\\ | // BOBAC \\ | // Ukrainian coalition "For Wild Nature" (# 52 December 26,
2004)
WHY ARE ECOLOGISTS AGAINST KUCHMA, YANUKOVICH AND KIRPA?
1_ Because of snatching especially preserved territories of Crimea.
2_ Because of grabing botanical gardens.
3_ Because of plundering especially preserved territories of Kiev.
4_ Because of destroying the Danube biosphere reserve.
5_ Because of hunting on especially preserved territories.
December 2, 2004 in Kiev the Ukrainian coalition "For the wild nature", Kiev
eclogical-cultural center, Environmental group "Pechenegi" and " Green future" (a
team of nature conservation of the biological department of the Kiev national
university) hold a press conference "Why are ecologists against Kuchma, Yanukovich
and Kirpa?"
The press conference became if not a chronicle, then a summary of stealing the
preserved territories of Ukraine by it's government officials...
O. LISTOPAD (Chairman of the Ukrainian coalition "For the wild nature"):
"The Crimean salutary and sanitary significance depends strongly on it's woods.
Now it may well be that we lose them. Thus, in October, 2004 the Yalta mountain woods
reserve has been cutted down nearly for 350 ha. The Nikitsky botanical garden, having
not been touched even by fascists, now also diminishs so as to build cottages.
Building up the territory progresses inspite of protests of the office of public
prosecutor and ministers of ecology (truth to tell, the present minister S. Polyakov
didn't protested against this at all).The supervision of the Crimean reserve lately
has been handed to the President's administration. What for? Our president hasn't yet
showed too much love to the nature. Mischorsky, Massandrovsky and Forossky parks are
also being builded up progressively. At the same time, the economics being "rising
up", there's no money to reconstruct the parks, to delimit their territory on the
spot. The sanitary zone is being privatized as well.
Crimea is being builded up unduly at full speed. Today we have the third head of
ecological inspection in Yalta - both his predecessors are under examination. A close
investigation would reveal contacts between companies licenced for building work and
the company L. Kuchma keeps".
V. BOREYKO (director if the Kiev eclogical-cultural center):
"300 ha of the Yalta reserve were turned into a residence for the RF President
Vladimir Putin.
L. Kuchma likes to do some shooting. V. Putin has once allowed him to build a
hunting lodge near Moscow, right in Zavidovo (formerly it was the renowned Zavidovo
hunting ground, the place where Hruschev, Bregnev, F. Castro and others hunted, and
nowadays it is the Russian President residence "Rus"). In answer to this, Kuchma gave
him a ground in Crimea. Firstly it was 20 ha in size, then 50, 60, 70; after
improving the infrastructure it grew up to 300 ha. It's interest to note, that those
who was responcible of building the Kuchma's residence in Zavidovo was the Ukrainian
minister of transport G. Kirpa."
* * *
I. PARNIKOZA ("The green future"):
" Yanukovich has been supported by the Moscow patriarchy of the Orthodox Church
only. It was caused particularly by him rendering assistance to Svyato-uspensky
monastery. The latter is contiguous with national reservation "Svyaty gory" (Donetsk
region). Now the monastery, having turned to lavra with Yanucovich's assistance, has
pretensions to 51 ha of preserved nature to build "lavra khutors" and "constructions
and churches of the XIX century". It is not clear why constructing point objects
requires 51 ha...
Ioninsky monastery in Kiev advances a claim on a plot now included in the
National botanical garden of Ukraine. It's interests are being lobbied by
vice-premier D. Tabachnik. Notable is the fact that Ioninsky monastery was founded in
the XIX century and closed on the eve of revolution for violating financial activity.
* * *
I. PARNIKOZA
"V. Yanukovich has a considerable assistance in the Verkhovna Rada (the
ukrainian parlement), and a solidary team in the ministry. The people won't lose the
chance.
Puscha-Voditsya, a forestland of Kiev outskirts, can trace it's origin from the
very Kiev Rus' times. October, 2004 about 500 ha of the land were transmitted to the
Ukrainian President's administration as if to broaden out it's sanatorium. Later 200
ha were put under dispensation: among those who had luck to get plots almost free of
charge there are leader of former parlament majority, former chairman of Yanukovich's
election campaign staff S. Gavrish; G. Kirpa and his daughter; minister of defense of
Ukraine N. Bilokon and others. Yet it was just the first round of embezzlement.
November 18 still 378 ha of the forestland were distributed - this time among
deputies of Kievrada (Kiev city council), who lobbied previous dispensation".
K. BORISENKO ("The green future"):
In Kiev, V. Yanukovich first of all took notice of the park-memorial of
landscape architecture Feofania, situated at the south of the city. To build up
cottages for faithful officials, Kievrada took two decisions: the first one in 2003
changed status of nearly 30 ha of the park from preserved to ordinary forest, second
condemned the park to "reconstruction". 2004 year, a draft of reconstruction of total
cost 112.000.000 grn. was approved, and paid for from the Kiev and state budgets.
Dispencing Feofania began last year (5 plots 10 ha each) and proceeded this
year: 22 plots 10 ha of the same size - passed to deputies K. Vaschuk, M. Gapochka,
I. Sharov, M. Dobkin and others (judging from list of those who applications for park
reconstruction). Some of those who possessed land of Feofania, got plots in
Puscha-Voditsya.
After land of Feofania were transferred to the the forest area, they were
claimed to lose their nature value and allotted for housing. The real cost of
Feofania plots is about $3.000 for are and therefore a plot costs $300.000...
November 25, the ministry decreed that there's created a fenced area belonging
to Feofania. It is the very place where you can expect two- and three-storyed
cottages to shoot up..."
* * *
S. SHAPARENKO (Chairman of the Ecological group "Pechenegi" council):
"Despite current opinion, activity of the minister of transport G. Kirpa is not
aimed to restore the economy but to peculation the budget. Last weeks mass media
again glorified advisability of Danube-Black sea canal, celebrating 200-th vessel
jubilee and so on. At the same time, Mintrans stably doesn't note that before
shipping canal through Bystre estuary was opened, vessels have floated across the
Ukrainian part of the delta - through the Connective canal of the Ust-Dunaysk port.
The Bystre canal having been opened, vessel passing through Ust-Dunaysk was
abolished, yet it didn't raise the number of users: through Bystre canal passed
nearlu as much vessels, as formerly did through the Connective one! What were the
funds of Bystre canal constructing used for? Why? Mintrans completely neglected
Ukrainian and international public opinion. It is guilty in Ukraine breaking 7
international agreements, what is not the right way to EC."
* * *
V. SESIN (assistant of Ukrainian deputy O. Golub):
"Our mighty of this world aren't satisfied with hunting in generally accepted
places. L. Kuchma needs the Crimean reserve to establish "tsar's huntings"; he has a
lodge there, and visits it himself or being accompanied by his friends, for example,
V. Putin. At the time of them staying, the employees are simply not allowed to enter
the reserve's territory - "we have eminent guests..." V. Yanukovich has seized
Dneprovsko-Teterevskoe forestry (Kiev region) while being a premier for 2 years.
Before that it was subordinated to State forest committee, nowadays - to the
Ukrainian ministry itself. A man of Kuchma's, former director of Ukrainian petroleum
and gas company I. Bakay, has long ago crushed down the Trahtemirovsky regional
landscape park. At the present time it is enclosed with fence nobody exept local
habitants permitted to walk through. This is the place where I. Bakay hunts
regularly".
V. BOREYKO:
"Azovo-Sivashsky national reservation, as far as the Crimean reserve, has
recently been handed to the Ukrainian President administration. Here the Biryuchy
island became a real den for hunting poachers. State inspectors can't get in there,
the director of the park (to say the truth, a special safari) Ghukov threatens to
beat them unmercifully: "We are set up for elite, for the respectable people!" But
after elite departs, ordinary poachers move up on the island, being just as not
controlled. It came to present minister of ecology S. Polyakov to appeal to the
Office of Public Prosecutor to examine this problem. V. Yanukovich promised the
parliament let not homeless children be offended. In reply to this, V. Yuschenko
noticed that at present time hunting grounds' running costs are far larger then the
funds Ukrainian government appropriate to 0.5 million of homeless children".
SUMMARY
O. LISTOPAD:
"1. We require from the Ukrainian Ministry of nature to withdraw their
signatures under all nature-destroying documents they've signed last years.
2. We require from the Office of Public Prosecutor to investigate the aforesaid
cases with the object to nature-conservating law infringement.
3. We require from the next President of Ukraine to stop the lawlessness in the
ecological sphere and don't allow it in the future.
From our part we promise to continue tracing the situation with the nature
conservation later on and to lay strictures on the next President and government of
Ukraine if such infringements appear".
CONTACTS:
V. Boreyko kekz@carrier.kiev.ua
V. Sesin apach@ukr.net
I. Parnikoza loxodonta@rambler.ru
K. Borisenko kaborysenko@rambler.ru
O. Listopad lyst@ibc.com.ua
S. Shaparenko pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua
We are grateful for the translation of materials M. Shevchenko
("Green Future", Kiev).
Prepared by EnG "Pechenegi"
Ukrainian coalition "For the wild nature"
more about the problem
www.seu.ru/projects/eng/dunay
