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Ivan Gayvanovych, Kiev |
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| THE EXCHANGE |
27 April 2010
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Geopolitical influence is an expensive thing. The Soviet Union realized that well supporting the Communist regimes and movements all over the world including Cuba and North Korea. The current Russian authorities also understood that when they agreed that Ukraine would not pay Russia $40 billion for the gas in return for extension of the lease allowing Russia's Black Sea Fleet to be stationed in the Crimea.
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| STARTING POINT |
12 February 2010
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“As a child I knew that I would become president of the state”, said Yuliya Tymoshenko in an interview more than four years ago. Over the past 13 years (since Yuliya Tymoshenko came to politics), she has been steady in her purpose.
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| IS MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? |
14 October 2009
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Against the background of social disappointments and political failures that have been taking place in Ukraine during Viktor Yushchenko’s presidency, the freedom of speech is considered to be one of the main achievements of the Orange Revolution. President Yushchenko likes to mention that in his speeches telling Ukrainians about the diffusion of democratic values in the country under his rule.
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| THE EUROPEAN SUBCONTINENT |
01 October 2008
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In Transcarpathia, near the Ukrainian village of Delovoe, there are three geodetic signs indicating the geographic center of the European subcontinent. The first sign was put up in 1887 under Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The second one was set up by the members of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The third one was put up in the first years of Ukraine’s independence after the Soviet Union had collapsed.
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| AWAY FROM USSR! |
15 December 2006
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Back in 1989 the USSR First Congress of People's Deputies shifted world perception of many Soviet people including me, giving up for lost just another zealous Young Communist and a would-be disciple of Lenin’s ideas.
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| TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY |
31 March 2006
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The parliamentary elections in Ukraine once more confirm the statements made by political scientists and sociologists, that the electoral sentiments and political preferences of the voters have divided the country. Ukraine’s western regions, which almost unanimously voted for Viktor Yushchenko over a year ago, this time have also voted for the “orange” blocs.
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| MAUVAIS TON |
02 August 2005
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Since being the Head of the National Bank and further on the Prime-Minister, Viktor Yushchenko has positioned himself profitably on the Ukrainian political scene. Well educated, honest, sincere, with no relation to business and at the same time highly professional — he could have exemplified an ideal politician.
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| HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE |
24 May 2005
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First 100 days of Yuliya Tymoshenko’s premiership were crowned with the fuel crisis. After the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, guiding by a suspicion of cartel collusion among oil suppliers, set limit prices for oil products petrol stations were deprived of fuel.
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Our authors
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Geopolitical influence is an expensive thing. The Soviet Union realized that well supporting the Communist regimes and movements all over the world including Cuba and North Korea. The current Russian authorities also understood that when they agreed that Ukraine would not pay Russia $40 billion for the gas in return for extension of the lease allowing Russia's Black Sea Fleet to be stationed in the Crimea.
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The case of Kurmanbek Bakiyev is consistent with the logic of the Belarusian authorities’ actions towards the plane crash near Smolensk. The decisions not to demonstrate the “Katyn” film and not to announce the mourning were made emotionally, to spite Moscow and Warsaw, without thinking about their consequences and about reaction of the society and the neighbouring countries.
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Explosions take place in Russia again. The last week of March started with terrorist acts at the Moscow metro stations which were followed by blasts in the Dagestani city of Kizlar. The horror spread from the metro to the whole city.
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Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych symbolically selected Brussels as his first foreign visit upon taking the oath of office in what can only be seen as an exercise in public relations. The new government of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov headed straight for Moscow shortly thereafter with the sole intention of cutting a deal.
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The protest actions, which the Russian extraparliamentary opposition had scheduled for March 20, were held as planned, they surprised or frightened nobody. Just as it had been expected, the activists of many organizations supporting the Wrath Day took to the streets… but saw there only the policemen, journalists and each other.
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As I write, angry demonstrations continue in Tehran and elsewhere in the Islamic Republic of Iran, over what the young demonstrators perceive as the blatant rigging of the presidential election to keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power for another five years. Reports suggest at least eight protestors have been killed by police.
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The cri… no the word will not be uttered. Now that President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin have finally allowed themselves to belatedly use the word, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to spit it out of these lips. It’s c-this and c-that. If there was C-Span in Russia then it would be c-ing all day and all night long.
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