#47_1-8

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ISSUE No. 47 (1179) 

Tel.: +38(044) 303-96-19, 

fax: +38(044) 303-94-20 

е-mail: time@day.kiev.ua; 

http://www.day.kiev.ua 

Dear readers, our next issue will be published on September 27, 2018 

Photo from Serhii POPKO’s Facebook page 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018. OVER THE SEA OF AZOV 

Sea of Azov Controversy 

Expert says that unless the Ukraine-Russia Friendship Treaty is renewed, 

the agreement on the Sea of Azov may become null and void 

Continued on page 5 

Eighteen 

years 

of impunity 

Expert: “Ukraine needs a juridical and 

moral assessment of criminal actions, 

including the Gongadze-Podolsky case, 

as an antidote against Kuchmism” 

Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day 

Exciting 

research and 

innovations 

discussed and 

demonstrated at 

the INSCIENCE 

conference 

4 A scientific “rock concert” 6 

on page 

Continued 

Continued 

on page

2 

No.47 SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 

DAY AFTER DAY 

WWW.DAY.KIEV.UA 

What the Book Forum-2018 will 

be like, and what are the plans 

of the Ukrainian Book Institute 

By Maria CHADIUK, The Day 

Lviv became a magnet for all book 

lovers, as the international Book 

Forum started here on September 18. 

Traditionally, this is not only an 

event where the most interesting 

books are launched (including this 

newspaper’s Ave...), but also a platform for 

the exchange of ideas and discussions of 

important social issues. Den/The Day met 

with president of the Publishers’ Forum 

Oleksandra Koval to find out what 

meanings were to be actualized at this 

year’s Forum. Also, we wanted to determine 

the priority issues in the literary sphere and 

learn which of them Koval planned to 

resolve as director of the Ukrainian Book 

Institute, the latter being an institution 

which many are hopeful about, but 

sometimes not fully aware of all the 

difficulties facing its head. Therefore, the 

following interview is also an attempt to 

analyze the situation and find ways to 

effectively solve the emerging problems. 

● FREEDOM AS 

(IR)RESPONSIBILITY 

The focus theme of this year’s Forum 

is the Freedom Market. The choice of the 

theme is due, among other things, to the anniversary 

of the 1968 revolution wave. 

What meanings you would like to actualize 

and what you would like to highlight 

with the Forum’s events? 

“We proceeded from the 1968 revolution 

wave to remind us of freedom in general. 

But when we began to ponder this topic, 

it became clear that with the recent 

spread of social networks, fake news, posttruth 

and all these negative phenomena 

(which are associated with the allegedly positive 

technology developments) the very attitude 

to many very basic values had 

changed. And even such a value as freedom 

has become negotiable. It probably has always 

been one, but now it is especially noticeable 

and clear. We would like intellectuals 

to express their views on this and our 

society to reflect on the fragile time we live 

in: it may turn out that anything can actually 

be bought and sold, while it seems to us 

that some things remain fundamental, and 

no one dares to touch them. So it seems to 

me that these should be some very interesting 

discussions.” 

Is this connected with the fact that after 

the Revolution of Dignity, there has 

been a deeper understanding emerging 

that we, as citizens, have to assume more 

responsibility, and we are capable of it, and 

so, we are actually freer and enjoy more 

freedom? 

“It is good to see such an interpretation, 

because most people usually think that freedom 

is complete anarchy. ‘My freedom’ 

seems to mean ‘I do what I want, for example, 

I want to park on the sidewalk, although 

it inconveniences everyone else.’ 

However, freedom is responsibility. 

“Incidentally, the Forum will host an 

interesting book launch of the 1st December 

Initiative Group, the intellectuals brought 

together by His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar. 

They are publishing a book which is called 

just that – Freedom and Responsibility. 

Overall, there will be many books dedicated 

to freedom there. By the way, the Forum 

will also launch a book by our splendid 

Photo by Artem SLIPACHUK, The Day 

Oleksandra Koval speaks about “climate creation” 

philosopher Myroslav Popovych, entitled A 

Philosophy of Freedom. I have even noticed 

(and I think that it is not only me): once you 

start to think about something extremely 

necessary to you, it immediately appears before 

you and leads you further and further. 

I am very excited about this.” 

● “THE PEOPLE OF CULTURE 

SHOULD SUPPORT EACH 

OTHER” 

The Night of Poetry and Music is one 

of the most successful events of the festival. 

Could you tell us how this idea came about? 

What is the secret to its success? 

“I do not know the secrets of how 

something becomes popular. Obviously, 

people always love poetry, and if it is combined 

with music, then they enjoy it even 

more. I came up with this format a long time 

ago, back in 1997. This night then lasted two 

hours, from 9 to 11 p.m. It has been held under 

its current title since 1999. All in all, we 

will host the 20th Night of Poetry and Music 

this year.” 

And to what extent, in your opinion, is 

such a combination of several art forms a 

promising idea? 

“From the very beginning, when the 

Forum was just being created (not as a onetime 

event, but as an event to be repeated), 

we aimed to get different art forms combined. 

We wanted the musicians to communicate 

with poets, artists with architects 

and so on, to create new valuable things. We 

did not really succeed then. I know that now 

the interaction between artists from different 

fields has improved. There is visual 

poetry, there is music of architecture, and 

so on. And all this is experimental in character 

and very interesting. I believe that it 

will become more common at some point, because 

the people of culture should support 

each other. In addition, the Ukrainians 

like something new: for instance, not just 

books, but books and fashion. The Forum, 

in turn, is totally open to all. When it 

comes to artists, we have created the 

Ukrainian Visual Book cluster, which is 

very successfully run by Pavlo Hudimov. 

We tried to create a music cluster as well, 

but failed at it, however, I have not lost 

hope. We have creative industries and urbanism 

represented, that is, we are already 

involving architects in it.” 

● A YEAR AND A HALF OF 

COMFORTABLE SITUATION 

FOR PUBLISHERS 

This, moreover, is a way to look at a 

certain art form from a new perspective. 

But you have repeatedly mentioned in interviews 

that the impetus for creating the 

Forum was a crisis that prompted a search 

for new forms of cooperation. How, in 

your opinion, has the situation in the literary 

sphere changed after the Revolution 

of Dignity and the beginning of the war in 

the east of Ukraine? 

“There are two possible responses to 

each crisis situation – you either freeze or 

start to run quickly. And in our case, the 

second option was chosen, so we have had 

a major recovery. Obviously, this is due to 

the Revolution of Dignity and the Maidan, 

but one has also to take into account 

the ban on the import of Russian literature 

to Ukraine. This gave our publishers a year 

and a half of a very comfortable situation, 

since bookstores now had room for our 

products. Meanwhile, consumers, prompted 

by a wave of enthusiasm and patriotism, 

began to read Ukrainian, even those who 

did not do it before. 

Continued on page 8 ➤ 

By Mykola SIRUK, The Day 

Inna Steinbuka, European Studies 

masters’ program director at the 

University of Latvia, recently visited 

Ukraine. Ms. Steinbuka has the huge 

experience of holding top EU offices 

and directly participated in preparations 

for Latvia’s entry into Euro-Atlantic 

institutions. We began our conversation 

with the history of relations with Ukraine 

and the way she, a mathematical economist, 

became a European Commission official. 

“The history of relations with Ukraine 

carries me back to the Soviet era. I started 

my career in research and worked at the 

Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Economics. 

I maintained very good contacts in 

various republics, including Ukraine, for 

example, with Professor Valerii Heiets. 

Like Prof. Heiets, I focused on economic 

modeling and forecasting. As a mathematical 

economist, I dealt with mathematical 

models. I visited Kyiv many times. 

Those were, as a rule, business trips and 

conferences, but very warm memories 

about people, hospitality, and, naturally, 

an amazingly beautiful city have remained 

etched on my mind since then. 

“After a long pause, I came to Kyiv 

in a new capacity, when I worked at the 

European Commission as a department 

director at Eurostat. This was in 2006-07. 

My impressions were different, we discussed 

the problems of Ukraine-EU rapprochement, 

but people had not changed 

and remained as hospitable as before.” 

● “I APPLIED, QUITE 

SUCCESSFULLY, FOR FOUR 

OFFICES AND BEGAN TO 

WORK AT THE EUROPEAN 

COMMISSION” 

Ms. Steinbuka, how come you became 

later a European Commission official? 

“At the very beginning of Latvia’s independence, 

I transferred from the Academy 

of Sciences to the Ministry of Finance, 

and then represented Latvia in the 

IMF. That was my first experience of 

working at an international organization. 

In May 2014 I took part in a competition, 

announced in 10 countries, for the office 

of a top-level executive. I applied, quite successfully, 

for four offices and finally began 

to work at the European Commission. On 

the other hand, I did not represent Latvia 

in the EC – I just won the competition as 

citizen with a certain qualification. The 

competition for one of the four positions 

was at least 70 and 250 at most. 

“I began to work at the EC in November 

2005. I was a department director at Luxemburg-based 

Eurostat for six years. Then 

I moved to Latvia and held a quasi-diplomatic 

office. I headed the European Union’s 

representation in Latvia. It was mandatory 

for us, representation members, to know 

the Latvian language and, of course, to be 

citizens of an EU member state. 

“I have excellent command of the Latvian 

language, but I did not use it professionally 

in the Soviet era. I dealt with 

econometrics at the time. It was a narrow 

specialization, and this kind of specialists 

could be counted on the fingers of one hand. 

So there was no use publishing articles in 

Latvian. And I defended my PhD and 

higher doctorate dissertations in Saint 

Petersburg and Moscow, respectively. 

This is why all of my publications were in 

the Russian language. 

“My mother was born in Latvia, finished 

a Latvian high school, and knew the 

Latvian language perfectly. I went to a 

Russian school, and, although I studied the 

Latvian language as part of the school curriculum 

and sometimes spoke it to mother, 

my knowledge of it left much to be desired 

in the early 1990s. But I have made 

progress and no longer used Russian since 

the 1990s in my work.” 

● “I CONTRIBUTED 

TO LATVIA’S ADMISSION 

TO THE EU” 

I read in your resume that you were 

awarded an Order of Three Stars, 

Latvia’s highest award, for economic 

and financial achievements. Could you 

explain more in detail what for? Is it perhaps 

about your contribution to Latvia’s 

admission to the EU? 

“I formed a fiscal policy department at 

the Ministry of Finance, managed Latvia’s 

“MydreamwastotraveltoParis” 

Inna Steinbuka: the story of a Soviet-era Latvian mathematical 

economist who became a top European Commission official 

first Regulator of Community Services, 

and contributed to Latvia’s admission to 

the EU. I’d like to emphasize that I am a Euro-optimist. 

“I have always wanted Latvia and me 

to be part of Europe. It was my dream. I 

must have been ‘blacklisted’ and was 

banned from traveling abroad in the Soviet 

era. My dream was to travel to Paris. 

And this dream was perhaps not only 

mine. This city was associated in me with 

the heroes of Hemingway and Remarque, 

and it seemed to me that traveling to Paris 

was the same as traveling to the Moon. 

“When we gained independence, I, of 

course, took part, within my competence, 

in the EU accession negotiations at the earliest 

stage. Latvia signed the EU Association 

Treaty in 1995 and joined the EU in 

2004. 

“I’d like to draw a parallel with 

Ukraine: frankly speaking, if I had been 

asked in 1993 or 1994 whether I believed 

that Latvia would join the EU, I would have 

said that it would not happen in my lifetime 

but my children and grandchildren would 

live in the EU for sure. 

“But then things began to develop at 

a rapid pace. Therefore, it is always important 

to be at the right place in the 

right time. Both the international situation 

and successful domestic reforms promoted 

Latvia’s accession to the EU. So I’d like 

to wish Ukraine to cope with the homework 

and wait for a favorable situation, when 

these two factors coincide.” 

● “COMBATING CORRUPTION 

WAS ONE OF 

THE IMPORTANT 

PRECONDITIONS FOR 

THE ACCESSION TO NATO” 

And another award from the Ministry 

of Defense… 

“My participation in the Latvia-NATO 

talks was confined to a purely economic expert 

examination. For, if a country is going 

to join NATO, it is important not only 

to observe certain legislative, legal, 

military, and strategic conditions and criteria. 

There should be certain objective 

guarantees that the country will go on developing 

steadily. For steady economic 

development is also, to some extent, a 

guarantee of political stability. 

“Besides, if a country develops steadily 

and GDP grows, we can expect the 

budget to be formed in a stable way, which 

will allow allocating funds for maintaining 

the army and for other military purposes. 

In addition, one of the preconditions for the 

entry was combating corruption, including 

money laundering. Stable economic development 

in turn contributes to the overall 

reduction of corruption risks.” 

Incidentally, did the Latvian government 

or society show any hesitation about 

joining the EU and NATO? 

“Indeed, there were hesitations, especially 

on the very eve of the entry. Latvia 

held a referendum, and pro-Russian forces 

spread vicious anti-European propaganda. 

“People faced ideological pressure, 

when the very idea of entry was called into 

question and people were intimidated 

with terrible consequences. I must say 

our government was giving a lot of explanations 

at the time. Public opinion leaders 

and politicians came out in support of EU 

membership. This positive opinion overpowered 

propaganda, and the people 

strongly supported the entry at the referendum.” 

● “HUMANKIND HAS NOT YET 

DESIGNED A BETTER 

MODEL THAN THE EU” 

Ms. Steinbuka, I noticed on your Twitter 

page that you took part in the debate 

“Are European Values Universal?” on 

September 4. I wonder why such debates 

emerge in Europe. 

“It’s no secret that Europe has been 

subjected to biting criticism lately. Criticism 

can be positive. We ourselves can criticize 

Europe for not doing something the 

way we want. And we are doing so in an attempt 

to help improve Europe. On the 

other hand, there is such thing as propagandistic 

criticism, disinformation, and 

fake news. 

“Such fundamental values of Europe 

as freedom of speech, the right of man to 

life and self-expression, freedom of move- 

“ 

I’d like to wish Ukrainians not to lose optimism 

and faith. In principle, independence 

has its price. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian 

people have paid a very high price for their independence, 

and it will be very good if Ukrainians 

feel – if not in the next two or three years, 

then at least in the foreseeable future – that this 

price was not paid in vain, that they deserve the 

future they dreamed of, and that this future 

must come as soon as 

” 

possible. 

ment, democracy, democratic elections, 

and rule of law are being called into question. 

I am naming fundamental things 

which some political forces in Europe and, 

first of all, aggressive propagandists in 

Russia are calling into question. 

“The EU is, above all, a peacekeeping 

project. My generation has not known 

war. But the sensation of war was handed 

down through the memory of parents. 

The younger generation cannot always be 

aware of the ravages of war and the EU’s 

contribution to the cause of peace. Besides, 

we have the experience of living in the Soviet 

Union, where there was no democracy 

or freedoms. And the next generation 

does not know what the absence of freedoms 

and the existence of borders mean in 

practice, when you can’t travel freely to a 

foreign country. And when they read some 

crowd-pleasing or propagandistic statements, 

many of them believe these. 

“Alain Lamassoure said at the abovementioned 

debate that the European Union 

is a peace project. For there have been no 

wars on the EU territory since the union’s 

inception. It is important that the EU is a 

peace project.” 

● “EVEN A WEAK DEMOCRACY 

IS MUCH BETTER THAN 

A STRONG DICTATORSHIP” 

But you can also see different tendencies 

in Europe and even the US, when 

some voters want to have a strong leader 

who will address their problems. What will 

you say to this? 

“This shows that people doubt the efficiency 

of the system and begin to seek 

an alternative. Not all remember, know, 

or take interest in history. Meanwhile, the 

historical examples of some strong personalities 

vividly show what this can 

lead to – to Stalinism, Hitler, or even Ivan 

the Terrible. 

“For this reason, humankind can invent 

nothing new. There is either a democracy 

or a dictatorship – without any alternative. 

In my opinion, even a weak 

democracy is much better than a strong dictatorship. 

Read more on our websit


DAY AFTER DAY No.47 SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 3 

■ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

By Mykola SIRUK, The Day 

The international conference 

themed “The Building 

Integrity Initiative Day for 

Top-Level Leaders: Building 

Integrity as a Vector for 

Change” was held in Kyiv recently. 

Let us recall that the Building Integrity 

Initiative came into being as 

the result of a 2007 conference organized 

by the NATO Economic Committee 

during a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic 

Partnership Council (EAPC). 

The conference dealt, among other issues, 

with the connection between reducing 

corruption and increasing the 

efficiency of defense resources management. 

Within the framework of 

the EAPC, the building integrity project 

is carried out in accordance with 

the Action Plan which envisages activities 

in 10 different directions. It 

sets out main areas of these activities 

as follows: the development of an education 

module under the guidance of 

the UK, the development of a Self-Assessment 

Questionnaire under the 

guidance of Poland, and the Swissguided 

preparation of a Compendium 

of Best Practices. 

Meanwhile, the 2008 NATO summit, 

held in Bucharest, officially approved 

the Building Integrity project. 

In particular, the final declaration of 

the summit states that the heads of 

state and government give priority to 

“several new practical initiatives, 

which include building integrity in 

defense institutions.” 

The participants of the aforementioned 

conference in Kyiv included a 

representative of Colombia, which became 

NATO’s global partner, the first 

in Latin America, this May, namely 

director of the Colombian War College 

Major-General Francisco Javier Cruz 

Ricci. The Day started conversation 

with him by asking why Cruz Ricci 

chose a military career and whether he 

regretted making such a choice now. 

“I was very young when I decided 

to choose a military career. At that 

time, I was only 14 and our country 

was plunged in a war with terror. I 

have served in the armed forces for 

35 years, and I grew up as a professional 

and as a citizen there. And today 

I am pleased to have devoted almost all 

of my life to serving my country.” 

● “CORRUPTION HAS 

A NEGATIVE IMPACT BY 

PRODUCING AND 

STRENGTHENING SOCIAL 

INEQUALITY” 

Why do you see integrity and the 

fight against corruption as the most 

important issues, and why have these 

topics become so urgent now and in 

particular in the security and defense 

sector? 

“I think that the lack of integrity 

and corruption are linked. When we 

consider the lack of integrity, we 

think of an individual who does not 

have the qualities such as responsibility, 

discipline, loyalty. Therefore, he 

or she is a person who can easily be 

bribed and will commit acts of corruption 

since he or she does not adhere to 

the legal norms or ethical principles 

that a person must follow. 

“This is very important, since corruption 

has a negative impact by producing 

and strengthening social inequality. 

It also protects the network 

of complicity between elites where the 

corruption process is generated. To 

counter this problem, it is necessary 

to introduce a holistic governance approach 

involving all ministries and 

agencies where the creation and implementation 

of an anti-corruption 

strategy involves everyone. However, 

the fight against corruption must be 

carried out jointly and in the same 

way, based on the values and principles 

that are reflected in the activities 

of all those who are involved with the 

government. 

“These issues have indeed become 

urgent and periodic. Recently, the 

public has realized that power is concentrated 

in the hands of a few, while 

the general population suffers from 

inequality and lacks opportunities 

for progress. Finally, I think this issue 

is relevant in the military sphere, 

On the connection between 

legitimacy and integrity 

Colombian Major-General Francisco 

Javier CRUZ RICCI: “The Ukrainian 

army has earned its authority...” 

since we must restore the public’s 

faith in an institution where a transparent 

and responsible army is consolidating. 

Military legitimacy must 

be strengthened in other ways as 

well, always working for the common 

interest, and not for interests of certain 

groups.” 

● “THE FIGHT AGAINST 

CORRUPTION MAY BRING 

ABOUT A NATIONAL 

MOBILIZATION” 

And how, in your opinion, can one 

measure overall integrity in certain 

areas? 

“Integrity, if viewed from the 

standpoint of anti-corruption, is associated 

with a totally holistic approach 

to the problem, which means that we 

must consider structure, doctrine, 

culture, analysis, and implementation. 

This should be understood as approaching 

excellence in terms of legitimacy 

and transparency in order to 

counteract corruption.” 

And what impact does your country’s 

culture have on integrity? 

“Looking at the positive side, the 

fight against corruption within the 

framework of a country’s culture can 

lead to a national mobilization, that 

is, a consolidation of the national government 

in its entirety. It is about attempts 

to attack or destroy a threat 

that is detrimental to national security 

(in this case, corruption). Such national 

mobilization can be supported 

by those who seek to secure a better 

future for our country and encourage 

such values as transparency and fundamentals 

of the fight against corruption.” 

● “I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY 

TO LEARN ABOUT 

PROFESSIONALISM AND 

INTEGRITY DISPLAYED BY 

THE UKRAINIAN ARMED 

FORCES” 

What do you think about 

Ukraine in this regard, in particular, 

about integrity in its defense and security 

sphere? 

“I had the opportunity to learn 

about professionalism and integrity 

displayed by the Ukrainian Armed 

Forces. Just like in our country, we 

are duty-bound to the civilian authorities 

to be like that, and we respect the 

faith in democracy and the domestic 

order of the nation. The Ukrainian 

army has earned its authority and 

recognition through invaluable work 

it has done, always protecting the integrity 

and sovereignty of your coun- 

try. The fact that security and defense 

professionals are present here today 

demonstrates their interest in the NA- 

TO Building Integrity Program and 

reflects an interest in continuing to 

achieve high standards in terms of legitimacy 

and transparency.” 

What recommendations, in your 

opinion, should be given to Ukraine 

for increasing or strengthening integrity 

in the defense and security 

sector? 

“I think that it is necessary to do 

the following for this purpose: 

- To strengthen the organizational 

culture. 

- To strengthen military capabilities. 

- To enhance the technological 

transformation. 

- To create a military organization 

that would be reliable, modern, simple, 

flexible, fast, and deadly. 

- To strengthen the standardization 

procedures. 

- To establish a model of military 

education. 

- To use human talent and competence. 

- To promote the development of 

the nation.” 

● “COLOMBIAN INTERESTS AS 

A GLOBAL PARTNER OF 

NATO ARE FOCUSED ON 

ACHIEVING THREE MAJOR 

GOALS” 

Major-General, why was it important 

for Colombia to become NA- 

TO’s global partner, its first in Latin 

America? 

“Currently, geopolitical competition 

encourages nations to interact 

with each other and find potential 

partners to create alliances that reflect 

a new strategic orientation and 

aim to contain threats that affect the 

integrity of the nation. Since its foundation, 

NATO has become a multilateral 

global security organization, a security 

space, so Colombia used this advantageous 

opportunity to become a 

global partner in Latin America and 

one of the key players on issues such 

as security, defense, and democracy. 

Colombian interests as a global partner 

of NATO are focused on achieving 

three major goals: 

1. Facilitating the exchange of 

knowledge and experience in combating 

traditional and non-traditional 

threats, based on close cooperation 

with NATO member states. 

2. Participating in NATO programs 

such as the Building Integrity 

one to increase our legitimacy. 

3. Increasing Colombia’s ability to 

influence the international system 

through multilateral channels and 

military cooperation systems (alliances). 

“As a global partner of NATO, we 

can implement strategies to deter new 

threats. This program provides us with 

the opportunity to put in place appropriate 

military practice that benefits 

the defense system and make resource 

management much more effective, as 

well as to safeguard human rights. 

Through this engagement, Colombia 

can seize strategic advantage in promoting 

national interests (welfare of 

the society) and strengthening its 

armed forces, getting our integrity 

recognized and confirmed. Finally, the 

accession of Colombia to a partnership 

with NATO presents high-level opportunities 

for the development of national 

security and defense.” 

● “WE, THE SOLDIERS, HAVE 

DEFEATED THE OLDEST 

TERRORIST GROUP 

IN THE WORLD” 

How easy is it to implement integrity 

in the defense sector of Colombia, 

given its decades-long struggle 

with the FARC? 

“Of course, it was not easy to 

achieve recognized transparency 

through the NATO Building Integrity 

program while our armed forces were 

100 percent committed to defeating 

terrorism and bringing peace to 

Colombia. But we did it, even though 

it cost a lot of effort to the men and 

women of the Colombian Armed 

Forces. Today, we can show the world 

that we, the soldiers, have defeated 

the oldest terrorist group in the world 

that has agreed to join the peace 

process and that our processes that 

tax public resources are carried out 

transparently, giving the people of 

Colombia the legitimate armed forces 

they deserve. 

“Finally, security and defense are 

two key elements of a nation. It motivates 

us to work with other countries 

to limit risks, dangers or external and 

internal threats, in order to promote 

international peace and stability. The 

participation of Colombia in the NA- 

TO Integrity Program has enabled us 

to exchange good practice knowledge 

that we used to strengthen our integrity 

and transparency and focus on 

minimizing corruption in our military 

institutions. 

“To do this, we have created an 

organization that is subordinated to 

the highest level command. This organization 

is called the DANTE. This 

Spanish-language acronym stands 

for the Office of the Application of 

Norms of Transparency in the Army. 

The DANTE provides a preventive 

approach and is involved with all 

processes in our armed forces. 

“Colombia was plunged into the 

conflict for over 56 years. Thanks to 

the capabilities of our armed forces, 

we were able to overcome the existing 

threats. Colombia has become an 

example for the international system; 

our country has a great deal of 

experience which it can share, and 

especially with you, with whom we 

share the principles and values, 

with whom we are interoperable outside 

collectives and in our ways of 

thinking and acting. The Colombian 

Armed Forces, just like armed 

forces of all NATO member countries 

and partners, are institutions 

that are constantly learning and improving.” 

Den’s 20th 

International 

Photo Contest 

Submission 

deadline extended 

until September 30 

Some 1,800 photos have 

been received from 

120 contestants. The 

Editors, aware of the 

photographers’ 

scrupulous approach and tight 

schedule (no weekends without 

the camera), have decided to give 

them another two weeks. 

This year’s 20th Photo Contest 

is entitled “Front Page 

Photo” – the best pictures will 

be on Den/The Day’s front 

pages, followed by the traditional 

photo exhibit at the 

Ukrainian Home in Kyiv toward 

the end of October. The jury 

will select photos with emphasis 

on public moods and the 

most important events in 2018. 

A total of 129 photo exhibits 

have been held over the 

past 19 years and 809 contestants 

have received awards. 

Last year, 240 photographers 

from Ukraine and abroad submitted 

3,500 pictures and 300 

were put on display. 

Den’s photography editor 

Mykola TYMCHENKO, winner 

of the 16th Photo Contest’s 

Grand Prix: “Last year’s trend 

has continued this year; the 

photos we receive are increasingly 

less political and more on 

the positive daily life side. 

There are lots of photos about 

the rehabilitation of men 

wounded in action. The war [in 

the east of Ukraine – Ed.] is 

there, of course, but an increasing 

number of photos 

show men in position, rather 

than hostilities.” 

He adds that submissions 

are traditionally from across 

Ukraine, with Kyiv topping the 

list, followed by the front-line 

city of Mariupol, except that in 

2014-15 its photographers submitted 

mostly pictures with war 

scenes and now most are about 

life in peacetime. 

This year we want to alter 

the front page stereotype. We 

are sure that there will be quite 

a few “unconventional” photos. 

Please note that if you don’t see 

your picture on page one, this 

doesn’t mean that it won’t be 

part of the final display. As 

usual, the contest standings/classifications 

are “Politics,” 

“The Ukrainian World,” 

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4 


TOPIC OF THE DAY 


By Ivan KAPSAMUN, photos 

by Mykola TYMCHENKO, The Day 

Areader recently came to our 

editorial office to express 

indignation at the failure of the 

authorities and the public to 

keep the grave of the murdered 

journalist Georgy Gongadze adequately 

maintained. She lives not far from 

St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker’s 

Church on the Riverfront, where the 

journalist was buried in March 2016, and 

can see the grave’s condition. She says the 

Ukrainian and Georgian flags there have 

faded and nobody is going to replace 

them. “Otherwise, thanks to churchmen, 

the grave is more or less well-tended, 

flowers were planted, although was 

neither a photograph nor a plate for a long 

time – just as nameless grave with a big 

stone cross has also been there before,” 

the Kyivite says. “As far as I know, both 

the authorities and the journalist’s family 

are not taking enough care.” 

Yet, taking into account the course of 

the Gongadze-Podolsky case for many 

years, when we saw and still see inadequate 

attention, suppression of information, 

falsifications venality, and unwillingness 

to finish the investigation of 

crimes against Gongadze and public activist 

Oleksii Podolsky, there is nothing 

extraordinary in this. However, it does 

not mean we should keep silent. 

It will be recalled that the perpetrators 

of Gongadze’s murder are or were 

serving prison terms. They are former police 

officers Mykola Protasov (13 years, 

died in prison in 2016), Valerii Kostenko 

and Oleksandr Popovych (12 years each). 

Their sentences came into force in March 

2008. In the case of Podolsky, who was abducted 

and savagely beaten on June 9, 

2000, “uniformed turncoats” were also 

convicted – in 2007 the Appeals Court of 

Kyiv sentenced Colonel Mykola Naumets 

and Major Oleh Maryniak to three years 

in prison for abuse of power. 

Meanwhile, the epic of the main perpetrator 

(in both cases, Oleksii Pukach, 

chief of the Interior Ministry’s Outdoor 

Surveillance Department, commanded 

the police squads), is still on. Kyiv’s 

Pecherskyi District Court sentenced 

Pukach to life imprisonment and the 

Appeals Court of Kyiv upheld this ruling 

later. But the parties to the trial did not 

stop at this and filed cassation appeals. 

The High Specialized Court handed 

down the following ruling at its latest session 

on May 31, 2017: “Petition the 

Prosecutor General’s Office again to enter 

information about blackmail and 

threats into the National Register of 

Pretrial Investigations for further inquiry 

[it became known in August 2017 

that the prosecuting office registered 

this crime at last – Author]; instruct 

chief justices of the Kyiv’s Pecherskyi 

District Court and the Appeals Court of 

Kyiv to declassify the audio and video 

recordings of the first- and appellate-level 

court sessions; debar Valentyna Telychenko 

from further participation in the 

Pukach case and offer the aggrieved party, 

Myroslava Gongadze, representation 

of her interests, if necessary, by a different 

representative.” 

Unfortunately, as years go by, there 

is no essential progress in this case. Presidents 

and prosecutors general have been 

changing, Maidans were held, European 

organizations passed resolutions long 

ago with a call to investigate the cases, but 

the question of crime organizers still remains 

open in juridical terms. Why is this 

occurring? Why do we have to raise this 

question over and over again? 

Here are just a few examples of the latest 

events. The Kuchma-Pinchuk family 

traditionally holds the annual Yalta European 

Strategy forum in these days of 

September (this year on the 13th-15th) on 

an anniversary of Gongadze’s murder. The 

very list of participants from Ukraine and 

abroad makes it easy to conclude why the 

case is not being investigated. The yesukraine.org 

website says this year’s forum 

will receive more than 600 leading politicians, 

diplomats, businesspeople,public activists, 

and experts from 28 countries. 

Among the Ukrainians, it is President 

Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister 

Volodymyr Hroisman, Kyiv Mayor Vitali 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2017. AN ACTION IN MEMORY OF ALL THE UKRAINIAN JOURNALISTS WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY 

WAS HELD IN DOWNTOWN KYIV ON THE EVE OF THE 17th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF JOURNALIST GEORGY 

GONGADZE. THE POSTER READS: “GEORGY, WE HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN” 

Eighteen years of impunity 

Expert: “Ukraine needs a juridical and moral assessment 

of criminal actions, including the Gongadze-Podolsky 

case, as an antidote against Kuchmism” 

Klitschko, Foreign Minister Pavlo 

Klimkin, as well as Yuliia Tymoshenko, 

Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, Anatolii Hrytsenko, 

Andrii Kobolev, Svitlana Zalishchuk, 

Serhii Leshchenko, Mustafa 

Nayyem, and others. Among the foreigners 

are Kersti Kaljulaid, President of 

Estonia; Kurt Volker, special representative 

of the US State Department for 

Ukraine negotiations; Alejandro Alvargonzalez, 

Assistant Secretary General for 

Political Affairs and Security Policy, 

NATO; Norbert Roettgen, Chairman of 

the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee; 

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of 

the UK; Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO 

Secretary General in 2009-14; Condoleezza 

Rice, 66th US Secretary of State 

(2005-09); Ksenia Sobchak, Russian public 

activist. 

It looks like the Manafort case teaches 

no lessons. It will be recalled that Rick 

Gates, a former business partner of the 

American political consultant Paul Manafort, 

said in a court that Ukrainian 

businessman Viktor Pinchuk was one of 

Manafort’s clients. “Gates revealed that 

Pinchuk paid Manafort through a company 

called Plymouth Consultants Ltd. 

for what he described as a legal project. 

He did not provide details about how 

much was paid or when,” The New York 

Times reports. 

Another negative signal in the past 

few days was the news on Kuchma 

GEORGY GONGADZE’S GRAVE ON THE TERRITORY OF ST. NICHOLAS THE 

MIRACLE-WORKER’S CHURCH ON THE RIVERFRONT. KYIV, SEPTEMBER 2018 

Ukraine Foundation’s website that Kuchma 

had received an Order of Saint Andrew 

the First-Called, 2nd class, the highest 

award of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church 

(of Kyiv, not Moscow, Patriarchate). 

What for? “For merits in reviving spirituality 

in Ukraine, efforts in establishing 

the Local Ukrainian Orthodox 

Church, and on the occasion of his 80th 

birthday.” Moreover, Leonid Kuchma 

and Patriarch Filaret discussed the granting 

of the Tomos of Autocephaly to the 

Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In short, it 

is a disgrace! 

What do The Day’s experts think of 

the never-ending Gongadze-Podolsky 

case? 

● “NOBODY HAS EVEN BEGUN 

TO FULFILL THE HIGH 

COURT’S DECISION TO 

DECLASSIFY AUDIO 

RECORDINGS” 

Tetiana KOSTINA, Oleksii Podolsky’s 

lawyer: 

“The situation with the high-profile 

Gongadze-Podolsky case, undoubtedly a 

crucial and particularly important criminal 

case in the history of this country, is 

arousing deep concern and indignation. 

“Firstly, nobody has even begun to 

fulfill the high court’s decision to declassify 

the audio recordings of Pecherskyi 

District Court sessions since May last 

year. The command to so, in a ‘mayhem 

style,’ must have come from Ukraine’s 

top leadership. Pecherskyi District Court 

judges are unlikely to have risked breaking 

the law so brazenly and cynically 

without an instruction from above. 

“Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has 

attempted, contrary to the procedure, to 

replace the reporting judge in this case. 

This know-how of a reincarnated cassation 

court will be the object of a serious 

discussion about the state of justice in the 

near future – as well as the premeditated, 

deliberate, and systematic alteration 

of the procedural law for the only purpose 

to protect Kuchma and other high-profile 

individuals from testifying in court even 

as witnesses. 

“As for the criminal case against 

crime organizers, Prosecutor General 

Yurii Lutsenko still refuses, absolutely 

unlawfully, to recognize Oleksii Podolsky 

as an aggrieved party, which means that 

he finally and irreversibly flouted all 

the rules of decency and transgressed law, 

morality, and international commitments 

of Ukraine. I am sure the Prosecutor General 

Office headed by the leader of the 

‘Ukraine without Kuchma’ campaign 

does not recognize Podolsky as an aggrieved 

party in the organizers case in order 

not to disturb the luxurious wellbeing 

of Kuchma and his Family. 

“Providing impunity to the organizers, 

Mr. Lutsenko as Prosecutor General 

is already planning his future political 

career and is not even recalling his longtime 

hypocritical oaths to bring the organizers 

of crimes against Gongadze and 

Podolsky to justice.” 

● “NO RULE-OF-LAW SYSTEM 

HAS BEEN CREATED 

IN UKRAINE SO FAR” 

Bohdan TSIUPIN, Ukrainian journalist, 

London: 

“In my view, the Gongadze case is still 

unfinished because no rule-of-law system 

has been created in Ukraine so far. This 

is why top officials, influential politicians, 

and people in the money can easily 

manipulate legal proceedings. Ukrainian 

courts can punish perpetrators, smalltime 

criminals, or even men of straw. But 

as soon as a crime’s trail leads to influential 

circles, Ukrainian justice founders. 

“The entire Ukrainian society is responsible 

for this state of affairs because 

the situation will not change if there 

is no prevailing opinion. Ukraine needs a 

very broad-based education and massscale 

awareness. Many Ukrainians cannot 

influence processes in the country due to 

being poorly educated and passive. For example, 

an enormous number of people 

cannot even express their opinion in the 

official language or adequately form a 

document. 

“In the West, those who keep track of 

events like this may know about the 

Gongadze case. Such things cannot remain 

etched on popular mentality for a 

long time because Westerners are also 

concerned first of all about urgent problems 

in their countries. Do many people 

in Ukraine know or will they remember 

for a long time about the recent mafia 

murder of journalist Caruana Galizia in 

Malta or any other similar cases?” 

● “PROSECUTORS RECEIVED 

NO COMMAND FROM 

LUTSENKO 

OR POROSHENKO 

TO DO ANYTHING 

ABOUT KUCHMA” 

Ihor LUTSENKO, Member 

of the Ukrainian Parliament: 

“The cause of Kuchma’s impunity is 

that his family is one of Ukraine’s biggest 

media moguls. They own large enterprises, 

financial resources, and, accordingly, 

still exert influence on the foreign 

and domestic policies of Ukraine. In the 

past few years Kuchma has also been one 

of the active Ukrainian negotiators in 

Minsk, and this role gives him sufficient 

protection. Kuchma’s son-in-law 

Pinchuk is also trying, less successfully, 

to play the role of a link with the US elite. 

They are allegedly respected for the international 

clout they have gained for 

many years. This is why prosecutors received 

no command from Lutsenko or 

Poroshenko to do anything about Kuchma 

even if they know about his role in the 

crimes. 

“Conformism still prevails in Ukrainian 

society, and some of its members are 

full of love for money, glory, and influence 

which the Kuchma family can provide 

with the help of its resources. Having 

no personal interest in the Gongadze 

issue, most politicians think it is better 

not to quarrel with Pinchuk – it is more 

beneficial to appear on his TV channels 

and not to recall the annoying Gongadze 

story. Besides, most of the institutions 

that allegedly deal with the freedom of 

speech, analysis of the Ukrainian media, 

and protection of journalists’ rights, especially 

the ones that are closer to international 

donors, are lobbyist organizations. 

This is another instrument of influence 

rather than a way to protect 

journalists and the freedom of speech. 

“In the final analysis, we cannot help 

but recall such an objective factor as the 

course of time and personnel turnover in 

journalism. For example, the new generation 

on television consists of journalists 

for whom the Gongadze story is 

something as archaic as the Pereiaslav Rada 

or World War Two. They did not witness 

18-year-old events, so this story is 

very far from them. But those who want 

to be a true journalist must, of course, 

know the tragic story of Gongadze.” 

Read more on our website


CLOSE UP No.47 SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 5 

By Ivan KAPSAMUN, 

Valentyn TORBA, The Day 

Photos from Serhii POPKO’s 

Facebook page 

Sea of Azov Controversy 

Expert says that unless the Ukraine-Russia 

Friendship Treaty is renewed, the agreement 

on the Sea of Azov may become null and void 

Colonel General Serhii Popko, 

commander of the Ground Forces, 

wrote on Facebook recently that 

Ukraine has deployed additional 

troops and equipment in the 

direction of the Sea of Azov: “In response 

to Russia’s aggressive activities in the Sea 

of Azov, the General Staff of the Armed 

Forces of Ukraine has ordered 

reinforcements for the group of the Armed 

Forces, including Ground Forces in the 

direction of the Sea of Azov. Measures are 

being taken to keep the situation fully 

under control, secure support of the naval 

group and a reliable defense of the coast. 

The region is being placed under constant 

control by joint brigades and territorial 

defense by missile, artillery, and military 

aviation units. I had the honor of presenting 

government decorations to officers and 

the men of one such brigade on combat duty 

in the region bordering the Sea of Azov.” 

The day before, it became known that 

the Lubny and Kremenchuk armored artillery 

boats were deployed on the Sea of 

Azov to enhance Ukrainian naval presence 

there. These measures actually point to the 

implementation of a complex of measures 

earlier adopted by the National Security 

and Defense Council (RNBO), aimed at defending 

Ukraine’s national interests in the 

Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch 

Strait where Russia is hindering maritime 

transit. Since April 2018, Russian 

warships have been detaining foreign ships 

headed for the seaports of Berdiansk and 

Mariupol as they passed through the Kerch 

Strait. Russia’s actions contravene an international 

treaty under which the Sea of 

Azov is an internal sea for Ukraine and 

Russia and thus open for the free navigation 

of both countries. 

Fortunately, the Ukrainian administration 

has started responding to a critical 

situation that developed a long time ago 

and which has for the past six months been 

lamented by expert Andrii Klymenko and 

Admiral Ihor Kabanenko. Back in 2014, 

the Ukrainian Navy lost some 70 percent 

of vessels and at long last, now into the 

fifth year of war, the President “instructed 

to work out the Maritime Doctrine of 

Ukraine” after a recent RNBO meeting. It’s 

a shame it took so long and such belated 

measures can only encourage Russia to continue 

its aggression against Ukraine. 

The Ukraine-Russia agreement on cooperation 

in the use the Sea of Azov and 

Kerch Strait, signed in 2003, is still effective. 

It has five articles that read: 

— The Sea of Azov and the Kerch 

Strait are historically internal waters of the 

Russian Federation and Ukraine. 

— The Sea of Azov must be delimited 

by the state border in accordance with 

the Agreement signed by both Parties. 

— Mercantile vessels and other state 

non-commercial vessels flying the flags of 

the Russian Federation and Ukraine have 

free navigation in the Sea of Azov and the 

Kerch Strait. Mercantile vessels flying 

the flags of third countries can enter the Sea 

of Azov and pass through the Kerch Strait 

provided they are headed for a Russian and 

Ukrainian port or are on the way back. 

— Military and other vessels of third 

countries that are used for non-commercial 

purposes can enter the Sea of Azov and pass 

through the Kerch Strait provided they are 

on a visit or invited or allowed to enter a 

port of either of the Parties with the 

knowledge and consent of the other Party. 

— Disputes between the Parties in conjunction 

with the interpretation and application 

of this Agreement shall be settled 

by consultations, negotiations, and by using 

other peaceful means as chosen by the 

Parties. 

There are two controversial statements 

which will decide whether this 

treaty will remain effective. Olena Zerkal, 

Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, declared 

that Kyiv does not intend to terminate 

the treaty with Russia. Borys Babin, 

the President’s Permanent Representative 

to Crimea, said his office is preparing 

documents for the possibility of abrogating 

the agreement. At this it is worth to recall 

the circumstances in which Ukraine 

agreed to sign the agreement in 2003. 

In an interview with Channel Ukrlife.TV, 

Ihor Smeshko, head of SBU in 

2003-05, said: “The Kremlin realized that 

Ukraine would offer resistance [e.g., the 

Tuzla conflict in 2003 – Ed.]. The signing 

of the Sea of Azov Agreement was a compromise 

of sorts. It was a political compromise 

meant to calm Moscow that was 

worried at the time about access to the Sea 

of Azov, especially for NATO warships. In 

2003, the Verkhovna Rada passed the bill 

on the Concept of National Security and 

Defense. For the first time Ukraine’s fullfledged 

participation in the Euro-Atlantic 

security structures – NATO and EU – was 

legislatively confirmed as a strategic objective. 

It is also true that Russia was then 

actively knocking on NATO doors. In his 

well-known speech in Rome, Putin paid 

THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE HAS ORDERED 

REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE GROUP OF THE ARMED FORCES, INCLUDING 

GROUND FORCES IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SEA OF AZOV, AS PART OF A 

COMPLEX OF MEASURES TO DEFEND THE NATIONAL INTERESTS IN THE REGION 

compliments to NATO. He also actively 

worked on Russia’s EU membership. 

Therefore, Ukraine’s tactic served its national 

interests under the circumstances. 

After Russia’s calculated maneuvers 

failed, an agreement on the Sea of Azov 

was quickly drafted. It was done in order 

to assure the Kremlin that no NATO vessels 

would be in the Sea of Azov, acting as 

a possible threat to Russia, as under the 

agreement, entry of foreign ships was 

possible only with the knowledge and consent 

of the signatories. In other words, 

Russia now had the right to veto such entry 

to the Sea of Azov. It was a compromise 

at the time.” 

What about now? According to Ihor 

Smeshko, “to an extent, we are free of our 

obligations after the start of Russia’s aggression 

against Ukraine and its annexation 

of Crimea. The way I see it, this 

agreement makes no sense. Under it, we 

cannot adequately defend our national interests 

in the Sea of Azov and Kerch 

Strait; it denies us the influence of international 

law under the UN Convention on 

the Law of the Sea (1982). Over 172 countries 

joined this convention, among them 

Russia. If we terminated this agreement 

with Russia – and we have every moral, legislative, 

and political right to do so – we’d 

be under the jurisdiction of international 

law under the Convention on the Law of the 

Sea. We would automatically receive tangible 

privileges, including 20 miles of territorial 

waters and 24 miles of the exclusive 

economic zone. Besides, the convention 

contains all the procedures for settling disputes 

on the sea, involving international institutions 

and envisaging sanctions.” 

Why hasn’t Ukrainian diplomacy 

considered this effective mechanism of returning 

this country to the protection offered 

under international law? 

Andrii Klymenko, editor-in-chief, 

https://www.blackseanews.net, told The 

Day: “The Foreign Affairs Maidan Group 

has long been reiterating that the agreement 

on the Sea of Azov between Russia 

and Ukraine should be either terminated 

or suspended. Lawyers would know 

what to suspend and what to abrogate. 

We need a frontier on the Sea of Azov. 

We have none. As a result of this inappropriate 

agreement, the frontier is set 

along the line of the surf on the beach, 

that is, along the coast where the land 

ends. This is absolutely understandable, 

but there is the curious stand taken by the 

deputy foreign minister. It boils down to 

the allegation that everything is OK on 

the Sea of Azov and that the media are 

making a mountain out of a molehill – a 

finger pointed in our direction, considering 

that the Foreign Affairs Maidan 

has been carrying regular reports on the 

situation in the Sea of Azov. Only the military 

and Borys Babin, the President’s 

representative to Crimea, an expert on 

the law of the sea, have taken a stand similar 

to ours. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

has reacted to the contrary. Russia, 

in turn, objected to the dominance of the 

Law of the Sea in regard to the Sea of 

Azov, referring to that agreement with 

Ukraine. Indeed, back in 2003, the signatories 

somehow left the Sea of Azov 

and Kerch Strait out of the jurisdiction 

of the Law of the Sea. The preamble 

reads that the agreement is based on 

the Ukraine-Russia Friendship Treaty. In 

other words, if the Friendship Treaty is 

not renewed, the agreement on the Sea of 

Azov may become null and void.” 

By Vladyslava SHEVCHENKO 

Today one can instantly immerse 

oneself in past or current realities. 

All it takes is a special headgear or 

a pair of glasses, and then one is off 

on an exciting trip and in for strong 

emotions. 

Sounds simple, but trips to the past also 

take courage when reliving especially 

tragic events. A team of young Ukrainian 

IT enthusiasts founded New Cave Media 

(newcavemedia.com) [an immersive storytelling 

studio that delivers 360°/VR solutions 

to commercial clients worldwide – 

Ed.]. They weren’t afraid of the challenge 

and selected February 20, currently known 

as Euromaidan. 

● IMMERSION IN REALITY 

As usual, one puts on a headgear – VR 

helmet – and finds oneself back in 2014, on 

the 20th day of February (tagged by media 

as Black Thursday). However, this is not 

the usual kind of computer-generated reality. 

This is what really happened in 

Ukraine. Winter. Maidan. Instytutska St. 

Scared people around. As back then, one is 

hard put to figure out what’s happening. 

Emotions are hard to hold in check. Pain 

and anxiety. One can remember what happened 

then, every minute of it, and the 

ever-present fear. Hard to endure but 

very important. Forgetting important 

pages in our history eventually leads to 

tragic consequences, like the ones that 

occurred almost five years ago. 

This virtual reality project is especially 

significant now that Instytutska St. 

is to be revamped. In other words, our 

WhathappenedonBlackThursday,February20,2014? 

Virtual reality Project “Aftermath VR: Euromaidan” launched in Kyiv 

children and grandchildren won’t see 

the place where one of the most hair-raising 

tragedies in Ukraine’s latter day history 

took place. When you visit it, you 

can’t help but feel the tears and the pain 

in your heart. You realize that the heroes 

of the Heavenly Hundred sacrificed their 

lives for a better future for you and your 

posterity. 

What happened on that Black Thursday 

in downtown Kyiv remains a 

heartrending memory, but it is part of our 

history. The reconstruction of those events, 

using the latest IT developments, offers a 

chance to leave these memories alive for future 

generations. 

Each visitor spends 15-20 min. with 

the VR glasses/helmet on – and relives that 

day. This is truly a unique project in our 

world which is teeming with visual data. 

People feel that they are amidst the events, 

that everything is real, rather than watch- 

Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day 

ing a movie or TV serial. This provides a 

considerably higher degree of empathy. 

● REFUTING MYTHS 

IT team members say they were outraged 

by the campaign of disinformation 

launched in the aftermath of events in 

February. Project co-founder Serhii POLE- 

ZHAKA: “This wasn’t the first or last instance 

of the Russian propaganda machine 

coming up with thousands of versions of 

what had actually happened. Every effort 

was made to discourage people to learn the 

truth. We were present there, so we held our 

view on the situation. We wanted to help the 

activists and eyewitnesses share the truth 

about what had taken place on that street.” 

Project “Aftermath VR: Euromaidan” 

allows every viewer to follow the protesters 

step by step and the narrator explains 

about the mass shootings on February 20. 

There are documentary footages, 360° interviews 

with eyewitness, and a Euromaidan 

exhibit. Some of these artifacts are 

courtesy of the Revolution of Dignity Museum’s 

Heavenly Hundred Memorial. 

The photos are perhaps the most visceral. 

You see yourself standing on an ordinary 

Kyiv street, in front of a photo display, 

but once you aim the “pointer” at a 

photo, you can see what took place here only 

several years ago. Pitched street battles, 

blood-covered protesters, sheer violence. 

A number of photo artists from across 

Ukraine contributed to the project, among 

them Project Coordinator Oleksii FUR- 

MAN, a veteran contributor to Den/The 

Day. Back in 2010, he was the first to vie 

in and win the Editors’ International 

Photo Contest in the children’s classification. 

Several years later, he won the 

contest in the adult standing with his series 

of photos “Life After [War] 

Wounds.” In 2017, Den’s Summer School 

of Journalism students were among the 

first to learn about this large scale project 

from the author. 

● PROJECT SPECIFICS 

The video was made using photogrammetry, 

a 3D technique that uses 

photography in surveying and mapping to 

ascertain measurements between numerous 

objects. In Ukraine, this scope is reflected 

in virtual reality for the first time 

in history. This technique allows the viewer 

to “feel” the cobblestones on virtual Instytutska 

St. under his/her feet, and 

“walk” up and down the street. 

The IT team faced difficulties, of 

course. Oleksii Furman: “We chose a very 

complicated site for scanning. There were 

many structures topped with glass. Also, 

this was a downtown street, with many people 

and cars on weekdays. On weekends, the 

situation was a little better, but there were 

frequent public events. We had to work in 

the morning and on weekends, when most 

people were at home. We worked in September, 

October, and November. There 

was no scanning when there was snow – or 

when the greenery was abundant, as it is 

now. Back on February 20, Instytutska St. 

was bare of leaves and grass.” 


6 


SOCIE T Y 


Photo by Mykola TYMCHENKO, The Day 

IhorPASICHNYK: 

“Den provides a powerful 

intellectual milieu” 

The rector of Ostroh 

Academy discusses changes 

in the education sector and 

new horizons of cooperation 

with his favorite publication 

By Oleksii KOSTIUCHENKO, Ostroh 

Den/The Day has cooperated with 

the National University of Ostroh 

Academy for 15 years. During this 

time, we have managed to implement 

many joint initiatives, including the 

Ostroh Club of Free Intellectual Communication 

for Youth which grew into 

an international project called the 

Ostroh Forum last year, a series of discussions 

which editor-in-chief of this 

newspaper Larysa Ivshyna has held 

with students, as well as students attending 

Den’s Summer School of 

Journalism. In addition, Ivshyna 

serves as co-chair of Ostroh Academy’s 

Supervisory Board. At the beginning 

of the new academic year, we 

discussed with the school’s rector, 

Hero of Ukraine, Professor Ihor Pasichnyk 

results of the 2018 admissions 

campaign, implementation of education 

reforms, and new horizons of 

cooperation between Den/The Day 

and Ostroh Academy. 

● “OUR FRESHMEN COME 

FROM ALL REGIONS OF 

UKRAINE, INCLUDING 

KYIV” 

Professor, we know that Ostroh 

Academy admitted almost 500 freshmen 

this year. What can you say 

about this year’s admissions campaign? 

“Despite the demographic shortfall, 

we have successfully completed 

the admissions drive, especially in the 

leading educational and professional 

programs of Ostroh Academy, which 

are international relations, law, Germanic 

languages and literatures, and 

journalism. Also, we launched an educational 

and professional program in 

computer sciences this year, which 

applicants have been enthusiastic 

about. Each university has its own 

applicants, and therefore they know 

where they apply and what they will be 

required to do when studying. I am 

pleased to see that Ostroh Academy 

freshmen come from all regions of 

Ukraine, including Kyiv. Most importantly, 

we have admitted a highquality 

bunch of young people, because 

our freshmen are mostly 

straight-A secondary school students 

who have extremely high scores in 

their External Independent Testing 

(EIT) certificates. No wonder the Ostroh 

Academy ranked sixth in the 

ranking of Top 10 Universities with the 

Highest Average Score, compiled by 

the Ministry of Education and Science 

of Ukraine on the basis of the 2018 

admission campaign. We educate highly 

intellectual youths, which encourages 

our faculty to keep working on 

self-improvement as well. This movement’s 

logic allows Ostroh Academy to 

rank with the leading institutions of 

higher education in Ukraine. 

“Regarding the technical failures 

that bedeviled those filing electronic 

applications during the admissions 

campaign, they were insignificant and 

did not affect its overall progress. 

The only thing we would like is for the 

Ministry of Education to allow universities 

to independently determine 

the list of EIT subject scores used to determine 

winning applications for this 

or that educational and professional 

program, especially when admitting 

self-funded students.” 

● “I WOULD NOT CALL THESE 

MEASURES REFORMS...” 

There are many different opinions 

about reforms as envisioned by the 

new Laws of Ukraine “On Higher Education” 

and “On Education.” Are 

these reforms being successfully implemented 

at Ostroh Academy? 

“When we use the word ‘reform,’ 

we mean primarily a change in the ideological 

component. I do not see the ideological 

component substantially 

changing in these reforms that are currently 

taking place in education. What 

I mean is that the curricula and programs 

must be permeated with such an 

important term as ‘patriotism,’ especially 

now that Ukraine is in a state of 

war. Therefore, I would not call these 

measures reforms, but rather changes 

in the education sector, which had to 

start with secondary education, and 

then move on to higher education, 

and not vice versa, because as a result, 

we are now getting school graduates 

who are not ready for college. Changes 

are clearly needed, especially in secondary 

education, which we have inherited 

unchanged from the Soviet 

Union. This old system can be defended 

only by a person who has not seen 

any alternative, and therefore, does not 

know that a child can go to school 

with joy and feel calm and comfortable 

there. The education minister declares 

that we are mainly using the Finnish 

educational system as our model. In my 

opinion, this is the right direction, so 

I fully support Lilia Hrynevych in 

this. 

“As for the EIT, apart from a positive 

impact it has had on combating 

corruption in the admissions, it has had 

a negative one as well. It turns out that 

we are preparing students not for life, 

but for passing the EIT. Therefore, people 

have to spend considerable effort 

and resources on tutoring, especially 

while attending grades 10 and 11. In 

the Scandinavian system of education, 

a school graduate may submit either 

a school diploma or an EIT certificate 

at the time of admission. Why 

do not we borrow such an algorithm? 

I believe that the EIT needs to be conducted 

primarily among graduates of 

higher education institutions in order 

to determine the quality of their training 

and make appropriate conclusions 

about the expediency of keeping this or 

that university in business. 

“We in Ostroh Academy are currently 

preparing to confirm its status 

as a national university, so we analyze 

the strengths and weaknesses of our 

work. Naturally, we share other universities’ 

issues, because many talented 

graduates go abroad. Therefore, 

we are trying to support, both morally 

and financially, the young intellectuals 

who stay and work for our university. 

We have created a unit 

charged with ensuring the quality of 

education in Ostroh Academy. We redesigned 

the curricula in accordance 

with the competence-based approach 

last year and carry out internal monitoring 

of the quality of education. We 

also plan to involve relevant international 

agencies in external monitoring, 

aiming to obtain, in the long run, an international 

certificate confirming that 

Ostroh Academy provides high-quality 

educational services.” 

Read more on our website 

Ascientific“rockconcert” 

By Maria PROKOPENKO, 

photos by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day 

Can you imagine a full house at a 

popular science conference? Such 

that the tickets for one of its 

days were sold out a week before 

it even started. Well, how could 

it be otherwise when the speakers included 

experts from NASA, the Mars Society, the 

Copernicus Center, and leading Ukrainian 

scientists? 

So, the first day of the INSCIENCE 

popular science conference took place at the 

ArtHall D12 space in Kyiv on September 

13. The title can be deciphered as “innovations 

+ science.” The conference is just 

one direction of a major project of the same 

name, founded by Olena Skyrta and Anna 

Oriekhova. The project aims to popularize 

science, unite academics and business 

community, and create conducive conditions 

for the development of innovations. 

● CHOOSING WHERE TO FLY 

During the first day, visitors had an 

opportunity to listen to presentations on 

space, astrophysics, bio- and nanotechnology. 

For instance, the first speaker 

was Jakub Bochinski – Polish astrophysicist, 

head of the educational laboratory at 

the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw, 

and Poland’s representative on the Education 

Consultative Committee of the European 

Space Agency. He explained why 

the humanity needed to explore exoplanets. 

Incidentally, that same evening, 

Bochinski had a discussion with founder of 

the Mars Society Robert Zubrin, who advocates 

the idea of colonizing Mars literally 

in several decades from now. 

In parallel, an exhibition of high-tech 

startups and inventions made by both private 

companies and branches of the National 

Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 

(NASU) took place on the location. 

The next day’s planned events included 

speaker-led workshops dealing with 

fundraising, looking for grants, presenting 

projects and writing for cool academic 

journals, as well as pitching of startups 

and inventions, all of them to be held in the 

UNIT.City innovation park. 

● TO PREVENT CHOKING 

ON THE FUMES 

In a break between the eminent speakers’ 

presentations, The Day’s reporter 

talked to participants of the high-tech 

startups and inventions exhibition. 

A small rectangular device with a 

screen, wires and a cap that is worn on a finger 

– this is a gadget that can help a physician 

determine the degree of carbon monoxide 

poisoning. “It is actually carbon monoxide, 

which mostly enters the human body 

with the fumes,” clarified Serhii Mamilov, 

the academic secretary of the NASU’s Institute 

of Applied Problems of Physics and 

Biophysics, who has been studying this topic 

since 1995. “Carbon monoxide poisoning 

is very hard to deal with, because there are 

no external signs. The level of carboxyhemoglobin, 

which blocks the supply of oxygen 

to cells, rises, so the body disconnects 

these cells. People say that somebody ‘has 

Exciting research and innovations discussed and 

demonstrated at the INSCIENCE conference 

choked on the fumes.’ During such a poisoning, 

the person goes to sleep, then full 

hypoxia sets in, and death comes. Pathologists 

even say that after such a poisoning, 

the dead person has red-colored skin and 

looks like they are still alive.” 

When it comes to extinguishing a 

fire, it is important to quickly determine 

the degree of the victims’ poisoning and to 

monitor the condition of the emergency responders. 

“And here we have developed this 

combined device that non-invasively assesses 

the level of carboxyhemoglobin in 

the blood, the status of the cardiovascular 

and respiratory systems, and also has sensors 

determining the presence of CO in the 

air, including one exhaled by somebody. 

This is an option for a physician needing to 

determine the condition of the victim. 

We also planned to make a smaller device 

which would be attached to the firefighter’s 

ear, and would start beeping at some 

point, signaling that they have already inhaled 

too much of carbon monoxide and 

must leave the room,” Mamilov added. 

Scientists told the State Emergency 

Service about the device that measures the 

degree of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

“They say ‘it is good, but we have no money,’” 

Mamilov told us. “The device must be 

certified, and it costs money. Academic institutes 

do not get any money allocated for 

such purposes, as we are only allocated 

money for research. We have not found 

anyone willing to invest in it, even though 

there is only one mass-produced device in 

the world that measures the level of carboxyhemoglobin 

in the blood, and it alone. 

Ours measures more parameters. So we are 

trying to promote this design, have been entering 

it in various exhibitions, and our 

military has shown some interest as well.” 

● A SMART MAP 

The EOS Platform company creates analytical 

tools to help clients get real-time 

images and analyses of satellite and other 

Earth observation data, which can be used 

for research as well as for business and public 

administration purposes. The company 

is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, 

but the team is to a large extent Ukrainian, 

while designers and most of the research 

department are located in Ukraine. 

“We coordinate our activity with our 

head office in California, there are our representatives 

there who help promote the 

product in the Western market and track 

global data management trends, they also 

can help us set right priorities when designing 

our products,” said Mykola Kozyr, 

coordinator of one of EOS Platform’s projects, 

namely Vision. 

The Vision team develops toolkits for 

working with vector data, deals with visualization 

and analysis of vector data in a 

browser. “Vision is a website where one can 

add one’s information either in a convenient 

vector data format, or in the form of 

a regular Excel spreadsheet with coordinates,” 

Kozyr described his project. “In the 

browser, one can immediately reproduce 

this data, stylize it, or make a spatial 

query using a common interface. One can 

also make a thorough analysis of data and 

distribute a map that will be available as a 

single link for all Internet users. Effectively, 

it is a browser toolkit that allows one 

to quickly create high-quality vector maps.” 

Vision has an immense potential market, 

including businesses, primarily small 

and medium-sized ones, government organizations 

and NGOs. Actually, it is 

everyone who has data that needs to be analyzed 

and stylized. “One example of its use 

is cooperation with relevant ministries of 

Ukraine, we are establishing contacts 

right now,” Kozyr noted. “Decentralization 

is going on, new united communities are being 

formed, and with the help of our project, 

it is possible to display them on the 

map, add statistical indicators, like the 

number of residents, the level of accessibility 

of the Centers for Provision of Administrative 

Services, etc., and analyze it.” 



CULT URE No.47 SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 7 

By Maria PROKOPENKO, 

photos by Mykola TYMCHENKO, 

The Day 

Fever on the streets and a pompous 

cold Empire style, new privileges 

for the third estate and the 

emergence of an empire which 

could rival the Roman one in 

grandeur, although it existed for a much 

shorter time… The history of France 

200 years ago has a lot of figures that can 

be easily found in today’s Ukraine. The 

proof of this is the exhibit “Freedom vs. 

Empire” now being held at the National 

Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum 

of Arts. Many of the items are exhibited 

for the first time. The bulk of the exhibits 

are graphic pictures, but what attracts the 

greatest attention is caricature. The 

exposition also displays porcelain, 

Wedgwood plaques, and other historical 

items. 

● CONCEPT 

The project’s idea came up a few years 

ago. Oleksandra Isaikova, a senior research 

associate at the museum’s graphics 

section, who is, together with the section 

head Olena Shostak, the curator of 

this exhibit, calls it a cultural project, 

when various items show a profile of a certain 

era or phenomenon. Besides, Isaikova 

confesses, the deeper the museum got 

absorbed in the subject, the more it understood 

that this closely echoes with 

20th-century history and today. The story 

unfolds from the beginning of the 1789 

French Revolution until the exile of 

Napoleon to the island of Saint Helena, 

where he died. 

● A “STOP IMAGE” 

OF THE SEIZURE 

OF THE BASTILLE 

One of the first exhibited works is 

Jacques-Louis Bance’s etching “The 

Storming of the Bastille.” “This composition 

was unbelievably popular. It was repeated 

many times, and later artists painted 

pictures on the basis of this engraving. 

For there were no photo cameras at that 

time, and everything is fixed here,” Isaikova 

says. 

French King Louis XVI seems to be 

looking at this scene – for an engraving 

by Johann von Mueller, done on the basis 

of the monarch’s grand portrait, 

hangs on the opposite wall. The museum 

people are saying that, as long as this image 

of the king was of great ideological 

importance, the engraver was specially 

invited to Paris to do a drawing. The 

master worked on the engraving for 

four years, but the work lost its importance 

in 1789 because the country’s political 

life changed radically. The engraving 

was first released in 1793 in 

Nuremberg, when the king and his wife 

Marie Antoinette were executed. 

● REDISTRIBUTING 

OPPORTUNITIES 

HANDKERCHIEF “THE STAGE OF EUROPE IN DECEMBER 1812” 

“Caricature as a genre of art was finally 

formed in the 18th century. It is 

the French Revolution events that gave 

impetus to the development of French 

caricature in a situation of new freedoms 

and challenges,” Isaikova points out. 

The key theme of the cartoons drawn 

in 1789-91, at the beginning of the 

French Revolution, is the alliance of 

three estates – the clergy, the nobility, 

and commoners. “There were still illusions 

of being able to achieve equality 

and fraternity. This is why we can see a 

bit idyllic pictures here,” Isaikova adds. 

Here the three estates unite in a 

dance, and a good-natured caricature is 

accompanied with sentimental verses. 

And the next cartoon strikes a more 

threatening note: a third estate representative 

robs an embarrassed noble of 

his officer tunic, while a cleric looks on 

pensively. “Indeed, sir, I think your 

tunic of an officer will suit me better,” 

the caption says. This story dates back 

to the formation of the National Guard 

in Paris on July 14, 1789. The rank of an 

officer was usually a privilege of the nobility, 

but even a commoner could 

achieve a high rank in the National 

Guard, if he showed certain abilities and 

the leadership liked him. So this insti- 

The art of revolution 

tution became an important symbol of 

A new exhibit at the Khanenko Museum shows 

fighting for the third estate’s new opportunities. 

how people fought for freedom and ridiculed the empire 

PLATE. THE MANUFACTURE NATIONALE DE SEVRES, 1846 

THE ULTIMATE IN CANNIBALISM, 1815 

● A CANNIBAL ON THE RIVERS 

OF BLOOD 

Among the displayed caricatures of 

the times of Napoleon’s First Empire, the 

rarest are those created by royalists. Often 

anonymous, they were published in 

England, where Napoleon was not liked, 

and then smuggled to and distributed in 

France in order to undermine the emperor’s 

prestige. 

“These sheets are from the album that 

belonged to Count Henryk Ilinski who had 

a manor near Zhytomyr,” Isaikova notes. 

“How they found themselves in our museum 

is a mystery. Anyway, there is seal 

on each sheet with the inscription ‘Count 

Henryk Ilinski’ and his personal coat of 

arms.” 

“The Ultimate in Cannibalism,” a 

caricature created in 1815 by Louis Francois 

Charon, parodies Napoleon’s fulldress 

portrait by the artist Jean August 

Dominique Ingres. “The full-dress portrait 

depicts Napoleon on the throne in a 

mantle and with a scepter. On the caricature, 

he also wears a mantle but is 

seated on a pile of dead soldiers and, besides, 

on the bank of a ‘river of blood,’ as 

the caption says. We can see cities reduced 

to dust and the attacking troops. My 

most favorite detail is a tricolor that 

shows the Phrygian cap, a symbol of 

freedom, surrounded by chains, while the 

caption says: ‘Disguised as freedom, I’ve 

chained you,’” Isaikova comments. 

Even if royalist masters did not sign, 

they could be easily recognized by style and 

content. Firstly, a right composition with 

a good drawing was typical of such works. 

A commoner could have hardly created 

this, while aristocratic education included 

art exercises. Another particularity is 

a huge number of captions in small print. 

According to Isaikova, the best examples 

of folk caricature comprise fewer inscriptions, 

for they should be understood by 

large masses of the illiterate populace. 

Thirdly, accusations against Napoleon of, 

say, crushing a royalist revolt usually 

found an echo in the old aristocracy only. 

● A DANCE AROUND 

THE TREE OF FREEDOM 

“Soldiers of the French Revolutionary 

Army Are Erecting a Tree of Liberty 

in Zweibruecken on February 11, 1793” – 

the Ukrainian spectator will easily recognize 

the prototype of Kyiv’s notorious 

Christmas tree in this caricature by Jean 

Godefroy. 

The engraving was found this year in 

the museum’s repository. It depicts the 

French troops that are putting up a Tree of 

Liberty, a symbol of the French Revolution. 

This symbol came from the US and later 

spread all over the world. “The French revolutionary 

troops were in the habit of 

erecting a Tree of Liberty at every place 

they were coming to,” Isaikova says. “The 

tree on the engraving really looks like a 

Christmas tree, but it was usually an oak 

or any other tree. Sometimes it was just a 

stick adorned with ribbons. A Phrygian cap 

was put on the Liberty Tree’s top, and a celebration 

in honor of freedom and equality 

was held. It usually consisted of dances, 

such as carmagnole or farandole.” 

● GREAT VICTORIES AND 

DEFEATS 

In the hall about the First Empire, you 

can see engravings that depict victories of 

Napoleon’s army, for example the outcome 

of the Battle of Austerlitz. Jean Godefroy 

made this engraving after Francois Gerard’s 

picture commissioned by Napoleon on 

the second day after his victory. The emperor 

could not help being proud of this 

event, for the enemy considerably outnumbered 

his army. As a result, the anti- 

French coalition broke up. 

The picture portrays Napoleon himself 

on a white horse the moment General 

Rapp arrives to announce the victory. In 

general, there are a lot of historical persons 

among the characters. Isaikova points at 

marshals Berthier and Bessieres, generals 

Duroc and Junot, and the captured Russian 

Prince Repnin-Volkonsky. 

Next to the image of a great victory is 

the print “The Death of Prince Jozef Poniatowski 

during the Crossing of the Elster 

on October 19, 1813” by Philibert Louis Debucourt, 

which shows the defeat of 

Napoleon’s troops in the Battle of Leipzig, 

after which the emperor abdicated the 

throne. The national hero of Poland, Jozef 

Poniatowski, died covering the French 

army’s retreat. 

● HEALTH-FRIENDLY EMPIRE 

STYLE 

These battle scenes are in contrast 

with empire-style household stuffs, such as 

porcelain items by French and German 

manufacturers, a dainty clock, and plaques. 

Some of them, incidentally, bear the portraits 

of Napoleon’s enemies: British Prime 

Minister William Pitt, Admiral Nelson, and 

Admiral Hood. Isaikova notes that the key 

sign of the empire style is reference to classical 

antiquity and military subjects. Even 

those who resisted Napoleon liked this 

style which flourished in the emperor’s 

hour of triumph. 

Refined vessels contrast with rather a 

simple desk of the architect made in the 

first half of the 18th century. It is a representative 

of the then popular folding furniture 

called “a la Tronchin” – after physician 

Theodore Tronchin who invented it. 

“In particular, Tronchin healed spinal 

disorders architects complained about. 

This doctor understood that architects 

just sit uncomfortably at work and invented 

a desk at which one can work well 

without harming his back. The desk’s 

height can be adjusted by means of special 

legs. The angle of the desk top’s can also 

vary if necessary,” Isaikova says. 

● DEATH, CRUTCHES, 

AND A WHITE CAT 

After the Leipzig defeat, Napoleon abdicated 

the throne and was exiled to the island 

of Elba. France saw the beginning of 

a short period of Restoration, when the 

Bourbons regained power. Closely watching 

the developments, Napoleon chose a favorable 

moment, landed in France with just 

a thousand of soldiers, and reaches Paris 

in two weeks. This signaled the so-called 

Hundred Days period, when Napoleon 

managed to stay in power again. 

The caricature “The Arrival of Nicolas 

Buonaparte at Tuileries on March 20, 

1815” shows this moment. The emperor is 

accompanied by the figures of Death and 

Poverty, and crutches are falling out of the 

box on which it is written “War Compensations.” 

It is clear from the gloomy faces 

of commoners and bourgeois that these people 

do not believe Napoleon’s promises. The 

most good-natured character here is a 

well-fed white cat in the center who says: 

“I have velvet paws.” This French idiom describes 

a person who pretends to be kind but 

has a selfish motive. 


8 


TIMEO U T 


All of Ukraine represented at a photo exhibition 

Why 

I participate 

in the annual 

Den’s 

International 

Photo Contest 

THE HERO GAMES 

By Ivan ANTYPENKO, The Day, Kherson, 

photos by the author 

Ihad good fortune to get acquainted with Den’s 

International Photo Contest when it was in its solemn 

stage, that is, the award ceremony for the winners. It 

is held annually in late fall. Well-lit hall, live music, 

living legends of Ukrainian culture, journalism, and politics 

in attendance and... a few hundred beautiful photos. 

It seems that you can stand for hours peering at any single 

picture, pondering over its contexts, explicit and hidden 

meanings. But one wants to see all the works and find out 

who has received the Grand Prix. Therefore, people pass 

around the hall several times, choose their favorite and immerse 

themselves in the festive atmosphere. Hundreds of 

stories are on display at the photo exhibition. They include 

wonderful Ukrainian landscapes, portraits with a strong 

character, depicting mine and factory workers as well as government 

officials and presidents, and lucky takes on all the 

key events that took place in this country over the past year. 

Here I realized that the winners of this contest were 

selected in a special way. As Den’s editor-in-chief Larysa 

Ivshyna said, they chose for the exhibition “those pictures 

where there is something more than just a photo.” She 

meant emotion, look, occasion, color, symbolism, mood, and 

personality... 

I first took part in Den’s photo contest not as a spectator 

but as an author in 2016. I selected a series of photos 

taken during my trips along the border of Kherson Region 

and Crimea, sent them to the organizers, and then suddenly 

saw my picture among the winners. Among the thousands 

of photos sent from all over Ukraine, several hundred 

had been selected, and mine was among them. It was 

already a victory. And next year, one of my photos won a 

valuable gift from a partner of the photo exhibition. It was 

an unexpected and pleasant sign of recognition. 

Of course, this contest is most valuable because of its 

mobility. Over its two-decade history, Den’s photo exhibition 

has become a people’s mobile gallery. After the initial 

show in Kyiv, the best photos get displayed in large 

and small cities across Ukraine with the support of the publication’s 

regional partners. More than a hundred away exhibitions 

have already taken place. I call it “people’s exhibition” 

because impressions and comments of the visitors 

are always emotional and highly involved. These emotions 

come from observing beauty, magnificence, and historicity 

but at the same time, inferiority complex and partial 

neglect present in this country. However, it is important 

to remember that all these photofacts should be 

used for reconsidering one’s ideas and correcting one’s mistakes, 

and not just for contemplation. In addition, Den’s 

photo exhibition’s tour of our provinces is always a serious 

cultural event. For local residents, this is also a virtual 

journey through Ukraine enabled by photos. It is an 

opportunity to see other people like oneself and explore new 

places, which, in fact, are very close. Just look around. Den 

offers such an opportunity and suggests where to look. 

Should you ask if it is worth taking part in Den’s photo 

contest, I will answer “Yes” without a shadow of doubt. 

Personally, I have already selected a number of this 

year’s works and will offer them for the professional jury’s 

consideration. I think they will give a fair evaluation 

to all the participants and select the works that really deserve 

to get to the “front page.” 

I wish all participants success! Most importantly, you 

should not doubt yourself. 

Oleksandra Koval speaks about “climate creation” 

Continued from page 2 ➤ 

“Now the situation has slowed down a bit, because 

such an artificial excitement needs constant support. The 

wave of enthusiasm is receding and Russian books have 

started to reenter the market. They enter not so much 

legally, across borders, because the ban is still in force, 

but through the good services of Ukrainian ‘pirates’ who 

‘pirate’ Russian paper and electronic books and reprint 

them here. And we need a coordinated effort of law-enforcement 

agencies to combat it.” 

● “WE NEED TO BUILD A TRUST SYSTEM” 

You have been selected as director of the Ukrainian Book 

Institute. What challenges do you see? And what are you planning 

to do? 

“It is all very complicated. I feel the hopes that many people 

have placed on my service in this position: both those who 

know me and those who have only heard of me. I just do not 

know what changes they expect, what should happen to satisfy 

them. 

“One should understand that as a director of a government 

institution, I will have to deal primarily with other officials. 

So, I have to forget that I have ideas on some events or 

programs. I just have to promote it all. And this is an extremely 

difficult path. In particular, there will be no Ukrainian Book 

program this year, because it has been delayed so much that 

there is no way for it to be done now. And now it is necessary 

to use this saved sum for the program of library purchases. 

Money has been allocated for it, but it cannot be spent because 

there are still some two documents missing. Nobody knows why 

the responsible officials do not sign them. So this program is 

now under threat as well. I will try to rectify the situation. For 

this purpose, I will have to work with legislators, because it 

is probably necessary to change something in the relevant laws. 

By the way, the entire culture domain public procurement system 

needs huge changes, because these systems in this country 

are based on the assumption that each manager is a 

wannabe criminal who will necessarily break some norm or another. 

So first of all, we need to build this trust system, and 

then everything will become much easier, it seems to me.” 

● “BOOKS FOR LIBRARIES SHOULD BE 

PURCHASED BY THE LIBRARIES 

THEMSELVES” 

How is procurement going now, and what needs to be 

changed? 

“Now the list of books that are purchased for libraries 

should be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. And despite the 

fact that, for example, Sumy and Odesa regions have different 

needs, the same books are purchased for everyone. And it is very 

worrying to me. I believe that books for libraries should be purchased 

by the libraries themselves. It should be done locally, 

where they are, because only the local librarian knows which book 

may be interesting to readers in this specific village. Also, books 

should be purchased not once a year, but as soon as a new one 

appears, for the situation is currently as follows: for example, 

a good book appeared in the beginning of the year, people do express 

interest in it, but the librarian has to wait for it until the 

year is out, when the readers’ interest has already moved to something 

else. What I propose, meanwhile, is for the librarian who 

had read or got told that a new book appeared to be able to order 

it and receive the book two days later. And the whole village 

will start reading. So, in terms of procurement, we need 

decentralization and localization of funding.” 

By Maria CHADIUK, The Day 

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