Civil War in Ukraine: Western Empire vs Russia

[Voyageur]

This is kind of an important article on the new Ukrainian official historical revisionism written by Josh Cohen in FP http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/02/the-historian-whitewashing-ukraines-past-volodymyr-viatrovych/

The Historian Whitewashing Ukraine’s Past

Volodymyr Viatrovych is erasing the country’s racist and bloody history — stripping pogroms and ethnic cleansing from the official archives.

When it comes to politics and history, an accurate memory can be a dangerous thing.

In Ukraine, as the country struggles with its identity, that’s doubly true. While Ukrainian political parties try to push the country toward Europe or Russia, a young, rising Ukrainian historian named Volodymyr Viatrovych has placed himself at the center of that fight. Advocating a nationalist, revisionist history that glorifies the country’s move to independence — and purges bloody and opportunistic chapters — Viatrovych has attempted to redraft the country’s modern history to whitewash Ukrainian nationalist groups’ involvement in the Holocaust and mass ethnic cleansing of Poles during World War II. And right now, he’s winning.

In May 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a law that mandated the transfer of the country’s complete set of archives, from the “Soviet organs of repression,” such as the KGB and its decedent, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), to a government organization called the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory. {"Institute of National Memory" sounds like a pretty dark memory hole} Run by the young scholar — and charged with “implementation of state policy in the field of restoration and preservation of national memory of the Ukrainian people” — the institute received millions of documents, including information on political dissidents, propaganda campaigns against religion, the activities of Ukrainian nationalist organizations, KGB espionage and counter-espionage activities, and criminal cases connected to the Stalinist purges. Under the archives law, one of four “memory laws” written by Viatrovych, the institute’s anodyne-sounding mandate is merely a cover to present a biased and one-sided view of modern Ukrainian history — and one that could shape the country’s path forward.

The controversy centers on a telling of World War II history that amplifies Soviet crimes and glorifies Ukrainian nationalist fighters while dismissing the vital part they played in ethnic cleansing of Poles and Jews from 1941 to 1945 after the Nazi invasion of the former Soviet Union. Viatrovych’s vision of history instead tells the story of partisan guerrillas who waged a brave battle for Ukrainian independence against overwhelming Soviet power. It also sends a message to those who do not identify with the country’s ethno-nationalist mythmakers — such as the many Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine who still celebrate the heroism of the Red Army during World War II — that they’re on the outside. And more pointedly, scholars now fear that they risk reprisal for not toeing the official line — or calling Viatrovych on his historical distortions. Under Viatrovych’s reign, the country could be headed for a new, and frightening, era of censorship.
[...]

Even more worrisome for the future integrity of Ukraine’s archives under Viatrovych is his notoriety among Western historians for his willingness to allegedly ignore or even falsify historical documents. “Scholars on his staff publish document collections that are falsified,” said Jeffrey Burds, a professor of Russian and Soviet history at Northeastern University.“ I know this because I have seen the originals, made copies, and have compared their transcriptions to the originals.”

Burds described an 898-page book of transcribed documents produced by one of Viatrovych’s colleagues, which Viatrovych uses to support his claim that he will release anything from Ukraine’s archives for review by researchers. Burds, however, described this as a “monument to cleansing and falsifying with words, sentences, entire paragraphs removed. What was removed?” Burds continued. “Anything criticizing Ukrainian nationalism, expressions of dislike and conflict within the OUN/UPA leadership, sections where the respondents cooperated and gave evidence against other nationalists, records of atrocities.”

{it's a long article full of poignant information (about Viatrovych et al), so will leave this with the authors last paragraph}

The consolidation of Ukrainian democracy — not to mention its ambition to join the European Union — requires the country to come to grips with the darker aspects of its past. But if Viatrovych has his way, this reckoning may never come to pass, and Ukraine will never achieve a full reckoning with its complicated past.

Very sad, yet not much different than Western historical revisionism. If this continues unchecked, as it seems to be (and if we survive), there may well come a time when if we thought it was bad now, and it is, history will be unrecognizable; a pure global fiction wrapped up as truth.

 

[angelburst29]

This is kind of an important article on the new Ukrainian official historical revisionism written by Josh Cohen in FP http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/02/the-historian-whitewashing-ukraines-past-volodymyr-viatrovych/

The Historian Whitewashing Ukraine’s Past

Volodymyr Viatrovych is erasing the country’s racist and bloody history — stripping pogroms and ethnic cleansing from the official archives.

Appreciate the additional information on whitewashing Ukraine's historical past, Voyageur. I was not aware of Volodymyr Viatrovych involvement in a smear campaign against Russia. Actually, the article you Posted, is the first I heard of him. His name can be added to an increasing long list, trying to implicate Russia for war crimes and deeds perpetuated by other's. The following articles are part of the information war going on between - those who are trying to bury the truth and those systematically, documenting and filing evidence.


'White Book of crimes’: Report on war crimes by pro-Kiev forces in Donbass released in English (Video)
https://www.rt.com/news/332047-war-crimes-ukraine-book/

10 Feb, 2016 - A report on war crimes committed by Kiev’s army and militia in eastern Ukraine is now available in English. It’s compiled by Russia’s Investigative Committee and covers 54 criminal cases. The report, entitled ‘The Tragedy of South-Eastern Ukraine: The White Book of Crimes’, was initially published last year in Russian and edited by Investigative Committee Chairman Aleksandr Bastrykin.

Some 2,500 volumes of evidence collected for the book include testimonies of over 100,000 witnesses.

“The book provides evidence of international and transnational crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine, collected by Russia’s Investigative Committee dealing with the relevant criminal proceedings, as well as records of international organizations on the matter and comments of scholars specializing in international law,” said committee spokesman Vladimir Markin.

The agency dealing with the war crimes in Donbass was created as part of Russia’s Investigative Committee in 2014. It works closely with all departments that operate in areas where the majority of refugees from the southeast of Ukraine arrive in Russia.

Kiev’s "special operation" in the east of Ukraine aimed at suppressing the protest movement in the Donbass Region has been in progress since the middle of April 2014.

The operation brought about numerous civilian casualties and the general destruction of local infrastructure: according to the UN figures for December 2015, more than 9,000 people died in the conflict and some 20 thousand more were injured. Over 1.3 million lost their homes, as stated in the previous UN report published in August.

Propaganda against Russia for war crimes in Donbas by a team of Polish and Ukrainian volunteers, perpetuated by a propaganda outlet called the euromaidanpress website. Note the names - Boris Nemtsov and Bellingcat as propaganda tools against Russia in the last paragraph.

Evidence on perpetrators of war crimes in Russia’s war in Donbas to be submitted to The Hague
http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/12/24/new-report-russias-war-crimes-and-perpetrators-in-ukraine-2014/#arvlbdata

24 Dec, 2015 - A new 156-page investigative report identifies for the first time perpetrators of war crimes in Russia’s war in East Ukraine. The extensive evidence presented will be submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague which has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The report entitled Russian War Crimes in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 is based on numerous victim and witness interviews conducted by a team of Polish and Ukrainian volunteers. It was commissioned by Polish Parliamentarian Małgorzata Gosiewska of Poland’s Law and Justice Party. The report adds to the mounting evidence of the horrific conditions of war that Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have had to endure as a result of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine after the abdication of the presidency by Victor Yanukovych in the days following the nation’s Euromaidan Revolution in February 2014.

The report concludes, as have previous investigative reports – Boris Nemtsov’s Putin.War, the Atlantic Council’s Hiding in Plain Sight: Putin’s War in Ukraine, Bellingcat’s Russia’s Path(s) to War, and the Interpreter’s An Invasion By Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine – that the war in Ukraine deserves to be called a bona fide war, based on the nature of the armed conflict and on the fact that the parties are two sovereign states, Russia and Ukraine. The incontrovertible evidence of Russia’s involvement as revealed through these victims’ testimonies leads the investigators to dismiss early attempts in Russian media and elsewhere to label the conflict a “civil war.”

Russia has persistently been systematically collecting info and data by an investigative committee, documenting evidence.

Russia Already Questioned 100,000 Witnesses for Ukrainian 'Nuremberg'
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/03/russia-already-questioned-100000.html

March 23, 2016 - Russian Investigative Committee is hard at work. Working stubbornly, gently, persistently, collecting information about all the crimes of Ukrainian military and punitive volunteer battalions. It turns out that quietly, without much noise, a giant amount of evidence about the crimes of Ukrainian armed forces and volunteer battalions is being compiled. The evidence, which sooner or later will come in handy.

This was confirmed by Savchenko's lawyer, Ilya Novikov. Savchenko's lawyer Ilya Novikov was struck by the volume of documents collected from interviewing the residents of Donbass and told Ukrainian media.

"There is the so-called "big Ukrainian case" under number 201/837072–14. It was called the "big Ukrainian case" among the lawyers, but during the trial against Savchenko suddenly it became clear that the investigators call it the same," - he said, adding that as of fall 2015 more than 100 thousand witnesses have been questioned, 15 thousand were recognized as victims.

"Several rooms at the Investigative Committee are filled with cabinets with volumes of this case, more than 20 investigators are working on it. And from this case, in principle, you can "pinch off" a piece and send it to court," - he said.

An article authored by Dr. Jonathan Levy, a member of the International Criminal Bar and published by Global Research, details the lax attitude of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in investigating war crimes, which avoids getting involved in investigations
involving non-parties to its enabling treaty, the Rome Statute.

Crimes against Humanity Committed by Kiev Regime: The Case for an Independent Ukrainian War Crimes Tribunal
http://www.globalresearch.ca/crimes-against-humanity-committed-by-kiev-regime-the-case-for-an-independent-ukrainian-war-crimes-tribunal/5399117

3 September 2014 - The Case for an Independent Ukrainian War Crimes Tribunal on the 4 Month Anniversary of the Odessa Massacre.

There are well documented crimes and ones yet to be discovered, with allegations flowing on both sides of the conflict that require an impartial and immediate investigation. As a member of the International Criminal Bar, the organization which represents lawyers who practice before the International Criminal Court (ICC), I called for an investigation of the Maidan sniper attacks and Odessa massacre by the ICC. For my efforts I received a form letter. There is no ICC investigation; witnesses are not being interviewed nor is evidence being preserved. The Russian government has collected some evidence; the same cannot be said of Ukraine. But in either case, the partiality of the party will be questioned.

The ICC is supposedly tasked with investigation and prosecution of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, I naively assumed the ICC would seize the initiative or at least warn the combatants that war crimes would be prosecuted. What has happened instead is legal maneuvering by Ukraine and the ICC to avoid opening any investigation at all while the crimes are still fresh and ongoing.

The Maidan snipers, the Odessa massacre, and the shoot down of Malaysian Flight MH17 are subject to speculation and counter accusations. Key evidence has been deliberately destroyed and witnesses intimidated. Black boxes have seemingly disappeared. YouTube™ videos may now be the best remaining evidence. A sad state of affairs in 21st Century Europe.

Part of the problem is jurisdictional and the other part is what can be called a disgraceful scam by the major powers and the UN. The ICC studiously avoids getting involved in investigations involving non-parties to its enabling treaty, the Rome Statute. This has the effect of limiting ICC investigations to Africa because African countries were strong armed into ratifying the Rome Statute by their donor nations while the United States, Russia, China, Ukraine, India, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Israel and other places where war crimes occur or are planned have avoided ratifying the Rome Statute.

Of course, the UN Security Council can refer a case to the ICC regardless but that requires unanimity, something lacking altogether where Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Palestine and especially Ukraine are involved. National interests trump war crimes very time. In the case of the United States, the fear of the ICC’s reach is pathological and the USA has signed numerous bilateral treaties nullifying the ICC’s ability to prosecute US citizens, soldiers and CIA operatives.

Ukraine is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. Nonetheless at first she seemingly welcomed the ICC to investigate certain matters deemed beneficial to its claim that the heroes of the Maidan were the victims of Russian strong arm tactics. Counter evidence however quickly emerged that some sniper bullets came from behind the protestors. Ukraine’s ardour to investigate quickly cooled.

According to the ICC, On 17 April 2014, the Government of Ukraine lodged a declaration under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes committed on its territory from 21 November 2013 to 22 February 2014.

The reasoning was the war crimes could be linked to Russia or its proxies. However, once the current Ukrainian regime became ensconced in Kiev, it lost interest and did not include the May 2014 massacre in Odessa or the “Anti-terrorist Operation” (ATO) in southeast Ukraine in the scope of its request. Indeed most civilian casualties in Odessa, Donetsk and Lugansk according to Kiev are improbably caused by the “terrorists” bombing themselves so there is no need to investigate.

But therein lies the hoax, ICC Prosecutor, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, is not actually investigating crimes but looking into whether there is jurisdiction to investigate.

If there is a UN Tribunal for Ukraine, it is a sure bet that the defenders of the Donbas will make up the majority of defendants and that Ukrainian nationalists will be notably absent. Ukraine is sponsored by the US, NATO and the EU while Donetsk and Lugansk can look to only Russia for moral support.

 

[angelburst29]

Ukraine to switch to firewood
http://www.pravdareport.com/news/world/ussr/ukraine/06-05-2016/134359-firewood-0/

Pavlo Rozenko, Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine and Head of the National trilateral social economic council under the president of Ukraine, offered residents of the countryside to reject gas.

According to him, one shouldn't hope for decrease of gas prices in the near future. Thus, it's time to think of more cheap types of fuel. Probably switch to firewood and dry manure fuel.

"It is advantageous for countryside residents given energy conservation. Yes, it's a radical step, unpopular one, but one should think of rejecting gas consumption," Rozenko said, commenting on the increase of gas prices for population.

"Taking into account dynamics of market relations, gas price and economic situation in Ukraine, it is evident that gas prices will not decline. Thus, one should look for an alternative, a cheaper one. And all in all Ukraine should reduce gas consumption, it's like a national idea. Reduction of gas consumption is a step towards energy independence," he added.

As Pravda.Ru reported Rozenko was Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy from 2 December 2014 to 14 April 2016. After Yatsenyuk's resignation he was appointed as Vice Prime Minister in the new government of Vladimir Groysman.

As a result of the “reforms” instigated by Ukrainian authorities, 15 million able working citizens could end up “left out,” stated political analyst Andrey Zolotarev speaking live on the program “Working on Errors.” The expert believes that this will be the result of the destruction of the country’s industry.

Expert: 10-15 million Ukrainians will become "superfluous" in US economic plan
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/expert-10-15-million-ukrainians-will.html

“Deindustrialization policies, the collapse of social spending, and the dismantling of the welfare state in Ukraine are policies pushing Ukraine down the path to archaism…Ukrainians have no stars to call upon. Mr. Biden has already outlined how Ukraine will be pushed into being an “agrarian superpower.” However, you won’t find a single agrarian superpower in global economic history. 10-15 million Ukrainians will will turn out to be “superfluous” in this model of economic organization,” PolitNavigator quotes Zolotarev as saying.

We recall that US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt stated that Ukraine will become an “agrarian superpower” in Kiev. This statement was translated from diplomatic language into reality by Viktor Medvedhcuk, who pointed out that Washington wants to see Ukraine become an underdeveloped, agrarian appendage of the West.

On May 3rd, on the social network VKontakte, activists from the anti-fascist resistance group “Dnepropetrovsk Partisans” published a list of DPR, LPR, and Russian citizens who have been kidnapped, arrested, or illegally detained in isolation cells and SBU “cellars” in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

Dnepropetrovsk Partisans release secret list of Kiev's kidnappings
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/breaking-dnepropetrovsk-partisans.html

As has been reported, the list was part of an operation aided by agents on the territories temporarily occupied by the Banderites in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The identities of the list’s detainees have been confidential since investigations against them are being conducted exclusively by SBU organs.

It has been emphasized that, among other things, the lists contain the identifying data of individuals who until recently were considered to be missing. For obvious reasons, this category of arrested persons did not appear on the lists of exchanges. Now, these people have a chance.

The “Dnepropetrovsk Partisans” do not intend to rest on their laurels, and are planning to get a hold of the list of all prisoners of war and civilian opponents of the Kiev junta who have been arrested or convicted in the Kherson, Odessa, Nikolaev, Zaporozhye, and Kiev regions. Similar work for arrested and missing persons in Kharkov has been carried out by the “Kharkov Partisans.”

I can only imagine how difficult and dangerous the work of the Dnepropetrovsk Partisans might be in the conditions of such a city that has been crushed and submitted to the total control of the oligarch Kolomoysky’s bandits. Conducting such operations, weeding out, and highlighting people for cooperation, especially those informed on the occupied territories of the LPR and DPR must be a real task with all the accompanying, dire consequences. After all, they are operating there, where people and residential areas are at the mercy of nationalist gangs and drunk soldiers, in the “gray area” where there are no laws in effect and where thugs and sadists can freely kidnap people, put them in basements or “cellars” without entering any of this into official documentation.

If someone thinks that such work is microscopic, and that we shouldn’t busy ourselves with identifying arrested persons and digging up lists, but should instead draw our swords and rush into battle, then I have to disappoint you. It is precisely such work with people and for the sake of people that is very important today - like the work of the clandestine “Red Chapel” croup inside Hitler’s Reich. Sometimes it may seem that evil has triumphed and that darkness is engulfing everything, and that there is no-one to resist. But constant, clandestine, painstaking work is what undermines Banderite Carthage no less than military strikes against them. Yet another closely guarded secret has become public knowledge. This is a chance to nail the bastards with concrete knowledge and publicity so that it will be more difficult for the Banderite “security” forces to create arbitrariness and lawlessness.

Those wishing to familiarize themselves with the information achieved by the Dnepropetrovsk Partisans can go to the following links and easily find the two lists of those arrested, separated into those from the DPR and LPR in both MS Excel and PDF formats:


(in Russian)

Data for Donetsk region Excel, PDF

Data for Lugansk region Excel, PDF

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Amnesty of participants in Donbass conflict possible after durable truce - spokeswoman

http://tass.ru/en/world/874469

"The amnesty can take place only after the active phase of the conflict is over and the period of tranquility begins," Irina Gerashchenko wrote in her column at the Ukrainskaya Pravda portal

KIEV, May 7. /TASS/. Amnesty to participants in combat actions in eastern Ukraine will be possible after durable observance of tranquility in the conflict zone, Irina Gerashchenko, a deputy speaker of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and the plenipotentiary representative of the Kiev government at the Minsk talks on peace settlement in eastern Ukraine said on Friday.

"The amnesty can take place only after the active phase of the conflict is over and the period of tranquility begins," she wrote in her column at the Ukrainskaya Pravda portal. "The amnesty won’t embrace murderers, as well as the individuals involved in crimes against humanity and terrorism."

In addition to it, she cited the need for transparent elections, which make up "an important prerequisite for the amnesty." Along with it, she said an amnesty is not linked to the ongoing exchanges of prisoners of war.

"We’re scrutinizing the experience with amnesties gained in other countries that have gone through conflicts, for instance, Croatia and Indonesia and some others," Gerashchenko wrote.

Adoption of a law on amnesty for the individuals involved in the events in eastern Ukraine is an item in the Complex of Measures for implementing the Minsk accords aimed to scale down the tensions in Donbass.

Poroshenko opened a monument to Mazepa in Poltava

http://www.interfax.ru/world/507298

Moscow. on 7 May. INTERFAX.RU - President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on Saturday at Poltava, unveiled a monument to Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa. As the agency reports "Interfax", a monument in the park opened the Catholic Maidan in Poltava in the presence of several thousand local residents.

"'22 Strong hand he held a club and put an end to the sad." Ruins "At the same time, the Empire was not spared rough paint to mutilate his image. But it did not stop, but rather helped Mazepa become a real symbol of the Ukrainian resistance of Russia, the flag of our movement independence to the goal that Mazepa, ahead of their time, have realized 50 years after Pereiaslav, "- Poroshenko said during the unveiling of a monument in Poltava on Saturday.

According to him, "Mazepa idea" matured for over 200 years. "Free Ukraine finally free from the stereotypes imposed from outside", - said Poroshenko

He stressed that "for two years, the Russians have done a lot to popularize Mazepa among Ukrainians, and even more to dispel the myths".

Hetman Mazepa was a long time associate of Russian Emperor Peter I. In 1708 secretly defected to the enemy of the Russian state in the Northern War - the Swedish King Charles XII, almost a year before his defeat of the Russian army. For treason oath betrayed anathema to the civil prison of titles and honors, which he received from the king.

In 1709 Peter I ordered to make a single copy of Judas Order, which is expected to award Mazepa for treason.

The Russian Orthodox Church has betrayed anathema Ivan Mazepa. After the defeat of Charles XII at Poltava in 1709, he fled to the Ottoman Empire of the Turks and died in the city of Bendery (now Transnistria).

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have stepped up security in Kiev on 8 and 9 May

http://ria.ru/world/20160507/1428524360.html

KIEV, May 7 -. RIA Novosti Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have stepped up security in Kiev May 8 and 9, in places of mass stay of citizens will inspect suspicious persons, according to the national police headquarters in Kiev on Saturday.

According to police, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation and the Victory Day the entire garrison of the Metropolitan Police will be translated into a stronger version of service.

"In general, to ensure public safety and order in the city will be involved more than 2,200 law enforcement officers, including soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine will be held with experts, explosives and dog handlers with dogs." - Said the head of the metropolitan police Andrey Kryschenko.

Police also reported that, according to the Kiev City State Administration, 8 and 9 May in Kiev, scheduled 11 events. In addition, from 8 to 11 May 2016 held on funeral days. Events are planned in the territory of 29 cemeteries in Kiev and the Kiev region of the two cemeteries. For the protection of the rule of law will cemeteries involved nearly 300 police officers.

It is reported that law enforcement officers in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine is analyzed current information about the preparation of offenses.

"Given the situation in the state, to prevent provocations and prevent the terrorist threat, in places of mass stay of citizens will be installed filtration borders, and therefore will be checked personal belongings of persons who will arouse suspicion. The area of ​​special attention will also be all the subway stations and underground . transitions We ask to understand the reinforced preventive measures ", - said Kryschenko.

Last year, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in honor of the victims of May 8 World War II 1939-1945, with the May 9 as before, celebrated the Victory Day.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

OSCE Secretary General noted the deterioration of the situation in the Donbass

http://www.interfax.ru/world/507488

Moscow. 9th May. INTERFAX.RU - The situation with the observance of the ceasefire in the Donbass after the Easter holidays began to deteriorate, said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier.

"During the Easter holidays we have seen that the ceasefire were generally respected, however, are now seeing the return of the trend of previous months -. More violations of the ceasefire, and in some areas is really about the resumption of hostilities," - he said to journalists on Monday in Kiev.

As Zannier said, "it is obvious that we are very concerned about this trend and look for ways to return to a de-escalation."

"What we have seen, especially in the area controlled by illegal armed groups, are cases when firing from heavy weapons deployed in residential areas - said OSCE Secretary General -. Thus, it causes a military response on the other hand, shells may get into such areas, resulting in civilian casualties. "

Among the main problems faced by the staff of the Special OSCE monitoring mission, Zannier called interference movement of observers. "In some cases, especially on the side of an illegal armed formation, we have been episodes of persecution in one case, a patrol came under fire and it was far from the line of contact were also intimidation cases extremely important for us to have unhindered access for maximum picture...." - he added.

OSCE Secretary General informed that he arrived in Kiev to discuss with the leaders of the OSCE SMM is the current situation with the Ukrainian leadership of the meeting is not scheduled. "It's more internal meetings with the special monitoring mission now is holidays, and we are trying not much bother the local authorities." - Zannier said.

Media: Kiev is preparing a plan for the return of uncontrolled territories of Donbass

http://ria.ru/world/20160509/1429921051.html

KIEV, May 9, -. RIA Novosti Kiev has developed a preliminary version of the plan, providing for the return of uncontrolled territories in the Donbass, reported on Monday, Ukrainian media quoted Minister for the occupied territories and displaced persons Vadim Chernysh.

"The peace conditions with a parallel strengthening of the security and defense sector", - quotes "Gromadsky TV Donbass" the minister, to comment on the preparation of this document. Minister refused to share details, referred to the fact that now the plan is still in draft form.

Earlier, Deputy Chernysh George Tooke said about the existence of a strategic plan for the Donbas , which provides, in particular, and the resumption of trade with territories beyond the control of Kiev. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said in April, in turn, that a military solution to the problems of Donbass does not exist, these issues should be solved exclusively through diplomacy.

The government of Ukraine in April 2014 launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed LNR and DNR, which declared independence after a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN figures, victims of the conflict began more than 9 thousand people.

The question of resolving the situation in the Donbass is discussed, including during meetings of the contact group in Minsk, which since September 2014 has adopted three documents regulating the steps to de-escalate the conflict, including the armistice. However, after the armistice agreements between the parties to the conflict continue to skirmish.

 

[angelburst29]

Ukraine recovers 17 paintings stolen from Verona museum
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/ukraine-recovers-17-paint/2777156.html

Ukraine has recovered 17 paintings, including works by Peter Paul Rubens and Tintoretto, stolen by armed robbers from the Castelvecchio museum in Verona last year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian authorities will now invite Italian experts to authenticate the paintings - which have an estimated value of more than 16 million euros (US$18.3 million) - and prepare for them to be handed back, his office said in a statement.

Footage released by the president's office showed Ukrainian border guards unwrapping the paintings, which had been covered with plastic sheets.

The artworks were found about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the border with Moldova, the statement said, without elaborating.

The paintings were stolen on Nov. 19 by thieves who acted just after the Verona museum's 11 staff had left but before a remote alarm system with the police station was activated. They tied up the museum cashier and forced an armed guard to hand over keys to his car, which they used to get away.

The robbery prompted recriminations in Italy over the lack of security at the museum, which some critics blamed on public spending cuts.

Earlier, the Myrotvorets (Peacekeeper) website disclosed the personal data of journalists working for various international media accredited in the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass.

Ukraine’s publication of personal data of journalists working in Donbass sparks outcry
http://tass.ru/en/politics/875075

The Moscow Journalists’ Union has angrily protested the publication on a Ukrainian website of personal data of Russian and foreign media workers, accredited in the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass as a violation of international rights and freedoms.

Earlier, the Myrotvorets (Peacekeeper) website disclosed the personal data of journalists working for the RT television channel and TASS, and also BBC, Reuters, France Presse, CNN, Bloomberg, Al-Jazeera, Associated Press, the dailies Independent and Liberacion and other mass media. The online resource has published the names of correspondents and of the media these journalists work for, their current position, the country of origin, mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses and dates of presence in the territory in the territories beyond the Kiev authorities’ control.

"The presidium of the Moscow Journalists’ Union, incorporating more than 15,000 mass media workers, including those on the Peacekeeper website’s list, expresses deep indignation over the publication of personal data, which can be used by radical nationalists. Such attitude to journalists is an act of gross violation of international rights and freedoms," the Moscow Journalists’ Union said.

The MJU’s presidium is addressing Ukraine’s leaders and law enforcement agencies with a "demand for the proper investigation of this incident and for properly punishing those responsible for disclosing the personal data of Russian and foreign media workers."

According to Mikheil Saakashvili, Maria Gaidar and Sasha Borovik have had to quit the post of his deputies as a result of the new legal act which prohibits officials from having dual citizenship.

Odessa Governor Saakashvili blames resignation of his deputies on civil service law
http://tass.ru/en/world/874825

The governor of Ukraine’s Odessa Region, Mikheil Saakashvili, has criticized the newly-introduced civil service law, which prohibits officials from having dual citizenship. As a result of the new legal act two of his deputies, Maria Gaidar and Sasha Borovik, have had to quit the post of his deputies.

"Regrettably, the newly-effective law on the civil service prohibits Maria Gaidar and Sasha Borovik from being my deputies," Saakashvili said.

He argues that the new law is "half-baked, because it may strip the Ukrainian civil service of many specialists who for various reasons have dual citizenship."

"I would like to ask the people of Odessa who had cast their ballots for Maria in the elections to the regional legislature and for Sasha in the mayoral election in Odessa. Both will remain my advisers," he said.

At the beginning of May the deputy acting chief of the Odessa city administration, German citizen Sasha Borovik stepped down. He was the first official to have made such a decision in view of the new requirements. He decided to retain his German citizenship. Maria Gaidar followed suit on May 10. Earlier, she declared that she had abdicated her Russian citizenship.

An electronic petition has been registered on the official website of the President of Ukraine with a proposal to dig through the isthmus that connects the Russian Crimea with Ukraine on the continent.

Ukrainians invited to sign petition to turn Crimea into an island
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/ukrainians-invited-to-sign-petition-to.html

"Now it is necessary to make every effort to tighten the blockade of the 'occupied territory.' Namely, to cut off the Crimean peninsula from the mainland with an artificial canal across the isthmus connecting the peninsula, which thus becomes an island and will cause big problems for the occupation authorities," writes the author of the petition.

He noted that the presence of an artificial channel "will exclude supply of fresh water, the smooth flow of goods to the occupiers and their collaborators."

According to him, in the future, when the Crimea returns to Ukraine, the channel can be used for a fast sea link between the Azov and Black Seas, "which will open access for connecting the world's ocean vessels serving Mariupol port bypassing the Strait of Kerch."

At present this petition is supported by all five of the 25 thousand people necessary for its consideration.

Finally, something happened that the team of Kiev reformers was long ago afraid of. Ukraine refuses the dictates and demands of Poroshenko and wants to restore good neighborly relations with Russia. Politicians and public figures are doing it quite legally and officially at the state level, so it will be much harder for the President to shirk their duties or to incite dissidents from their SBU dogs.

Kharkov Officially Rejects Poroshenko and Turns To Russia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/kharkov-officially-rejects-poroshenko.html

The first sign in the struggle for independence and opinion was, as expected, in freedom-loving Kharkov. A petition was registered on the official website of the President by citizens for the establishment of an independent "Sloboda" administrative district, which literally in a month received the required 25,000 signatures.

The draft law was prepared and proposed for consideration by local MP's and public figures. It involves the actual independence of the Kharkov region and the introduction of a special administrative-legal regime independently from the city centre.

The very real decentralization about which foreign guests with tight purse strings so insistently asked Poroshenko for. Only here do Ukrainians battle for it, and the fight at last was in the home stretch. The bill was developed by the "Sloboda" public council, and the author of the petition is the Deputy of the Kharkov city council Alexander Perepelitsa. Poroshenko has long been trying to crush the public, and it came already in the form of repression and harassment from the SBU.

The under fire President is afraid of the identity of Kharkiv, and has now found himself nose to nose with a serious problem. The open requirements of local residents is contrary to the primary principles of the whole regime. Moreover, the petition also includes a request immediately after its introduction to resume friendly relations with Russia and to restore mutually beneficial trade.

Independent Kharkov wants to get back to basics and, most interestingly, Ukrainians can support the initiative and in Washington, as an illustrative example. Decentralization is still on the agenda of the donors, and Poroshenko cannot indefinitely fool creditors.

Most likely, the guarantor will resume attacks on "Sloboda Ukraine", and all the initiators of the project are subject to disposal. Recently, this is the case in a European and democratic Ukraine, but it is difficult to argue with the will of the people if they stand together for their freedom.

Kharkiv has made a choice and has now only to put forward an ultimatum to the President.

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Citizens Living in Ukraine Must Sign Statement Against Putin to Retain Work
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/russian-citizens-living-in-ukraine-must.html

Russian citizens living in Ukraine will be obliged to sign a statement against Putin in order to not lose work.

The law stipulates that Russian citizens living in Ukraine and working in the field of culture, can, for example, perform on the stage of a theatre only after signing the Declaration "on condemnation of the occupation of the territory of Ukraine".

Similar requirements will apply for Russian bands who are planning tours in Ukraine, or are granted permission for filming.

On the expected effects of the introduction of new measures, the authors of the draft law indicated the "strengthening of the authority of power" and the "promotion of Ukrainian artists".

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Ukraine and Turkey to expand cooperation in the military and energy sector

http://ria.ru/world/20160512/1432139729.html

KIEV, May 12 -. RIA Novosti Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman discussed with the Minister of National Defense of Turkey Ismet Yilmaz prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation between the countries in military-technical, trade, defense and energy fields, according to the website of the Cabinet of Ukraine.

"I am glad that in recent years we have a very qualitative improvement of our bilateral cooperation, and believe that we are now laying the foundations for deepening our cooperation - both political and economic, and in the defense sector ... My message is - are deepening our relations, expanding shopping component approach to the signing of a free trade area, and we are ready to further deepen cooperation in all areas, "- said Groisman.

It also reported that "the sides discussed prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation between the countries, especially in the military-technical and trade areas." According to Groisman, the two countries have great potential for development of cooperation in various sectors, in particular in the fields of economy and energy. He also noted that he sees a promising cooperation in the defense sector, which will enhance the defense capability of Ukraine.

Turkish Minister of National Defence assured that his country will continue to support Ukraine. He noted that the volume of trade between the two countries last year reached four billion dollars.

Ukraine will not buy thermal coal from Russia in 2016

http://www.interfax.ru/world/508001

Moscow. 12 May. INTERFAX.RU Ukraine before the end of the year has no plans to acquire coal power brands in Russia, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Igor Nasalik journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.

" Today we have reserves of about 3 million tons, and we'll just build them We should not question the coal delivery, and in its distribution we have nowhere to put their coal.", - The minister said.

Nasalik also said that he held a meeting with the delegation of Turkey, which is ready to consider the possibility of allocating funds for the restoration of Ukrainian mines. In addition, the Turkish delegation expressed interest in participating in the privatization of Ukrainian mines.

 

[angelburst29]

Kiev City Council Announces Termination of Relations With Moscow
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/kiev-city-council-announces-termination.html

The deputies of the Kiev city council sent a letter to the Russian government on the termination of bilateral agreements on the "twinning relationship" between the Ukrainian capital and Moscow. The corresponding letter was posted on the Facebook page of the Deputy mayor of Kiev and Secretary of Kiev city council - Volodymyr Prokopiv.

Earlier, the deputies of the Kiev city council supported the initiative for the termination of bilateral agreements on the "twinning relationship" between the Ukrainian capital and a number of Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"In accordance with the decision of the Kiev city Council, Kiev unilaterally severs all previously signed agreements about twinning, partnerships, and cooperation with Moscow," said the letter of the city council sent to the government of the Russia.

Earlier, the deputies of the "Svoboda" nationalist party in the Kiev city council proposed to terminate the bilateral agreement on "sister-city relationships" between the Ukrainian capital and a number of Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. Later, the authorities of the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi decided to terminate the partnership with Tver and Ivanovo, and notified the city Duma of the Russian twin-cities. However, press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov expressed deep regret at the position of Kiev on the rupture of relations with Russian sister cities.

Ukraine is ready to make its underground gas storage facilities available to store Turkish gas for its further transportation to the European Union, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Igor Nasalik said Thursday.

Ukraine Ready to Store, Transport Turkish Gas to Europe
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160512/1039524111/ukraine-turkey-gas.html

Earlier on Thursday, Nasalik said at a ministerial meeting that Turkey was interested in the plans to privatize Ukrainian coal mines.

“The Ukrainian side, as part of the process to liberalize its energy sector is today considering the possible use of Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities by foreign companies, including Turkish ones, for the loading and storage of natural gas with the aim of further transporting it to EU countries,” Nasalik said during his meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Yonet Can Tezel.

Ukraine lost control over most of its coal mines during the 2014 military conflict as they are primarily concentrated in the Donetsk Coal Basin, which is now mostly controlled by self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics.

In November 2015, Ukraine halted purchases of Russian gas, saying the price offered by its European partners was much lower than that offered by Moscow amid deteriorated relations with Moscow over the Ukrainian crisis and Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014.

Moreover, Naftogaz and Gazprom have been involved in legal proceedings with mutual claims since 2014 on the gas purchase contracts.

A Ukrainian court has sentenced the journalist Ruslan Kotsaba to three and a half years for “obstructing the activities of the UAF.”

Journalist Ruslan Kotsaba jailed for "obstructing UAF activities": "My sentence is a sentence against freedom of speech"
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/journalist-ruslan-kotsaba-jailed-for.html

A Ukrainian court has sentenced the journalist Ruslan Kotsaba to three and a half years for “obstructing the activities of the UAF.” Kotsaba’s laywer, Tatyana Montyan, stated this on her social-networking page. According to her, the prosecutor’s office nonetheless withdrew the charges against Kotsaba of treason, and Kotsaba has already served part of his time while awaiting the court’s decision.

“He’s already served two years, six months, and eight days, according to the ‘year for two’ rule. He will be returned the money stolen during the search of his belongings. He has yet to be convicted of state treason. He has to be given back four thousand something for the investigation. It is clear that there will be an appeal against the junta’s kangaroo court,” Montyan stated.

“My sentencing is a sentence against freedom of speech and the right to criticize the bitchy Ukrainian government,” Kotsaba wrote on a notepad at the time of the announcement of his verdict in court.

He also stated his readiness to repeat his condemnation of the ATO, this time even more harshly.

Kotsaba was arrested after urging Ukrainians not to participate in the civil war in Donbass. The international human rights organization Amnesty International recognized Kotsaba as a “prisoner of conscience” and has urged Ukrainian authorities to release him.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Mariya Zakharova, has stated that Ukraine’s revealing of the personal data of journalists is a direct call for violence against them.

Zakharova on Donbass journalist scandal: Ukrainian perpetrators have no sense of civilization
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/zakharova-on-donbass-journalist-scandal.html

“The personal data was published in such a situation and in such form with the footnote that these are enemies of Ukraine. This is a direct call for violence against journalists,” Zakharova said at a briefing in Moscow.

According to her, such practice cannot be supported by pointing to international experiences and precedents.

“You disgraceful organizers and managers of the so-called ‘Peacemaker’ website have no sense of international experience. You are still far from this civilized, international experience,” the foreign ministry representative remarked.

Ukrainian internet resources earlier published lists of journalists working in the DPR and LPR and listed their personal data. The names of five thousand such media representatives were published. The Kiev prosecutor’s office has since reported that it has opened a criminal case in connection with the obstruction of the professional activities of journalists due to the publishing of their data.

In a move that is likely to displease Ukraine’s major patrons -- including the US, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission -- Kiev has appointed as the country’s prosecutor general a politician who has no legal experience and is seen by many in the country as an alcoholic puppet of the oligarchs.

Entry-Level Position? Ukraine's New Top Prosecutor Has No Legal Experience
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160513/1039532603/ukraine-gets-general-prosecutor.html

Yuriy Lutsenko, former interior minister and close ally of President Poroshenko, was appointed to the post of Ukrainian general prosecutor on Thursday. To allow Lutsenko to be eligible, lawmakers changed the Ukrainian constitution to allow candidates with no legal background to be appointed.

Earlier, the EU spoke in favor of having a candidate with the appropriate legal experience.

The news came amid an IMF visit to Ukraine, to assure that Kiev is carrying out reforms necessary to counter deep corruption in the state. Legislative and bureaucratic reforms are a linchpin to a new package of IMF financial aid to the country.

Speaking to the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament, Poroshenko described Lutsenko as a good candidate to boost reform and build public trust in the government’s prosecution arm. The newly-appointed general prosecutor echoed Poroshenko’s remarks, stating that he is determined to "break the current inefficient and partly criminal system."

Those statements were met with shouts of "shame" in the parliament, as Lutsenko is deemed to be a cohort to those he is supposed to monitor.

"The basic idea is making sure that nothing gets done,” Yegor Sobolev, an MP from the Samopomich party, that left Poroshenko’s faction last year, said of the appointment. "All his [Lutsenko’s] actions will be an imitation of work."

Sobolev stated that, under Lutsenko, the pillars of kleptocracy that comprise the SBU, the courts and the prosecutor’s office will “remain intact,” and will leave the hands of the oligarchs free to do as they will.

Anticipating resistance to his nomination, Poroshenko's faction MP Leonid Kozachenko said he hopes “this conflict will disappear when Lutsenko begins real investigations."

Lutsenko has had a bumpy political career. He was actively engaged in the 2004 pro-western "Orange Revolution,” aimed against Viktor Yanukovich, who was running for president at the time. When Yanukovich became president in 2010, Lutsenko was imprisoned for embezzlement and abuse of his office.

After being released from jail, Lutsenko joined Poroshenko's political bloc.

Crimea is becoming a favorite vacationing spot for Ukrainians again, the Kiev-based newspaper Vesti wrote.

Old Love: Ukrainians Return to Crimea
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160513/1039556571/crimea-ukraine-vacationers.html

Many Ukrainian tour companies are back on the Black Sea peninsula to cater to thousands of holidaymakers from the country’s central and eastern regions that plan to spend their vacations in Crimea.

“An estimated 15,000 are expected to come this year – not too many of course, but still a notable jump from what they had the past two years,” the newspaper wrote.

According to Ukrainian tour operators, most of the returnees are people who used to spend their vacations in Crimea before and those who have relatives and friends living there.

Big hotels and sanatoriums are very popular, just like smaller hotels and private lodgings with the bulk of vacationers heading to Crimea’s southern coast undeterred by transportation hassles and the vast amount of paperwork they have to deal with along the way, Vesti wrote.

Two weeks at a local sanatorium will set you back about 60,000 rubles (just over $1,000), which is way less than one had to shell out in 2013. On March 16, 2014, 96 percent of Crimean residents voted in a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

Ukrainian and Polish anti-corruption agencies have signed a memorandum of cooperation agreeing to share experience in fighting corruption, the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau press service said.

Ukraine, Poland Sign Anti-Corruption Memorandum
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160513/1039538641/ukraine-poland-anti-corruption-memorandum.html

According to the Bureau's director, Artem Sytnyk, the memorandum, negotiated since 2015 and signed in Warsaw on Thursday, incorporated the best practices of East and Central European countries.

"I am convinced that it is vital to stay in close contact with anti-corruption agencies of other countries. Corruption schemes investigated by our specialists generally involve more countries than just Ukraine," the official said adding that Ukrainian and Polish agencies have very much in common in their functions.

The memorandum provides that Ukraine and Poland will conduct joint workshops, organize training programs for their officers and exchange best practices in IT.

In February, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde announced that Ukraine risks returning to a pattern of failed economic policies characterized by slow progress in fighting corruption and influence in policymaking.

Following the statement, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reassured the international community of Kiev’s commitment to reform and anti-corruption measures.

Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz accused the country's security services of illegal cooperation with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Polish Minister Accuses Security Services of Illegal Ties With Russia's FSB
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160513/1039552837/polish-intelligence-fsb-macierewicz.html

According to the defense minister, Poland's Military Counterintelligence Service is currently analyzing this issue. No comment from the FSB has been provided yet.

"The cooperation with the FSB was started and went on for several months without the consent of any politician in authority and the agreement itself was signed after the prime minister was informed… The fact of the longstanding cooperation without [first] receiving the consent of politicians was an obvious crime," Macierewicz told the TVP broadcaster.

Under Polish legislation, the prime minister is responsible for organizing the supervision of security services or for appointing a special coordinator to maintain this supervision, Macierewicz added.

"Donald Tusk [Polish prime minister 2007-2014] bypassed the law and never appointed such a coordinator," Macierewicz said, adding that the prime minister had not fulfilled his direct duties.

Polish special services under the country’s previous government carried out surveillance on the country's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, local media reported Friday citing a high-ranking government source.

Polish Security Services Kept Defense Minister Under Surveillance - Reports
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160513/1039551920/poland-secret-service.html

On Thursday, Macierewicz said that the Polish special military services conducted surveillance on over 40 local politicians, journalists, publicists and scientists. The defense minister labeled the surveillance "political repression."

"With full confidence — Macierewicz was under surveillance," the source told the Wirtualna Polska media outlet.

According to the source, the security services allegedly initiated surveillance due to Macierewicz's participation in closing down military information services and their employees' checks.

On Wednesday, the Polish cabinet minister in charge of the national security, Mariusz Kaminski, said the country’s Internal Security Agency had illegally watched dozens of journalists and activists under the previous administration.

In February, a new law, expanding government surveillance powers, came into force in Poland. Under the law, Poland's Interior Ministry gains the ability to access citizens' personal data, communication and internet records without requiring a court's decision.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

LPR: UAF has deployed ISIS mercenaries; Aidar denied OSCE access for investigation

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/lpr-uaf-has-deployed-isis-mercenaries.html

May 13, 2016 -
Novorossiya -
Translated by J. Arnoldski

http://www.novorosinform.org/news/id/52761

The Ukrainian punitive command has deployed mercenary brigades, including former divisions of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (ISIS, banned in Russia) to the front line in the LPR. This statement by the official representative of the LPR’s People’s Militia, Major Andrey Marochko, has been reported by Novorossiya Information Agency’s correspondent from today’s briefing in Lugansk.

The LPR defense ministry’s representative stated: “The Ukrainian side continues to resort to foreign mercenaries. In the village of Olkhovaya of the Stanichno-Lugansky district, mercenary units have arrived, the majority of which consist of Arabs and dark-skinned people numbering 50 persons. These mercenaries presumably arrived as part of a volunteer contingent who formerly were in the ranks of the terrorist grouping known as the Islamic State.”

According to Marochko, mercenaries are traditionally housed in the “liberated” homes of local residents.


“The international observatory mission of the OSCE has attempted to gain access to this district of the village, but representatives of the nationalist Aidar battalion have not allowed international observers in, arguing that they are carrying out a special operation.”

 

[Voyageur]

This is kind of an important article on the new Ukrainian official historical revisionism written by Josh Cohen in FP http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/02/the-historian-whitewashing-ukraines-past-volodymyr-viatrovych/

The Historian Whitewashing Ukraine’s Past

Volodymyr Viatrovych is erasing the country’s racist and bloody history — stripping pogroms and ethnic cleansing from the official archives.

Appreciate the additional information on whitewashing Ukraine's historical past, Voyageur. I was not aware of Volodymyr Viatrovych involvement in a smear campaign against Russia. Actually, the article you Posted, is the first I heard of him. His name can be added to an increasing long list, trying to implicate Russia for war crimes and deeds perpetuated by other's. The following articles are part of the information war going on between - those who are trying to bury the truth and those systematically, documenting and filing evidence.

There is a follow up on this published by GFP - German Foreign Policy.com whereby they call out FB - Foreign Policy (.com) as follows: http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/58938

The Ukrainian historian wrote his commentary in response to an article published in the US magazine “Foreign Policy.” The article sharply criticized Ukraine’s growing revisionism – a revisionism that had already been promoted during pro-western President Viktor Yushchenko’s term of office and further accentuated in the aftermath of the pro-western coup in 2014. Foreign Policy, which has always been loyal to Kiev’s putschist regime, now warns that Ukraine “could be headed for a new, and frightening, era of censorship.”

So that is an about face for FB (curiously) and GFP highlights this. At the close of the article, there is an attack back from Viatrovych:

"Soviet Propaganda"
In a furious response, Viatrovych has now responded to the criticisms - and explicitly confirmed the accusations. He alleges, for example, the OUN and UPA "did not collaborate with the Germans." The "accusations" that they had, is "xenophobia," the assessment that they had participated in the Holocaust and "ethnic cleansing" - referring to the murder of more than 90,000 Poles is "characteristic of Soviet propaganda." Viatrovych continues, "there are no OUN documents" to suggest an active participation in the 1941 Jewish pogrom in Lvov following the late June 1941 German invasion. Besides, "the exact number" of the Jews, Ukrainians killed during the Holocaust "is still unidentified and is certainly no greater" than the number "other nationalities" had killed, who also collaborated in the Holocaust with the Germans.[11]

[11] Volodymyr Viatrovych: Real and fictional history in Ukraine's archives. www.kyivpost.com 09.05.2016.

This is countered with a paragraph above called Whitewash whereby it focuses on Viatrovych:

Viatrovych (born in 1977) first made a name for himself as the co-founder and director of the "Center for Research of Liberation Movement" in Lviv, western Ukraine. The Center is considered to serve as a front for the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in exile. The center is funded and run by the émigré OUN, as the historian Per Anders Rudling confirmed in an interview with german-foreign-policy.com.[1] The OUN was the most important organization of the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators. Along with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the OUN participated in the mass murder of Jews on Soviet territory and the massacre of more than 90,000 Poles - with the objective of creating an "ethnically pure" Ukraine.[2]

Following the war, many OUN members fled into exile to the Federal Repubilc of Germany, the USA or Canada, where they continued their political activities - until 1991, against the Soviet Union.[3] As director of the OUN "Center for Research", Viatrovych published the book "The OUN's position towards the Jews" (in Lviv, 2006), wherein he seeks to whitewash - using blatant forgeries, according to renowned historians - the Ukrainian Nazi-collaboration of its Anti-Semitism stigma.[4] In 2011, he amplified his revisionism with a second book, relativizing the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators' mass murder of Poles as "the second Polish-Ukrainian war."[5]


[1] See "Scientific Nationalists".
[2] See Between Moscow and Berlin (IV) and Honoring Collaborators.
[3] See "Ein Sammelpunkt der OUN".
[4] Per Anders Rudling: The OUN, the UPA and the Holocaust: A Study in the Manufacturing of Historical Myths. The Carl Beck Papers in Russian and East European Studies No. 2107. Pittsburgh, November 2011.
[5] John-Paul Himka: Legislating Historical Truth: Ukraine's Laws of 9 April 2015. net.abimperio.net 21.04.2015.

Corrupted revisionism certainly has been and continues to be a historical pathogen of the ages.

 

[Alana]

Those of you not living in Europe probably don't know that last night the annual Eurovision song contest took place. I didn't know it either until this morning. And... ta tam! Ukraine's song apparently came first. The song is titled 1944 and it is in reference to Stalin's deportation of Ukraine's Tartars from Crimea in that year.

Note that Eurovision, in its "book of rules includes that:

No lyrics, speeches, gestures of a political or similar nature shall be permitted during the Eurovision song contest.

This time they said the lyrics were of "historical nature", so they approved the song. Obviously because it was anti-Russian, and they thought, "hey, another means through which to throw around some more propaganda and stick the finger to Putin".

The lyrics go:

When strangers are coming...
They come to your house,
They kill you all
and say,
We’re not guilty
not guilty.

Where is your mind?
Humanity cries.
You think you are gods.
But everyone dies.
Don't swallow my soul.
Our souls

Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım

2
We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love.
The happiest time.

Where is your heart?
Humanity rise.
You think you are gods
But everyone dies.
Don't swallow my soul.
Our souls.

Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım

and Jamala, who wrote the song and performed it last night, says that they are for her Tartar grandmother who was deported from Crimea in 1944 after Stalin's orders. So the song is obviously political, Eurovision did break its own rules, and what's more, but not mentioned in the lyrics or anywhere, is that the Tartars were deported because they collaborated with the Nazis and joined them against the rest of Ukrainians and Russians who were fighting against Hitler!

Some of these Tartars are now joining the neonazis in Kievo against the people of East Ukraine. Apparently the Right Sector promised them the creation of their own autonomous state. So Eurovision just whitewashed all the neonazi atrocities as well as showed its European anti-Russian face once more.

Watch the video below. It's the song 1944, but the images shown are from the true history:

https://youtu.be/rzYZnJ99GMA​

 

[Voyageur]

Those of you not living in Europe probably don't know that last night the annual Eurovision song contest took place. I didn't know it either until this morning. And... ta tam! Ukraine's song apparently came first. The song is titled 1944 and it is in reference to Stalin's deportation of Ukraine's Tartars from Crimea in that year.

Note that Eurovision, in its "book of rules includes that:

No lyrics, speeches, gestures of a political or similar nature shall be permitted during the Eurovision song contest.

This time they said the lyrics were of "historical nature", so they approved the song. Obviously because it was anti-Russian, and they thought, "hey, another means through which to throw around some more propaganda and stick the finger to Putin".

The lyrics go:

When strangers are coming...
They come to your house,
They kill you all
and say,
We’re not guilty
not guilty.

Where is your mind?
Humanity cries.
You think you are gods.
But everyone dies.
Don't swallow my soul.
Our souls

Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım

2
We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love.
The happiest time.

Where is your heart?
Humanity rise.
You think you are gods
But everyone dies.
Don't swallow my soul.
Our souls.

Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım

and Jamala, who wrote the song and performed it last night, says that they are for her Tartar grandmother who was deported from Crimea in 1944 after Stalin's orders. So the song is obviously political, Eurovision did break its own rules, and what's more, but not mentioned in the lyrics or anywhere, is that the Tartars were deported because they collaborated with the Nazis and joined them against the rest of Ukrainians and Russians who were fighting against Hitler!

Some of these Tartars are now joining the neonazis in Kievo against the people of East Ukraine. Apparently the Right Sector promised them the creation of their own autonomous state. So Eurovision just whitewashed all the neonazi atrocities as well as showed its European anti-Russian face once more.

Watch the video below. It's the song 1944, but the images shown are from the true history:

https://youtu.be/rzYZnJ99GMA​

Oh god, Eurovision sure did show their face. :(

 

[Alana]

Yup, they did. And I just saw the new sott focus piece on this with lots of info:

Western war on Russia: European Broadcasting Union rigs 'Eurovision 2016' to prevent Russian favorite from winning

 

[angelburst29]

In the first link you Posted Vogageur, "Report: The Historian Whitewashing Ukraine’s Past" this paragraph caught my attention and I wonder how Volodymyr Viatrovych thinks he's going to work around it?

Though Viatrovych’s view is popular in western Ukraine where many Bandera monuments and street names exist (TsDVR itself is located on Bandera Street in Lviv), many Ukrainians in the south and east of the country don’t appreciate the World War II-era nationalist’s legacy.

In Luhansk, in the country’s east, and Crimea, local governments erected monuments to the victims of the OUN-UPA. In this regard, imposing the nationalists’ version of history on the entire country requires eradicating the beliefs and identity of many other Ukrainians who do not share the nationalists’ narrative.

To that effect, Viatrovych has dismissed historical events not comporting with this narrative as “Soviet propaganda.” In his 2006 book, The OUN’s Position Towards the Jews: Formulation of a position against the backdrop of a catastrophe, he attempted to exonerate the OUN from its collaboration in the Holocaust by ignoring the overwhelming mass of historical literature. The book was widely panned by Western historians. University of Alberta professor John-Paul Himka, one of the leading scholars of Ukrainian history for three decades, described it as “employing a series of dubious procedures: rejecting sources that compromise the OUN, accepting uncritically censored sources emanating from émigré OUN circles, failing to recognize anti-Semitism in OUN texts.”

I read the follow up published by GFP, that you Posted and noticed, along with trying to accuse and demonize Russia for this and that, the word "anti-Semitism" surfaced a lot in Viatrovych's work. Along with his corrupted revisionism, I get the impression that part of his work is to remove or neutralize the nefarious deeds by the Jewish Oligarch's that ruled over Ukraine?