Month: February 28, 2020 5:28 am

A bipartisan letter was sent on March 4, 2015, to President Barack Obama, urging him to approve lethal defensive aid for Ukraine in light of a recent ceasefire agreement.

The letter was signed by Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio); House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.); Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.); Rep Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas); Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Armed Service Committee; Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.); Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.); Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.); and State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas).

A distinguished group of American, European and Russian former government officials and think tank experts has taken advantage of the Munich Security Conference to issue a statement recommending 12 steps to bring greater security to Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic region. For years, the Kremlin has tried to change the conversation on Ukraine, and they are clearly seeking another opening in Munich. In response, 23 former U.S. diplomats, government officials and experts point out their errors. (Source: Atlantic Council’s “Ukraine Alert”)

Most of the 12 recommendations from the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group – if faithfully implemented by all parties – are constructive and could both serve as confidence-building measures and alleviate the difficulties and suffering endured by the population in or near the occupied Donbas. Several are problematic; two in particular echo Kremlin negotiating proposals or disinformation themes. More importantly, the document describes the problem to be resolved in Kremlin-friendly terms, perhaps in order to persuade members of the Russian elite to sign.

The following press statement was issued by the Ukrainian World Congress on February 20.

On February 20, 2020, Ukrainians around the world unite in honoring the memory of the peaceful unarmed protesters remembered as the Nebesna Sotnia heroes [Heavenly Hundred] who were brutally massacred in the center of Kyiv while defending the freedom, dignity and European aspirations of the Ukrainian people.

The tragic events that unfolded on Independence Square six years ago on February 18-20 launched a new era in the modern history of independent Ukraine which was, once again, forced to defend its sovereignty, democracy and territorial integrity from a foreign aggressor. Unsuccessful in its attempt to subdue the Ukrainian people, the Russian Federation illegally occupied the Crimean peninsula and the city of Sevastopol, and invaded the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of eastern Ukraine.

The following statement was issued by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress on February 20.

On February 20, Ukraine and Ukrainians around the world mark the Day of Commemoration of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred (Nebesna Sotnia).

In the fall of 2013, the Ukrainian people took to the streets in protest against the authoritarian, corrupt regime of former president Victor Yanukovych. This movement known as the Revolution of Dignity saw Ukrainians in cities and towns all across the country rise up in defense of their inalienable rights. They demanded rule of law and democracy. They demanded their government treat them with the dignity that every human being deserves. The regime responded with violence.

CHICAGO – When President Franklin D. Roosevelt congratulated the organizers of 1932-1933 World’s Fair called “A Century of Progress,” he said he hoped it would “bring about friendship among the nations of the earth.” Newly arrived Ukrainian immigrants understood that such a friendship could thrive only among nations that truly knew one another. So they mustered all of their resources and built one of the largest pavilions – the only national structure not sponsored by a foreign government – in which to introduce the gems of Ukrainian culture to the world.

Now, the public can view 2,500 artifacts from that pavilion at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago – where it is indeed bringing about friendship among the Windy City’s diverse ethnic residents who are scheduling showings of the catalogued exhibit. More and more school groups and private individuals are learning about the immigrants who enabled today’s thriving Ukrainian Village, with its gourmet restaurants, glittering domes and hot real estate values.

MONTREAL – The Montreal restoration project of Holodomor resource material for educators and the general public, undertaken by Yurij Luhovy and Zorianna Hrycenko, provides additional resource materials on the Holodomor.

Filmed in 1983, the final two phases of a major three-part project which began in May 2018 and was completed by January 2020, has now been posted online. The Holodomor project, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1932-1933 Great Famine in Soviet Ukraine, leaves an important record of the work done in the diaspora to safeguard historical memory for future generations.

OTTAWA – Over the past quarter-century, an eclectic congregation has transformed the liturgical nature and enlivened the parish life at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Shrine in Ottawa.

This mainly young group of people – none of whom are ethnic Ukrainian and many who were not raised Catholic – has breathed new life into not only the shrine community, but the overall Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church in Canada.

WASHINGTON – “As the newly elected archbishop-metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the U.S., what do you want to do?” This was the question posed to the newly appointed Archbishop-Metropolitan Borys Gudziak as he met with the Synod of Bishops in 2019. The group of 52 anxiously waited as the archbishop pondered this question; after a brief period of silence, he answered: “I want to listen.”

In September of this year, the Synod of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Bishops will convene to discuss the future of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC). During this gathering, they will delineate a 10-year pastoral plan on how to address the current needs of the Church, and how to resolve the issues the Church faces in the 21st century.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Hartford-based Yevshan Ukrainian Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Alexander Kuzma performed a concert of Ukrainian Christmas and New Year’s carols in the main hall of the Knights of Columbus Museum in downtown New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, January 25. Despite rainy and blustery weather, the afternoon concert drew a large and enthusiastic crowd from across southern Connecticut, and from as far away as Stamford, Conn., Boston and Rhode Island.

The ensemble sang a diverse array of seasonal favorites including Stanislav Liudkevych’s charming arrangement of “Vo Vyfleyemi” and a rousing suite of carols by Kyrylo Stetsenko beginning with “Dnes Poyushche” (“Today we sing of our Newborn King”), as well as several rarely heard works including Leontovych’s “Oi Hordopyshnyi Pan Hospodariu” (“Oh, proud master of this house”).

WILMINGTON, Del. – Catherine Husak celebrated her 100th birthday in Wilmington, Del., on Sunday, February 16. The pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, the Rev. Volodymyr Klanichka, and the president of Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Branch 54, Marika Hawrysczuk, hosted a gathering of parishioners in Mrs. Husak’s honor after the 9 a.m. liturgy. Coffee and cake were served. Ms. Hawrysczuk honored Mrs. Husak, a former president of UNWLA Branch 54, with a special flower arrangement. Father Klanichka noted that Mrs. Husak is the oldest parishioner at St. Nicholas. Mrs. Husak is a long-time member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 173.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – On February 15, Branch 56 of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) held a dance at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church parish hall in North Port, Fla.

The gala is an annual fund-raiser for the various causes supported by Branch 56, such as wounded warriors and orphans in Ukraine, seniors and the UNWLA Scholarship Fund.

This year’s event, which was themed “We Love Ukraine,” invited guests to don blue and gold evening attire. A lovely buffet was prepared and served by branch members, and music was provided by the Syzonenko Brothers.

SOCCER

Shakhtar exits UCL, draws Benfica

Shakhtar Donetsk finished in third place in Group C after its 0-3 loss to Atalanta (Italy) on December 10 in Kharkiv as part of the UEFA Champions League. After six matches played, Shakhtar, with six points and is relegated to the UEFA Europa League knockout phase. It won 2-1 against Benfica (Portugal) in the Round of 32 of its first-leg match on February 20. The second-leg is set for February 27. The draw for the Round of 16 will be made on February 28. In Group C, Manchester City advanced to the round of 16 in first place (14 points), followed by Atalanta with seven, and in fourth place, Dinamo Zagreb (five points) was eliminated.