Controversy continues over dismissal of commander of Ukraine's Naval Forces (06/08/03)

Controversy continues over dismissal of commander of Ukraine's Naval Forces

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Controversy continued to surround the dismissal of Admiral Mykhailo Yezhel, commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, whom President Leonid Kuchma unexpectedly relieved of duty during a trip to Sevastopol at the end of April. On May 21 Admiral Yezhel was arrested on charges of corruption for the illegal transfer of military holdings.

The firing came on the eve of a trip by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Crimean region, which has led to much speculation that the move was done in deference to the Russian leader's visit.

On May 22 Mr. Kuchma appointed Vice-Admiral Ihor Kniaz to replace Mr. Yezhel as head of the Ukrainian navy, but not before a wave of criticism had engulfed Admiral Yezhel's firing - most notably accusations by the editor of the local newspaper, Dzvin Sevastopolia (Bell of Sevastopol), which is published by the Ukrainian Prosvita Society, that President Kuchma had bowed to pressure from his Russian counterpart in making the decision to fire the pro-Ukrainian admiral.

There are long-standing disagreements between the head of the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF), Vice-Admiral Vladimir Masorin, and Admiral Yezhel on various issues, including control of the navigational systems and traffic in and around the bays and ports of the area.

Last year, the Ukrainian navy ceded some authority to the Russian BSF over navigation within the four bays found in Sevastopol in order to better organize search and rescue operations. According to Volodymyr Prytula, director of the Monitoring Committee on Press Freedoms in Crimea, the Ukrainian naval Forces and the Russian BSF were battling for control of navigational stations and equipment, and navigational dominance.

Dzvin Sevastopolia charged that the presidential edict to dismiss Admiral Yezhel came after the friction between the two navy commanders came to a head over stories critical of the Russian presence in Sevastopol that had appeared in the Ukrainian naval newspaper, Flot Ukrainy (The Ukrainian Fleet), which the head of the Russian BSF wanted stopped. The stories included details of Russia's attempts to subvert the formation of the Ukrainian navy in the early 1990s.

"I believe that this was the last of a complex set of reasons, which led to his dismissal and was a result of Russian pressure from above," explained Volodymyr Prytula, the director of the Monitoring Committee on Press Freedoms in the Crimea.

Mr. Prytula explained that Vice-Admiral Masorin had written a letter to Admiral Yezhel in response to a recent story to demand that he maintain better control over publications over which he has influence, to "exclude publication of materials that do not stimulate the development of friendship and good neighborliness" between the two navies. The letter was obtained by Dzvin Sevastopolia and published, which led to a broader piece on censorship by Radio Liberty.

Mr. Prytula explained in an exclusive interview with The Ukrainian Weekly that enmity on a professional level had long existed between the leaders of the BSF and the Ukrainian navy. For one, Admiral Yezhel out-ranked Vice-Admiral Masorin, even though the Russian BSF force in Sevastopol was much larger than the Ukrainian navy. Also, Mr. Yezhel was a dynamic figure in Sevastopol who had considerable influence, and many friends and interests, much more so than his Russian counterpart.

Yet, what may have been most decisive was Admiral Yezhel's staunchly pro-Ukrainian stance in matters involving relations between the two navies in Sevastopol.

According to a commentary in Dzvin Sevastopolia of May 18, written by its editor, Mykola Huk, Admiral Yezhel intentionally wrote all his holiday greetings to the Russian BSF during navy holidays in the Ukrainian language; demanded that his subordinates communicate in the Ukrainian language and built a memorial to the Ukrainian bard Taras Shevchenko on Prymorskyi Boulevard, while attempting to have 50th Anniversary Square in Sevastopol renamed Hetman Sahaidachny Square.

The newspaper noted that, with Admiral Yezhel's departure, the annual May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Sevastopol this year took on a Russian coloration: all commands to Ukrainian naval cadets were given in Russian, a Russian vice-admiral opened the parade and "Sevastopol, The City of Russian Sailors," was the song that began the official banquet in the evening.

Anatolii Danilov, assistant director of the Nakhimov Naval Institute in Sevastopol, which is a Ukrainian naval academy, would not comment on the specific reasons for the dismissal of Admiral Yezhel, a longtime acquaintance and his former boss. He said the only information he had was obtained in the press.

Mr. Danilov said he had seen no outward evidence of friction between the commanders of the Ukrainian navy and the Russian BSF. He maintained, however, that the Ukrainian Naval Forces and his academy continue to function in the Ukrainian language and that he had not noted any significant changes in policy after Admiral Yezhel's firing.

As for the charges against Admiral Yezhel - that he had abused his authority as a military official and had been derelict in his military service - Mr. Prytula observed that it was commonly rumored that the Ukrainian admiral had business and land interests. He also noted that Ukraine's Ministry of Defense in a major reorganization recently had given the navy charge over the property and land holdings formerly held by the Crimean Army Corps.

However, Mr. Prytula noted that even if Admiral Yezhel is found guilty of the illegal sale of government land and property, every military leader in every military district of Ukraine could be found guilty of the same charges and that, whether guilty or not, the real reason for Admiral Yezhel's troubles lie in the political atmosphere of Sevastopol and relations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Given that Sevastopol remains a bubbling cauldron of Ukrainian-Russian political and military disputes, Mr. Prytula said he was pleased that President Kuchma had chosen the Crimean-born Vice-Admiral Kniaz to replace Admiral Yezhel. He explained that the newly appointed naval commander is among the first higher-ranking officers to jump from the Russian Black Sea Fleet to the newly established Ukrainian navy in 1992.

"It was the most difficult period for the Ukrainian navy and so I believe he can be characterized as a true Ukrainian patriot," Mr. Prytula added.

Vice-Admiral Kniaz was commander of the Donuzlav Naval Base in northern Crimea before he was named to head the Navy by President Kuchma. Prior to that he was assigned to Naval Headquarters in Sevastopol. He left the Russian Black Sea Fleet for the Ukrainian Naval Forces in December 1992, six months after they were formed.

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