The crown 👑 the virus 🦠 Mr. Soros opened to us back in 2012. Part 3.
24-ዘዐሀዩ ጠልፘልጓፗበይ 📓 'ናልናዘዓሀልዩ'⏳ƬɼⅈᎴʋℓɛ ℵ 🔬Ꮥɑℽʂ 🎙
Joining the forgotten secrets of Soros. Because everything in this world is connected by one thin rope.
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Rarely happened, that Soros himself or a handsome son opened and showed everyone their cards. This is the lot of your chosen friends and autumn confidants. George is no philanthropist, just like Gates.
Soros does not use the crisis around COVID19 to promote his perverted ideas. He is one of the creators of this crisis, previously imbued with perversions in the form of perverted ideas. It is a clear ideology, once closely associated with Marxism, aimed at the destruction of human civilization. And it should be remembered that Soros is not one such figure Varangians, random lost passenger and perverted man . Here works a whole international criminal group of politicians former and present, secret organizations and mafia, intertwined in the community. This is not an initiative of one person.
The network of influence and contacts he has created is enormous. Almost every major politician, one way or another, maintains ties with Soros. They receive financial and other support from the structures it controls. And in turn, many of them promote the ideas preached by Soros.
Usually Soros's activity is almost exclusively behind the scenes, everything takes place in a deep shadow. For example, he is suspected of financing various migrant caravans to storm the southern border of the United States. There are reports of Support for the support of soros youth activists advocating arms control and climate change. It is funded by groups of activists who incite racial unrest. The soros-affiliated non-profit organizations are encouraging the mass migration of refugees across Europe, as well as demonstrations by anarchists in all over the world.
Although Soros and his network of non-governmental organizations tend to operate in the shadows, it sometimes happens that his ideas come to light, to the public. One such development occurred recently, when Soros's true goal was revealed in an article published by openDemocracy, a corrupt media outlet that has long been the billionaire's mouthpiece.
The article is entitled unequivocally: "The crisis around the coronavirus shows that it is time to abolish the family." That's it, no more and no less: Soros wants the complete destruction of the institution of the family . In fact, traditional Marxists worked on it, and the Bolsheviks initially proclaimed women as a common asset.
Soros and his network have been working on this for many years. They support and promote a change in the definition of marriage itself, so that the most important institution of society will lose its core element - the complementarity of the sexes, and the main function - to unite the two halves of humanity for the benefit of children born in their union. .
Just think about any possible way to undermine the institution of the family, whether economic, structural, legal or social aspects - everywhere you can see the current policies and practices behind which the network of non-governmental organizations created by Soros is behind.
The above-mentioned article, published by the website openDemocracy, is not written by Soros himself, but its publication by this propaganda mouthpiece is clearly aimed at promoting his inhumane ideas.
While all the life experience of mankind since the beginning of time shows that family ties give a person the best opportunity to ensure their safety, feel love, care, friendly support and comfort, the authors of the article in openDemocracy call to give up all this. On the contrary, they see the family as the cause of human suffering.
According to them, the family is "a hoax of couples, the romanticization of blood kinship and the violation of the human right to personal living space." The author denounces everything she considers to be defining elements of the family, including "patriarchal upbringing" which, as everyone knows, is the source of most of the violence on earth". In this environment, in her opinion, "all people with non-traditional sexual orientation, especially the elderly and children, are by definition deprived of safety." "The quarantine is, in essence, the dream of a domestic despot, a situation in which the head of the house acquires almost unlimited power over all members of the family," she writes. "It is the family that is the hotbed of domestic violence, including rape and child molestation, sexual minorities, sexual assault, psychological torture, and so on."
From the author's point of view, even if the family "does not pose a direct physical or psychological threat to the individual... traditional family as a way of social reproduction is still no good. It divides us by gender, nationality and race. It sets the best standards for us to be productive. It makes us believe that we are "personalities." She blackmails us, and we mistaken her for the only source of love and care that can only exist. We deserve something better than family. And the current coronavirus pandemic is a great time to put the family off in practice."
This is the purpose of the network of non-governmental organizations created by George Soros. They want to replace the family with a kind of global state, which, they say, does not recognize borders, national identity and other differences. A person's value is determined solely by the degree of benefit he brings to the collective. The elites know what's best for everyone. We only need to obey for our own good and the good of the whole society. Funny, Soros's main organization is called the Open Society Foundation. In fact, there's nothing close to openness.
This is a rare case when we are presented with a perverted worldview, rather than perverted, but obscurantist, destructive, satanic in the form of the guise of Soros and similar people who hate the family and condemn "family values". No matter how hard it is and who is not, we must look open-eyed at this ugly ideology and the depravity of such a point of view. We must be aware of the harmful consequences of such a movement of society towards the destruction of the family. The current pandemic is indeed the perfect time to think about the family, not to destroy it, as Soros's agents want, but rather to protect and strengthen its values.
Let's go 🛫 to our camels.
EB: I noted that with regard to the constitutional reform, the Renaissance Fund is concerned that this government committee is closed. He asked if it was possible to involve independent experts in the constitutional reform process.
AT: Noted that over the past few months, constitutional reform has been in the background, but over time, the role of the constitutional committee will change in such a way as to include independent experts.
7. Meeting with ambassadors of EU countries, IMF and UNDP
Participants: Lenny Bernardo - LB (Open Society Foundation), Ivan Krastev - IC (Chairman of the Center for Liberal Research), Sabine Fraser - SF (Open Society Foundation), Evheniy Bystritsky - EB (Executive Director, International Renaissance Foundation), Alexander Sushko - AS (Renaissance Foundation), Alessandra Tisot - AT, [Alessandra Tisot] (UNDP), Jerome Vacher - DV, [Jerome Vacher] (IMF), Jan Tombinsky - YT, [Jan Tombinsky] (Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine), Henrik Lytvyn - GL, [Henrik Litvin] (Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine), Andreas von Beckerath - AB, [Andreas von Beckerath] (Ambassador of Sweden), George Soros - DS.
EB: I informed the ambassadors about our plans and outlined three main points.
SF: I noted that the Renaissance Foundation and the Open Society Foundation are the largest in the region and our value is increased by a local presence and contacts with civil society and local experts throughout Ukraine. She also noted our ability to respond quickly and that we can respond quickly to start projects with the intention of handing them over to major donors for continuation. And we need to think over the withdrawal of the Open Society Foundation from projects from the very beginning. She worked on this with Sasha Pivovarsky and Erik Berglof, and we are currently working on creating this group at the level at which it should be.
AS: We have three areas in which we aim to contribute:
• Constitutional reforms: there is a demand from civil society and government to help move this process forward, and we are currently seeing an unfortunate trend of excluding independent civil society experts from the constitutional assembly.
• There is a need to justify the reforms by the work of independent experts in conjunction with pro-government MPs in order to start the transition process, supporting a civil dialogue to create a new social contract between the state and society.
• Economic reforms: they will only succeed if they are based on the foundations of reforms in the administrative structures of the civil service and government ministries. We must help the government to carry out these reforms and local government will undoubtedly be a part of this.
• Establishment of a coordinating body or committee to work on the most effective use of international assistance. There is a need to create strategic channels of communication and draw on the experience of other countries and context to work with agencies responsible for international assistance.
EB: I noted that the key point is the coordination of our assistance projects and the intention to provide assistance to the Ukrainian government. Many international organizations and donors intend to provide assistance, so coordination and communication is essential to avoid duplication of work and avoid wasteful duplication.
• When asked if we should hold regular donor coordination meetings or create a dedicated agency for this purpose; he pointed to the example of the Millennium Development Corporation.
DS: Noted that we are specifically working on assistance packages that drive demand, and we are flexible in the planning process.
We develop an economic and political strategy that is responsive to the demands of civil society and various government agencies.
• E-government initiative in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice
• Once the general structure of the proposed activity is clear, we will present the first fruits of our efforts.
EB: It is not productive to provide support only at a high level. We must change and create a new Ukraine, involving new people and using their representation to transform the country. Therefore, we will rely on two groups of experts in our work, one from the territory of Ukraine, and the other consisting of a group of international experts, because local experts understand the nuances of the situation, and international experts can speak from the standpoint of world experience in general and events in particular.
YAT: 40 days have passed since the fall of the Yanukovych regime. This is enough time to see what is happening (or what is arising), we ourselves think a lot about the problems that you are trying to solve.
• The fantastic potential of people is almost stolen by the political games taking place in the country, there is a need for systemic change, not just replacement of people
• People participating in the presidential campaign are part of the problem, not the solution
• Focus on a number of macro structures to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated
• He noted that he is less optimistic than he was a few weeks ago, because he finds it necessary to publicly shame people in order to convey the meaning of the messages
• Agrees that aid should be needs-driven and thinks that we need to create a single focal point at the prime minister level to coordinate all aid because if we can identify specific needs we can respond more quickly and efficiently
• The need to address transparency and anti-corruption issues is clear
• There is a clear need for administrative reform; there should be a professional administration, not a person stimulating the administration by moving teams from ministry to ministry
• It is necessary to empower local self-government and local government institutions by delegating sufficient powers to them
• Since the judiciary is what triggered the protests, there is a need to restore confidence in this institution by laying the foundations of public freedoms
• There are nine macro structures that need to be considered immediately
• The need for constitutional reform
• It is necessary to consider a long-term vision strategy using short-term plans in order to ensure that there are no contradictions; Ukraine currently seriously lacks a long-term vision
• Noted that they have prepared a document for the government, based on international assistance and will present it to the Prime Minister
• It is necessary to create a body that will decide the issue of European integration of Ukraine and the course of its implementation, it should report directly to the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
EB: Maidan helped people to understand the long-term prospects of reforms. He noted that we must use the energy of the masses of civil society to lobby for concrete changes in law and governance, because the current government does not have the capacity to do so. There is a need to combine the energy of civil society with top-level government experts.
AS: I noted that the current government should return to the idea of a special minister for EU affairs and integration, and that this should not be part of the Foreign Ministry. There is hope for this, because at a meeting with the Foreign Minister, he noted that it should not be part of the Foreign Ministry, because they lack the capacity to do such work effectively.
DS: Noted that the Renaissance Foundation is in a unique position because it has strong roots in civil society, but also many good contacts and relationships with the transitional government. He noted that he was impressed with the maturity of the Renaissance Foundation and civil society in general. Soros then presented a WISE view that could solve the long-term dilemma over short-term vision. There is a good chance of solving problems thanks to the reputation of the Development Fund both inside and outside the government.
• He noted that we are confronting serious external and internal challenges; noticing that Putin cannot afford a new Ukraine because of his idea of the original sin of the Ukrainian people
AB: Ukraine should be the locomotive of reforms. He found that there is a belief that foreigners will come and help fix all problems, leading to the need to clearly and consistently state that Ukraine must take the driver's place in all these reform and nation-building efforts.
• Doubts the ideas concerning international advisory groups, since this reinforces this impression, it is necessary to involve, first of all, Ukrainian experts in creating initiatives, as well as tactfully include representatives of the Eastern and Southern regions of the country
• Lack of capacity to take responsibility within government, ministries will need time to accept reform ideas and donor assistance
• It is necessary to convince Ukraine of the need to coordinate donor assistance on the basis of a single platform
• It is necessary to cooperate with regional ministries and state bodies, as this is potentially more effective
• Noted that civil society is important and that it is a group that gives it hope in the current situation. There is a need to use the Maidan to accelerate modernization and optimize capacity as a watchdog and factor for reform.
EB: Without the activity and energy of the forces of civil society, it is impossible to carry out changes in the country. He also noted that currently there is a gap between the Maidan of Dreams - civil society and government realities.
IK: Noted the need for rapid decentralization in order to facilitate the government's work in the long term, because rapid decentralization would prevent it from playing the minority card that Russia could use to disrupt elections and pander to instability.
LB: Proposed a realistic look. He noted that there is a decent chance that ideas will not work the way we and civil society want, there is a need to brainstorm how we can maintain faith in civil society organizations, and how to avoid the possibility of going backwards, returning to depressing political situations.
AS: He thinks that Maidan can influence changes, both in the transition period and in the near future. He noted that the UN has deployed a human rights monitoring mission and its results so far show that violations are more of a structural problem. There is a need to publish an up-to-date report in order to compete with external propaganda and tell the real truth about Ukraine.
• He noted the need to think about how to deal with big business, because it can serve as a potential brake on future development. There is a need to create space for small and medium enterprises.
Big business is not homogeneous, there are different groups in this sector with different interests, some are interested in modernization, some work in the office, and some of them are associated with past corruption. Based on this, big business is not the only actor on the stage, the scene is becoming more diversified in terms of long-term strategy. This sector is also a key element of the Ukrainian economy. Hopefully we can create an environment that will change this in the future. He noted that we explained to Petro Poroshenko the need to make a choice between politics and business, it is bad for Ukraine to have such a conflict of interests.
DV: Agrees that judicial reform is a top priority and that salaries play a role in fostering the gigantic corruption in the sector. There is a need for comprehensive and radical reforms. There are many opportunities for reforms in Ukraine, so much the economic and political institutional conditions are dysfunctional.
• He noted the importance for society of exemplary comprehensive reforms in the judicial system and that we cannot simply raise the salaries of judges, because this will be badly received by society
• Noted the need for intensive preparation of the judicial system.
• It is necessary to make sure what role will be assigned to youth in the new system and what benefit we will derive from the potential of the young generation, here the Renaissance Fund will be very useful
• We need to encourage a critical mass of young people to be active in politics
• It is necessary to move away from the mentality of sawing off and corruption
• He noted that people on the Maidan, and especially young people, have realized the long-term course of the country's development direction.
DS: As far as judicial reform is concerned, we must change the signals coming from the EU. Currently, the Ministry of Justice does not feel support for a radical and comprehensive judicial reform due to the lack of signals from the EU and other international institutions.
GL: I noted that it is not ideas and coordination that are missing, but the political will to carry out reforms. Now it is important to support Groisman and Semerak. We must be careful not to waste this opportunity.
IK: I asked the group if the elections are held on May 25, will they be recognized as losing candidates in Ukraine?
YT: He noted that the EU is going to implement a state-building contract for 350 million euros, which could be used to finance the salaries of civil servants, depending on the needs. Civil society groups will fight to use these funds.
• Noted the need to create a platform for intra-Ukrainian dialogue between regions
• The EU is currently using video conferencing and EU Regional Information Centers to catalyze this communication
• It is necessary to conduct a public awareness campaign in the East and South to explain the benefits of EU integration
• In response to a question about Ivan's constitutional reform, he noted the existing need to involve civil society to create the necessary critical mass and identify specific problems in order to develop solutions
• In response to Ivan's question about the elections, he noted that Russia will do everything possible to try to disrupt the presidential elections and stressed that Ukraine needs to approve a code of conduct for the electoral campaign in order to prevent any incidents that could be used by the Russian propaganda machine ...
AB: We learned from the Orange Revolution that we cannot support individuals and individuals, but instead we must support institutional ideas and principles. There is a need to foster systematic change in the country by seeking ideas rather than people, especially in the presidential campaign.
8. Round table of civil society
Participants: Lenny Bernardo - LB (Open Society Foundation), Ivan Krastev - IC (Chairman of the Center for Liberal Research), Sabine Fraser - SF (Open Society Foundation), Ivan and Evgeny Bystritsky - IB, EB (Executive Director, International Renaissance Foundation), Alexander Sushko - AS (Renaissance Fund), Inna Pidluska - IE [Inna Pidluska] (Deputy Director of the Renaissance Fund), Leonid Finberg - LF [Leonid Finberg] (head of the Jewish publication Judaica), Gennady Druzhenko - State Duma [Hennadiy Druzenko]; Vladimir Gorbach - VG [Vladimir Horbach] (Institute for Euro-Atlantic Studies), Vasily Filipchuk - VF [Vasil Filipchuk] (Director of the International Center for Political Studies), Svetlana Zalishuk - SZ [Svitlana Zalishuk] (Coordinator and leader of the civil movement Chesno), Yulia Tishchenko - YT [Yulia Tyshchenko] (Chairman of the Board, Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Research), Viktor Taran - VT [Viktor Taran] (Head of the Center for Political Research and Analysis), Oleksandr Solontay - АС2 [Oleksandr Solontay] (Expert of the Institute of Political Education), Natalia Sokolenko - NS [Natalia Sokolenko] (activist of the Stop Censorship movement), Vitaly Shabunin - VS [Vitaly Shabunin] (Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Council Support Center), Natalia Likhacheva - IP [Natalia Lihachova] (editor-in-chief, Telekritika), Sergey Leshchenko - SL [Serhiy Leshchenko] (journalist, Ukrainskaya Pravda), Maxim Latsuba - ML [Maksym Latsyba] (Chair of the Civil Society Program , Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Research), Dmitry Kotlyar - DK [Dmytro Kotlyar] (Chairman of the Democratic Sub-council of the Renaissance Foundation), Igor Koliushko - Ihor Koliushko (Chairman of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms), Igor Kogut - Ihor Kohut ( Chairman, Agency for Legislative Initiatives), Andriy Kohut (member of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, activist of the public sector of Euromaidan), Oleksii Khmara - AH [Oleksii Khmara] (Chairman, Transparency International, Ukraine), Daria Kalenyuk - DK [Daria Kaleniuk] (executive director of the Anti-Corruption Center), Anna Gopko - AG [Hanna Hopko] (member of the steering committee, Okhmadet National Children's Hospital), Gennady Druzenko - DG [Hennadiy Druzenko] (activist of the Maidan medical service), Irina Bekeshkina - IB2 [Iryna Bekeshkina] (Director, Foundation for Democratic Initiatives), George Soros - DS.
EB: I started a meeting and appointed topics for discussion. He noted that George Soros has met with ministers and leading politicians over the past 3 days and got a lot of impressions. He asked civil society representatives to raise issues that they consider important and that need to be resolved.
• What are the challenges in the transition from the old Ukraine through the Maidan to the new Ukraine and how can we harness the spirit of the Maidan?
• What should we do at this moment? How will the Maidan develop?
• What are the expectations?
• How to carry out lustration without violating human rights in the broadest sense?
• How can we help those who live in Crimea?
• What is the prospect of relations with Russia and how will Ukraine see itself after the seizure of territory by Russia?
• How can they contribute to the revitalization of work in Brussels to inform the media about the situation in Ukraine?
• How can we use the moment?
• How can we support civic activism and social movements to support the new Ukraine?
DS: Noted that he was following the situation and learned a lot in the last few days. What can we do to help in this challenging and unique moment that is both challenging and challenging? How can we maintain and extend the momentum accumulated on the Maidan since February 21?
Maxim Latsuba: I noted that there is a need for reforms in cooperation between the government and civil society. More importantly, we must invest in civic initiatives, as evidenced by the experience of the past month, when civil society groups pushed through laws on free access to information, a law on the lustration of the judiciary, and a law on public procurement. In addition, he would like to invite international donors to accept the “money in exchange for reforms” program and to require the new government to implement them in exchange for foreign monetary aid. Finally, he advocated the need to include civil society groups in all dialogues with international organizations and the government in order to ensure civilian control over the process and results.
• He noted that there is a need for broad support for the resuscitation reform package by more than 50 nongovernmental organizations and assistance from international experts on which laws can be better drafted.
• The most important achievement of the Maidan was the empowerment, the growth of people's confidence in themselves and in the country, there is a need to continue to invest in grassroots initiatives.
Irina: I noted the existing danger of a split in Ukraine coming not from Russia, but from internal problems. That is why it is necessary to unite East and West through the launch of joint projects with the participation of non-governmental organizations from both sides of the wall.
Alexander: I pointed out that we must think about creating institutions, because they are not strong enough to defend themselves in the event of an invasion. He noted that as active citizens, we must focus on two things at the same time:
• Reforms
• Unification and preservation of the country, because a military invasion can begin at any moment.
SG2: I noted that the Maidan opened a new era and succeeded, because there was no elite left that Russia could bribe, the Ukrainians got freedom. He noted the need to work on state-building initiatives.
• The main challenge is to help communities organize themselves to achieve deep decentralization. The Renaissance Foundation should play an important role in this process, equipping the local city authorities with the necessary equipment and technologies.
• Institutional reforms of the state are important, because without administrative, constitutional, judicial anti-corruption reforms, no economic reform will be adopted.
Daria: I noted that what is happening in Crimea is not only a challenge for Ukraine, but also a global attempt to revise the rules of the game. On the Maidan, people protested against large-scale corruption and the corrupt political system to maintain power. She noted the need to promote targeted sanctions imposed by the West against Putin's inner circle and the need to return illegally acquired assets from offshore companies that corrupt Ukrainian officials.
• In order to do this, Ukraine needs the assistance of legal experts from the US and the EU to ensure the repatriation of these assets so that the funds do not go to corrupt officials.
DS: Noted that he touches on this topic in his article, which will be published in the journal New York review of books (translation of the article at the end of the book) and suggested the Renaissance Foundation to translate the article into Ukrainian, circulating it among people tomorrow around this round table. In particular, Soros noted that he has some allies who have worked on this problem in Africa and in relation to Firtash (the Ukrainian oligarch). This is a very lengthy, legally complex process.
• The non-profit public organization Global Witness is very closely involved in this issue, publishing a lot of information.
Natalia Licheva: I noted the need to study Ukrainian losses in the information war around Crimea and change tactics in the media sector of Ukraine.
• The support of the local media in the East / South and Crimea is now extremely important, and we must not forget to support those journalists who remain in that region. We must continue to support our media in Crimea because they will fill the information vacuum typical of Crimea today.
• We must understand that we will not win against the Russian information war if TV channels do not provide high quality content.
• It is necessary to pay attention to the low professional culture of journalists, as well as the need to raise the professional potential of journalists.
• Telecritics launched media lustration initiatives based on information collected with the support of the Renaissance Foundation, supporting the daily monitoring of the news.
• It is necessary to adopt laws on transparency of ownership (in the sense of knowing who owns a particular TV channel, trans.).
DS: Noted that we could temporarily resume the activities of the Renaissance Foundation's media program (which was closed) to solve the problems of supporting local newspapers and the language. He also suggested that Telecritics should get in touch with the US Ambassador and the US Agency for International Development in order to potentially get more funds from Internews to solve the problems in Crimea.
Alexander Khmara: I noted the need to provide assistance to those who want to resettle from Crimea, to help with administrative procedures and registration, so that they can become full-fledged citizens.
• The Renaissance Foundation knows all civic activists and must support local civic initiatives in order not to lose this connection.
EB: Well, let's start with the last thing you talked about, about weak support for initiatives at the grassroots level and focus on reforms. There are three pillars or areas in our work.
• First, the reanimation package of reforms (combating corruption), we visited the Cabinet of Ministers, and discussed with everyone who showed interest in the creation and organization of an anti-corruption bureau.
• Secondly, e-government. Groisman will play a leading role in the cabinet. Klitschko largely agrees that this can be done in Kiev and in addition to Vinnytsia.
• Third, the support of local expert groups, especially in the field of economics with the participation of high-level international experts, agreed with Yats and Sheremeta - agreed that we should discuss with Turchinov. All agree on the need for such support.
AS: I noted that Crimea, of course, is an area requiring some kind of response and there should be no restrictions in providing assistance to those who want to move.
• We must help those who want to stay in order to stay and live with dignity, but it will be difficult, we have already encountered a checkpoint and an automatic program to ban the entry of more than 800 people from the point of view of Russian law.
• We would prefer to have people as the fifth column to support the future of the Ukrainian language and society, as well as to maintain contact with the Crimeans.
Svetlana: I noted that we look at things too short-sightedly and do not see a broader picture of problems. In her opinion, there are three things that are absolutely necessary.
• Dialogue between East and West, because Ukraine is a “football field” that emerged from the political split in 2004. It is imperative to change the game by engaging the other side in dialogue.
• It is important to institutionalize trust in society because it is lacking. And without this, it is impossible to implement reforms.
• Show the responsibility of the citizens who won the Europaidan. This was done by people, not opposition leaders. The culture of citizen responsibility is too new, and we must make people feel that they are responsible for the political system, and not vice versa. We need to involve citizens at all levels and especially local ones for small reforms and changes to truly make Ukraine a democratic country.
Igor Kogut: I noted that the Renaissance Foundation always works on the quality of human capital, working at the level of education, civil society activities, government support and the creation of an open society. The Maidan must be transformed into a vigilant society that controls the reform process and demonstrates intolerance for corruption.
• Developing a culture of participatory reform should include citizens in the decision-making process. It is necessary to involve civil society at all stages of the reform process. We need to interact in the process of constitutional reforms.
• Ukraine is bankrupt in terms of citizens' confidence in the state. There is a need for the government to think about the links of the regions with each other and Kiev.
• Decentralization will focus on cities and towns as centers of intellectual and economic activity, with a focus on urban universities and the intellectual capital of residents.
Gennadiy Druzhenko (representative of the army reservists): There is no choice but to act and defend the territory, the Ukrainian language is independent, citizens are ready to sacrifice everything to protect the nation. More people who are ready for action need to be supported than those who just talk about it. Their advice should be secondary to those who act.
• I do not think that the state can be significantly reformed. How can a corpse be reanimated? The reality is that the reforms have not worked and corruption has only gotten worse. It happened historically. The more they talk about reforms, the more corruption.
• Maidan brought not only self-confidence, but also demonstrated the inevitability of the coming disappointment in Europe.
• We must support the Georgian model of reforms instead of the European one in order to promote the development of effective government and active citizens.
DS: In fact, collective democracy has not been successful, we have examples of representative democracy, and even it has not been able to establish itself in some places. That doesn't say she can't work, though.
• Revolutions, generally speaking, do not succeed, because they are unable to develop institutions capable of preserving their ideas and political will, embodied by the revolution. Once institutions develop, political will is lost, rivalry rather than complicity arises.
• Thinks that the success of the Maidan is a unique event for Ukraine, it is the birth of a national idea that legitimized it internally and supported it from the outside.
• The Renaissance Foundation is creating an expert committee, the main clients of which will be the spirit of the Maidan and civil society.
• You said that radical reforms are impossible - and I agree with that, because of the original sin of the regime. The current regime is the illegitimate child of the old regime, it is a rotten element. All those who have been involved in power over the past 10 years are infected with original sin and cannot afford the transition from the old regime to the new one, because they will end up in prison having lost or surrendered their wealth.
Ukraine's problem is the same as with the Russian oligarchs. Russia would like to move from friendly capitalism to legal capitalism, but they cannot do this, because they are infected with the same original sin.
The difficulty of transitioning from old Ukraine to a new one is, in fact, an original sin, but there is at least one area where radical reforms can be carried out, and that is the judiciary. You have to sell this idea to Europe by convincing them to accept it, and that is your job.
Kotlyar: I noted that the plan presented to cleanse the judicial system is good, but we greatly exaggerated the problems of Volkovsky justice (see the case of Judge Volkov v. Ukraine, - transl.). You can enforce it, it just needs specific procedures so that dismissals have the right to appeal and discussion. We need to make decisions in a clear, consistent and transparent process to quickly clean up the judiciary.
• He also noted the importance of access to information and the steps taken in this direction.
Andrey Kogut:
• The first need: training and education, now we have a high surge of civic engagement, but a very one-sided experience that we received in protest (with stones in our hands). This is a challenge we must face in order to show people other tools and opportunities for cooperation and peaceful change without violence. We need communication channels.
• The second need: openness of documents containing information about human rights violations discovered at the house of Yanukovych, as well as Soviet documents taken from the archives of the KGB.
It is very important to open them now, because we must clearly say the names of those who committed any crimes, will be made public.
It is very important to complete the stage of combating the legacy of the Soviet dichotomy between the Ukrainian and communist approaches.
Mikhailo: I noted that the Renaissance Fund should have a separate program for Crimea due to the need to support people, and even those who receive Russian passports. This is necessary because if people do not accept Russian citizenship, they will be expelled from Crimea. To reduce the danger of a split in Ukraine, we must support programs not only for civil society, but also grassroots projects in conjunction with various regions of Ukraine.
• De facto, the war against the annexation of Crimea and the threat of fortune-telling can lead to destabilization of the situation and chaos, which will play into the hands of Russian propaganda. You need to find the right balance of how to behave in such a situation.
9. Business lunch of the Renaissance Foundation with George Soros
Alexander Sushko opened the meeting by introducing the board and noting that the Renaissance Foundation selects board members from a wide range of different professions to provide the best information and strategic vision.
George Soros then asked Sushko to brief the members of the board of directors on the issues discussed during the meeting with the staff of the Renaissance Foundation the day before.
Sushko noted that he had already conveyed the main messages on board, including the idea that Ukraine is currently the main priority of the Open Society Foundation's network.
George Soros asked if there were any concerns or questions that the board members would like to raise.
Sushko asked Victoria Siumar to speak first, as she needs to leave early to take over her duties.
She thanked Soros for everything he did for Ukraine, because without these efforts, the revolution probably failed. She noted that the partners of the Renaissance Foundation were the main driving force of the revolution and the foundation of the Maidan movement. Victoria said the current period is critical as the government has to go through May and June to prevent a collapse in the East. She noted that many attempts have been made to threaten or destabilize the parliamentary majority (conducted by Russia) and that an assault on parliament is possible tomorrow. There is a clear need to demonstrate the legitimacy of the government. She noted that there have been numerous armed challenges to the borders of Ukraine from all directions and that there is a great chance of a full-scale invasion. Now that Ukraine has deployed troops near its borders to block attacks, these fears have diminished somewhat, but the threat remains. Now spetsnaz forces have moved to the center of Ukraine, to Kiev, to try to attack and destabilize the government. She noted that the Maidan was a center of positive influence on the new reformist government and that special operations forces were focused on promoting Putin's story that Ukraine is falling apart. Obviously, there are many threats to the new government.
Victoria noted the need to secure a deal with the IMF, because they have printed a lot of money over the past month and if this continues, the country will face an economic crisis ahead, which will have serious consequences for business and social impact in the East. The Maidan is currently calling for transparency and accountability in the process of state building and budgeting, and if this does not happen, then the Maidan will disperse everyone. And it will be bad if the Maidan starts to dissolve, because the watchdog effect will disappear. This will create the need to organize and develop a new political leadership based on the idea of the Maidan. In addition, she believes that we should not impose any reforms on the government, but instead should work with the government to design and implement reforms. She noted that strategic communications with the West should become a priority, because while the events in Ukraine are obvious to those living in the country, Russian propaganda is replacing these truths with myths and disinformation companies. She claims that one of the myths is the imposed federalization plan. Instead of proposing a plan for moving forward, Russia's plan will indeed contribute to the destabilization of Ukraine and the Russians know this. Under this plan, local princes and elites will have more tools and more opportunities to disintegrate the central government.
Victoria noted that this is a chance to change the old methods, moving away from the old approaches of the government in the economy, creating a real effective economic model and political system, which is not only a means to enrich the thieves' elite. It is imperative to coordinate reforms with society and non-governmental organizations, we must work with them to identify the needs of the processes needed to evaluate the reforms.
George Soros noted that the Renaissance Foundation has recently achieved unique achievements. He noted that he was in contact with Sushko throughout the development of this entire situation and he has his own ideas about the dangers facing Ukraine based on the information he received.
He then asked Kim to circulate the correspondence he received to the board. He noted that Ukraine is in grave danger because Putin knows he cannot allow the new Ukraine to succeed. He repeated these points in conversations with Angela Merkel and Obama, about federalism and his concern for the development of neighbors. He noted that he did not have direct feedback on this issue, and bases his conclusions on information about the reaction of Merkel and Obama. But he reiterated the need for the Ukrainian government to respond promptly and clearly.
Soros mentioned his idea that the strongest sanctions against Russia can be applied by the United States. He noted that the United States and the EU should participate in the division of labor, while the United States imposes tough sanctions to curb aggression, the EU is committed to helping Ukraine without applying sanctions against the Russian Federation. US sanctions should include the freezing of dollar assets of Russian banks and the dumping of strategic oil reserves into the market over the next 90 days to reduce the price or until the Russian government recognizes the elections in Ukraine and accepts their results. This will be the most important deterrent, according to Soros, the ECB will not freeze assets for a complete collapse of the Russian markets, but it will continue to exert enormous pressure.
Victoria noted that the Ukrainian government has not completely severed diplomatic relations with Russia and there is a clear understanding that the Russian Federation is obliged to recognize the presidential elections and their results. Putin's proposals to discuss everything except Crimea is unacceptable for Ukraine. Thus, the negotiation process was frozen at this stage. They hope to negotiate for some time on humanitarian and social issues with Russian representatives at lower levels through the OSCE or other international observers.
Ivan Krastev asked if the Russians really infiltrated the Pravyi Sektor, that is, is there documentary evidence of this in light of the accusations by the Russian media that Pravyi Sektor was involved in sniper attacks on Maidan protesters.
Victoria noted that they do have evidence of this and will publish everything they have on the issue of snipers this month. However, as far as the Russian track in the Right Sector is concerned, such information is very difficult to trace, although they know that the Right Sector is under Russian influence. She also noted that now there are unclear borders, since Crimea is occupied. For example, she asked if Firtash's group could be called a Russian or Ukrainian business group. She noted that the business was highly integrated with the Russians and that the TV channel (probably about Inter, - transl.) Belongs to them and currently acts as a propaganda mouthpiece against Ukraine for the sake of Russia.
She also noted the problems that have arisen since the beginning of the conflict, because there is no real border with the Russian Federation. There are many dirt roads leading from Ukraine to the Russian Federation and there are no border checkpoints on these roads. Therefore, this makes the border open for the transfer of cash from the Russian Federation.
Victoria also noted that they have arrested more than 100 Russian agents in Ukraine and want to exchange them for Ukrainians captured by Russian troops. She also noted that Crimea has essentially turned into a training ground for pro-Russian sabotage groups. When they finish training, they are transferred to the East.
The Sector Right is still a problem because they are armed with modern weapons and it is not clear whether or not they will add to the arsenal. For Russia, the behavior of the PS is very convenient, propaganda demonizes this group, portraying it as the leading force of the Maidan, although in reality the Right Sector had only 300 people there.
Sushko then invited Ihor Semyvolos because of his Crimean experience. Semivolos is still in constant contact with the residents of Crimea. He noted that it was obvious to Crimea that the events were suitable for an invasion. They were sure of this after the victory of the Maidan, and that the crisis would begin in Crimea due to the agreement of the coalition government, etc. He noted that no analyst could predict the seizure of administrative buildings and the occupation of the peninsula. However, there are two aspects of the current situation, one of which is the position of the Tatars and the other, he calls them “political Ukrainians”.
Crimean Tatars began to bargain to determine who would offer them the best conditions, Ukraine or Russia. Unfortunately, Ukraine has limited opportunities to win because it does not control the territory and the Tatars want to start a campaign for territorial integrity.
He believes that Ukraine should support this company, because without this they will not dare to start protests. Crimean Tatars believe that Ukraine is currently unable to return Crimea back and thus they believe that they should start cooperating with Russia. Decisions were made, but not at a high level. Russia is putting pressure on Tatar business groups because they see the accession to the Russian Federation as an opportunity to gain access to resources. Nevertheless, it is important for the leader of the Crimean Tatars to postpone the meeting on this issue until a later time, because he is the only one who can ease the pressure from business. The leader of the Crimean Tatars must show that he is ready to cooperate with other players and the population is looking for ways for the Mejlis to do this.
DS: Then Soros asked if the Crimean Tatar population and its leaders want to find ways of working with Russia?
Semivolos noted that the Tatars are ready to participate in the government of the peninsula and take part in negotiations with the Russians on the status of Crimea. But at the same time, they ask Russia and other players to compete for the right to represent / rule the Crimean Tatars.
DS: I asked if the Tatars want territorial autonomy as a basis for negotiations. Soros noted that they are appealing to the UN Security Council, but since the Russian Federation is there, they will veto this proposal.
Ivan Krastev noted that he does not believe that the Russian Federation will veto this proposal in the UN Security Council, because he believes this is an ideal way for Putin to demonstrate how well Russians are treating minorities.
Semivolos noted that there are a lot of people leaving Crimea at the moment, moving to mainland Ukraine, and that they expect an increase in the number of immigrants in three waves. The first wave was and will consist of people who left for political reasons. The second wave will consist of migrants who left Crimea due to other circumstances, lack of registration / residence permit. The third wave will consist of those who leave the peninsula for economic reasons, because economic security in Crimea continues to deteriorate.
Therefore, the task of civil society is to provide opportunities for people to stay on the mainland of Ukraine, and to maintain a constant dialogue with the Tatars, not looking at the exceptional difficulty of this. He noted that one of the reasons for these dialogues will be the strict regulation of non-profit organizations by the legislation of the Russian Federation. It is obvious that the dialogue with the Crimean Tatars should be continued. Semivolos believes that cooperation with the Russian Federation is forced, and the community still intends to maintain close contacts with Ukraine, which in the end, we hope, will be able to muster enough strength to bring Crimea back.
He also noted that the decision to start cooperation with the Russian Federation was controversial for the Tatar community and that some of them may start protesting on Monday, depending on the change in the policy of the Mejlis.
DS then asked if the Crimean Tatars were dissatisfied with the planned cooperation with Russia in this context.
Semivolos noted that he was actually dissatisfied with the position of the Mejlis on cooperation with Russia. He noted that this opposition to the position of the Mejlis does not necessarily stem from anti-Russian sentiments, instead of catalyzing pro-Ukrainian sentiments.
Currently, the leader of the Tatars is implementing the idea of holding a referendum on the Russian occupation in order to unite the population in Crimea, dissatisfied with the Russian invasion.
DS then asked Krastev if the United States could freeze the assets of the ECB to compensate for the losses to people whose rights had been violated.
Krastev noted that Crimea is a settled issue for the West and that negotiations are currently focused on preventing further Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russia's recognition of the presidential election results.
DS noted that Crimea should be legalized because the annexation of the territory by Russia was carried out by breaking the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which is not acceptable from the point of view of international law. To normalize the situation, it is necessary to recognize and respect those whose rights have been violated. He proposed to consider the possibility of creating mechanisms to protect the right to locate the Ukrainian fleet in Sevastopol, as it had previously been implemented with the Russian one. DS also touched on lustration.
LB noted that at the moment there is a regulatory committee created by the government headed by former colleagues and grantees of the Renaissance Fund. He asked if it would be in the interest of the foundation to achieve a much more sober or moderate approach to the issue of lustration, especially if they foresee the possibility of this process spiraling out of control. He also asked if it would make sense to raise this issue to the DS at tomorrow's meeting with government officials.
Yarema Bachinsky noted that he is a lawyer by training and has worked in elections and during difficult transition periods in the past. He believes that Ukraine is in a very dangerous situation with the only legally elected body - parliament. There is an urgent need in the near term to strengthen the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government through presidential and parliamentary elections.
He also asked if Ukrainians really understand what lustration is and whether the intelligentsia itself understands the essence of the problem. Instead of calling for lustration, why not shift the dialogue to a discussion of reforming civil services and strengthening parliamentary democracy in Ukraine.
Bachinsky noted that large-scale competition is necessary for the legality and recognition of the presidential elections as valid. There is also a need to think about parliamentary elections, because there is a specific electorate as a result of the annexation of Crimea to Russia. This will have a significant impact on the political system and the composition of the next parliament. It is important to create a fully legitimate parliament and president in order to have an absolutely legitimate political elite. He suggests that instead of lustration, we should advocate for a complete reform of the civil service and the organization of a national anti-corruption bureau to investigate all cases of corruption, especially at a high level, because this will increase trust in the system. Bachinsky is not even convinced that the term lustration should be used, instead focusing on restoring the rule of law in order to get to the point where Ukraine does not need lustration.
Sushko noted that lustration is a very popular idea and one of the main demands of the Maidan. He noted that the general understanding of lustration among the public lies in the fact that it is a punishment for those who were involved in the exploitation of the corrupt political system of Yanukovych, and that it should be especially applied to judges and police officers who sentenced and beat demonstrators. This is a very shallow understanding of lustration. He noted that there is a need to determine who is really guilty of corruption and misconduct of the previous regime. Politicians are not ready to tell people that classical lustration is impossible because there is no single criterion by which to judge. The government should not completely lose sight of the demand for lustration, but should help shape and simplify the approach used on a case-by-case basis. There is a need to establish a system of lustration and related procedures through the organization of a special government committee.
DS: I noted that lustration is a very long process and there are two scenarios, the first is the suspension of state functions until the completion of the process, and the second is the suspension of the courts until the completion of the process. He noted that you cannot stop the functioning of the state right now, because there is a real threat of destabilization. He suggested that the judges involved in the lustration process could be tested in the Saakashvili style through professional examinations. The judges who sentenced the protesters may be expelled due to the impossibility of passing the professional exam.
Ivan noted that because of Crimea, the lustration process is closer to the issue of loyalty to the Ukrainian state, and therefore the elites may be faced with the choice to cooperate with the new system or leave. For the public, lustration means getting rid of the elite and therefore there is a need to communicate what will be the reaction in case of wrong signals.
Sushko noted that there is a need for everyone to be adherents of the new Ukrainian system and the protection of this system, because there are many traditional Ukrainian practices that undermine confidence in the state. There are also some corrupt people involved in schemes under the old regime. At the moment, within the majority coalition, this is a dilemma. There is a need to find out and punish all those who are really guilty without undermining the state. Sushko argues that political lists must be clean, a mechanism must be found to change behavior and ensure that civil servants do not return to corruption. For Sushko, this is the limit. If officials are willing to contribute to the creation of new rules, then they should be able to move forward.
Soros thinks this is a good idea because there is a need to build a new Ukraine and yet the current government is tainted by the old Ukraine. Therefore, instead of judging by past actions, it is necessary to look at how government officials are behaving in the present and in the future. It is necessary to draw a dividing line between the past and the future. Soros reiterated the need for public relations, that they, as members of the government, recognize themselves as part of a corrupt regime and want to move forward to build a new regime based on democratic values. They must admit that they were part of a corrupt government and that there is no trust in the current cabinet to convince people that they want change.
Semivolos noted that the reconciliation commission has been established and can use these mechanisms and income laws to achieve this goal. People can directly complain and write to this commission. He noted that there is a need to reform the security sector. In this area, things could be different, it would be better to directly involve international experts or outsource these reforms as Germany or the United States did.Ivan Krastev noted that people want retribution and new ideological attitudes, if the principle of corruption is used as a betrayal of Ukraine, giving the new government legitimacy.
Sushko noted that society considers the lack of lustration as the reason for the failure of the Orange Revolution and the fact that no one was punished after those events, but instead returned to the government and ultimately to corruption. Thus, conveying the message of impunity.
Krastev noted that such a formulation of the question helps Yanukovych, because he not only left Ukraine, but took the side of Russia.
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Continue this unsightly story in the next part of our material.
Eɗiᴛ᧐r-iᥒ-ᥴɦiᥱf ദ 🃏 รཞ୲ദບℓ౿ ℓ.