Surely, Lutsk residents were quite struck when on Prospekt Voli, across from the VDU, a group of young people appeared, set up pedestals pasted over with publications from "Volyn," and began shouting "Shame!" in ringing voices. The one directing the several boys and girls and proclaiming slogans through a megaphone was the lawyer Oleh Maksymovych. At the center of this vivid show was the slogan "The editor-in-chief must answer for singing the 'Yanukovych era.'" One could laugh at this shouting if serious things were not hidden behind it. After all, the efforts of the Party of Regions to temporarily suspend the publication of the newspaper "Volyn" and to send the materials to the regional prosecutor's office to hold editor-in-chief Stepan Sachuk legally accountable have not yet been forgotten. And then, in September 2004, no more and no less, the newspaper was accused of calling for "violent actions against the existing government," and also that "the editor-in-chief, in an inflammatory form, agitated against presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych."
It should be said that people's deputies of Ukraine, some deputies of the regional council, came out in defense of the newspaper, and ordinary citizens called and sent their letters in support of the editor-in-chief. However, it can be said with certainty that from the regional organization of the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, from their leaders — Oleh Maksymovych and his deputy Viktor Melnyk — there was no reaction at all, and at that time none of them was going to picket the regional branch of the Party of Regions.
Subsequently, the editorial office, adhering to the Law "On Elections of the President," a law considered undemocratic by many and one that placed many obstacles before journalists, tried to take a balanced, tolerant position, gave people of different views and political positions the opportunity to express themselves, explained the program provisions and merits of the presidential candidates, cooperated in a businesslike manner with election headquarters, especially with Viktor Yushchenko's headquarters. And, probably, the materials that "Volyn" presented, news from the Internet published on the front page, reports by special correspondents from Kyiv, and so on, precisely contributed to the democratic expression of the people's will. After all, Yanukovych's supporters were also in Volyn.
But whom are we explaining this to? The readers of "Volyn" know this well and respond with sincere respect — by subscribing to the newspaper. Lawyer Maksymovych, whatever his qualifications, is all the more familiar with the Law "On Elections of the President." As for those girls and boys who held the slogans, it turned out that they had not read the newspaper, are not its subscribers, and, as a nice student put it (she gave her surname), "information was passed on to me." Oleh Maksymovych pathetically declared that they were "the first in Volyn to raise the issue of lustration.., and the newspaper vilified Viktor Yushchenko and the editor-in-chief, receiving money from Yanukovych, produced all the publications that we have placed here on the stand." This question is, of course, interesting. And, one thinks, it will be possible in court to establish who is "vilifying" whom, and who is distorting facts by resorting to political manipulation and denunciation. One can also speak of a very peculiar understanding of democratic principles in the work of the press, as well as of the requirements of election legislation.
Many passersby could not wrap their heads around why nationalists were picketing "Volyn" with its balanced, principled position, and not entirely different, well-known politically engaged mass media? By the way, for the information of the nationalist gentleman: according to the editorial statute, for the second time in the last eight years the staff has entrusted the responsible post of editor-in-chief to Honored Journalist of Ukraine Stepan Sachuk. And the newspaper successfully "lives" on its own funds, and therefore is an independent publication that provides its pages to people of different political views and preferences.
But about Mr. Maksymovych we have somewhat different information, and it is connected with the business activity of his party deputy Viktor Melnyk. Viktor Hryhorovych does not wish to repay a bank loan for a decent sum — two million hryvnias. This is precisely what was discussed in the recent publication "Actors of the Family Spectacle." The spectacle was successfully unraveled by the Lutsk city-district court, and a decision was adopted stating that the mortgaged property belongs to the LLC "Olvid-bud." And it must be sold to pay the debt. And there is also Mr. Melnyk's mockery of the employees of LLC "Olvid-bud," his sharp dealing with the payment of hard-earned money, about which readers told in the letter "Give Back What Was Earned, Mr. Melnyk!" And although the leader of the nationalists claimed that this was a political action, one can clearly see whose sponsor's ears are sticking out of it. After all, a criminal case has been opened on the fact of fraud with financial resources.
By the way, about those many workers who defend their rights in courts, Oleh Maksymovych said the following (recording on a dictaphone): "This is a separate issue concerning some court process, or the payment of wages to someone, the dismissal of one or another alcoholic who did not show up for work for weeks..." Surely, Mr. Lawyer, all the employees from Viktor Melnyk's firms (he often renamed them) who now demand that what was earned be given back are alcoholics? Surely the clients who also come to the editorial office are all liars? It is interesting that the private entrepreneur Oleh Maksymovych is owed 33.8 thousand hryvnias by LLC "Olvid-bud." These are the commercial interests of the two party leaders. Surely Melnyk did not return such a sum to his own partner either, since he did not pay comparatively some pennies to the workers? Then why does lawyer Maksymovych not go to the editorial office together with the unfortunate people, often disabled, so that editor-in-chief Stepan Sachuk would help him recover such a significant sum? After all, the number of petitioners grows every day. Why shouldn't the lawyer lead them? Or will his own party people come to an understanding in commercial matters?
They say that Mr. Maksymovych, using orange slogans and democracy (as he understands it!), is aiming for a high regional position in the executive branch. As one correspondent wrote, it is truly frightening when such people go into big politics and moreover have business interests, against which the President warns.
In our opinion, the Volyn leaders, by their commercial and political actions, have caused irreparable damage to the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, which includes many devoted patriots.
To the author of this material, one already elderly supporter of Maksymovych near those student children said with genuine hatred: "You are vipers, all of you get out of here so that you are not seen, we will not let you hold on." Will there really appear in this thoroughly corrupt society a bacchanalia of unrighteous anger, mutual hatred, on the basis of defending one's narrowly selfish interests?
Oleksandr NAHORNYI
Statement of Volyn editors
"Hands off 'Volyn'!" It was with precisely such a call that journalists of the region appealed several months ago, when there were attempts by the authorities of that time to suspend the publication of the newspaper "Volyn" because it offered readers to live by their own wits. That is, to vote for whomever one wants, and not blindly support the government-backed candidate.
And these days "Volyn" was picketed by nationalists with their regional leader Oleh Maksymovych… for a non-state-minded position during the presidential elections of Ukraine. Where does such an unexpected discovery come from?
Ah, it turns out the reason lies in something entirely different. The thing is that the newspaper "Volyn" published several materials about the unlawful actions of Viktor Melnyk, the party deputy of the same Maksymovych. The latter, defending his "deputy" in court, lost the case with a crash. Therefore now he is trying, in this primitive picketing manner, to pressure the newspaper that exposed the operator.
All that would be nothing if not for one more circumstance. Maksymovych is supposedly being nominated for a chief's post. Is he to head the regional justice department? If this is true, then hold on. Will everyone who does not please him and his friends be picketed?
We declare that fraud and politics are incompatible things. We have exposed and will continue to expose thieves and grafters. We are on the side of our colleagues from "Volyn."
Yevhen KHOTYMCHUK, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Visnyk i Ko," Halyna FEDORENKO, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Volynski hubernski vidomosti," Feodosii MANDZIUK, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Lutskyi zamok," Mykhailo SAVCHAK, editor of the newspaper "Volynska reklama."