Protesters gather near Russian Embassy

WASHINGTON – Across the street from the Embassy of Russia in Washington, a group of Ukrainian Americans on November 26 protested the most recent military attack by Russia against Ukraine, when two Russian ships fired on and seized Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait. Organized by the U.S. Ukrainian Activists and United Help Ukrainian, a group of about 25 protesters gathered on the block of Wisconsin Avenue facing the Embassy, which earlier this year had been renamed “Boris Nemtsov Plaza” in honor of the slain Russian political opposition leader. Holding Ukrainian flags and placards calling for Russia to stop its aggression and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, the protesters chanted “Peace for Ukraine,” “Putin, hands off Ukraine,” and “Glory to Ukraine.” 

 

“Provocation” or an act of war?

When Russian ships attacked three vessels of Ukraine’s Navy on November 25, the “incident” was nothing short of an act of war. The Ukrainian ships – two gunboats and a tug – were sailing in the Black Sea toward the Azov Sea when they were confronted by Russian forces near the entrance to the Kerch Strait. The Russian coast guard first rammed the tugboat, and later fired upon and seized all three vessels and their crew. Six of the sailors were wounded; two of them seriously. Twenty-four sailors are now prisoners of war held by Russia; they’re in pre-trial detention for 60 days as ordered by a Russian court in occupied Crimea. The charge: trespassing on “Russian territory.”

December 8, 2003

Fifteen years ago, on December 8, 2003, Ukraine announced it would dig a channel in the Kerch Strait near the island of Tuzla – which had received media attention earlier in 2003 after Russia began construction of a dike in September to link Tuzla Island to Russian territory.

For Putin, Ukrainian autocephaly is something he won’t tolerate

Vladimir Putin views autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox as fateful and negative an impact on Russia as the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Andrey Illarionov says. The Kremlin leader will never forgive Kyiv for this and will do all he can to block it.

On the Day of Dignity and Freedom

The statement below was released by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress on November 21.

On November 21, the Ukrainian people mark the Day of Dignity and Freedom. Five years ago today, the people of Ukraine took to the streets in protest of their government’s decision not to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. 

The following statement was released by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on November 21.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the largest representation of over 1.5 million Americans of Ukrainian descent, commends our brethren in Ukraine on this Day of Dignity and Freedom.

History in the making in Kyiv

As I contemplated what to write about for my next column, it dawned on me that three of the most historic events in Ukraine of the last three decades occurred, or got their start, in the late November/early December time period. As a long-time policy advisor at a government agency, the U.S. Helsinki Commission, I had the opportunity to travel to Kyiv and witness at least parts of these three momentous events. So, permit me, dear reader, to switch from my usual focus on Washington and share some reminiscences from Kyiv.

Second symposium in California commemorates genocide against the Ukrainian nation

FRESNO, Calif. – This year marks not only the solemn 85th anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocide perpetrated by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in Ukraine, but also the 65th anniversary of Raphael Lemkin’s speech, presented on September 20, 1953, which highlighted the “classic example of Soviet genocide,” characterizing it as “not simply a case of mass murder [, but as] a case of genocide, of destruction, not of individuals only, but of a culture and a nation.” 

Volodymyr Serhiychuk speaks in Montreal about Holodomor

MONTREAL – To commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), Montreal Branch, hosted a talk, in Ukrainian, by Dr. Volodymyr Serhiychuk titled “Number of Victims in the Holodomor-Genocide 1932-1933: Archival Documents and Political Versions.” His presentation was held in co-operation with the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh) of Montreal.