"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
In-Depth Ukrainian News and Analysis
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"
"Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union and privatisation in 1991,
the Ukrainian economy has floundered. About 70% of the population live in
poverty as defined by the Ukrainian government...The result has been an
exodus, with between 5 million and 7 million Ukrainians leaving the country
to look for work abroad in the last 10 years.....
'Gone West-The Harsh Reality of Ukrainians at Work in the UK,' documents
their stories. Stepan Shakhno, a Ukrainian student and chairman of the
European Youth Parliament in west Ukraine, spent several months last summer
collecting evidence from Ukrainians for the TUC report....TUC report reveals
grim exploitation of Ukrainians." [article eleven]
"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 2004, Number 39
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C., WEDNESDAY, March 10, 2004
INDEX OF ARTICLES
1. "FREEDOM OF THE WORD" RALLY HELD IN KYIV TO
PROTEST ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE
By Vlad Lavrov, Journalist, www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004
2. SHEVCHENKO BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCES TENSE BUT PEACEFUL
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004
3. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER WARNS AGAINST USING
SHEVCHENKO'S BIRTHDAY FOR 'POLITICAL PURPOSES'
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
4. CORRUPTION, BIASED MEDIA AND DECORATIVE DEMOCRACY
TURN RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION INTO A "FARCE"
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2004
5. RUSSIAN ENVOY CHERNOMYRDIN SAYS THE AMERICANS ARE
BEHAVING BADLY EVERYWHERE INCLUDING UKRAINE
Ren TV, Moscow, Russia, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
6. RUSSIA: "VAST LAND BOUND BY TRAGEDY"
Book Review by Arkady Ostrovsky, FT's Moscow
Financial Times, FT.com site; London, UK, Feb 27, 2004
Book Reviewed: "Black Earth: Russia After the Fall"
by Andrew Meier, HarperCollins, Euro 25, 511 pages
7. "SUN SETS ON RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY"
The View from Moscow, Presidential Election
By Constantine Pleshakov, The Japan Times, Tokyo, Japan, Sat, Mar 6, 2004
8. UKRAINE FORECASTS 8% GDP GROWTH IN 2004
Interfax news, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 9, 2004
9. UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ON THE
FAMILY PLAN IN DONETSK
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2004
10. EBRD INVESTS 116 MILLION EUROS IN UKRAINE
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 9, 2004
11.UKRAINIAN MIGRANT WORKERS TELL OF FEAR AND SUFFERING
"Gone West - The Harsh Reality of Ukrainians at Work in the UK"
TUC report reveals grim exploitation of Ukrainians
By Felicity Lawrence, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
The Guardian, United Kingdom; Mar 09, 2004
12. TWO UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION BLOCS TO FIELD SINGLE
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ACCORDING TO YUSHCHENKO
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
13. UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION MP'S SON BEATEN UP
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc wants an appraisal of the terror in Ukraine
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
14. 'CHERNOBYL HEART' HARDEST FILM SHE EVER MADE
SAYS FILM DIRECTOR MARYANN DELEO
The Academy Award film focuses on the plight of children in Ukraine,
Belarus, and parts of western Russia who were exposed to radiation from
the 1986 nuclear accident at Chornobyl in Ukraine.
Feature Article By Jan Jun, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, March 8, 2004
15. UKRAINIAN BANDURIST CHORUS: EUROPE LIVE CD RELEASED!
2004 SPRING CONCERT SERIES DATES AND VENUES - Updates!
DIVINE LITURGY IN DETROIT MARCH 14
Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus News, Detroit, Michigan, Monday, March 8, 2004
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
1. "FREEDOM OF THE WORD" RALLY HELD IN KYIV TO
PROTEST ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE
By Vlad Lavrov, Journalist
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004
KYIV - A large 'Freedom to the Word' rally was held in Kyiv on Tuesday,
March 9, 2004, the day of the 190th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko's birth.
A rough estimate of the number of participants was around 7-8 thousand
people, which made it one of the largest events in terms of attendance
during the past year. Among the organizers of the rally were Viktor
Yushchenko Bloc 'Our Ukraine', the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist
party of Ukraine, as well as the numerous representatives of the mass-media.
The rally's slogan 'Freedom to the Word' refers to the latest attacks on the
freedom of speech in Ukraine, which included shutting down radio stations
Radio Rocks and Kontynent, both of which were known for providing objective
news coverage of political events and rebroadcasting programs by Radio
Liberty/Radio Free Europe, Public Radio, BBC and others.
Among the other victims of attacks on media named at the rally were the
'Silski Visti' newspaper, which was known for its support of the Socialist
Party of Ukraine, and also for having the largest circulation in Ukraine.
The newspapers closure was ordered by the court on the grounds of
anti-Semitism. Also the increasingly 5th Channel which is popular for the
objectivity of its news coverage and whose broadcasting license is
continuously being disputed in courts by the competitors, which is widely
believed to be politically motivated.
At the head of the column of protesters were journalists carrying the
banners with the crossed out names of the persecuted media. The protesters
moved from St. Sophia square towards the Shevchenko monument along
Volodymyrska street, where the rally organizers laid flowers to the monument
of Taras Shevchenko and held a meeting.
The speakers including the poet Dmytro Pavlychko, Member of Parliament
Mykola Tomenko, Yuliya Tymoshenko, Oleksandr Moroz, and Viktor Yushchenko.
Yushchenko pointed out that it was unacceptable for President Kuchma not to
pay homage to Taras Shevchenko on the day of his 190th anniversary and but
instead left the country to visit Brunei and meet with its sultan.
Other prevalent themes at the meeting were the upcoming presidential
elections, political reform, the need for the opposition forces to unite,
and the authorities' desire to eliminate all sources of independent news in
Ukraine.
Yuliya Tymoshenko called the events in the Ukrainian parliament where the
pro-presidential majority and the Communists are pushing for constitutional
reform which would transfer powers of the President to the Prime-Minister
the 'loss of the last hope', since the election of the President were the
last chance for the people to change power. Tymoshenko called on those who
attended the meeting to be ready for a major uprising in case the
authorities manage to go through with the reform.
In her highly emotional speech Tymoshenko called on the journalists who work
for pro-presidential media to stop being afraid to loose their jobs and to
stop their brainwashing of the people.
Oleksandr Moroz, leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine which along
with the Communists is known for backing the idea of the political reform,
cautiously spoke in support of the reform, saying that the opposition and
the authorities have the same model of the reform in mind, even though their
goals are different.
Viktor Yushchenko, leader of 'Our Ukraine' bloc called the proposed
political reform a coup with a single goal to make president Kuchma a
prime-minister who would have all the power transferred to him.
Yushchenko also said that 3 weeks ago 'Our Ukraine' proposed the manifesto
of unity to the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc and the Socialist Party of Ukraine.
So far, a full agreement has been reached only with Yuliya Tymoshenko's
bloc. There was the hope that the Socialists still would join them.
The meeting unanimously passed a resolution at the end of the meeting which
declared the awful state of freedom of speech in Ukraine saying that the
authorities do not want an objective mass-media or Ukrainian citizens who
think independently. "The authorities are afraid of a public debate with the
opposition, afraid of its own people and do all they can to suppress free
thinking" [quote from Ukrayinska Pravda, pravda.com.ua].
The meeting ended with calls on the three opposition forces to unite. The
call were heard both from the podium and from the crowd. After the meeting
there was the concert of Ukrainian rock-musicians who support the
opposition. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News >From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
=========================================================
2. SHEVCHENKO BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCES TENSE BUT PEACEFUL
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2004
KYIV - Thousands of persons from opposing camps attended separate
commemorations of the 190th birthday of nationalist hero and poet Taras
Shevchenko on Tuesday in downtown Kyiv. President Leonid Kuchma,
airborne between Brunei and Taiwan, sent an electronic message urging
citizens to keep peace and consolidation.
The official government commemoration began the day with the laying of
wreaths at the Shevchenko statue by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn. The official ceremony was noted
mostly for the huge numbers of uniformed police and plainclothesmen who
formed a security cordon around the two main participants.
About an hour later, a group of young people emerged near the monument and
announced themselves as, "The Brotherhood of the Axe," apparently in
reference to a famous line of Shevchenko poetry. Among this group was the
well-known journalist, Dmytro Korchinskiy, famous for his pro-Kuchma and
anti-Yushchenko presentations on television. This group's plans became
evident later.
At about the same time in Sofiyvska Square, several thousand persons began a
demonstration led by former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko, parliamentary
bloc leader Yulia Tymoshenko and Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz.
The demonstrators approved a resolution of protest against the repression of
the press in Ukraine, "The power persecutes freedom of speech even more
impudently than the Okhranka [Czarist secret police] persecuted the
publication of Shevchenko's works."
Having passed the resolution, demonstrators and their leaders marched to the
Shevchenko monument where members of the pro-Kuchma "Fellowship of the
Axe" attempted to start physical clashes. However, organized opposition
volunteer guards managed to prevent any physical violence or bloodshed.
Opposition leaders - Yushchenko, Tymoshenko and Moroz - spent another hour
in the area of the monument during which all speakers were unanimous in
voicing support of the "Ukraine without Kuchma" theme. The opposition
demonstration ended peacefully with a short concert.
Meanwhile, religious observances of the Shevchenko birthday were held at
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, led by Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan. After the
service, Sabodan talked informally about his private collection of
Shevchenko memorabilia, which includes a first edition of Shevchenko poetry,
"Kobzar," one of only five in the world, according to experts. (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
=========================================================
3. UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER WARNS AGAINST USING
SHEVCHENKO'S BIRTHDAY FOR 'POLITICAL PURPOSES'
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
Kiev, 9 March: Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has stressed that
it is unacceptable to turn the image of and works by [popular 19th century
Ukrainian poet] Taras Shevchenko "into an abstract idol" and warned against
using them "to hallow the political situation".
"Taras Shevchenko's genius is a popular rather than text-book one. The
biggest warning must be against letting it become an abstract idol, or worse
still, using it to hallow the political situation," the cabinet press
service quotes Yanukovych as saying. [Passage omitted: cabinet funds
Shevchenko museums round Ukraine] (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine for Travel and Tourism
Travel and Tourism Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
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4. CORRUPTION, BIASED MEDIA AND DECORATIVE DEMOCRACY
TURN RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION INTO A "FARCE"
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Washington, DC -- The upcoming presidential election in Russia on March
14 will not bring about any significant political change in that country, a
panel of Russia experts told a recent RFE/RL audience. The panel, which
included Dr. Robert Orttung of American University, RFE/RL Senior
Analyst for Russia Julie Corwin, and RFE/RL Communications Director
Donald Jensen, concluded that the election will be managed by an
increasingly corrupt political elite, which in turn decreases the level of
voter participation and democracy in Russia.
Orttung addressed what he sees as the "failure" of Russian President
Vladimir Putin's "anti-corruption" policy, reflected in the gradual decrease
in the level of voter participation. Orttung argued that presidential
policies such as media restrictions serve to increase corruption by stifling
the growth of civil society. He noted that a "link [exists] between
participation in elections and fighting corruption and economic inequality."
Furthermore, according to Orttung, inequality is growing among
Russia's regions is increasing, the state has few prosecutions and mutual
interest in corruption exists.
This rise in corruption has helped to turn the election into a
"farce," according to Corwin. Corwin pointed out that the Kremlin's
"recruitment and creation" of opposing candidates to run against Putin, the
nomination of "3rd-tier candidates" by both the Communist Party and Vladimir
Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party and the existence of a "biased" media
environment that fosters a belief by the opposition that "there is no hope
that [it] will get their message across" all add to a widespread perception
that the election result is a foregone conclusion. Corwin added that the
presidential election is only the latest example of a long term trend in
Russia toward "decorative democracy."
The high level of corruption and biased electoral system have served
to restrict the number of choices available to Russian voters in this
presidential election, Jensen said. He argued that the elections must be
viewed from a "Russian paradigm" that is "full of informal connections" and
characterized by a "very elite based game, with free flowing alliances"
centered around financial interests.
Jensen argued that while the election will legitimize the right of the
winner to rule, the electoral outcome serves primarily as a way to gauge
the relative power of competing elites. Jensen also noted that the current
elite-based political system in Russia is unstable and will give the winner
of the presidential election very little room to rule on the basis of any
perceived electoral mandate. (END) (ARTUIS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications
service to Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe; the Caucasus; and
Central and Southwestern Asia funded by the U.S. Congress through the
Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington,
DC 20036, tel: 202-457-6900, fax: 202-457-6992, http://www.rferl.org
Contact: Martins Zvaners (202) 457-6948, Melody Jones (202) 457-6949.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
=========================================================
5. RUSSIAN ENVOY CHERNOMYRDIN SAYS THE AMERICANS ARE
BEHAVING BADLY EVERYWHERE INCLUDING UKRAINE
Ren TV, Moscow, Russia, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
[Presenter] Russian ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin has said in
his speech today to the students and faculty of the [Russian Foreign
Ministry's] Diplomatic Academy in Moscow that the Americans are behaving
brazenly in the post-Soviet space. He thinks that Russian diplomacy is
lagging behind the West with regard to optimizing relations with Kiev.
[Chernomyrdin, captioned, answering questions from the audience] I think
that they [the Americans] are behaving badly, like everywhere. We would not
allow them to behave in such a way in this country. The Ukrainians sometimes
let them do so for some reason. It's a pity.
I want to say once again that not only the United States but the West as a
whole, many Western countries, have become very active in Ukraine. If we
compare our activity with their activity, we would say that there is no
activity on our part at all. We are just working [as usual]. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
=========================================================
6. RUSSIA: "VAST LAND BOUND BY TRAGEDY"
Arkady Ostrovsky reads of dark acts in post-Stalinist
Russia, pieced together with forensic precision...they are
part of a vicious circle of wretchedness, fear, denial and
self-destruction which the book describes.
Book Review by Arkady Ostrovsky, FT's Moscow
Financial Times, FT.com site; London, UK, Feb 27, 2004
Book Reviewed: "Black Earth: Russia After the Fall"
by Andrew Meier, HarperCollins, Euro 25, 511 pages
Three weeks ago, on February 6 2004, a bomb ripped through a Moscow
underground station killing 40 people. Vladimir Putin, the Russian
president, blamed Chechen terrorists for the attack, and hours later a
nationalist Russian politician and Putin supporter called it an "ethnic"
crime. A few days later, a gang of skinheads in St Petersburg, Russia's most
westernised city, killed a nine-year-old Tajik girl in an apparent racist
attack. Her body had 11 knife wounds and bruises from being beaten with a
chain.
These events are not described in "Black Earth," a book by Andrew Meier who
worked as a Time Magazine correspondent in Moscow between 1996 and
2001 - but they are part of a vicious circle of wretchedness, fear, denial
and self-destruction which the book describes.
Meier's book is not strictly a history or political analysis - although it
does provide both. He is first and foremost a reporter who travels across
Russia, recording its striking features, collecting details and personal
testimonies and trying to piece together a portrait of the country 13 years
after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It is not a flattering portrait. Composed from a hundred small details, it
reveals a nation in limbo, demoralised and haunted by its past, drenched by
a bloody war in Chechnya, faced with alcoholism, Aids and TB - and
uncertain about its future.
It is a thorough journalistic investigation into the state Russia is in
today and it raises core questions which stretch outside the time and
geographic scope of the book. The most burning question of all is posed by
the father of a 20-year-old conscript killed by the Chechens who, in "a
deal" with Russian officers, paid their way through checkpoints: "Can a
country live without a conscience?"
To find out, Meier travels to the four extreme corners of Russia to compose
his portrait: south to Chechnya, north to Norilsk - the site of Stalin's
largest Gulag camps - east to Sakhalin and west to St Petersburg. Divided by
thousands of miles and several time zones, each of these corners of Russia
reveal human tragedies and chilling tales of self-destruction.
"-----------------------------------------------------------"
NOTE: To read this important and interesting article in its entirety please
click on the link: http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/vast_land.htm
.=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
==========================================================
7. SUN SETS ON RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY
The View from Moscow, Presidential Election
By Constantine Pleshakov, The Japan Times,
Tokyo, Japan, Sat, Mar 6, 2004
MOSCOW -- Relapses are always regrettable, particularly when the
gains lost had been won at such a high cost.
It took the Russian people about two centuries to get a political
system that provided for free elections, but it has taken only 15
years for them to lose it. The presidential elections scheduled for
March 14 are farcical: Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be the
only person on the ballot, yet the participation of the candidates is
purely symbolic. Not one has the slightest chance of challenging
Putin in earnest.
Without doubt, Russia is doing better economically under Putin than
under his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, and it has become more
politically stable as well. But the overall improvements are not
enough to assure Putin an easy victory in March without special
efforts on the part of him and his team.
Outside Moscow and other bigger metropolises, living standards remain
dismal. Peripheral regions of the country are still neglected and
mismanaged, and occasionally cities in Siberia and the Far East find
themselves without central heating in winter.
The war in Chechnya continues, resulting in heavy casualties on the
battlefield and terrorist attacks in Russia. Only a few weeks ago, a
ferocious blast took place on the Moscow subway during rush hour. In
spite of a number of show trials, corruption thrives on all levels,
making life hard for businesses and impossible for individuals. All
this should have made Putin's re-election problematic, yet it hasn't.
Naivete is not among Putin's shortcomings. All too aware of his
vulnerability, he started preparing for the March 2004 elections well
in advance. Between 2001 and 2003, he successfully eliminated freedom
of speech on Russian television by shutting down independent channels
and putting national broadcasting under strict government control.
That, however, wasn't good enough for him. Following his conservative
tastes, the very spirit of TV narrative and presentation had to go
back to the Soviet pattern. The president dominates the news --
sometimes scolding, sometimes encouraging his ministers --
uninterrupted by any political commentary. Domestic blunders and
mishaps are downplayed while every unfortunate, if not particularly
important, event in the West gets blown out of proportion (for
example, according to Russian TV, this year's harsh winter in the
United States has been apocalyptic).
In the Soviet days, depending on the weather, a TV broadcast from a
Western capital began with either, "It is dark, cold and rainy here
in London (Paris, Lisbon, Tokyo), and that makes the local working
people feel even worse," or with, "In spite of the spring sunshine,
the workers of Madrid (Rome, Sydney) feel depressed and downtrodden."
Putin hasn't gone that far yet, but give him time.
Not too many people read newspapers other than gossipy tabloids
describing conspiracy theories and movie stars' divorces. For the
majority of the Russian population, television is the source of news,
if not opinions. Having ousted the opposition from the air, Putin
basically ensured his re-election in March.
It is sometimes argued that Putin is the only politician in Russia
capable of winning voters' sympathies in 2004. This is hardly true.
The liberal camp has young and energetic Boris Nemtsov, who served as
governor of Nizhny Novgorod and later as deputy prime minister. He is
a good speaker and possesses exceptional charisma.
The centrists have at least two would-be presidents: Viktor
Chernomyrdin and Yury Luzhkov. Chernomyrdin presided over Russia's
thriving gas industry and then, in the capacity of prime minister,
successfully led the country through the economically turbulent mid-
1990s. Luzhkov is Moscow's best-ever mayor. He has overseen the
construction of modern highways and infrastructure in the capital,
and every retiree in Moscow gets various benefits from city hall,
including free public transportation and an extremely useful pension
subsidy.
All three leaders -- Nemtsov, Chernomyrdin, and Luzhkov -- used to
express their presidential ambitions, but being realistic
politicians, they didn't even attempt to enter the 2004 race.
Strictly speaking, Russian voters have a choice, as a number of
unimportant politicians are running against Putin, but this is merely
a sham intended to (badly) conceal the Kremlin's new authoritarian
facade. Some of the candidates appear to be making an extra effort to
give the charade a farcical nature.
Ivan Rybkin disappeared from the radar for a few days, causing the
international media to talk about possible abduction or
assassination, only to re-emerge in a hotel room in the Ukraine
capital of Kiev. He explained away his absence as a vacation.
Reportedly, his indignant wife said such a guy couldn't be trusted to
run the country. Indeed.
The presence of people like Rybkin in the race enables Putin to
refute international observers' allegations that democratic
procedures are being violated in the course of the elections. Even
with all the ballots cast for other candidates and a scrupulous
count, Putin is still going to win by a landslide.
However, there is a sadder observation to be made, too: The majority
of Russian voters seem to be unperturbed by Putin's abuse of power.
The first free presidential elections in Russia happened when the
anticommunist liberal opposition had little access to TV talk shows.
Yeltsin was brought to power not by campaign managers and public-
relations wizards but by the will of the people. It seems that after
15 years of fierce political battles, the average Russian voter is
tired of multiple choices and is content with the traditional Kremlin
menu: one person, one vote; one job, one candidate. (END)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Constantine Pleshakov, a Moscow-based freelance journalist, is a
former member of the Moscow Academy of Sciences.
LINK: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?eo20040306cp.htm
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
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8. UKRAINE FORECASTS 8% GDP GROWTH IN 2004
Interfax news, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 9, 2004
KYIV - The Ukrainian economy is likely to expand by 8% in 2004, Vadym
Pischeiko, the director of the economy ministry's economic and social policy
department, told the press on Friday.
"We were very careful at the end of last year when we were preparing the
budget forecast, and rather cautious at the beginning of this year, when I
said that highest realistic growth was 6.5%. The results for January and
preliminary results for February indicate greater growth. Today we plan to
develop the target scenario and GDP growth in 2004 could be 8%," he said.
The Ukrainian government's forecast, on which the 2004 budget is based, puts
GDP growth at 4%. National Bank of Ukraine Governor Serhiy Tihipko forecasts
GDP growth of 9%-10% and Finance Minister Mykola Azarov says the economy
could expand from 6.5% to 10%. GDP rose 9% in January. GDP grew 9.3% in 2003
and 4.8% in 2002. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
The Art of Private Voluntary Organizations in Supporting Ukraine
Support Ukraine Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/uasupport/index.htm
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9. UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ON THE
FAMILY PLAN IN DONETSK
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2004
KYIV - Reform members of the parliament believe that a March 7 by-election
in Donetsk Oblast may be a harbinger of things to come in the region. The
Central Election Commission announced on March 8 that Oleksandr Vasylyev,
head of the Donetsk State Tax Administration, had overcome 24 other
candidates to take almost 79 percent of the vote in his campaign for the
parliamentary mandate in district 61.
The by-election became necessary when Hennadiy Vasylyev, Oleksandr
Vasylyev's brother and first deputy speaker of the parliament, resigned his
parliament seat to accept appointment as Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
During the 2002 parliamentary election that saw Hennadiy Vasylyev elected to
the parliamentary mandate, the Committee of Ukrainian Voters, an election
reform NGO, said that numerous electoral violations occurred. In the
just-completed campaign that saw Oleksandr Vasylyev elected, it is reported
by parliamentary sources that the full weight of oblast government
structures were brought into use.
For example, Vasylyev's vote total included 96 percent of those who voted in
the Staromikhailovskiy Psycho-Neurological Dispensary, a state hospital for
mental-disturbed patients.
A continuation of this tradition of family succession in Donetsk
parliamentary seats is expected next month when Serhiy Klyuev, brother of
now-Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Klyuev, is expected to be successful in
his bid to succeed his brother in his parliamentary mandate in Donetsk
parliamentary election district 46.
Reformists in the parliament point to the two Donetsk parliamentary
elections as being accurate forecasts of what Ukraine may expect as
they understand from reliable sources that pro-presidential forces plan to
use use government resources freely to assure that the presidential
candidate of the existing power structure is elected to replace President
Leonid Kuchma who is not running for reelection. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Send Us Names to Add to the Distribution List for UKRAINE REPORT
=========================================================
10. EBRD INVESTS 116 MILLION EUROS IN UKRAINE
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Kyiv - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested 116
million euros in Ukraine in 2003 and approved six new projects, the EBRD
website reports.
Overall EBRD investment in Ukraine reached 1.279 billion euros and the
number of confirmed projects, including those where financing has not yet
begun, 58.
Ukraine has the fifth most projects and overall investment after Russia (171
projects, 5.17 billion euros), Poland (129 projects, 2.84 billion), Romania
(75, 2.36 billion), and Hungary (66, 1.53 billion).
Ukraine came tenth among 27 countries in terms of EBRD investment in 2003.
The EBRD confirmed 119 projects for these countries in 2003 and invested
3.72 billion euros. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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11. UKRAINIAN MIGRANT WORKERS TELL OF FEAR AND SUFFERING
"Gone West-The Harsh Reality of Ukrainians at Work in the UK"
TUC report reveals grim exploitation of Ukrainians
BY Felicity Lawrence, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
The Guardian, United Kingdom; Mar 09, 2004
Tens of thousands of migrant Ukrainian workers in the UK are being exposed
to routine exploitation even when they have permits to work here. Their
plight is exposed in a report published by the TUC today, which includes
extensive interviews with workers in agriculture, food processing, catering
and construction. [TUC-Trade Union Congress]
The report reveals that they are often paid less than half what British
workers are paid for the same jobs. They also suffer frequent industrial
injuries and live in overcrowded conditions. Many have come to the UK
legitimately on government schemes for seasonal agricultural workers (SAWS)
or for specific sectors needing unskilled labour (SBS), but find the
conditions so harsh that they are driven into the black economy in London.
"Gone West - The Harsh Reality of Ukrainians at Work in the UK," documents
their stories. Stepan Shakhno, a Ukrainian student and chairman of the
European Youth Parliament in west Ukraine, spent several months last summer
collecting evidence from Ukrainians for the TUC report.
"They often live in complete wretchedness and with a constant fear of
deportation. When they do find work, they are usually treated much worse
than they would ever be at home," he says.
Vasyl's case is typical. He paid $1,000 in bribes in the Ukraine to get onto
the SAWS scheme. When he arrived to work on a strawberry farm, he was told
he would be paid pounds 2 for every box he filled. But when managers found
he and his fellow Ukrainians worked hard, they cut the rate to 50p per box.
The hours were long and of ten involved working all day in the rain. "Many
people got ill, but of course they couldn't stop working. We were completely
dependent on our employer as he could fire us at any moment," he said.
Paul's experience was similar. "I was working cleaning and packing cabbages,
and packing mushrooms, standing by a conveyor belt on cold concrete all day.
When my visa expired my employer left me on the same job but my salary was
now less than half what I'd earned before. During police raids, I had to
flee into the forest just like all the others."
Friends had not been paid by their agency for weeks, and were then turned in
to immigration.
"A migrant's life is not an easy one. You constantly risk being cheated,
robbed or deported. You have no rights, no moral support. You simply don't
feel like a human being anymore." Paul said.
Peter came as a student and pays bribes to his English language school to
keep his visa valid even though he does not attend. He works full time
instead. "I have a younger brother - I am paying for his university. My
father works very hard, but he can only make $60 (pounds 32) a month, which
is not even enough for groceries. My mother has cancer. I miss them so much,
but I am their only hope. I am the only one who can support them."
Although official figures are not available, estimates put the number of
Ukrainians working in London as high as 40,000, with possibly up to 100,000
Ukrainians in the UK as a whole, according to Mr Shakhno. "It is easy to
condemn these people but we shouldn't forget they have been compelled by
force of utter need to leave their family and friends," Mr Shakhno said.
Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union and privatisation in 1991, the
Ukrainian economy has floundered. About 70% of the population live in
poverty as defined by the Ukrainian government. Research by the
International Labour Organisation found that a quarter of those surveyed had
not received their wages in the preceding three months.
The result has been an exodus, with between 5million and 7million Ukrainians
leaving the country to look for work abroad in the last 10 years.
After May 1 and the enlargement of the EU, Ukraine will be on the eastern
border of the union. The TUC predicts that once other eastern European
countries that have been sources of illegal labour in the past join the EU,
bad employers will look outside the EU for replacement undocumented workers
they can employ on low pay for long hours.
The Ukraine already provides a fifth of entrants under the recently expanded
SAWS scheme and many of those on the SBS work in meat and fish processing,
mushroom growing and hotels and catering. Poland is the only country
contributing more workers on these schemes.
In 2002, more than 2,800 visas were issued to students from Ukraine, many of
whom also work. Very few Ukrainians claim asylum - only 365 out of a total
of 84,000 applications in 2002. The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber,
called on the government to change the way employment schemes were
administered so that they were not abused.
"Hundreds of unscrupulous agencies, gangmasters and employers are getting
very rich very quickly off the back of migrant workers. Media and political
anger should be directed at these exploiters, not the migrant workers coming
here to build themselves a better life back home." (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 38: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Economic News: http://www.artukraine.com/econews/index.htm
=========================================================
12. TWO UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION BLOCS TO FIELD SINGLE
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ACCORDING TO YUSHCHENKO
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
Kiev, 9 March: The [opposition] Our Ukraine bloc leader, Viktor Yushchenko,
has said that "complete understanding has been achieved with the
[opposition] Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc" regarding joint actions by opposition
parties during the 2004 presidential election.
Speaking in Kiev on Tuesday [9 March] near the memorial to [Ukrainian poet]
Taras Shevchenko, Yushchenko said: "Three weeks ago we proposed a political
manifesto, which gives an answer to how the three political forces [Our
Ukraine, the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc and the Socialist Party] should prepare
for the October presidential election with a single platform and a single
candidate.
I am telling you now that we have reached complete understanding with the
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc within the framework of this document. I hope the
Socialist Party will give the same reply." "This would be the best present
on Taras Shevchenko's 190th birthday," Yushchenko said.
"What the authorities call political reform has all the signs of a coup
d'etat," he said. The opposition parties "must answer how they can come
together rather than talk about political reform," he added. "People want
this," Yushchenko said.
Yuliya Tymoshenko said earlier in March that the opposition trio was
developing a draft coalition agreement about joint preparations for the
presidential election, the nomination of a single candidate and joint
actions after his victory. Tymoshenko said that the coalition accord was
being developed in the following areas: "joint political work during the
presidential election, the nomination of a single candidate, a joint
programme of actions after the presidential race, and joint staff decisions
after the candidate from the coalition wins the election".
The head of the Our Ukraine office, MP Oleh Rybachuk, earlier said that the
three opposition forces in the Ukrainian parliament were working jointly on
an accord about "the system of cooperation" during the 2004 presidential
election and after it. The trio is also working on "the list of measures
during the first 100 days after the election to make Ukraine closer to
European standards". (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39: ARTICLE NUMBER THIRTEEN
Collectibles Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/colgallery.htm
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13. UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION MP'S SON BEATEN UP
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc wants an appraisal of the terror in Ukraine
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, Ukraine, in Russian, 9 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 09, 2004
Kiev, 9 March: Andriy Volynets, the son of an MP [of the opposition Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc] and head of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of
Ukraine, Mykhaylo Volynets, has been beaten up severely, the press service
of the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc said today.
Armed militants dressed as members of a special police unit attacked
Volynets on 7 March, the bloc said. The MP's son has been taken to hospital
and is in a critical condition.
"The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc considers the attack on Andriy to be one more
act of provocation against the opposition by the authorities. It is similar
to arsons attacks against offices of leaders and members of opposition
political forces, closure of the independent media and physical harassment
of dissenters," the press service said.
The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc demanded that the Prosecutor- General's Office,
the Interior Ministry and the Security Service of Ukraine "urgently carry
out an investigation into the circumstances of the act of provocation, find
and punish those who organized it and carried it out".
In addition, the press service said, the bloc demanded that the president of
Ukraine [Leonid Kuchma], the parliamentary speaker [Volodymyr Lytvyn] and
the prime minister [Viktor Yanukovych] take measures necessary "to stop the
terror and prevent a civil war in Ukraine".
The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc intends to ask international organizations and
foreign embassies "to give an appraisal of the terror in Ukraine".
[Earlier, Dmytro Chobit, a writer being sued by Ukrainian presidential
administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk, has said that his garage has been
deliberately set on fire - see Glavred, Kiev, in Russian 0000 gmt 27 Feb
04.] (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No.39: ARTICLE NUMBER FOURTEEN
Ukrainian Website: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
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14. 'CHERNOBYL HEART' HARDEST FILM SHE EVER MADE
SAYS FILM DIRECTOR MARYANN DELEO
The Academy Award film focuses on the plight of children in Ukraine,
Belarus, and parts of western Russia who were exposed to radiation from
the 1986 nuclear accident at Chornobyl in Ukraine.
Feature Article By Jan Jun
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, March 8, 2004
Maryann DeLeo is an independent American film director, whose documentary
"Chernobyl Heart" recently won an Academy Award for best short documentary
film.
The film focuses on the plight of children in Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of
western Russia who were exposed to radiation from the 1986 nuclear
accident at Chornobyl in Ukraine.
RFE/RL recently spoke to DeLeo by telephone and asked her how she felt
about winning the Oscar.
Maryann DeLeo: Sort of a miracle. It's amazing. You know, this is not an
easy film [to watch] because there are so many children who are sick and who
are really hard to look at. I never thought anybody would want to see it.
And the fact that people cared, and the fact that the Americans, the
Academy, voted for it, I find it just a beautiful miracle. I am so happy."
DeLeo was then asked how the idea came to her to make the film in the first
place.
"I tried to focus on whatever good moments there were."DeLeo: Looking back,
I really think there was something about destiny in there. A friend of mine
visited the United Nations and saw an exhibition that Adi Roche [the
executive director of the Chornobyl Children's Project] and the Chornobyl
Children's Project organized. My friend was so angry and upset at what he
saw [because he believed] that everyone had forgotten about Chernobyl. That
he did not know that this was happening.
He kind of sent me to look at the exhibits, and then someone else told me
that, oh, you should make a film. And then the door started to open. I
really feel like it was not me. It was something guiding me. And that's how
it happened.
DeLeo was asked if she faced any specific problems working in a restrictive
country such as Belarus. Did she experience any difficulties when the
filming started?
DeLeo: I was fortunate, because Adi Roche has been going to Belarus for
maybe 12 or 13 years. She has good relationships with the people there and
everyone knows that she is there to help the people. So we had an easy time,
and all the people in hospitals and, I think, everybody felt that we were
there for a good reason.
DeLeo was asked what she thought of sanitary conditions in Belarus and the
plight of the children.
DeLeo: It is pretty shocking, and I think the Belarusians are kind of
overwhelmed. There are so many institutions and so many kids, and they are
just lacking in so many things. In one of the hospitals there was just one
nurse on duty for the whole hospital, and a lot of kids are not in good
situations, which is not enough care. I mean the people there are doing the
best they can, but they need money, they need help, they need a lot of
things.
DeLeo was asked if making such a difficult film had changed her as a person.
DeLeo: Yes, [I am] definitely changed. It was the hardest film I've ever
made. I've been doing this for 20 years, and I really struggled with this
film. I did want to show hope in the midst of all the difficulties. I think,
finally, I achieved that with the heart surgeon in the film who does operate
on some of the kids, and they manage to survive, and so I think that's the
hope that we can all help each other. But it's very hard to look at kids who
are sick. You have to have a reason, but I think the reason is that we need
to know that radiation is still affecting millions of people since that
accident.
She says she sometimes had difficulty hiding her emotions in front of the
children.
DeLeo: I tried to focus on whatever good moments there were. Really, they
didn't want anything from me, they just wanted somebody to be there with
them, to see them blow bubbles, and they were happy. So, I think, maybe, I
didn't pretend but I held back some of my feelings, and waited till I was
alone in my room, before I really wept for them and their situation.
During the filming of the movie, DeLeo also received a small amount of
radiation poisoning.
DeLeo: [It] was a small dose, and I was only in Belarus for a short time.
And I think I am okay now. There are people living with that every day. Our
translator, she has some Cesium-137 [radioactive element] and she says:
'Look, there is not much I can do, I live here, I can't go anywhere, and I
just have to do the best I can.' (END) (ARTUIS)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan M.P. Jun is the London correspondent for RFE/RL's News and Current
Affairs Department. For nearly 10 years, until 2002, he was a senior editor
and commentator for RFE/RL's Czech Service. He has also contributed analyses
on international relations to Czech television and several Czech newspapers.
He was awarded the Czech Peroutka Prize as journalist of the year in 1999.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/3/6CB4B823-8B6A-4051-97B2-537DAF5F
0C45.html (paste link together)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 39, ARTICLE NUMBER FIFTEEN
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15. UKRAINIAN BANDURIST CHORUS: EUROPE LIVE CD RELEASED!
2004 SPRING CONCERT SERIES DATES AND VENUES - Updates!
DIVINE LITURGY IN DETROIT MARCH 14
Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus News, Detroit, Michigan, Monday, March 8, 2004
DETROIT - The all-male Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus announces the release of
their 31st North American produced album, coinciding with their 2004 Spring
Concert Series in Syracuse, Hartford, New York City, Clifton, and
Philadelphia. European Tour: Historic Live Recordings presents an exciting
program of select folk songs, and the exotic sounds of the bandura from the
Chorus' 2003 European concert tour. Select composers include: J. Brahms, C,
Gounod, H. Kytasty, M. Leontovich, J. Newton and O. Mahlay. This album is
available on compact disc only.
This CD is unique in that it brings together a compilation of powerful
performances captured at various concert halls over four countries. Emmy
award winning Re-recording engineer Orest Sushko, who is also a member of
the chorus, served as the mix engineer for this live project. Orest received
an Emmy award in 2001 for outstanding mixing on the TV mini-series Nuremberg
staring Alec Baldwin. Alex Kytasty, a Detroit based freelance recording
engineer handled the location recording. Design and layout are credited to
Darius Polanski, and production by Toronto based RDR Music Group. Executive
Producer is Anatoli Murha.
Founded in 1918, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus has a long and proud history
of representing Ukrainian bandura and choral music on the international
stage. It survived both Soviet & Nazi occupations, and since 1949, has
enjoyed the freedom of artistic expression in the United States of America.
Today, the majority of Chorus members are 2nd and 3rd generation Americans
and Canadians. Boasting a repertoire of more than 500 songs, this
internationally celebrated ensemble has captivated audiences in major
concert halls in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Ukraine
since immigrating to North America from Europe in 1949. They have also
performed for such noted personalities as former President Richard Nixon,
former President Ronald Reagan, movie star Jack Palance, and former
President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk.
To order your copy of European Tour: Historic Live Recordings today and hear
SOUND CLIPS, visit: www.bandura.org/recordings.htm
2004 SPRING CONCERT SERIES - NEW CONCERTS
Detroit, MI - The all-male Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus has added new venues
to its 2004 Spring Concert Series in Philadelphia, and Clifton, NJ. Fresh
off its 85th anniversary concert season and tour of Europe, the Chorus plans
to bring its exciting program to Syracuse on April 2nd, Hartford April 3rd,
and New York City April 4th, Clifton, New Jersey on April 24th, and
Philadelphia on April 25th.
Driven by passion, tradition, and history, the all-male Ukrainian Bandurist
Chorus preserves and exemplifies its mission as ambassadors of Ukrainian
culture, music and the unique 60 stringed instrument, bandura. The Chorus'
unique nature revolves around the bandura. This distinctive instrument has
developed over centuries and continues to evolve as one of the most
intriguing musical instruments in the world.
Friday, April 2 - 7:00pm
SYRACUSE, NY, Fowler School Auditorium
227 Magnolia Street, Tickets: 315.471.4074
Saturday, April 3 - 7:00pm
HARTFORD, CT, Theater of the Performing Arts
359 Washington Street, Tickets: 860.757.6388 - Box Office Tickets:
860.296.4714 - Ukrainian Selfreliance New England Federal Credit Union
Sunday, April 4 - 2:00pm
NEW YORK CITY, The Great Hall At The Cooper Union
Third Avenue at Seventh Street
Tickets: 917.559.8629 - General information and tickets
Tickets: 212.674.1615 - St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church
Tickets: 212.473.2955 - Dibrova Social Club
Tickets: 718.932.4060 - Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church, Astoria
Saturday, April 24 - 6:30pm
CLIFTON, NJ, W. Wilson Middle School
1400 Van Houten Ave., Clifton, NJ 07013
Tickets: 917.559.8629 - General information and tickets
Tickets: 973.378.8998 - Scope Travel, Maplewood - 1605 Springfield Avenue
Tickets: 973.473.3379 - The Ukrainian Center, Passaic - 240 Hope Avenue
Sunday, April 25 - 3:00pm
PHILADELPHIA, PA, Manor College, 700 Fox Chase Road
Jenkintown, PA 19046, Tickets: 215.242.3689
Sponsored by: Ukrainian Congress Committee of America -
Philadelphia Branch and Manor College
Stay tuned for more 2004 concert dates by visiting www.bandura.org
CHORUS TO SING DIVINE LITURGY IN DETROIT, MARCH 14
In what has been established as a yearly tradition, the Ukrainian Bandurist
Chorus will sing the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, March 14, 2004 at Immaculate
Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hamtramck, MI.
The Divine Liturgy will begin at 10:00am. Immaculate Conception is located
at 11700 McDougall in Hamtramck. The Chorus and Immaculate Conception invite
you to attend. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ARTICLES ARE FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
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NEWS AND INFORMATION WEBSITE ABOUT UKRAINE
LINK: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
=========================================================
New Issue Just Published...Year 2003, Issue 3-4
FOLK ART MAGAZINE: NARODNE MYSTETSTVO
LINK: http://www.artukraine.com/primitive/artmagazine.htm
=========================================================
NEW BOOK: Three Hundred Eleven Personal Interviews, Famine 32-33.
"UKRAINIANS ABOUT FAMINE 1932-1933," Prof. Sokil, Lviv, Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/sokil.htm
=========================================================
INFORMATION ABOUT "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" 2004
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