Author: Oksana Bashuk Hepburn

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a strong self-serving agenda when he called his American counterpart last week. He argued that America must guarantee Russia’s security and let it decide on who gets to join NATO. He also stipulated that there can be no U.S. military cooperation with former USSR countries, otherwise his Zircon missiles will...

The other day Euromaidan Press posted some 20 renditions of “Shchedryk” – the New Year carol known in English as “Carol of the Bells” – by Mykola Leontovych ( see http://euromaidanpress.com/2017/ 12/21/a-ukrainian-composers-gift-to-the-world-of-christmas-music/). The renditions – performed in different parts of the world, in various arrangements and musical media – are exquisite. Included are a 1920s...

Canada turned 150 on July 1. From “a few acres of snow” it has been transformed into one of the world’s most prosperous countries, consistently ranking in the top 10 happiest places to live. It is also a global leader in human rights and multiculturalism. Canadians of Ukrainian descent were instrumental in developing both concepts....

Here’s a way to make money. You need a fine cause, good friends and a determination to make it happen. This is how it happened in Longboat Key, Fla. Olha Onyshko, M.FA. in film and video from American University and a D.C. area-resident, was in Florida screening her documentary film “Women of Maidan” at the...

Canadians, indeed the entire democratic world, are concerned about the foreign policy positions articulated by President-elect Donald Trump. The Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine (cg4du.blogspot.com) has written a letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, setting out some of the key foreign policy issues for democratic-minded Canadians regarding Ukraine. I am a founding member...

Challenges are something Ukrainians settling in Canada, and around the world, know well. Some 125 years ago it was the challenge of being among the first non-traditional (Anglo Celtic or French) groups to settle in Canada. Landing here was as foreign then as landing on the moon would be today; then, it was without the...

Nothing, absolutely nothing, convinces me more of the future of Ukrainians in Canada than Lemon Bucket Orkestra’s “Counting Sheep,” a guerrilla folk opera staged in Toronto. The performance was phenomenal – and filled to capacity. The interactive cast and audience sang, danced, battled, shouted, threw bricks and wept. The mostly non-Ukrainian audience lived through the...

The two-year battle to defend Ukraine from Russia calls for an assessment. High marks go to Ukraine’s ATO forces. Originating with the young protesters from the Maidan, the fighters had little but their bare hands to repel the invader. Not only have they withstood Russia, virtually on their own, but their endurance is accumulating other...

This year marks the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada. Not too many plans have been shared to date, hence I am offering some of my ideas on how to mark this important historic year and going forward. 1. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights might develop a historic time line marking Canada’s development...

Canada’s October elections returned the Liberal Party to power and relegated Prime Minister Steven Harper’s Conservatives to the opposition. What does this mean for Canada’s relations with Ukraine? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made promises during the election campaign suggesting that it will be business as usual – even better. For example, speaking at a pre-elections...

Dear Editor: Regarding “U.S. officials criticize Ukraine’s prosecutors for failure of reforms” by Zenon Zawada (October 17): this excellent article makes it clear that the Procurator General’s Office (PGO) must be cleansed, or else Ukraine’s efforts to capitalize on the victory of its Maidan and Donbas heroes and move forward is doomed. Bravo to the...

There was a lack of emphasis on Russia’s terror in Ukraine during the recent Republican Party presidential contenders’ debate. Russia must be pleased. True, several chided the current administration for its tepid response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine; even criticized U.S. participation in the dismantling of Ukraine’s nuclear capability. None, however, went as...