Editor’s Note: This feature separates Ukraine’s friends from its enemies The Order of Yaroslav the Wise has been given since 1995 for distinguished service to the nation. It is named after the Kyivan Rus leader from 1019-1054, when the medieval empire reached its zenith. The Order of Lenin was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union, whose demise Russian President Vladimir Putin mourns. It is named after Vladimir Lenin, whose corpse still rots on the Kremlin’s Red Square, 100 years after the October Revolution he led.
Eric Swalwell — The Order of Yaroslav the Wise
Now here’s American leadership that Ukraine needs!
According to CBS-TV news, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (Democrat – California) launched a website highlighting ties between Russia and U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s administration.
It can be found at https://swalwell.house.gov/russia
“In our 2016 elections, Russia attacked our democracy. It was silent and nearly invisible, but nevertheless it struck the core of our democracy – our free and fair elections,” Swalwell, 36, writes.
Swalwell introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act with U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (Democrat-Maryland) to set up an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 elections
The web page includes Ukraine.
“In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, destabilizing democracy and threatening security in the region. As a result of this destabilization, pro-Russian forces fighting in Ukraine were able to obtain and use a missile to shoot down a Malaysian Airlines passenger flight over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board,” Swalwell’s website says.
“In light of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the continued militarization of the region is a troubling sign of further Russian aggression against U.S. allies and interests abroad.”
The website has links to dozens of sources, reports and news articles describing Russia’s threat to U.S. allies, as well as Russia’s attacks on press freedom and war crimes. He also provides a timeline of cyberattacks linked to Russia.
“Despite Russia’s harmful national interests against the U.S., and its human rights violations around the world, Trump and his team are directly and indirectly tied to Russia,” Swalwell states. “Trump has also surrounded himself with people who do business with and are sympathetic to Russia.”
Swalwell describes the connections between Trump and associates, including U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, son-in-law Jared Kushner, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and others.
“Why is America’s leader and his team so close to Russia? Swalwell writes. “This is either due to poor judgment or a deeper personal, financial or political link between Trump and Russia. It is not normal for the leader of our country to be so extensively tied to a foreign government that has sought to undermine democracies across the globe, and connections like these should be concerning to U.S. citizens everywhere.”
Paul Manafort — The Order of Lenin
American Paul Manafort represents some of the worst traits that human beings have – selfishness, immorality, cynicism. Now some are speculating about whether they can add complicity in mass murder to his long list of sins.
Manafort is the former campaign manager to U. S. President Donald J. Trump. He was forced out last summer after a “black ledger” surfaced, indicating illegal payments to him of $12.7 million from another of his disgraceful clients, ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Manafort cynically (does he do things any other way?) started his Yanukovych reclamation project in 2005, a year after the Donbas ex-convict attempted to rig the presidential election in his favor. Instead, his crimes inspired the 2004 Orange Revolution, which led to the election results being annulled and Viktor Yushchenko getting elected in a re-vote on Dec. 26, 2004.
Manafort and a coterie of political consultants who don’t care where they get their money from managed to clean up the fallen dictator as a “democrat,” fooling enough people to get Yanukovych – who unbelievably served as prime minister during Yushchenko’s one-term failure – elected as president in 2010.
Now there is intense speculation about whether Manafort advised Yanukovych to order the murders 0f 100 demonstrators during the dark days of the EuroMaidan Revolution. After the murders, Yanukovych – ever the coward – feared for his life and fled to Russia, home of his patron, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. That’s where Yanuovych remains today, after he and his cronies allegedly stole up to $40 billion from Ukrainians during their four years of plundering rule.
Hacked text messages among Manafort’s daughters supposedly include this judgment from Andrea Manafort, who presumably knows her father’s character deficits quite well: “Don’t fool yourself. That money we have is blood money.”
Manafort is also a person of great investigative interest in America for Trump’s cozy assessment of Putin. Manafort denies all – but we wouldn’t put any crime past him.
For added distaste, he was accused in a lawsuit by ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of trying to do business with exiled Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash, wanted for corruption charges in the United States and Spain.
For these and any number of other reasons, Manafort is Ukraine’s foe of the week. Come pick up your Order of Lenin medal any time, Paul, we’ll be on the lookout for you on the streets of Kyiv.
