Month: May 13, 2021 10:01 pm

MUNICH, Germany – The Ukrainian Youth Association (known by its Ukrainian acronym CYM) is celebrating 75 years since the re-establishment of the organization in the diaspora. As one of the many projects aimed to increase awareness and celebrate the anniversary, a world tour of the CYM commemorative flag was launched in Munich, Germany, on April 25 – exactly 75 years since the organization’s founding in the diaspora in 1946. The organization was originally founded in Ukraine in 1925.

MUNICH, Germany – The official unveiling of a bronze memorial plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Youth Association (known by its Ukrainian acronym CYM) in the diaspora was held on April 25 in Munich.

World Bank approves $90 million loan
The World Bank has approved a $90 million project to help Ukraine’s health sector respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The international financial institution announced the loan on May 11, saying the project will help Ukraine buy COVID-19 vaccines and improve infrastructure for vaccine storage and logistics.

PHILADELPHIA – On May 6, Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, held a virtual meeting with members of the Ukrainian Human Rights Committee. The subject of the meeting was the critical situation in Ukraine.

The “Uke Line” of the Boston Bruins, formed in 1957, comprised Johnny Bucyk, Bronco Horvath and Vic Stasiuk, three forwards of Ukrainian heritage. The three actually got started in the Western Hockey League, where the trio skated together for the Edmonton Flyers in 1954-1955, although Stasiuk only got into 11 games (13 points), while Bucyk (30G, 88PTS) and Horvath (50G, 60A, 110PTS) killed it offensively.

Longoria goes deep twice in two games
Ukrainian Evan Longoria, in the Cactus League, in his first at bat of the 2021 regular season crushed a sinker from Seattle Mariners lefty Marco Gonzales to give his San Francisco Giants an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on April 1. Longoria, 35, hit his first homer of the year 358 feet over the right field wall (an opposite field shot) with an exit velocity of 101.4 mph. To prove this was no fluke either, he went deep again in the Giants’ second game, smashing a two-run shot, going two for three with two RBI’s.

KYIV – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 6 paid a one-day visit to Ukraine where he reiterated U.S. government support for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression.

KYIV – Ukraine’s government appointed Yuriy Vitrenko as the new CEO of state-owned giant Naftogaz on April 28, replacing Andriy Kobolyev, who had led the enterprise since 2014. The move, which occurred the day after the national oil and gas company reported a loss in 2020 of $684 million, was taken by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, which used a legal loophole to rid themselves of Mr. Kobolyev.

KYIV – After 506 days in jail, the last of the three suspects in the high-profile murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet was released on April 30 and placed under round-the-clock house arrest with an electronic monitoring device.

“We should not let Mr. Zelenskyy and his team off the hook, but let them twist [wriggle, squirm] there,” Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov recently told reporters (RIA Novosti, April 28). This is Mr. Lavrov’s own style of signaling to Ukraine that Russia holds the commanding position to set the agenda of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ardently sought meeting with his Kremlin counterpart, President Vladimir Putin.

WASHINGTON – The Steering Committee of Ukrainian Americans for Biden and representatives of Ukrainian American organizations received a briefing on April 26 from Chris Smith, director for Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and the Caucasus at the National Security Council. The briefing, held via Zoom, was a comprehensive 75-minute overview of topics that included plans to battle Russian disinformation, sanctions against Russia, Nord Stream 2, Russia’s increasingly threatening activity in the Black Sea, human rights violations in occupied Ukrainian territory, visa and travel restrictions and a recent $50 million allocation to Ukraine for COVID relief.

WASHINGTON – With the announcement of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Ukraine in early May, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) penned a letter to the secretary of state requesting that the United States reaffirm its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. The letter accentuated the strategic partnership which exists between the two countries, while also highlighting key issues of continued support for Ukraine as Kyiv fends off Russian aggression and malign influence.