"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
An International Newsletter
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"
SEVENTEEN OLYMPIC MEDALS NOW FOR UKRAINE!
GOLD ---Valeri Goncharov Gymnastics Parallel Bars
GOLD ---Yuri Nikitin Gymnastics Trampoline
GOLD ---Yuriy Bilonog Track & Field Shot Put
GOLD ---Olena Kostevych Shooting 10m Air Pistol
GOLD ---Yana Klochkova Swimming 200m Medley
GOLD ---Yana Klochkova Swimming 400m Medley
GOLD ---Nataliya Skakun Weightlifting 58-63kg
GOLD --- Irini Merleni Wrestling Under 48kg
SILVER-- Olena Krasovska Track & Field 100 Meters Hurdles
SILVER-- Roman Gontyuk Judo 73-81kg
SILVER-- Taran/Katinina/
Matevusleva Sailing Yngling
BRONZE-Igor Razoronov Wrestling 125kg
BRONZE-Hrachov/Serdyuk/
Ruban Archery Team
BRONZE-Vladislav Tretiak Fencing Individual Saber
BRONZE-Grin/Bilushchenko/
Lykov/Shaposhnikov Rowing Quadruple Sculls
BRONZE-Andriy Serdinov Swimming 100m Butterfly
BRONZE-Morozova/Kolesnikova/
Olefirenko/Dementyeve Rowing Quadruple Sculls
"THE ACTION UKRAINE REPORT" Year 04, Number 148
The Action Ukraine Coalition (AUC), Washington, D.C.
Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA), Huntingdon Valley, PA
morganw@patriot.net, ArtUkraine.com@starpower.net (ARTUIS)
Washington, D.C.; Kyiv, Ukraine, WEDNESDAY, August 25, 2004
-----INDEX OF ARTICLES-----
"Major International News Headlines and Articles"
1. "UKRAINE'S CHOICE"
COMMENTARY: By Viktor Yushchenko
The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, August 24, 2004
2. UKRAINIAN DEFENCE MINISTER YEVHEN MARCHUK
SPEAKS AT INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE IN KIEV
UT1 State Television, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 24 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tues, Aug 24, 2004
3.RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT
KUCHMA ON UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE DAY
Russian Federation considers Ukraine a close and reliable partner
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
4. FIRST ISSUE OF NEW UKRAINIAN NEWSPAPER
"HOUR OF UKRAINE" PUBLISHED IN RUSSIA TODAY
Channel One TV, Moscow, in Russian, 24 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tues, Aug 24, 2004
5. YANUKOVICH IS AN OPENLY PRO-RUSSIAN CANDIDATE
SO HE WILL WIN UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Yushchenko is associated with estrangement with Russia
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, August 24
6. RUSSIA WANTS REFORMS IN A TOP EUROPEAN
SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY ORGANIZATION (OSCE)
Ukraine signed July document accusing OSCE of double standards
Steve Gutterman, AP Worldstream, Moscow, Russia, Tue, Aug 24, 2004
7. ELECTION OBSERVERS FROM EX-SOVIET STATES CRITICIZE
WESTERN MONITORS FOR THEIR BIAS IN UKRAINE
AP Worldstream, Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Aug 20, 2004
8. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT HUDYMA WARNS AGAINST
CEDING WESTERN UKRAINE POWER PLANT TO RUSSIA
PM Exchanges Plant for Kremlin's Concrete Support For His Election
Report by Viktor Zinchuk:
"Will the Strategic 'Burshtyn' be Given to the Russians?"
Vysokyy Zamok, Lviv, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Aug 04, p 2
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004
9. RUSSIA SAYS ESTONIA WWII MONUMENT DISGRACEFUL
Monument honors Estonian men who fought in 1940-45 against
Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonia independence
By Steve Gutterman, AP, Moscow, Russia, Tue, August 24, 2004
10.LUKASHENKO SLAMS U.S. SENATORS' CALL FOR HIS OUSTER
Interfax, Sochi, Russia, Monday, August 23, 2004
11. USA PREPARED TO CRACK DOWN ON BELARUS PRESIDENT
Russian President Vladimir Putin Supports Belarussian President
By Vasily Bubnov, PRAVDA.RU, Moscow, Russia, Mon, August 23, 2004
12. "UKRAINE'S COLD WAR THEME PARK"
This is set to become a top tourist attraction in Crimea
By Helen Fawkes, BBC correspondent in Kiev
BBC NEWS EUROPE, UK, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
13. "HOW I SURVIVED CHERNOBYL"
Sasha Yuvchenko was working at the power plant on the night of the world's
worst nuclear disaster. One of his workmates was vaporised and three others
died within weeks. Vivienne Parry hears his terrible tale
New Documentary: "Zero Hour: Disaster At Chernobyl"
By Vivienne Parry, The Guardian
London, United Kingdom, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
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ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148 ARTICLE NUMBER ONE
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1. "UKRAINE'S CHOICE"
COMMENTARY: By Viktor Yushchenko
The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, August 24, 2004
KIEV -- Thirteen years ago today, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna
Rada, declared our country's independence from the Soviet Union. This
historic choice, later affirmed in a national referendum supported by 90%
of citizens, changed forever the geopolitical map of Europe.
We thought then that our national aspirations for freedom had been realized
and that democracy would replace totalitarianism. We believed our people
would prosper from the combined rich natural resources and our penchant
for hard work. We entrusted our elected leaders with a mandate to govern
and integrate Ukraine into the international community.
Today, an overwhelming majority of my fellow citizens -- 77% -- believe
Ukraine is heading in the wrong direction. Millions live in poverty.
Corruption pervades every social institution, from education to medicine to
government. Journalists and others who speak the truth are constantly
harassed and persecuted. Illegal searches and seizures are common. The
average Ukrainian can rely neither on protection from law enforcement
officials nor an open and fair trial in the courts.
Economic indicators signaling growth this year haven't resulted in rising
living standards. During the first seven months, GDP rose 13.5%, but
budget revenues rose only 1.8%. People view the costs that the govern-
ment earlier hid and now spends on social payments as a bribe paid to
voters for their support of the candidate from the ruling regime.
Today the regime of President Leonid Kuchma has reverted to complete
lawlessness. Surveillance organized by state officials recently against me
and my family is a feature of totalitarianism. In democracies, this would
be scandalous, but in Ukraine, the government called it common practice.
Ukrainians will face another historic choice this autumn in a presidential
election due to be held on Oct. 31. Democratic forces have brought
together leading politicians, businessmen and ordinary citizens to fight for
real change in Ukrainian society. Recently, I declared my candidacy for
the presidency because I believe my policies will unite my compatriots to
bring about the changes needed to improve life for Ukraine's 48 million
people.
The choice facing voters this fall is very clear. On the one hand, my
vision for Ukraine proposes a system founded on democratic European
values, which will enable each citizen to realize their socio-economic
potential in a country governed by the rule of law. On the other hand,
those from the ruling regime propose preserving the current autocracy,
which rules over competing financial-industrial groups. Their corrupt
government bureaucrats implement unpopular policies with no respect
for individual liberties and basic human rights.
There can be no doubt today Ukrainians want change -- peacefully and
democratically -- just as they did 13 years ago. They want an end to
government corruption, decent jobs at honest wages, and a president
whom they trust. Ukrainians share European values and yearn for
democracy.
During my tenure as prime minister, my economic policies, after a decade
of decline, ignited growth. My government terminated barter operations
between business and the state, which brought cash back to the economy.
Back wages and pensions were repaid. Electricity blackouts ceased as
transparent energy policies were implemented. As central bank governor,
I introduced Ukraine's first stable currency, the hryvna.
Last month, I unveiled a plan of policy actions called "Ten Steps for the
People." At the core of this plan is a vision for a brighter economic
future for families, with more job, price and wage security, and a
commitment to battling corruption in government at all levels. These
policies will create millions of new jobs by ending tax privileges.
Government will focus on reducing taxes and stimulating entrepreneurial
activity. Corporate payroll taxes will be reduced to 20%. Bureaucratic
red tape, regulatory obstacles and useless government bodies will be
eliminated. The repressive State Tax Police will be abolished. Tax
revenues generated from these steps will be used to meet essential social
programs.
With regard to governing, a poorly paid bureaucrat who takes bribes
costs society more than a well-paid government official. Honest
professionals will be appointed to government posts at all levels with
good salaries.
Every state official will sign a code of honor and observe it without
exception. Those who embezzled public funds and took bribes will be
brought to justice. Trust in government and the courts will be restored.
The main criteria for judging governing authorities at all levels will be
the creation of new jobs at decent wages.
I am convinced Ukrainians will vote their conscience and choose demo-
cratic values over autocratic rule this coming fall. However, recent
history has taught us that the one who counts the votes is more important
than the one who casts them.
In this campaign, the Kuchma regime has created media monopolies,
pressured democratic opposition parties, breached the right to free
assembly, censored free speech, and abused state authority at all levels.
Because candidates fielded by the ruling regime cannot win free and fair
elections, the entire executive branch has been mobilized to use fraud,
intimidation and fear to support their candidate, Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovich. Voters see this coercion and stay in opposition to this regime.
Official Kiev's hollow declarations guaranteeing a free and fair election
in Ukraine this fall must be matched by the mobilization of thousands of
domestic and international election observers. My electoral coalition has
trained more than 100,000 citizen representatives to participate in local
election commissions to secure control over polling stations in an effort
to prevent electoral fraud. We welcome international representatives from
European countries and multinational organizations to observe this effort.
We will secure fair elections and make sure that these are the last that
require international monitoring.
I am convinced this presidential election in Ukraine will be an important
milestone in the history of our young democracy and will be watched by
our neighbors in Moscow, Warsaw and Brussels. By staying the
democratic course chosen 13 years ago, Ukraine will ensure that a
potentially new dividing line based on differing systems of values does
not appear on Ukraine's western border. Democratic forces in Ukraine
are ready to ensure that European values take hold in our country. This
could set the example for other countries in the Commonwealth of
Independent States.
I believe restoring trust in government, capitalizing on economic
opportunities and achieving a democratic victory this fall are all within
Ukraine's reach. (END)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Yushchenko is a Ukrainian presidential candidate and leader
of the biggest party in parliament, Our Ukraine.
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER TWO
The Action Ukraine Coalition, "Working to Secure Ukraine's Future"
=======================================================
2. UKRAINIAN DEFENCE MINISTER YEVHEN MARCHUK
SPEAKS AT INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE IN KIEV
UT1 State Television, Kiev, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 24 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tues, Aug 24, 2004
KIEV - Defence Minister Yevhen Marchuk has addressed a military parade
in the Ukrainian capital on Independence Day. He praised the contribution of
Ukrainian troops to peacekeeping all over the world and reiterated Ukraine's
intention to be part of the collective security system. Speaking on internal
matters, Marchuk said that the Defence Ministry and the General Staff had
divided the authority over Ukraine's military. The Ukrainian army is being
successfully reformed and civilian control over it has been established,
Marchuk said.
The following is the text of Marchuk's speech broadcast live by the
Ukrainian state-owned television UT1 on 24 August, subheadings have
been inserted editorially:
[Marchuk] Esteemed president of Ukraine, commander-in-chief of the
Ukrainian armed forces, dear compatriots, Kiev residents and guests of
the capital, comrades generals and admirals, comrades officers and warrant
officers, sergeants, cadets, soldiers and seamen, workers and employees,
veterans of war and armed forces. I warmly congratulate you on the great
holiday - the 13th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, the holiday of
freedom and unification of the Ukrainian people.
DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRACY
The past years have convincingly proved that the people's choice was right.
Hard tests of the first years of independence, the establishment of
statehood and the transformation of all the sectors of social life have been
overcome with dignity. The main principles of a sovereign and democratic
state have been formed. This was facilitated by the desire of the Ukrainian
spirit to create its own state over many centuries, titanic work, will and
patience of our people. Indisputable successes have been attained in the
economy and the social sector. Democracy is getting stronger and civil
society is developing. Ukraine is swiftly acquiring the quality marks of a
European country, and its international prestige is growing.
One of the Ukraine's greatest achievements in previous years has been the
creation of the national armed forces, which are responsible for defending
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This path has been
neither easy nor problem-free, but truly gigantic work has been done to
form a defence shield for Ukraine, and the scale of the tasks completed is
considered unprecedented by domestic and foreign experts alike.
ARMY REFORM
The Ukrainian army is currently undergoing crucial reforms, a kind of
reconstruction the main target of which is the creation of modern armed
forces, which have an optimum strength and which are professionally trained,
well armed and properly equipped. An important achievement of military
reform today has been the creation of a fundamental legislative basis, the
development of the strategic defence bulletin for the period up to 2015,
which was approved by a presidential decree. The bulletin envisages the
optimum structure of the national armed forces and indicators of their
development. The distribution of authority and tasks between the Defence
Ministry and the General Staff has been completed.
A new branch of the armed forces is being set up - a [merged] air force
will replace the air-defence troops and the air force. An interdepartmental
organization - the united rapid-reaction force - have been created to
immediately react to military threats. Constructive civilian-military
relations and democratic civilian control over the state's military
organization have been established.
PEACEKEEPING
The firmness and consistency of Ukraine's leadership in pursuing military
reform adds to the confidence that the goals selected are realistic. Our
country is convincingly demonstrating its aspiration to be an influential
participant in the global system of collective security. It is actively
taking part in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions. Over
22,000 Ukrainian servicemen have taken part in peacekeeping operations
since independence. More than 3,000 servicemen are serving with dignity
on peacekeeping missions in five countries of the world.
Esteemed compatriots, this year marks the 60th anniversary of Ukraine's
liberation from the fascist aggressors. The glorious deeds of liberators
will stay in the people's memory forever. Their bravery and heroism are
worth following by the current and following generations. Thanks to the
self-denial of all those who made a contribution to the great victory, our
proud and independent Ukraine is flourishing and going from strength to
strength. Care for the veterans of the most cruel war in human history is
and - I am sure - will remain the ultimate priority of Ukraine's policy.
Representatives from the Ukrainian armed forces and other military units
are writing the modern page of bravery and courage. High professionalism,
serious attitude towards their duties, military honour and civil dignity -
these features of contemporary Ukrainian servicemen are hardened during
military exercises at training grounds, at sea and in the air. The military
parade is a sign of drill training, evidence of the devotion of the
defenders of the fatherland to the Ukrainian people and the glorious
traditions of previous generations, and a sign of their readiness to fulfil
their constitutional duty.
I congratulate all of you on Ukrainian Independence Day. I wish you merry
and happy future, peace, unity and prosperity. Long live Ukraine! (END)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER THREE
A leading news source for thousands around the world
=======================================================
3. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT
KUCHMA ON UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE DAY
Russian Federation considers Ukraine a close and reliable partner
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated his
Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma on the national holiday, the
Independence Day, the Kremlin press service reported.
"The Russian Federation considers Ukraine a close and reliable partner.
Our relations have been always based on strategic partnership, respect
and trust in all affairs and projects. This is the will of our people,"
reads Vladimir Putin's telegram.
The Russian leader pointed out permanent development of many-sided
Russian-Ukrainian ties based on rich cooperation experience. "We
adhere to principles of mutual benefit, current and long-term interests of
the consolidation of bilateral cooperation. It has favorable influence on
the solution of priority political and socio-economic problems in Russia
and Ukraine," the Russian President stressed.
According to him, Russian-Ukrainian cooperation on key international
problems promotes European security and increases our international
authority.
Humanitarian cooperation is another important element of the Russian-
Ukrainian strategic partnership, Vladimir Putin said adding that the use
of its rich potential fully meets interests of both countries.
"I am satisfied with the active development of trade and economic relations
based on market economy and pragmatism principles. Our countries are
being involved in major international projects in energy, transport, space
and aircraft building spheres," runs the Russian President's telegram.
"Moreover, the Common Economic Space is being successfully formed.
The implementation of this integration project yields tangible results and
leads to trade turnover growth and cooperation links consolidation,"
Vladimir Putin emphasized.
"Our regular contacts, including the joint meeting with businessmen in
Yalta prove that business circles are being involved in Russian-Ukrainian
economic relations. We are also developing investment cooperation,"
the Russian President concluded. (END) (ARTUIS)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER FOUR
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4. FIRST ISSUE OF NEW UKRAINIAN NEWSPAPER
"HOUR OF UKRAINE" PUBLISHED IN RUSSIA TODAY
Channel One TV, Moscow, in Russian, 24 Aug 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tues, Aug 24, 2004
MOSCOW - [Presenter] The first issue of the new Ukrainian-Russian
public and political newspaper Hour of Ukraine was published in Russia
today. The name of the newspaper is symbolic. The word hour in
Ukrainian means time. Ukrainian representatives hope that the time has
come now for a more close rapprochement between the two fraternal
peoples.
The newspaper is to be published weekly with a circulation of over
50,000 copies and will tell Ukrainians living in Russia about their
motherland's political, economic and cultural life. It will also promote
strengthening bilateral relations in all domains.
[Mykola Biloblotskyy, captioned as Ukrainian ambassador to Russia]
We are happy with the publishing of a Ukrainian newspaper which will
cover Ukrainian political, economic and cultural life and show what the
Ukrainian state is like today. (END) (ARTUIS)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 148: ARTICLE NUMBER FIVE
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=======================================================
5. YANUKOVICH IS AN OPENLY PRO-RUSSIAN CANDIDATE
SO HE WILL WIN UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Yushchenko is associated with estrangement with Russia
Ukraine is not the same as Georgia
RIA Novosti, Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, August 24
MOSCOW - It is the incumbent Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovich, who
will win the next presidential election in Ukraine, scheduled for October
31, predicts Vyacheslav Igrunov, Director of the International Institute of
Political Studies and Chairman of the Public Council for Russo-Ukrainian
Cooperation.
"It is obvious today that further development of Ukraine will be closely
linked with Russia. This cannot but influence current processes-national
elections, I mean," Mr. Igrunov told a press conference on the RIA Novosti
premises today. According to him, there are two frontrunners in the current
election campaign-Viktor Yanukovich and Viktor Yushchenko, leader of
the opposition bloc Nasha Ukraina [Our Ukraine].
"Viktor Yushchenko is associated with [the prospect of Ukraine's]
estrangement with Russia and [its] reorientation toward the West. But Mr.
Yushchenko has only a slim chance of winning," Mr. Igrunov said.
In the Russian analyst's view, none of the candidates is likely to win the
first round of the polls, so a runoff will have to be held. "A runoff is
inevitable. In the runoff, voting is... very much a struggle of dislikes,"
Vyacheslav Igrunov said. A majority of the Ukrainian voters prefer Viktor
Yanukovich as an openly pro-Russian candidate, he said, pointing out that
cooperation with Russia is an indispensable condition for Ukraine's further
economic growth.
"In recent time, Ukraine has been demonstrating miracles of economic
growth. But the pace of economic growth arises not just from development
of processing industries, but from cooperation with Russia, as well," Mr.
Igrunov said.
He does not rule out the possibility of the Opposition appealing against the
election's official results and instigating voters to take to the streets.
But those who speculate that the events in Ukraine may follow the Georgian
pattern are blowing the situation out of proportion, he argues. "Ukraine is
not the same as Georgia. This is a country with robust independent forces,
economic and political alike. Eastern Ukraine won't have an illegitimate
coup." (END) (ARTUIS)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER SIX
Ukrainian Information Website: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
=======================================================
6. RUSSIA WANTS REFORMS IN A TOP EUROPEAN
SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY ORGANIZATION (OSCE)
Ukraine signed July document accusing OSCE of double standards
Steve Gutterman, AP Worldstream, Moscow, Russia, Tue, Aug 24, 2004
MOSCOW - Russia wants reforms in a top European security and democracy
organization and will discuss the initiative with the leaders of France and
Germany when they visit President Vladimir Putin next week, reports said
Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia wants changes that would make
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe "truly effective"
and responsive to "the interests of all its participants," Russian news
agencies reported.
Lavrov told Putin that the issue of OSCE reform would be on the agenda of
his Aug. 30-31 summit with French President Jacques Chirac and German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi,
Interfax reported.
Lavrov said France and Germany expressed the willingness to discuss the
issue after Russia and eight other former Soviet republics sharply
criticized the Vienna-based organization last month.
In what they called an "unprecedented collective demarche" in early July,
Russia and the other countries accused the OSCE of double standards,
saying it unfairly criticizes governments in some countries.
The declaration, read by Russia's delegation, said that the 55-nation group
spends too much money on field missions to promote human rights and
democratic institutions in certain countries, while overlooking others.
The OSCE was part of observing missions that said Russia's parliamentary
elections last December and the presidential campaign that led to Putin's
March re-election fell short of democratic standards.
The OSCE's watchdog functions in Belarus have been limited after a
confrontation with the authoritarian leadership there, and Russia has
criticized OSCE representatives in the breakaway Georgian region of
South Ossetia.
The July statement was issued by Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. At the time, a
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the OSCE focused its field
missions in those countries and the Balkans and accused it of ignoring the
rights of minorities in Latvia and Estonia _ Baltic states that have
significant ethnic Russian populations and strained ties with Russia.
In a statement issued in July by the Netherlands, which holds the rotating
EU presidency, the union said it would reflect on the issues raised by
Russia and the other countries but had "serious concern about certain
elements of the declaration." (sbg) (END) (ARTUIS)
=====================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER SEVEN
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7. ELECTION OBSERVERS FROM EX-SOVIET STATES CRITICIZE
WESTERN MONITORS FOR THEIR BIAS IN UKRAINE
AP Worldstream, Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Aug 20, 2004
KIEV - Election observers from ex-Soviet republics on Friday criticized
Western monitors for what they described as their bias in assessing
Ukraine's presidential election campaign.
Western governments and international human right groups have already
reported numerous violations in the campaign, including heavy media bias
in favor of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, a top presidential candidate.
In a statement carried by the Interfax news agency, observers from the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose alliance of 12 ex-
Soviet republics, said the Western monitors "proceed from a presumption
of guilt of the Ukrainian state."
"Some of them are already ready to declare the results of the forthcoming
vote illegal," the statement said. "The first thing that struck our eye was
serious pressure from the Western observers," said Alexei Kochetkov, the
head of the CIS observers delegation, according to Interfax.
Ukraine's Oct. 31 presidential election is seen as a crucial test for the
country more than a decade after it gained independence in the Soviet
collapse. The vote would pit Yanukovych, backed by outgoing President
Leonid Kuchma, against Western-oriented opposition leader Viktor
Yushchenko. Kuchma's critics at home and abroad say that democracy has
suffered during his decade in office, and accuse his administration of using
its power to influence the outcome of elections. (am/vi/mb) (END)
====================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER EIGHT
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8. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT HUDYMA WARNS AGAINST
CEDING WESTERN UKRAINE POWER PLANT TO RUSSIA
PM Exchanges Plant for Kremlin's Concrete Support For His Election
Report by Viktor Zinchuk
"Will the Strategic 'Burshtyn' be Given to the Russians?"
Vysokyy Zamok, Lviv, Ukraine, in Ukrainian, 19 Aug 04, p 2
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004
LVIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian opposition MP Oleksa Hudyma has said the
cabinet wants to lease an important west Ukrainian power plant to Russian
companies to export Russian electricity to Europe, a west Ukrainian pro-
opposition paper wrote.
Hudyma accused the cabinet of "cynical" lobbying for Russian companies
in exchange for Moscow's consent to back Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych's presidential bid. The deal will cost Ukraine 120m dollars a
year in lost electricity exports to Europe, the paper said.
The following is the text of the report by Viktor Zinchuk under the title
"Will the strategic 'Burshtyn' be given to the Russians?" published by the
Ukrainian newspaper Vysokyy Zamok on 19 August:
The government of Viktor Yanukovych, who has plunged into his presi-
dential election campaign head first, is going to kill yet another Ukrainian
goose that lays the golden egg in exchange for the Kremlin's concrete
support for his candidacy.
This was how the head of a subcommittee of the parliamentary Committee
for Fuel and Energy Sector, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety Issues,
Oleksa Hudyma [of the opposition Our Ukraine bloc], metaphorically
commented on the Cabinet of Ministers' intention to grant a long-term
concession to Russian companies for the use of generating sets at the
strategic Burshtyn thermal power plant [in western Ukraine].
To confirm his concerns, the Our Ukraine MP [Hudyma] made public the
documents in front of journalists that testify to the government's antistate
intentions. The documents include a letter by the committee secretary,
Vladyslav Lytvyn, dated 21 July 2004 containing a proposal to cede the
Burshtyn plant's generating sets to several American firms and to the
Russian energy companies Mosenergomontazh and Mezhregionkomplekt.
Ukraine is promised for Burshtyn 80m dollars in investment to upgrade the
plant's equipment.
"The above-mentioned US companies are just a smoke screen... [ellipsis
as published] We are witnessing openly cynical lobbying for the interests
of the Russian energy companies," Hudyma said. Hudyma, who is a
member of the fuel and energy committee, assumes that the Burshtyn plant,
which is integrated into the European power systems and which exports
Ukrainian electricity to EU countries, could be leased for a long term, up
to 30 years.
"It is the export capabilities of the 'Burshtyn island' that are the cause
for the aggressive encroachment by the Russian companies, namely, by
the satellite companies of the Unified Energy System of Russia under the
protection of [its head, Anatoliy] Chubays. They will be able to transit
their electricity to Europe via Burshtyn, while Ukraine stands to lose a
strategic way for exporting its electricity to Europe, currently yielding
120m dollars a year," Hudyma said. He added that a meeting with
representatives of the above Moscow-based companies was soon due
in Lviv to discuss the concession.
In the meantime the manager of the Burshtyn plant, Myron Romaniv, told
Deutsche Welle that he was unaware of the "Burshtyn" talks. "All is decided
at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers, as the state owns a 71-per-cent
stake in the plant," he said. (END) (ARTUIS)
======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER NINE
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9. RUSSIA SAYS ESTONIA WWII MONUMENT DISGRACEFUL
Monument honors Estonian men who fought in 1940-45 against
Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonia independence
By Steve Gutterman, AP, Moscow, Russia, Tue, August 24, 2004
MOSCOW - Russia on Monday called the unveiling of a monument
commemorating Estonians who fought in the German army during World
War II a "disgraceful act" and urged NATO and the European Union
to take notice.
In an angry statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the monument
unveiled Friday in the northwestern Estonian town of Lihula was part of
what it called an increasingly visible process of "making heroes out of"
Estonian volunteers who fought alongside the Nazis and against Soviet
troops.
The monument, financed by Estonian war veterans, features a sculpture
of an Estonian soldier and a plaque reading: "To Estonian men who fought
in 1940-1945 against Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonian
independence."
The Russian statement called the unveiling a "disgraceful act, insulting
the memory of victims of fascism in all countries." The statement said it
"looks particularly blasphemous against the background of the recent
celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied landing at
Normandy" and preparations for events next year commemorating the
defeat of Nazi Germany.
About 2,000 people attended the unveiling on the anniversary of the small
Baltic Sea nation's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in
1991.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Estonia's recent accession to NATO
and the EU "raises the question of how those in Brussels view the increasing
activity in Estonia of former fascist henchmen."
Tensions between Russia and Baltic states over the World War II era remain
high, and Russian officials repeatedly have accused Estonia and neighboring
Latvia of persecuting former Soviet officials while lionizing the Nazis.
The countries were annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 following a secret
pact in which Adolf Hitler and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin divided eastern
Europe. But Germany violated the nonaggression pact and after the
1941-44 Nazi occupation of the Baltic nations ¬ during which a large
majority of the nations' Jews were killed ¬ Soviet troops returned and
remained until the states gained independence in the Soviet collapse.
The Estonian monument also has been criticized by Russian Jewish leaders,
who last year appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to oppose
what they called "the rehabilitation of Nazi criminals" in Estonia and
Latvia. (END) (ARTUIS)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER TEN
Ukrainian Information Website: http://www.ArtUkraine.com
=======================================================
10. LUKASHENKO SLAMS U.S. SENATORS' CALL FOR HIS OUSTER
Russian President Vladimir Putin Supports Belarussian President
Interfax, Sochi, Russia, Monday, August 23, 2004
SOCHI, Russia - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said he is
not afraid of statements made by U.S. senators calling for a change in the
Belarussian administration.
"There are so many senators and they have been trying to overthrow me
for so many years. Do not worry that a senator can overthrow Lukashenko.
They did not put me in this post, and they cannot overthrow me,"
Lukashenko told a press conference in Sochi on Monday.
"We have the people of Belarus, who can overthrow or appoint, and only
the people have this right," he said.
"There are many senators and there is only one Belarus," Russian President
Vladimir Putin told the press conference. "We have always stood for
independence and defended the right to independently make any decisions
in domestic policy and on the international scene," he said.
"Naturally, we will support this right of allies," he said. (END) (ARTUIS)
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER ELEVEN
Forward The Action Ukraine Report to all your associates in Ukraine
=======================================================
1 1. USA PREPARED TO CRACK DOWN ON BELARUS PRESIDENT
By Vasily Bubnov, PRAVDA.RU, Moscow, Russia, Mon, Aug 23, 2004
MOSCOW - The USA intends to take more efforts to remove Belarus
President Alexander Lukashenko from his post. US Senator John McCain
stated last week that the American government would fight to free Belarus
from tyranny. John McCain is one of the senators and congressmen, who
offered to expel Russia from the Group of Eight.
According to the Kommersant, the senator is one of the politicians, who
initiated the draft project about democracy in Belarus. The document has
been recently submitted to the House of Representatives and to the US
Senate. According to the document, the American government is to assign
considerable funds to the Belarus opposition. Certain Belarussian officials
will not be allowed to enter the USA, the strategic export and state
investments to Belarus will be banned. The document also stipulates there
will be efforts taken to cut the financial help to Belarus on the part of
international financial institutes. In addition, Belarus will have to
expose the export of weapons to terrorist-supporting states and publish
the data about the property of Lukashenko and the people from his team.
Sen. McCain specified that the liberation from tyranny does not imply a
military incursion in Belarus, albeit it does stipulate the 'international
pressure.'
A spokesman for the Belarussian opposition, deputy Vitaly Frolov (who
is currently staying in Riga too), could not conceal his happiness talking
about the USA's intention to interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus.
According to Frolov, the power will change in Belarus within the
forthcoming two years. Frolov said it would probably happen already in
autumn, but not later than 2006.
In 2006, Belarus will hold the presidential election. Alexander Lukashenko
will most likely participate in the election, although the government will
have to arrange a referendum, at which voters will express their opinion
regarding the possible change of the national constitution. According to
the amendment, the head of state will not be allowed to take the position
of president for more than two terms. If Lukashenko runs in 2006, it will
be his third attempt to take the office.
The Belarussian government has had a successful experience in changing
the national law. In 1996 Belarus held the recall vote to change the
Constitution, which let Lukashenko extend his authorities until 2001.
According to the amended constitution, Alexander Lukashenko remained
the head of state for the second term. Western politicians expressed their
concern about the changes in the Constitution of Belarus, but Lukashenko
stayed at power anyway.
It will be a lot more difficult for Lukashenko to stay at power under
current conditions, the Kommersant wrote. Russia is not likely to support
the Belarussian president after a series of notorious scandals. Needless to
say, Lukashenko will have to face huge problems and difficulties in an
attempt to cope with Washington's pressure.
Nevertheless, it would be too early to forget about Lukashenko just because
of the fact the USA is willing to make him step down. The Belarussian
opposition is dissociated: it will be very hard to find a worthy opponent
to struggle with Lukashenko. The US administration has already tried to
unite the opposition in 2001, when Lukashenko was elected for the second
term. American officials managed to make the opposition nominate their
own candidacy, Vladimir Goncharik, who ignominiously failed at the election.
It is not ruled out the situation has changed now, in three years, although
there is not much evidence to prove it. However, it wouldn't be hard to
unite the Belarussian opposition with the help of money and anti-Lukashenko
sentiments.
Democratic challenger John Kerry has already supported the above-
mentioned draft project about democracy in Belarus. The new US
administration will definitely be interested in Belarus's internal affairs.
In addition, one may say Belarussians are tired of Lukashenko after his ten
years in the office. It does not mean, however, that the people are ready
to appreciate Americans" care for democracy in their country. (END
========================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No.148: ARTICLE NUMBER TWELVE
Please send us names from Europe for the Report's distribution list
=======================================================
12. "UKRAINE'S COLD WAR THEME PARK"
This is set to become a top tourist attraction in Crimea
By Helen Fawkes, BBC correspondent in Kiev
BBC NEWS EUROPE, UK, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
PERVOMAISK, Ukraine - Yuriy uses both hands to heave open the
door. This is no ordinary door, but a metre thick barrier at the end of
tunnel deep underground.
The passage way leads to the command centre at what used to be one
of the most top secret military bases in the former Soviet Union.
Surrounded by fields of wheat and soya in the countryside of southern
Ukraine, there are 10 empty nuclear rocket silos.
Inside what is now a museum, tourists are able to press the button which
would have launched a nuclear strike against the United States.
Yuriy used to look after the missiles during the Cold War but now works
as a tour guide at the Strategic Rocket Base in Pervomaisk.
"It's always been a great mystery to people, what was happening behind
the Iron Curtain," says Colonel Yuriy Yevtushenko. "Getting to this place
was impossible. No one from this country was allowed to this base, not
even military people." But now its doors are open seven days a week.
ACCIDENT-PRONE ARMY
Ukraine is celebrating 13 years of independence from the USSR on
Tuesday, but the country's underfunded military is struggling to cope.
Defence Minister Yevhen Marchuk has admitted that Ukraine's army is
so poverty-stricken that it is a danger to its own people. He claims the
military has not bought a single tank or aircraft since 1991.
One thing it has acquired though is a bad reputation for accidents. A
fighter jet crashed into a crowd at an air show two years ago, a passenger
plane was mistakenly shot down during an exercise in 2001 and the year
before that, a stray surface-to-surface missile hit a Ukrainian apartment
block.
Since independence, hundreds of people have died in military accidents.
"The situation is very bad. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian army has got many
problems which have been getting worse for a long time," says a Ukrainian
military analyst, Valentyn Badrak.
Ukraine also has 2.5 million tonnes of Soviet munitions which it can
scarcely afford to decommission. There are almost 200 arms dumps and
in May one of them exploded in southern Ukraine, causing some $500m
of damage.
'TOP TOURIST ATTRACTION'
Former top secret military bases are being opened up and it is hoped this
will add to the military's coffers. Dotted along the Crimean coast are three
discreet entrances to a massive man-made cave.
Engineers who constructed the Moscow metro buried deep inside a hill
which overlooks Balaklava Bay to build a submarine base. This is where
nuclear subs from the Black Sea Fleet were kept hidden.
The base was considered so highly classified that civilians were banned
from coming within at least 30 kilometres (19 miles) by the Soviet
authorities. Visitors are now actively encouraged.
But tourists can only see the base by torch, as there are no proper lights
yet. Groups are taken through a locked metal gate complete with hammer
and sickle. The guide leads them through long, cold tunnels.
The floor is criss-crossed with rail tracks which were used to transport
the nuclear weapons. This is set to become a top tourist attraction in the
Crimea.
"It's almost like being in a James Bond 007 movie," says Alan Dudley, a
holiday-maker from Canada. "To see this facility, you can just imagine
the things that went on during the Cold war, the secrecy, it's thrilling to
be here, it's really exciting, I wanted to come here for a long time."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3590960.stm
=======================================================
ACTION UKRAINE REPORT-04, No. 148 ARTICLE NUMBER THIRTEEN
The Action Ukraine Coalition, "Working to Secure Ukraine's Future"
=======================================================
13. "HOW I SURVIVED CHERNOBYL"
Sasha Yuvchenko was working at the power plant on the night of the world's
worst nuclear disaster. One of his workmates was vaporised and three others
died within weeks. Vivienne Parry hears his terrible tale
New Documentary: "Zero Hour: Disaster At Chernobyl"
By Vivienne Parry, The Guardian
London, United Kingdom, Tuesday, August 24, 2004
On April 25 1986, 24-year-old Sasha Yuvchenko clocked on as usual for
the night shift at the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine. It was a
beautiful evening, particularly warm and clear, and Yuvchenko, an
engineer-mechanic, and his workmates were full of their plans for the
upcoming May Day holidays. At home, his wife, Natasha, was still up with
their fretful two-year-old, Kirill.
On that fateful night, the water pumps in the newly commissioned No 4
reactor were being safety-tested. As the clock ticked past midnight, an
argument was raging about the right power level at which to start the test.
But what no one knew, thanks to years of error and cover up, was that there
was a fatal flaw in the reactor design that made it unstable at low power
levels. As power levels were lowered in preparation for the test, they
dropped too low and the reactor ground to a halt. Meanwhile, unseen, a
dangerous hot spot was building deep in the reactor.
To raise the power, the boron control rods were removed. It was like cocking
a gun, and when, at 1.20am on April 26 1986, the test began and the turbines
were turned off, the reactor was turned into a volcanic steam pressure
cooker. Emergency shutdown procedures were started, but when the control
rods were reinserted, their graphite tips caused the power levels to rise so
dramatically that a portion of the reactor was destroyed. There were two
explosions and the 500-tonne safety cap was blown off the reactor. It was
the worst nuclear accident in history.
Yuvchenko, now 42, recalls what happened that terrible night 18 years ago.
He is a bear of a man, 6ft 5in tall, and a former Soviet champion rower.
You can't help but notice his left arm, which is half the size of his right
and shiny with scar tissue. His wife, Natasha, sits nervously on the edge
of her seat.
"There was a heavy thud," he says. "A couple of seconds later, I felt a wave
come through the room. The thick concrete walls were bent like rubber. I
thought war had broken out. We started to look for Khodemchuk (his
colleague) but he had been by the pumps and had been vaporised. Steam
wrapped around everything; it was dark and there was a horrible hissing
noise. There was no ceiling, only sky; a sky full of stars." A stream of
ionising radiation was shooting starwards, like a laser beam. "I remember
thinking how beautiful it was."
Yuvchenko went with a party of men to recce the damaged reactor hall. He
stayed outside, propping the heavy reactor hall door open with his shoulder.
The three men who went in all died within two weeks. "You don't feel
anything at the time," he explains. "We had no idea there was so much
radiation. We met a guy with a doseometer and the needle was just off the
dial. But even then, we were still only thinking 'Rats, this means the end
of our careers in the nuclear industry. We all thought, 'We've been exposed
now, this has happened on our watch' and set about doing what we could.
After about an hour, I started to vomit uncontrollably. My throat was very
sore."
By 6am, he could no longer walk. He was taken to the local hospital. Still
he had no idea of the huge hit of radiation he'd received. "We were thinking
we might have had 20, perhaps 50rem. But there was a man there who'd
been involved in a nuclear accident in the submarine fleet, he said it was
more serious than that. 'You don't vomit at 50,' he said."
At the hospital, they worked out (through measuring the fall in his white
blood-cell count) that he'd received 410rem - or as it's now since been
styled, 4.1Sv (one sievert is equal to 100rem) - a measure of the absorbed
dose of radiation per kilogram of body weight. Four sieverts is lethal for
half of those affected.
In the EU, the maximum dose of radiation to which the population near a
nuclear power station should be exposed to is one millisievert (mSv) a year
and for nuclear workers, it is 20mSv annually. The average radiation dose
from natural and medical radiation is 2.5mSv. The plant workers and
firefighters at Chernobyl received 650 times their permitted yearly dose and
more than 5,000 times the average annual dose.
Yuvchenko was seen once by a nurse during this time but was interviewed
three times by the KGB. Startling film taken by the KGB of the devastated
reactor is shown in a new documentary, Zero Hour: Disaster at Chernobyl.
Whoever took the film is likely to have died.
Yuvchenko was then shipped off to Moscow. No one told Natasha where
he was. A rule of thumb is that vomiting that starts within half an hour of
irradiation indicates a fatal dose. Of those transported with him, five
died. Those who died quickly were lucky. It is a truly horrible way to die,
burnt from within and without.
Some 128 people were sent to the specialised treatment centre in Moscow.
When Yuvchenko arrived, his head was shaved, but within days all his body
hair fell out anyway. By now all were experiencing the effects of radiation
to their lungs, nose, ears and throats. For those with severe exposures,
rubber-like mucus caused breathing problems, and herpes-like rashes formed
massive crusts on lips and facial skin. Those who had started vomiting early
were given bone-marrow transplants. Yuvchenko received the first of many
transfusions.
Nobody knows quite how radiation produces its early effects of nausea and
diarrhoea. When the vomiting subsides, there is a period of calm. There is
seemingly trivial reddening of the skin at first, but, again after a period
of calm, the skin develops weeping ulcerations over layers of dead tissue.
Yuvchenko recalls pulling back the sheets, and there being a cloud of black
dust - his dead skin. A slime of gamma and beta-emitting nuclides had
covered all surfaces in the plant after the explosion, and where his body
had touched the door - his left shoulder, hip and calf - their deadly
radiation had gnawed away at his flesh, causing the death of tissue deep in
his arm. It became grossly swollen and his skin turned violet black.
He had the first of many, many operations and skin grafts. For a while, he
thought that his arm would be amputated. Those champion muscles were his
saviour. "Mine are small," he laughs, "you should see my little brother's."
His arm was to be in bandages for the next seven years. He was plagued by -
and occasionally still has - outbreaks of skin ulceration. Microsurgery in
Berlin, in which blood vessels were transferred from his leg to his
irradiated arm, finally saw him on the road to recovery. His colleagues were
not all as lucky. One who worked in the turbine hall and took 10Sv survived
a bone-marrow transplant and blindness only to die after a few months.
Death after acute radiation exposure usually comes from infection as the
radiation destroys bone-marrow cells, causing a catastrophic drop in
infection-fighting white blood cells. The body is overwhelmed, particularly
where there is intense damage to skin and intestine. People assume that
there is something that you can take to prevent radiation damage, as they do
in Star Trek. Potassium iodate tablets, taken within hours of exposure,
flood the thyroid, and make uptake of radioactive iodine less likely. But
iodine is only one of the radionuclides. Supportive care and rigorous
infection control is all the medical care there is.
Yuvchenko spent a year in hospital and a further two in rehab. He attributes
his survival to his treatment in Moscow - and those muscles. He doesn't
know whether he is infertile - although this is highly likely - but in any
case,
was advised not to have another child because of the risk that they, or
their children, would develop leukaemia. Chromosomal damage over 4Sv is
severe. What of his prospects now, particularly of cancer?
"The doctors told me that if you've survived this, you shouldn't worry about
anything else." Every year, he has two weeks of check-ups. "I always think
they might find something." But he has remained well, as has his wife and
son, a tribute to the extraordinary repair properties of DNA.
"It's the nerves that get you," says Natasha. For many years, people
literally ran away from them, terrified of contamination. The fear of
radiation and what could happen, may yet prove to be a bigger killer than
radiation itself. There have been nearly 2,000 cases of thyroid cancer,
mostly in children, but the predicted surge in other types of cancer has,
according to the Unscear 2000 report, not yet been seen. But there have
been big increases in deaths from heart disease, alcoholism and suicide in
Belarus and Ukraine.
Yuvchenko considers himself lucky, especially compared with those whose
extraordinary heroism finally brought the incident under control. Yuvchenko
has a generous pension; they had nothing. And asked what he now thinks
of the future of civil nuclear power, his answer is emphatic, and perhaps
surprising. "If one learns the lessons and keeps safety as the number-one
priority in all developments, then it is safe." (END)(ARTUIS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zero Hour: Disaster at Chernobyl will be shown on the Discovery Channel
at 10 pm on August 27
========================================================
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"POWER TENDS TO CORRUPT,
ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY"
An observation that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or
her power increases. The statement was made by Lord Acton, British
historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
True then, true today, true always.
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THE ACTION UKRAINE COALITION
"Working to Secure Ukraine's Future"
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