Ukraine is smothered by humanitarian scandals, while high-ranking officials are engaged in speculations about politics
Talks of humanitarian conception have been going on for more than two years now. A Humanitarian Council was created under the president. It comprises people of great authority. They spend hours at roundtable discussions at the president’s office in Bankova Street. Yet the conception was never formulated. Moreover, the Ukrainian humanitarian sphere is being destroyed in front of us and in front of the Humanitarian Council. Only one recent week has brought a series of loud scandals: the dismissal of Anatolii Melnyk, director of the National Art Museum of Ukraine; the demolition of historical quarters of Kyiv; and an infringement of Ukrainian film dubbing. Remarkably, all these scandalous events were accompanied by public protests. It looks as if there is no one else to stand up for the humanitarian sphere. However, there are plenty of volunteers to make encroachments upon it.
On April 12 activists dumped construction rubbish in front of Rinat Akhmetov’s SCM company’s offices in Kyiv and Donetsk, protesting against his ESTA Holding Company’s demolition of three old buildings on Andriivsky Uzviz Street. The image of Akhmetov’s transparent and socially responsible company, which actually does finance numerous humanitarian projects, was threatened, to put it mildly. As a result, the well-known businessman and MP for the Party of Regions acknowledged the previous actions as wrong, and promised to restore the destroyed facades.
“Andriivsky Uzviz is Kyiv’s calling card and its history, and I am grateful to everyone who cared to respond to the problem,” said Akhmetov. “After a study of popular sentiments in Kyiv, ESTA decided to give up the construction of a business center as far back as in March. Unfortunately, two gross mistakes were made after this decision was taken. Firstly, the company’s actions were not coordinated. Secondly, the public was not familiarized with them. Thus, SCM’s main principles, openness and transparency, were violated. I promise that SCM will restore the demolished facades to their original appearance. Besides, we will help the city with the reconstruction of Andriivsky Uzviz.”
It must be admitted that the billionaire’s reaction, whatever his ends, came as a surprise to many. However, a question arises, how can Akhmetov’s company help restore Andriivsky Uzviz if, according to mayor Oleksandr Popov, 99 percent of land in this street is private property? The procedure of restoring it to the community is long and complicated. It is highly doubtful that we can count on officials’ goodwill. Rather, it will become another test for the community.
“It is absolutely necessary to raise the citizens’ legal literacy and propagate the legislation on access to public information. We need to create an effective initiative group which, with the assistance of professional lawyers, will launch legal proceedings: not against companies, but against those officials who, at a certain point in time (5, 10, or 15 years ago) issued permissions to privatize property in this street while they knew that since 1982 all this territory is a part of Ancient Kyiv Preserve,” said Vladyslava OSMAK, expert on Kyiv history, representative of Andriivsky Uzviz Public Network. “Thus, if we can ‘play back’ these processes, we can have trials followed by the voiding of purchase contracts. Meanwhile, denial alone is not enough. A think tank is necessary, which would develop (and this has been much talked about) a scientifically-based and socially approved concept of further development of Andriivsky Uzviz. Do we really need five hotels there? Or maybe, it would be better to turn the bare areas into little parks and plant trees there, which would consolidate and retain the sliding soil? Maybe, it would be worth to turn Andriivsky into a museum street?
“The creation of such a concept requires the joint effort of experts in various areas: architecture, culture studies, history, archeology, etc., and then it has to be discussed by the community. Actually, this discussion is going on in Facebook, on Andriivsky Uzviz Public Network page. I can say that, despite certain differences, the public opinion is unanimous: Andriivsky Uzviz is not a street for big business. This is a place for cultural institutions. It is necessary to realize that there are almost no other unsullied places left in Kyiv, where nature and architecture blend in so seamlessly. In fact, Andriivsky Uzviz is the last barricade. Further on we are going to ensure a quiet, peaceful control of the situation and develop a constructive dialog with politicians, civic organizations, authorities, and experts,” Osmak said in her commentary to The Day as she shared her opinion about the most recent events, associated with Uzviz. “I have no doubts that ESTA Holding Company will indeed cede this property for the sake of keeping up its image. I believe that, in order to settle this conflict, the Kyiv authorities will let them have another attractive property at the cost of the community, where ESTA could build something financially profitable for themselves.
“And now I would like to say a few words about the things I don’t believe in. I don’t believe that the Kyiv authorities will be able to protect this street from further commercialization. I don’t believe Mr. Popov’s assertions that an arts facility will be built there. I will only have reasons to believe in this after it will be registered in an official paper and published not only in official mass media, but also on those huge plasma screens and billboards, which show Mr. Popov planting young trees.
“Now the community’s task (and recently it has united several thousand people) is to keep this situation under control 24/7. If the promises are broken, they will have pickets, rallies, and heads will start rolling. It is quite understandable why Andriivsky Uzviz triggered such response: it is not only the naked nerve of Kyiv, but also of entire Ukraine. It embodies a load of challenges each of us is facing. First and foremost, it is the problem of the right to live in your city or village, and the problem of justice,” Osmak emphasized.
