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WWW.DAY.KIEV.UA
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.”
Read more on our website