Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signed a decree entitled On the Celebration of Some Dates and Professional Holidays, under which Jan. 11 will be celebrated as the Day of Collegiality and Ukrainian Freedom, the presidential press service reported on Friday. The decree invalidates other decrees on the celebration of Collegiality Day and on the Freedom Day signed by Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yuschenko on Nov. 19, 2005. Freedom Day was established in...

The Kyiv Post often gets it right. Its reporting and coverage have been exceptional regarding Ukraine's fledgling democracy and cultural reawakening. Its editorials have clearly kept hope alive for a democratic, sovereign Ukraine. In its 2011 year end top ten list of notables it rightly selected Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The newspaper highlighted the Major Archbishop's response to Patriarch Kirill's call for "Russiky Mir" or Russian World. He called for Ukrainians to build a "Ukrainian World" as opposed to Kirill's Russian World. The significance of the Major Archbishop's comment cannot be overstated. It is a call to cultural and linguistic arms...

Seven streets in the Zhytomyr region town are no more named after dignitaries of the late totalitarian regime. Olevsk municipal council, representing one of the most remote areas of Zhytomyr region, decided by majority vote to rename streets named after dignitaries of the communist regime on December 20. Secretary of the council Tamara Zaruba told The Day that the issue of changing the names of some of the streets was deliberated on by the previous, fifth council of the town. It emerged then because two streets were still named after Postyshev and Kosior, major organizers of the great Ukrainian famine of 1932-33, but...

I gotta tell ya, big guy, 2011 ain’t been a good year. This joint’s falling apart, everybody hates me, and the skirts in my life are driving me crazy. I mean, like, first there’s that Ludmilla. What’s eatin’ her? Dunno. What did I do to deserve the broad? Nada, Santa, nada. I hole out in a shack near Kyiv and I set her up like a queen bee in Donetsk with the boys. Sasha’s one of the richest fellas in town (not bad for a guy who pulls teeth, and I don’t mean for laughs) and Junior loves his mom, even when he’s off the sauce. You’d think she’d stay home, watch TV, and pray for me. But nyeeeeeeet, the dame says she wants to help—to make a difference. Last time she tried that, Santa, was during that orange business, and you know what happened to me then. So, listen, Santa, how about doing me a solid? When you do your rounds in Donetsk, could you stuff a sock in her trap? And then there’s Yulia! That tomato’s gonna be the end of me, Santa. Big Dima Tabachnik says...

Three years ago Ukraine’s economy was devastated by the global financial crisis. Heading into a second, possibly more destructive phase, the country is better positioned to weather the storm, but still exhibits similar vulnerabilities to 2008. The next year will not be easy for Ukraine. Central bank reserves are melting, capital is drying up, and a global slowdown is depressing prices as well as demand for Ukraine’s top export – steel. The fundamental weaknesses which caused Ukraine’s gross domestic product to plunge an astonishing 15 percent in 2009 have not been addressed. While increased spending linked to the Euro 2012 soccer championship and autumn parliamentary elections should cushion the blow, 2012 promises to be tough for businesses and citizens alike. The big unknown...

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) has renewed its call for an independent review of the Canadian Human Rights Museum (CMHR) and a suspension of incremental funding by the federal government amid media reports that the museum is behind schedule and over budget. "The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has called for an inclusive and equitable Museum and continues to call upon the leadership of the CMHR to clearly present the actual design and content of the museum to Canadians for public review," stated UCC National President Paul Grod. "We are also calling for greater transparency and public accountability by the museum." Specifically, UCC continues to call upon the Government of Canada to...

Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth visited National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy on December 5, to meet students, staff and alumni at the opening of the conference, "Tempus and Erasmus Mundus: Opportunities for the Eastern Partnership". Her speech on the topic, "Cooperation and Mobility Opportunities for Individuals and Institutions between the Ukraine and the European Union" was followed by a question and answer session. Ms. Vassiliou expressed her strong support for the integration of Ukraine’s educational sector into the European model. “In the firm belief that investment in education, training and creativity is essential for the prosperity of future generations… the European Commission adopted …the programs, Erasmus for All and Creative Europe. These programs...

Eric Hughes always knew the Canadian Museum for Human Rights would be controversial, but even he acknowledged the past few weeks have been tough. “It has been a challenging month for sure,” said Mr. Hughes, a Calgary businessman who took over as interim chair of the museum’s board of trustees on Tuesday. That’s putting it mildly. For some time, the museum has been beset by high-level departures, hefty cost overruns and vociferous complaints from some ethnic communities about its proposed contents. The project was supposed to open in 2013, but officials now say it won’t be ready until 2014 and even that date is uncertain, partly because of a shortfall in funding. Meanwhile, a group that’s raising money to help pay for construction is $20-million short of its $150-million target. Mr. Hughes was rushed into position Monday because...

Legislation authored by Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) responding to the Belarusan government’s latest crackdown on human rights that began with the fraudulent December 19, 2010 Belarusan election, was passed by the House of Representatives today by a voice vote. Since last year’s fraudulent election, the Belarusan government of Alexander Lukashenka, infamous for heading “Europe’s last dictatorship,” has stepped up its campaign of repression against human rights and democratic activists. The bill now goes to the White House where President Obama is expected to sign it. The bill – H.R. 515, the “Belarus Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2011” – strengthens and expands...

The trial and sentencing of the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko in October 2011 generated many bad headlines. It also placed in doubt the two key agreements with the European Union that Ukraine has been negotiating since 2008: the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). This memo argues that the EU-Ukraine summit on 19 December should initiate a twin-track approach. The agreements cannot be formally signed, but should be kept alive until Ukraine is ready to implement the conditionality laid out in resolutions by the European Parliament and other bodies. But lecturing Ukraine on human rights at the summit will have little effect. The EU should also move towards...