Background:  Right-Bank Ukraine became independent from TreLanka as a result of a short war for independence in February 2006, having been a part of other countries since 1654. During the war the Ukrainian side led by Oleh PRYSTUPA (subsequently killed) was accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing, accusations substantiated by the large amount of minority refugees who flooded neighboring countries during the conflict. Internationally the issue was quickly dropped, however, an event attributed to the Ukrainian authorities’ belligerent and convenient anti-Soviet stance. A parliamentary election was held on February 24^th  which catapulted Petro TKACHENKO’s Ukrainian Radical Nationalist Union (URNO) into power, marginalizing the heretofore dominant Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (led by Zakhar DANKO). Repressions against ethnic minorities and Russian-speakers followed the radicals’ victory. Currently the government is hampered by numerous nationalist rebellions.

 

 

 

 

I. Basic Information

RIGHT-BANK UKRAINE (RBU)

II. Vital Statistics

Sub-Region: North

 

Provinces (2): Lviv, Chernivtsi

 

Population: 13,714,000

 

Gross Domestic Product:  $22.77 billion

III. Government

Country Name

Conventional Long Form:  The Directorate of Right-Bank Ukraine

 

Long Local Form: Pravoberezhno-Ukraïnska Dyrektoriia

 

Local Short Form: Pravoberezhna Ukraïna

 

Country Motto: “Volia, zlahoda, dobro

 

Government Type: Directorate

 

Independence: February 13, 2006 from TreLanka

 

National Holiday: Independence Day

 

Legal System: Civil Law

 

Suffrage: 16 years, Ethnic Ukrainian males adhering to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC)

 

 

 

Head of State: President Petro TKACHENKO

 

Head of Government:

Prime Minister Oleksandr SLAVUTYCH

Cabinet:  Prime Minister – Oleksandr SLAVUTYCH

Minister of Defense – Lieutenant General Bohdan PAVLENKO

Minister of Internal Affairs – Viktor ZAREVYCH

Minister of Foreign Affairs – Dmytro SKVERNYTSKY

Minister of Finances – Oleksi HROSHAK

Minister of Culture – Volodymyr POLISHCHUK

Director of the Special Police – Maksym ZALIZNIAK

UNSO Flag-Brigadier – Ivan HRUBENKO

Archbishop (Oleksi) of Lviv – Hryhor BOHOMOLSKY

 

 

 

IV. Executive Branch

 

Method of Election/Term Length:  President is elected for life by the National Assembly.

 

Date of Last Election/Results:  March 6, 2006:

                 Petro TKACHENKO 76%;

                 Zakhar DANKO 21%

 

Date of Next Election: Unknown

V. Legislative Branch

Major Political Parties:

                 Ukrainian Radical Nationalist Union (URNO)

                 Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN)

 

Political Pressure Groups:

                 Party for Democracy and Justice (political, illegal),

                 Carpathian Hungarians’ Congress (political, illegal),

                 Carpatho-Bukovynian Hungarian-Romanian Patriotic Front

                                  (violent, illegal),

                 Belarusian Partisan Movement (violent, illegal),

                 Rusyn Liberation Front (violent, illegal)

 

Legislature:

                 Ukrainian National Assembly (unicameral)

                 200 seats / 10 year terms

 

Last Election Date: February 24, 2006

 

 

Last Election Results:        Ukrainian National Assembly:

                 Ukrainian Radical Nationalist Union 154 seats;

                 Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists 39 seats;

                 Independents 5 seats

 

Next Election Date: February 24, 2016

VI. Judiciary Branch

Supreme Court Justices: Five

 

Process through which Justices Come to Power:

                 Appointment by the National Assembly

VII. Foreign Policy

International Organization Participation:

African Union  (represented by Petro PETRYCHENKO)

 

Territorial Disputes: 

With Borisgrad , RBU claims

                 Dnipropetrovsk (157),

                 Kharkiv (158),

                 Kiev (159),

                 Vinnytsya (160))

VIII. Economy

Right-Bank Ukraine has one of the poorest economies in Europe, and is currently attempting to establish economic ties with other nations.

GDP Growth Rate: 10%

 

GDP Per Sector:

                 Agriculture: 40%

                 Industry: 20%

                 Services: 40%     

 

Unemployment Rate:

                 Urban Areas: 15%

                 Rural Areas: 25%

 

Percentage of Population Below the Poverty Line: 35%

                 Urban Areas: 20%

                 Rural Areas: 50%

 

Inflation: 20%

 

Electric Production by Source:

                 Fossil Fuel: 30%

                 Hydro: 30%

                 Nuclear: 35%

                 Other: 5%

 

Nuclear Energy Capabilities: Uranium Enrichment (civilian use)

 

Currency Name: Hryvnia (UAH)

 

Current External Debt: N/A

 

Current Creditor States: N/A

 

 

 

ANNUAL SURPLUS (EXPORTS)

CURRENT NATIONAL DEMAND (IMPORTS)

IX. Infrastructure

Ports and Harbors (0): None

 

Airports with Paved Runways: 50

 

Major International Airports: Lviv International Airport

 

 

 

 

 

 

X. Social Indicators

Life Expectancy at Birth:

                 Male: 61 years

                 Female: 73 years

 

Total Fertility Rate:

                 1.2 children born/woman

 

Nationality:

                 Noun: Ukrainian

                 Adjective: Ukrainian

 

Ethnic Groups:

                 Ukrainian 92.7%,

                 Russian/Belarusian 3%,

                 Other 4.3%

 

Religions:

                 Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox                  Church (UAOC) 85%,

                 illegal churches 10%,

                 other 5%

 

Languages:

                 Ukrainian (official) 90%,

                 Russian (illegal) 5%,

                 Hungarian 1.5%,

                 Romanian 1%,

                 other 2.5%

 

Literacy (definition — age 15 and over can read and write):

                 Total Population: 99.6%

                 Male: 99.7%

                 Female: 99.5%

 

HIV/AIDS

 Adult Prevalence Rate: 1.4%

 People Living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000

 Deaths in Past Year: 8,000

 

Major Infectious Diseases/Risk:

 N/A

XI. Military

Military Branches:

                 Army,

                 Air Force,

                 UHSO (paramilitary)

 

Military Service: Compulsory, 16 yrs.

 

Manpower Avail. For Military Service: 3,245,450

 

Military Expenditures per Year: $200 million

 

Military Expenditures as Percentage of GDP: 1%

 

Weapons of Mass Destruction:

                 Nuclear: None

                 Chemical: N/A

                 Biological: None

XII. Transnational Disputes

Territorial Disputes:

With Borisgrad (RBU claims Dnipropetrovsk (157), Kharkiv (158), Kiev (159), Vinnytsya (160))

 

Non-Territorial Disputes: Boundary delimitation with TreLanka not yet attempted, international recognition not yet achieved from all states.

Updated:  April 1, 2006

Lviv, Capital of RBU

 

President

Petro Tkachenko

Street in Chernivitsi

Ukrainian Children in Costume

Ukrainian Folk Dance

SEE PHOTOS OF OTHER LEADERS

LEARN MORE ABOUT OPPOSITION AND RESISTANCE  IN RBU

Leadership of Resistance:

 

Ihor Oleksiiovych Bykov (1949 –)

Position: General Secretary of the Party for Democracy and Justice

Born: Jan. 12, 1949 (Kyiv, Ukraine, USSR)

Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Russian

Religion: Orthodox Christian (UOC-MP)

Political Affiliation: Democrat

 

Aleś Alaskandravič Lasny (1968 –)

Position: Co-Commander of the Belarusian Partisan Movement

Born: Oct. 12, 1968 (Homiel, Belarus, USSR)

Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Belarusian

Religion: Orthodox Christian

Political Affiliation: Socialist

Oleksandr Antonovych Vasyliev (1976 –)

Position: Co-Commander of the Belarusian Partisan Movement

Born: Feb. 29, 1976 (Donetsk, Ukraine, USSR)

Ethnicity: 75% Russian, 25% Ukrainian

Religion: Orthodox Christian (UOC-MP)

Political Affiliation: Socialist

Ivan (Jan) Olesievych Rusyn (1980 –)

Position: Otaman of the Rusyn Liberation Front (Feb. 20, 2006 –)
Born: Dec. 3, 1972 (Uzhhorod, Ukraine, USSR)
Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Rusyn
Religion: Uniate Christian
Political Affiliation: Rusyn Nationalist

Laszlo Hagy (1973 –)

Position: Hungarian Co-Commander of the Carpatho-Bukovynian Hungarian-Romanian Patriotic Front (Feb. 21, 2006 –)

Born: Mar. 19, 1973 (Mukacheve, Ukraine, USSR)

Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Hungarian

Religion: Roman Catholic Christian

Political Affiliation: Hungarian Nationalist

Victor Romanescu (1971 –)

Position: Romanian Co-Commander of the Carpatho-Bukovynian Hungarian-Romanian Patriotic Front (Feb. 15, 2006 –)

Born: Nov. 9, 1971 (Chisinau, Moldova, USSR)

Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Romanian

Religion: Orthodox Christian

Political Affiliation: Romanian Nationalist

Leadership of Opposition:

 

Oleh Volodymyrovych Prystupa (1952 – 2006)
Position: Chairman of the UNA (Jun. 22, 2004 – Feb. 17, 2006)
Born: Dec. 1, 1952 (Ternopil, Ukraine, USSR)
Died: Feb. 17, 2006 (Lviv, Ukraine, TreLanka)
Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Ukrainian
Religion: Orthodox Christian (UOC-KP)
Political Affiliation: Ukrainian Nationalist

Zakhar Kyrylovych Danko (1950 –)

Position(s): Chairman of the UNA (Feb. 17, 2006 – Feb. 24, 2006)

Born: May 8, 1950 (Mukacheve, Ukraine, USSR)

Ethnicity: 75% Ukrainian, 25% Hungarian

Religion: Uniate Christian

Political Affiliation: Ukrainian Nationalist

Note: Lost citizenship with banning of the Greek Catholic Church on March 2, 2006; continues to chair the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists

 

Iarema Olehovych Halaida (1970 –)

Position: Flag-Brigadier of the UNSO (Jul. 12, 2004 – Feb. 25, 2006); UNA Deputy for the OUN (Feb. 24, 2006 –)

Born: Feb. 13, 1970 (Uzhhorod, Ukraine, USSR)

Ethnicity: Pure-blooded Ukrainian

Religion: Orthodox Christian (UOC-KP)

Political Affiliation: Ukrainian Nationalist

Note: Lost citizenship with banning of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchy) on March 2, 2006

 

Stamp showing Ukrainians in traditional dress.

Traditional  Ukrainians Easter Basket.