Fashion of Diplomacy #9 ENG

“Person of the Year” strengthens the international cooperation...

Lithuania and Korea are among our nominants

ARKADII RAITSYN The founder and head of the program “Man of the Year”

EDITOR’S WORD: The spring is an annual renewal of nature that wakes up after a heavy winter sleep.

All the best, the most romantic and the nicest things come to happen in spring.

In the spring, a woman is honoured as a mother, as a guardian of the family hearth, and – simply – as a beloved one.

Therefore, dear ladies, accept my sincere congratulations on the arrival of the spring and on the international women’s holiday...

Sincerely Yours, Editor-in-Chief of “Fashion of Diplomacy” Anna Avramenko

«Fashion of Diplomacy» №9 Editor-in-Chief — Anna Avramenko Chairman of the Supervisory Council — Iryna Reznik Commercial Director — Tetiana Borovikova The number was realized by: Ihor Skrypnyk, Oleh Yanchenko, Alina Arkhipova, Nataliya Zatyshna, Kateryna Zhmud and Artem Shulga Literary editor — Natalina Zelinska, Natalia Germanovich Translation into English — Aksinia Sinko Photographer — Yevhenii Zatyshny Additional photo materials are provided by: Google source, www.freepik.com, www.thenounproject.com Concerning advertising, please, call +38 /044/ 228 06 48; +38 /094/ 828 06 48 Editorial adress: prosp. Stepana Bandery, 21, office 521, Kyiv info@fashion-diplomacy.com www.fashion-diplomacy.com Publisher — LLC «AMEDIA COMPANY» Printed in LLC «Univest Marketing» Company Circulation — 5 000 copies Certificate of State Registration of the print media KV № 22712-12612Р as of May 30, 2017 The editorial board of the magazine is not responsible for the stylistics and reliability of the information contained in the promotional materials.

The authors of the publications are responsible for the authenticity of the facts and personal names.

The opinion of the publisher and the editorial board may not coincide with the views of the authors of the materials published in the magazine.

Full or partial use of the materials is possible with the written consent of the editorial board and with reference to the magazine.

All materials are protected by the copyright law of Ukraine

Exclusive Partner

Official Insurer

General Media Partner

Official Hotel of the Ceremony

Sponsor of the “Ukrainians’ Idol” nomination

Official broadcaster of the ceremony

Official Medical Partner

Official Radio Partner

Official drink of the ceremony

Official automobile partner

Sponsor of a Solemn Reception

General Air Carrier

Official Information Partner

.UA ǏȒǸȉǺȒ ǸȋDZǵ

Official Information Partner

Official Information Partner

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Official Information Partner

Official Information Partner

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Official Partner of the Ceremony

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Exquisite partner

Official Partner

Official Information Partner

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

General Directorate: (044) 254 47 85, (044) 280 98 84, www.ludinaroku.com.ua

Official Information Partner

Sponsor of the Prize Fund

Official Information Partner

IN THIS ISSUE:

8

LUK JACOBS – UKRAINE WAS, UKRAINE IS AND UKRAINE WILL BE ATTRACTIVE FOR THE BELGIAN CAPITAL

FRENCH INVESTMENT INTO UKRAINIAN ECONOMY – ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF COOPERATION AND SUCCESS

14

20 GEORGYI ZUBKO – THE SECRETS OF THE PROFITABILITY OF THE MAIN AIR GATE OF UKRAINE

OLEKSANDR OLSHANSKY – THE CHALLENGES UKRAINIAN IT-INDUSTRY HAS FACED WITH

24

29

THE SIGNING OF THE TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK – THE FIRST THOUGH FORGOTTEN VICTORY OF THE UKRAINIAN DIPLOMACY

VOLODYMYR KHANDOHIY – BEYOND OF THE SCENES OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY

34

38

GULNOZA ABDUALYEVA - THE SUCCESSES OF THE UKRAINIAN FASHION-INDUSTRY TAKE THE BREATH AWAY

ARKADII RAITSYN – HOW THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS PREMIUM OF THE COUNTRY WAS SET UP

48

44 IS THERE “WHITE ELEPHANT” IN THE CARPATHIANS? – THE THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT UKRAINIAN HIGHLANDS

52

TYMOPHYI NAGORNY THE CHARITY IN UKRAINE HAS A LONG HISTORY

56

YULIYA MAGDYCH – UKRAINE IS A SYNONYM OF THE WORLD FASHION

DIPLOMATIC CALENDAR

62

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

“WITHOUT ANY LOSS OF TIME, PROMOTE THE EMIGRATION OF CAPITAL...”

In 1897, the Russian Empire was visited by the President of the French Republic, Felix Faure. It is unknown whether he visited Ukrainian lands, but he was informed about the rapid development of industry in the Kryvyi Rih-Donetsk region. Therefore, after returning to Paris, when the representatives of the trading world and the industrialists held a banquet for him, Faure, being impressed by what he had heard, said in his speech: “Without any loss of time, start to acquire new markets... hurry to send the barely familiar unexplored areas a private initiative ... to promote the emigration of capital. We will not let foreign competitors be ahead of ourselves...”. He was heard. So, if by the calculations of the researchers in the 1870s, only 5 French joint stock companies were opened, in the 1880s – 9, then in the 1890s – 29, out of which 18 – in 1896-1900. This was the most significant period of the French investment in the industry of Ukraine.

At the end of the XIX century, the French investments became decisive in terms of beginning of the first industrialization of Ukraine (then Southern Russia). It was France that offered its hand to Ukraine at the time when bureaucratic imperial structures had been refusing for 10 years financing of the work on the industrial development of high-quality iron ore in Kryvyi Rih region, the ore, which resolved destiny of the heavy industry development in Ukraine.

In December 1880, the Ukrainian landowner, who initiated and funded the exploration of the ore deposit, O. Pol found people in Paris, in particular, Pol Talabo, who took risks and set up Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Joint Stock Company with a capital of 5 million francs. The company issued 10,000 shares of 500 francs that were taken within 24 hours! Among the shareholders were French entrepreneurs, bankers, engineers whose names were well-known and who knew

8

#9, March 2018

their stuff. The case of industrial development of ore was moving fast, providing the first in Katerynoslav governorate factory of Englishman John Hughes (Hughesovka, a modern city of Donetsk, Donetsk metallurgical combine) the best ore for the production of railroads.

Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Joint Stock Company was the second judging by the time of foundation by the French company in Ukraine. The first one was the French Mining and Industrial Society, known as the “Rutchenkivske Mining and Industrial Society” (1875), the third – the Society for the development of rock salt and natural soda in the South of Russia (1884). Thus, the first industrial joint-stock companies, created at the expense of French investment in the empire, acted precisely in the Ukrainian region.

It had been 20 years from the beginning of the 1880s, when the new mining region began to develop in Ukraine. And the region left far behind and overshadowed with its glory the other regions of the empire, Ural and Polish, in its development. Judging by the pace of growth of the Ukrainian industrial region, – “unheard success, the American image of the production development” – stated the researchers in the early XX century. And all thanks to the foreign investments in the region.

France was the main financial investor of the empire, but its interest was concentrated in the Kryvyi Rih – Prydniprovsk – Donetsk region, near the rich coal and iron ore deposits. French banks, and in the first place the Societe Generale bank, which establishes and finances industrial giants, became the driving force of French capital at that time.

Indeed, the history tells that thanks to Franco-Belgian investments, entrepreneurship, drawings, know-how in south-eastern Ukraine (then Katerynoslav governorate), giant metallurgical plants with blast furnaces were built. And these were the largest and best plants in the empire, the images of which staggered the imagination of contemporaries.

1.

THE JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF ORE OF KRYVYI RIH, PARIS, 1881, PAUL TALABAUX, ALFONSE PARRAN

The miners of the Kryvyi Rih Company dressed in the professional uniform in the local market

Jean Elise Reclue (1830–1905), the French historian and geographer, the author of the new universal textbook of geography “The Earth and The People» (1873–1893)

The mine of the Company

O. M. Pol, the entrepreneur, the founder of the industrial mining of the ore and the founder of the Company of Ore of Kryvyi Rih

The trestle of the mine of the Company

The view of the miners’ settlement Saksaghan

The share of the Company of Ore of Kryvyi Rih, Paris, 1911

UKRAINE FRANCE: THE HISTORY OF THE RELATIONS THE END OF THE XIX THE BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY THE DNIPROPETROVSK NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM NAMED AFTER D.I. YAVORNYTSKY The exposition of the Company of Ore of Kryvyi Rih at the AllRussian Exhibition of the Arts and Industry, Moscow, 1882.

The workers and employees at the one of the stone-pits

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The share of the Company of Ore of Kryvyi Rih

French investors invested money in the construction of the Oleksandrivsk metallurgical plant and the pipe-rolling plant in Katerynoslav (now Dnipro City), the Dnipro plant in the village of Kamianske (Prydniprovsky industrial region).

In 1914, the French capital functioned in 12 metallurgical joint stock companies of the region out of 14. Thus, most of the big metallurgical plants of the Katerynoslav governorate belonged entirely or partially to French capital. At the Paris Stock Exchange, shares of 10 companies of the metallurgical industry of Ukraine – Kryvyi Rih, Nikopol-Mariupol, Russian-Belgian, SouthRussian Dnipro, Donetsk-Yurivka, Olkhovka, Russian Providans, Konstiantyniv, Donetsk and Briansk – rotated.

Metallurgical joint-stock companies had their mines, coal mines in Kryvorizhzhia and Donbass. French capital was also invested in construction and chemical enterprises, mechanical engineering and electricity, railway construction in the Dnipro region and Donbass.

The original materials of the museum’s stock are the evidence of this story – securities of joint stock companies, photographs of French and Ukrainian entrepreneurs, founders and managers

10

#9, March 2018

of factories, metal mines and coalmines. There are the autographs of well-known French entrepreneurs, bankers – Р. Duvall, P. Dumera (in the future – the President of France), E. Pasteur, M. Versstrat, T. Lombardo and many others on the shares and bonds. There is also an autograph of famous French banker and industrialist Pierre Darcy (1870-1918), who was called “a venerable metallurgist”. Accused of conspiracy against the Soviet power, arrested, he died on December 23, 1918, after three months of staying in Butyrka prison, because of cold, hunger and disease.

Geography of the enterprises with French capital is the most diverse. It includes Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, Katerynoslav (now Dnipro), Luhansk, Yenakiieve, Mariupol, Debaltsevo, Toretsk, Nikopol, Druzhkivka, Makiivka, Krasnohorivka, Alchevsk, Shterivka and others. Many enterprises, created in the 1890s, have survived to this day.

Dmytro Pirkl, a co-author of the project “Foreign Investments in Ukraine.

The end of XIX – the beginning XX century.”

Valentyna Lazebnyk, the Head of the Department of the Dnipropetrovsk National History Museum named after D.I. Yavornytsky

A F R O ME C E

The standard of your life!

Ecological products from Ukraine: · Cookies · Energy bars · Granola · Kruton · Honey 41, Chernovola street, Kyiv Phone: +380 50 177 53 00, +380 63 411 82 32

NEWS

THE PROCESS OF ATTRACTING OF THE INVESTMENT INTO THE UKRAINIAN ECONOMY IS ON THE GOOD MOVE The International Trade Club started its work in 2018 with the joint meeting with the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Such meetings are held annually by Trade Club, but this year’s meeting was even larger and even more representative than usual.

The meeting began with B2B communication between Ukrainian industrialists and entrepreneurs, members of the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the representatives of the International Trade Club, the heads of trade and economic missions of the embassies of foreign countries accredited in Ukraine.

During the meeting, the issues of economic cooperation between Ukraine and other countries, issues of business cooperation and attraction of investments were discussed.

The meeting was attended by more than 29 representatives of international organizations and foreign embassies accredited in Ukraine, as well as representatives, more than 140 firms and enterprises from the city of Kyiv.

During the plenary session the Deputy of the Mayor of Kyiv, Oleksiy Reznikov; Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Member of the

12

#9, March 2018

Parliamentary Committee on Customs and Tax Policy, Oksana Prodan and Oleksandr Danileiko, the Head of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Exporters and Investors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, spoke out.

Oleksiy Reznikov informed about the Kyiv investment potential, Oksana Prodan talked about the innovations in the customs and tax legislation, Oleksandr Danileiko in his report emphasized the success of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in stimulation of the economic cooperation of our state with foreign partners.

Commenting the first meeting of the International Trade Club in 2018, the vicepresident of the Club András Kadár said:

— Such events are held annually by our Club, and they have not only extraordinary economic significance for Ukraine and its partner countries. Also, a strong investment attraction and an

NEWS increase in the pace of bilateral business cooperation are discussed here and this witnesses that economic diplomacy is capable to solve issues that political diplomacy cannot cope with, and that is why it is very good that the heads of trade and economic missions of foreign embassies have the opportunity of direct B2B communication with business community of the Ukrainian capital.

Vice-President of the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vitaliy Maystrenko, commented the joint meeting with the International Trade-Club, emphasizing the following:

— This meeting is very important.

We managed to gather 25 representatives of the embassies and more than 90 representatives of domestic business community.

As you see a businessman is not always able to get the access to the foreign Embassy and to get all the necessary information.

Therefore, such communication in the format of B2B is difficult to be overestimated – in fact there is a direct contact between Ukrainian

businessmen and heads of foreign trade and economic missions. This meeting has already got positive feedback – at least from what I have heard. People got what they wanted.

Svetlana Ovsepyan, General Director of the “Sanfiltration” of the company that distributes filters and additional equipment for the filters in Ukraine, said:

— Such negotiations have a positive effect and positive dynamics.

Our company is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and we are very grateful to the International Trade Club for cooperation and for the possibility of conducting negotiations in the format of B2B, because neither Internet, nor the business correspondence cannot replace the direct negotiations.

As you can see, the International Trade Club started the year 2018 cheerfully and is not going to dwell on it. On May 27th 2018 the next meeting of the International Trade Club devoted to international cooperation in the banking sector will be realized.

Editorial staff

BEFORE RELEASE

Belgium is a reliable and trusted ally of our country in the international arena. But how and in which directions is UkrainianBelgian cooperation going on? What do the residents of Belgium know about Ukraine?

Ambassador of Belgium, His Excellency Luc Jacobs is talking about cooperation between Kyiv and Brussels in an exclusive interview for FD.

The connections between Ukraine and Belgium have a long history.

Before Ukrainian independence, in the very beginning of the 20th century Belgian business invested massively in Ukraine. What was the start of the Ukrainian-Belgian cooperation after 1991?

— I would like to agree with you because the relations between nowadays Ukraine and nowadays Belgium began much earlier than when Ukraine became a truly independent state. We should also bear in mind that Belgian independence is relatively recent too. We had been a part of other empires for centuries before we got independence in 1830 – but this does not mean that there were no political, trade and cultural interconnections before.

The early nineties, I think, were a very important period of time for the whole of the European continent. We witnessed the breaking down of the Berlin Wall and of the Iron Curtain. And not only Ukraine became free. They were momentous developments for the EU and for the individual EU member states to respond to. As far as Belgium is concerned, the formal recognition of Ukraine’s independence happened in December 1991 and diplomatic relations were established on the 10th of March 1992. So last year we celebrated the jubilee year of 25 years of diplomatic relations with a concert and reception on the 10th of March 2017, followed by several other events and publications devoted to it throughout the year.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which directions in our bilateral relations can be regarded as the priorities? Why? — When we are talking about bilateral relations we could sort of schematically distinguish between political, economic and cultural relations as well as people-topeople contacts. And if to follow this scheme, I must say that Ukraine is one of the biggest countries in the European continent, occupying a very strategic place and it is normal and it is logic that we pay a lot of attention to our political bilateral relations with Ukraine. Our bilateral dialogue fits well in the framework of the EU-Ukraine cooperation and also in the framework of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation. We take much interest in what is happening in Ukraine now and we have regular political contacts at ministerial or parliamentary level with your country. Also, we exchange views with Ukraine about what is happening in the rest of the world. In the economic sphere, I am very happy to see that many flagship companies of Belgium are present in Ukraine and were present from the very beginning since Ukrainian independence. Belgian business saw the potential of the transition of the state-led economy into a market economy and the assets and opportunities that the Ukrainian economy had to offer attracted important internationally oriented Belgian companies. I would say that this economic

14

#9, March 2018

BEFORE RELEASE

cooperation in terms of trade and investments can be regarded as one of the driving forces in our relations.

Can we say that Belgian investment into the Ukrainian economy has reached the level that used to be before 1917?

— You refer indeed to the huge capital investments that took place in the late 19th and in the beginning of the 20th centuries, which were part of a European wave of investments, in which Belgium played a leading role. You know, these two epochs are difficult to compare. But you are not the first one to ask me this question.

Also, your question may sound like the following one – is Ukraine still the same attractive place for investment as it was then? And my answer

16

#9, March 2018

is that intrinsically the business appeal of Ukraine remains the same. You have absolutely fantastic assets in the agriculture sector and your industrial base is very strong. You produce a lot of things – from hairpins to rockets, so to speak. Also, Ukraine shows itself as a very active and creative player in the IT-sector. So there are a lot of points of attraction for us in Ukraine and it makes Ukraine a very promising business partner. At the same time, the business climate in Ukraine is not yet up to the opportunities that Ukraine has in stock, but I am optimist by nature.

I must say that the Ukrainian authorities do lend a listening ear to the needs of the investors, foreign and domestic. And also, I must say that I see important reforms that have been put on the rails during the last three years. These reforms

BEFORE RELEASE are gradually improving the climate in which our companies operate. A lot of promises have been met already, but we expect of course this process to continue and to be made irreversible. In December last year I took part in our yearly Ambassadors’ conference in Brussels that also includes a sort of ‘speed dating’ sessions with business representatives.

And I have to say that Ukraine attracts a lot of interest from our business community. So I can say that Ukraine is on the radar of Belgian business, but I also sensed some hesitation that Ukraine needs to address.

Recently, the modern Ukrainian movies that had been filmed after 2014 were demonstrated in Brussels. Is there an interest to Ukrainian culture in your country?

— First of all I should say that, indeed, Ukrainian films are much appreciated in Belgium. Earlier this month, for the third time in a row, a Ukrainian film festival was held in Brussels, in BOZAR, one of the most outstanding cultural temples of our country. So, cinema is an absolutely interesting visiting card for Ukraine. And we have a cinema-loving public in Belgium, especially when it comes to art-house films of European production. Also, Ukrainian cinema has something exotic, in a positive sense, because it is opening up many unknown things for us. And that is why the film industry is a fantastic medium for Ukraine to showcase itself to the world. But I must also say that the interest for Ukrainian culture in Belgium is not limited to cinema. Ukrainian contemporary art is part of the collections of our museums and works by Ukrainian artists are being sold through Belgian art galleries.

In the field of music you know the prestigious international Queen Elizabeth Competition for young virtuosi. Many talented Ukrainian musicians took already part and three made it into the final. In 1999 a Ukrainian pianist won the contest. In Belgium we do know Okean Elzy of course, and Ruslana or Ukrainian folk/rock music. Also, Ukrainian fashion becomes better known, which is prompted by the growing international awareness around Vyshyvanka Day.

We know that your Embassy takes an active part in the Days of Francophonie in Ukraine. Would you appreciate to see similar Days of Ukraine being organised in Belgium?

— For sure! But we must realise that such a multidisciplinary festival requires a lot of preparation and important budgets. For the Journées de la Francophonie in Ukraine we can avail of the combined resources of several countries, active members of the Francophonie.

That is the first thing. Furthermore, I have always thought that an excellent way for the new Ukraine to promote itself would be the Europalia Festival biennial. Since 1969 this arts festival has invited 25 countries to Belgium, in the heart

of Europe. Last year, Indonesia took part in it. I think Ukraine should make an application for one of the next editions of Europalia. Why? Belgium hosts the EU and NATO’s headquarters. More international organisations are located in Brussels than in Washington D.C., along with about 120 international government organisations, about 180 embassies and thousands of diplomats, media people and lobby groups. You won’t find a permanent international presence like this anywhere else in the world. So when you present yourself successfully in Belgium, be sure that everyone will come to know about you. And I wish Ukraine could do that. Your country deserves it!

The conversation was held

by Ihor Skrypnyk #9, March 2018

17

INTERNATIONAL VECTOR

Boryspil International Airport – the air gate of Ukraine and its visiting card

What is going on in the Boryspil airport? Is the air gate of Ukraine ready for the football event of the year in Kyiv? Georgyi Zubko, the Deputy General Director for the commercial activity and strategic development reveals the secrets of the biggest and the most modern airport of Ukraine exclusively for FD.

Georgyi, what mood do you have right now? Do you feel Friday?

The week turned out to be pretty hard!

The sensation of days of the week has long been lost. I admit that the last six months of the dynamics of life is such that sometimes I think about today’s events, but it turns out to have been yesterday or the day before yesterday. There is a huge number of events and tasks so it seems that one day contains two and sometimes even three. But I love such a pace. This is my dynamics. The mood is great!

Tell me, please, how successful was the last year for the airport?

2017 became a record year for the Boryspil airport! We have a lot of grounds for pride: record rates of profitability, income, deductions in favour of the state, record passenger traffic and the highest level of wages in the history of the enterprise. The increase in the number of air carriers should also be noted. Six new airlines joined the airport in 2017 for flights implementation. This increases the frequency of flights, the geography of routes is expanding.

Our desire to become a great cultural centre of the capital justifies the great work. Artistic exhibitions, dance shows, solemn celebrations of remarkable dates, carrying out of draw games and flash mobs among the passengers and guests of the airport are rapidly gaining popularity at the airport. We have no intention to slow down the pace – we have “crazy” plans for development in different directions.

Which projects do you consider most relevant in 2018?

While answering this question, it is important to remember why the last year was remarkable! A lot of work had been done, which we will complete in 2018. I would like to mention a few important projects, all of which relate primarily to airport infrastructure. The parking project is a problem that has worried our passengers and guests for many years. This year we will have modern multi-level European parking. We plan to launch it in the summer, and I am sure that it is very important as a service component for passengers, as well as a financial component for the airport. The second project is a project of the transfer gallery, where the works on expansion of the transfer zone started last year.

In fact, we are building a large additional gallery, which will be first #9, March 2018

21

of all comfortable, cozy, filled with additional services and with services for both foreign passengers and for all who use the airport “Boryspil” as a transport hub. As for us, this is a priority within the framework of the hub model of the airport development. The new transfer gallery is more than 1500 square meters of floor space for operational and commercial activities.

What innovations and changes are awaiting those who will visit the country’s main air gate this year?

Despite the fact that the year has just begun, we have successfully launched an electronic luggage registration; the racks for substantive registration of passengers on the flight appeared as well. In the smoking rooms, modern compact and powerful filtration stations have been installed to clean the air. Currency exchanges are already connected and available for use at the terminal. We are preparing for the implementation of the project of terminal “D” planting. In the near future a tourist information centre for guests of the country will be opened.

From small to the largest ones – all these are the steps we are making, while embodying innovations. All these and other innovations will be realized in 2018, and we have no doubt that they will pleasantly surprise our passengers and guests.

22

#9, March 2018

At the Boryspil airport, there is a service called “Marriage in a Day.” Does it make money for the airport; is it a purely PR-campaign aimed at the airport promotion?

The task of the Boryspil airport is not to become only a transport hub, but also a great cultural and entertainment centre, and the question is not in PR, but in providing passengers with a quality place to fulfill their desires. We have not created it as PR; we call “Marriage in a Day” a kind and romantic service. It is very popular and, accordingly, also has a positive effect on the financial performance of the enterprise.

Our priorities are unchanged: development of various services for passengers and increase of financial indicators of the airport.

Do you consider Boryspil airport to be an object that is attractive to foreign investments? What can foreign investment in the airport infrastructure be?

Yes, definitely. Due to the fact that we received the highest credit trust rating, according to the IBI-Rating agency. Few companies in Ukraine, including state-owned ones, can boast about this. There are projects, which are carried out at the airport by own efforts, but

INTERNATIONAL VECTOR we have many strategic plans, and of course, we believe that we can and should develop the airport not only by ourselves. It is necessary to attract investments, it is necessary to build a proper private-state partnership. Of course, we are working in this direction. We are meeting foreign companies from China, Europe and the USA, with which we consider different ways of cooperation.

How is the international airport of the country preparing to meet the Champions League Final in May? My absolute and unambiguous position: culture and sports are the processes that unite the country today. There should be a lot of such measures; they have a positive influence both on the image of the state, and on the financial component of both individual branches and city as a whole. It is also a large-scale popularization of a healthy lifestyle and a great holiday! It is wonderful that we have got the right to host the Champions League Final! We, for our part, as an airport, will not let our international partners down, and work superbly, although it is a triple load on the airport.

To understand – all the production capacity of the airport can host up to 40 thousand people per day. According to preliminary data, more than 60 thousand people will arrive on the days of the Champions League Final. I am sure that we will be ready and meet our guests in a qualitative way!

How realistic is it to turn the Boryspil airport into one of the most powerful hubs in Eastern Europe?

In the modern world, there is nothing impossible. This has been confirmed lots of times in the world. Of course, we are striving to become a hub, considering our capabilities, first of all, technical. Record showings are indicative of demand and the fact that the Boryspil airport can become a great European aviation hub. We are working on this, but it is a great tedious system work where both the state and our p r o f i l e ministry of infrastructure should be involved. Everyone should understand

that for the effective development of the hub model, it is necessary to invested much in the airport infrastructure. And of course, it is possible to implement a hub model only together with airlines. We believe that Ukrainian air-carriers will support us on this issue.

How many people do the personnel of your subordinates include?

Over 4000 people work at the Boryspil airport. There are 5 services which are directly subordinated to me. And when we talk about records and results, we first of all say that this is the achievement of a coordinated work of the entire team and each employee in particular.

That is why working with the team is always a priority for me! And today, I still have the opportunity to be acquainted with everyone personally. Therefore, answering your question, I would like to talk not about the number of people, but about the quality of our working relationship and communications. Anyone can come to me; share their own problem or joy, and possibly an innovative invention or the idea of developing our business. We are striving to meet the needs. There is such a psychology of building relationship in our team.

What exactly would you call the main achievement of the Boryspil airport in 2017?

I can tell about our infrastructure victories, operational success, increase in passenger traffic, and so on. But it seems to me that the greatest achievement that allows us to run fast so quickly is the unity of our team. Under auspices of the Director General, the staff of skilled professional people was created. We are strong, united and competent to implement the set tasks. And among all our achievements, it is hard to choose one thing, thanks to the general aspiration to move forward and upward.

We are on takeoff! (smiling). We have achieved high results; our task is to keep them and to systematically multiply!

The conversation was held

by Anna Avramenko

BUSINESS IN UKRAINE

The development of technology is gradually changing our world. The models of information consumption are changing, and after them we and our perception of companies, state institutions and society are changing. Does digital consulting develop in Ukraine? What causes the powerful cyber-attacks? Oleksandr Olshansky, the President of Internet Invest Group holding company, a well-known entrepreneur in the field of information technologies and the father of the Ukrainian Internet, tells us today what kind of computer security system has to be in the country.

Please, tell us about the main directions of work led by your holding company, Internet Invest Group. How was the holding company created and how do you see its main function?

— Currently, the holding company includes various companies with varying degrees of maturity. Before Internet Invest appeared, I was engaged in Internet providing. Then the provider holding, which I was heading, was sold, and I started my own business after this corporate agreement. I purchased company – domain name registrar – Imena.ua. A domain name is the name of the site you type when you search it online.

24

#9, March 2018

A domain registrar is a company, which registers such names in central registries. Registrars have accreditation of such registers. At the world level, registrars are accredited by the international corporation for the management of domain names and IP addresses – ICANN. There are only nine hundred companies accredited by ICANN in the world. In Ukraine, there are two of them (one of which is Imena.ua), which was not little for our country. Then there appeared other directions in the Internet Invest holding company, in particular – hosting, and after that – the digital consulting agency “Olshansky & Partners”, which is engaged in turnkey network consulting.

BUSINESS IN UKRAINE What had become the impetus for the creation of such a powerful holding company?

— Everything happened by itself. I have been dealing with the Internet since 1996, more actively since 1999, as in 1996 the Internet existed in a rather limited segment. But the fact is that all my business life is network-related, and I like it.

What do you think has been your greatest achievement since you headed the Internet Invest Group?

— You know, this is one of those karmic questions that I could answer, having slightly changed the words of the classicist: I hope that my main achievement is ahead.

How many units are currently included in the Olshansky & Partners agency?

— There are four of them.

Sometimes they are interwoven, because consulting and marketing are not simple types of business activity. It is hard to describe with two words. However, I can point out that in fact we do the following – we are addressed by representatives of companies that want their products, services and customers not only to be present on the Web, but also bring constant profit and increase. And we do everything we need to do, starting with creating a strategy and finishing with the necessary technical works.

Last year, we all witnessed a powerful attack of a computer virus, which almost caused serious infrastructure problems in our country.

How do you estimate the state of the national cyber security?

— We were not affected by it, because we are very cautious about software, which is distributed centrally. All experts knew that sooner or later such an attack could take place. The danger was not in the fact of creating of the electronic accounting, but in the fact that our market of these electronic services has been monopolized. We had one dominant developer, and if you have only one developer, then sooner or later there will be “bad people” and they will do

their own dark job through this developer, in this case – insert the virus. The developer, eventually, is not guilty. One should not create a monopoly in the market of electronic services, because it is a simple contradiction to the principles of Internet security. For example, the recent results of the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) put me on the alert – it was about creating a single national security system that should be very powerful and reliable. After all, when you create something one, something super-mega-protected, then it itself has a high risk of being broken, because things that cannot be broken are nonexistent in nature. Engineers call it “the only point of failure.” Once you create a similar “point” – you are in danger. It should be understood that the Internet as a system is arranged exactly the opposite way. Its “stability” is not related to the reliability of its individual nodes. It is little known, but when in the late 1960s the talks about the creation of a superbly

reliable network (the great-Internet) started and then the main requirement was the necessity to create a network, the reliability of which would not depend on the reliability of its nodes. What, in fact, was done. This concept is quite difficult to understand and it is especially difficult if you are not an engineer working in this field. Imagine that it is about building an airplane whose reliability does not depend on the reliability of its nodes. This would seem impossible, but such structures exist and this process continues in the modern decentralized world. Decentralized systems have a special kind of reliability. These systems are not only reliable, they are antifragile, in the opinion of Nicholas Taleb; they can survive under all conditions. And when someone, working on any decision, ignores this principle – then there is a danger.

How do you estimate the computer security system in our country?

— In commercial structures, such system is not bad – there are a lot of good specialists in Ukraine. I even think there are a bit more of them here than in Europe. But, in the state structures, the situation is not so good. Information security is one more face of the war. And the war is a very professional activity. Therefore, high-tech engineers who are aware of what they are doing should deal with the questions of security. I admire military history, and I can say that over

26

#9, March 2018

time, military operations are increasingly shifting to the level of lieutenants, and even sergeants – that is, the level of those who are directly involved in the military operation. This is about the same thing. Our potential, of course, is not bad. Everything is spoiled by bureaucracy and the desire for centralization. Modern information security, on the contrary, is heavily connected with decentralization.

Which of the countries of the world are ahead in the field of wholesale internetization?

— You will be surprised, but the dominance judging by the density of computers connected to the Web, does not belong to the States. For some time, this dominance belonged to South Korea. But the United States is the absolute leader in creating the digital industry as such.

There is such a thing as digital sovereignty.

If in the 1960s of the last century sovereignty was provided by nuclear weapons, borders and powerful intelligence services, nowadays, the signs of digital sovereignty are own social network, own search engine and own geolocation system. In the near future, it will be possible to add own infrastructure of cryptocurrency market. And there happened a strange thing – with huge potential, entering the top 5 or top 7 programming countries – for all years of independence, Ukraine failed to

BUSINESS IN UKRAINE create any Internet-project of world-class. We do not have our own social network, our own search engine, our own messenger and our own payment system.

Why? Don’t we want to invest in it?

— I have my own version. I saw how it all developed, and I can say that our state was irresponsible to what could have turned into a global project. Why it happened – because of treason or foolishness – it is difficult for me to say. For example, in the 2000s, Ukraine was the world leader in software for IP telephony. Many electronic payment systems were written based on software developed in Kyiv. But all this was destroyed. The only thing that was managed to be built – this is our own provider infrastructure.

That is, the Ukrainian state is waging war against its own business and periodically wins this war.

I do not know why it happened like that, I think that this is the legacy of communist thinking.

In other words, a new generation will come and everything will change, won’t it?

— I hope so, but this new generation has already come. You understand – the train does not stand still. Right now the development of cryptocurrency market is going on. It is not too late – it is necessary to create our own infrastructure, for example – the cryptocurrency exchange in Ukraine, because in one year the place will be occupied. Now it is impossible to create our own search engine and our own social network, because the place is already occupied.

And we had the opportunity to have it all – not alien, but actually ours. At the moment, we are using other people’s designs – and they are not free and carry some political risks.

How many employees do you have now and can we say these are the best minds of the computer industry of Ukraine?

— We do not have a lot of workers, but all of them are professionals. After all, Internet Invest focuses on B2B business. That is, we provide services to other businesses. Therefore, we do not need a lot of people, but they should be the best ones.

You are known as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of iForum – a large-scale IT event in the territory of Eastern Europe. How will it surprise the visitors this year?

— Each year, Internet Invest is a co-organizer of the largest innovation conference iForum, which brings together the best companies, projects and personalities in the field of IT and related industries. IForum is a phenomenon of the Ukrainian digital market: for the last nine years in a row, the largest IT conference has been created on a voluntary basis, with the help of companies, which are proactive in business and public affairs. There will be the 10th anniversary conference this year. And there you can get acquainted with all the trends of development available today, in particular, startups, crypto currency, biotech, augmented reality technology, gaming technology and blockchain. We, as organizers, consider iForum as a place of ideas exchange. After all, the future is being born in such an exchange.

The conversation was held

by Ihor Skrypnyk

Tell us about your holding company?

How is, let’s say, the recruitment going on? Are there any special requirements?

— There are no special requirements.

We take those who are not afraid of loads and are not afraid of work.

We demand from people real work in real conditions.

We require of people the desire to learn, because the digital world needs constant updating of knowledge. #9, March 2018

27

UKRAINIAN DIPLOMATICS

Volodymyr Khandohiy, one of the most professional diplomats of independent Ukraine, spent the most part of his diplomatic career at the key positions in the representations of the Ukrainian SSR, the USSR, and Ukraine at the United Nations. He was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine in Canada, in the Kingdom of Belgium, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

At the present time, Mr. Khandohiy is the Head of the Ukrainian Association of Foreign Policy. In an exclusive interview for FD he is telling about the current state of the Ukrainian diplomacy, its victories, its problems and prospects.

2017 became a year of not only a powerful foreign policy breakthrough, but also a year of the numerous challenges for the Ukrainian diplomacy.

How adequately does our Foreign Ministry respond to these challenges?

— If to mean by a powerful foreign policy breakthrough the entry into force of the UkraineEuropean Union Association Agreement and the obtaining of a visa-free regime with the EU countries, then yes. However, I would like to emphasize that this victory was not without a reason. It was not a miracle. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our state had been worked for almost ten years for this result. As for the challenges and the adequate response to them, I would not say everything is so good. And this is due to many unfavorable factors, which are both objective and subjective.

We have to communicate with many domestic diplomats who are no longer working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Does the current headship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs address you and your colleagues for the purpose of consulting?

— Unfortunately, no, it does not. Since 2014, we can state that many professional and experienced diplomats have been forced to leave the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I would not now like to comment on staffing decisions of the current headship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but so it is. I would not like to talk about everyone, but the current leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not addressed and is not addressing me and many of my colleagues who have many years of experience in the diplomatic service. It is difficult for me to say why it is so. However, the Ukrainian Association of Foreign Policy, in the which office we are recording this interview now, was actually created by us, former senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, to help and provide advice to the current headship – not only of the Ministry but also of the state. We hope our experience will be useful to Ukraine in this difficult time. #9, March 2018

29

During the US presidential elections in 2017, our diplomacy underestimated Trump’s chances for victory. Great Britain supports us on the issue of territorial integrity, but still does not recognize the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people. In the matter of the status of Jerusalem, our representative in the UN has taken a neutral position, which caused a rather controversial reaction.

What are such shortcomings connected with?

— Let’s be frank – there are shortcomings. In addition to Tramp’s victory, our diplomacy has also “overslept” the victory of Andrzej Duda in Poland. When he had almost won, there were still the notifications from our Embassy in Warsaw to Mykhailivska Square that his opponent was winning. As for Trump, it must be admitted that he did not really hope for the victory in these supercomplicated races.

However, this should not serve as an excuse for our Embassy in the United States. They should have calculated all possible options and had a plan B, as it is customary in such cases. Unfortunately, our diplomats did not have anything like that. As for Britain’s failure to recognize the Holodomor-1933 as genocide, I must point out that the reason for this non-recognition lies not in the political but in the purely legal plane.

British law defines genocide in accordance with an international convention that was adopted after the artificial famine in Ukraine, which was organized by the Stalinist regime. Therefore, lawyers do not consider it possible to apply its provisions retrospectively. But, again, I have to repeat myself – nevertheless the Embassy has to work. Lawyers and employees are somewhat specific people, but in any law, in any system you can find a field to promote the necessary things. However, they are not doing this. Why? Here, we are again approaching the HR policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is a source of similar – as you have said – shortcomings. The same comes about the issue of the status of Jerusalem – to avoid voting – this is not a way out. Of course, it is not wise to quarrel either with the United States or with the whole Islamic world, but it could have been possible to abstain from voting, as some states of the European Union did.

30

#9, March 2018

UKRAINIAN DIPLOMATICS What has Ukraine done and what has not, in your opinion, while presiding in the United Nations Security Council.

Why? — I would like to point out that the chairmanship in the Security Council does not give the state any preferences and does not open up special opportunities for advancement of its own position. We can rather talk about the two-year period of Ukraine’s stay in this most important UN body in terms of results.

Unfortunately, there is nothing done more than done here. In my opinion, our work in this body could be more active and effective in the context of confronting Russian aggression in the Donbass and the efforts to de-occupy the Crimea.

Our diplomacy has not managed to increase the number of our supporters in the UN during the time of membership in the Security Council. So, we have the result – when a resolution on human rights violations in the Crimea was adopted in the General Assembly of the UN last year, then a little more than 70 member states out of 193 voted for it.

Are we fully using the UN and its mechanisms of influence to solve the problems of the occupied territories?

— No. Let’s talk frankly. The Minsk format is not effective. The OSCE does not fulfill its responsibilities as it should do. The proposal to send in the UN peacekeeping forces is appropriate, but why cannot we include the UN as one of the negotiating parties? This, of course, would have an impact on this negotiation as a positive factor. Unfortunately, this is not happening. And do not ask why. There is no substantiated answer to this question.

Constantly speaking about the problems of the occupied territories of the Donbass, doesn’t our diplomacy forget about Crimea, does it? Isn’t it worth to exacerbate this problem, first of all, through the UN?

— Of course, and this should be done much more insistently than we are doing now.

Adoption of the resolution is good, but I do not see the consequences of direct work with the delegations of those countries that are either abstaining or voting against when we bring up the Crimean issue. In addition, there are many tools in the UN arsenal that can be called “soft means of pressure” on the country-aggressor.

They need to be actively used. There are no trivialities in diplomacy.

2017 was declared the year of the centenary of Ukrainian diplomacy.

Many Ukrainian historians are outraged, believing that Ukrainian diplomacy began during the Hetmanate, or even in Kyivan Rus. Do you support this point of view?

— If we consider the diplomatic service in the modern sense of this concept, then it can be really said about exactly one hundred years since the time of the UPR. Although we must remember about the deeper past. Of course, there was a diplomatic service in the Ukrainian SSR, which, despite all the phantom thing of this state formation, became the foundation upon which the diplomatic service of independent Ukraine grew up. In my book “Diplomatic Storylines: Nonfictional History of a Career Diplomat”, which has just been published in the SummitBook Publishing House, I am writing about the diplomacy dating back to the Ukrainian SSR and the times of independent Ukraine. I hope that the difficult times will end, as we have something to rely on, and therefore we can move on...

The conversation was held

by Taras Dachkevysch

UKRAINIAN POLICY MAKERS

“Peace with Ukraine” (Friede mit der Ukraine) – Special notification on signing the peace with the UPR. February 9, 1918

2018 is rich in historic anniversaries, among which we mention the one hundredth anniversary of the conclusion of the so-called Brest Peace Treaty that became not only the first peace treaty during the Great World War, but also the uncontested success of young Ukrainian diplomacy and this fact should be noted separately.

A group of the officials that had signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: General Brinkman, Mykola Lubinskyi, Mykola Levitskyi, Oleksandr Sevruk, Maks Hoffman, Serhiy Ostapenko

Despite the assertion of many contemporary historians and political scientists who criticize the main state body of the UPR – the Central Rada – for lack of attention to the development of its own armed forces, the young state still had been resisting rather actively.

However, there were not enough forces and the Central Rada adopted an agreement to conclude peace with the so-called Central States – Kaiser Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. The Central States promised to provide military and armed assistance in exchange for foodstuffs.

The situation in the winter of 1918 was more than threatening for the young Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR), which, after proclaiming its independence on January 22, 1918, turned into an object of direct armed aggression of Soviet Russia.

The negotiations between the Central Rada of the UPR and the Central States were held in the city of Brest (now it is the territory of Belarus). The partners of Ukraine put forward one condition: the negotiations were possible only if Kyiv remained under control of the UPR. This condition was adhered to by the Ukrainian government, albeit at a very costly price, namely the Battle of Kruty itself and a series of fights in the north-eastern direction aimed at detaining Russian-Bolshevik troops that were advancing at Kyiv, and gave the opportunity to sign a peace agreement with new allies. #9, March 2018

35

UKRAINIAN POLICY MAKERS

Ukrainian delegation in Brest-Litovsk, left to right: Mykola Liubynsky, Vsevolod Holubovych, Mykola Levytsky, Lussenti, Mykhailo Polosow and Oleksandr Sevruk.

Another problem at these negotiations was the presence of a delegation of Soviet Russia in Brest, headed by Leon Trotsky, who was then People’s Commissar (Minister) of Foreign Affairs and who at the beginning of the negotiations categorically refused to recognize not only the

The first page of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

36

#9, March 2018

Ukrainian People’s Republic but also the presence of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations.

Only under the pressure of the Central States Trotsky agreed to «the right of nations to selfdetermination.»

Despite Trotsky, one of the allies, namely the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria-Hungary, Count Ottokar Chernin also caused problems to the Ukrainian delegation.

He, not without reason, feared that diplomatic recognition and signing of an agreement with a young Ukrainian republic could disturb the centripetal sentiment in the provinces of AustriaHungary, which we now call Western Ukraine, and therefore had his demands to Ukrainian diplomats.

The Ukrainian delegation consisted of people, none of whom was a professional diplomat and had any prior experience of diplomatic work. Actually, the Head of the Ukrainian delegation was then the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Vsevolod Holubovych, son of a priest and engineer in the specialty. Other members of the Ukrainian delegation – Mykola Levytsky, Mykola Liubynsky,

UKRAINIAN POLICY MAKERS Mykhailo Poloz and Oleksandr Sevriuk – also did not have diplomatic education and were mostly professional revolutionaries, activists of the Ukrainian socialist parties.

However, they managed not only to ensure the pressure of the representatives of the Central States on Trotsky, not only to calm Count Chernin down, claiming that the UPR would not require more than the creation of a Ukrainian autonomy in Austrian province of Galicia, but also they managed to sign the Brest Peace Agreement, the consequences of which were for Ukraine more than favourable.

First of all, Ukraine was coming out of the World War. Secondly, Ukraine’s ethnic territories, Chelm Land and Pidlyashya, (which, by the way, are now part of Poland), belonged to Ukraine.

Thirdly, and this was the most important, in the current situation, the troops of Germany and Austria-Hungary entered the territory of Ukraine and, together with the Ukrainian army, liberated the whole territory of Ukraine from the Bolsheviks.

In fact, a little known, newly-formed state, which did not have a fully functioning state apparatus (together with the diplomatic service), was able to impose its will on the superpowers of the world of that time, ensuring its own sovereignty and its own security, while successfully using the need of the Central States for foodstuffs. This peace not for nothing had been called in the German historiography as the Bread Peace.

Certainly, the further course of events turned out to be unfavourable and tragic for our state: Ukraine as an independent state disappeared from the political map of the world, but the perseverance, the patriotism, and the determination with which young Ukrainian politicians, not being professional diplomats, dared to defend national interests of their country in front of much more experienced political partners of the negotiations deserve admiration and appreciation from the descendants.

Editorial staff

The Ukrainian People’s Repiblic in accordance with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The borders of the UPR according to the Treaty

The regional government of Kuban

The disputable territories

The government of the Crimean Tatars

The territories with Ukrainian population

The Austro-Hungarian Empire

The borders of the German and Austrian troops expansion in the spring of 1917

The Temporal Adminisration of Poland – the Protecor Counsil

Pidlyashya – the ethnic Ukrainian territory that had been possesed by the UPR according to the Treaty

The Kingdom of Romania

Soviet Russia The regoinal government of the Don Cossaks of General Krasnov

The Democratic Republic of Moldova The Kingdom of Serbia

WHO ARE YOU MR. RAITSYN?

The nationwide program “Man of the Year�, which has existed for over 22 years, has long since become one of the visiting cards of modern Ukraine. Many prominent politicians, representatives of business and art circles are dreaming of becoming nominees of the premium, since it is given to outstanding people who have made a significant contribution to the most important areas of professional and social life of our country. Arkadii Raitsyn, the founder and head of the program is telling about the first steps, organization and about who was involved in its creation, in an exclusive interview with the FD.

Arkadii Raitsyn with the first President of independent Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, and his assistant Oksana Sybirtseva. 20th anniversary ceremony of awarding the «Person of the Year» premium, March 26, 2016

Please, tell us how the “Person of the Year” program was launched? What was an impetus for this?

— To be honest, dissatisfaction with myself became the impetus for this. It was 1995. It was the time of changes. We had to find ourselves in a new system of state coordinates. Until 1991, there was a great country of the USSR, where I, since 1988, was successfully engaged in organizing of the mass entertainment and cultural events in my hometown Dniprodzerzhynsk. But, since 1992, the need for further evolutionary steps had become clear. In the spring, 1995, this need finally came to the desire to create a public premium for the outstanding and extraordinary merits in young Ukrainian state. I knew that in some leading countries of the world (the USA, Great Britain, France) well-known premiums are annually given in the field of cinematography, musical and theatrical art. And I thought – why not to take the next evolutionary step?

Why not to establish a public premium in our country, which would mark achievements not in mono-genre, but in a wide leading range of professional and social achievements. I realized the development of any successful state is based on local, municipal governance, business and finance, journalism and art, sports, and patronage. I spent a lot of time working out the

40

#9, March 2018

most optimal model for the future prize. And then numerous consultations and negotiations started which led that project to the capital in order to gain the national status.

But in order for such a project to work in full force, it was necessary to establish certain connections and to get organizational work going. This is a titanic work. How did you succeed?

— The work was indeed titanic. My communicative skills, of course, came into play, as there were plenty of contacts and negotiations. At that time, there was a somewhat paradoxical situation – despite the fact that the Dnipropetrovsk region was then the staffing basis of state power in Ukraine – it was quite difficult to solve issues in the native region. At that time, there was a popular statement in the offices – “a feast during a plague”. Twenty and a half years ago, this phrase had time to become boring for me, as at that time I was questioned on the expediency of holding the planned by me event, using this particular quotation. Not everyone understood the topicality and necessity of this program. Nevertheless on March 2, 1996, in Dniprodzerzhynsk, a zero ceremony, as we started to call it afterwards, the ceremony of awarding the “Man of the Year–1995” premium

WHO ARE YOU MR. RAITSYN? took place. A quite powerful group of famous Kyiv residents arrived for this bright performance as guests and participants. First of all, there were very famous, popular cultural and art figures – Yurii Rybchynskyi, Taisia Povaliy, Pavlo Zibrov, Volodymyr Bystriakov, Taras Petrynenko and Natalia Mohylevska. Olena Romina and Les Zadniprovsky were invited as the show presenters, at that time the best specialists in this genre. We also invited the representatives of the most prominent print media, in particular, “Kyiv Records”, “All-Ukrainian Records” and “Mirror of the Week”. We invited a special correspondent of the First National TV Channel, and, the event was outlined by many representatives of the press on the regional and urban scale. When the ceremony took place quite resonantly, it became clear that a certain precedent was created. Moreover, among those who received the awards at the Dniprodzerzhynsk ceremony, there were: very well-known at that time banker Serhii Tihipko, who then headed PrivatBank, and in some time became the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine, and also a popular TV-presenter, Alla Mazur, who came from Kyiv to receive an award as a journalist, and serious representatives of

the regional elite. Then certain circumstances helped to elaborate the project, in particular, on the advice of Yurii Rybchynskyi, who dismissively advised to transfer the event to the capital.

Since August 1996, consultations with the representatives of the national elite began. Yurii Rybchynskyi and I were lucky to meet and to share already proven idea with a whole galaxy of wellknown statesmen who realized the importance of such a project. Among them I cannot help but mention Vadym Hetman, Dmytro Markov, then the Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine, Valeriy Pustovoitenko, then the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, People’s Deputies of Ukraine Serhiy Teriokhin and Olexandr Riabchenko, and many others. This way – step by step – a national concept was built.

In the autumn of 1996 it was clear that on the eighth of March 1997 there would be the first national-level ceremony. We were supported by the leading nation-wide media, which half the year before the first ceremony held the intrigue of the forthcoming festive event. Finally, the first ceremony took place at the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine”. Of course, it is most memorable for me for all the life. For when

Arkadii Raitsyn with well-known journalist and TV presenter Vladimir Posner. March 22, 2013

#9, March 2018

41

WHO ARE YOU MR. RAITSYN? Bukovsky are among our star winners in this nomination.

Moreover, not only directors became the winners, but also operators. Two years ago, Serhii Mykhalchuk, a talented cameraman, who received the main prize at the Berlin Film Festival, was our laureate in the nomination “Artist of the Year”.

Of course, we also marked famous actors of cinema and theatre, too.

In particular, the genius Bohdan Stupka, Volodymyr Goryanskyy and Arkadii Raitsyn with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Oleksiy Vertynskyy.

Ambassador of Ukraine Mykhailo Reznik and his wife Iryna Reznik. 21st solemn ceremony of awarding the Domestic cinematog«Person of the Year» premium, March 25, 2017 raphy has always been and is at the centre of our you are standing on stage and see the current attention. As for President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, and along book publishing, I can say that at our next with him a large number of top figures of the ceremony, which will take place on March 24, state and political elite of Ukraine, there are 2018, one of the most powerful innovative many representatives of the same elite among publishing houses in Ukraine – the Publishing the nominees, too, it is hard not to feel not only House “ADEF-Ukraine” will receive the pride for my own project, but also a great deal of special premium “For a Significant Multiexcitement. That’s how it all started ...

Year Contribution to the Development of the Ukrainian Publishing and Printing Industry”.

The contemporary history of Ukraine Over the past five-six years, it was they who have can be divided into two periods – before published and reprinted a huge number of great 2014 and after 2014. In addition to the and rare books, including the Peresopnytsia war, which brought a lot of grief, there Gospel. Incidentally, recently Ihor Shpak, one of have been some changes in the society. the founders of this publishing house, presented In particular, the rapid development of a copy of this unique edition to His Holiness domestic cinematography and domestic Patriarch of Rome. So, as you can see, we keep book-printing, which until 2014 had pace with time. been, frankly, on the periphery. Isn’t the Please, tell me whether you are introduction of new nominations being planning to introduce nominations in planned in this regard? the field of literature itself? Let’s say – — We have already got them. As for “Writer of the Year”? the cinematography, we do not need to — We have also long been including the introduce a new nomination – we have had the writers with the nomination “Artist”. You see, nomination “Artist” from the very first year of we do not want to piecemeal our nominations, the development of the program. Outstanding because that general concept, adopted in filmmakers and documentary filmmakers Kira 1996 by us, envisaged the presence of more Muratova, Myroslav Slaboshpytsky and Serhii

42

#9, March 2018

WHO ARE YOU MR. RAITSYN? extensive professional areas. Therefore, since the first years of the program implementation in the nomination “Artist of the Year”, we have always had outstanding people in many fields of culture and art. These are writers, poets, artists, sculptors, actors and directors, musicians and composers, bright representatives of the genre of decorative and applied arts. In particular, according to the results of 2017, one of the laureates in this nomination is Victor Gutsal, People’s Artist of Ukraine, conductor, composer, artistic director of a unique group – the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine. We honour artists in all directions, but we do not consider it appropriate to piecemeal this nomination.

You noted that you remembered most the very first presentation of premiums. And were there any legendary events, which have remained in your heart and memory forever?

— Yes of course. It is embedded forever how during the awarding ceremony, a great Ukrainian financier and statesman who for the first two years headed the Higher Academic Council of the Man of the Year program, Vadym Hetman, received the “Financier of the Year” award, solemnly lifted the award over his head. This was the second national ceremony in 1998, there are many images of Vadym Hetman, who is making this joyous victorious gesture. In 2015, at the ceremony based on the results of 2014, the most dramatic, most tragic and challenging in modern Ukrainian history, we presented the International Foreign Policy Award to President of Lithuania, a reliable and loyal friend of Ukraine, Dalia Grybauskaitė. She came personally to receive this prestigious award, the ceremony took place at the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine”, all the great auditorium of the palace rose, congratulating her. The award was

presented to her by the First President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, together with TVpresenter of the 1+1 Channel Natalia Moseichuk.

Ms. Moseichuk made a remarkable slip by naming the President of Lithuania “our Dalia.”

I cannot help but remember the appearance of the great French singer, Patricia Kaas, on the stage during our ceremony. Her purely French charm cannot be forgotten. Summarizing my answer to this question, I would like to point out that lately, when we handle international premiums to representatives of other countries, they all being on the stage express the most sincere wishes of peace and prosperity to our country. And this can be considered as our contribution to public or People’s Diplomacy.

Our laureates of international premiums at the last twenty-first ceremony were Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis and Chinese businessman Li Jinyuan and soloist of the Vienna Opera Zoriana Kushpler, and violin virtuoso, Vasyl Popadiuk, who is an ethnic Ukrainian, but represents Canada, and legendary singer and composer Faruk Zakirov from Uzbekistan. All of them are differently, but very sincerely, wishing goodness and harmony to our country and this is impossible to forget.

What allows you to maintain the political neutrality of your project in rather difficult Ukrainian conditions?

— Of course, there were and are the attempts to bring this project into political and around political affairs. But, starting all this business, I understood that there was a great responsibility that did not allow crossing the border. Thank God this was given to me by my parents. If a person is deeply-decent, then they will always make the right choice between reputation and earnings.

What would you like to wish the readers of our magazine?

— First of all, I would like to wish all the readers to read more. Actually, nowadays people are reading less and less – including magazines and newspapers. Secondly, I would like to wish optimism, patience and cheerfulness. It is very important in this so difficult time for all of us. Whatever complex the circumstances surrounding a person are, if such a person has optimism and cheerfulness in the soul, then this person, waking up and seeing the sun outside the window, will understand that life is wonderful and will begin to change the world for the better.

The conversation was held by Ihor Skrypnyk #9, March 2018

43

LADY INTERNATIONAL ะกLUB

With the wife of the Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Ukraine, Ms. Gulnoza Abdualyeva, in the rubric Lady International Club, we are talking not only about friendship and historical ties between our peoples, but also about Ukrainian fashion and Uzbek national cuisine...

What are the main functions of Ambassador’s wife, especially in the sphere of cultural and public diplomacy?

— The most important function of the Ambassador’s wife is to create conditions for the complete and fruitful work of the Ambassador.

Another main function is to accompany the Ambassador during various events and, of course, the Ambassador and his wife are the face of the country. Therefore, my main function is the same as my husband’s one – to represent our country. This also applies to those events that are foreseen by the format of the events for cultural and public diplomacy.

There are clubs that unite wives of ambassadors and wives of influential politicians. Do you visit such clubs?

— I try to visit them more or less regularly.

I visit the Club, which unites only ambassadorial wives. Also, there is the IWK (International Women Club), I do not visit it so often, although I try to go there because it has many interesting activities. Also, this club is very helpful for women – foreigners to arrange their leisure time. At least with the help of this club, I have found the school of ceramics, which I have been visiting for the fourth year in a row, and I get a

great pleasure from being able to do various ceramic items. This is really great!

Rather often the wives of the Ambassadors are engaged in charity. Have you taken part in the similar projects in our country?

— The most important charitable project of this club is, apparently known to you, Charity Bazaar. All embassies, including the Embassy of Uzbekistan, are taking part in this event. All the year, we have been preparing for this event, we are looking for things that we can realize on the Bazaar, although the main goal of this event is participation, not profit, and this main goal of participation in this event includes the presentation of our country – also we are trying to present the products of our folk Uzbek craftsmen or our dried fruits at Charity Bazaar.

At the last event, we collected about twenty one thousand hryvnias. I cannot say that this is too big sum, but nevertheless it was collected. We also organized treatment in Ukraine for children from Uzbekistan. You have a wonderful doctor in Ukraine, a cardio surgeon of the highest level.

His name is Ilya Mykolaevich Yemets and our children had been operated at his cardiac centre.

And he told an interesting story – his grandfather was exiled to Siberia. His exile-mate, an Uzbek #9, March 2018

45

man got huge parcels of fruits from Uzbekistan and shared with his Ukrainian friend in exile. And Mr. Yemets told me that this kind of goodness returned to the Uzbek who was doing it for the Ukrainians – because the grandson of the Ukrainian prisoner saved Uzbek children. This is true charity.

Tell us, please, whether the Embassy of Uzbekistan is planning some cultural events. Will you take part in them?

— We are trying to realize certain events like these ones. Of course, they can hardly be called “Days of Culture of Uzbekistan,” but every year – for the wives of the ambassadors – I organize the event known as the coffee morning.

Each month, one of the Ambassadors wives brings together other members of the Club and she has to present her country in one of its perspectives. This year I will hold a similar event for the third time. The first time I presented an Uzbek costume, the second time – it was an acquaintance with our national cuisine, I presented such a specific and interesting dish of Uzbek cuisine as lagman. Originally, this dish is Chinese, but since Uzbekistan was in the middle of the Great Silk Road, this dish has already come

46

#9, March 2018

to our liking. And here we – me and the wives of other Ambassadors – learned to prepare a lagman. It was very interesting – almost a little show.

If we have already touched the topic of cooking – I would also like to ask you the following question – do you like Ukrainian cuisine?

— I really love Ukrainian cuisine. Due to my religious beliefs that I do not eat pork, but with respect to other dishes, say, borscht is one of my most beloved dishes since childhood. The first thing I learned to cook was borscht. I even have my own secrets regarding borscht preparation.

What were your first impressions of our country?

— Ukraine is the first country of stay for me and my husband, this is our first cadence.

My husband is not a career diplomat, he worked for a long time in the government, but it was decided that he should work here in Ukraine. As for impressions, I can say the following: Ukraine is our fraternal country, and I did not even feel that I am abroad. We are mentally similar to Ukrainians; besides, Ukrainian openness and

Ukrainian hospitality are very close and very understandable to us. If you invite a person to visit, you will always be invited to a visit in return.

This is purely Ukrainian feature. And it is very close and understandable for us. I can say that I really loved the Ukrainian people. You never have such a way that a person passed by someone asking for help in the street, and I understand that it is being achieved by upbringing and is absorbed with mother’s milk.

Do you travel a lot through Ukraine?

— Yes, we try to travel a lot. My favourite places in Ukraine are Lviv and Odessa. I cannot even highlight some of the separate parts of these cities – the atmosphere there is so fine, that you just want to do nothing and just leisurely stroll or in Deribasivska street or in Square Market. I try to visit these cities three or four times a year and always discover something new.

These two cultural capitals of Ukraine, which do not let be bored and always give unforgettable impressions.

Do you follow the Ukrainian fashion industry?

— I cannot say that I do not miss any of the shows, but I try to keep abreast of the events,

so if I’m invited, then I always visit similar events.

What, in fact, I like in the Ukrainian fashion industry is that it likes to be different one. It is original. The Ukrainian fashion industry has its own style and image. I also like the fact that the best shopping areas in Kyiv are provided to Ukrainian designers. These shows a lot of evidence that Ukrainian designers are honoured, their products are in demand. Among your designers, I really like what Natalia Zinko and Lilia Pustovyt create.

Does Uzbekistan have an interest in Ukrainian culture and Ukraine?

— Of course. Many Ukrainian families were evacuated to Uzbekistan during the Second World War. Some of these people stayed in Uzbekistan forever, their descendants are integrated into our culture, while perfectly preserving their own unique traditions. In Uzbekistan there is a very popular Ukrainian pop and rock music. In particular, “Ocean Elzy” is a favourite rock band of my eldest daughter. Believe me, we have a lot of human and cultural contacts and they make friendship between our peoples stronger.

The conversation was held

by Ihor Skrypnyk #9, March 2018

47

BENEFICENCE IN UKRAINE

“45 Thousand Dollars Were Raised In Three Days to Help the Residents of Front-Line Cities” Several hundred charitable projects in medicine, sports, culture and education have been implemented by the Volunteer Foundation of Ukraine. Orphans, seriously ill people, lonely elderly people, forced migrants know – they will be helped and supported.

The Foundation has been in operation for over 25 years and is not going to halt at this point. Health of the nation is among the priorities of volunteers. The president of the Foundation Tymofii Nagornyi tells about the work of the organization.

For more than 25 years of public activity you have implemented more than 500 charitable projects. It’s hundreds of thousands of dollars.

– Actually there are much more projects - nearly 600. Just so you understand – these are millions of dollars. Last year, our volunteers wanted to calculate how much money was spent. It turned out about $34 million. Nowadays, 46 thousand people have received accommodation assistance. Not counting those who were taken out of the ATO zone.

What do you need this for?

– I get moral satisfaction of this work. And I fulfill my obligation to my mother. She was deeply religious. When she was dying, I promised her a lot. I try to support those who ask for help. Usually, people come to us as to the last instance.

What are you doing now?

– Currently, we are actively pursuing the “Side by Side” project. We launched it in 2012. We are developing culture, sports and charity in the east and in the west of the country. In this way we unite Ukrainians.

48

#9, March 2018

BENEFICENCE IN UKRAINE There is another “Status” project. So we want to improve the health of the nation, especially of children that are very attached to computers now.

This is a sedentary way of life. We are struggling with this. Organizing moveable activities throughout the country. We are committed to introducing this at the state level. Famous athletes, singers, law enforcement officers are joining us. They show children that sport is health and success by personal example.

How do people perceive charitable projects?

– Very positively. We have never had problems in the implementation of the projects anywhere in the country. There are inconveniences when we hold events in the capital city at Independence Square.

Often, they want to promote party flags in that regard.

And we are not a party organization.

Volunteering has become a unique phenomenon in Ukraine for three years. What experience can we share with the world?

– This is a social phenomenon. Global communications are the things of the future, when nobody chooses anybody and does not appoint anyone. And leaders appear in and of themselves. There is the one who does something better than others. We can offer the world structures based on horizontal links. In this way our volunteer organizations are built.

Volunteer Foundation of Ukraine is a very powerful organization. How many people are included in it?

– This is about 500 thousand throughout the country. We are great strength. Everyone in our team knows the main language in current conditions in the country is the language of love. And thanks to that, we succeed in everything.

Maybe not always at the desirable level.

But we succeed.

Where do you take the money for charity?

– We do not work for public money.

We are helped by patrons and sponsors.

I donate a significant amount of money, which I earn, to the projects. I am a seller of emotions. I organize various events abroad. My family and I live on this money. And I have enough money for charity. I need quite a little in life. We live in a rented apartment. I go by the subway. Although there is a car at the foundation.

50

#9, March 2018

BENEFICENCE IN UKRAINE become less protected. There are many emigres.

What was the largest sum you managed to raise?

– We raised a million of dollars to the 60th anniversary of the United Nations in 2006. Then we were supported by a lot of people.

And over the past three years?

– 45 thousand dollars were raised in three days to help the residents of front-line cities. I thought at that time that we would collect for several months.

We sent food and everything necessary to the population.

Is there a project after which you will stop?

– There is not. Once I thought – we will make a thousand of projects and I will stop. Now we are doing as much as we manage. Although there is much criticism.

What makes you happy more – finish or start?

– The start. Everyone aspires to their pedestal of excellence. I would like to run even more, to scrabble.

Every day I say - start. And all our volunteers live in this way. Although sometimes on the verge of endurance.

Interviewed by Alina Arkhypova

You are supported by businessmen. What is money more likely to be donated to?

– People are ready to support largescale bright projects both in sports and in culture. They know that money will be spent on the project itself. Our organization does not take any money on. When it is necessary to raise money for someone’s treatment, then we do everything possible for the result. For this is human life. Often days-hours are counted and this cannot be delayed. I am very happy when people respond and we give someone a chance to have a full-scale life.

You have been running projects since 1989. What is the most difficult period for charity?

– Today the volunteers are in a tight spot. The letters are constantly coming to us. Previously there were 300–400 letters with requests per year.

Now these are thousands. People have #9, March 2018

51

TRAVELLING IN UKRAINE

Ukraine is known to be in the heart of Europe, and its nature is a kind of reflection of the nature of all European countries.

It is from the Ukrainian Carpathians that the mountain ranges of Europe begin.

Among all tourist attractions of Ukraine, the Chornohora Mountain Range in the Carpathians is perhaps the most distinctive. Pip Ivan Mount particularly enjoys the popularity and special interest among domestic and foreign tourists.

Besides breath-taking beautiful almost alien landscapes upon the mountain, the attention of mountain tourism amateurs is bound to be drawn by “White Elephant�. This is what the former high-altitude Polish observatory, which is situated on this mountain, is called. However, the mountains, despite their beauty and grandeur, are a very insidious creation of nature. The mountains do not forgive arrogance and unreasonable self-confidence.

Taras Brynda, the Head of the 4th specialized search and rescue group of the specialized search and rescue unit of the emergency rescue squad of the special appointment of the Administration of State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, the captain of the civil protection service, tells us about how safe it is to travel in the picturesque Carpathian Mountains.

52

#9, March 2018

TRAVELLING IN UKRAINE Tell us please, when the Chornohora Mountain search and rescue post was created?

Our unit was established in August 2016 within the framework of the Ukrainian-Polish project for the restoration of the astronomical observatory on Mount Pip Ivan Chornohora and the concluded agreement between the PreCarpathian National University named after V. Stefanyk and the Administration of the State Emergency Service in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Our official name is the Yavirnytsia Search and Rescue Department of the 4th specialized search and rescue group of the specialized search and rescue unit of the emergency and rescue squad of the special appointment of the Administration of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. We use the name “Chornohora Mountain Search and Rescue Post” on the Facebook network, which allows people to clearly identify our territorial location, because “Yavirnyk” is a widespread topographic name in the Carpathians both for settlements and for mountain ranges, which may cause some confusion. Given the conditions and the area in

which the unit operates, its creation was preceded by a long and hard work. Before starting to work on a regular basis, the unit worked almost a year in test mode. The gained experience gave the opportunity to form the right approaches to work, ensured the effectiveness of life-support and logistics processes, and, through the active involvement of volunteers, helped to select qualitative and motivated staff.

You take care of tourists.

How dangerous is mountain tourism in the Carpathians?

Mountains are dangerous as themselves.

First of all, due to relief, weather conditions, remoteness from civilization, etc. But, if to follow certain rules, the danger can be reduced to the level present in everyday life. Mountain tourism becomes more dangerous if people because of their own ignorance or even knowingly violate certain rules that must be adhered while the preparation and implementation of hiking in the mountains. For example, they evaluate their capabilities and experience inadequately and choose too complex route, get equipped

TRAVELLING IN UKRAINE

inappropriately to the conditions, do not take into account weather forecasts while planning the travel. Therefore, it is not appropriate to speak about the danger of mountain tourism in the Carpathians, but about the human factor in this field. Unfortunately, taking into account our experience, tourists in the Carpathians have to be saved from themselves in most cases, because it is their own frivolity which often leads to trouble.

What rescue operation is the most memorable for you?

I cannot highlight a particular case. All rescue works in which I had to take part, as a rule, are long preserved in memory. Apparently, this is due to the fact that I have the habit of analyzing everything, compartmentalizing. I am trying to understand in practice the psychological aspects of human behavior in difficult situations, to distinguish both successful and not very effective actions during rescue work. And I use the experience obtained in such a way in future work. For me, it becomes a source of professional self-improvement. Therefore, I cannot isolate a particular case.

54

#9, March 2018

It has appeared in social networks that the Cabinet of Ministers, supposedly, planned to disband the mountain search and rescue service. Why? What would you advise our government officials on this issue?

As far as I know, there were no such initiatives by government officials. This is probably somebody’s manipulation. Another thing is that for several years now, the discussions on the subordination of the mountain rescue service have not subsided. In our country there is a concept under which all operational rescue services are united in one structure – the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. And in due time a separate mountain search and rescue service was attached to this structure. There is much to argue about, which way is better – to be a separate service or part of a large system. But one thing is indisputable: the main factors of the effective functioning of any institution or organization are the proper logistical support and motivated personnel. Therefore, I would advise our government officials, in the first place, to increase expenses for the purchase of appropriate rescue equipment and equipment

TRAVELLING IN UKRAINE

for units that carry out tasks for the salvation of people in the mountains. Also the issue of developing a regulatory framework, that would regulate the field of mountain tourism and allow financing mountain search and rescuing service partly at the expense of insurance payments, is urgent.

There is the building of the former Polish High-Altitude Observatory nearby the search and rescue post.

How many Polish tourists are visiting this site?

Actually, our search and rescue department is located in the location of this observatory. If to analyze the tourist flow passing through Pip Ivan Chornohora (where this building is built), then every year this place is visited by about a thousand foreign tourists, more than half of which are the Poles. In view of this, it can be assumed that the building of the observatory is a significant factor in the choice of routes by the tourists from Poland.

The conversation was held by Ihor Skrypnyk

As you can see, the charming and picturesque Carpathians are waiting for tourists every year, but also in the winter and spring it is necessary to remember that the mountains do not forgive human pride and demand attention and caution. #9, March 2018

55

STYLISH UKRAINE Embroideries of Ukrainian designer Julia Magdych are the recognized must-have in the wardrobe of world stars, first ladies, monarchs and trendsetters. What was the beginning the world love to the brand Yuliya Magdych.

ODE OF COSMOPOLITANISM IN EMBROIDERED CLOTHES OF

YULIYA MAGDYCH

What is the source of the inspiration for the one of the most successful representatives of the fashion business of Ukraine, Julia told “Fashion of Diplomacy”.

The history of Yuliya Magdych brand Traditionally, in my native Lviv at Christmas and Easter, all the families were obliged to wear Ukrainian national clothes. So, my first embroidery I made for myself and for the family and I suddenly began to receive orders.

Owing to the events of 2014, many Ukrainians felt the need for self-identification, a manifestation of patriotism and solidarity.

National symbols and dresses in everyday life became the guideline meaning that “everything will be good for each of us.” While political news from Kyiv occupied the forefront of the all world media, Ukrainian embroidery became a real trend. In that time I felt the request for a modern brand of embroidery, which would decorate the wardrobe of the woman that is accustomed to quality designer clothes.

The global success Getting the international market with a unique and competitive product is not difficult. The first collection of embroidery by Yuliya Magdych was presented in Paris, and the sketchbook was taken just by me. And immediately we got on the prestigious American site Moda Operandi and at the legendary London department store Selfridges & Co. Customers, journalists, stylists, buyers from Europe, America and the Middle East started to look for us on the Internet. In order to satisfy all the inquiries we used to work even at night.

Now, we are the first brand in the entire postSoviet area that came directly (next to Valentino, etc.) into the coolest platform for luxury brands selling known as Farfetch. This is a quality marker.

Embroidery by Yuliya Magdych is popular in the US, Canada, Mexico, almost throughout Europe, in the Middle East. In our embroidery, you can meet a Russian presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak in Moscow or an Eastern princess during a honey moon cruise on a yacht.

Along with the release of basic collections, we always follow the local inquiries. For example, the capsule children’s collection was specifically developed for Kuwait.

About the brand fans in Ukraine I am really glad when our embroideries are chosen for the most important events in life. The brides wear them for a crowning ceremony or for the traditional wedding that become more and more popular in Ukraine. Engagement, baptizing – this is such an amazing responsibility!

Ukrainian brand fans constitute my personal challenge. Because here I have an opportunity to communicate with each client, receiving feedback. Working on individual orders, creating something exclusive and special, I feel what a new collection will be.

TV presenter Katerina Osadcha was one of the first to pay attention to our brand, for her we created a lot of bright images. Pop-star Tina Karol appeared on the TV channel broadcast in the special dress named “Kalina” (Guelder Rose).

Especially for Eurovision we have developed a dress and white coat named as “The Herd” with a fiery red ornament for famous Ukrainian singer Jamala.

And one more thing – the overseas Ukrainians really adore our brand because they are happy to enjoy Ukrainian brands abroad. #9, March 2018

57

STYLISH UKRAINE

About embroidery, about collections and about ethnic motives When we began to study the traditional embroidery of dierent peoples, we understood that the codes and the symbols often coincide.

Even the design decisions of the national dress, in principle, are the identical ones. Our embroidery is truly multinational; it is like a leitmotif of forgotten traditions of many peoples, ancient and modern cultures at the same time.

Every embroidery takes from 5 to 20 days to be completed, and special dresses are sewn up manually for two months. The flower, the bird, the little horse actually set up the sacred code, a song of the soul of the people. At the same time, our clothes are comfortable and practical ones.

Annually, we present four collections devoted to a particular region. This year our collections are devoted to the Ancient Persia, Central Asia, the East and Ukraine. They are interconnected and absolutely authentic at the same time. The eastern collection became for me a symbol of the interest for another mentality, magic of traditions and sophisticated culture.

Ode of cosmopolitanism As a designer, I proclaim the “ode of cosmopolitanism�. The world has changed: the borders are dissapearing, hermetic societies and cultures are revealing to us the most valuable and passionate things that have been accumulated over the centuries.

Traditional Ukrainian embroidery is brand origin, but today we are creating an entirely new type of outfit. Clothing by Yuliya Magdych is a uniform for those who are tired of primitive monotony and the expansion of world brands. Clients of Dior and H & M transformed into the numerous copies of each other.

Our admirers value truly exclusive designer things that emphasize individuality and never go out of fashion.

Embroidery clothing by Yuliya Magdych is a dress for a cosmopolitan woman that travels around the world, that succeeds and is interested in culture and in history, in painting, in architecture.

Whilst creating a collection I want to make it even more beautiful, seductive and charming.

During her concert in Lviv, Patricia Kaas came to the stage in the dress of my design and emphasized this. She bought a few special things for herself in our store in Kyiv. But it’s important that she has been following the brand’s collections for a long time on European sites. At such moments, I understand that we do everything in a right way.

About business Ukraine is the «new China» in the clothing production. This industry is reviving owing to orders from such giants as Zara and H & M. Unfortunately we do not produce anything for ourselves.

In a fashion business, clear business plans and miscalculations, such as in an agrarian sector cannot be done. The brand may be asked for very suddenly, or vice versa. It’s like works of art. The top collection requires the business owner to scale production processes, logistics, and investments rather quickly. Therefore, only the strongest ones survive.

The only thing Ukrainian business has been dreaming of is so that the state simply did not disturb it and streamlined the legislation. As soon as the borders have been unlocked, it is becoming increasingly difficult for business people to hire talented professionals because they go to work in Europe.

I am convinced that the creative class and the progressive business together can create a favourable economic climate and all the conditions for the next generation to dream of living and working in Ukraine.

That is why my well-balanced position is to stay in difficult times in Kyiv, here and now building a strong well-known brand.

About the team My greatest pride and great achievement of mine is a professional team that started to work and grew up with me. We are always convinced that everyone will do his or her work perfectly, understanding each other without words.

Because we are inspired, we like to create something new and there are no impossible tasks for us.

Starting with the discussion of the future collection until the moment when the client receives the embroidery by Yuliya Magdych the client dreamed about – all this process is a joint creative work and a favourite occupation.

The conversation was held

by Alina ARHYPOVA

EVENTS

New Communication – Develop Yourself and Promote Your Own Business Meetings in the format of Business Speed Meetings provide for slick talk among people who deal with important things and seek to expand business connections. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are about 100 business people who take part at each event and the network of participants has been growing every month.

The most successful businessmen in Kyiv were exchanging knowledge, connections and contacts within the framework of the “New Communication” project – thus, on February 27th this project had already been conducted for the eighth time as the Business Meeting of Entrepreneurs of the Ukrainian capital.

60

#9, March 2018

“Our motto: develop yourself, promote your business” – says the organizer of the Business Meeting of Entrepreneurs Maksym Alekseev. According to him, the networking is becoming more and more popular not only in Ukraine but also in the whole world. It includes the creation of business connections and search for new acquaintances. And the popularization of networking itself in the business community of the Ukrainian capital is one of the main goals of this event.

It should be noted that Business Meetings of Entrepreneurs have already got positive feedback among Kyiv businessmen, and therefore the next event, which is planned for March 27, this year, should be held and should be successful and productive as well.

Editorial staff

DIPLOMATIC CALENDAR

10-30

MARCH

THE “DAYS OF FRANCOPHONIE” IN UKRAINE Embassies of those countries whose national language is French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland and others) hold a series of artistic and cultural events devoted to the dissemination and popularization of French language and French-speaking cultures in Ukraine. On these days Kyivites and people from another big cities of Ukraine would have an opportunity to enjoy the modern art of the French speaking countries – to visit theatre performances, to watch movies in French and to attend concerts and art exhibitions.

MARCH/2018 THE INDEPENDENCE DAYS AND THE NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: The Day of Liberation of Bolgaria from the Turkish yoke

3

SA

6

TU

Independence Day of the Republic of Mauritius

12 MO

14 WE

St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland

SA

SU

Independence Day of Tunisian Republic

21 WE

23 FR

Independence Day of Greece

Constitution Day of the Principality of Andorra

17 18

Independence Day of Republic of Namibia

Independence Day of the Republic of Ghana

National Holiday “The Pakistan Day” of Islamic Republic of Pakistan

25 SU

#9, March 2018

63

APRIL 28 The venue – GolfStream (Ukraine, Kyiv oblast, Makariv raion, Havronschyna village) The time — 0900–1900

INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC GOLF TOURNAMENT

The tournament will be attended by the international and Ukrainian diplomatic corps, representatives of the authorities, representatives of the business elite, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora from different countries.

Organizer:

Pre-registration of applications for participation in the Tournament at www.golf.in.ua until March 30, 2018, or by telephone /044/ 228-06-48; /094/ 828-06-48 The status of the diplomatic golf tournament “Diplomatic Golf Cup” – closed.

Participation as an amateur player or a guest only if you have a personal invitation.