Ukraine

Once again, the country of Ukraine has been desecrated, not only by the Moscow government through its ignorant and reckless use of nuclear power but also by the ignorance of the news media. Some in the media have continued to portray Ukraine and its cities as part of Russia, when this clearly is not the case. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, only the country of Russia being greater in size. It is not the Ukraine, a region of the Soviet Union. It is Ukraine, a once-independent country, now held captive by the Moscow government, just as the 14 other so-called "republics" are. In actuality, there is no union, there are no republics.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been determined to become a full member of the world community. But in the West, Ukraine is seen as unpredictable and unreasonable, particularly in its dealings with Russia. We are often charged with reckless nationalism, but the claim is seldom examined. Ukraine has been losing the propaganda war, creating unwanted and unnecessary dangers for everyone. A principal explanation for the misperception is that news accounts and expert opinion in the West have a pro-Russian bias.

Tens of thousands of protesters in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, braved freezing temperatures yesterday to denounce the apparent victory of the government candidate in Ukraine's presidential election. With nearly all votes counted, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich led opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko by nearly 3 percentage points, according to the Central Election Commission. Exit polls Sunday night had given the challenger a big lead. But it evaporated overnight as election officials counted the paper ballots.

Below the soaring blue dome, the strains of the Ukrainian choir swelling from the rear balcony mixed with the voices of the white-robed priests up front. The voices sang in the language of the old country, but spoke of a new country. "Everybody was hoping for so long we would have an independent Ukraine," Bruno Dankowsi said in an accent thick with a life spent in Ukraine until 1939. "It's better now. We're glad we have our independent Ukraine. " Among the wooden pews of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 830 N. Franklin St., more than 300 Christmas worshipers knelt yesterday, still bundled against the morning chill in overcoats, kerchiefs, scarves and fur hats.

The Ukraine - the scene of what appears to be the world's worst nuclear accident - is the richest agricultural area in the Soviet Union and one of the country's most densely populated areas. Despite the accident, though, agricultural experts and scientists believe that, based on the informationthat has emerged, the country's food production areas have not yet been seriously endangered. "It appears that the radioactive air mass moved in such a way that it may have limited the impact," said Lester Brown, director of the Worldwatch Institute and a noted agricultural economist.

As nearly as Olga Prychka can render it in Ukrainian, it's "Nova Jersey ee te - znamunuto razom. " Translation: "New Jersey and You - Perfect Together. " Soviet citizens will have a chance to ponder that assertion next week, according to Prychka. She and her husband, Peter, of Stratford, will leave Tuesday with nine other New Jersey residents on a 16-day "friendship mission" to the Ukraine. The travelers plan to present their hosts with gifts that are typical of New Jersey, so the items being packed include saltwater taffy, Lenox china and packages of information from the state Division of Travel and Tourism.

Members of the local Ukrainian community have been frustrated so far in efforts to contact friends and relatives in the Ukraine and send relief in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster, a local Ukrainian-Americ an activist said last night. Ulana Mazurkevich, chairwoman of the Ukrainian-American Human Rights Committee, based in Philadelphia, said attempts to place calls to the Ukraine have been unsuccessful since Monday night. "Everyone that calls, from Washington, from Chicago, they can't get through," she said.

Andriy Shevchenko is determined to turn the European Championship into a farewell performance to remember, and so far he's putting on quite a show. The 35-year-old, the oldest striker in the tournament, one-upped Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Monday in a battle of past and present stars, scoring two great headers to give co-host Ukraine a 2-1 win over Sweden in their opening match at Euro 2012 in Kiev. After Ibrahimovic had given Sweden the lead in the 52d minute, Shevchenko responded by heading in the equalizer just three minutes later and then added the winner in the 62d. It was an unexpectedly upbeat start for the cohost's home event, which is Shevchenko's last in Ukraine's yellow-and-blue uniform.

Soap. Tons of it. From cute little Gucci "designer bars" to harsh, mechanics' borax; from tiny souvenir bars from hotels and casinos to big, old brick-sized Fels Naphtha. And all of it destined to ease the "Great Soap Shortage" in the Soviet Union - specifically in the Ukraine. Volunteers from Philadelphia's Ukrainian Human Rights Committee were busy yesterday packing up part of about 50 tons of household soap collected in a three-month drive in Pennsylvania and nearby states.

"I am a representative," said Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko, "of a universally unknown literature. " She paused, hands splayed, clear blue eyes sweeping the room. "The history of Ukraine is a great Bermuda Triangle," she said. "Things disappear there. Things are swallowed up. Great poets, great artists disappear in this triangle. " Her listeners pondered the idea of a vast Slavic land of nearly 50 million people transformed into a cultural and historical black hole, emitting no light, invisible from the outside.

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine sank deeper into political turmoil Monday after a disputed parliamentary election, with the opposition dismissing a government offer for a revote in a handful of districts and pressing instead for ballots to be recounted in more than a dozen precincts across the country. Western observers criticized the Oct. 28 parliamentary election, saying the imprisonment of President Viktor Yanukovych's archfoe, Yulia Tymoshenko, and non-transparent vote tallying were a step back for democracy.

Hawkish partner for Israel's Likud JERUSALEM - Israel's governing Likud Party on Monday approved teaming up with an ultranationalist partner, forming a hawkish bloc that appears poised to win parliamentary elections in January. The move to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party with Yisrael Beiteinu, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, passed by a large majority Monday evening at a meeting of Likud activists. "I came here today to ask you to vote for a strong Likud, a strong prime minister, a strong government, and a strong Israel," Netanyahu said.

KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine's highest court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for abuse of office, a case that has strained the former Soviet state's ties with the West. Tymoshenko was an architect of Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution that promoted democracy and unsuccessfully ran for president in 2010. She was sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2011, when she was found guilty of exceeding her powers while negotiating a gas contract with Russia while she was prime minister.

KIEV, Ukraine - Homophobic sentiment and violence against Ukraine's gay community are on the rise, despite increasing efforts to promote tolerance in the conservative ex-Communist nation, advocacy groups said Wednesday. The community was forced to cancel its first gay pride parade in the capital, Kiev, in May due to concerns that activists would be physically attacked by radical groups. After the cancellation, two gay leaders were violently beaten. Oleksandr Zinchenkov, head of the Our World gay-rights advocacy group, told a news conference Wednesday that Ukrainians have been increasingly hostile toward gays and lesbians in recent months.

He and his brothers lured young Ukrainian immigrants into the United States with promises of good-paying jobs, room-and-board and the opportunity to earn up to $500 per month. Instead, authorities said, Omelyan Botsvynyuk and his four brothers held them in indentured servitude from 2000 to 2003, forcing them to work on cleaning crews in big-box retailers and office buildings in the Philadelphia region seven nights a week for no pay. Several victims, identified only by their initials, testified Monday at Botsvynyuk's sentencing, one saying that she continues to "live in fear" and is "constantly worried.

Ukraine should have been awarded a goal in its European Championship game against England, UEFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina said Wednesday. "We made a mistake," Collina said. "I wish we hadn't made the mistake, but we did. Referees are human beings and human beings make mistakes. " England defender John Terry made a goal-line clearance in the decisive group match in Donetsk on Tuesday, but replays showed the ball was over the line. England led, 1-0 at the time and went on to win by that score.

At the European Championship on Friday, England's Theo Walcott came on as a substitute to score one goal and set up a brilliant strike by Danny Welbeck for a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Sweden in Kiev, Ukraine. The result eliminated the Swedes and leaves the English needing only a draw in their final Group D match against cohost Ukraine to ensure a spot in the quarterfinals. For that match, England striker Wayne Rooney will be back from suspension. England had wasted a halftime lead and fell behind, 2-1, but Walcott came on in the 61st minute and made it 2-2 in the 64th.

Andriy Shevchenko is determined to turn the European Championship into a farewell performance to remember, and so far he's putting on quite a show. The 35-year-old, the oldest striker in the tournament, one-upped Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Monday in a battle of past and present stars, scoring two great headers to give co-host Ukraine a 2-1 win over Sweden in their opening match at Euro 2012 in Kiev. After Ibrahimovic had given Sweden the lead in the 52d minute, Shevchenko responded by heading in the equalizer just three minutes later and then added the winner in the 62d. It was an unexpectedly upbeat start for the cohost's home event, which is Shevchenko's last in Ukraine's yellow-and-blue uniform.

Denmark pulled off the first huge surprise of the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in Group B action Saturday in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Denmark's Michael Krohn-Dehli provided the lethal finishing that the Dutch inexplicably lacked, scoring against the run of play when he picked up a loose ball close to the penalty area in the 24th minute, left two defenders standing, and shot through the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg from a tight angle. "It was the only dangerous action of Denmark," Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel said.

Trainer Dale Romans is criticizing the New York State Racing and Wagering Board's decision to establish a detention barn for Belmont Stakes starters by saying regulators "think we're all crooks. " Romans, who will saddle Dullahan in an effort to thwart I'll Have Another 's bid to become the first Triple Crown champion in 34 years, said Friday that the decision failed to put the welfare of horses first. "They are not cars that you can just go and move from one garage to the next," he said.