April 30, 1979

Forty years ago, on April 30, 1979, Soviet political prisoner Valentyn Moroz spoke at a press conference at the Ukrainian National Association in Jersey City, N.J. He was one of five prisoners – Alexander Ginzburg, Georgi Vins (a Baptist Ukrainian minister) and two Jewish dissidents (Eduard Kuzentsov and Mark Dymshits) who had sought refuge in Israel – who were exchanged with the West for two Soviet employees (Valadik A. Enger and Rudolf Chernyayev) who were found guilty of espionage in the U.S. Moroz arrived in the U.S. on Friday, April 27.

Advocacy!

Dear Readers: Welcome to The Washington Notebook, a featured article compiled by the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) aimed at providing perspective and insight on activities in Washington that concern the Ukrainian community. 

Ukraine’s presidential elections: Winners, losers, observations

So, after a contentious election campaign, Volodymyr Zelensky has been elected overwhelmingly as Ukraine’s sixth president. Most of the Washington policy community – like the vast majority of the Ukrainian diaspora – would have preferred a continuation of the Poroshenko presidency, but the Ukrainian people had other ideas. Whether we like the results or not, these democratic elections reflected the will of the Ukrainian people and it is incumbent upon us to respect that choice. The choice was made by an electorate fed up with the ruling class and hungry for change. 

Petro Poroshenko has been a strong president who has led the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s aggression, who moved Ukraine closer to the trans-Atlantic community of democratic nations, who undertook many important reforms and who was highly respected as an international partner and statesman. His agenda of “Army!

Kyiv says 506 churches have shifted from UOC-MP; Moscow says only 61 have

Since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was formed and granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople last year, both it and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate agree that a number of churches have shifted their allegiance from the Moscow-affiliated Church to the Ukrainian one.  But they disagree as to how many.

Lukashenka tears down crosses at Kuropaty, infuriating Belarusians and religious leaders

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has suffered three self-inflicted wounds as a result of his decision to demolish the crosses at the site of the Kuropaty mass graves: he has lost whatever sympathy he had among the population, he has likely made it impossible for any Western leader to receive him, and he has called attention to splits within his own regime.  

Ukraine Global Scholars program plans to assist 50 talented high school students

It’s the middle of the night here in Paskivka, a tiny village in Poltava region where the number of goats exceeds the actual human population, but I am far from falling asleep. I am trying to come up with a reasonable answer to the “Why are you applying to our school” question to simultaneously show my commitment and still seem cool about it. It seems impossible to explain in under 100 words why I have been dreaming about the acceptance letter for the past two years. My desk is covered with SAT study guides, essay drafts labeled “trash” and cheesy inspirational quotes that supposedly should motivate me to tackle the deadlines. My friends believe I joined some kind of a cult, my parents think I’m going crazy, and unfed goats have just declared the silent treatment. 

Ambassador Chaly speaks about Ukraine’s geopolitical role in Europe

CAMBRIDGE, Mass – Valeriy Chaly, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, repeatedly emphasized during a public talk here on April 15 the importance of Ukraine’s geopolitical role in Europe, as well as the country’s work to secure peace in the region and counter Russian aggression.

“Syzokryli” soar at 40th anniversary dance concert

NEW YORK – Dispelling chilly rains on the last day of March, Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble lit up the stage with a heartwarming program at the Kaye Playhouse, Hunter College in New York City. This concert was a celebration of 40 years of Syzokryli and the Roma Pryma Bohachevsky (RPB) School of Dance. The maximum hall capacity’s 624 tickets had sold out briskly, days before.

NEWSBRIEFS

Thousands come to thank PoroshenkoIn an unprecedented event, several thousand people came to Bankova Street, the location of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, on April 22 to see President Petro Poroshenko, whose presidential term is about to end, in order to express gratitude for everything he did for Ukraine. Mr. Poroshenko thanked those in the crowd for their support and reminded them that he would stay in politics. He emphasized that his goals were to win the parliamentary elections and “return to Bankova” after the next presidential election. (Serhii Nuznenko/RFE/RL)