Section: The Ukrainian Weekly (USA)
2015: Our Ukrainian diaspora: growing larger and stronger
Our Ukrainian diaspora gathered on many occasions during 2015 to show support and solidarity with brethren in Ukraine, to commemorate important events in Ukraine’s history, and to discuss ways to help Ukraine through its current crisis. The past year was a particularly productive one for the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), the international...
U.S.-Ukraine relations: support at a time of war
U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden gets a standing ovation while addressing the Verkhovna Rada on December 8. Supporters of Ukraine thought they had won a great victory at the end of 2014 with the passage and the signing of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act; they thought the U.S. would indeed provide Ukraine with the lethal weapons […] …read more...
Commentators react to Obama’s choice of words regarding Ukraine
KYIV – U.S. President Barack Obama in his State of the Union (SOTU) address to the U.S. Congress on January 12 chose questionable words relating to Ukraine, saying it, like Syria, is being propped up by Russia. Speaking about threats faced by the U.S. and the world, Mr. Obama said: “Even as their economy severely […] …read more Source: The...
Shokin-Kasko rivalry seen by U.S. as hindering anti-corruption efforts
KYIV – It’s the new year, but the Procurator General’s Office of Ukraine is still resisting the U.S. government’s anti-corruption recommendations. The latest episode in the U.S. government’s anti-corruption struggles with the Poroshenko administration involves Procurator General Viktor Shokin denying permission for Deputy...
Ukraine stops power supply to Russian-annexed Crimea
Shortly before its residents rang in the New Year, the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea again found itself entirely without Ukrainian electricity. As in November 2015, this was caused by unidentified saboteurs who blew up a power transmission line tower in Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast, which borders Crimea. However, this time, Kyiv is...
Putin’s national security strategy marked by defiance and pushback
The overall goal of pushing the U.S. and its “proxies” out of Kyiv is still a dominant strategic objective of Russia. Under existing legislation, Russia’s National Security Strategy (NSS) must be updated every six years. The previous version was approved in May 2009 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev, so a new NSS was due in […] …read...
Helsinki Commission briefing sheds light on Russian human rights abuses in Crimea
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, held a briefing on “Human Rights Violations in Russian-Occupied Crimea” on December 12, 2015. The discussion featured a panel of activists who are working to keep the world’s attention focused on the troubling human rights...
Vira Savchenko calls on Ukraine’s politicians to give all the facts about agreements reached
KYIV – Imprisoned Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko’s sister, Vira, appeared at a press briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, on December 30, 2015. She spoke about her sister’s case, noting that her trial is to resume on January 13, and pointing out that Nadiya started her second hunger strike on December 18, 2015, […]...
As war in east continues, Ukraine moves Westward
Rocket attacks in the east marked the beginning of 2015 for Ukraine. Twelve civilians were killed and 11 were wounded by a missile fired by Russian-backed militants that hit a bus in the town of Volnovakha, 35 kilometers southwest of Donetsk, on January 13. President Petro Poroshenko stated: “This is a disaster and a tragedy […] …read more...
Our Churches: praying for peace in Ukraine
Religious events in 2015 were varied, including a visit by Pope Francis to the United States and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. Most often, though, religious leaders from Ukraine appealed to the West for increased humanitarian assistance for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression and reminded the...
