End Note: RUSSIAN BISHOPS REJECT KUCHMA'S PLEA FOR UKRAINIAN AUTONOMOUS CHURCH
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UKRAINE WANTS CASH FOR TRANSIT OF RUSSIAN GAS. Premier Viktor Yushchenko told journalists on 21 August that Ukraine wants Russia to pay in cash for the transit of Russian gas via Ukrainian territory, Interfax reported. Yushchenko added that this is Kyiv's official position in the current talks with Moscow on the regulation of issues related to gas transit and supplies. So far Gazprom has been paying for the transit of gas via Ukraine with gas deliveries. Yushchenko also said the government will never agree to give Russia ownership rights to Ukraine's gas transport system in payment of Ukraine's gas debts. JM

UKRAINIAN ENERGY SECTOR OFFICIALS ARRESTED ON EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES. Deputy Prosecutor-General Mykola Obikhod said on 21 August that the authorities have arrested Valeriy Falkovych, deputy head of Ukraine's Unified Energy Systems, and Oleksandr Tymoshenko, a member of the Unified Energy Systems Board, Interfax reported. Falkovych and Tymoshenko are accused of embezzling $800,000 in scrap metal exports to Asian countries. In addition, Falkovych is accused of misappropriating some 3 billion hryvni ($550 million) by forging documents to illegally bring Russian gas into Ukraine and selling it to a British company. Tymoshenko is the husband of Deputy Premier Yuliya Tymoshenko, who previously headed Ukraine's Unified Energy Systems. JM

UKRAINE TO BUILD GAS PIPELINE TO TURKMENISTAN? Deputy Premier Tymoshenko on 21 August repeated a previous announcement that Kyiv is considering the construction of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Ukraine via the Black Sea (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 15 August 2000), the "Eastern Economist Daily" reported. Tymoshenko noted that Ukraine has the necessary economic and technical resources to construct such a pipeline. "Estimations show that Ukraine may receive 60 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan each year. Within the next three to five years, Ukraine can build the first [section of the] pipeline, [which will be] capable of transporting 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year," Tymoshenko said. She added that the government is currently preparing documents for talks between Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his Turkmen counterpart, Saparmurat Niyazov, in Ashgabat next month. JM

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT ON CIS MEETING IN YALTA. Petru Lucinschi said on 21 August that the CIS will "never become a viable, efficient organization" unless it creates a free-trade zone with a "mutually acceptable tariff policy," Infotag reported. Lucinschi made his comments three days after the 18 August summit in Yalta. He said that the other CIS member presidents realize the need for the free-trade zone and "are ready to work hard to deepen the integration processes." Lucinschi said that he held meetings with the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Georgia during last week's summit. PB

RUSSIAN BISHOPS REJECT KUCHMA'S PLEA FOR UKRAINIAN AUTONOMOUS CHURCH

Last week in Moscow, some 150 bishops convened for the four-day Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. The situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was one of the topics discussed by that forum.

Before the Russian bishops' meeting, President Leonid Kuchma had sent a telegram to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksii II asking the patriarch and the Council of Bishops to consider the possibility of granting autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate). Kuchma's request was reportedly considered on 15 August and backed by "a number of bishops from western Ukraine led by Bishop of Vyshhorod Pavel." The forum, however, refused to consider the petition, saying that secular authorities should not interfere in Church affairs.

The situation surrounding Ukrainian Orthodoxy remains very difficult. Currently, Ukraine has three Orthodox Churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate recognizes the Church subordinated to itself as the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, viewing followers of the other two Churches as "schismatics."

The official status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is unclear, however. In 1992 the Russian Orthodox Church granted its Ukrainian branch the right of self-governance. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has its own Synod of Bishops; it is empowered to consecrate new bishops without any special authorization from Moscow; and it can also canonize its own saints. Technically speaking, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is an autonomous structure. But in this case it appears that names do matter: the word "autonomous" does not appear in the Church's name or in any of the documents related to that Church.

According to the Moscow-based "Segodnya," most members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)-- particularly from Ukraine's eastern regions and Odesa--think that granting autonomy to their Church will encourage those in Ukraine who want the full independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Moscow. And this, the newspaper maintains, is what those believers fear.

Official Kyiv, on the other hand, has repeatedly voiced the opinion that it wants Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches to be united into a "Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church." Judging by the reaction of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kyiv's striving is strongly supported by Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew I, who traditionally enjoys a special status among the world's Orthodox patriarchs.

Ukraine's Metropolitan of Odesa and Izmail Agafangel (Moscow Patriarchate) told journalists on 17 August that the Moscow forum condemned the Constantinople patriarch's "unprecedented interference" in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, meaning Estonia and Ukraine. (In 1996 some members of Estonia's Orthodox Church pledged juridical subordination to the Constantinople Patriarchate, but the Moscow Patriarchate has refused to acknowledge Constantinople's canonical rights over Estonia.)

"Patriarch Bartholomew declared Ukraine to be his canonical territory which is a gross violation of Church canons," ITAR-TASS quoted Agafangel as saying. According to Agafangel, the "dissenters" (followers of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) are planning to convene an All-Ukrainian Council of Bishops at which Metropolitan Volodymyr (Moscow Patriarchate) will be forced to resign and his powers will be passed to the Constantinople Patriarchate's representative. Agafangel expressed his regret that Bartholomew is depending on the support of "Ukrainian nationalists and politicians who, in violation of the law, meddle in Church affairs."

Some Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that talks on the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy were expected to take place in Chambessy, Switzerland, on 20 August, with the participation of representatives from Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches, government officials, and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew. But this report has not been officially confirmed.

Judging by the Russian Orthodox Church's position on Ukraine, which was reaffirmed at its Council of Bishops last week, such talks would be highly unlikely to yield any results. To put it bluntly, the Moscow Patriarchate would allow the unification of the Ukrainian Churches only under one condition--namely, the "return of schismatics" under the wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which itself would continue to be in "canonical unity" with the Russian Orthodox Church.

End Note: RUSSIAN BISHOPS REJECT KUCHMA'S PLEA FOR UKRAINIAN AUTONOMOUS CHURCH
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UKRAINIAN NATIONALIST SAYS 'KURSK' SUBMARINE DESTROYED BY CHECHEN SABOTAGE. Dmytro Korchynskyy, the head of the nationalist Ukrainian Political Association "Brotherhood" and previously a leader of the nationalist Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian National Self-Defense, has said the "Kursk" submarine was destroyed by an act of Chechen sabotage. In a comment published at http://part.org.ua, Korchynskyy said two explosive devices equivalent to 800 grams of TNT were planted in the submarine during repair work carried out on the vessel. According to Korchynskyy, "people close to [Chechen field commander] Ruslan Gelaev" were responsible for the act of sabotage. And he commented that the Chechens paid only $6,000 to a member of the repair team to plant the explosive devices in the submarine. Korchynski said Russia's Federal Security Service was informed about a possible sabotage act in Severomorsk two weeks before the "Kursk" tragedy but ignored the warning since the informer was from the entourage of Chechen interim administration head Akhmed Kadyrov who, according to Korchynskyy, is not trusted by Russian military leaders. JM

RUSSIAN BISHOPS REJECT KUCHMA'S PLEA FOR UKRAINIAN AUTONOMOUS CHURCH

Last week in Moscow, some 150 bishops convened for the four-day Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. The situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was one of the topics discussed by that forum.

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report Vol. 2, No. 30, 22 August 2000

A Survey of Developments in Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine by the Regional Specialists of RFE/RL's Newsline Team.

UKRAINE

RUSSIAN BISHOPS TELL KUCHMA NOT TO INTERFERE IN THEIR REALM. Last week in Moscow, some 150 bishops convened for the four-day Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. The situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was one of the topics discussed by that forum.

President Leonid Kuchma sent a telegram to the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Aleksii II, asking him and the Council of Bishops to consider the possibility of granting autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate). According to Interfax, Kuchma's request was considered on 15 August and was reportedly backed by "a number of bishops from Western Ukraine led by Bishop of Vyshhorod Pavel." The forum, however, refused to consider the petition, saying that secular authorities should not interfere in Church affairs.

As reported in previous issues of "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," the situation of Ukrainian Orthodoxy remains very difficult. Currently, Ukraine has three Orthodox Churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate recognizes the Church subordinated to itself as the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, viewing followers of the other two Churches as "schismatics."

According to the Moscow-based "Segodnya," most believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)--particularly from Ukraine's eastern regions and Odesa--think that granting autonomy to their Church will encourage those in Ukraine who want the full independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Moscow. And this, the newspaper maintains, is what those believers fear.

Ukraine's Metropolitan of Odesa and Izmail, Agafangel (Moscow Patriarchate), told journalists on 17 August that the Moscow forum condemned the Constantinople patriarch's "unprecedented interference" in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, meaning Estonia and Ukraine. (In 1996, some members of Estonia's Orthodox Church pledged juridical subordination to the Constantinople Patriarchate, but the Moscow Patriarchate has refused to acknowledge Constantinople's canonical rights over Estonia.)

"Patriarch Bartholomew declared Ukraine to be his canonical territory, which is a gross violation of Church canons," ITAR-TASS quoted Agafangel as saying. According to Agafangel, the "dissenters" (followers of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) are planning to convene an All-Ukrainian Council of Bishops at which Metropolitan Volodymyr (Moscow Patriarchate) will be forced to resign and his powers will be passed to the Constantinople Patriarchate's representative. Agafangel expressed his regret that Bartholomew is depending on the support of "Ukrainian nationalists and politicians who, in violation of the law, meddle in Church affairs," Interfax reported.

Some Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that talks on the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy were expected to take place in Chambessy (Switzerland) on 20 August, with the participation of representatives from Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches, government officials, and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew. But this report has not been officially confirmed.

Judging by the Russian Orthodox Church's position on Ukraine, which was reaffirmed at its Council of Bishops last week, such talks would be highly unlikely to yield any results. To put it bluntly, the Moscow Patriarchate would allow the unification of the Ukrainian Churches only in one way--namely, as the "return of schismatics" under the wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which itself would continue to be in "canonical unity" with the Russian Orthodox Church.

RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report is prepared by Jan Maksymiuk on the basis of a variety of sources including reporting by "RFE/RL Newsline" and RFE/RL's broadcast services. It is distributed every Tuesday.