POLICE STATE IN CRIMEA

An exotic peninsula with scenic views and a rich history, a crossroad of nations and civilizations, romanticised by Alexander Pushkin (www.PushkinInEnglish.com) in his famous poem The Fountain of Bakhchisaray and by Adam Mickewicz (www.euronet.nl/users/sota/poems.html) in his Crimean Sonnets, the Crimea has been dragging out a miserable existence under a harsh and hostile regime since 1991. We are posting an article on our web site by a Crimean journalist whom we cannot identify for obvious reasons. His account of the present situation in the Crimea conjures up an Orwellian anti-utopia which is a reality now, in the beginning of the XXI century.

Today’s regime in the Crimea is even worse than Communist rule before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian nationalists know quite well that they have no legal rights to the Crimea. In a bid to stifle any struggle for freedom and human rights they keep all dissenters under close watch. Political surveillance is being conducted by special spying units run by several government departments: National Security Council, Office of the presidential lieutenant for the Crimea and some branches in the local administration. Very often they put a tail on suspects on a request of local bureaucrats willing to bow and scrape and to curry favour with their superiors in Kiev.
Deadborn Crimean cells of various nationalistic organisations and other groups loyal to Kiev, collect information for Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies. Youth wings of those organisations in Sevastopol are involved in gathering of a wide range of data on different subjects: from mortality and birth rates to employment patterns. They conduct unofficial opinion polls to ferret out information on citizenship of Crimeans, their family links, revenues, expenses and political views.
Under Ukrainian law this is classified information. Nevertheless, it is reported to be handed over to Euro-Atlantic structures that actually finance the existence of many of the above mentioned groups through different grants for “democratic development and reforms”. The present Ukrainian legislation on the civil service requires from all government employees to take a special oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian state. Employees also swear to keep secret all, even unclassified, information on their activities. They must also commit themselves to abstain from any contacts with media without a special permission. The text of the oath is confidential since it contradicts both the Ukrainian law on media and the state Constitution proclaiming freedom of expression and consciousness. The oath is compulsory even for clerks who never come close to any state secrets. Employees of local departments of culture, sanitary inspection services, health etc. must sign a commitment promising to keep secret all information about their work and to report on politically suspicious colleagues. Hardly ever since Stalin or the Nazi occupation had the Crimea experienced such an Orwellian totalitarianism. To a great extent it is sustained by local turncoats who are more zealous and meaner than outsiders.
An unbearable atmosphere in the Crimea dates back to 1995. It was then that Parliament of the Ukraine adopted Decree 215, signed by former prime minister Evgen Marchuk. This document recommends the following measures on ukrainization of the Crimea and Sevastopol: gradual replacement of all leaders by ethnic Ukrainians with “clean” biography, easing out of the Russian language from the civil service, radical rotation of personnel in education, resettlement of ethnic Ukrainians from Western regions of the country to the Crimea to employ them in militia, security services and military headquarters.
Marchuk who signed Decree 215 was the main grave digger for the Republic of the Crimea, vintage 1991 – 1994. As chief of the Ukrainian Intelligence and then prime minister he presided over numerous special operations against the Republican Movement of the Crimea, the Russian Community and the Republican party. He orchestrated a campaign to discredit vice-premier Evgueny Saburov and to overthrow the first president of the Crimean Republic Yuri Meshkov. A suspicion has it that when security forces besieged Meshkov at the building of the Supreme Soviet he was served food mixed with thallium, a cell destroying chemical that builds up in bones and causes a horrible disintegration of human organism. In 1999 Marchuk unsuccessfully ran for presidency. He lost the first round and supported Leonid Kuchma in the run-off. From a sharp critic of the Ukrainian President Mr. Marchuk turned into one of his ardent supporters and got a post of secretary for the Security Council. Now Marchuk is in disgrace. However the police regime he had helped shaping in the Crimea is still a reality. The only way to overthrow it is to hold a referendum on secession from the Ukraine. Am overwhelming majority of Crimeans are ready to vote for this option. They are fed up with a ruthless Ukrainian rule.
Recent events in the Crimea show that pro-Russian feelings are running higher than ever before. Rallies in Simferopol and Sevastopol were held on the Independence Day (24 August) to protest against Ukrainian domination of the Crimea, the linguistic policies of Kiev and the discrimination against the Russian speaking majority. Sooner or later, the Ukraine will lose the Crimea. The peninsula is steadily drifting to Russia and nothing will reverse this tide.

Sinister Events on Independence Day

On the Independence Day celebrated on August 24, Ukrainian authorities tried to create a festive atmosphere. In Sevastopol they played loud Ukrainian music that irritated the majority of residents fed up of nationalistic propaganda. There was no festive mood in Crimean capital Simferopol either. Twenty five residents of an apartment house in the Turguenev street staged a hunger strike in a downtown square to protest against water and energy shortages. In the afternoon, a 43-year-old woman from Feodosia tried to immolate herself. She took a bottle of alcohol out of her purse and started opening it. Before this attempt the woman shouted that she cannot stand her life any more because of rising prices and low income. Police did not let the woman kill herself and transported her to a mental institution. On the Ukrainian Independence Day two Crimean men put an end to their lives: a 76-year-old pensioner in Bakhchisaray and a 56-year-old man in Gursuf hanged themselves out of despair. Sixty cases of suicide have been recorded in the Crimea since the beginning of this year.

NATIONALISTS STOPPED AT RUSSIAN FACILITY IN CRIMEA

SEVASTOPOL, August 24, 2005. Itar-Tass reports that militants of the Students Brotherhood nationalist organization tried to enter a Russian Black Sea Fleet facility in the Crimea on Wednesday but were stopped by guards. The Russian marines barred entry to the Sarych lighthouse to some 15 Ukrainian nationalists who tried to break through, shouting demands that Russia pass to Ukraine all the facilities it operates on the Crimean coast, an officer from the Black Sea Fleet headquarters told Itar-Tass. "It's not the first action by the Students Brotherhood. Russia' Black Sea Fleet is concerned over the continuing provocations against its facilities, and hopes that local authorities will be acting in a more precise and consistent manner to prevent them, the officer said. At present, Russia provides maintenance of all hydrographic facilities on the Crimean peninsula that ensure safe maritime navigation. Ukrainian courts ruled that all navigational facilities be handed over to the Ukrainian Navy. However this Navy is so poor that it is unable to sustain lighthouses and all infrastructures used to guide ships in the Black Sea. According to experts, the transfer would have disastrous effects to navigation. It is reason to believe that in case of the Ukrainian takeover the facilities would be looted and boarded up. This is exactly what had happened to all navy infrastructures inherited by the Ujraine from Russia in 1991.

THE CINDERELLA HAS NOT TURNED INTO A PRINCESS

Ukraine struggles while Russia prospers
By Andrew Hurst
ANALYSIS
MOSCOW, Aug 16, 2005 (Reuters) - Eight months after an "Orange Revolution"
installed a new reform-minded government in Ukraine, some investors
believe the country is floundering while neighbouring Russia is making hay.
The bloodless revolution which helped sweep the pro-western Viktor
Yushchenko to victory in presidential elections last December was a
stunning reversal for the Kremlin, which pulled out all the stops to
back his opponent Viktor Yanukovich. Yushchenko's government, with its promise to modernise Ukraine and lead it into the European Union, fired the imagination of foreign investors,
upset by the Kremlin-inspired destruction of Russia's private oil company
YUKOS. But perceptions have changed fast. And reforms may have been put on
hold pending a parliamentary election next March on which virtually all the
country's political forces are focused. "Six months ago, everyone thought the Orange Revolution would be a disaster for Russia," said Tim Ash, Managing Director for Emerging Markets at Bear Stearns in London. "Russia has moved on and the Ukrainians seem to have messed things up," he added. Portfolio investors, who bought up Ukraine securities in the aftermath
of the revolution, have taken fright after months of government infighting
and what they see as policy paralysis, made worse by a corrupt and unresponsive civil service. "The Cinderella has not turned into a princess," said Katia Malofeeva, an analyst at Renaissance capital, a Moscow investment bank. "It was a case of excessive expectations." A muddled review of controversial privatisations made under Yushchenko's predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, and divisions in the government over how to conduct exchange rate policy have added to the sense of disarray. "The new government is divided and does not have a coherent plan," said Vlad Sobell, senior economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research in London. Meanwhile in Russia, where memories of the YUKOS affair have started to fade, equity markets are enjoying a resurgence and a string of big
Russian companies have floated shares on the London stock exchange.

SCRAPPY POLITICS

But appearances may prove deceptive.

Ukraine is simply learning to engage in the scrappy politics of a
proper democracy where cabinet rivalries are highlighted by a boisterous press
and politicians are not scared to speak their mind, say some analysts.
"The political situation is very competitive in Ukraine. There is no
single centre of power which dominates the whole of political life and this is
much healthier," Malofeeva said. That is a stark contrast with Russia where President Vladimir Putin has presided over a centralisation of power in the hands of the Kremlin and growing state control over broadcast media, a development which some find alarming. "Ukraine's situation is more volatile and harder to predict than Russia," said Malofeeva. Ukraine's policy drift may be more apparent than real as key politicians, led by Yushchenko and his ambitious Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, position themselves ahead of the March 2006 election. "The government which emerges next March will determine Ukraine's future," said a fund manager based in Kiev who asked not to be identified. "The entire public administration needs to be reformed and the real reforms
will not start until April. This government is not stupid. They know that to go ahead with a root-and-branch reform of the civil service now would have a very high political cost and could lead to defeat in the election," he added.
And a slump in gross domestic product growth, which fell to 3.7 percent
between January and July from 13.5 percent in the first seven months of
2004, has more to do with falling prices of steel, Ukraine's main
industrial export, than any mishandling of government policy, say
economists.

CRIMEA WANTS TO SPEAK RUSSIAN

A popular Ukrainian rock group is touring the Crimea to promote the Russian language. The Green Grey musicians are based in Kiev. They perform exclusively in the Russian language that infuriates ruling nationalists. Since the “orange coup d’etat” in the Ukraine that brought to power a fiercely nationalistic president, the Green Grey has been subject to discrimination. The performances of the group are drastically curtailed. The musicians are no more invited to sing at official ceremonies on holidays despite their immense popularity all over the country. In order to fight abuses by the president Yushchenko regime the rockers have launched an initiative called “Our Right”. The musicians toured southern regions of the Ukraine and now they are giving concerts in several Crimean cities. Their initiative is being supported by the United Social Democratic Party and by the Russian Bloc. Young people flock to the concerts of the Green Grey. The rally and the performance in Sevastopol on August 15 gathered more than 15 thousand people on the Nakhimov Square. A handful of government supporters showed up but they were immediately surrounded by young people shouting: “Shame!” and “Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia!” Police separated both group to prevent violent outbursts from both sides.
Opposition Ukrainian MP Nestor Shufrich addressed the crowd. He said that his Social Democratic fraction will campaign to reverse the presidential veto on the bill defining the status of Sevastopol. Mr. Shufrich blamed the new regime for the economic downturn. He said that the recent hike in sugar prices had been orchestrated by orange oligarch Petr Poroshenko who owns the chocolate industry in the Ukraine. “The chocolate bunny wants to earn a billion”, - said Nestor Shufrich. The MP pointed out that gasoline that the cost of gasoline prices is going up because because Victor Yushchenko burns to much fuel by his numerous trips abroad.
Another speaker, Guennady Basov who leads the Sevastopol branch of the Russian Bloc condemned the decision of the Ukrainian regime in the Crimea to force 16 high schools of the peninsula to switch to the Ukrainian language. The overwhelming majority of the Crimeans speak Russian and want their kids to be educated in this language. The rally participants spoke out against joining NATO and demanded that the Russian language be given an official status. The political rally gave way to the concert by the Green Grey rock group. The musicians were enthusiastically greeted by the crowd and their performance was a great success.

SABRE RATTLING AT “PEACE SHIELD 2005”

Russian Agency RIA Novosti reports that the Peace Shield 2005 international military exercises have been concluded in the Crimea. The main participants of the drill have been US marines who excercised along with Ukrainian, Georgian and Azerbaijani units. The stated purpose of the drill was practice of anti-terrorist measures. According to a source in the Russian Black Sea Navy in Sevastopol, the manoeuvres were aimed at training troops to squelch popular uprisings of the Russian population in the Crimea and to fight Russian troops in case of their eventual landing to help out the local Slavic population.

NO VISAS TO UKRAINIAN JOURNALISTS

Germany denied entry visas to a group of Ukrainian journalists who planned to cover the XX World Youth Day and the first foreign trip by Pope Benedict XIV. The majority of visa applicants work for nationalistic periodicals and on-line editions. They are planning to file a complaint to Paris-based group “Reporter sans frontiers” and to write letters of protest. The journalists are furious because in their writings they promote “European values” and they have never expected to be treated like this by Germany. However a source in the German embassy in Kiev said that the group had lied in their application forms stating to be pilgrims and not journalists. According to consular officials the journalists wanted to enter Germany under false pretences and it was the only reason for rejection of their visa requests.

MATVIENKO BACKS OFF

Prime Minister of the Crimea Anatoly Matveinko has backed off and cancelled his decision to appoint Mrs. Svetlana Skorchenko at the head of the Crimean Cultural Heritage Committee. Mr. Matveinko says that he has only given a vague promise to minister of culture Vitalina Dzos when she submitted a candidacy of Mrs. Skorchenko and no final decision has ever been made. Now, when the controversial appointment caused an uproar in the Crimea Matvienko says that the position will be posted.

CRIMEAN SPEAKER UNHAPPY OVER VICE PREMIER'S WIFE APPOINTMENT

Speaker of the Crimean Legislature is furious at the appointment of the vice-premier wife at the head of the Crimean Cultural Heritage Department. Boris Deutch is reported to call prime-minister of the Crimea Anatoly Matvienko and slammed his decision. Mr. Deutch is unhappy by Mrs. Svetlana Skorchenko’s previous work at the Interregional Academy of Management in Kiev. The Academy has a reputation of being anti-Semitic. Prime Minister Anatoly Matvienko ignored the outbursts of the Speaker. Boris Deutch is not in good standing with the orange regime because of his support of Victor Yanukovitch, the opponent of the current Ukrainian President. Mr. Deutch was not fired as his close collaborator former premier Serguei Kunitsyn, because the new regime needs him to provide smooth transition. Souces say, files on Boris Deutch built by the orange militants in the Crimea can easily enable the new administration to fire the Speaker and even launch legal proceedings against him.

MILLIONS ARE BEING PAID TO BECOME MP IN UKRAINE

Ukraine political party seats still up for sale: election watchdog
KIEV, Aug 4 2005 (AFP) - Political parties in Ukraine are still selling places on their electoral lists ahead of a key parliamentary vote next year, with price tags sometimes reaching into the millions of dollars, an election watchdog group said Thursday.
The Committee of Voters in Ukraine (CVU) said that according to its estimates, the price to be included on a list for the national parliament of a pro-government party is between two million and 14 million dollars.
"All political parties are holding negotiations right now... and prices will increase closer to the election," said Oleksandr Chernenko, a spokesman for the non-governmental organization.
Prices for lists for regional legislatures are lower and depend on the region, with the capital Kiev fetching the highest sums, from 200,000 dollars to 600,000 dollars.
Chernenko said the system of buying places in political party lists is likely to continue as long as legislators enjoy judicial immunity and as long as a system of lobbying, such as the one practiced in the United States, does not take root in the ex-Soviet country.
The CVU, which has been monitoring elections in Ukraine since 1994, collects information from its national branches and through contacts with members of both political parties and business, Chernenko said.
Ukraine holds a crucial parliamentary vote in March 2006. Because of constitutional changes, much of the power currently held by the nation's president will at that time be with the prime minister who will be nominated by parliament.
Ukraine's new authorities, who came to power during mass protests over election fraud during last year's "orange revolution" presidential poll, have vowed to wipe out the nation's rampant corruption.

FEDS SAYS CHICAGO CARPENTER HELPED NAZIS

By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer

Tue Aug 2, 2005

CHICAGO - An aging Chicago carpenter should be stripped of his U.S. citizenship because he was a member of a police unit that helped the Nazis round up Ukrainian Jews for forced labor and death camps during World War II, federal attorneys argue.


"He acquiesced in conduct contrary to civilization and decency," government attorney Gregory Gordon told U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan as a civil trial against Osyp Firishchak began Monday.

Firishchak, 86, came to the United States after World War II, settled in Chicago and obtained American citizenship. But the Justice Department's Nazi-hunting Office of Special Investigations says he lied on his visa application and broke other rules.

The government says he joined the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police and helped in widespread roundups of Jews who were sent to forced labor camps and death camps after the Germans occupied Ukraine in 1941.

If Der-Yeghiayan rules against him, Firishchak would be stripped of his citizenship. The government then likely would seek to deport him.

Defense attorney James Maher III told the judge that Firishchak was never a member of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police and that there is no proof he did any of the things the government claims. Maher also said there is nothing to suggest Firishchak was dishonest on his visa application.

The government's first witness, Holocaust researcher Dieter Pohl, described what happened to the Jewish population in the city of Lviv at the hands of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police.
"There was constant violence against the Jews," Pohl said.
Firishchak's name of surfaced after the fall of the Soviet Union when the newly independent Ukraine opened its archives to Holocaust researchers.
Government attorneys acknowledged they have only a smattering of direct evidence that specific acts allegedly were committed by Firishchak. But they say they can prove he was part of the auxiliary police throughout the war and that the unit was instrumental in carrying out the Holocaust in Ukraine.

FROM LENIN MUSEUM TO CRIMEAN HERITAGE DEPARTMENT

The Department of the Crimean Cultural Heritage has a new boss. The job has been given to the wife of a local high official. Tuesday, Crimean minister of culture Vitalina Dzos introduced Tatiana Skorchenko to the employees of the Department. Her husband Anatoly is a vice-premier of the peninsula. The appointment smacks of nepotism which, as many fear, could become common. The orange revolutionaries don’t have reliable individuals in the Crimea and have to count only on their own people to fill out vacant positions in the Crimean bureaucracy. One of them is Mrs. Skorchenko, a former Young Communist secretary turned nationalist. In Soviet times she had worked at the Museum of Lenin in Kiev. Later, in the 90s, Tatiana had had a stint at the Interregional Academy of Management. This institution is famous for law suits launched against it on accusations of stirring interethnic hatred and anti-Semitism.