Stephen Velychenko

This is a further development of the subject previously discussed in ePOSHTA:
Is there no Fascism in Russia?
http://www.eposhta.com

Taras Kuzio

Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on June 21, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych defended the criminal cases launched against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and twelve ministers from her 2007-2010 government. Together with nine leaders of the fall 2010 anti-tax code protests and ten nationalists who admitted to beheading the monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (a crime of ‘hooliganism’) although they have been charged with blowing it up (which is a charge of ‘terrorism’) the list of Ukrainians persecuted for political beliefs is now over 30 - and growing.

A system of repressions in Ukraine is obviously ready to operate. Yanukovch, certainly, is not Stalin: Stalin robbed banks, while Yanukovych simply stole hats. The level is different. While the entire system is also rotten, the system is certainly there. History shows that such a system destroys its creators as a rule.

Walter Derzko  There are many early warning signals and indications pointing to this.At the end of May, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg was interviewed on Russian FM radio Kommersant.

Schwarzenberg recounted the problems in relations between Russia and Europe. When asked by the interviewer about Russia’s ambitions to regain its superpower status (“Does Russia's aspiration to play this sort of equal role with the United States in international affairs concern you?”)  his reply was categorical:  “To a certain degree it does concern me - above all Russia's attitude to its neighbors. Georgia is one of the examples.

Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation

Key provisions of the pension bill

The bill “On Measures to Legislatively Ensure Reform of the Pension System” contains several main novelties, practically all of which evoked the dissatisfaction of citizens and criticism of the opposition.

All the practices, habits, and thoughts of the so-called “Ukrainian elite” are worlds apart from those associated today with “Europeans”. .

Mykola Riabchuk

The pro-Russian radicals, without official support and encouragement, failed to make any significant disturbances in L’viv and elsewhere, to the noticeable disappointment of numerous Russian TV crews who came to L’viv to gather new evidence of rabid Ukrainian “nationalism” and “neo-Nazism.

Snail-mail brings a letter from Uncle Ilko.  His distinctive scrawl devotes several pages to mental callisthenics, his designation for matters dealing with Ukrainian issues.  It’s all here in point form:

 In Ukraine:

· Don’t give up on Ukraine.  President Viktor Yanukovych doesn’t have much wiggle room.  The Ruski press him on all sides to join the Customs Union.  So far, he’s “studying” it like any smart politician should.

Canadian Conference in Support of Ukraine (CCSU)
League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC), League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW)
Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM), Society of Veterans of UPA
Homin Ukrainy/Ukrainian Echo

JUNE 23, 2011

Whereas recent developments in Ukraine have seriously eroded the state of human rights and democratic freedoms in Ukraine;

Many pro-democracy analysts reacted to the court decision with dismay. Olekisy Haran, professor of political science at Kyiv Mohyla National Academy, an independent university, said the constitutional change was “essentially a usurpation of power [that] moved Ukraine one step closer to authoritarianism”.

Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovich has won much expanded powers, fuelling opposition criticisms that he is displaying authoritarian tendencies.

HOLODOMOR - it's not a play on another well known similar sounding word. Its meaning is uniquely Ukrainian, as is the experience that gave origin to the word. The word HOLODOMOR is a literal combination of two Ukrainian words: holod meaning starvation, and moryty meaning to kill. HOLODOMOR - to kill by starvation - defines a horrific tragedy in the history of mankind: the genocide committed against the Ukrainian people by the Soviet regime in 1932 - 33 as authorized by its leader Josef Stalin. 

Selfreliance Ukrainian-American Federal Credit Union generously hosted Dr. Vyacheslav Bryukhovetsky,  NaUKMA chancellor  and president of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Andriy Maleshevych, dean of the Kyiv Mohyla Law School at a presentation to the Chicago area Ukrainian community on April 10th, 2010.

The gathering of approximately one hundred took place at the meeting hall of the credit union.  The audience eagerly listened to an analysis of the political situation in Ukraine and engaged in a lively discussion.

Julian Kulas,  chairman of Heritage Foundation and Chrystia Wereszczak, member of the Heritage Foundation Board, welcomed Vyacheslav Bryukhovetsky, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy chancellor  and Andriy Maleshevych, dean of the Law School at a meeting in Chicago to express support for the mission and work of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in April 2010.

On behalf of the Heritage Foundation, they presented a check in the amount of $15,000 as a show of support for Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and its mission.  To date the Heritage Foundation has supported the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy generously with gifts totaling $156,000.