[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VOICE OF AMERICA'S UKRAINIAN SERVICE

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, for 65 years the Voice of America 
Ukrainian Service has been a vital source of comprehensive and unbiased 
information for the Ukrainian people.
  During the Cold War, VOA's uncensored, truthful reporting of the news 
was a beacon of freedom for Ukrainians dominated by Soviet rule. 
Through VOA and broadcasts by other media outlets such as Radio 
Liberty, information-starved Ukrainians not only learned about life in 
the United States and the outside world but also about developments 
within Ukraine itself.
  From VOA, Ukrainians discovered government-sponsored human rights 
violations taking place throughout the Soviet Union. They became aware 
of the many courageous Ukrainian human rights activists, including 
members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, who languished in Soviet 
prisons for daring to call upon the Soviet Government to abide by its 
Helsinki Final Act commitments. And when disaster struck at Chernobyl, 
Ukrainians looked to VOA to provide the objective information that the 
Soviet Government stubbornly refused to share.
  Since Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, VOA's Ukrainian 
Service has been able to reach more Ukrainian citizens than ever 
before. Its daily news program ``Chas-Time'' is seen nightly on 
Ukraine's respected Channel 5, and its reporting is often featured on 
other major Ukrainian television channels.
  VOA's audience has exploded in the year since the Maidan Revolution 
for Dignity and Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and aggression in 
the southeast.
  Thanks to its focus on developments in the United States and U.S.-
Ukrainian relations, VOA's Ukrainian Service has been instrumental in 
bringing home to millions of Ukrainians U.S. policy, as well as the 
perspectives and activities of the Executive Branch, Congress, and NGOs 
with respect to Ukraine.
  Ukraine confronts profound external and internal challenges in its 
quest for an independent, democratic, European future. As Chairman of 
the Helsinki Commission, I commend the ongoing and accelerating role of 
VOA's Ukrainian service, especially during this historic time.

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