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, more than 100 years after the October Revolution he led.
Ukraine’s Friend of the Week: Joshua Wong, Hong Kong democracy activist
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy struggle against authoritarian, communist China is not entirely the same as Ukraine’s EuroMaidan Revolution, the 2014 popular uprising that forced a corrupt, Russia-backed administration from power. But there are plenty of similarities.
Both movements began around the same time and were started by young people and students; both groups were selflessly brave in their pursuit of freedom and Western-style democracy. Both movements were also marred by brutality, repression, and violence, which only triggered an even more substantial uprising.
In recent weeks, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have reignited. But this time, the spirit of Maidan is flowing through the streets of the semi-autonomous region of south-eastern China. Hundreds of thousands are protesting for freedom from the influence and control of Beijing, as well as for the universal suffrage that they feel was promised to them.
And many activists and lawmakers there now say that they are encouraged and instructed by the successful revolution that took place here in Ukraine. They see similarities in the two struggles and feel that a bond, a comradeship, connects the two societies: one that struggles to free itself from the aggression of authoritarian Russia, the other wishing to rid itself of the shackles of totalitarian China.
Joshua Wong, a 22-year-old pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee from Hong Kong tells the Kyiv Post that Ukrainian revolutionaries are an inspiration to him and his friends: “Even though we come from different cultural and historical contexts… No matter the differences between Ukraine and Hong Kong, our fights for freedom and democracy are the same,” he says.
“We will continue our fight… but we have to learn from Ukrainians… and show solidarity. Ukraine confronted the force of Russia – we are facing the force of Beijing,” Wong added.
Wong’s words of respect and solidarity, directed toward Ukrainian pro-democracy activists and Ukraine in general, are gratefully received. We thank him for being a friend to Ukraine, and wish him safety and success in his struggle to secure suffrage and freedom for Hongkongers.
At 22, Wong is already a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and a Time, Fortune and Forbes person of the year. And now we are pleased to also name him a friend of Ukraine, and award him with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise.
Meanwhile, the revolutionaries of the Maidan and the families of those who have lost their lives in Ukraine’s struggle for freedom can feel a sense of pride in having inspired young people on the other side of the world and having bolstered them in their fight for freedom.
As for Ukrainian lawmakers and the government in Kyiv, who have been universally silent on the plight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, more than a million Muslim minorities in western China and the other victims of Beijing’s aggression — all the while cozying up to China and Chinese state-owned businesses — we say: proceed with extreme caution.
China is a totalitarian, communist superpower with neo-colonial expansionist ambitions. It butchers its dissidents, tramples on human rights all around Asia and the world, enslaves its own people and spits on the very ideas of democracy and individuality. Ukraine defeated one tyrant, now it should choose its new friends carefully.
Ukraine’s Foe of the Week: U.S. Senator Rand Paul
Another week and another Western lawmaker who cannot seem to place himself on the right side of this struggle. Another week and another useful idiot to further the ambitions and objectives of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
When Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. Senate last week rallied to strike a blow against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and its Kremlin architects, only two lawmakers stood in defiance of the move: Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Rand Paul.
Paul has a long history of flip-flopping on the questions of Ukraine and Russia, and he has stood out as a problem before. But opposing a bipartisan bill that seeks to sanction Nord Stream 2 and affirms American support for European energy security is a new low point for him.
Snaking its way under the Baltic Sea, the $12 billion NS2 pipeline is designed to let Moscow bypass gas transportation through Ukraine, which would deprive the country of several billion dollars in transit fees and place further pressure on Kyiv.
Experts are right when they label this pipeline a Trojan Horse for Europe, and a serious act of economic warfare against Ukraine.
Paul has been quietly working behind the scenes to derail the plans to sanction NS2 and the parties involved in its construction. The project is a threat that demands sanctions. Though few in Europe are committed to this, the U.S. Senate has provided leadership in attempting to get it done.
ButPaul, meanwhile, has proven time and again that he will do anything to disrupt the efforts to sanction the pipeline. His motives remain unclear, his explanations are weak, and we can only really wonder as to what he is playing at.
Paul has also argued strongly against military aid and loans to Ukraine, he has mocked Ukrainian society during Senate hearings and has furthered the weak, largely baseless and unproven Joe Biden Ukrainian corruption conspiracy. He is a foe to Ukraine and winner of the Order of Lenin.
