Category Archives: news

UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) veteran stops break-in of his home in New York

Glory to Ukraine- Glory to (her) Heroes. The soldier is standing on the banners of the totalitarian regimes. A former soldier in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known for fighting both the Nazis and the Soviets for a free and independent Ukraine in World War 2 made the news recently in  New York, stopping an intruder from breaking into his home:

Pulteney, NY —  The unidentified man who broke into the residence of Stephen and Pauline Boyechko Friday night apparently didn’t know who he was dealing with.

Confronted with the sight of a man halfway through a bathroom window, Stephen Boyechko, 80, simply retrieved his .32 PPK/Walther and went back to confront the intruder. The man rushed Boyechko, who then shot him, reportedly in the abdomen and groin.
“I think I just surprised him,” Boyechko said. “I didn’t fire to kill him. I just shot, maybe a little low.”
Boyechko isn’t the kind of man to get easily rattled.
A veteran of World War II, he didn’t fight with the Americans troops, he said.
“I was in the Ukrainian underground,” he said. “I was 14. We fought the Germans and the Russians.”

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The break-in occurred after someone knocked on the door of the couple’s ranch-style home at 8016 Brown Road, Boyechko said.
However, Boyechko thought it was a member of a religious group and didn’t answer the door, he said. A short while later, the couple heard the sound of breaking glass from the bathroom and he went to investigate.
Boyechko said upon seeing the man wriggling through the bathroom window “I asked him ‘Why you break my window?’ But I guess he didn’t hear me. So I went to get my gun.”
After the would-be intruder was shot, the two men waited in silence for police to respond to Boyechko’s 911 call.
They didn’t have anything to say, Boyechko recalled.
“He didn’t talk to me,” he said. “He told the police he heard children screaming in the house, is why he tried to get in. But there are no kids here; just two old people.”

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“Oh it was nothing,” Boyechko said. “Just high blood pressure went a little higher is all.”
No charges are expected to be filed against Boyechko. The investigation into the break-in is continuing.

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Former Cabinet Minister and pioneer of Multicultuarlism and Social Justice John Yaremko passes away

From the Ukrainian Canadian Congress:

John Yaremko

"It is with tremendous sorrow that I learned of the passing of Mr. John Yaremko," stated UCC President Paul Grod.  "From a Ukrainian immigrant family, John Yaremko taught us that through hard work, dedication and perseverance that it is possible to reach and excel at the highest levels in public life in Canada.  He has been a mentor and a friend to many leaders of our community.  He will be dearly missed."

Mr. Yaremko was the longest serving member of the Ontario legislature, having served from 1951 to 1975, having served in the Cabinets of Premiers Leslie Frost, John Robarts, and Bill Davis. As a cabinet Minister and later as a private citizen, Mr. Yaremko was a leader in multiculturalism and philanthropy.  He was the first recipient in 2009 of the Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism and was honoured with the establishment of the John Yaremko Chair in Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto.

A very detailed account of his accomplished life is available from his obituary:

Peacefully in his sleep, three days short of his 92nd birthday at the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre, Toronto.

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He put himself through school while working on farms and the Steel Company of Canada during summer months and nights while attending the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School. Was awarded scholarships for excellence while at university and became a Gold Medalist at Osgoode Hall. Began political career in 1951 when elected to Ontario’s Provincial Parliament as first Canadian of Ukrainian ancestry to be elected in Eastern Canada. Served in Parliament for twenty-five years – longer than anyone in the history of Ontario. In 1958, was appointed youngest Cabinet Minister and served in seven Ministries in the administrations of Premiers Leslie Frost, John Robarts and Bill Davis. Upon his retirement in 1975, the Toronto Star newspaper wrote of John Yaremko: ‘His career exhibited a distinct concern for social justice, as Minister responsible for legislation which improved the lot of persons with physical or developmental disabilities, the aged, the poor, and ethnic and cultural minorities.’

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Вічна Йому пам’ять 1919-2010

Stalin’s home town removes his statue, why are they being built in the USA and Ukraine?

From the Independent:

Georgian authorities have removed a massive statue of Joseph Stalin from the main square of his hometown, Gori, in a secret late-night operation underlining their determination to sever ties with their Soviet past.

Police sealed off the square in the early hours of yesterday morning as municipal workers struggled to remove the six-metre bronze statue of the Soviet dictator from its stone plinth. At one point, angle grinders had to be used to cut the metal ties that held the statue to its base. After three hours, one of the last remaining statues of Stalin anywhere in the world was finally toppled. Although Georgia’s pro-Western government had long seen the statue as an embarrassment, and more than once voiced the idea of removing it, the final decision was completely unannounced.

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Georgia’s relationship with its most famous son has changed markedly over the years. Since Georgia’s independence in 1991, he has been increasingly associated with foreign occupation.

"We know that his roots are Georgian, we can’t deny that," says Gigi Tsereteli, vice speaker of the Georgian parliament. "But we also can’t deny the terrible things he did to Georgia."

Stalin is vastly more popular abroad than at home. In a 2009 TV show designed to find "The Greatest Russian", Stalin came third; in the Georgian equivalent, he was outside the top forty.

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Georgia’s government, however, says the statue’s removal demonstrates its commitment to Western values. Addressing the nation, President Mikheil Saakashvili said it was inappropriate to have a monument to a man who enslaved his own country. He said the decision to move the statue to the Stalin Museum demonstrated "a civilised attitude to history".

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A second statue was recently removed as well in a neighbouring town:

Authorities in Georgia on Sunday tore down another monument to Soviet dictator and native son Josef Stalin.

The monument in the town of Tkibuli in western Georgia was taken down two days after authorities tore down a bigger and more famous monument to Stalin in his hometown of Gori.

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The Georgian government says a younger generation who have embraced Western ideals of freedom favor the dismantling of Stalin’s monuments.

"A memorial to Stalin has no place in the Georgia of the 21st Century," President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday. Saakashvili’s government said a memorial to the fallen in the Russian-Georgian war of 2008 will replace Stalin’s statue in Gori.

Georgia’s Culture Minister Nikolos Rurua said the government will also soon rename Georgian streets still carrying Stalin’s name.

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There are very few Stalin monuments left on the face of the Earth, but recently two more have been erected in the oddest of places: Ukraine – which hasn’t erected one since the 50’s and the USA – which is its very first. The former were raised by Communists at their party headquarters after a pro-Russian government came to power, and the latter was raised by the county and private donors for a D-Day memorial in Bedford, Virginia which refuses to divulge their name – despite public outcry.

Former UCC Alberta President, ex-MLA Dave Broda dies in car crash (Updated)

From the Edmonton Journal:

Former Redwater MLA Dave Broda was killed in a road accident Sunday night.

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It is known that Broda attended a barbecue dinner near Mundare earlier Sunday evening. The event was sponsored by the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce.

"He was significantly involved in his community in many ways. He was a proud Canadian-Ukrainian," said Brian Gifford, chairman of Alberta’s Surface Rights Board.

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In 2002, when he was the chairman of the Advisory Council on Alberta-Ukraine Relations, Broda joined Klein on a five-day mission to Ukraine. It was the first official visit made by an Alberta premier to the eastern European country.

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Broda also served as President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta chapter in 2005 and was mentioned on their website:

It is with much sadness that the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council must share the news of the sudden passing of Mr. Dave Broda. Former UCC-APC President, and a former Member of the Legislative Assembly in Alberta, Dave was a dedicated volunteer in our community.  His wisdom, guidance and good nature will be very much missed by us all. On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council, our Board of Directors and member organizations, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dave Broda. Dave will be remembered as a great Albertan and Ukrainian Canadian who loved this province and his Ukrainian heritage. He served his constituents and community honourably. He was a strong team player, an excellent communicator and problem-solver. His commitment to local communities and councils showed time and time again his dedication and passion towards his endeavours. We encourage everyone to watch for announcements of funeral arrangements. Vichnaya Pam’yat. Вічна Йому пам’ять. Daria Luciw, UCC-APC President

He was 65 years old.

Update: More from the Edmonton Sun:

Broda served as an MLA from 1997 to 2004. He was also president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’ Alberta branch and remained an active member in the local Ukrainian community.

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He was also proud of his Ukrainian roots, said Minister of Health and Wellness Gene Zwozdesky.

"Dave was a cultural and religious community-minded person," he said. "He enjoyed and was very proud of his Ukrainian roots. We often joked in Ukrainian and, on certain occasions, reflected on our trip to Ukraine when we helped organize the first trip by an Alberta premier to (the country) in 2002."

Broda’s legacy will be the report he penned in 1999 on long-term care in the province, Zwozdesky added.

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Holodomor painting has home at Winnipeg legislature

From the Winnipeg Press:

A painting commemorating the Ukrainian Holodomor/Holocaust is now permanently on display in Manitoba’s Legislative Building.

The acrylic-on-canvas work by Winnipeg artist Orysia Sinitowich-Gorski was officially unveiled today by Premier Greg Selinger. A number of local survivors of the 1932-33 Holocaust attended the ceremony.

"This moving portrait represents the Holodomor  — the Ukrainian Holocaust  — a dark period in human history," the Premier said.

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