"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"
"ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 2004, Number 48
Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net
Washington, D.C., SAT-SUN, March 27-28, 2004
WEEKEND EDITION "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
INDEX OF ARTICLES
1. FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DISMISSES REPORTS
THAT HUNDREDS OF MISSILES ARE MISSING
Ukrayinska Pravda web site, Kiev, in Ukrainian 26 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 26, 2004
2. US URGES UKRAINE TO ENSURE DEMOCRACY OF ELECTIONS
By Tom Warner in Kiev, Financial Times, London, UK, March 25 2004
3. GEORGE SOROS'S UPCOMING VISIT TO UKRAINE
TRIGGERS BARRAGE OF "TEMNIKI" GOVERNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NEWS MEDIA
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2004
4. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT BERATES OFFICIALS, WEST OVER
NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION
UT1, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 26 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 26, 2004
5. US EXIMBANK READY TO FINANCE LONG-TERM PROJECTS
IN UKRAINE ACCORDING TO TOP BANK OFFICIAL
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 12, 2004
6. GENOCIDE RECOGNITION: ARMENIAN EXAMPLE
Our Armenian friends showed an example that Ukrainians can follow.
By Prof. James Mace, Consultant to The Day
The Day Weekly Digest in English, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 23, 2004
7. GIANT UKRAINIAN, 8 FEET 7 INCHES TALL, EQUIPPED FOR
GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS BID
BBC Monitoring research, BBC Monitoring Service, UK, Mar 26, 2004
8. CROSS AND WHEAT
Remembering the Manmade Famine: What Kind of Memorial Should Be Built?
By Natalia Melnyk, The Day, The Day Weekly Digest in English
Kyiv, Ukraine, March 23, 2004
9. CARPATHIAN UKRAINE PRESIDENT MONUMENT UNVEILED
Avhustyn Voloshyn, President of Carpatho-Ukraine, Honored
By Bohdan Barbil, Uzhhorod, The Day Weekly Digest in English
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 23, 2004
10. WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION DISTRIBUTES FREE
250 WHEELCHAIRS TO DISABLED IN UKRAINE
Mike Henrick, hendrick@mwhendr.donbass
Wheelchair Foundation, Ukraine, March 26, 2004
11. UKRAINE'S BIGWIGS HATE THE DIASPORA
OP-ED By Taras Kuzio, Kyiv Post, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 25, 2004
12. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CRIMEA
By Patrick Mercer and Simon Calder
The Independent, London, United Kingdom, Saturday, Mar 27, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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1. FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DISMISSES REPORTS
THAT HUNDREDS OF MISSILES ARE MISSING
Ukrayinska Pravda web site, Kiev, in Ukrainian 26 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 26, 2004
Former Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk has dismissed as false
the statement by the current defence minister, Yevhen Marchuk, about several
hundred missiles being unaccounted for.
"I will not even comment on such nonsense," Kuzmuk said today. "We have this
habit of washing our dirty laundry in public," he added.
The head of the parliamentary committee for national security and defence,
Heorhiy Kryuchkov, said that the situation with missing missiles is a result
of "poor accounting and an indication of negligence". "This does not prove
that someone has (stolen) the missiles. This is simply negligence in
accounting for everything," Kryuchkov said in an interview with the
Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He said that accounting which must be in place under a unified system is
nonexistent. "They were not stolen by anyone - if they were, it would be
known long ago," he said.
Kryuchkov did not rule out that the missiles had been destroyed but added
that it must be verified. In this case there must be proper documents.
"It is not an accounting error, it is a result of poor accounting," he
stressed.
Commenting on Marchuk's statement, the head of the Defence Ministry's press
service, Kostyantyn Khyvrenko, confirmed that in question are the missiles
which had been on Defence Ministry's balance sheet and were decommissioned,
but did not specify the type of the missiles. He did not comment on the
details of the situation citing lack of information.
The press service of the Defence Ministry does not have any information
about possible staff changes resulting from the military equipment
accounting discrepancies uncovered during an audit.
As reported earlier, Marchuk told the Den newspaper yesterday about
accounting discrepancies in the Defence Ministry over the past years.
"Unfortunately, strange things happen. We are currently looking for several
hundred missiles. They were decommissioned, but we cannot find them. They
say they were destroyed. Okay, destroyed. Each of the missiles contained
gold, silver, platinum. But where are the results of their recycling?"
Marchuk said. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
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2. US URGES UKRAINE TO ENSURE DEMOCRACY OF ELECTIONS
By Tom Warner in Kiev, Financial Times, London, UK, March 25 2004
A top US envoy on Thursday urged Ukraine's leaders to ensure a
democratic transition of power in a presidential election in October.
Richard Armitage, US deputy secretary of state, told Ukraine's prime
minister that the US would "like to get back to a situation where we
could have a high-level dialogue". But to do that "we would have to
see free, fair and democratic elections".
Mr Armitage also tempered his warning with pleas to keep the more
than 1,600 Ukrainian troops in Iraq.
President Leonid Kuchma has accused western governments and
organisations of supporting his opponent, the pro-western former
prime minister Viktor Yushchenko, who has a wide lead in the polls
among likely presidential candidates.
During Mr Armitage's visit, Mr Kuchma's allies in parliament stepped
up efforts to finish voting by next Wednesday on political reforms,
which would avert the threat of an opposition victory in the
presidential elections by shifting most executive powers to the prime
minister.
The reforms would also allow Mr Kuchma to manage the succession
process as he prepares to step down this autumn after a decade at the
top of Ukrainian politics. Mr Kuchma would be able to choose the
prime minister during a four-month transition period, after which
that power would pass to parliament, where his allies hold a majority.
The presidential election would go ahead but the new president would
hold few powers.
Mr Kuchma's campaign to push through the reforms has coincided with
increased pressure on parliament and the media.
Since January, live radio broadcasts from parliament have been cut.
Most foreign-produced radio news programs have disappeared from
Kiev's FM dial, including Deutsche Welle, Radio Liberty and Voice of
America.
A deal with the opposition Communist and Socialist parties appears to
give Mr Kuchma the two-thirds support he needs to change the
constitution. Nonetheless, Mr Yushchenko's supporters were in high
spirits and insisted the reforms were headed for failure.
Mr Armitage said the US was not restrained from criticising Ukraine
over issues of democracy because of it had troops in Iraq. "I don't
like the suggestion that the US turns an eye because of some troops
in Iraq." He said the US appreciated Ukraine's contribution to
security in Iraq "but that in no way supplants our longer term
interests in having friends that share our values".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Why is the Canadian government so silent regarding Ukrainian
issues in year 2004? The European Union speaks out, the U.S. speaks
out, but from Canada only silence, it seems to many observers.
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
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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3. GEORGE SOROS'S UPCOMING VISIT TO UKRAINE
TRIGGERS BARRAGE OF "TEMNIKI" GOVERNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NEWS MEDIA
Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2004
KYIV - The well-known Hungarian-born American financier and philanthropist
George Soros is scheduled to pay a visit to Ukraine beginning on Monday,
March 29. Just as on his previous visits, Soros is expected to meet with
President Leonid Kuchma, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, Prime
Minister Viktor Yanukovych and leaders of the opposition. Soros, who over
several years provided many millions of dollars in assistance to various
educational and scientific programs in Ukraine through the Renaissance
Foundation, has in the past been feted at the level one would expect of the
leader of a large nation.
Although he will still be met with open hands and smiles, today in Ukraine
there is a very sharp edge to relations with Soros for a very simple reason.
Whether he is guilty or not, so far as President Kuchma is concerned, George
Soros bears a very major part of the credit for the so-called "velvet
revolution" that forced from office Kuchma's great friend, President Eduard
Shevardnadze of Georgia. In addition to Kuchma's objection to Shevardnadze
unceremonious departure, Kuchma and some of his closest associates have
suspicions that Soros would like to repeat his alleged success with regime
change in Ukraine.
This has led to the President Administration's publication of voluminous and
sharply worded "temniki," the government's instructions to the media,
particularly television stations. In fact, Soros has the distinction of not
one but two sets of temniki, on March 18 and 23, being sent to guide
reporters.
The March 18 analytical notes said: "It is expected that on March 29, a
well-known international financial swindler, George Soros, will come to
Ukraine. Analysts assume that TV channels will prepare beforehand interviews
of experts and politicians that will substantially consider Soros'
activities. Topics are to be aired according to a special recommendation.
Questions for the interviewers:
To what extent may Soros' visits be connected with intentions to organize
one 'velvet revolution' more? How do you assess his activities in Georgia?
How do you assess his activities in the Renaissance Foundation? Is it aimed
at giving real support to scientists or obtaining valuable
scientific-technical information for small money?
Soros invested $800,000 in the [Ukrainian] election of 2002. How much will
he deposit into opposition parties and mass media in 2004 and 2006?
To what extent could meetings with Soros, who was officially convicted by a
Paris court and assessed a huge fine of 2.2 million euros, damage the image
of the politicians who will meet him?"
If one has any doubt about the effectiveness of the temniki in controlling
or at least skewing news coverage, one has only to see the March 25 edition
of the Ukrainian version Isvestia. In an article devoted to the Soros visit,
entitled, "What is Soros bringing to us?", the article claims that Soros
will visit accompanied by those who experts who trained opposition leaders
in Serbia and Georgia, and sends a strong message that is planning to apply
his Serbian and Georgian experiences to Ukraine.
Of course, the anti-Soros slant of the article comes as no surprise to those
who know the Ukrainian Isvestia that has long been famous as a mouthpiece
for Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Presidential Administration and his
associates. Isvestia regularly publishes articles prepared by local
correspondents intended to influence the Russian-speaking part of the
population. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
Major Articles About What is Going on in Ukraine
Current Events Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/events/index.htm
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4. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT BERATES OFFICIALS, WEST OVER
NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION
UT1, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 26 Mar 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Mar 26, 2004
[Presenter] Ukraine will complete the project to start power-generating
units and the Rivne and Khmelnytskyy nuclear power stations on its own.
President Leonid Kuchma said this at a meeting on completing the
construction of the units. Today, the head of state is on a working visit to
Rivne Region.
Addressing the meeting, Leonid Kuchma said that he was seriously worried by
material on the state of completing the units, which he had been given ahead
of the visit. In his words, he realized that he should have sacked [then
Deputy Prime Minister for Fuel and Energy Vitaliy] Hayduk and [Fuel and
Energy Minister Serhiy] Yermilov earlier. Kuchma also criticized media
reports that Vitaliy Hayduk's dismissal was politically-motivated.
In the president's words, the inadequate current state of the project is an
example of the deputy prime minister's and the minister's attitude to issues
of state importance.
[Kuchma] Basically, this amounts to us making a challenge to the world,
above all, to G7, which undertook a commitment but has not yet honoured it.
They promise to give us money this summer or autumn. Well, they may keep it
for themselves. We will do it without them. I have no doubt about that.
I would like to warn, above all, the deputy prime minister, esteemed Mr
[Andriy] Klyuyev - well, the Cabinet of Minister has not yet found a [fuel
and energy] minister [to replace Yermilov] - that if the units are not
started on time, they will be dismissed with a bang. With a bang.
You should not trifle with issues which are so important to the state.
[Audio and video available. Please send queries to kiev.bbcm@mon.bbc.co.uk]
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
Exciting Opportunities in Ukraine for Travel and Tourism
Travel and Tourism Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/tourgallery.htm
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5. US EXIMBANK READY TO FINANCE LONG-TERM PROJECTS
IN UKRAINE ACCORDING TO TOP BANK OFFICIAL
Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 12, 2004
Kyiv, March 12 - The Export-Import Bank of the United States is considering
funding several long-term projects in Ukraine, a top official from the bank
said on Friday.
U.S. Eximbank Senior Vice President Jeffrey Miller, speaking at a
meeting with Ukrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovych and President of the
U.S. Overseas Private Investments Corporation (OPIC) Peter Watson,
said the bank was looking at several long-term projects with U.S.
firms.
Until recently, the U.S. Eximbank has credited only short-term and
medium-term projects in Ukraine, Yanukovych's press secretary Taras
Avrakhov told Interfax-Ukraine.
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
The Story of Ukraine's Long and Rich Culture
Ukrainian Culture Gallery: http://www.ArtUkraine.com/cultgallery.htm
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6. GENOCIDE RECOGNITION: ARMENIAN EXAMPLE
Our Armenian friends showed an example that Ukrainians can follow.
By Prof. James Mace, Consultant to The Day
The Day Weekly Digest in English, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Our Armenian friends have had an uphill road to tell the world about
their national tragedy when in 1915 they were marched off on charges
that they supported Russia in World War I (some did) and about half
of those so herded to wherever died along the way, an estimated
million and a half of them. Fifteen countries have recognized their
tragedy as an act of genocide.
The United States is not among them, because it values its relationship
with Turkey, one of the main reasons for founding NATO having been
to save that particular country from the blessings of Communism, where
after ten years Saudi Arabia would have no doubt suffered a shortage
of sand.
This writer recalls how in 1982, when Israel hosted the International
Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide, Turkey was almost ready
to declare war at the thought that there would be papers on the Armenian
genocide. In 1978 the Third Committee of the United Nations adopted
the Ruhashankiko report on genocide, which due to Turkish pressure
left the Armenians out, but in 1985 another report by Ben Whitaker put
them in. There are Ukrainian diplomats at the United Nations ready to
follow suit on the basis of these earlier reports.
Most recently, the Armenians in the USA found lawyers, began a class
action suit in California, and were awarded $20 million from the New
York Life Insurance Company (Why them? Did they insure all those
unfortunate Armenian victims?). Of course, the lawyers took a large
part of the award, but our Armenian friends were not after the money.
They wanted recognition, and at least a court in California gave it
to them. This can only be welcomed.
Ukrainians also have their national tragedy, the Holodomor. There are
also Ukrainian-Americans preparing to pursue an identical class
action suit against whomever they might find among the companies
doing business with the Soviet Union at the time and that might be
said to have some responsibility for the death of millions of
Ukrainians. The writer of these lines has no idea about who might be
culpable except the now dead leaders of the then Soviet Union, but
our Armenian friends showed an example that Ukrainians can follow.
The dead victims deserve recognition, and our Armenian friends have
blazed the trail. There are Ukrainians in America who already follow
that trail (especially the Trident Foundation in California) and
undoubtedly lawyers who will take half the money, should any be
awarded. The money is not the point here. There is a 1987 book from
Canada by the late Doug Tottle, "Fraud, Famine and Fascism: The
Ukrainian Genocide Myth from Hitler to Harvard." The least we can do
for those who suffered is to seek recognition that their sufferings were no
myth. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
The Genocidal Famine in Ukraine 1932-1933, HOLODOMOR
Genocide Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/index.htm
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7. GIANT UKRAINIAN, 8 FEET 7 INCHES TALL, EQUIPPED
FOR GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS BID
BBC Monitoring research, BBC Monitoring Service, UK, Mar 26, 2004
ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine - It's tough being one of the tallest men on Earth. You
can't get through your own front door, you have to bend over double in the
bus, and you have to find shoes so large they could house a small animal.
The trouble is, you just can't get shoes that size. That is why Leonid
Stadnyk, from the town of Zhytomyr in central Ukraine, spends so much of his
time indoors.
At 8 ft 7 in or just over two-and-a-half metres tall, Leonid would appear to
be a contender for the title of world's tallest man. The Tunisian currently
recognised by Guinness measures in at 7 ft 9 in.
But being that tall can make life a little complicated. His UK shoe size,
for example, would be a 23, or a 25 in the US and around a 60 in continental
Europe. And that sort of footwear is not easy to find.
"Maybe somewhere in America, England or France it wouldn't be like this," he
told Ukrainian television in his big, booming voice. "But here in Ukraine,
it's very hard to be different."
No wonder a pair of boots 19 inches long, custom-made and presented to
Leonid by a group of businessmen from western Ukraine, is the best gift he's
received for some time.
He has been promised another pair for Easter, with a jacket thrown in as
well. Newly suited and booted, Leonid, who qualified with flying colours as
a vet more than 10 years ago, is now eager to leave the confines of his own
home and hone his skills.
He must be hoping there's a job out there big enough to test him. (END)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
Ukraine's History and the Long Struggle for Independence
Historical Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/histgallery.htm
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8. CROSS AND WHEAT
Remembering the Manmade Famine: What Kind of Memorial Should Be Built?
By Natalia Melnyk, The Day, The Day Weekly Digest in English
Kyiv, Ukraine, March 23, 2004
Kyiv has just conducted a public debate as part of the second all-
Ukrainian competition for the best design of a memorial complex to
victims of the manmade famine (Holodomor) and political repressions.
It will be recalled that Ukraine's parliament, cabinet, and president
have issued a number of instruction on building the complex. The
latter will comprise a museum, an international research center, and
a commemorative sign. The first competition was held almost a year
ago and produced no results: there was no winner, with just a few
competitors being awarded consolation prizes.
In addition, there were fundamental differences over the complex's
whereabouts: while parliament decided that the territory of what is now
military police headquarters next to the Arsenalna subway station should
be the place, the city administration wanted to locate the memorial by the
Dnipro - in Primakov Park near the Paton Bridge. The reason would
seem very simple: the city authorities intend to erect... a high-rise
at the place preferred by parliament. There were other options also,
for example, the territory of Lukyanivske Cemetery.
Yet, Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts Vasyl Romanchyshyn thinks
that postponing the competition is to some extent positive. First,
the number of designs has increased twofold to 42, and, secondly,
there were also proposals from the regions and even one from
Australia. Protracted discussions have at last resulted in choosing
the place of the commemorative sign - in the park where the monument
to Volodymyr the Great stands. Some projects include a small
underground museum beneath the sign. By decision of the Kyiv
authorities, the building at 4b Triokhsviatytelska Street will house
the research center.
As to the designs, experts regret to know the abundance of heavy
emotions and "vulgar naturalism." "To convey the essence of what
happened seventy years ago, the commemorative sign should be an
allegory, a parable; the museum should exhibit documents and photos
showing the horrors of famine; and the sculpture ought to symbolize a
mighty spirit," a competitor noted. In his view, there are also too
many crosses in the architectural compositions, while this locality
should be dominated with only the crosses of St. Volodymyr and St.
Michael's Gold-Domed Cathedral.
Others do not agree with him: architect Larysa Skoryk considers this
viewpoint unfounded, "This is a symbol of the peasantry, so why
should the deceased be denied this? After all, the cross symbolizes
the unity of the sky and the earth." And the winner is precisely one
of such designs. As was forecasted by many experts, the absolute
majority of votes (18 of 22) was given to the work by two Kyivans,
chief professor and student of the National Academy of the Arts,
Roman and Dmytro Seliuks.
The composition's main accent is a tracery cross, the vertical part
of it being shaped as an ear of wheat. It will stand on a hill under
wheat crops. In the fall and spring, the hill becomes a ploughed field
for a while, and again repeats the cycle of growing grain of which
peasants were deprived in 1932-1933.
A simple and simultaneously optimistic idea contained in this project
favorably distinguishes it among the other 42, in the experts'
opinion.
In addition to experts' conclusion "Recommended for implementation,"
the contest winners obtained a 20,000 hryvnias money award. Winners
of the second and third prizes, sculptor Mykola Oliynyk and the Lviv-
based V. and A. Sukhorsky, received, respectively, 15,000 and 10,000
hryvnias along with the right to carry out their project in one of
Ukraine's cities. The jury also marked two other works that were
constituent parts of other compositions: an angel and a girl with
wheat ears (in the photo). These sculptures will be erected in the
park near the St. Michael Golden-Domed Monastery and monument to
St. Volodymyr.
Simple as this idea seems to be, it is very ingenious and
clear: "there is some soft Ukrainian lyricism as well as the symbols
of death and rebirth in it," Ms. Skoryk says.
"If we promote the subject of Holodomor (although many still treat it
as obvious `exotica'), we must understand: it is the duty of all
Ukrainians that the memorial should stand in Kyiv's epicenter, on a
Dnipro cliff," says Ms. Skoryk. In her opinion, the first competition
was beset with problems because this rule was disregarded and it was
proposed to choose between "a cemetery and almost a beach."
"I think all doubts stem from superficial treatment of the subject:
there is no better place to perpetuate the memory of the dead than a
cathedral or a monastery (especially one that was also repressed),
where God and the Spirit dwell, where one can light a candle and
gather his thoughts. This is even better than the earlier-suggested
guardhouse." She also believes the Lavra area would do, but the newly
built apartment blocks and "elite" garages have disfigured the
landscape beyond recognition.
The architect thinks that any other place - outside downtown Kyiv -
will only cause us to blot out our memory. Whatever one may say,
the current decision was made not thanks but contrary to the opinion
of some deputies. "Kyiv authorities are very reluctant to give away
such precious downtown land on the Dnipro's slopes. We must give
Kyiv's Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko his due: he finally sided with
the experts who chose Triokhsviatytelska Street as the best place,"
Ms. Skoryk says.
It was stressed again that the commemorative sign would and should
have nothing "pompous or verbose" - first, because the territory is
really protected by law, and, secondly, because "great, especially
dramatic, ideas require concentrated and symbolic means of
expression." As was mentioned above, the research center is to be
organized in a renovated building on Triokhsviatytelska Street.
"All talk about changing the place shows that those people have lost the
sense of deep sympathy with those who deserve that Kyivans visit
their memorial more often than once a year, as is the case with other
monuments," Ms. Skoryk adds. "This should be a place where one could
reflect on human sin and human steadfastness. It should also be a
place of remembering, not mourning." (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
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9. CARPATHIAN UKRAINE PRESIDENT MONUMENT UNVEILED
Avhustyn Voloshyn, President of Carpatho-Ukraine, Honored
By Bohdan Barbil, Uzhhorod, The Day Weekly Digest in English
Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 23, 2004
A monument to Avhustyn Voloshyn, President of Carpatho- Ukraine was unveiled
in Uzhhorod as a tribute to a distinguished pedagogue, scholar, journalist,
enlightener, public, political, and religious figure, commemorating his
130th anniversary of birth. It is also a tribute to his associates
proclaiming an independent state in Zakarpattia 65 years ago, under the name
of Carpathian Ukraine.
At long last, Avhustyn Voloshyn emerged on the bank of the river Uzh, cast
in bronze. The previous plaster of Paris statue was unveiled two years ago
and did not look too well after the winter. Ivan Rizak, head of the regional
state administration, made every effort to erect a new monument. He and
others taking the floor during the unveiling ceremony expressed gratitude to
the President of Ukraine for paying such attention to the figure of Avhustyn
Voloshyn (posthumously awarded the title, Hero of Ukraine).
There is a memorial museum at the Castle of Uzhhorod. Prior to 1945, the
premises accommodated a theological seminary where Voloshyn worked for a
long time. As a clergyman, he championed the Greek Catholic Church. The Rev.
Yosyp Shtelykh was a boy, assisting the Rev. Voloshyn conducting divine
services at the Cathedral of Uzhhorod. He says he prayed at the time for the
Lord to bestow on him as much love of his fellow people as Voloshyn
possessed.
Avhustyn Voloshyn and his wife Iryna could not have children, so they
adopted 22 children, setting up a boarding home. Only three are still alive.
One of them, 73-year-old Anastasia Khalan, attended the ceremony of
unveiling the monument. She recalls, "For me and the other 22 adopted
children, Father Avhustyn and Mother Iryna were saints. They did their
utmost for us to feel being cared for and loved, and I don't think we would
have been loved so much by our own parents. They gave us their house and
served us meals three times a day. I stayed there for five years, until
1939. I saw Avhustyn Voloshyn last on the night of March 16, 1939."
It was then the Soim, elected by a regional assembly and convened in the
town of Khust, resolved that Zakarpattia would no longer be part of the
Czechoslovak Republic, but become an independent Carpathian Ukraine.
Avhustyn Voloshyn cherished plans of making that small territory the
beginning of a great free and independent Ukraine. Hungarian regular troops
seized Carpathian Ukraine, destroying hundreds of Sichovi Striltsi
[Sharpshooters of the Sich]. In 1945, Voloshyn was captured by the NKVD in
Prague and then executed at a state penitentiary in Moscow. His surviving
associates believe that Voloshyn's remains will be found and transferred for
interrment in his native land. (END) (ARTUIS)
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
The Rich History of Ukrainian Art, Music, Pysanka, Folk-Art
Arts Gallery: http://www.artukraine.com/artgallery.htm
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10. WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION DISTRIBUTES FREE
250 WHEELCHAIRS TO DISABLED IN UKRAINE
Mike Henrick, hendrick@mwhendr.donbass
Wheelchair Foundation, Ukraine, March 26, 2004
Zaporizhya, Ukraine - The Wheelchair Foundation is delivering over 10,000
new wheelchairs per month to people with physical disabilities around the
world. In conjunction with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
250 wheelchairs will be distributed on March 26 to physically disabled
Ukrainians who need but cannot afford one.
"We are proud to work with humanitarian organizations everywhere to bring
relief to the Ukrainian people, and people from other nations around the
world," said Chris Lewis, Wheelchair Foundation Director of Public
Education. "It is wonderful to witness the immediate positive change that
comes into a person's life, and the life of the entire family, through the
simple gift of a wheelchair."
The Wheelchair Foundation, founded in 2000 by philanthropist Kenneth E.
Behring, has delivered more than 225,000 wheelchairs in over 120 countries,
with an initial goal of delivering one million wheelchairs in the next five
years.
Wheelchair recipients for the distribution were identified by local
government agencies. The Foundation matched funds donated by the LDS church
to provide a total of 250 wheelchairs that will be distributed during the
event.
Physically disabled citizens in the Ukraine and throughout the world require
the use of a wheelchair for many reasons including accidents, birth defects,
war injuries, debilitating diseases and advanced age. Only a small
percentage of those who need wheelchairs have them, forcing dependence on
others to move around.
An estimated 100 to 150 million physically disabled people worldwide need
wheelchairs but cannot afford one, with the greatest need existing in
developing countries like the Ukraine. The Wheelchair Foundation and the
LDS church are working to help ease the burden of those in need.
For more information, visit www.wheelchairfoundation.org.
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Send Us Names to Add to the Distribution List for UKRAINE REPORT
=========================================================
11. UKRAINE'S BIGWIGS HATE THE DIASPORA
OP-ED By Taras Kuzio, Kyiv Post, Kyiv, Ukraine, March 25, 2004
Andrey Slivka set the cat among the pigeons in his Feb. 18 opinion piece
"How the Diaspora can be effective: some quick notes." The article
elicited both positive and negative reactions from the Ukrainian
Diaspora.
Slivka had little positive to say about Ukrainian Diaspora attitudes
towards Ukraine. Indeed, I would agree that some in the Diaspora have
little understanding of developments in Ukraine, and often see it
through western Ukrainian eyes. This, though, does not mean that they do
not care about the country.
One could also look at it the other way. How do the Ukrainian
authorities look at the Diaspora? The answer is: in a way similar to the
way they did during the Soviet era. The Ukrainian pro-presidential
forces do not respect the Diaspora. If anything they are both scared of
and despise it.
We should not be surprised to learn this. After all, Leonid Kravchuk
used to regularly attack the Diaspora when he was the ideological
secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine in the 1980s. Meanwhile,
both Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma rose up the Communist Party ladder
during Volodymyr Shcherbytsky's era in the 1970s, which saw the most
vicious attacks on the Ukrainian language and dissidents.
A worrying sign is the return to Soviet-era ideological views of the
Diaspora, a return that has manifested itself in two ways.
First, as in the Soviet era, the center-right opposition are
increasingly attacked as "nationalists" and "Nazis." This is especially
prevalent in media affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of
Ukraine (united) and directed predominantly against the "Nashists" (a
play on "Nasha Ukraina", the Ukrainian name for Our Ukraine), a word
which resembles "Nazis." As in the Soviet era, "Nashists" are labelled
"anti-semitic," "anti-Russian" rabid western Ukrainian nationalists who
will seek to incite inter-ethnic conflict if they come to power. As
Kravchuk is the head of the SDPU(u) faction in parliament, he cannot
escape some responsibility for this trend.
The irony is, of course, that Viktor Medvedchuk is from Zhytomyr oblast
in central Ukraine, and that his family was deported to Siberia in 1944
because his father was allegedly a member of the Organization of
Ukrainian Nationalists (a recently published biography gave his father a
different occupation during World War II). Viktor Yushchenko is from
eastern Ukraine. His father was in the Soviet army and, after being
captured, was incarcerated in Auschwitz. As in the Soviet era, Ukraine's
"virtual reality" is usually different from what is publicly stated.
Second, there's been a return to viewing the Diaspora as "agents of
influence." Secret documents from the State Security Services defector,
General Valery Kravchenko, brought back to Ukraine by Our Ukraine deputy
Mykola Tomenko, give us a good insight into how the SDPU(u) and the
Presidential Administration (both led by Viktor Medvedchuk) have
returned to Tovarystvo Ukrainy ideology and tactics. In the Soviet era,
Tovarystvo Ukrainy was the arm of the KGB that sought to discredit
"bourgeois nationalist" emigres while supporting "progressive" Ukrainian
emigres.
The SBU documents ordered Kravchenko to "activate work among the
Ukrainian Diaspora with the aim of obtaining the necessary information
in the interests of ensuring the security of our country within the
context of the preparation of political reform and the presidential
elections." Not only does this greatly exaggerate the influence of the
Diaspora, but it assumes somehow that it is sympathetic to political
developments in Ukraine. Both are false assumptions.
Another tactic was introduced a year ago and comes straight out of
George Orwell. The information department of the Presidential
Administration, whose head Serhy Vasylyev should be given the highest
state order for single handedly ruining what little was left of
Ukraine's international reputation, began sending to Diaspora newspapers
missives entitled "Dobri Novyny z Ukrainy" (Good News From Ukraine).
The editors I have spoken to found the texts so amusing they ignored
them.
IMPATIENCE WITH THE DIASPORA
Slivka is impatient with the Ukrainian Diaspora's view of certain
developments in Ukraine.
To some extent, he has a point. Ukraine has not turned out the way most
members of the Diaspora expected. One increasingly hears the view that
Ukrainians living in Ukraine are not the same as those born in the West.
I would tend to agree, as our political cultures are different: one is
neo-Soviet and the other Western.
There were already problems evident in this area in the late Soviet era.
Visits by family members to Ukraine from 1989 onwards usually ended up
being unpleasant. Fifty years of Soviet rule created a huge gulf between
the groups. I witnessed that myself when my father met his brother and
sister for the first time in 1989, after nearly half a century apart.
Slivka, though, is wrong in one important respect. Diaspora negativity
about Ukraine is not unique to it. Regular surveys of native Ukrainians
show that three quarters of them feel there is a need for a "change in
the country's course," and the authorities are rated negatively in a
whole range of areas by 60 to 80 percent of those polled.
Ukrainian Diaspora disillusionment with Ukraine under Kuchma is not only
a reflection of romantic nostalgia; it also reflects the prevalent view
held by the Western world. Kuchma's international (i.e. Western) image
is so low that it will be impossible to improve before he leaves office.
Western government leaders and international organizations no longer
believe statements by Kuchma and his allies. The outcome of this is that
Ukraine is not treated as a serious country.
This lack of trust in Kuchma and his allies is reflected in "Ukraine
fatigue" in the West. President Kuchma and his allies are seen as
embodying a neo-Soviet political culture. This confirms the already
deeply held stereotypes in the EU and elsewhere that Ukraine is not a
"European" country (the fact that it is geographically inside Europe, as
Ukrainians point out, is irrelevant).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Taras Kuzio is Resident Fellow, Centre for Russian and East European
Studies and Adjunct Professor, Department of Political Science,
University of Toronto. (END) (ARTUIS)
=========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-2004, No. 48: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Politics and Governance, Building a Strong, Democratic Ukraine
http://www.artukraine.com/buildukraine/index.htm
=========================================================
12. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CRIMEA
By Patrick Mercer and Simon Calder
The Independent, London, United Kingdom, Saturday, Mar 27, 2004
WHAT IS THE CRIMEA?
"One of the the most wonderful places on Earth" according to the Ukrainian
Ministry of Health Resorts and Tourism. But then they would say that,
wouldn't they? Nevertheless, this fragment of the former USSR is warm,
beautiful and full of history.
Everyone has heard of the Crimean War, which was declared on 28 March 1854.
The battlegrounds do not occupy some frozen corner of Russia, but the most
alluring region of the old Soviet Union. This year, thousands will be
visiting the Crimea to mark the anniversary, but even for those with no
interest in military history it is an intriguing destination.
The Crimea is the peninsula that dangles from the bulk of Ukraine into the
Black Sea. You may not be amazed to learn that it is about the size of
Wales. Its southern tip is only 160 miles north of Turkey. The northern
part, linked to the mainland by a narrow isthmus and a causeway, is mostly
flat and of relatively little interest to visitors - the same goes for the
eastern appendage that extends almost to Russia. But southern portion is one
of the most attractive regions in Europe. Rolling hills give way to a
dramatic mountain ridge that extends around most of the peninsula's southern
shore, where the former USSR's most popular beaches are located.
Politically, the Crimea is a semi-detached part of the biggest country
wholly in Europe: Ukraine. It is termed an Autonomous Republic, with a
prevailing Russian influence that remains strong despite the break-up of the
USSR. Indeed, a dacha (holiday home) on the coast was a key location for the
collapse of the Soviet Union. In August 1991, while former president Mikhail
Gorbachev was on holiday in Foros, a coup d'etat was staged by Communist
hardliners opposed to his liberal reforms. In the uprisings that followed,
Boris Yeltsin emerged as the strong man of Russia, while the other Soviet
republics - including Ukraine - took the opportunity to split from the
crumbling USSR.
HOW DID IT GET ITS NAME?
>From its original inhabitants, the Cimmerians. They lived relatively
peaceably until the Scythians arrived to displace them around 750BC. Since
then, a series of Crimean wars have been waged by Greeks, Romans, Khazars,
Tatars (who settled en masse in the 13th century), Genoese, Venetians,
Cossacks and Russians - not to mention the British, French, Turks and
Sardinians who took part in the conflict that began 150 years ago, and the
Germans who held the Crimea during the Second World War.
The most significant event in the Crimea's history was its annexation by
Russia. Its natural harbours and easy access to the Black Sea and the
Ottoman Empire made it highly desirable. In 1770, Catherine the Great
dispatched her Baltic fleet via the Atlantic and Mediterranean to sieze the
region. The Crimea was formally annexed in 1783, after which Catherine was
transported with great ceremony from St Petersburg to Sevastopol. The area
quickly became "the garden of the empire" - a winter retreat for well-to-do
Russians and a crucial southern base for the Imperial Navy. Sevastopol's
strategic importance made it the inevitable focus of the war declared on
Russia by Britain and France.
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Crimea made a bid for
independence but was eventually subsumed into Lenin's Soviet Union. During
the Second World War the peninsula was occupied by Nazi Germany. The Red
Army recaptured the Crimea in 1944, and the following year the resort of
Yalta was the venue for the crucial talks between Stalin, Churchill and
Roosevelt that determined how post-war Europe would be carved up. After the
war, Stalin forcible relocated many of the Crimean Tatars, descendants of
the Mongol Golden Horde. He deported virtually the entire population to
Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan. Many died en route. Russians then moved
into the area and remain its majority ethnic group. Some Tatars have
returned, but most are poor and live a marginal existence.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
Aim for Simferopol, the regional capital, whose name means "city of
connections". You can fly from Gatwick to Kiev on Ukraine International
(01293 596609; www.ukraine-international.com) for pounds 220 return. From
the Ukrainian capital, you can either catch the train, which takes 19 hours,
or the two-hour domestic hop on an old Soviet plane belong to the curiously
named airline Kiev Aircraft Repair Plant. An easier approach is from
Heathrow via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. This is the preferred route for
the specialist operator Regent Holidays (0117 921 1711;
www.regent-holidays.co.uk). It offers five-night holidays in Yalta, staying
in the fabulous Oreanda, for pounds 795 per person before the end of June,
including flights on Turkish Airlines, and breakfast.
An eight-day tour of the Crimean War battlegrounds is being organised by
Martin Randall Travel (020-8742 3355; www.martinrandall.com) for 20- 27
September. The price of pounds 1,790 includes flights, via Istanbul, ground
transport, accommodation and most meals. The tour is to be led by Patrick
Mercer.
An advantage of travelling via Istanbul is that it provides the chance to
see the rear supply base for the British and French allies. Visit the
Florence Nightingale Museum at the Selimiye Barracks in Scutari, on the east
side of the Bosphorus, where the hospital reformer was based for most of the
conflict. If this is not convenient, try the excellent Florence Nightingale
Museum at St Thomas's Hospital in London (020-7620 0374; www.florence-
nightingale.co.uk), which opens 10am-5pm daily (until 4.30pm at weekends),
admission pounds 5.80.
HOW TANGLED IS THE RED TAPE?
Ukraine, like Russia, is actually tougher to visit now than it was under
Communism. Apply at least two weeks in advance to the Ukraine Embassy
(020-7243 8923; www.ukremb.org.uk) in west London. For a tourist visa you
need two passport photographs and a voucher showing confirmed hotel
reservations. Besides the visa application fee of pounds 10 you must pay a
"processing fee" of pounds 25. The latest information suggests that the
Autonomous Republic is issuing instant visas at Simferopol airport for
around US$25 (pounds 16), which saves the bother of getting a Ukrainian visa
in advance. But don't bank on it working.
IS IT WORTH THE TROUBLE?
Yes. The region has superb mountains and beaches, often in close proximity -
with the chance to hike in the morning and swim in the afternoon. The
Crimean Riviera between Yalta and Alushta takes in grand villas, rocky
gorges and lush vegetation. In addition the cultural depth of the Crimea
means there are some impressive historical sites.
Begin by heading for the sea. The approach from Simferopol to Yalta is
dramatic. The highwayclimbs to a windswept mountain pass before swerving
down to the sea and along the coast. You can make the 50-mile-journey
comfortably by bus in 90 minutes for around 20 hryven (pounds 2.50), or for
half the fare and twice the time in a clapped-out old trolleybus.
For a town twinned with Margate, Yalta is surprisingly elegant. It was a
quiet fishing port for centuries until rich Russians decided to winter here.
After the revolution Lenin decreed that every good Soviet citizen had the
right to recuperate by the seaside. The resort is still an odd mix of style
and proletarianism, but with many former visitors now flying to Turkey or
Cyprus, you can enjoy the sun and sights in peace.
The finest place to stay in town is the superb Oreanda (00 380 654 390 608;
www.hotel-oreanda.com), a 19th-century mansion that was celebrated under
Communism for being one of the few hotels where every bathroom boasted a
bathplug. Today prices have risen to around $300 (pounds 180) double per
night including breakfast, but through a tour operator you will probably pay
a lot less. Many other options are available; as a rule of thumb, anything
that looks like a Soviet-era relic is likely to cost no more than $50
(pounds 30) double, with breakfast.
The outstanding sight in Yalta is the Chekhov Museum at Kirova 112, which
opens between 10am and 5pm from Wednesday to Sunday (admission fees, as
elsewhere in the Crimea, are negligible). Chekhov came to Yalta as an ailing
consumptive at the end of the 19th century. The villa where he lived until
his death in 1904 celebrates his life and work; he wrote The Cherry Orchard
here, and entertained Gorky and Rachmaninoff.
WHAT CAN I EAT AND DRINK?
Despite salt water almost encircling the Crimea, don't hope to dine out on
fresh seafood every night. The Black Sea has fallen victim to
eutrophication, whereby pesticides from the rivers that feed the sea have
stimulated massive blooms of algae, which then use up so much of the water's
oxygen that few fish survive. But the rich agricultural lands of Ukraine
mean you can dine well. Yalta has some excellent Russian restaurants, but
for the most spectacular plate with a view you should aim for the Swallow's
Nest at Gaspra, five miles south of Yalta. Inside this folly, a Germanic
castle that perches on a rocky outcrop over the sea, is an Italian
restaurant.
WHERE NEXT?
Continue around the coast to Sevastopol, the most historically resonant
place in the Crimea. The city grew up close to the ruins of Khersonesus, an
ancient Greek settlement. Nearby, the Feolent Cliff is supposed to be the
site of the Temple of Artemis, where, according to legend, Iphigenia was
brought by the goddess to save her from sacrifice at the hands of her
father, Agamemnon.
Sevastopol is where Prince Vladimir was converted to Christianity in 988AD,
which led to the spread of the gospels throughout the Slavic lands.
WHY WAS THERE A CRIMEAN WAR?
The precise cause was a pretty obscure row over the guardianship of the
Christian shrines - notably the Church Of Nativity - in Palestine. In fact,
the whole mess was sparked by Western fears of Russian imperialism as the
Ottoman Empire crumbled.
Russia wanted control of parts of Turkey (most notably Moldavia and
Walachia), which would have given the country access to the Mediterranean
from the Black Sea. France was concerned for its colonial interests in North
Africa, while Britain did not want her routes to India imperilled. The two
powers therefore joined forces to launch an amphibious attack on the Russian
naval base at Sevastopol.
WHERE DID HOSTILITIES BEGIN?
Before the British and French had fired a shot, the Turks were battling with
the Russians at sea and along the banks of the Danube in what is now
Romania. But when it became clear, in late 1853, that the allies were going
to attack, the Russians withdrew from Turkey. Despite this retreat, the
allied fleets sailed for Sevastopol the following year.
An army of 60,000 landed north of Sevastopol on 14 September 1854. At the
River Alma on 20 September a well-entrenched Russian force tried to delay
the allies' march on Sevastopol. With little tactical thought but enormous
bravery, the British and French troops threw themselves uphill into the
teeth of the Russian guns and drove them off, sustaining huge casualties in
the process.
The allies then marched south and encircled Sevastopol, and by the end of
September had established their siege lines around the port. The race was
then on to capture the city before winter set in and supply routes became
impassable. But on 25 October, the Russians attacked the British lines of
communication from the port of Balaclava up to the trenches overlooking
Sevastopol. They very nearly succeeded in breaking through, and for the rest
of the war the British supply routes were threatened.
WHO WERE THE LIGHT BRIGADE AND WHY DID THEY CHARGE?
The British had a ticklish problem: they had to maintain the siege, supply
themselves from Balaclava and at the same time protect their vulnerable
right flank from the marauding Russian field army.
The port of Sevastopol was well-defended by entrenched guns and Royal
Marines, but the intervening six miles of siege lines needed a more mobile
protection force. This was formed from the light cavalry, the heavy cavalry
and three battalions from the Highland Brigade. On the morning of 25 October
a mixed Russian force of cavalry and guns penetrated almost as far as the
port.
It was blocked by the 93rd Highlanders but eventually defeated by
Scarlett's Heavy Cavalry Brigade. Had Cardigan's Light Brigade attacked at
this point, the Russians would surely have been routed. Instead, he
hesitated and lost the initiative, only charging when forced to do so by
Lord Raglan, the British Commander-in-Chief. When the attack came he charged
up the wrong valley and found himself faced with guns on three sides as well
as Russian riflemen and a powerful force of lancers and Cossacks and was
defeated.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Capitalising on this partial victory, the Russians sent an armed
reconnaissance unit up to the British position at Inkerman on 26 October.
They were forced back but gained a huge amount of intelligence. The allies
failed to notice this and continued preparing to storm Sevastopol. On the
foggy morning of 5 November, the Russians launched 40,000 men and 90 guns on
the British flank. A tiny band of 8,000 bedraggled, sleepless, wet and
hungry British infantrymen met the Russians and fought them hand to hand in
the mist.
The fighting was intense. Muzzle-loading weapons were damp and failed to
fire, and most combats were decided with bayonets, butts and even fists.
Again and again the Russians surged up the narrow ravines, and again and
again knots of British flung themselves upon them and beat them back. At the
end of the day over 5,000 lay dead and one of the most remarkable passages
in British military history had been written.
Today, this battlefield is entirely neglected. A casual scrape with the toe
of a boot still reveals bullets, buttons and even bones.
HOW DID THE WAR UNFOLD?
The allies faced the most dreadful winter on the rocky plains around
Sevastopol. They did not have enough men, guns or ammunition to carry the
place by storm and so the siege descended into a bloody series of skirmishes
and firefights while the besiegers became more and more forlorn.
Spring brought both allied reinforcements and extra Russian troops, who
threatened the siege from the Crimean interior. There were not enough allies
to stop Russian supplies and reinforcements getting into the city. While the
besiegers' trenches crept closer and closer to the Russian defences, both
sides knew that the assault would be a bloody one. Despite this, the allies
decided to attack on 18 June 1855 - the 40th anniversary of Waterloo. With
the Russians primed and the allies not really strong enough either in
manpower or equipment, the attack was brutally repulsed.
In August the Russians tried to break out again, and at the Tchernaya River
they were defeated once more. Another assault was made on 8-9 September and
this time the major fortresses surrounding the city fell. With plenty of
fight in them, the Russian forces retreated to the north shore of
Sevastopol.
A truce ensued and despite considerable British and French reinforcements
intended for another season's campaigning, peace was eventually declared in
March 1856.
WHO WON?
Technically the allies, as Sevastopol was destroyed and the Russians
bloodied, but very soon the port was rebuilt and the threat became just as
potent as it was before the war. By this time, though, France was distracted
by her own campaigns in North Africa, Britain by the Indian Mutiny and the
two partners had fallen out so badly that there was even talk of a French
invasion of Great Britain in 1859.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE OF THE BATTLEGROUNDS NOW?
Sevastopol was comprehensively destroyed in the Second World War and then
just as comprehensively rebuilt. New buildings have sprung up but evidence
of the siege of 1854-55 is everywhere. There are museums and monuments
aplenty, and, with a little imagination, the bastions, redans and earthworks
can be traced.
The main set-piece is the Sevastopol Panorama, an enormous construction
where the body-strewn battle scene from Malakhov Hill is depicted in 360-
degree wraparound gore. The original was painted in Munich, but the version
you see now was created in the former Soviet Union. The exhibit is open from
10am-5pm daily, except on Mondays.
The main battlefields beyond Sevastopol are largely untouched. The Great
Redout at the Alma is still very obvious, and it is easy to see where the
Light Cavalry charged at Balaclava. At Inkerman the evidence of that day's
slaughter still litters the ground. The British trenches and siege lines can
still be found. A bit of rudimentary scuffing around soon reveals shot,
shell and shrapnel and, if you persevere, little pots of thick cut
marmalade, sturdy bottles of English ale and even jars of bear grease to
protect wind-chapped lips. There may be no more tattered figures in scarlet
to be seen but the thousands of Englishmen who lived, fought and died on
these fields are still very much in evidence.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Mercer is MP for Newark and Retford, and Shadow Minister for
Homeland Security (END) (ARTUIS)
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New Issue Just Published...Year 2003, Issue 3-4
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