"Viva-Ukraine" Issue 5, August 2014

№5, AUGUST 2014

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MAGAZINE

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION >>

Russia’s aggression: Georgia’s experience CULTURE>>

Crimean gold will “go” to Kyiv MAIN FEATURE>>

Russia’s top 80 lies about Ukraine

THE PRESENT DAY>>

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted one of the basic laws for visa-free regime with EU HOLIDAY>>

Kupala Night 2014

The Great Lavra Bell Tower is the

tallest bell tower of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the tallest buildings in Kyiv, which is an octagonal tower with four tiers and a gilded dome. It was built in 1731-1744 upon the project of the architect Johann Gottfried Schedel. For the construction of the bell tower a classical scheme of order structure was used.

In the building one can notice some elements of the Baroque style in twin columns, pilasters, the outline of the doom. In building the bell tower a new for the time technique was used.

№5, August 2014

INSIDE:

UNESCO: the objects of the Crimean cultural heritage belong to Ukraine Page. 3

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law «On Higher Education» Page. 8

Russia’s aggression: Georgia’s experience Page. 12

In Donetsk oblast terrorists shot down a passenger plane: 295 dead Page. 6

Auditions to the ballet “THE GREAT GATSBY” Page. 11

“We remain human beings and commiserate,” Ukrainians say in connection with the Moscow metro accident

Page. 11

Social and political magazine №5, August 2014

Germany is world champion in football

license No20601-10401Р of 28.03.2014

Founder and Chief Editor Butt Umair Ahmad The published materials express their authors’ point of view that may not coincide with the editorial team’s official standpoint.

The editorial team does not carry responsibility for the content of advertisements.

The magazine is published in Ukrainian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, French and Arabic.

Some copies are distributed through diplomatic missions of foreign states in Ukraine and embassies of Ukraine in different countries of the world.

Page. 28

The magazine “Viva Ukraine” wants to express gratitude for help in creating the issue to the Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine Mikheil Ukleba, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Georgia Vasyl Tsybenko and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan Volodymyr Lakomov.

Translated by Natasha Pradan Circulation: 10 000 copies The telephone numbers of the editorial office: +380 577816557 +380 949779557 www.viva-ukraine.com info@viva-ukraine.com

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Culture

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Crimean gold will “go” to Kyiv The museum exhibition “Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea” was opened in the Netherlands back in the beginning of February.

The exhibition took place in Allard Pierson Archaeological Museum of the Amsterdam University. It contains archaeological discoveries from five Crimean museums. Among the exhibits are gold artifacts, a ceremonial helmet, jewellery. Now, when Crimea is annexed, no one knows where to send the exhibited items back.

So the Dutch prolonged the exhibition to September. Nevertheless, later, according to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands confirmed that all the exhibited items were part of the Ukrainian state property.

to overreach the collection that has always belonged to Crimea.

Saying this, she noted that the Crimean Ministry of Culture will use all means to get the collection of the Scythian gold back to the Crimean land basing on the recommendations of the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his turn the director of the information policy department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Evgen Perebyinis noted: “In the context of the latest declarations of some official representatives of Russian Federation I would find it appropriate to state that intentions of another country to steal the national wealth of Ukraine, the inseparable part of its cultural heritage, protected by law, are inadmissible”.

“The museum fund of Ukraine is part of national wealth, and the legal owner to the objects belonging to the state part of the museum fund is the people of Ukraine. It comes out from Article 15 of the Ukrainian law “On Museums and Museum Affairs” and the corresponding decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine,” reminded in the ministry.

According to the decision of the Ministry, keeping and operating the exhibits after returning them to Ukraine, will be the duty of the National Historical Museum of Ukraine.

Now legal grounds of returning the exhibition to Kyiv are being negotiated with Allard Pierson Museum of the Amsterdam University.

Crimea has already reacted to the statement of the Netherlands.

The Crimean Culture Minister Arina Novoselskaya blamed the Ukrainian government in illegal takeover of the collection of the Crimean gold from Crimean museums, which now is being exposed in the Netherlands.

According to the minister, the Ukrainian government is trying

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Culture

UNESCO: the objects of the Crimean cultural heritage belong to Ukraine According to the First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Olesia Ostrovska-Luta, UNESCO keeps to the resolution of the General Assembly of the UN on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and it does not recognize any change of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol city.

The Deputy Minister noted that the Ukrainian side was assured that discussing the objects of the Crimean cultural heritage would take place only if Ukraine participated.

Also Olesia Ostrovska-Luta said that during the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO one object from Ukraine was discussed - “Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra”.

The difficulty of the problem connected to this object lies in existence of buildings in the buffer zone, which affects the historical panorama of the city.

We shall remind you that last year UNESCO World Heritage List included Tauric Chersonese.

As it was announced, UNESCO World Heritage List included eight objects on the Ukrainian territory and eight objects on the Polish territory. In particular, in Lviv region – Descent of the Holy Spirit Church in Potelych, Holy Trinity Church in Zhovkva, St George Church in Drohobych; in Ivano-Frankivsk region – Descent of the Holy Spirit Church in Rohatyn, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Nyzhniy Verbizh; in Zakarpattia – Christ Ascension Church in Yasinia and St Archangel Michael Church in Uzhok.

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Society

A street piano greets the citizens of Kharkiv

One of Kyiv parks acquired a ‘street’ library

Now in the streets of Kharkiv one can meet a piano “on the walk”. On July 5 everybody could play the piano or just listen to those who did. The action took place in the Poetry Square next to the monument to Pushkin.

Now Kievers have got an opportunity to read an interesting book in the park, even if they don’t have it with them. For that they now have a library, which is located right in the open air.

The project is called «Free Library», anyone can borrow a book for free. Boxes with literature are located right in the alleys of the park. Reciprocity is encouraged - anyone can add something interesting from their own home library. The authors of the project, supported by the Ukrainian park of modern sculpture and installations «Kiev Fashion Park», was the family of Volodymyr Padun and Lyudmila Rozdobudko-Padun.

«I am an artist, in the 90’s I graduated from the Academy of Arts, studied experimental types of art, but then my wife and I started stydying design and things that may be of interest to people from a practical standpoint,» Volodymyr said.

The purpose of this project is sharing knowledge without restriction. Book boxes are made in the V-form, which stands for “victory”.

The construction is made from metal and acrylic glass that cannot be broken even with a hammer, so despite the «fragile» look, it is durable. The idea is implemented into life in a way that ensures that books are protected from snow, rain and other follies of weather.

Books in the street library in Russian and Ukrainian languages can meet a variety of tastes. On one shelf you can come across classic works of Dumas, Gogol and Kotsiubynsky along with works of political leaders «Books are completely different and Kievers are free to replenish the library by themselves. It is planned to install 16 such constructions all around the city. Places have not been defined yet - it depends on the resolution of the authorities,» Volodymyr Padun explained.

Despite the fact that the park is a free Wi-Fi zone, that is why many people come here with laptops and tablets, a free library aroused lively interest among passers-by.

«This is a very good idea! Whatever the case, no e-book can be compared with a real paper one. The feeling of thumbing through pages can be implemented with no gadgets. I’ll be happy to use the «services» of the library and, if possible, will add some of my own books to it, « Svitlana from Kyiv shared her impressions.

This interesting idea occurred to the arrangers of the project while they were preparing to Music Day, but they didn’t manage to “promenade” the piano due to bad weather.

Nevertheless, on July 5 the piano did “walk” in the sun.

Meanwhile the arrangers registered a page of the musical instrument in the social network. There was such an amiable message: - Hello! I am a street piano. I live in Kharkiv. One summer day I was taken to a square and people surrounded me at once and started playing, and singing, and dancing.

Now I dwell in the yard of the literature museum, but sometimes I am going to appear in the city streets.

P e o p l e reacted to the piano right in the city centre street differently.

Some didn’t pay attention and went by, others watched what happened with interest and surprise. Nevertheless, there were many people who were brave enough to play something. In the Poetry Square one could hear music since 11 am to 9 pm.

The project coordinator Anastasia Ivaschenko said that besides classical compositions of Bach and Chopin, people played the singles of the British group Pink Floyd and restaurant repertoire.

“Several song were sung by Olena Kashuba while Pavlo Tsherniavskiy was playing. And then people started dancing to the accompaniment of the tango from ‘Scent of a Woman’. In general, people played all sorts of music, even the ‘Flea Waltz’,” Anastasia says. One of the participants of the “concert” was Ihor Prikhodko, teacher in the conservatory, together with his students.

Ivaschenko added that such events are usual in Europe. She got the instrument from a piano tuner whom she knows. He tuned it right and gave to the volunteers.

Project arrangers plan to make some more “walks” with the instrument while it is still warm. Besides, the friends of the piano hope they will be in time to originally adorn it and make a waterproof cover before the next meeting with the citizens of Kharkiv.

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Society

A Kiever cut the Ukrainian record in speedcubing About 50 people from Ukraine, Armenia and Belarus gathered in Odesa for the First Odessa International Speedcubing Championship Odessa Open 2014 that took place on July 5 and 6.

Speedcubers (people solving a Rubik’s cube at high speed) competed in Odesa in solving cubes with edges 3*3*3, 2*2*2, 4*4*4, 5*5*5, a Pyraminx and a Scewb. They also demonstrated real miracles of technique solving a cube with their feet, with one hand or blindfolded. Besides, the second prize in solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded got a citizen of Odesa, the arranger of the competition, Artem Ryliakov. Another citizen of Odesa, Dmytro Kasian was the second in solving the cube with the edge 5*5*5.

On Sunday, July 6, a Kiever Ivan Vynnyk, cut the Ukrainian record using Jessica Fridrich’s method. He managed to solve a Rubik’s cube (3*3*3, a classical one) on the first try. It took him only 7.24 seconds. The rate was fixed by the representatives of the Ukrainian Book of Records. Before the record belonged to Ihor Bilchenko with the result of 7.8 seconds.

The tamer of Rubik’s cubes – Ivan Vynnyk – is a 16-year-old enrollee to Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The winner caught the jury’s eye with his extraordinary abilities on the very first try, but 7.24 is not all Ivan is able to do. His own record is five seconds, but he didn’t manage to demonstrate it due to excitement, so we will wait for new records in the nearest time.

Ivan learned how to solve the puzzle from his uncle more than four years ago. First he couldn’t get the elements in the right order, sometimes he even wanted to get rid of the cube. But Ivan is a persistent guy, so he decided to gain success no matter what. He succeeded, and soon the young sportsman became even better than the uncle who was his tutor and an example to follow. At home Vynnyk has a box full of Rubik’s cubes and he got some more for the victory in Odesa competition. Besides the cube, Ivan is interested in football and music.

The boy is going to study cybernetics in the metropolitan university.

The participants paid 20 UAH to get registered in the competition. The raised funds were given to the professional orientation centre for little orphans in Odesa.

Teenagers have developed a social network for people with low vision Odessa has hosted the XI Championship of Ukraine Sage.Ukraine 2014 as part of the International Education Program SAGE - Students for Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship. More than a hundred of the best Ukrainian pupils aged seven to seventeen represented their social and business projects.

Every year students from Odessa schools prepare for the Championship developing their own business projects. SAGE’s mission aims at familiarizing different categories of population with the basics of entrepreneurship with an emphasis on ethical norms and rules of business relations, social responsibility in business, civil rights and obligations.

In the category «Best Social Project» the winners were the teens who have created a social network managed by voice. Odessa pupils Boris Chubin (Primorskiy Lyceum), Arsen Oganesyan (A.P. Bystrina Gymnasium 1), Konstantin Kolyanovsky («Harmony» school) and Elmir Ayyubov (secondary school № 8) presented their work “World social network for blind and visually impaired”, which became the winning project.

The project is designed to bring all blind and visually impaired people together on a single platform. As envisioned by the developers, «World social network for the blind and visually impaired» should adapt the disabled to the society and provide them with comfortable living in urban areas.

The project is called GO, and one can join it by creating their own page by using voice. The idea belongs to the 15-year-old student of the Prymorskiy Lyceum Boris Chubin, who is known for having invented a low cost alternative to the electronic guide last year.

“My friends developed vocal pharmacy, shop and library,” Boris said. “I decided to combine these functions by creating a program for people with disabilities”.

The site will help the blind to unite in hobby groups, sing online together, read books, order goods, make new friends and even find a soul mate. With voice one will be able to dictate a message and describe themselves to the interlocutor. Of course, the network will contain no “avatars”, but by using keywords one will be able to listen to the list of suitable candidates or groups.

“As a rule, people with disabilities are embarrassed to get acquainted in the street, and it is twice more difficult to do it for the blind,” the inspirer says. “And our program will help them to make friends”.

Social innovators promise: the network will start working in the new academic year. After that one will be able to download it to their computer, phone or other modern gadgets. Now the developers are looking for investors, as only to create a sample they need about 20 thousand dollars.

Also the winners of the Ukrainian championship will be getting ready to adequately represent Ukraine at the SAGE World Cup 2014 that will be held in Moscow from 8 to 13 August 2014.

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The present day

In Donetsk oblast terrorists shot down a passenger plane: 295 dead About 16 pm on July 17 not far from the Russian border, in the territory of Ukraine a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was shot down. Boeing 777 flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Nearly three hundred passengers were aboard, all died.

The aircraft was at an altitude of 10 km, when it disappeared from radar screens. Later it fell down near Shakhtarsk city, Donetsk region. 280 passengers and 15 crew members were aboard flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Among the passengers were citizens of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines and Canada. “295 people were killed,” the Adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Heraschenko said. The plane was shot down with a “Buk” aiti-aircraft missile system. The corpses of the passengers were scattered within a radius of 4 kilometers from the place of the disaster. Eyewitnesses say that even the passports of the dead can be found.

Internet has already been flooded with videos that capture the Boeing falling down; behind the scenes one can hear joyful shouting that a “Ukrainian military aircraft” has just fallen. The aircraft turned out to be the Malaysian passenger plane. By the way, pro-Russian terrorists also boasted with a new “achievement”: in the social network the terrorists’ leader Igor Strelkov gladly reported that a Ukrainian An-26 had just been shot down: “An An-26 has just been shot down in the area of Torez. It is lying somewhere behind the “Progress” mine. We have warned you - do not fly in “our skies”. Here is the video proof of another “bird fall”. The “bird” fell down behind a gob pile, the housing sector was not affected. Civilians remained uninjured,” ‘Strelok’ commented cynically.

When the terrorists realized their mistake, they deleted the note.

In addition, another terrorist leader - Igor Bezler, better known as ‘Bes’ - reported on the plane that had been shot down to Colonel Vasily Geranin. Their conversation was listened to by the Security Service of Ukraine and put on YouTube. First ‘Bes’ says it was a Ukrainian plane, but then calls back and reports that it was a civilian aircraft with many victims. First they even tried to justify this step by stating that the plane allegedly had been carrying spies, but after realizing the enormity of the tragedy they started denying any involvement in the event.

Meanwhile, Russian media have already published a lot of different versions of what happened. One version is less possible than another, but they share the point of view that Ukraine is to

blame. Vladimir Putin himself commented on the event as follows: “Of course, the state over the territory of which it happened is responsible for this terrible tragedy. I note that this tragedy would not have happened if there was peace on this land,” the Russian President noted meaningfully.

Summarizing the Russian versions of the accident, one can see the following: the Ukrainian army actually aimed at shooting down Putin’s plane (let’s not take into account that this is in fact the beginning of the war, which, of course, what Ukrainians “dream” of). So Ukrainian aircraft got off the ground, but confused the color of the planes and followed the Malaysian Boeing. But the cunning plan of the Ukrainians was figured out by the Spanish towerman Carlos, who saw the jetliner being pursued. There are “eyewitnesses” who support this version and who managed to see the Malaysian Boeing and a Ukrainian Su-25 chasing it at a distance of 10 kilometers (by the way, the latter cannot fly at such a height). America knew in advance that the Ukrainian army was going to make a mistake and pre-filled a once lost plane with some corpses and fake papers to get in wrong “Novorossiya”. This

is how “credible” versions of “competent” Russian media look.

The deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Kalashnikov believes that it doesn’t matter who shot down the Boeing as he told to the TV channel “Dozhd”. Answering the journalist’s question about the importance of finding out who is guilty in the situation, Kalashnikov said, “And will it be easier for you if you find out?” Of course not, who is interested in the matter?

Meanwhile, thousands of Ukrainians started coming to Embassy of the Netherlands to express condolences due to the tragedy in the skies over Donbas. Kievers go to the Embassy of the Netherlands situated in the Contract square bringing flowers, 6

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The present day

lighting candles and lamps. They come with toys as well, as there were children aboard. The Embassy employee even came out with tears in her eyes and thanked for the condolences. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko also took flowers to the Embassy of the Netherlands.

“We remain human beings and commiserate,” Ukrainians say in connection with the Moscow metro accident In the morning rush hour on July, 15 an accident happened in the Moscow metro. The train moving between Slavyansky Bulvar and Park Pobedy stations derailed at a speed of 70 km/h.

The first three cars were the most affected ones. The total number of victims is about 160 people, 146 of them hospitalized, 22 killed. Rescue workers have already pulled out all the dead and injured in the Moscow metro from the damaged cars, Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov said. According to Mr. Biryukov 128 victims are in Moscow hospitals now. As the official representative of the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin stated, the accident in the Moscow metro could happen because the railway switch was not fixed properly — with a wire that didn’t last for long.

It is known that a citizen of Ukraine, born in 1957, is among the dead; her body identified. Now it is in the forensic morgue “Tsaritsyno”. All the victims’ bodies were identified, no other citizens of Ukraine are among the dead, though three Ukrainians were injured, two of the women refused from being taken to hospital

after receiving first aid, the other one is in the 13th traumatology department of the city clinical hospital № 64 in Moscow. The case remains under control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation.

Despite what is going on in the east, Ukrainians remain humane. They distinguish ordinary Russians from those continuing the escalation of the conflict in Donbas and mourn for the victims.

As far back as in the day of the tragedy Ukrainians began to come to the Ukrainian Embassy of Russia in Kyiv. They laid flowers, candles, notes with words of condolences. Kievers kept coming to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the following days as well.

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The present day

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law «On Higher Education» Members of the Parlament (MPs) supported the draft law «On Higher Education» (new version) in second reading. 276 deputies voted for the corresponding decision. The law was adopted as amended and it is subject to technical and legal editing.

When presenting the project, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Science and Education, MP from “Batkivshchyna” Liliya Hrynevych, noted that attempts to adopt the document lasted for 5 years. Its text included about a thousand suggestions from the public. Liliya Hrynevych beleives that the bill will help Ukraine to enter the European educational space.

The said law introduces autonomy of higher education. According to the document, autonomy of universities stands for self-government, independence in decision-making on educational process, research, economic and other activities, self-recruitment within the borders established by the law. The law also proclaims the EIT (External independent testing) as the main criterion of entry to college and provides student government with more opportunities. It also prohibits charging students for making diplomas.

Thus, the paper suggests that training of specialists with higher education be carried out according to the corresponding educational and professional, educational and scientific, academic programs at the following levels of higher education: the initial level of higher education (short cycle); the first (Bachelor’s) level; the second (Master’s) level; the third (education and research) level; the scientific level.

Accordingly, getting higher education at every level involves successful implementation of the corresponding educational or research program, which is the basis for conferring of the relevant degree of higher education: junior bachelor, bachelor, master, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Science (ScD). The law disannuled the degree of the Candidate of Sciences. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is conferred by the specialized council of a higher education institution or a scientific institution in the case of successful implementation of the corresponding research program and public defense of the thesis. According to the document, certification is carried out openly and publicly.

“Seekers of higher education and other persons present at the certification, as well as at the defense, are free to make audio — and/or videofixation of the certification process”, it is stated in the law.

Certification of those who acquire PhD, is made by the permanent or one-time specialized academic council of a university or a research institution accredited by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. The certification is based on the public defense of scientific achievements in the form of a thesis. An applicant for PhD has the right to choose the members of the Academic Council. The law makes provision of extra space for teachers, including that for research. It is noted that the detection of plagiarism is a reason for cancelling the defence of the thesis.

The law also makes provisions of creating a system of quality assurance of higher education, increasing of the proportion of employers and business in shaping higher education criteria and evaluation of competence of graduates. It is assumed that theses of those who get the degrees of PhD and ScD and comments on the theses will be published on the websites of the respective universities.

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The present day

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted one of the basic laws for visa-free regime with EU The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law, according to which fingerprints of Ukrainian citizens will be added to the Unified state demographic register and the documents for travelling abroad.

233 deputies of 254 registered in the session hall on Tuesday, July 22, voted for the Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On a Unified State Demographic Register and documents, which confirm citizenship, identify a person or their special status”. Voting was conducted several times due to a lack of the required number of votes.

According to the law, if a person is getting a Ukrainian passport for travelling abroad, a Ukrainian diplomatic passport, a service passport of Ukraine, a seafarer’s identity card, a crew member certificate, an identity card of a stateless person to pass the border or a refugee’s travel document, the digitized fingerprints of the person with his/her consent will be added to a contactless electronic storage. After making a copy on a contactless

electronic storage, the digitized fingerprints of human hands will be removed from the Register and destroyed. The law states that the digitized fingerprints of a person will be obtained after the person reaches the age of 12. As it is stated in the explanatory memorandum to the Law, its adoption will ensure carrying out the recommendations of European experts on liberalization of the visa regime with the EU. Background: introduction of biometric travel passports, which contain fingerprints of their owners, is the basic requirement of the EU for visa regime facilitation with Ukraine. The Ukrainian government promised that biometric passports will be issued by January 1, 2015, and will be almost twice as cheap as the current type of passport.

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Holiday

Kupala Night 2014 The Orthodox Ivan Kupala Day 2014 was celebrated in Kyiv as well as in other Ukrainian cities on the night of Sunday to Monday July 6-7.

In the capital it was a great feast; Kievers made a 300-pound wreath of wild flowers, obtained fire with wooden sticks, took part in rituals and by tradition jumped over bonfires.

The ancient holiday is celebrated on the date of the summer solstice in honor of the sun, but in the Orthodox tradition (Old Style) it falls on 6-7 July. Ivan Kupala day is full of rituals related to water, fire and herbs: bonfires, wreaths, swimming.

On Sunday hundreds of Kievers gathered in Pirogovo at festivities in honor of Ivan Kupala. Many guests came in traditional

lasted as long as two days. And, as it has already happened more than once, it had a non-traditional script. On Saturday, everyone was invited to “Kupaylytsya”. The arrangers said that they had chosen the most beautiful couple among the visitors - a guy and a girl (they had to dance on a cart). Some boys were put in carts instead of horses, and then they gave girls a ride. The next day the girls decorated a «Marena» tree with ribbons, bagels and candies and made a straw «Kupala». The celebration ended with a round dance and paired jumping over bonfires.

And in the “Kievan Rus” park a real show was performed.

“We brought three carts of wildflowers - poppies, daisies, cornflowers and for 4 hours everybody was free to take part in making a giant wreath. The result was a “garland” about 7 meters in diameter weighing 300 kilograms. We put it in the detinets (the middle part of a stronghold) and danced altogether around it. The round dance was the so-called Slavic whirlwind consisting of three circles. Also it was the first time when we performed the rite of “12 months”: we put 12 horses in a circle, each symbolizing one of the months of the year. The visitors made the outer circle of the dance and the animals — the inside circle. It symbolized the unity of Man and Nature,” the director of the park “Kievan Rus” Alexander Andrienko said. Anyone could walk up to the horse, pat it and make a wish.

The celebration ended at 4 am with meeting the dawn and launching flaming wheels.

In Odessa the festivities were held at the beach of the sanatorium «Russia». About a hundred of Odessa citizens and city visitors came to feel the magic of Kupala Night. Many of them were dressed in vyshyvankas and wore wreaths.

The culmination of the celebration was making a fire, which, according to legends, was to cast out evil spirits.

Then the visitors burned the effigy of Marena. To make the celebration even more interesting the arrangers invited fire show artists and several music bands. By the way, one of them came to Odessa from Luhansk.

Then there were round dances, traditional jumping over bonfires and floating wreaths.

vyshyvankas. They made wreaths, jumped over bonfires, sang and danced. In the open-air museum in Pyrogovo Ivan Kupala Day coincided with the launch of a XIX century watermill. It was found by the museum staff in the Carpathians in 1979. “It was in use until 1960, but soon collective farms (kolkhozy) started to refuse this method of grinding and the mill turned into an abandoned economic entity. In the late 70’s the watermill was brought to the museum and placed in the «Carpathian» exhibition. After more than 40 years, it got alarm status, and but for the restoration, it would have simply broken into pieces,” Nataliya Ivanchenko, a museum researcher, said. The restoration of the mill took two months. It was possible thanks to donor funding, 150 thousand spent. «We changed two wooden wheels and installed 4 original millstones. Also we dug a small pond right next to the wheels. Water falls down and the wheel spins rotating the millstones. A museum worker puts wheat there and it is ground into flour. Now this process can be watched by all the visitors,» the museum staff shares.

In “Mamajeva Sloboda” the celebration of Kupala Night

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Culture

Auditions to the ballet “THE GREAT GATSBY” The international audition to the ballet project “THE GREAT GATSBY” started in Kyiv in July. The project is directed by Dwight Rhoden, the artistic director of New York Complexions Contemporary Ballet, named by The New York Times as one of the most sought-after choreographers of our time. The composer is Konstantin Meladze. The art director and the main role dancer is Denis Matvienko, who has already won international recognition and passionate love of Ukrainian ballet lovers. Now Denis is the premier dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, but the ballet star finds time and energy for projects in Ukraine, his motherland. Kievers will see “THE GREAT GATSBY” on the stage of the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine” in October.

“THE GREAT GATSBY” is not only a beautiful but also a very complex project, that requires a huge impact from all the participants and a long rehearsal period. So the ballet will be prepared according to the Western principle, when the dance company is constantly modified. Each of several modifications comprising 28 people along with principal dancers can be updated.

So attention, young ballet talents! Auditions to the project will be conducted again from time to time. The first audition gathered about 50 participants from all over Ukraine, the arrangers also received applications from Korea and the United States.

Denis Matvienko himself, Dwight Rhoden’s assistants and participants of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Christina Dooling and Gary W. Jeter II, spent hours auditioning the applicants in two rooms of Kyiv Teacher’s House. The crucial decisions were taken by the jury, which, along with Denis Matvienko, included Dwight Rhoden and the producer of the project Alyona Matvienko.

Those who were selected have already started working: the rehearsals will show which of them will become part of the ballet company. The audition itself resembled a theatrical performance: different artistic character types; one can see who has already felt the adrenaline of dancing onstage and who only dreams of such experience. Some are always next to the ballet bar even during few short breaks.

They warm up, rise up on high demi pointe and once more critically evaluate themselves in the mirror. Then they pass to the next stage of the audition. And others never miss an opportunity to show off in front of the cameras and give an interview. There is confidence in their eyes. But what they hear is «thank you very much» and then they are sent back to the changing room.

Maybe another time. Or maybe never.

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International cooperation

Russia’s aggression: Georgia’s experience Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine in Georgia Vasyl Tsybenko for «Viva-Ukraine»:

Today, I strongly believe that we are facing, first of all, the problem of returning peace to the East of our state and focusing on modernization of the country.

As you might know, a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet Boeing 777 was shot down in Donetsk region. Pro-Russian militants interfered into the independent investigation (they refused to return the “black boxes”, the bodies were taken away). Why, in your opinion?

The logic of their behavior is quite primitive. It is designed to escape liability with the help of manipulations.

However, after the accident, which happened to the Malaysian aircraft in the skies over Donetsk on July 17 this year, the world should change the attitude towards the events in the East of Ukraine, as well as to those who still support pro-Russian separatists.

It is already clear that sanctions against Russia on the part of the international community should be more effective and, maybe, more stringent. And their selection should be based on values and principles, rather than on the value in dispute.

What relations are now between Ukraine and Georgia?

Currently, the relations between Ukraine and Georgia are, as before, quite harmonious, constructive and successful.

Indeed, it cannot be otherwise, because for many centuries they have been forming and developing on the basis of mutual respect, partnership and friendship.

It should be noted that the relations between the two countries passed severe tests, during which Ukraine and Georgia always stayed together. Together through foul and fair.

And now both of the states are wending a difficult way to the family of European nations, thus solving many similar problems.

Regarding the economy, how do the relations between the Ukrainian and Georgian businesses develop?

A free trade area between Ukraine and Georgia has already been existing for many years. Of course, it contributes to the dynamic development of trade and economic relations creating favorable conditions for interaction between businessmen of the two countries.

However, this year, due to the events in Ukraine, the trade turnover between the two countries has slightly declined.

But according to the experts, it is a matter of time. Once peace returns to Ukraine, business will be the first to feel positive messages and to resume its activity.

How do you characterize the status and prospects of Georgia? And that of the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?

Today Georgia shows high dynamics of development and, as never before, has a very good potential in the context of its integration into the European Union, although it must still perform a large amount of difficult work. And it’s not just my personal opinion.

As for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the process of reintegration is complex and lengthy.

Everyone should be patient and focus on the main issue on improvement of Georgia, as well as Ukraine, on creating modern conditions for safe and secure living. And I pay tribute to the new Georgian government, which works hard on the abovementioned.

Georgia implemented a lot of internal reforms. Does anydody explore this experience? How does the Ukrainian side use this knowledge?

Indeed, Georgia has extensive experience in successful reforming all important areas of life. The most noticeable improvements are those in fighting corruption, doing business, providing administrative services to the public through a unique system of Public Service Halls where people can quickly resolve any matters without unnecessary bureaucracy.

It is clear that this experience is interesting for our state as well.

That’s why during the last 3 years Georgia was visited by a lot of government, departmental and regional delegations who aimed at studying this knowledge. They were thrilled with what they saw.

But unfortunately, we didn’t introduce such essential changes.

I hope that now, when the government of national trust has come to power, the situation will drastically change for the better.

At least I felt this during a recent visit to Georgia of a Ukrainian government delegation headed by the Ministers of Justice and Infrastructure Pavlo Petrenko and Maksym Burbak.

I received the impression that these young people are really inclined to the hard work on improving our country.

It is believed that Crimea repeated the fate of the occupied territories. In your opinion, what will happen to Crimea as part of Russia?

The events in Crimea, Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia really developed quite similarly, though, of course, with some special features.

At the same time I think that we should not be very anxious about the way the region will live within the Russian Federation.

Despite the Russian occupation, Crimea was and still is part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. The restoration of the Ukrainian government is only a matter of time.

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International cooperation

Is there a Ukrainian expatriate community in Georgia? How many Ukrainian citizens permanently live and work in Georgia?

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia in Ukraine Mikheil Ukleba for «Viva-Ukraine»:

The Ukrainian expatriate community in Georgia is quite small. It numbers only a few thousands of our compatriots. About a thousand more are temporarily living and working here. The most noticeable among the Ukrainian public organizations is the Association of the Georgia’s Ukrainians-residents, which for many years has been headed by a tireless enthusiast and a great patriot Mykhailo Boris. With the support of the Embassy, of course, he and his colleagues did a lot for the Ukrainian culture’s existing and developing on the territory of Georgia, for the youth’s having an opportunity to learn the mother-tongue, customs and traditions of the Ukrainian people and for maintaining ties to the historic homeland. For that purpose the Embassy and the Culture and Information Centre of the Association have Sunday schools where wonderful experts in teaching work — M. Hrytsenko, L. Tatarashvili and V. Mardzhynishvili.

How many tourists from Ukraine visit Georgia? Can you tell us what impresses them in the country?

Many people notice the similarities between what Georgia experienced in 2008 and what Ukraine is going through now. South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Crimea. What do you think about this?

Georgia has always attracted people from all over the world.

Anyone who has ever been here remembered for always the beautiful scenery, Georgian hospitality and the unique local spirit that is hard to put into words, but which can be felt in everything.

Georgia is a place where you always want to return to.

And people come here, including Ukrainians. Over the last few years the number of visitors from our country to Georgia has increased for more than twice, reaching 126 thousand people in 2013.

Perhaps the readers of your magazine will be interested to know that there were only 14 scheduled flights a week between our countries in 2009, and now there are more than 30.

No doubt, they are similar in a way. Georgia has been wending a very difficult path. To date, more than 20% of the territory of Georgia is occupied, the so-called South Ossetia and Abkhazia were declared independent. But all that preceded it is very similar to the situation in Ukraine, especially in Donbass.

Crimea is a separate issue, there no analogues to it in Georgia, but what is happening in Donbass has many parallels.

In 2008, there was the Russo-Georgian war, but it all started back in the 90s, when in 1992-93 there was a war in Abkhazia and then in South Ossetia, when we were impelled to fight with Abkhazians and Ossetians, with our brothers. So all of this we’ve already had.

As a result, the policy pursued by Russia in relation to a neighboring independent sovereign country, which is Georgia, led to the war in 2008 that crowned it all. And before that Russia encouraged and supported separatism in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, played the role of a peacemaker, was present as the CIS peacekeeping forces, though no other country from the CIS was represented in the peacekeeping troops. All of this led to a war between Russia and Georgia.

And still 20% of the territory of Georgia is occupied, despite the fact that there are international obligations, the SarkozyMedvedev and Saakashvili agreement was signed. The European Union then was a mediator, a document was issued, according to which Russia had to leave the occupied territories, take away its troops and admit international observers and in particular the EU observers. The observers are still in Georgia, but they are not admitted into the occupied territories, where they should be in the first place to protect the rights of people who were expelled from there. In total, more than 400 thousand people were expelled.

There was ethnic cleansing, dozens of villages were burned down, people were left without shelter, without anything, and Russia still ignores the obligations. We are conducting Geneva format of negotiations with the UN, OSCE, the EU, the USA, Russia and Georgia taking part. Just two weeks ago, the next round finished, but, unfortunately, there are no results, that’s the point. There were a lot of similarities: skirmishes, encouraging aggression, separatism, terrorism, etc. and here is the result: a plane crash, that led to death of so many innocent people.

What would you wish to the Ukrainian people, including the readership of “Viva Ukraine”?

First of all, to realize that what will happen to Ukraine depends only on ourselves. Do not forget that every time when we lost our sovereignty, it happened not only and not so much because of external factors. In my opinion, this was primarily due to the fact that we were unable to find an adequate response to the difficult challenges that stood before us.

And now we are facing nearly the most difficult challenge in its modern history. On what our response will be depends the future of the Ukrainian state.

I believe that this time our answer will be correct, because too many people have already given their lives for Ukraine’s being free and successful. Our duty is to cherish their memory and every day move the country closer to this great goal with concrete actions.

For that we should not wait for manna, but instead study hard, be assiduous in work and believe in God and ourselves. And then we will be all right. After all, we are Ukrainians!

Glory to Ukraine!

Those who support the annexation of Crimea, believe that it will be a second Sochi, a number one resort. Did it happen with the 13

№5, August 2014

International cooperation occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia? Abkhazia used to be one of the best resorts in the USSR. What is going on now?

Crimea, part of the Georgians has left. There were no complaints to the Ukrainian authorities.

But there are complaints from people in Donetsk and Lugansk, a small amount, though. And these complaints are not only from Georgian citizens living in Ukraine, but also from the citizens of Ukraine who are ethnic Georgians.

Of course, we try to help them. A lot of people come with no passports, and so on, we make the papers for them and help them. Of course, the war is a very bad thing; here in Georgia, 400 thousand people suddenly ran away, with only their clothes on, so we have a sense of solidarity, a lot more than anyone else. Of course, it would be better if we did not know it, but we have been passing it, because, I will repeat, 20% of our territory is occupied.

Of course, someone may want these places to be prosperous, but noone can call any of the occupied territories, which would have been successful. You see, it is a place where no international obligations act, it is outside the area of international law. For example, Abkhazia, how can it be successful, what tourists can come there? People there are not provided with security, the freedom of people, human rights and international obligations.

Only 4 countries have recognized the independence of the socalled South Ossetia and Abkhazia, of course, what kind of tourism can we talk about? Who will come to a country if it is unattractive?

For example, Georgia has conducted significant reforms, that’s why a lot of tourists come. Last year, in 2013 Georgia was visited by 5.4 million tourists, this year we expect 6 million, despite the fact that the population of Georgia is 4 million. Just imagine, we have more tourists than the population itself. Each year, Georgia is developing infrastructure, new hotels, new services, etc. And it attracts people, for example, Ukraine is among the top 5 leading travel partners of Georgia, despite the fact that Ukraine does not have a border with Georgia.

In 2013, Georgia was visited by 126 thousand Ukrainian tourists, it is 65% more than in 2012. And this year, even despite the fact that August, September and October have not passed yet, Georgia has been visited by 61 thousand Ukrainian tourists and it is 11 thousand tourists more than in the same period in 2013.

Naturally, Georgia’s 4 major partners are our neighbors Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. The flow of tourists from Russia has also increased, despite the fact that we do not have diplomatic relations.

That is our advantage, that is our appeal. And that is the future for Ukraine, when Ukraine conducts reforms. The agreement with the EU has already been sighed. We wend the European way, with reforms, fighting corruption, improving the image of our countries, the investment climate. Naturally, it enlarges our attractiveness and serves as a good example for the occupied territories. The figures speak for themselves, unfortunately, that’s not the case of Abkhazia, even despite the seaside. After all, there should be everything: the banking system, openness, security.

Of course, when we are successful, when we develop economically, when we integrate in the EU, these are the steps we make, then soon in 2015 both Ukraine and Georgia will receive a visa-free regime. The agreement covers temporarily occupied Abkhazia, Ossetia and Crimea as well. But we must work hard and reform our states.

What do you think, is there any effect of the sanctions applied to Russia? How does it help Ukraine?

The international support is, of course, very important, it is one of the defining moments. If we go back in history, in the case of Georgia, in the 90s we had practically no international assistance.

We were alone with the aggression on the part of Russia.

And even in the case of the war in 2008, there certainly was some help, a ceasefire agreement was signed, but that was all. And in your case, you already have a significant international support.

And when such serious players as the United States, the EU, 28 developed countries are taking penalties, it concerns the banking system, finance, investments, loans, it is a serious blow. These things show the country against which the sanctions are applied, that it’s time to return to the civilized field. The fact that you are supported by one hundred members of the General Assembly of the United Nations is a very big win.

Is there any advice you can give to Ukraine as a representative of a country that has experienced such a thing?

The biggest tip — you should try to make peace. Composure, endurance and tranquility. Kindness to each other. By the way, you have a very notable sense of solidarity. When the presidential elections were held, people showed a very large civil liability, they all lined up to vote.

Why? Because they gave voice for the future of the country, supported their state. When our observers arrived, they were very surprised that people stood in a line to vote for 2-3 hours. This suggests that people are responsible, they have solidarity with their state.

As you know, a Malaysian airlines passenger plane was shot down in Donetsk region. Militants interfered into the independent investigation (did not return the «black boxes», took away the dead bodies), why is it so, in your opinion?

So that is one of the possible scenarios for Crimea: it will suffer the same fate as the occupied territories of Georgia? People will be simply afraid to go there?

Of course, who would go there? Noone would, it’s not safe, human rights are not protected, journalists cannot go. And another thing is that when the territory is outside the international segment, of course, drug trafficking, arms smuggling are gaining traction, because the area is outside the international control. Such things happen in the occupied territories. It is known to all, it is a fact.

It’s an outrage, they are out of the international field, they do what they want. They do not understand what is at stake, when about 300 people are killed for no reason at all. Some were going home, others were on vacation and suddenly they fell down in Ukraine. It is a crime against humanity, a civilian aircraft was shot down, so many people died, and they even don’t assist.

Apparently, there is something to hide.

How can this be called? I can not even find a name for it.

Now there is an international investigation, the plane was shot down, it did not just fall, it was exactly shot down, the organizers and perpetrators should be punished. In accordance with the international requirements, with international justice. For such things never occur in future.

What did the citizens of Georgia who were in the Crimea, when it was annexed, do? Did they get timely help from the Ukrainian authorities? How many Georgian citizens still remain in Crimea?

We can not tell you the exact figures for the region, but as for 14

№5, August 2014

International cooperation

Regarding the economic relations with Ukraine, tell us, please, about the turnover between Ukraine and Georgia, in which industries it happens?

countries. These are China, the USA, the countries of Europe and Asia, and now we are admitted even to the Russian market. Our products are already competitive.

And on account of the agreement, when we enter a free trade zone, our exports will increase by 12% due to the European market, and our imports will increase in parallel by 7-7.5% and in addition our economy will receive about 300 million. Our GDP will increase approximately by 2%. These are rough estimates made by experts.

The main goal for Georgia is the European and Euro-Atlantic integration. We did not refuse this aim, unlike other countries that have suspended membership in NATO, and now we have made a very important step, we have signed an associate agreement with the EU. And now we have to take on obligations of the agreement and the sooner we raise our standards in accordance with the requirements of the European Union, the faster we will get the visafree regime. I think it will happen in a year and a half maximum.

And so we go, and we hope for a full membership in the EU. Of course, it must be earned. This is a two-way street. The EU is ready to cooperate, and we also are to cooperate, for that we need to carry out reforms. Georgia, for example, has made significant reforms in fighting corruption with prominent results, now we are carrying out reforms of the pension system, the prosecutor’s office and the judiciary system. There is the process of further democratization of the country, in terms of protection of human rights, etc.

And now we must these standards raise to the level of leading European countries. So for us it is a successful union. We are European countries and we are members of the Council of Europe, such as Ukraine and Moldova. So our place is in Europe.

There is a good example - the European union, it is also not perfect, they have their own problems and crisis, but they are successful, and many countries try to get there, to become members of this organization. Can you name another integration association in our space, which would be so successful? Naturally, we aim at getting there. Plus, since we are a European country — we belong there.

In general, last year the turnover was 795 million dollars. It’s a very serious figure for Ukraine and especially for Georgia, as it’s population is just 4 million people. Ukraine is among the top 5 leading partners of Georgia, not even among the top 10, but the top 5, despite the fact that there is no common land border. And even despite the events at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in November and December last year, our turnover has increased by 4%. According to the data of 6 months of 2014, our exports increased by 17%, your imports reduced for a little, but the turnover with Ukraine this year is on the 5th place - 326.9 million dollars. By exports Ukraine is on the 7th place for Georgia, by imports - on the 4th. I.e. your exports to Georgia is on the 4th place, this is a very significant increase.

Over the past year the main Georgian export products were spirit, alcoholic drinks, wine, mineral water, melts, railway locomotives.

On your part, the biggest share of the products were cigarettes, steel articles, sunflower oil, coke, semi-coke. Trade is developing, ferry and railroad crossings are working actively.

What about education? How many Georgian students come to study in Ukraine?

The number of Georgian students in Ukraine is on the 12-th place (1278 students). Ahead of us are Azerbaijan, China, India.

On the 12th place there is Georgia with a population of 4 million people. It is a serious figure from the point of view of students for Ukraine. We are very glad that our citizens study in your institutions of higher education, it speaks for the quality of your studies, it is a plus for Ukraine. Mostly they go to medical schools, study in Kiev and other cities. In Odessa National Maritime University, for example.

You have recently visited Odessa and made a tentative agreement on the establishment of twin-city relations with the Georgian city of Batumi. Please, comment on the event.

What would you wish to the Ukrainian people, including the readership of “Viva-Ukraine”?

I met with the new governor, the new mayor of the city. There are very good relations between Odessa and Georgia, by the way, Odessa is the twin-city of Tbilisi, but Kiev is still not, but now we are going to fix it. I told your new mayor, Mr. Klitschko, about the paradox that Odessa has twin-city relations with Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, when Kiev does not, and Odessa has no twin-city relations with the resort town of Batumi, but soon we will fix that. So we work on that. Not only with Odessa, but also with other cities, such as Dnepropetrovsk, a lot of tourists from Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and from the neighboring regions also come to Georgia. We are glad to receive Ukrainian tourists.

To the friendly Ukrainian people I would like to to wish peace, prosperity, composure, courage. It is important for people to be solidary, because it is a very trying, very difficult time.

Apparently, each country has something to give away in exchange for a promising European future, so we have to pay. I wish there were fewer victims. The truth is on our side, the good will definitely beat the evil.

We are definitely going to be proper members of the EU and NATO, I’m sure of it. Now security is being very important for us, we, countries such as Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, are not protected. A 45-million country, which Ukraine is, turned out to be unprotected as well.

And to develop and be successful it is necessary for the country to be provided with security. And now it is no guaranteed, in your case - with the Budapest Memorandum, and in ours — with the Ceasefire Agreement, which are defaulted. Of course, we need to strengthen our security, of course, we should strive to join the Euro-Atlantic space and NATO, to ensure our safety. That’s our main goal.

We are not going to attack anybody, it’s more important that nobody attacks us, that nobody interferes with our making free choice. With our selecting the promising European future.

Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have signed an agreement with the EU, what does it mean for our countries?

I’ll tell you what it means for Georgia. Firstly, it is for us, for a country with a four-million population, the emergence of a new market, half a billion people live in this market of 28 countries, it is a great opportunity for the Georgian business.

In order to tap the new market, it is necessary to improve the quality of our products, because the European market has its own quality requirements and it is very good. When Russia expelled us from the Russian market, our wine products, mineral water, it was very difficult, because Russia was our major market since the Soviet Union. Then we started exporting our products to more than 43 15

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Holiday

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has ended On Sunday, July 27, the majority of Muslim countries celebrated Eid al-Fitr (Bayram, the Sweet Festival) - the holiday of breaking the Fast, which marks the end of Ramadan fasting.

house, as it is believed that these days souls of the dead return home.

In Eid al-Fitr communal prayers in mosques or at specific sites – musallahs – are compulsory. In a Khutbah, read by a mullah or an imam during the general worship, believers are told about the «validity» of observing the fast, they are given instructions to stick to it in the future.

After the solemn worship believers go to cemeteries to remember the dead and visit the tombs of local saints, then men, gathered in a group, attend homes of the recently deceased and express condolences to their relatives.

The families of those who have died this year arrange a commemoration inviting mullahs, relatives and friends.

In the days of breaking the Fast people arrange fairs where folk singers, dancers, puppeteers, jugglers and others show bright performances, there is a brisk trade in the markets, swings are made for young people and children, sometimes people make a fire, over which young Muslims jump.

It should be noted that although Eid al-Fitr is called the Lesser Eid, it is still celebrated with joy and high hopes for happy existence next year.

Throughout a month during Ramadan Muslims are forbidden to eat and drink, smoke, devote themselves to amusements in the daytime.

Celebrating the end of Ramadan dates back to the time of Prophet Muhammad. The Feast of Breaking the Fast is celebrated for three or four days counting from the first day of the month of Shawwal. There is a special common prayer on the first day. Then a festive meal is arranged.

For every Muslim believer the Feast of Breaking the Fast is one of the days when their hearts are full of joy and happiness for keeping the fast and, of course, love and obedience to God. This day it is suggested to dress in the best robe, use the best fragrance.

Many Muslims visit family and friends, cook festive meals, visit the cemetery.

People are recommended to give gifts, exchange traditional dishes with the nearest neighbors. It is important to bring together all the relatives for Eid al-Fitr and not let them come out of the

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Main feature>>

Russia’s top 80 lies about Ukraine

â„–5, August 2014

Main feature

Russia’s top 80 lies about Ukraine In the recent years, the West has been largely oblivious to Russia’s propaganda machine, which managed to use its reach to create a league of clueless Putinistas the world over. The Ukrainian popular revolution shone the spotlight on the outright fabrications and despicable lies by Kremlin-controlled media, which strives to create an alternate reality for its audiences. This includes not only Russian mainstream media, but also hordes of paid trolls, who plague comment sections of articles about Ukraine and spread vitriol, hatred and blatant lies all over the social media.

Here are top 80 of the most outrageous fabrications about Ukraine, which have been recently debunked.

This photograph from Saudi Arabia was falsely represented as a picture from Slavyansk, Ukraine.

Photograph from China, which was falsely represented to be a picture from Donbass, Ukraine.

Photo of a child, murdered by a mentally ill person in 2010 in Crimea is falsely represented to depict a child murdered by the Ukrainian military in Donbass, Ukraine.

Photograph from Bosnia, falsely represented to show Ukrainian military abusing/murdering civilians in Donbass, Ukraine.

Election results shown on Russian television, falsely claiming that Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh was leading in the polls.

A morgue in Ciudad Juarez, which was falsely represented to be the city morgue of Slavyansk, Ukraine, allegedly filled with corpses of Ukrainian military men/national guard.

Photo of U.N. helicopters in Africa falsely represented to be a photo of the Ukrainian military using U.N. helicopters in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Photoshopped photograph, falsely claiming that Donetsk was burned down by the Ukrainian military.

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Video from Kabardino-Balkaria, RF falsely represented to have been filmed in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Gruesome video from Dagestan, which was falsely represented to have been filmed in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.

Photo from a feature film falsely represented to depict a real child, orphaned by the Ukrainian military in Donbass, Ukraine.

Photo of a child killed in Aleppo, Syria falsely represented to depict a child killed by the Ukrainian military in Slavyansk, Ukraine.

№5, August 2014 Photo of a 2012 demonstration in Poland falsely represented as a demonstration in Ukraine in 2014, demanding its annexation by Poland.

Photo of the Lac-Mégantic derailment in Quebec, Canada falsely represented as a photograph from Slavyansk, Ukraine.

A video from Syria, which was falsely represented as a video filmed in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Main feature Photo of a woman killed in Venezuela falsely represented to depict a woman murdered by the Ukrainian military in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Footage depicting damage by proRussian terrorists/separatists to the border crossing station in Ukraine purports to show a government building in Lugansk, allegedly damaged by the Ukrainian government’s airstrike.

This is not a Ukrainian drone shot down by pro-Russian terrorists/separatists.

It’s an Azerbaijani drone, shot down in Nagorno Karabakh.

A video from Syria was falsely identified as the footage depicting proRussian terrorists/separatists downing a Ukrainian helicopter over Donetsk, Ukraine.

Photo on the left was alleged to be that of a soldier with the National Guard of Ukraine, supposedly cannibalizing the corpses of enemy combatants. In reality, it was taken from a web page demonstrating special effects and makeup for action movies.

Russian TV stations falsely claimed there was a mass exodus of Ukrainian citizens to Russian Federation. To corroborate their blatantly untrue statement, photos and video of a Polish border crossing with Ukraine were shown.

This photo of Kosovo refugees was falsely reported to represent thousands of Ukrainian refugees, allegedly escaping to Russia. In their statements to the media, Russian government officials grossly overstated the number of refugees from Ukraine.

Russia’s aggressive propaganda machine keeps churning out falsehoods, provocations and outright lies about the situation in Ukraine.

In spite of being repeatedly exposed, it shows no signs of slowing down.

One of the victims of the tragic events in Odessa was falsely represented by the Russian media to have been a pregnant woman, strangled with a cord.

In reality, the victim, Anna Varenikina, was a 59 year old woman, who died from the combination of thermal damage, smoke inhalation and related poisoning.

Ukrainian military was falsely accused of using phosphorus against the civilian population. The video shown by TV Station «Zvezda» and multiple other sources as the alleged evidence of the said atrocities was actually a 2004 CNN video from Fallujah, Iraq.

An intercepted telephone conversation revealed that Donetsk separatists were asking their collaborators in Russia to provide them with remnants of a phosphorus bomb, which would in turn enable them to better sell this fabrication to the media.

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Video of a Russian tank, allegedly hit by the Ukrainian National Guard, in reality turned out to be a 2012 video of a Syrian army tank destroyed by the rebels.

№5, August 2014

Main feature This outrageous misrepresentation came straight from Kremlin, echoing false claims disseminated by the Russian mainstream media.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of building concentration camps, where dissenting ethnic Russians would be imprisoned by the authorities.

In reality, Ukraine simply continued its 2009 project of building small detention facilities for illegal migrants, designed to hold no more than 100 people at a time.

These facilities are very similar to other such detention centers across Europe.

Ukrainian government officials expressed their outrage at the depths of depraved, twisted imagination that birthed such a far-fetched fabrication.

In an NTV television segment, former «Russian Language Professor» falsely alleged that he was suddenly fired in March of 2014 for refusing to lecture his students in Ukrainian language.

In reality, this was a Professor of Foreign Literature, who willingly resigned from his position on November 1, 2013.

Russia’s Channel One and other prominent mainstream media falsely claimed that the Ukrainian government ordered the removal of trees from the Maidan, in an attempt to destroy the evidence related to the direction from which the snipers fired on the crowd of protesters.

Local blogger from Kyiv conducted an independent investigation, refuting these false claims with photographs and video.

Russian media, including NTV television program, alleged that members of the Ukrainian military attacked a funeral procession by the separatists.

In fact, separatists themselves fired the shots into the air, but were not attacked by the military.

This is apparent from the following video of the funeral.

Russian media, referring to obscure blogs of conspiracy theorists, claimed that the U.S. refused to accept bodies of 13 CIA spies, allegedly killed when terrorists in Ukraine downed two military helicopters.

In reality, two members of the Ukrainian military suffered deaths in these incidents; no foreign agents were present on board the helicopters nor suffered death during these events.

Russia’s Channel 24 invented an entire statement, allegedly made by the Ukrainian government. In this statement, journalists were allegedly threatened with imprisonment for unfavorable reporting about the situation in Ukraine.

Ukrainian government officials confirmed that no such announcement was ever made.

Russia’s aggressive information war, waged through its vast propaganda machine, continues to produce disinformation to justify its involvement in Ukraine.

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Russia’s Channel 24 invented an entire statement, allegedly made by the Ukrainian government. In this statement, journalists were allegedly threatened with imprisonment for unfavorable reporting about the situation in Ukraine.

Ukrainian government officials confirmed that no such announcement was ever made.

Russian media outlets (including the one pictured, entitled the Russian Army Headquarters) that recruit and arm «volunteers» from Russia to engage in acts of terrorism on the territory of Ukraine under the guise of «fighting against fascism,» used a deliberately altered image of the Ukrainian tank, supposedly featuring a swastika.

The original image by Reuters did not contain any such markings.

A 1995 photo of Russia’s notorious atrocities in Chechnya made media rounds as an alleged photo of the victims of the Ukrainian military.

Photograph of Russia’s bombing of civilian populations in Georgia was represented as a depiction of the alleged bombing by the Ukrainian military in Donbass, Ukraine.

№5, August 2014

Main feature

Still shot from the video of Russia’s artillery drills using «Grad» systems was falsely represented to be the depiction of the Ukrainian military using «Grad» against the civilians of Donbass.

Photograph of a burning tank, alleged to have been taken in Donbass, Ukraine in 2014 was actually a 2011 photo of a burning tank in Côte d’Ivoire.

Photograph taken in a Russian prison in 2005 was falsely represented as a photo of the Ukrainian military’s recruitment station.

Russian propagandists went an extra mile by Photoshopping the colors of the Right Sector’s flag over the nameplate of one of the guards.

A photograph that was represented to depict the alleged brutality of the Ukrainian military against the civilians of Donbass, Ukraine in 2014 was actually a photo from Chechnya, taken in 2009.

A 2012 performance from a dance competition was falsely portrayed to be the Ukrainian celebration of the upcoming Euro integration in 2014.

Rejoicing over the “news” of another Ukrainian military helicopter, allegedly downed by pro-Russian terrorists/ separatists on June 22, 2014.

Politicus.ru published an article, accompanied by the photo of what allegedly remained of the said helicopter.

In fact, this photograph depicts the outcome of an aerial collision near Sarmath village in Jamnagar district of Gujarat, India on August 30, 2012.

Numerous Russian news websites, bloggers and social media users spread the fake “news” about the disemboweled bodies of 300 members of the Ukrainian national guard that were allegedly found by pro-Russian terrorists/separatists in mass graves.

The photo that was repeatedly used to illustrate this gory phantasy was taken from the archives documenting Russia’s atrocities in Chechnya.

Russia’s raconteur-in-charge Vladimir Putin harshly denied that Russian troops had anything to do with the annexation of Crimea. After the Anschluss, however, Putin admitted that he lied, confirming that Russian military took active part in the unlawful annexation of Ukrainian Crimea.

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Jen Psaki became one of the favorite targets of the Russian media. RG.ru published an article entitled “Jen Psaki found mountains in Rostov Oblast.” The article attributes direct quotes supposedly obtained by journalist Matt Lee about Ukrainian refugees to Russia, whom Psaki was said to have referred to as “tourists traveling to enjoy Rostov’ mountains.”

Matt Lee promptly denied ever having such a conversation with Psaki, asserting that the claims in the article were false. In spite of Lee refuting claims in the article, the same allegations were regurgitated

by Komsomolskaya Pravda and other news outlets, some of which attributed the fake quotes to Associated Press.

Lenta.ru published an apology to Jen Psaki for re-printing the said false claims.

None of the other outlets apologized, but instead went on to pontificate about Psaki’s prior commentary, continuing to attack her credibility.

RIA Novosti (one of the largest news agencies in Russia) published an article about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, citing outlandish claims of pro-Russian terrorists.

Direct quote used in the article alleged that 180 members of Ukraine’s National Guard were found with their stomachs split open and 300 more bodies were located nearby, with all of their internal organs missing.

Since there were no real photographs to corroborate this assertion, in mentioning 300 disemboweled bodies, RIA Novosti linked to a graphic image that in reality has nothing to do with Ukraine.

In fact, it’s one of many images of Russia’s war atrocities in Chechnya. Fake “news” of alleged organ harvesting in Ukraine (often accompanied by the same unrelated photograph) continue to spread like wildfire all over the Internet.

Main feature

№5, August 2014

Numerous Russian sources spread misinformation about Russian books allegedly being burned in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 6, 2014.

In fact, no such book-burning took place. Photos used to corroborate this fabrication were related to the demolition of illegal construction materials in Kyiv.

A joke, published on the website for the Ukrainian version of “The Onion” (UA Review) in 2012 was used to spin a ridiculous story in the Russian media, claiming that birch trees were being destroyed in Lviv, Ukraine to undermine Russian cultural influences on the population.

This graphic photo of a little boy was represented to show the child allegedly injured due to the Ukrainian military’s shelling of civilians.

In reality, the picture actually depicts a child injured in Syria.

Photo of a deceased little girl was widely circulated under the name of “Yulia Izotova,” along with poems and captions that blamed the Ukrainian military for her recent death in Slavyansk.

In fact, the photo was stolen from the website mourning the death of Anastasia Luchishina, who was murdered by a sexual predator in Russia in 2013.

Photograph of a cluster bomb was used to corroborate an allegation that it was allegedly dropped by the Ukrainian military, but failed to detonate in Donetsk, Ukraine.

In reality, this is an AP photo, which depicts a cluster bomb used by the Israeli military in Lebanon, in 2006.

Photograph of a burning wheat field was spread on the Internet along with the claim that the Ukrainian government is artificially creating a famine, by burning down the crops in Donbass, Ukraine.

In fact, it’s a photo of a recent fire in the wheat fields of Russia’s Volgograd Oblast’.

Russia Today (RT) baselessly claimed that 400 U.S. mercenaries were deployed in Ukraine.

In its irresponsible reporting, Russia Today referred to Blackwater and Academi interchangeably, claiming that the company’s personal was sent to Ukraine for a military operation.

Academi strongly denied these allegations, stating that RT’s reporting was blatantly false, as the company had no personnel operating in Ukraine.

Academi also pointed out that even basic fact-checking and accurate reporting would have been able to discern Blackwater from Academi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lied to the press in an interview published by Russia Today (RT).

He claimed that “There are no armed forces, no Russian instructors in South-Eastern Ukraine. And there never were any.”

These denials are similar to Putin’s false claims about Crimea. There is plentiful evidence, documenting active participation by the members of Russian armed forces in coordinating terrorist/ separatist activities in Ukraine.

Widely circulated photograph of a little boy, allegedly killed by the Ukrainian military, actually depicts a young victim, murdered by a religious fanatic in 2010.

Elaborate troll farms employ hundreds of paid trolls, hired to spread deceptive imagery and deliberately false information.

They are also tasked with attacking activists, flooding comment sections of news articles to promote Kremlin’s worldview and praise Russia’s political leadership. Russia’s mainstream media reporting often uses social media postings as its primary sources.

Since Russia’s information war against Ukraine is multifaceted, it’s important to recognize and address all of its manifestations, including not only the mainstream media, but also bloggers and trolls. Together, they work to infect public opinion, spreading hatred and war-mongering.

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№5, August 2014 Photo of a little girl, allegedly killed by the Ukrainian military in Slavyansk, actually depicts a deceased child, who perished during an accident in Crimea in 2013.

This is not an alleged “concentration camp” in Ukraine, but a photo depicting events in Bosnia in 1995.

There are no concentration camps in Ukraine, in spite of sensational misrepresentations by the Russian media and public officials.

This little girl is not an alleged victim of the Ukrainian military’s shelling in Donbass, Ukraine but an Australian child who adores her dog and loves to play in the mud.

Russia’s mainstream media (channel Russia 24) actively disseminated an outrageous fabrication about an alleged organ-harvesting from living people by the Ukrainian military and foreign doctors.

In fact, this grotesque fantasy was concocted on a Russian social media network, VK and has no basis in reality.

Main feature Russia Today falsely claimed that the RAND Corporation’s “plan” for E. Ukraine suggested a number of inhumane, draconian measures the government of Ukraine should undertake against its people. Even after being notified by the RAND Corporation that it did not produce such a memo, Russia Today published a follow-up article, where the host of a blog-talk radio program opined that “Guidelines for Genocide” were the prime export of the U.S. Jeffrey Hiday, Director of the RAND Corporation’s Office of Media Relations commented to the Examiner: “Indeed, RAND has not produced any such document. The memo’s inauthenticity would be obvious to those who are familiar with RAND’s research.

They might note its opinionated rather than fact-based writing style, for example, or its odd formatting. Please note that RT appears to have taken down at least two articles that had referenced the phony memo.”

On July 7, 2014, Russian mainstream media exploded with a stream of articles about Alexander Skryabin, an alleged hero of nonexistent Novorussia. Pseudo“heroic” tales of armed separatism were published by Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vesti, the portal for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, NTV, Gazeta and many others. No one seemed to be perturbed by the fact that Alexander Skryabin died of lung cancer on September 27, 2011. Even after the truth was exposed, only Russia Today removed the article and published a retraction. The rest of the publications merely removed Skryabin’s photo from their articles, but failed to delete the made-up story of postmortem terrorism.

Komsomolskaya Pravda’s articles had deceased Skryabin die twice more.

In the first article, a deceased cancer patient blew himself up and a Ukrainian tank with a bundle of grenades, to save his comrades, fellow separatists.

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This photo of a little girl was falsely represented to have died because of the Ukrainian military’s shelling in Slovyansk.

It was widely disseminated, including being posted by Viktor Baranetz, a columnist and a military observer for the Komsomolskaya Pravda. In reality, the picture in question depicts a child in Syria’s Alhurria hospital.

In the second article (published three hours after the first), Skryabin was riding in a truck, when it was ambushed by the Ukrainian National Guard.

As members of the National Guard walked towards him, Skryabin found the time to make a phone call to the separatists, exclaiming that he won’t surrender.

He then proceeded to blow up himself and members of the National Guard with a single grenade.

The same social media source who bragged about getting Russian mainstream media to disseminate the fake Skryabin story, also posted a photo of his alleged burial.

In reality, the burial in question had absolutely nothing to do with Skryabin.

It depicted the burial of Donbass miners who perished as a result of an industrial accident.

№5, August 2014

Main feature Notorious propagandist Aleksandr Dugin, Russia’s madman ideologue, who exclaimed that Ukrainians must be “killed, killed, killed,” routinely lies about events in Ukraine. He spreads misinformation and encourages violence not only in media appearances, but also on social media. Here is a screenshot of Dugin’s posting on his Facebook page to his 16,719 followers. Three of these images were already exposed as fake/unrelated to the events in Ukraine in previous installments of this series (here and here).

The image pinpointed with the arrow is similarly misrepresented as that of a child Dugin claims was “murdered by Poroshenko” for being Russian. In fact, it is a Russian child – murdered by her own father in Russia, in 2013.

Center for Coordination of Assistance to (nonexistent) Novorussia, responsible for providing military, financial and material aid to terrorists dispatched from Russia to Ukraine, produced this image of a woman allegedly murdered in Ukraine, warning that the same kind of violence might soon cross over into Russia.

In fact, this is a 2013 image that shows a female protester against bullfighting in Spain.

This photo accompanied a horror story, in which Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleh Liashko allegedly tortured the mother of a separatist, by burning her back with the cigarette lighter. In reality, this picture was taken in 2010. It depicts the back of a 3-yearold child, who had “wings” burned into his back by his parents, a pair of Russian religious fanatics from Chelyabinsk.

This is not the National Guard of Ukraine, allegedly being equipped to use chemical weapons. The same photo was disseminated by some of the most notorious pro-Russian trolls. The photo depicts Russian military’s exercises on October 11, 2013, training “to exterminate any living creatures within 3 square kilometers.”

This photo of the Lac-Mégantic derailment is particularly popular with anti-Ukrainian news fakers the world over.

It was previously exposed in the “Top 20” installment of this series, where it was falsely labeled as the image of Slavyansk.

Now the same image is being circulated as an alleged battle for the airport of Kramatorsk, Ukraine.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation baselessly expressed their “concern” about the alleged appearance of American mercenaries/ contractors in Ukraine. The image on the left was repeatedly shown on Russian television. It was Photoshopped to remove American street signage, since the original Reuters image depicts Blackwater contractors in New Orleans, Louisiana. These facts were addressed

by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the Permanent OSCE Council (even though the Russian Ambassador rushed out of the room).

This graphic image, described as Donbass, Ukraine is in fact one of many images depicting Russia’s horrific war atrocities in Chechnya.

This news report falsely exclaimed that all men of Slavyansk, Ukraine were placed into concentration camps, where they are being tortured, beaten and forced to sing the hymn of Ukraine.

In fact, no such thing took place and the photo used to illustrate this made-up story is that of a Dachau concentration camp, built in Germany in 1933.

This photo was used to claim that pictured American contractors were currently fighting in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.

This image (complete with a palm tree in the background, although palm trees do not grow in Kramatorsk) has been used by the Russian media since at least 2012.

This puppy-eating sadistic Neo-Nazi is not a member of the Ukrainian National Guard. In fact, that is Alexei Milchakov of St. Petersburg, Russia. He traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside the terrorists/ separatists.

This child is not a victim of the Ukrainian military’s shelling in Donbass. In fact, it’s a funny photo of a mischievous boy from a Russian website.

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№5, August 2014 Ivan Okhlobystin is a notorious homophobic Russian actor/propagandist and a Russian Orthodox priest, who infamously said that homosexuals should be burned alive in crematoriums. He is a rabid proponent of violence against Ukrainians and destruction of Ukraine.

Okhlobystin posted a Photoshopped image on the left on his Twitter account with 991 thousand followers, claiming that it depicted a celebration of mayoral elections in Kyiv, Ukraine. In fact, the original image was taken at a 2008 gay parade in Paris.

Russian mainstream media falsely claimed that Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko was arrested by the Russian authorities when she “attempted to enter Russia as a refugee.” This was a crude fabrication, since Savchenko was captured by terrorists in Ukraine on or about June 19, 2014 and was never released from captivity, having been covertly transported to Russia and falsely imprisoned.

“Russia One” television channel and other mainstream media in Russia would have you believe that OSCE has full trust in the “rebels” and has been granted full access to conduct a thorough investigation. In reality, OSCE report complains of “visibly intoxicated and aggressive” terrorists, who have given the investigators very limited access.

Journalists on the scene report that victims wallets have been completely emptied, their belongings were looted and corpses ignored, while the terrorists took shameless selfies on-site.

Main feature Russia’s television channel Russia 24 and Vesti news outlet falsely claimed that one of the best art galleries of the Czech Republic was hosting an exhibit about the Odessa tragedy. In fact, the exhibition took place in the waiting area of the offices of the Communist Party in Prague.

Russia’s mainstream media falsely claimed that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed with Russia’s claim to the airspace over the occupied Crimea. ICAO categorically denied this deliberate misrepresentation.

Even though Russia invaded Crimea, ICAO has deemed that Crimean airspace still belongs to Ukraine.

One of the most bizarre exertions, blaming the Ukrainian military for allegedly shooting down the Malaysian airliner, was based on a claim that this was an attempt to murder Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Networks reported that on July 17, 2014, the presidential plane took quite a bizarre round-about route across Ukraine, on its way from Warsaw, Poland to Moscow, Russia.

It was reported by Russia Today (more than once), Komsomolskaya Pravda and a number of other Russian mainstream media outlets. Russian aviation sources assert that Putin’s airplane never flies through Ukrainian airspace (particularly since the time Russia started fomenting unrest in the East of Ukraine this year).

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True to form, notorious for its repeated falsehoods, Russian news outlet LifeNews claimed that the photograph on the left depicts the battle between the separatists and the Ukrainian military on the border with Russia on July 12, 2014. In fact, the photo they used is a screenshot of the video filmed on July 5, 2014 near Saur-Mohila, which is not located on the border with Russia.

The Nazi theme is very popular with anti-Ukrainian fakers. The image on the left is falsely described as that of Ukrainians in 2014. In fact, this is the image of Russian Nazi Skinheads from Moscow.

Notorious Girkin birthed one of the most outlandish allegations, claiming that all of the passengers on the Malaysia flight were already dead, prior to the plane being shot down. To buttress this allegation, Russian media raised the question of why the passports of the victims appeared to be so clean, as though they were brand new. This red herring may indeed impress some people in Russia, where the passport has to be shown even when you’re simply taking out the trash. This approach is drastically different from the West, where the passport is used mainly for international travel.

Girkin likely borrowed this twisted tail of “corpses on a plane” from a British TV Series, “Sherlock.” Girkin’s lame attempt of convincing the world that his group of merry terrorists didn’t murder hundreds of innocents, “because they were already dead,” only magnifies their obvious culpability.

№5, August 2014

World

An amusement park «Wizarding World of Harry Potter» has been opened in Japan In the amusement park Universal Studios Japan a new «magic» zone opened dedicated to the magical world of Harry Potter. Construction of a new entertainment area cost the Japanese about $ 450 million (45 billion yen).

The new theme park «Wizarding World of Harry Potter», located in the Japanese city of Osaka, expects two million visitors per year. For comparison, the amusement and leisure park Universal Studios Japan, which is located on an area of 54 hectares last year had 10 million visitors.

To be the first to get to the magic land, more than three thousand people had lined up since the previous night. In the morning the opening ceremony took place. It was held in the spirit of the popular series of novels by J. K. Rowling: after Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood in the series of films) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) performed a mock «Revelio» spell (a charm used to reveal concealed objects) together with the president of Universal Studios Japan Glenn Gumpel, the gates opened and Hogsmeade — the village of magicians — was revealed to the visitors.

In the new park visitors can enjoy amusement rides created according to the latest state-of-the-art technology. The most popular one is the imitator that provides an absolute illusion of flying on a broomstick. The main attraction «Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey» offers a tour through Hogwarts Castle: here one can see vivid portraits of wizards and visit the office of the headmaster Dumbledore. Fans of the novel will be able to ride the «Hogwarts Express», make purchases in the store of magical things and try butterbeer.

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№5, August 2014

World

Norway abandons cash Already by 2020, Norway can refuse cash payments and become the first country in the world that has completely switched to credit cards.

cash will significantly reduce the number of robberies. Secondly, it will allow the government to combat financial crimes more effectively, as electronic payments are much easier to trace than cash flows. Finally, thirdly, the society will save a significant amount of money. Handling cash transactions costs twice as expensive as processing electronic payments,» the director of “Finance Norway” Idar Kreutzer commented.

One can pay with a credit card almost everywhere in Norway. There are very few places that are not equipped with payment terminals. Today in Oslo credit cards are not accepted only on street sales and in city buses, where buying a ticket from the driver, you must pay in cash. At the same time, ticket controllers have special mobile terminals for passengers to pay fines on the spot. Every year Norway is also reducing the number of cash dispensers because their existence is unprofitable for banks. Despite the decreasing of the number of cash payments Norwegians still believe they will not completely abandon cash in the nearest future. As it was told to the Norwegian media by the MP from the Liberal party “Venstre” Guri Melby, such a bill would cause widespread discussion in the community and it is unlikely to appeal to the citizens of the kingdom.

It is a proposal of the Norwegian organization “Finance Norway”, which unites major banks and insurance companies of the country. According to the estimations made by the organization, every year Norwegians use fewer and fewer paper bills and coins, preferring credit cards. Today, payment in cash is no more than 5% of all financial transactions carried out in the kingdom. In the structure of household expenditures, this figure is even smaller - only 4%. Less than in Norway, cash is used only in Sweden and the UK. Both these countries that unlike Norway are part of the EU still use their own currencies, and do not adopt the euro.

«We stand for Norway becoming the first country in the world that has completely refused cash by 2020. Firstly, the elimination of

A mobile app for dog owners was created in New York An unusual mobile app was created in New York in July. It is called “Doggy BnB”. It works on the principle of a dating site, though not for people but for dogs.

“Doggy BnB” enables dog owners who live near each other to find a “friend” for a walk. You should register in the program and fill in the “profile” of your pet — to specify breed, age, sex, weight, etc., and place the photo of your four-legged friend.

“Many people are embarrassed to approach other dog owners in the park. This application helps them to quickly get acquainted with each other avoiding such awkward moments,” one of the founders of the program, 34-year-old Dan Joldzic, stated.

Also, using “Doggy BnB” one can find someone who will gladly look after the pet when the owner is absent. “People often have to give up traveling because they cannot find a “babysitter” for their dog. Now they will not have such a problem,” Joldzic said. The owners will be able to post a message asking to look after their pet in “Doggy BnB”. Then they will just wait until someone living nearby responds to it. The application is free and so far available only for owners of iPhones and iPads. However, in a few weeks owners of Androidbased devices will also be able to use it.

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№5, August 2014

Sport

Germany is world champion in football On July 13 in Rio de Janeiro the Germany national football team beat Argentina and won the World Cup 2014. The match ended with 1-0 score.

Thus, the Germans got the world’s most prestigious football trophy for the fourth time.

Both teams started at a low rate. The importance of the match affected the quality of the game itself. Fighting for the ball the players often ran into each other, and 17 minutes into the match Christoph Kramer got the first injury. However, after a while he returned to the field and continued playing. The first truly dangerous moment for the Argentines was 21 minutes into the match when Higuaín broke through the full-back line. He aimed at the left corner from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball went wide. 30 minutes into the match Higuaín managed to score. However, the linesman raised his flag: the Argentinian was offside. Immediately after that Joachim Löw made the first emergency substitution. Kramer left the field and was substituted by André Schürrle. We should note that Schürrle involved into the game at once.

Later, in the course of the match, he often supported attacks of the Germans from the left wing. 40 minutes into the match Leo Messi got a great chance to score, but the defense managed to deal with him. Already in the additional time the Germans created a very dangerous moment. After a corner kick Benedikt Höwedes made a close range header, but the ball hit the post. So nobody scored during the first half In the second half, the Argentinian coach decided to substitute Lavezzi with Sergio Agüero. 47 minutes into the match Messi got the ball and was in the perfect position to open the score, but the ball went wide from the right post. The Germans had more possession of the ball and tried to weaken the defense of the opposing team. 78 minutes into the match, the Argentines decided to make a second substitution.

Higuaín left the field substituted by Rodrigo Palacio. Also closer to the end of the main time Miroslav Klose was substituted by Mario Götze.

The second half was finished with a slight superiority of the Germans. However, their scoring chances have remained guilt-edged. The first extra-time also began with the advantage of Germany. 91 minutes into the match Schürrle remained alone with the goalkeeper, but Romero handled the situation.

The Argentines were about to score as well. 97 minutes into the match Palacio got a perfect pass, but failed to obtain the ball properly.

Then he tried to score. However, the ball went wide. In the second extra-time Schweinsteiger got severely injured. First his shins got kicked several times, then his eye was damaged. However, he didn’t leave the field.

113 minutes into the match became the fatal moment for Argentina. Götze got an excellent pass and sent the ball into the bottom right corner. This time Romero failed to save his team. After 120 minutes into the match Schweinsteiger made a slide tackle and fouled to Leo Messi. It was a dangerous moment and it was then when the Argentinian had to prove his status of the best player and the leader of the team. The whole stadium stood still. After a long pause Messi shoot wide, significantly above the net. Referee Rizzoli gave some more time to finish and stopped the match. So, Germany got the fourth title in the history. Italy has exactly the same number of cups and the Brazilian national team is the only one who has more – five titles. Unfortunately, this year’s cup was not the best for this team.

Over the past 30 years, these teams have met in World Cup finals twice (and such matches happen only once every 4 years) and both times it was very emotional. In 1986 Argentina, led by the fantastic Diego Maradona, won (3:2; he did not score himself, but still was the best player of the match); in 1990 Argentina lost with the same Maradona in the team (0:1).

In Germany, they believed in the victory of their team at the World Cup so much that even chanced money. The Germans printed stamps dedicated to the victory in advance.

Five million stamps glorifying the victory of the German team at the Mundial were published before the finale. German Deutche Post AG could lose a good round sum as if the Argentine national team had won, all the copies would have been eliminated. Each stamp costs 60 cents, and they were presented in the morning only a few hours after the victorious match.

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The Bell of Chersonesos The bell was cast in Taganrog in 1778 from Turkish cannons seized as a trophy. It depicts the patron saints of mariners - St. Nicholas and St. Phocas. After the Crimean War the bell was taken to Paris, where it was until 1913. When the weather was foggy, it was used as a signal bell in Tauric Chersonese, alerting ships of a dangerous proximity to the coast.

St Archangel Michael Church The church is located in the village Uzhok, Velykobereznianskyi district, Zakarpattia Oblast. The wooden church of Uzhok is a kind of a landmark of Transcarpathia. It is a Boyko school monument of wooden architecture built on a brow of a high hill. Together with other wooden churches in the Carpathian region it was included to UNESCO World Heritage List.