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2 No.<strong>41</strong> AUGUST 9, 2018 DAY AFTER DAY WWW.DAY.KIEV.UA By Solomiia NYKOLAIEVYCH, Den’s Summer School of Journalism, 2018 Has the old conflict between the two neighboring countries been finally settled? Does a common problem help unite the parties concerned? These and other questions were posed to Polish Ambassador Jan Pieklo by young journalists of Den’s Summer School of Journalism. “Poland is criticizing Russia for its aggression in the east of Ukraine and for the annexation of Crimea,” said Mr. Pieklo. He went on to assure those present that Poland and Ukraine would “continue to cooperate” and help each other. He noted that the Polish government is already trying to slow down the launch of the construction of Nord Stream 2. This gas pipeline is apparently not as important for Poland as it is for Donald Trump the businessman. Mr. Pieklo said that Poland and Ukraine share their national heritage which is enormous, invaluable, and indivisible on a world and local scope. The Polish diplomat stressed that Poles must stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians in building a joint nonstereotyped future. ● EU APPROVES OF UKRAINE’S REFORMS Solomiia NYKOLAIEVYCH, Lesia Ukrainka Eastern European National University: “How would you briefly describe the Polish view on the recent EU- Ukraine and NATO summits, particularly the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump?” “Remarkably, three such events took place within one week. This wasn’t planned that way, but just happened. I think the EU-Ukraine summit in Brussels had an effect on the NATO summit that was attended by your president and his Georgian counterpart. The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump was interesting, considering that it lasted for about two hours and that we know nothing about what happened in Helsinki then. Both presidents were accompanied by interpreters and no one else. No one knows what they spoke about. There was a news conference after their meeting. Putin said a few words about Ukraine and noted that Donald Trump doesn’t recognize the annexation of Crimea. The US president didn’t mention Ukraine at all, and nor did he mention what was happening in that European country. As for the EU-Ukraine summit, preparations were made and everyone knew what would happen. President Petro Poroshenko wanted Ukraine to be part of EU activities and the EU and Ukraine to come out jointly against Project Nord Stream 2. This didn’t happen. The Ukrainian president also wanted to discuss Schengen [visas], but it was impossible. Instead, the EU approved of Ukraine’s progress in making reforms, particularly in regard to the Anticorruption Court, as required by the IMF to issue the next tranche. In other words, that summit passed without surprises. At the NATO summit, Hungary blocked the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission. The Georgia-Ukraine Black Sea format was adopted instead. Of course, this wasn’t what Ukraine and some NATO countries wanted, but the important fact was the presence at the summit of the Ukrainian and Georgian presidents. Getting back to the meeting between Putin and Trump, one wonders about the choice of Helsinki as the site, considering that the Final Act [of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe] was signed there, providing for the inviolability of frontiers. Symbolically, the two presidents met in Helsinki after Putin had breached all of Russia’s agreements on this inviolability. However, their meeting was very important. It meant that Russia wants to take part in global politics. We don’t know what decisions were made then, but we’ll learn soon enough. Some believe that a decision was made that would be bad for Ukraine and negative for Poland and Europe. Still, we don’t know what decisions were made. Your colleagues, US journalists, ranging from Conservative to Republican, were very critical about that meeting and the press conference. That conference was the only chance to learn something about what was happening. We’ll see.” “Poland is and will remain Ukraine’s strategic partner” Ambassador Jan PIEKLO met with Den’s Summer School students, answered complicated questions, and shared his ideas about ways to preserve the common heritage Polish President Andrzej Duda made a very strong statement at the NATO summit. Would you care to comment? “For Ukraine, it means that Poland will continue to support Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership aspirations; that Poland is criticizing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. The Polish president simply stressed the good old postulates: Poland’s stand in the matter of Ukraine, criticism of Russia’s aggression and annexation of Crimea, as well as the maintaining of sanctions [against Russia]. Poland is and will remain Ukraine’s strategic partner. Neighbors are neighbors. We may quarrel now and then, but we have common interests in terms of security, business, and economy. Our countries are interested in learning from each other’s experience.” ● “I’M AN OPTIMIST, I KNOW THAT WE MAY BLOCK NORD STREAM 2” Yuliia DOVHAICHUK, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv: “Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic states are blocking the launch of the construction of Nord Stream 2. Poland is a member of the EU, so what is there to prevent it from using means of stopping the process?” “We’re trying to do just that, but it’s a very sophisticated process. Germany is a powerful EU member and it is very interested in Nord Stream 2, because very big money is involved in the project and it spells big profits for Germany and Russia. There is also the EU energy directive and we want to use it. Denmark is the only country required to build Nord Stream 2, considering that the pipeline, if built, will pass through its territorial waters. Denmark is still undecided. So far, everything is being done in accordance with the law, including the EU laws. However, these laws can be interpreted in various ways. Denmark will make its decision. You and me wouldn’t want this decision to be in favor of Nord Stream 2. The Danish government is under a great deal of pressure from some EU countries and Russia. I’m an optimist, I know that we may block Nord Stream 2. It’s interesting to note what US President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin, concerning the sanctions that will be imposed on those who will take part in the construction of Nord Stream 2. It is interesting because it’s about money that will be lost. Part of German society – particularly the Greens – is resolutely opposed to Nord Stream 2. For them, environmental reasons come first and politics next. They are very active in the European Parliament, so we need an alliance.” Viktoriia HONCHARENKO, Law School, Dnipro: “How reliable is the US stand in the matter of Nord Stream 2, considering its resolute opposition to the project before Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met, and the fact that this resolute opposition was veiled during the press conference while describing Putin as just a competitor?” “That’s an interesting situation, considering that Donald Trump isn’t a professional politician but a businessman. Some believed from the outset that he would take a different, businesslike stand in the matter. The US-Russia trade ratio is rather low and the US can transport gas to other countries. In this sense, Russia is America’s rival, considering that America would want to sell gas to Europe. Poland and Lithuania have built coast terminals to accommodate such US gas deliveries. This is an economic interest, not just politics. Russia is using gas as a political weapon, so this is a political matter for us while it is an economic as well as political one for the United States.” ● MINSK AGREEMENTS: APPARENTLY INEFFECTIVE Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day Vladyslava SHEVCHENKO, Kyiv- Mohyla Academy National University: “You said in an interview that the Minsk Agreements aren’t working the way you’d want them to. Why aren’t Europe and the United States taking any steps to change the format?” “I remember a meeting dedicated to the Minsk Agreements and discussing the matter with the German ambassador. He’d been for the agreements from day one and I said it was time to think of a new format. Let’s face it: the Minsk Agreements are ineffective and it’s also true that the US is involved in the process. Some believe a UN peacekeeping force should be deployed. I have my experience of working with a UN peacekeeping mission. I was a journalist during the war in the Balkans and I was badly shaken by the Srebrenica massacre – considering that the Bosnian Muslims were slaughtered when the UN peacekeepers were in position. It is also true that the conflict in the Balkans wouldn’t be ended without NATO support – America’s support, to be precise. I don’t think that the Balkan case is closed. We’ve seen Russia try to topple the Montenegrin administration. It didn’t work and Montenegro is now a NATO member despite all Russia’s attempts to the contrary. There is no decision on a UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas and only its possibility is being discussed. No one has come up with a proposal on how this could be accomplished. We don’t know whether this new concept was discussed in Helsinki.” Mykola SIRUK: “There are recent media reports about Vladimir Putin allegedly saying, during a meeting with diplomats, that he can see a referendum in the east [of Ukraine].” “That’s incredible. Vladimir Putin says what he thinks is best for Russia. Donald Trump follows suit in his own way. He says something [today] and will say something different in 24 hours. Putin isn’t totally sure how to handle Trump. I think he did what Trump usually does, that if he said that they had discussed ways to hold a referendum in Russia, it was his wishful thinking, although I don’t buy it.” ● CAPITALIZING ON HISTORICAL ISSUES Iryna LADYKA, Ivan Franko National University, Lviv: “There existed a please-forgive-us-we-forgive-you consensus between our countries for a certain period of time. Our president used this formula addressing the Polish Sejm in 2014. However, no events in history, not even the most dramatic ones, can divide our nations. Polish politicians have been using such historical issues for political purposes of late. Why?” “I think it’s a balanced matter. You also have such politicians. Ukraine is a strategic partner of Poland. We know that a secure Ukraine means a secure Poland, and a secure European Union. Building a [better] future is the most important thing. You’ll have elections and so will we. Some politicians believe they can capitalize on historical issues and win more votes. There is a part of history that relates to the Second World War. There are many interpretations. I think this part should be discussed and written about, but our future is the most important thing. We must build a common future. President Andrzej Duda said that ‘our goal is Ukraine’s prospects for EU and NATO membership.’ This is also Ukraine’s goal.” ● A DIFFERENT CONCEPT OF HONORING THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO HELPED EVERYONE AT A TIME OF ORDEAL Daria CHYZH, Borys Hrinchenko University, Kyiv: “Visiting Volyn, President Andrzej Duda said that some 100,000 Poles died in that tragedy, compared to 5,000 Ukrainians. This is a striking historical truth. However, a Ukrainian historian said in an interview that the Polish president had cited absolutely fictitious figures… Do you think that we should resort to such debates or leave the subject to historians?” “Like I said, you will have elections and so will we. As for the number of victims on both sides, I wrote an essay for the Lvivbased magazine ‘Yi.’ It was about Volyn [aka Volhynia. – Ed.], about Jedwabne, a Polish village where Jews were massacred during WW II, and about the war in former Yugoslavia. I demonstrated the same mechanism that triggered off such crimes, when villagers would be told that they could kill Poles living next door and take their property. We remember that the UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army – Ed.] wasn’t strong in Volyn, but the mechanism was there. The same was true of Jews in Poland and of interethnic conflicts in Bosnia. Everyone had to be killed, so there would be no eyewitnesses. This mechanism is so horrible, you can only try to imagine it. We must pay tribute to all victims, especially to all those mixed Polish-Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Polish families. They were traitors in the eyes of both sides. I saw the same thing in former Yugoslavia where a Serb married to a Croat or a Croat married to a Serb would be the first victim. The same is true of the Volhynia Massacre. There is a very good concept of honoring the memory of those who helped everyone at a time of ordeal. This concept exists in Poland and your president also says that one shouldn’t focus only on victims, but also praise those who helped fellow humans during that horrible war.” ● EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO MAINTAIN A DIALOG Andriana BILA, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv: “The Institute of National Memory resumed functioning in 2014, specializing in historical issues and historical legacy. For some reason, this institute is anything but popular in Poland. Does it really pose a threat to the Polish interests?” “I know Dr. Volodymyr Viatrovych personally and I don’t think that he can pose any threat. We speak to each other and speaking is necessary. I think that politicians can make rash statements now and then, but I also think that it is possible to speak with Mr. Viatrovych, just as it is possible to speak with the head of our Institute of National Remembrance [IPN]. I remember IPN head Jaroslaw Szarek’s visit to Kyiv last year. He met with Mr. Viatrovych and it was an enjoyable experience. They shook hands and spoke. Then there was a press conference and everyone agreed that we’d solve all problems. Everything was fine, but then things started happening. Every effort should be made to maintain a dialog. This is a very trying period for you and for us. We’re marking the 75th anniversary of the Volhynia Massacre. However, we take a joint stand in regarding Russia as a threat to our countries and to the Baltic states. We remember what happened in the past. When Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine were at odds, Russia did as it pleased and divided those countries.” ● TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A JOINT TOURIST PRODUCT Yana KHROMIAK, Borys Hrinchenko University, Kyiv: “Your country is actively supporting Polish culture in Ukraine. What is there to prevent a joint project like restoring the castle in Pidhirtsi where Polish nobility used to play host to kings, including the French one? There are many joint Ukrainian-Lithuanian projects. What about Ukrainian-Polish ones?”
WWW.DAY.KIEV.UA DAY AFTER DAY No.<strong>41</strong> AUGUST 9, 2018 3 “This is our common heritage. There is no dividing it into ‘ours’ and ‘theirs.’ All of it is ours and we must put our heads together to figure out how to go about it. We realize that you have no access to EU funds to arrange for the restoration of that castle, for example. We’re paying for the reconstruction of those beautiful frescoes in the Lviv Garrison Church that used to be a Jesuit cathedral. We’re interested in preserving this heritage and are willing to donate to such projects. There are many gorgeous castles in Lviv oblast – in Zolochiv, Pidhirtsi, Olesk where John III Sobieski was born. This could become an excellent tourist project and bring us very good money as an outstanding historic site. We should develop and implement a joint tourist product, so we could offer visitors from Europe, America, China, and Japan guided tours – like the Golden Horseshoe [popular tourist itinerary in Lviv oblast]. This takes infrastructure and investments. I’ve been to Pidhirtsi and I love the place. It’s the world’s most beautiful castle, but there is nothing to show to the tourists. Investments must be made and an exposition organized. There is an idea, but it is still to be implemented. The director of a gallery in Lviv, a friend of mine, wants to do something about it. He is a decent man with a European worldview. He visited the curator of the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow and they held talks. In a word, cooperation has begun, but it will be quite some time before one can say ‘We’ll get the money and everything will be ready in a year.’ After WW II, the Soviet Union wanted to draw a clear line between the Ukrainians and Poles, making Ukrainians bad guys and Poles good guys. There was also a concept to the contrary. This Soviet tradition is still in our heads. I don’t think that you of the younger generation have any such concepts, but my generation was raised that way, and that was precisely how your parents were taught to treat the Poles. Today, we must simply change this old worldview.” ● ACTIVE UKRAINIANS BENEFIT UKRAINIAN AND POLISH ECONOMIES Yana KHROMIAK: “What about the Polish Card? I’m half Polish, my grandmother was a full bloodied Pole. Can I receive the Polish Card?” “The Polish Card is an interesting element; it makes [the bearer] aware of being part of the Polish community at large. In Poland, this card ensures a number of advantages, including free tuition at Polish universities. As a matter of fact, a number of Poles originate from Lviv oblast, Ternopil, and Volyn. Their family roots were destroyed by the Soviet regime. Today, some two million Ukrainians live, study, and are investing in Poland, particularly in Krakow, my home town, Wroclaw, and Lublin. These active Ukrainians benefit the Ukrainian and the Polish economy. Ukrainians are earning money in Poland and sending them to their families in Ukraine. Someone told me it’s bad for Ukraine, that it’s brain drain. This is precisely what happened in Poland after the communist regime imposed martial law in 1981, when the plummeting living standard and ration cards forced Poles to go to Ukraine to buy things they needed.” We know that you are a man of letters, author of the book Zapach aniola [Scent of the Angel] that was translated into Ukrainian in 2015. Aren’t you planning another book, this time about the Revolution of Dignity or what’s happening in the east of Ukraine, or the annexation of Crimea? “I’m thinking of writing another book, but the ambassador’s daily routine is such, there is simply no time left for anything else, although I keep making notes. I’ll probably write another book when I retire. I promise you that it will be about Ukraine and the Revolution of Dignity. I read the Cyborgs script. A very good one. The movie is still to be screened in Poland after just one screening in Warsaw. I also write poems and some have been published in Ukrainian and Polish.” Read more on our website The Summer School of Journalism is supported by the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine “Sentsov has no vacations” As Ukrainian film director is still on hunger strike, activists are seeking new ways to support “Kremlin’s prisoners” By Mariia PROKOPENKO, The Day About 20 people – artists, human rights activists, and just concerned individuals – gathered near the Presidential Administration in the morning of July 31 to brainstorm new ideas of how to draw the world’s attention to “the Kremlin’s hostages.” The picketers also demanded that public administration bodies and President Petro Poroshenko inform the public about what is being done to save Oleh Sentsov and other Ukrainians illegally imprisoned in Russia and the occupied Crimea, about their condition and the possibilities of exchange or certain arrangements. “First of all, our goal is a dialog,” the picket’s co-organizer Anastasiia SE- HEDA says. “There should be a clear report to the public – not only about behind-the-scenes deals, even if they are really being made. Campaigns in support of Sentsov are very often held now – not every day, as before, but still… We managed to attract more people to this matter and increase publicity. We cannot come, break the bars open and free the people, but we can at least cause a stir so that the matter is discussed not only in Ukraine, but also abroad.” There were not many picketers due to either the heat or the vacation season. The upside is that this topic still remains interesting to radio and newspaper journalists – about 15 of them – came with cameras. ● “THERE’S A DEAD CALM NOW” “I think it is especially important to draw attention to this topic in the off-season and at a time of vacations. Sentsov is still on a hunger strike, he has no vacations,” Mariia TOMAK, a coordinator at the Human Rights Media Initiative, emphasizes. “We know that Oleh agreed to take at least a few spoonfuls of nutritional mixture a day. But, of course, this is not enough for one to survive or function normally. Sentsov in fact continues his hunger strike, and we see no encouraging signals that he may be freed in the immediate future. At least, we don’t know about this kind of signals.” Human rights activists are trying to appeal to international organizations, but they also remain silent. “The latest large-scale event occurred in Helsinki – the summit of presidents Trump and Putin. There’s a dead calm now, and we want to hear ideas from society,” Tomak adds. The human rights activist recalls some ideas she saw in social media after the campaign had been announced, such as the proposal to exert pressure on the European Court of Human Rights, which is still to hand down a ruling in the Sentsov case, and the idea to invite the President of Ukraine to Labytnangi, where Oleh is serving his term. “Our diaspora in Switzerland and France has taken an interesting action: when Sentsov went on a hunger strike, they chose a day and began to jam the switchboards of the Russian consulates in those countries. Phoning there, they asked the same question: ‘When will Oleh Sentsov be freed?’ I think we can organize sort of a large-scale campaign to mark the anniversary of the conviction of Oleh Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko,” Tomak says. The upcoming anniversary of the conviction is on August 25. Another “greeting from France”: a portrait of Sentsov was hung at the Paris city hall’s facade on July 30. The city mayor Anne Hidalgo supported this action. ● “THE QUESTION OF FREEING ‘THE KREMLIN’S PRISONERS’ IS NOT BEING DISCUSSED ANYWHERE” Last week the Cabinet of Ministers resolved to disburse a lump sum of 100,000 hryvnias to the families of the Ukrainians held in Russia for political reasons. “I think this should have been done long ago,” Tomak comments. At the same time Ihor Hryb, whose son Pavlo was illegally arrested in Russia, was appointed to chair the department that deals with people deprived of personal liberty at the Ministry for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons. “We have also lobbied the establishment of the department Ihor Hryb chairs, but this is sort of a tactical structure which is supposed to be responsible for monitoring and collecting information for sanction lists, maintaining contact with relatives, etc. This does not resolve the problem of the absence of a negotiator. Hryb will not be dealing with this or searching for the ways of liberation,” Tomak says. “So this problem remains topical, for we can see that Photo by Yurii SAFRONOV PARIS, JULY 30. A PORTRAIT OF OLEH SENTSOV HANGS ON THE CITY HALL WALL. THE FRENCH CAPITAL’S MAYOR ANNE HIDALGO, WHO BACKED THE INITIATIVE, TWEETED ABOUT SOLIDARITY WITH SENTSOV: “WE ARE CALLING FOR FREEING HIM AND REAFFIRMING OUR ADHERENCE TO FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND RESPECT FOR DEMOCRACY”. THE INSCRIPTION READS: “FREEDOM TO SENTSOV; PUTIN – TO THE HAGUE” this question is not being discussed anywhere. Russia won’t meet our demands just like that, but we must pressure it. The point is that this question [of ‘the Kremlin’s prisoners.’ – Author] was not raised in Minsk. We know Russia’s attitude – they claim they are observers in Minsk, where only the Donbas is being negotiated. OK. But I don’t see the reason why it is impossible to exert pressure on Russia via our Western partners and force them to speak, for example, about the humanitarian situation in Crimea and the release of the people illegally detained in Crimea and Russia on a certain alternative platform.” ● ENVELOPES WITH A PORTRAIT OF SENTSOV Some well-known people are also coming up with the ideas of supporting “the Kremlin’s prisoners.” For example, writer Andrii KURKOV suggested in Facebook making postage stamps, a part of the proceeds of which could be used to help the families of the Ukrainian “prisoners of conscience” in Russia and Crimea. “Several times in my life, I’ve come across stamps whose price was indicated as a common mathematical formula without the ‘equals’ sign, for example, ‘3 crowns + 2 crowns.’ This means that the stamps were issued both as a means of postage and a means to raise funds for a certain good purpose. In other words, the second part of the value was intended for public good. And I thought: it would be a good idea if Ukrposhta [Ukrainian Postal Service. – Ed.] issued a series of stamps with portraits of the Ukrainian political prisoners who languish in Russian prisons and the inscription ‘3 hryvnias + 2 hryvnias’ so that every two hryvnias could be used to help the family of a political prisoner. Besides, such stamps could be stuck to all the envelopes with letters sent to Russia so that Russian citizens could also know by sight those whom the Kremlin kidnapped and is trying to kill slowly,” Kurkov wrote. Interestingly, Ukrposhta immediately responded to this call. The company Kurkov also referred to on his Facebook page answered that the current Ukrainian law does not allow issuing this kind of stamps, for they carry an additional tariff. However, the answer says Ukrposhta has long been toying with this idea and, hopefully, the Provision on Postage Stamps will be updated this very year, which will make it possible to issue charitable stamps. ● “EVERY UKRAINIAN MUST RISE” It is for about a month now that filmmakers have been carrying out the project “Reading Oleh Sentsov’s Stories Out Loud.” Everybody videorecord an excerpt from Sentsov’s book Short Stories and then make a big video out of these clips. Quality is not the object – you can simply put a phone with a switched-on camera in front of you and make a recording. The video is to be sent to the email address storiessentsov@gmail.com. Well-known Ukrainian, Polish, and British actors and directors are taking part in this project. Incidentally, girl students of the newspaper Den’s Summer School of Journalism also made this kind of video in July. “The main thing is that people now show interest in Oleh as not a person on a hunger strike but an artistic personality who must be freed from prison and continue his pursuit of art,” film producer Anna PALENCHUK says about the “Out Loud” project. “I hope Oleh will be released tomorrow and we will no longer gather here. We’ve been always expecting him to be freed very soon. Naturally, we will be making the final video, and not only the video, in order to constantly speak about Oleh and draw the attention of both the authorities and the public.” Incidentally, Anna, who knew Sentsov even before his imprisonment, is working together with director Tamara Trunova on staging his play Numbers. The premiere is scheduled for November. Anna says Oleh is very principled and believes firmly in certain ideals. “And it is not about his persuasions – it is about our common values. It is the values of freedom, the values of this country, it is about the fact that Crimea, Oleh’s homeland, is occupied,” the film producer continues. “I think that, from this angle, Sentsov is each of us. And when we all come to understand this, we will free him. There must be much more of us. Every Ukrainian must rise to free our citizens.” It will be recalled that, according to human rights activists, at least 70 citizens of Ukraine are being held in Russia and the occupied Crimea on politically motivated charges. Out of them, Volodymyr Balukh and Stanislav Klykh have been on a hunger strike for over 140 days and over two months, respectively.
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