Ukrainian Fashion Week rolls on in Kyiv through October 14

Nowadays Ukrainian fashion is in the forefront of international thought. Its reach has extended far beyond the front page, the Ukrainian influence has fully arrived into closets all over the world.

Since 1997 Ukrainian designers together with Ukrainian Fashion Week constantly elevate national fashion. So to make the waves on the international scene we see now.

The upcoming 37th Ukrainian Fashion Week is 54 fashion shows within 7 days, 72 designers, 10 presentations, 19 locations, more than 200 accredited media and more than 20 000 invited guests. And this season it will become alive on the first two floors of the historical location — “Mystetskyi Arsenal”.

New season is the next step for innovative solutions and projects, which will allow presenting Ukrainian designers in a new way, on new locations, in new formats and new countries.

One of the most promising projects of the 37th Ukrainian Fashion Week — #12x12x12 opens this season. Its organizers from Laboratory of Industrial Design “llil” promise to explain who we are, how we communicate with each other, how we interact with objects around us, and finally, how the objects around us influence our life. They say: “the global idea of the project is co-existence and interaction of a person and object design”. The main object of #12x12x12 project is the Director’s Chair.

Another cultural project “VYTOKY” will be presented this season for the second time. At the second floor of Mystetskyi Arsenal organizers promise to show an interactive exposition, within which there will be held fashion shows, educational programmes and performances. The Project will be dedicated to the traditional material culture of Ukrainians from the origin till nowadays. Apart from the traditional garments the exposition will also present accessories, music instruments, pieces of furniture, ancient photos from private collections of Ukrainian connoisseurs in symbiosis with works by contemporary Ukrainian artists and object designers, who reinterpret Ukrainian traditions and materials and create conceptual works.

This season the basic location of Ukrainian Fashion Week will also display the results of the second stage of collaboration within Fashion DNA Programme. In September the British Council in Ukraine and Ukrainian Fashion Week set Fashion DNA Programme — a new fashion programme seeking to identify, celebrate and support emerging Ukrainian fashion talent.

What’s more, Ukrainian Fashion Week also prepared a series of special events — lectures, discussions, workshops, consultations and educational events.

This season a famous fashion photographer from New York, the author of the best street-style photos of Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Anna Dello Russo and of many other fashion personalities will share his secrets of fashion photography.

On how to define the upcoming trends will tell another lecturer and Ukrainian Fashion Week guest — Geraldine Wharry. She collaborates with companies in fashion industry in forecasting future tendencies in design and in creation of a successive innovative product. On her lecture she promises to explain how to improve the existing product and to realize the potential of the new design.

Ukrainian Fashion Week takes place in Mystetsky Arsenal (10–12 Lavrska St., Kyiv) on October 14–20.

Ukrainians illegally detained in Russia: The “Crimean” Case

No man is an island, even if his voice was drowning in dirty mud of lies and captured in the nightmares of tortures. Naturally, when one is striving for a better life for his friends and the territorial integrity of his own nation, there are always those who will stand up and fight for him. No doubt, it is definitely so for the so-called “Crimean case". 

This includes, in particular, Oleg Sentsov (39) and Alexander Kolchenko (25). They were the first two of more than 10 other hostages of the Kremlin powers to have become victims in Russia’s war against Ukraine, most of whose names are unfortunately unknown to activists yet.

What is the most interesting, the detainees' lives, whom Russia considers to be a terroristic network, were even not related to each other before imprisonment. At least, except for supporting the security and territorial integrity of their homeland,  especially in protest of illegal seizure of the Ukrainian Crimea by Russian troops. Indeed, such actions simply couldn't have been ignored and forgiven by the Russian regime, which has long got used to producing fake evidence.

Actually, both Sentsov and Kolchenko were those, who opposed the illusions and supported national unity. Oleg Sentsov himself is a Ukrainian filmmaker, best known for his 2011 film “Gamer”, that successfully debuted at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2012 and a number of other succeeding festivals. But his further work at the feature "Rhino" had to be postponed, because of every effort provided to maintain the goals of the Revolution of Dignity. On the inception of the Euromaidan protest movement in November 2013 Sentsov joined the activists of “AutoMaidan” and during the following 2014 Crimean crisis he was helping in delivering food and supplies to Ukrainian servicemen blockaded at their Crimean bases. He was arrested in his native city of Simferopol (Crimea) in May 2014 at his own home.

The same fate befell student and public activist Alexander Kolchenko, arrested in May 2014 in Simferopol as well. Refusal to accept the citizenship and lies of Russia cost him a detention in Moscow under accusations of terrorism and illegal keeping of explosives. In fact, among other things, he is blamed for setting fire to the office of the United Russia party branch in Simferopol in mid-April 2014.

On August 25, 2015 two Ukrainian citizens, Oleg Sentsov and Alexander Kolchenko, within a showcase trial were given a prison sentence of 20 and 10 years, respectively.

After holding Sentsov and Kolchenko without charges for three weeks, Russia’s Federal Security Service (better known as FSB) in its statement also even forged them into a “part of a terrorist community, to carry out explosions with home-made devices". The FSB accused them of seeking to carry out terrorist attacks on bridges, power lines, and public monuments in the Crimean cities of Simferopol, Yalta, and Sevastopol.

In other words, following the Kremlin's directives, the FSB has simply decided to collate these people standing up against the annexation of Crimea and call them the “terrorist and sabotage group of Sentsov.”

So after the arrest they obviously got almost the same accusations:  p. “A” s. 1, Art. 205.4 ("creating a terrorist group"), p. “A” s. 2, Art. 205 ("terrorist act committed by an organized group of persons by prior agreement), s. 1, Art. 30 (preparation and attempt to commit a crime"), p. 3. 222 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“illegal acquisition and possession of ammunition by an organized group of persons by prior agreement”).

Incredibly the Russian prosecutors have managed to make the whole case even more absurd by further claiming Sentsov and Kolchenko were members of Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary group, Right Sector, which was openly denied even by Right Sector itself. And still it is noteworthy that in pledging for reason and humanity, nonetheless, "the Crimean case" truly demonstrates a fight with a machine far from logic and common sense.

Astonishingly, the very name of the "Sentsov group" today has already transformed into another sign of Ukrainian liberation struggle in the on-going war with Russia; and also of a community of those who suffer for freedom and those who protect them in overcoming the fabricated facts. However, the very fabric, the whole story has been made of, someday soon will choke its weavers, as it has well covered them with shame and disregard of the whole civilized international community.

What is important to keep in mind is that the voices of Ukrainians illegally detained in Russia will sound as long as we are aware of the fact that the destiny of a nation depends on the freedom and rights guaranteed to its citizens. And what can be outspoken today may change the upcoming tomorrow.

 Significantly, the very story of Gennadyi Afanasyev, another Ukrainian activist sentenced to 7 years of prison on December  17, 2014, proves the power of such a word in action. The most stunning about the case is that initially it was Afanasyev's evidence to have become a basis of the charges against Sentsov, Kolchenko and himself as well; even despite a doubt, numerously expressed by his lawyer, Ilya Novikov, as for its unforced nature.

Finally, it was on July 31, 2015, when Gennadyi rejected his previous evidence, speaking as a prosecution witness  at the trial of the former two of his fellow citizens. The young Ukrainian has uncovered the truth and said it was given under pressure. However hard, but it is possible to imagine being beaten with boxing gloves, put on a gas mask closing the air inside or injecting gas into the mask, or even tortured with electric shocks and threatened to be raped with a soldering iron, either deprived of sleep for ten days - all of which is directed at simply vanishing one's human conscience and forcing to sign the necessary investigation testimony. According to Ilya Novikov, that very kind of nightmare was created for Gennadyi.

Nevertheless, it can be seen that true human dignity can never be abolished. As it is impossible to live in the shadows of an illusion, no matter how badly casted by those in fear of reality. That is why after Afanasyev's words, proving the innocence of Ukrainian hostages, it seemed like the whole free and democratic world had joined Sentsov and Kolchenko in their energetic exclaiming of "Glory to Ukraine!"

Ukrainians illegally detained in Russia: The “Chechen” Case

Mykola Karpyuk (50) and Stanislav Klikh (41) are being accused by the Russian authorities of taking part in the first Chechen war (1994-1996) and killing Russian soldiers. Although in fact some activists of the Ukrainian radical movement “UNA UNSO” visited Chechnya and, according to unconfirmed information, were members of armed groups of Chechen rebels, neither Karpyuk nor Klikh have ever taken part in the Chechen conflict. The investigative Committee of the Russian Federation is notorious for accusing Ukrainians in fighting in Chechnya during the first Chechen war. Such fake accusations have absolutely no evidential basis behind it. Recently, even Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatseniuk was mentioned as a former member of a Chechen armed groups. The absurdity of this accusation is obvious and can be easily proved by facts.

Mykola Karpiuk (born 1964) is a Ukrainian civil activist who has been active in politics since the early 1990s. He played an active part in Ukraine’s recent Revolution as part of Right Sector. He was arrested in Russia on March 21, 2014 under unclear circumstances. His family and friends believe him to have been kidnapped  by the FSB from the territory of Ukraine (namely Ukrainian-Russian border in Chernihiv Oblast). He is being kept in an investigative temporary detention center in Grozny (Chechnya). Karpiuk is facing 15 years in prison for the following accusation: Art. 317 (attempted murder of a police officer) and s. 1. Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“Creating a stable armed group (gang) to attack the citizens or organizations, and implementation of the management of the group”). Russian investigative bodies claim that he was a participant of the Chechen war. But Karpiuk’s family and lawyer deny this claiming that he indeed was a fighter, but not on the territory of the Russian Federation, he participated in the conflicts of 1990ies in Abkhazia and Transnistria. The Ukrainian consul has not been allowed to meet with Mykola Karpyuk.

Ukrainian historian and journalist Stanislav Klikh (born 1974) was arrested in Russia on August 11, 2014 during a private visit to the city of Orel. After that he was supposedly transferred to prisons in Yessentuki, Pyatigorsk and Grozny, being accused by Russian authorities of participation in the “Right Sector” movement. He is facing charges on the basis of the same “Chechen case” as Mykola Karpiuk. The Ukrainian consul has not been allowed to meet with Stanislav Klikh.  

On September 15, 2015 the Russian court in Grozny officially started the trial in their case. 

Irrefutable Evidence of Russian Armed Aggression in Ukraine

On August 28, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Taranov and Head of the Security Service Vasyl Hrytsak presented irrefutable evidence of Russian Armed Forces' participation in hostilities in the east of Ukraine and violation of the Minsk agreements. The proofs were gathered by the Ukrainian intelligence and confirmed by the intelligence of foreign states-partners of Ukraine.

Detailed documental materials confirm constant and deliberate violation of the main provisions of the Minsk agreements by the Russian occupation forces concealed by the statements of Russia on the necessity of peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Respective materials were also presented to the diplomatic corps accredited in Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian security officials, radical change of Russian participation in hostilities in the east of Ukraine took place in summer 2015. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are now confronting not mixed Russian terrorist groups, but structured military units of the Russian regular army. Herewith, Putin's regime keeps denying Russia's involvement in the conflict.

Russian troops in Donbas are directly guided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Download report from the Security Service of Ukraine: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vval5hz0dun6wf6/proof-eng.pdf?dl=0

#StopRussianAggression #UnitedForUkraine

Russia Disregards Immunity Principles of the Council of Europe

Nadiya Savchenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the 2015 session, has been illegally detained in the Russian Federation since June 2014.

Nadiya’s lawyer Ilya Novikov unveiled the Russian Foreign Ministry's instructions to the Investigation Committee, which distort the basic immunity principles of PACE.

In its classified letter, the Russian MFA states that Nadiya Savchenko cannot enjoy PACE immunities since crimes of which she is accused were carried out before she was elected a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the PACE.

Russia's incorrect interpretation of international law is nothing but a lame attempt to justify itself.

What you need to know about Nadiya's immunity as a member of PACE:

1. Nadiya Savchenko enjoys “European” parliamentary immunity as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since ratification of the credentials of the Ukrainian delegation on 26 January 2015. With effect from the ratification of credentials, Savchenko can no longer be subject to any detention or prosecution measures.

2. Immunity of members of the Assembly also extends to any proceedings initiated against them before the beginning of their parliamentary mandate, in connection with acts carried out by the member before the start of his or her term of office in the Assembly, with the effect that any ongoing proceedings are suspended for the duration of the term of office.

3. The parliamentary immunity of a member of the Assembly must be waived before his or her freedom can be restricted; the Assembly alone is able to waive the immunity of a member.

From the Conclusions of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs of the Council of Europe, 27 January 2015

#FreeSavchenko

Ukraine Mourns Innocent Victims Taken by MH17 Tragedy

One year ago, on this day the world was shaken up by the shocking news. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down from the sky. A total of 298 people, including 80 children were on board. There were three passengers with an “I” next to their names on the passengers list with “I” standing for “infant”. This heartbreaking tragedy that took lives of so many innocent people and put their families through hell left no one unfazed.

Justice must prevail and those guilty in committing this heinous crime should be held responsible.

In an immediate aftermath to MH17 crash, Russian colonel Igor Girkin, one the founders of the “Donetsk People's Republic” terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for shooting down what they considered to be the Ukrainian AN-26 jet, making it publicly available on the Internet and bragging about it on his page on Russian social media Vkontakte. 

It goes: “near Torez the plane AN-26 was just brought down. It knocks around somewhere behind the mine “Progress”. We warned you, don’t fly in our sky. Here is the video proof of the falling birds” 

He, eventually, took the post down, when it became clear that it wasn’t a Ukrainian plane, but rather an international airliner. As if you could bring grieving families their beloved ones back by simply pressing the cancel button. Except that you can’t. 

OSCE team, international and Ukrainian inspectors were not granted full access to the crash site and their work was immediately put at risk. Heavily armed people wouldn’t allow them to inspect the wreckage spread at several tens square kilometers deep in separatists-held territory. As Australian PM Tony Abbott said “having those people in control of the site is a little like leaving the criminals in charge of the crime scene” (Australia lost 27 of its citizens in this crash). 

While victims’ remains were transferred to Netherlands within next few days, crash site forensic examination and the collecting of evidence dragged on for months. After all, first and foremost a gunman would probably do his best to cover the incriminating facts. Guilty mind is never at ease. 

As the majority of victims (193 people) were from the Netherlands, the Dutch Safety Board was entrusted with is leading the investigation and coordinating the international team of investigators. On September 9, 2014, The Dutch Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the crash of Boeing 777. The report stated that “the damage observed in the forward fuselage and cockpit section of the aircraft appears to indicate that there were impacts from a large number of high-energy objects from the outside the aircraft. It does not indicate any known failure mode of the aircraft, its engines or systems. Aircraft broke up in the air”.

This document didn’t point fingers as well as it didn’t put the blame. The final report though will be much tougher as it will finally reveal the truth.

Currently all member countries of the Joint Investigation Team (Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine) are working hard on establishing the international tribunal despite enormous resistance from Russia.

Today, as we mourn 298 innocent lives taken by malicious terrorists and their sponsors from neighboring country, all we want to say is: justice is inevitable.

Under Russian Occupation, Crimea Remains One of the World’s Worst Places for Journalists and Press Freedom

Freedom House, FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2015, Crimea:

We bring to your attention personal stories of journalists who were forced to flee from occupied peninsular and seek for safe heavens away from home for being faithful in the performance of their duty.

Serhii Mocrushyn. Investigative journalist

In June 2014, Serhii was beaten by so-called “self-defence forces of Crimea”. In March 2015, following multiple searches in the journalists apartments conducted by the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia), he decided to leave home and move to Kyiv hoping for a better future.

“Immediately after the Crimea occupation, Russia began to mop up the information field. Editorial offices of many Crimean media had to leave and move elsewhere. In the Crimea, there are very few independent media left, and they have fewer and fewer opportunities to work. All Ukrainian channels are blocked, there is no Ukrainian press in Crimea. The Crimean Tatar TV channels and radio stations had been last standing until they were closed earlier this year. There are only compliant to the occupation authorities media resources left”- Mokrushyn describes situation with freedom of speech in the Crimea.

Here you can watch Serhii Mocrushyn speaking at the Conference on Journalists’ Safety, Media Freedom and Pluralism in Times of Conflict, 15–16 June 2015, in Vienna, Austria.

And here you can see an attempt of Ukrainian journalists to get out the message that freedom of speech really matters to Konstantin Dolgov, Russian MFA Human Rights Ombudsman.

Valentina Samar. Chief editor of the “Journalistic investigations Center”

In March 2014, so-called “self-defence” captured the “Journalistic investigations Center” office in Simferopol, where Ms. Samar was chief editor. Few months later, she had to leave the peninsula.

“Ukrainian and foreign journalists served as UN blue helmets in the Crimea in February and March of 2014. They stood between unarmed Ukrainian military and armed Russian Special Forces. The very few honest journalists, who work in the Crimea today, are risking their health and freedom every single day. It is necessary to ensure permanent presence of international observers in the Crimea. It could be the UN Permanent Mission on human rights or the OSCE mission. The international community should have full access to information about the human rights situation on the peninsula in order to make decisions.”

Tetiana Ryhtun. Investigative journalist. She had lived in the Crimea for 30 years

On March 3, 2014, Tatiana was filming Ukrainian navy headquarters siege when she was hit from the back on the head, and she had her video camera stolen. On March 9, after the rally dedicated to the Taras Shevchenko’s 200th anniversary, she was attacked at her home entrance for filming the event. Tatiana was evacuated from the Crimea with the help of the international security firm. She now works in Kiev.

“I had to leave Sevastopol because there was a real threat to my life, because we honestly covered the occupation from the very beginning. In Sevastopol, other local media pretended that there was no occupation, simply not noticing people with weapons. We were the only local newspaper to write about the Ukrainian military units and airports sieges, about the checkpoints on the roads, we published photos and traveled to “hot spots”.

Anna Andrievskaya. News editor

Anna is subject to the criminal investigation of the FSB (calls for the violation of territorial integrity) for her article about volunteers helping Ukrainian soldiers from Crimea in the ATO-area. During the FSB searches in the journalists apartments, the home of Anna’s parent in Simferopol was also checked.

“I know that there are the FSB “black lists” of persons, who are silently banned from entering the peninsula; the people on the list will be detained if they are to move around the territory of Crimea. I was not sure before if I was included in these lists, but after the opening of a criminal case, I am forbidden to go back home.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine together with Andrii Ianitskyi