyoung Ukrainian American sopranoSolomia Dutkevych, who, accompaniedby pianist Addie Edelson, was perform-ing Ukrainian and other art songs at theWashington Franciscan Monastery.

There was no conflict for pianist ElenaUlyanovas recital on March 30 at theEmbassy of Ukraine, which featuredworks by Antonio Soler Ramos,

Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff andLiszt.

The next concert in The WashingtonGroup Cultural Funds Sunday series willbe May 1, when pianist Natalya Shkodareturns to the Lyceum stage in Old TownAlexandria with a program of Sonatasand tudes.

And organist Mr. Stetsenko willresume his Bach series on May 20.

by Olena Jennings

NEW YORK Yara Arts Groups Raven, directedby Virlana Tkacz, is based on the poem of the samename translated by Ms. Tkacz and Wanda Phipps. Thepoem is written by Oleh Lysheha, who is also a play-wright, and translator.

Mr. Lysheha is the author of collections The Great

Bridge, To Snow and Fire, Fried Li Bo andBrother Du Fu. In 1999 he was awarded the PENTranslation Award with James Brasfield for TheSelected Poems of Oleh Lysheha.

This is the second performance created by Yara that isbased on the poetry of Mr. Lysheha. In 1998, AndrewColteaux performed in Lyshehas Swan, an equallymesmerizing performance.

Before the play started, the audience was treated tothe recording of American singers Aurelia Shrenker andEva Salina Primack (who sing together as the duo Ash).They recorded the music especially for the performance.Then, Julian Kytasty played a melodic solo on the ban-dura that was like an incantation to call the raven.

Mr. Colteaux plays the man who meets the raven, andSean Eden plays Ivan, a friend of the man. Maren Bushplays a woman painting a wall that may never be fin-ished. There are two extreme moments of the tension in

the piece: the appearance of the raven and the death ofIvans wife.

As the men eat their lunch of stale bread, they feelthat someone is watching them, Someone is watchingus through the window/There is something behind thedark glass/Then I see the beak. It is the raven, whichthey struggle to capture.

There is a translucent wall in the middle of the stage.Ivan and his wife find themselves caught on two sides ofthe wall unable to reach one another as the wall spins.

The recorded Ukrainian lines said by Olha Shuhanjuxtaposed with the English added beauty. They added apush and pull to the dialogue as the characters pull atnature in an effort to bring it close, So what now, youloner of the forest, Who should be holding whom?

Volodymyr Klyuzko and Mikhail Shragas projec-tions, which included floral and forest imagery, helpedto create a natural atmosphere. The projections were

especially effective when projected on the ravens whitedress.

The movement created by Shigeko Suga workedespecially well to create the character of the ravenplayed by Kat Yew as the raven moved together withMr. Colteaux to portray a bond between bird and man.

Lighting design by David Borilla worked to createshadows that provided a haunting atmosphere.

Sometimes you want something/From the very bot-tom of the barrel/Nothing, but brine was one of themost memorable lines of the play for what it says abouthuman desire. Not everyone wants what is most beauti-ful. Some want the raven.

In Yaras Raven, the boundaries between nature andhumans are explored through spoken word, music andmovement.

At the conclusion of his Washington concert debut, Ukrainian pianist AleksejGorlatch took time to answer the audiences questions about his career andthe music he performs. Seated next to him moderating the discussion is CathyJudd, executive director of The Washington Conservatory of Music, which

co-sponsored his recital with The Washington Group Cultural Fund.

Yaro Bihun

Kat Yew and Andrew Colteaux in a scene fromYaras Raven.

Lee Wexler

Andrew Colteaux in Yara Arts Groups Raven created by Virlana Tkacz with Yara and Ukrainian artists,inspired by poetry of Oleh Lysheha. The performance piece is being presented at New Yorks La MaMa ETC

on April 8-24.

Volodymyr/Klyuzko/k.kava


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