"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
In-Depth Ukrainian News, Analysis, and Commentary
"The Art of Ukrainian History, Culture, Arts, Business, Religion,
Sports, Government, and Politics, in Ukraine and Around the World"
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
1911-2004
"He stunned the Soviet Union with his tough rhetoric, calling it an "evil
empire'' whose leaders gave themselves the "right to commit any crime.''
His famed "Star Wars'' program drew the Soviets into a costly arms race it
couldn't afford. His 1987 declaration to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at
the Berlin Wall - "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall'' - was the ultimate
challenge of the Cold War.
Ronald Reagan's determination to destroy communism and the Soviet Union
was a hallmark of his eight-year presidency, carried out through a harsh
nuclear policy toward Moscow that softened only slightly when Gorbachev
came to office.
He is vividly remembered in Russia today as the force that precipitated the
Soviet collapse." [Vladimir Isachenkov, AP, Moscow, article one]
"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 04, Number 94
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA), Huntingdon Valley, PA
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C.; Kyiv, Ukraine, MONDAY, June 7, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1. REAGAN REMEMBERED FOR ENDING SOVIET RULE
"His phrase, 'evil empire,' became a household word in Russia,''
"Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall," the ultimate challenge of the Cold War
By Vladimir Isachenkov, AP, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
2. GORBACHEV CREDITS REAGAN WITH ENDING COLD WAR
REUTERS, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
3. GORBACHEV CALLS REAGAN 'GREAT PRESIDENT''
By Jim Heintz, Associated Press, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
4. VILLAIN TO FRIEND TO HERO: REAGAN'S SOVIET ODYSSEY
By Dave Montgomery, Knight Ridder Foreign Service
Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
5. PRESIDENT'S FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT AND RONALD REAGAN
Nations left enslaved by decisions of Roosevelt including Ukraine
Grover Norquist, Chairman, Ronald Reagan Legacy Project
Remembering Reagan, The Washington Post,
Washington, D.C., Sunday, June 6, 2004
6. "A PROCLAMATION, DAY OF COMMEMORATION OF THE
GREAT FAMINE IN UKRAINE IN 1933, SUNDAY, NOV 4, 1984
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States Of America
The White House, Washington, D.C., October 30, 1984
7. RONALD REAGAN REMEMBERED IN UKRAINE
By Yevhen Kostenko, Political Consultant, Ukraine
UANEWSWIRE, UK, Sunday, 06 June 2004
8. PUTIN SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO ALLIED VETERANS
ON D-DAY ANNIVERSARY
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
9. RUSSIA'S D-DAY ROLE
EDITORIAL, Boston Globe
Boston, MA, Sunday, June 6, 2004
10. RUSSIAN LEADER PUTIN JOINS D-DAY CEREMONIES
Becomes first Russian leader to take part in commemorations of D-Day
China View, www.chinaview.cn, Xinhua News Agency
Arromanches (Normandy, France), Sunday, June 6, 2004
11. FROM D-DAY TO V-DAY: HOW DO UKRAINIANS FIT IN?
COMMENTARY by Roman Serbyn
Professor Emeritus of History, University of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, June 5, 2004
12.SOVIET VETERAN HAPPY RUSSIA WILL REMEMBER D-DAY
Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Jun 04, 2004
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. REAGAN REMEMBERED FOR ENDING SOVIET RULE
"His phrase, 'evil empire,' became a household word in Russia,''
"Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall," the ultimate challenge of the Cold War
By Vladimir Isachenkov, AP, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
MOSCOW - He stunned the Soviet Union with his tough rhetoric, calling
it an "evil empire'' whose leaders gave themselves the "right to commit
any crime.''
His famed "Star Wars'' program drew the Soviets into a costly arms race it
couldn't afford. His 1987 declaration to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at
the Berlin Wall - "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall'' - was the ultimate
challenge of the Cold War.
Ronald Reagan's determination to destroy communism and the Soviet Union was
a hallmark of his eight-year presidency, carried out through a harsh
nuclear policy toward Moscow that softened only slightly when Gorbachev
came to office.
He is vividly remembered in Russia today as the force that precipitated the
Soviet collapse.
"Reagan bolstered the U.S. military might to ruin the Soviet economy, and
he achieved his goal,'' said Gennady Gerasimov, who served as top spokesman
for the Soviet Foreign Ministry during the 1980s.
Reagan's agenda toward Moscow started shortly after the start of his first
term - and marked a major departure from the mild detente of the Jimmy
Carter administration.
In 1981, Reagan backed his rhetoric with a trillion dollar defense buildup.
U.S.-Soviet arms control talks collapsed, and the two nations targeted
intermediate-range nuclear missiles at each other across the Iron Curtain
in Europe.
The deployment of the U.S. missiles in Europe rattled the Kremlin's nerves,
because of the shorter time they needed to reach targets in the Soviet
Union compared to intercontinental missiles deployed in the United States.
In an even bigger shock to the Kremlin, Reagan in 1983 launched an effort
to build a shield against intercontinental ballistic missiles involving
space-based weapons.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), dubbed "Star Wars,'' dumped the
previous doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction that assumed that neither
side would start a nuclear war because it would not be able to avoid
imminent destruction.
Even though Reagan's "Star Wars'' never led to the deployment of an actual
missile shield, it drew the Soviets into a costly effort to mount a
response. Many analysts agree that the race drained Soviet coffers and
triggered the economic difficulties that sped up the Soviet collapse in
1991.
"Reagan's SDI was a very successful blackmail,'' Gerasimov told The
Associated Press. "The Soviet Union tried to keep up pace with the U.S.
military buildup, but the Soviet economy couldn't endure such competition.''
Yelena Bonner, the widow of Soviet dissident Nobel Prize winner Andrei
Sakharov, praised Reagan for his tough course toward the Soviet Union.
"I consider Ronald Reagan one of the greatest U.S. presidents since the
World War II because of his staunch resistance to Communism and his efforts
to defend human rights,'' Bonner said in a telephone interview from her
home in Boston. ``Reagan's policy was consistent and precise, and he had a
great talent of choosing the right people for his administration.''
Former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, 61, remembered Reagan fondly
for his humor and his toughness.
"His phrase, 'evil empire,' became a household word in Russia,'' said
Bukovsky, who now lives in Cambridge, England. "Russians like a
staightforward person, be he enemy or friend. They despise a wishy-washy
person.''
Retired Gen. Vladimir Dvorkin said that trying to field a response to
Reagan's Star Wars had "certainly contributed'' to Soviet economic demise
but argued it didn't play the decisive role.
"The Soviet economy was extremely inefficient and nothing could save it,''
said Dvorkin, a senior Soviet arms control negotiator during the 1980s.
But Bonner said her husband - who had played a key role in designing Soviet
nuclear weapons - believed that deploying U.S. missiles in Europe was
necessary to bring the Soviet rulers back to the arms control talks.
In December 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty that for the first
time eliminated the entire class of intermediate-range missiles. "Reagan and
Gorbachev helped end the Cold War,'' Gerasimov said.
Associated Press writer Gerald Nadler in New York contributed to this
report. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
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2. GORBACHEV CREDITS REAGAN WITH ENDING COLD WAR
REUTERS, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
MOSCOW, Russia - The father of Soviet Perestroika reform Mikhail
Gorbachev on Sunday praised Ronald Reagan as a partner on the world stage
who made the key contribution to ending the Cold War between the nuclear
superpowers.
Reagan, the former U.S. president, died on Saturday at his Los Angeles home
at the age of 93.
"We were destined to meet in the most difficult years of the 20th century
when we felt on both sides that we faced the threat of a nuclear war," said
Gorbachev, Soviet ruler in 1985-1991.
"Reagan entered history as a man who made a huge, possibly decisive,
contribution to creating conditions for ending the Cold War," he told
reporters.
In 1985, devoted anti-Communist Reagan and freshly appointed Communist
party leader Gorbachev, who was in his first steps of reforms, held their
first meeting in Geneva.
Gorbachev said the first U.S.-Soviet summit in six years, which ended in a
breakthrough statement by the two leaders that nuclear war should be
averted at any cost, was not easy.
"After a first round of talks I told my aides he was a true dinosaur and
Reagan told his aides I was a stubborn Bolshevik," Gorbachev said.
"However, within 1-1/2 days we made progress, which allowed us to sign
an important document,"
Gorbachev said it was Reagan's personal charm which helped in the initial
stages of the difficult process of mending relations between the two and
their countries. "There was something inexplicable about this man. We felt
we could work together," Gorbachev said.
Gorbachev's foreign minister and close ally Eduard Shevardnadze echoed
Gorbachev's words. "He was eloquent, witty," Shevardnadze told Reuters
in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, where he lives after his opponents forced
him to quit as the Caucaus nation's president last year.
"He could always find an exact word in a conversations... He had a talent
of an actor, of a big actor."
Gorbachev specifically praised Reagan, viewed in Moscow as a hawk, for
daring to step past his immediate political sentiments for the sake of a
more important goal. "In fact, he set himself a task to remain in history as
a peacemaker," he said. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
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3. GORBACHEV CALLS REAGAN 'GREAT PRESIDENT''
By Jim Heintz, Associated Press, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
MOSCOW- Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Sunday he was
distressed by the death of former President Ronald Reagan, with whom he
held complicated and tense talks in the fading years of the Cold War.
"I take very hard the death of Ronald Reagan, a man whom by fate sat with
me in perhaps the most difficult years at the end of the 20th century,''
Gorbachev told reporters at the Gorbachev Foundation, a non-governmental
analytical institute that he has run since 1992.
Those were years, Gorbachev said, "when everyone felt that we lived under
the threat of nuclear conflict.''
Despite Reagan's often-forceful statements against the Soviet Union,
Gorbachev said he also had a personal warmth that bolstered their relations.
"In terms of human qualities, he and I had, you would say,
communicativeness and this helped us carry on normally,'' Gorbachev said.
"But when you talk about friendly relations in politics, it's not the
friendship of schoolmates, of the Arbat,'' he said referring to Moscow's
main street for promenades and relaxation.
"I deem Ronald Reagan a great president, with whom the Soviet leadership
was able to launch a very difficult but important dialogue,'' the Interfax
news agency quoted Gorbachev as saying on Ekho Moskvy radio.
Earlier Sunday, Gorbachev was quoted by Interfax as calling Reagan "a
statesman who, despite all disagreements that existed between our countries
at the time, displayed foresight and determination to meet our proposals
halfway and change our relations for the better.''
Gorbachev listed Reagan's accomplishments as helping to "stop the nuclear
race, start scrapping nuclear weapons, and arrange normal relations between
our countries,'' he was quoted as saying.
"I do not know how other statesmen would have acted at that moment,
because the situation was too difficult. Reagan, whom many considered
extremely rightist, dared to make these steps, and this is his most
important deed,'' he was quoted as saying. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
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4. VILLAIN TO FRIEND TO HERO: REAGAN'S SOVIET ODYSSEY
By Dave Montgomery, Knight Ridder Foreign Service
Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
MOSCOW - During his eight years as leader of the free world, Ronald Reagan
evolved from a fierce cold warrior who called the Soviet Union an "evil
empire" to "a man you could do business with," as former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev would later describe him.
He was both hated and feared by Communist hard-liners. But later Russia's
overarching assessment of America's 40th president would become largely one
of respect and admiration. Many credit his peace-through-strength polices
for hastening the downfall of the Soviet empire and curtailing the nuclear
arms race. Former dissidents revere him as a hero.
"I think President Reagan was undoubtedly the democratic leader of the
modern world," says Sergei Grigoryants, who spent nine years in Soviet
prisons and credits the U.S. president for pressuring the Kremlin into
releasing him and scores of other Soviet-era dissidents.
Reagan, who took office in January 1981, guided America's Soviet policy
through a turbulent decade that stretched from the final years of Leonid
Brezhnev through subsequent Kremlin leaders Yury Andropov, Konstantin
Chernenko and Gorbachev.
Along the way, suspicions between the two superpowers were exacerbated
by flash fires such as the 1983 Soviet downing of a Korean airliner, spy
scandals, and regional conflicts in Afghanistan, Central America, Angola
and the Middle East. Reagan's watch ended in January 1989, less than three
years before the collapse of the Soviet empire he once vilified.
Initially, Reagan defined a tough stance, issuing his "evil empire"
declaration in a 1983 speech and launching a military buildup that Soviet
leaders regarded as a display of U.S. aggression. One of his most
provocative initiatives was a proposed space-based missile defense shield,
dubbed "Star Wars" by the news media.
The relationship thawed after Gorbachev took office in 1985, resulting in
five U.S.-Soviet summits that led to sharp nuclear arms reductions and
other accords. The talks, though punctuated by harsh rhetoric and hard
bargaining, produced a genuine friendship that continued after both men
left office.
In 1992, Reagan was Gorbachev's host in California, describing him as a
"great man" and "a friend" as he bestowed a golden "Freedom Award" on
the former Soviet leader in a ceremony at the Reagan presidential library.
"When he announced he had Alzheimer's disease, I wrote a letter to him,"
Gorbachev said in a 1998 interview with the Boston Herald. "The fact that
he had announced it publicly showed the quality of the man, his scale, his
courage."
Gorbachev's impressions were less favorable at the outset of their
relationship. During a lunch break midway through a 1985 summit in Geneva,
the Soviet leader told aides that Reagan "appeared to me not simply a
conservative, but a political 'dinosaur,' '' according to Gorbachev's
memoirs. But as the two men continued their talks in the warmth of a
fireplace, "heated exchanges were gradually giving way to a desire to
understand each other."
In 1988, Reagan openly acknowledged his softening attitude toward
Gorbachev's Soviet Union during a Moscow summit. When a spectator
asked Reagan if he still viewed the Soviet Union as an evil empire, the
American president responded simply, "No."
Reagan elaborated at a press conference, expressing support for the Soviet
leader's "perestroika" (restructuring) reforms.
As more and more Russians began to taste Western-style freedoms, the
American president became a symbol of hope as he pressed Gorbachev on
human rights and helped secure the release of dissidents.
Although Reagan believed the Soviet regime would eventually crumble, he
never envisioned that the end would come so quickly.
"I think President Reagan thought it was going to be a long struggle," said
former aide Kenneth deGraffenreid. "The policies he put in place turned out
to be more effective than anyone thought." (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Check Out the News Media for the Latest News From and About Ukraine
Daily News Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/newsgallery.htm
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5. PRESIDENTS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT AND RONALD REAGAN
Nations left enslaved by decisions of Roosevelt including Ukraine
Grover Norquist, Chairman, Ronald Reagan Legacy Project
Remembering Reagan, The Washington Post,
Washington, D.C., Sunday, June 6, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C.: RIP, Ronnie. However, I think trying to get Reagan's
face on the dime does a disservice to history: Roosevelt was a far greater
leader than Reagan -- and the greatest president we've had since Lincoln.
Let it go.
GROVER NORQUIST: It is a good idea to compare Reagan and Roosevelt.
Who was a greater leader? You might want to ask somebody from Poland or
Lithuania or Bulgaria, Romania, Hungaria, East Germany, Russia, Ukraine, all
nations left enslaved by decisions of Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan broke the
back of the Soviet Empire and directly led to the liberation of all those
nations and more. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
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6. "A PROCLAMATION, DAY OF COMMEMORATION OF THE
GREAT FAMINE IN UKRAINE IN 1933, SUNDAY, NOV 4, 1984
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States Of America
The White House, Washington, D.C., October 30, 1984
COMMEMORATION OF THE GREAT FAMINE IN THE UKRAINE
A PROCLAMATION
The Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 was a tragic chapter in the history of the
Ukraine, all the more so because it was not the result of disasters of
nature, but was artificially induced as a deliberate policy.
The leaders of the Soviet Union, although fully aware of the famine in the
Ukraine and having complete control of food supplies within its borders,
nevertheless failed to take relief measures to check the famine or to
alleviate the catastrophic conditions resulting from it. In complete
disregard of inter- national opinions, they ignored the appeals of
international organizations and other nations.
More than seven million Ukrainians and millions of others, died as the
consequence of this callous act, which was part of a deliberate policy aimed
at crushing the political, cultural, and human rights of the Ukrainian and
other peoples by whatever means possible. The devastation of these years
continues to leave its mark on the Ukrainian people and has retarded their
economic, social and political development to an enormous extent.
In making this a special day to honor those who were victims of this famine,
we Americans are afforded as well another opportunity to honor our own
system of government and the freedoms we enjoy and our commitment to the
right of self-determination and liberty for all the peoples of the world In
so doing, let us also reaffirm our faith in the spirit and resilience of the
Ukrainian people and condemn the system that has caused them so much
suffering over the years.
The Congress, by House Concurrent Resolution 111, has urged the President to
issue a proclamation in mournful commemoration of the great famine in the
Ukraine during 1933.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States
of America, do hereby designate Sunday, November 4, 1984, as a Day of
Commemoration of the Great Famine in the Ukraine in 1933.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.
(Signed) Ronald Reagan
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LINK: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/reagan.htm
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
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7. RONALD REAGAN REMEMBERED IN UKRAINE
By Yevhen Kostenko, Political Consultant, Ukraine
UANEWSWIRE, UK, Sunday, 06 June 2004
Many Ukrainians will today remember the late Ronald Reagan for being more
than just a contributor to the films of Hollywood and for his role in the
"Star Wars" programme. He became the man whose actions led to the downfall
of that Communist monster that we knew as the Soviet Union.
It may well be the case that many of the former Soviet Republic's Old Guard
managed to regain some form of political status after the Soviet Union's
demise, but with Reagan's influence Ukraine did become an independent
nation, and will still become a fully independent, democratic and sovereign
state.
Ronald Reagan will be remembered for his principles of beaurocratic control
which allowed the USA to grow without war and without the plundering of
resources of foreign states. He will also be remembered for allowing
individuals with limited physical means to work and build across all
governmental departments.
His achievement stands in successful contrast to the problems now
encountered by our Ukrainian political colleagues. (END)
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LINK: http://www.uanews.tv/news/wire/04/06/040606-02.htm
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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8. PUTIN SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO ALLIED VETERANS
ON D-DAY ANNIVERSARY
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 6, 2004
MOSCOW - [Russian President] Vladimir Putin has congratulated World
War II allied veterans on the 60th anniversary of the allied landings in
Normandy.
The Kremlin's press service told RIA that Putin had sent allied veterans
congratulations from the whole Russian people in which he expressed
"enormous, sincere gratitude" for a historic feat.
"The opening of the second front was an important contribution to our joint
victory. Together with the Red Army you carried out your duty to the end,
defeated the aggressor and restored peace and freedom to the peoples of
Europe," the message says. "The meeting between out armies on the Elbe in
the victorious spring was a symbol of our unshakable military brotherhood
and the solemnity of fairness."
The traditions of partnership and unity that were formed in those difficult
years help us today to counter common threats, strengthen cooperation in
the interests of world stability and security, the document says.
"In Russia we will always respect the bravery of our comrades in arms and
honour those who gave their lives in the fight against the most terrible
evil of the 20th century. I offer heartfelt congratulations to allied
veterans and wish them good health, prosperity and success. May we always
remember our fallen heroes," Putin's congratulations say. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
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9. RUSSIA'S D-DAY ROLE
EDITORIAL, Boston Globe
Boston, MA, Sunday, June 6, 2004
AMERICANS commemorate the heroism of the US, British, and Canadian
forces that invaded Normandy 60 years ago today. They ought to take a
moment to remember as well the three-year struggle on the Russian front that
paved the way for the invasion.
For the previous three years, Soviet and German forces had been locked in
battle through Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and into
Russia as far east as Stalingrad. Millions of Soviet soldiers had died.
By June 1944, the Red Army was ready to move beyond the old Soviet border
into German-occupied Poland. General Eisenhower's Allied Expeditionary
Force faced 59 German divisions in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Despite reinforcements sent to France in early 1944, 165 German divisions
remained in the east, awaiting the long-expected Soviet summer offensive.
The Russian war devastated the German Army to the point where it had lost
the ability to mount sustained attacks. Yet Allied military analysts
marveled at the way the Germans were still able to rally themselves for a
defensive battle, prompted by superb military training and the realization
that defeat meant unconditional surrender and the occupation of their
country. Had the Germans been able to summon their full strength in the
west, the Anglo-American army would not have chanced an invasion.
The Allies still encountered determined resistance, epitomized by the
fierce defense of Omaha Beach. As the battle raged in Normandy, the Red
Army struck a weak point in the German defenses in Belorussia on June 22
and by the end of July had pushed to the edge of Warsaw. There they stalled
or perhaps waited while the anti-Communist Polish Home Army rose in revolt,
only to be crushed by the Germans. But there would be few German
reinforcements for France that August, and the Anglo-American army broke
out of Normandy and sped to the German border in less than a month.
Over six decades, the Soviet contribution to the war has rarely received
the recognition it deserved in the United States. That's understandable
given the pride in American valor and anti-Soviet sentiments brought on by
the Cold War. Joseph Stalin contributed to this lack of attention by
discouraging postwar analyses that would have highlighted his blunders --
which left the Soviet Union unprepared for the German invasion -- or the
atrocities he committed on the way to victory.
As many as 20 million Soviet citizens died in the war compared with 405,000
Americans. So it is fitting that Russia's President Vladimir Putin be on
hand for the D-Day commemoration in Normandy. The proud saga of
Eisenhower's armies is not diminished by the realization that the Red Army
was essential to the defeat of Hitler's war machine. (END)
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
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10. RUSSIAN LEADER PUTIN JOIN D-DAY CEREMONIES
Becomes first Russian leader to take part in commemorations of D-Day
China View, www.chinaview.cn, Xinhua News Agency
Arromanches (Normandy, France), Sunday, June 6, 2004
ARROMANCHES (Normandy, France)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin
arrived in Normandy, northwest France, on Sunday to pay honor to Allied
forces died in the D-Day landings 60 years ago. He became the first Russian
leader to take part in the commemorations of D-Day.
He stood side by side with other 21 leaders of the Allied powers and
their former enemy Germany at an international ceremony in Normandy town of
Arromanches to commemorate the heroes in the D-Day landings, the prelude to
Europe's liberation from Nazi occupation.
Analysts said that Putin's participation signifies the recognition of
Soviet army's role in the Allied forces victory of World War II. Nine
million Soviet troops died in the war and the Red Army's victories over Axis
forces at the battles of Kursk and Stalingrad are seen by most historians as
events which led the defeat of the Nazi Germany.
French President Jacques Chirac stressed "the central role" of the
Soviets in the fight against Nazism, recalling Stalingrad, the largest
single battle in world history, where the Red Army defeated German troops in
the winter of 1943 after three months of hand-to-hand fighting.
In an open letter Putin published earlier in the French newspaper Ouest
France, he said "On these days of the sixtieth anniversary of the landings
of Allied troops in Normandy, I express, on behalf of the entire Russian
people, my sincere recognition for your historic achievement."
"The opening of a second front brought weight towards our common
victory. You and the soldiers of the Red Army carried out your duty right
until the end, defeated the aggressor and returned peace and freedom to the
peoples of Europe," he wrote. "The meeting of our armies on the Elbe, during
the victorious Spring of 1945, was a sign of indestructible comradeship in
arms and a triumph of justice," he said.
Putin's attendance is also seen as reconciliation between Western
countries and Russia after the Cold War lasting for nearly half a century.
He expressed hope the cooperation between the Allies in the war would
provide a solid foundation for Russia's future relationship with the West.
"The traditions of partnership and union, which took shape during these
hard years, will help us face our common dangers and cement cooperation
in the interest of the security and stability of the planet," he said.
In Normandy on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators marched in some
Normandy towns to protest against US President George W. Bush and Putin's
participation in commemoration ceremonies. Demonstrators waved banners
reading "Bush and Putin are war criminals" to accuse the US-led war in Iraq
and Russia's military repression in Chechnya. Enditem (END)
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/06/content_1510925.htm
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THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
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11. FROM D-DAY TO V-DAY: HOW DO UKRAINIANS FIT IN?
COMMENTARY by Roman Serbyn
Professor Emeritus of History, University of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, June 5, 2004
Judging by the attention given to the 60th anniversary of D-Day, we can
expect even much prominent celebrations next year of the 60th anniversary of
Victory in Europe (May 8th). Especially in Europe where the day after will
be Europe Day (May 9th). My question is: how will Ukrainians (and Ukraine)
fit into these commemorations? The Ukrainian diaspora has less than a year
to prepare itself for these events.
>From what I know, Ukraine is preparing to have grand celebrations of the
60th anniversary of Victory Day (May 9th). A couple of years ago Ukraine
announced that it would take the initiative to organize joint celebrations
of all the CIS countries of this anniversary. Thus, while the rest of Europe
(except Russia & Belarus) celebrate the end of the Nazi scourge and the
birth of a new united Europe, Ukraine will turn its back on Europe and
plunge into the "liberal empire" of the "single economic space".
Ukraine will be pushed more and more into Eurasia and further and further
away from Europe. (Just imagine for a moment that Ukraine is admitted to EU
tomorrow; next year all of Europe celebrates V-Day on May 8th and Europe
Day on May 9th while Ukraine only watches Europe on May 8th, celebrates
V-Day on May 9th and Europe Day in a staggered ryth weeks later.) This is
the way things will happen, unless Ukrainians do something to change them.
Ukrainians in the diaspora and in Ukraine should use the year that is left
to steer Ukraine into Europe and away from Putin's Eurasian empire.
1. Ukrainians in the diaspora should develop a program of how things
Ukrainian should and could be included in the 2005 commemorations. We
should prepare materials on Ukrainians in WWII: in the armed forces of
Western nations, in the Red Army.
Special attention should be paid to the UPA and the Ukrainian Division
Halychyna. This work should be undertaken on various level, from the
Ukrainian World Congress to the local communities in various cities. We
should have both written material (memoirs, etc) to people (veterans,
survivors, academics, civic leaders) willing and able to appear on radio &
T.V. Programs before and during these events. Work should start now,
and not wait until the last moment.
2. Ukrainians in Ukraine should work for a reorientation of Ukraine's
involvement, from Eurasia to Europe. On the academic and political level
this means, among other things a rejection of the old Soviet and by
definition anti-Ukrainian myth of the Great Fatherland War (GFW) (Velyka
vitchyzniana vijna) and the reorientation of Victory Day to Remembrance Day.
The myth of the GFW was developed by the Soviet regime as a glue to keep
together the multinational Soviet empire, and unite it around the Russian
core. Today it's strongest defenders in Ukraine are the Communist party, the
Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian chauvinist organizations. The
Ukrainian political elites find it convenient to adhere to it.
The myth consists of three main notions:
A) The Ukrainian people, part of the Soviet people, rose in defense of its
soviet socialist fatherland against the German invader and all those who did
not, or who fought Stalin's Red Army were traitors;
B) Ukraine was liberated by the Red Army;
C) The Ukrainian people were victors over the Nazi Germany.
These are ideological and erroneous interpretations of what actually
happened. A) In the beginning of the war most Ukrainians were either
hostile, or at least luke-warm to the Soviet regime and actively or
passively welcomed the coming of what many thought would be German
liberators. It was only Nazi atrocities that turned them against the
Germans. B) Ukraine was not liberated by only reconquered; it exchanged
one anti-Ukrainian totalitarian regime (Hitler's) for another (Stalin's). C)
If Ukrainians had been victors then they would have been masters of their
fate, and what most Ukrainian farmers wanted was to get their land back,
which they did not get. Stalin called all the subjects of the Soviet empire
simple cogs in a large state machine. Cogs are not victors, they can only
be used for someone else's victory.
The myth of the GFW is preventing reconciliation between Ukrainians who
fought in the three different military formations (even though there were
transfers between them): the Red Army, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the
Division Halychyna (and those in other German formations). It is a disgrace
to Ukraine and especially a shame on the Ukrainian political elites that 60
after the war Ukrainians are still divided on this issue and a shame to the
President, the Government and the Parliament of Ukraine, that the only armed
force that formed for the independence of Ukraine is not recognized by this
independent state today.
I am raising these issues in the hope that we can start a fruitful
discussion and not only discuss but make sure that the important upcoming
commemorations do not catch us unprepared. (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 94: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Your financial support for The Action Ukraine Report is needed.
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12. SOVIET VETERAN HAPPY RUSSIA WILL REMEMBER D-DAY
Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Jun 04, 2004
It has taken 60 years for a Kremlin leader to follow Nikolai Sobolyev to the
beaches of Normandy.
But when President Vladimir Putin attends this weekend's commemoration of
the D-Day landings he will mark a sharp shift in Russian perceptions of the
battle, and also honour the unheralded handful of his countrymen who fought
there alongside the Allies.
Mr Sobolyev was dispatched by Soviet intelligence to serve with the British
navy from 1943 to 1945, and mostly helped guide supply vessels through
dangerous waters to the Soviet Union. However, he also sailed 11 combat
operations on seven different British ships, attacking Nazi convoys and
guiding bombers to their targets.
For Mr Sobolyev (89), now a retired vice-admiral, the Normandy landings
dwarf his other missions. Yet for his nation D-Day has always been seen as
just the long-overdue opening of a second front after millions of Soviets
had died driving the Nazis back towards Berlin.
Mr Putin's presence in northern France will raise the standing of D-Day in
the minds of Russians, who are taught that the five-month battle of
Stalingrad - and not the biggest seaborne invasion in modern history -
turned the war against Hitler.
>From June 1941 to the end of hostilities in May 1945, more than 20 million
Soviet citizens died. Those losses, the 900-day siege of Leningrad, the
near-capture of Moscow and epic battles like those at Stalingrad and
Kursk, forged an enduring legend of triumph through suffering.
But there is little room in that legend, shaped by the bitter enmity of the
Cold War, for the Allies' role in defeating Hitler. Its Soviet-centric view
of events is encapsulated in the very name used here for the second World
War: the Great Patriotic War.
Moscow's military leaders long lambasted the West for waiting until 1944 to
open the second front, accusing them of delaying their attack to wait for
the Soviets to deal a crushing blow to the Nazis and suffer crippling
casualties in the process.
As the theory goes, Western leaders saw the Red Army rolling the Third Reich
back into Germany, and launched D-Day to quell the threat of Moscow's troops
effectively winning the war alone and sweeping through the rest of Europe.
While recognition of the Allies' efforts has grown since the Soviet empire
collapsed in 1991, many war veterans here still baulk at what they call a
lack of Western appreciation for their efforts and sacrifice. They also
complain that none of them have received an invitation to join Mr Putin in
France.
But for Mr Sobolyev, this weekend's events are an overdue reminder of
wartime co-operation. 'I already realised the importance of opening a second
front in achieving ultimate victory over the Nazis,' he told The Irish
Times. 'When I heard about the planned landing I approached a navy
commander, and asked to be allowed to take part.
'I boarded the battleship at Greenock naval base near Glasgow. We sailed to
the south of England, and then turned towards Normandy. The sea was swarming
with ships bound for the French coast.'
Mr Sobolyev helped shell the coast to provide cover for the landing. While
watching soldiers swarm onto the beaches, he also scanned the sky and sea
for incoming fire. 'My strongest memory is of the German planes dropping
bombs on us all through the landing. Thankfully, we had no direct hits.'
He recalled how his advice at the artillery post earned him 'lucky mascot'
status on the ship.
'We had to don gas masks because the smoke from the ship's chimney was
blowing into our faces, so I passed a message to our commander to change
course by 90 degrees. As we completed the turn, a sailor cried: 'Two
torpedoes on the port side!' and a Norwegian destroyer crossing our path
went up in smoke and flames, with body parts and debris showering into the
sea.'
After the landing, while resting and having tea, a British sailor told Mr
Sobolyev: 'If we had not changed course then we would have been lying on the
cold sea bed rather than having hot tea.'
He added: 'When our ship came back to Portsmouth in July to stock up, and I
announced my intention to transfer to another ship, the crew begged me to
stay as they thought I brought them good fortune - we had not a single
wounded man while I was on board.'
For Mr Sobolyev it is high time Russia remembered June 6th.
'I welcome our president's decision to go to Normandy. We were allies, and I
think it's time to thank our allies for the landing, and for their great
help during the war. It is the right thing to do.'
And he is glad to see the back of the Cold War sensitivities that stymied
his efforts to publish a book about his old comrades. The commander of the
Soviet navy made sure it would never see the light of day, saying: 'Not for
publication - Sobolyev is too complimentary about the British navy.' (END)
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