The Helsinki Commission: 50 years of fighting for freedom, human rights and democracy. Part II
With the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev’s reformist policies in the Soviet Union, the Helsinki Commission’s work began to take new directions...
Category: Orest Deychakiwsky
Resident at Vilni Media
The Helsinki Commission: 50 years of fighting for freedom, human rights and democracy. Part I – The Cold War Years
Four years ago, on May 21, 2022, several months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government published a list of 963 U.S. citizens permanently banned from entering the Russian Federation...
The harsh realities of Russian occupation in Ukraine
The plight of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation does not get nearly the attention it deserves. But it should, because conditions for the estimated 3-4.5 million Ukrainians living there are dreadful, and, in some respects, they are deteriorating...
When it comes to Ukraine, does the U.S. Congress matter anymore?
The Iran war highlights why the U.S. Congress needs to urgently revitalize its efforts with respect to Ukraine. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has temporarily...
Trump’s foreign affairs policy does not help America, Ukraine and the world
The Trump administration’s foreign affairs policy has not been beneficial for America nor for the rest of the world, including Ukraine...
With Putin’s intransigence and Trump’s waffling, it’s time for Congress to act
For the last year, Ukrainians have shown consistency in working toward a peaceful outcome to the war, but not at the cost of surrender...
Peace or capitulation? Putin’s maximalism must be met with maximum pressure.
When, oh when, will the Trump Administration learn that war criminal Vladimir Putin does not want peace in Ukraine and that the only response to his maximalist demands is maximum pressure?..
Looking back (and forward) on a spectacular moment of hope and change in Moscow
In this column, as Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds on with Moscow not relenting on its maximalist demands, I look back at one brief but spectacular moment that came amid a time of hope and change in Moscow...
Thoughts, observations and impressions from a recent trip to Ukraine. Part II
I recently had the opportunity to spend nearly two weeks in Ukraine. It was my first visit since Russia’s full-fledged invasion and the longest I had been away in my adult life. Until now, every one of my visits since 1990 had been related to my work at the Helsinki Commission or as an international election observer...
Thoughts, observations and impressions from a recent trip to Ukraine. Part I
I recently had the opportunity to spend nearly two weeks in Ukraine. It was my first visit since Russia’s full-scale invasion and the longest I had been away in my adult life. Until now, every one of my visits since 1990 had been related to my work at the Helsinki Commission or as an international election observer...