Stepan Bandera becomes Ukrainian hero

Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has conferred the rank of a Ukrainian hero to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

The head of state said this during ceremonies marking Ukrainian Unity Day in Kyiv on Friday, Jan. 22.

"I decree to confer the rank of a Hero of Ukraine to Stepan Bandera and present a state order to him," Yushchenko said.

He said that the high rank had been conferred to Bandera for his "defending national ideas and battling for an independent Ukrainian state."

Bandera's grandson, also named Stepan, received the award from the president, an Interfax-Ukraine reporter said.

Source: Kyiv Post

Hat tip to Ukrainiana

Some oligarchs take sides, while others on sidelines

“Corruption, red tape, administrative obstacles of every kind – these are only things that serve the interests of those who today control the economy because they do not want competition. They are allergic to competition,” Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira of Portugal told journalists on Nov. 30. “The vast majority of Ukrainians cannot have employment, cannot have decent salaries, do not have a decent social system, because the country today is in many aspects like 20 years ago.”
Teixeira’s comments came against a backdrop of the nation’s slow European integration and incomplete attempts to shed its Soviet past.
And it is hard to identify the “reformer” in this race.

Click here to read complete article.

Source: Kyiv Post

Yushchenko's place in history: A leader who failed his people?

Despite these initiatives Yushchenko lost virtually all credibility not only among Ukrainians but among Ukraine's loyal Russian citizens. Instead of arresting the rich and powerful guilty of rampant corruption, he gave them medals. Although this may have been motivated by a plan to co-opt former enemies and transform them into a "new national elite" nothing in the behavior of men like Kivalov ("seriozha pidrahui"), or Kyiv's mayor Chernovetsky suggests they have been thus transformed. Neither still can't even speak Ukrainian and historians will one day undoubtedly debate whether he, Batu Khan or Bogoliubsky did more to destroy Kyiv. Kyiv is turning into a vast filthy Calcutta-like slum.The initiative did, however, make a mockery of the awards system and the man who gave them.

Click here to read full article.

Source: Kyiv Post

International Center for Policy Studies: How to desovietize public administration in Ukraine

Ukraine’s political crisis is universally viewed as the only obstacle to the country’s integration into the European Union. Typically, only two main causes for the crisis are recognized: the “Ukrainian mentality” and a bad political leadership.
Click here for complete article.

Source: Kyiv Post

Ukrainian Christmas celebration in Montreal

Ukrainian Christmas celebration in Montreal presented by CTV news Montreal. Very nicely put together.

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip253103#clip253103

Veselych Sviat!!!

Source: CTV Montreal

Ukrainian Christmas 'not a generic holiday'

Wishing everybody celebrating Ukrainian Christmas smachnoyi kuti.
Click here to read article from The Standard in St. Catherines, Ontario.

Source: The Standard

Making a Little Fun of Russia’s Powerful

Ellen Barry writes from Moscow:It is not, from a purely technical standpoint, impossible to make fun of Vladimir V. Putin. His head is shaped a bit like a light bulb, with eyes that are heavy-lidded, as if to convey that he has just been reading your dossier. He has a needle nose, a prizefighter’s swagger and a fondness for posing shirtless. If all else fails, there is always the matter of height.

Read the story here.

Click here to view the clip, from great blog by Taras - Ukrainiana


Source: New York Times

Ukraine's leaders start ringing in the new year

President Victor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition Party of Regions chief Victor Yanukovych are polishing up their New Year's Eve speeches. Tymoshenko is expected on Kyiv's Independence Square.

Click here for story.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!!!

Source: Kyiv Post

UCCLA: No "miracles" for a KGB veteran - Canada's Ukrainians and many others want for Christmas, frankly, is a Canada free of the KBG.

Canada's Ukrainian community is calling on federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, and the Minister of Public Safety, Peter Van Loan, to reject calls for "a Christmas miracle" that would allow a self-confessed veteran of the KGB, Mikhail Lennikov, to stay in Canada.

UCCLA was responding to Vancouver Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, who at a Monday news conference suggested Christmas is a time for "giving and forgiveness, the season of generosity." Responding, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association's Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk said: "Why ignore Mr. Lennikov's admitted membership in one of the most notorious secret police forces the world has ever known? What mercy were the KGB's victims ever shown? It's remarkable how ignorant some MPs are of history."

Both the Immigration and Refugee Board as well as a judge of the Federal Court of Canada confirmed that it is against the law for former members of the KGB to immigrate to Canada and then ordered Mr. Lennikov's removal. He has since defied those decisions, claiming a (non-existent) "right of sanctuary". Mr. Lennikov even told a reporter from The Vancouver Sun that he will spend Christmas enjoying a yuletide dinner with family and friends in the Lutheran Church where he now sits, evading Canadian authorities.

"Did Gulag prisoners have it that good?" wondered Dr. Luciuk. "Mr. Lennikov was ordered deported by a federal court judge and yet, inexplicably, he remains here. Why isn't the Canada Border Services Agency doing its job? They have a judge's order and they know where he is. While we agree that Canada should give haven to real refugees we certainly shouldn't to those who, indirectly or directly, were responsible for the enslavement and mass murder of millions of innocents between 1917-1991. What Canada's Ukrainians and many others want for Christmas, frankly, is a Canada free of the KBG."

For more on the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association go to www.uccla.ca

The War on Christmas: It’s a Commie Thing

Indeed, today’s secularist war on Christmas (yes, the one that, like God, many liberals deny exists) was waged, in large part, when Communists began attempting to supplant the deity of Christ (and His associated Judeo-Christian principles) with the false deity of the State.

Ronald Reagan once spoke to this noteworthy historical factoid during a Christmas radio broadcast about the Ukraine’s war on Christmas. The great Gipper noted: “When the Ukraine was free and not under Soviet bondage, Christmas was, of course, the religious event that it is in the Western world.”

But as part of an effort to suppress the Gospel message and the spread of Christianity in Soviet Russia, Communist leaders secularized a favorite Ukrainian Christmas carol, “Nova Radist Stala” (Joyous News Has Come to Us).

One verse originally began: “The joyous news has come which never was before. Over a cave above a manger a bright star has lit the world, where Jesus was born from a virgin maiden …”

“Now, of course,” continued Reagan, “[public Christian expression] was neither fitting nor permitted under Communism. Still the commissars were a little leery about an outright ban. They chose to allow the song after some rewriting.”

Click here for complete article.

Source: Canada Free Press

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!!!

Pickled herring, porridge and perogies make a Merry Christmas for Vancouver Canucks

A Christmas wish to our followers who celebrate December 24-25. Here is an article I came across that has some international flavor.

Hordichuk, the Canuck winger from the Ukrainian-Russian town of Kamsack, Sask., was accustomed to big family gatherings at Christmas.

“Everything revolved around the family and we had a huge family,” he said. “There were a lot of Hordichuks. Christmas Eve we’d go to church — Ukrainian Catholic. We’d have a big family Christmas.

Click here to read complete story.

Source: Vancouver Sun

Nato fails to gain Russia aid in Afghanistan

Analysts say the atmosphere between the alliance and Moscow has improved recently. Earlier this month, the Nato-Russia Council convened for the first time since the Georgia conflict.

During this visit, issues such as missile defence, Iran and a joint review of new security challenges were expected to be on the agenda.

The expansion of Nato remains a sensitive issue between the two sides, with Russia firmly opposed to any move towards membership by Ukraine or Georgia.

Mr Rasmussen has previously said they would become Nato members as and when they satisfied the necessary criteria, but emphasised that Moscow should not see that as a threat.

Click here for complete story.

Source: BBC

&^*&_*^)&%)&@#_&*+@

To whomever has been trying to post comments on the UKEMONDE blog, the text is not deciphered and is garble. Our blog is mostly in english we do have people submiting text in cyrilic and it comes through fine. I am simply deleting these messages since they are not clear. If you are the Russian troll? Oh well sorry your comments certainly won't be posted either.

Roman

Feds' witch hunt isn't punishing real war criminals

All major Nazi war criminals have been convicted or have died. Only small fry are left, and evidence is frail that any are war criminals.

Ukrainians conscripted as teenagers by Nazis have tended to be branded as suspect war criminals by the media, which overstates their "crime."

Anyway, Oberlander is once again a Canadian citizen, and with luck his ordeal is over.

For those interested, there's no shortage of recent crimes against humanity that warrant investigation, exposure and retribution.

Click here to read comple article by Peter Worthington of Toronto Sun.

Source: Toronto Sun

Accessory vs. Perpetrator

Many of us may not understand what the legal notion of ‘accessory’ stands for. An ‘accessory’ is a person who assists in the commission of a crime, but who does not actually participate in the commission of the crime as a joint principal. Bearing that in mind. I wonder what Demjanjuk’s court case is there to serve? Clearly geriatric Demjanjuk is not a danger to society. He is neither blamed for being a murderer nor accused of being a mass murderer. Being an alleged ‘accessory’ he is not exactly the story of the Shoa either. If the Holocaust is an account of a racially driven industrial homicidal crime, a Ukrainian POW serving as a German guard while being a prisoner is not exactly a story of a principal executioner. If this court case is aimed at perpetuating the message of the holocaust, all it really does is spread the opposite message.

Click here for complete article.

Hat tip to Cybercossack

Source: Dissident Voice

Women people's deputies of Lviv to send tie as present to Putin

A new shirt would also compliment a tie that is being sent by women's union of Lviv!!!! RG

The union of women people's deputies of Lviv region is to give a present of a tie to Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Emilia Podliashetska, a people's deputy of Lviv regional council, has told journalists on Wednesday.

"The women of Lviv region will give a present of a tie to Vladimir Putin so that he will have something to do after the elections in Ukraine," she said.

Click here to read complete article.

And we won't even question his questionable homosexual tendities?.

Source: Inter-Fax

EU cautious on integrating Ukraine

Good for the EU to show Ukraine that enough is enough. While they were used to the best of two world at their earlier stage of independence, very little has been done to show that they are worthy of being axcxcepted.

But on Friday there was no such agreement to sign. Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, the EU's top official in Ukraine, said the government in Kiev had simply not kept its side of the bargain, and that very little progress had been made in the areas where the EU wants Ukraine to reform.

"In particular in creating an environment to start reducing corruption; red tape; administrative burdens of all kinds in terms of the business in Ukraine, of attracting investment. There are a number of issues that indicate that in fact very little progress has been achieved."

Click here to read full article.

Source: BBC

Russia's Putin calls for balanced assessment of Stalin

Today at 15:08 | Reuters MOSCOW, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for a balanced assessment of Soviet leader Josef Stalin on Dec. 3, saying his legacy was not all positive or all negative.

Asked for his views on Stalin amid an ongoing debate in Russia over his legacy, Putin praised Stalin for industrialising the Soviet Union and winning World War Two but condemned his repression which destroyed the lives of millions.

Source; Kyiv Post

I can give a balanced assessment of Stalin Russia's that Putin is calling for but we don't want to get NASTY!!! :-)))

December 1 is the happiest day of my life. On this day I killed the Soviet Union.

December 1 is the happiest day of my life. On this day I killed the Soviet Union.

I am not a violent person. But on December 1, 1991, I voted in a referendum on the independence of Ukraine, along with more than 90 percent of Ukrainians.

This was the end of the USSR. I am saying this not because my life immediately became better. In fact, for many of my fellow Ukrainians life became worse, or at least more difficult.

Nor am I trying to challenge Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who said that the demise of the Soviet Union was the biggest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. God forbid! He may have his own reasons to feel this way. I just want to share my happiness and explain it.

I never liked the Soviet regime. From early childhood one had to learn to be a liar, a hypocrite, to stop being oneself in order to make a career or even to survive. But it was not the kind of regime one bravely stood up to, as you would to a foreign occupation.

Click here for complete story.

Source: RFE/RFL

1932-33 Holodomor has become part of the world drama owing to James Mace

Sad-eyed old men and women were the first to come to the Holodomor Memorial to offer up prayers for the dead. It was hard for them to discuss the subject and they were scared by their memories. Everyone held a lit candle decorated with wheat ears. Behind them were the shadows of thousands, millions of fellow countrymen tortured to death, slaughtered, killed by famine, who were denied the right to speak their mind, even to pray. “The mute shall start so speak,” wrote Taras Shevchenko prophetically. On these days of remembrance people did speak, shared their memories, and wept.

Click here to read complete article about James Mace from The Day English version paper.

Source: The Day