Month: April 19, 2019 9:55 am

No one should have been surprised that Volodymyr Zelensky ran far ahead of all other candidates in the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election, Vitaly Portnikov says. His victory shows that Ukrainians continue to vote their hopes that someone will come to office with a magic wand and solve all their problems.

In Kyiv to participate in the 12th annual Kyiv Security Forum, I sense considerable anticipation ahead of next Sunday’s second round of Ukraine’s presidential election. By the evening of April 21, we should know whether Volodomyr Zelensky will replace Petro Poroshenko as president, or whether the incumbent will manage to stay in office by overcoming a considerable vote deficit in the first round.

Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the cessation of shelling along the so-called line of demarcation would be one of his main objectives as Ukraine’s head of state. The desire to stop the shelling and to save the lives of fellow citizens is a laudable goal. But it is not up to us to stop the shooting. It is up to Vladimir Putin.

CHICAGO – The 68th annual meeting of the membership of Selfreliance Federal Credit Union took place Sunday, March 31, at the Credit Union’s Home Office in Chicago. The meeting was simulcast in New Jersey, at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey in Whippany.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – On April 3, families of the 13 victims of the April 3, 2009, mass killing at the American Civic Association gathered at the ACA building in Binghamton, N.Y., at 10:30 a.m., the estimated time of the shooting ten years ago. They came to attend a tribute to those killed by a deranged gunman (who also shot himself) and for a vigil service.

JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. – For the past 15 years, a dozen women members of the Boston Branch of the Ukrainian American Youth Association (UAYA) have been gathering in their local “domivka” (club house) every Sunday after the sung liturgy for five or six hours to write pysanky from Meatfare Sunday until the fifth Sunday of the Great Fast. They do so in anticipation of the annual pysaanka raffle and sale that is always held on new calendar Palm, or Willow, Sunday at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Parish Center. This year they decorated approximately 300 eggs.

NEW YORK – On Thursday, March 22, St. George Academy (SGA) students participated in the first ever Heritage Concert, where they showcased to the local community the diverse cultures that make up SGA. 

The neon lasers beaming downward from the ceiling made the Staples Center boxing ring appear as if it was protected by a high-tech security system. Some thought this prefight display was designed to subliminally reinforce a thought boxing promoters tried to implant in the public consciousness: Vasiliy Lomachenko is a master of the sport.

Kyiv: Russian terror group thwarted Ukrainian authorities say they have arrested seven people they claim were sent by Russian security services to carry out political killings and other “terrorist” acts, including the slaying of Ukrainian intelligence agents.

CHICAGO – The Foundation of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA Foundation) has donated $10,000 to support and expand the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Training program (BMT) in Ukraine. This program includes the training of Ukrainian physicians and establishment of BMT programs in Kyiv and Lviv.

OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union (SUSK) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) announced the appointment of Illya Mykytyn as the new SUSK national coordinator. 

KYIV – Runoff candidates Volodymyr Zelensky and incumbent Petro Poroshenko this week elaborated on the first steps they would take in the next presidential term. Both presented similar approaches to fighting corruption that emphasized the need to reboot the law enforcement and judicial system.