Ukraine Blog

Horbach vs. Gorbachev

2009-01-26T01:07:00.004-05:00

I have recently heard that Gorbachev's original family name was Horbach and that they are Ukrainian. Apprently, the -ov was added during Stalin's big name-change operation, when all Muslim lastnames in the Soviet Union and many Ukrainian lastnames were changed in such a fashion on Stalin's orders. A Ukrainian member of the British Parliament, Stefan Terlezki, has also claimed in his book "From

Ukraine on Facebook!

2009-01-22T01:43:00.002-05:00

If you have a Facebook account, join our Ukraine page:Ukraine Fan Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Ukraine/40677685682

The number of Ukrainian dead in Holodomor

2009-01-21T17:17:00.004-05:00

The question of Holodomor keeps being raised, again and again. One of the most frequent attempts to lessen the severity of the genocide is by arguing for a lower number of people who died from the Famine. Frequently it is stated that less than 3 million died from Holodomor in Ukraine. .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:

Public Opinion in Ukraine and Russia

2009-01-17T23:57:00.006-05:00

Interestingly enough, according to the latest Gallup article, according to their polls taken in 2006-2008, most Ukrainians approve of the performance of Russian leadership.I am not sure how the questions are phrased, but Ukrainians are one of the most supportive countries in the world with 59% approval, except for Serbia, with 63% approval.And since Ukraine's leadership has mostly shielded the

A German song about Medvedev... :)

2009-01-17T02:03:00.005-05:00

Putins Puppenkiste (with Russian subtitles)

Russia's Gas War is Political

2009-01-10T17:51:00.002-05:00

The dispute is entirely political. Russia is loosing more money by not sending gas than they were trying to squeeze out of Ukraine. Russian gas storages are full, so they will soon have to start burning their gas because they have nowhere to put it. The purpose of this gas war with Ukraine is the same as the purpose of the hot war with Georgia - to prevent the European integration of either

Russian back-stabbing and blame game

2009-01-10T03:41:00.004-05:00

As this Romanian member of Yahoo Ukraine list has pointed out and Romanian media has publicized, the Gazprom subsidiary in Moldova was stealing gas coming in from Ukraine that was intended for delivery further downstream, to Romania and Bulgaria. And then Gazprom accused Ukraine of stealing Russian gas!This has a Russian signature all over it. Just like the attempts by the Russian security

Russia and Ukraine Playing Hardball

2009-01-09T02:04:00.004-05:00

"With its economy in deep trouble, Ukraine has little to lose by using its control of European fuel shipments to resist Russia's demand for a price increase. By contrast, Russia is suffering huge losses in immediate gas revenue and enormous damage to its reputation as an energy partner seeking European investment. Yet political considerations seem to have prevented the Kremlin from surrendering.

Influence of Diasporas on Home Countries

2009-01-06T17:35:00.007-05:00

A Ukrainian news item on a Johns Hopkins lecture on the influence of diasporas on their home countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Albania.The US-Ukraine Foundation (http://www.usukraine.org/) took part in the event.У Вашингтоні говорили про вплив діаспор на життя своїх країн

Russian "intellectual" predicts disintegration of US by 2010... :)

2009-01-03T05:25:00.003-05:00

I thought this was a fascinating article. Fascinating because it reveals so much about how the Russian leadership thinks. Much like some Americans who don't know much about the history try to compare Ukraine to Texas, a Russian "intellectual" Igor Panarin, who is taken seriously by the KGB and the Russian government, believes that the United States is just like the Soviet Union and will fall

Official Kyiv United in Confronting Moscow Menace

2009-01-03T02:11:00.004-05:00

The two interesting things from these articles are:1. Ukraine has enough gas stored to last for 3 months this time - all the way until April.2. 60% of Russia's federal budget comes from oil and gas taxes! This is a third-world country's level of dependence on energy.INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE January 02, 2009Russia Cuts Off Gas Deliveries to Ukraine By ANDREW E. KRAMERThe Russian energy giant Gazprom

Revival of Stalinism in Russia shows gap between neighbors

2008-12-30T00:43:00.003-05:00

Russia's refusal to heed Yushchenko's call for a mutual recognition of the famine as genocide says a lot about the rehabilitation of Stalinism under Putin. Russia supported calls five years ago by President Leonid Kuchma to recognize the famine as genocide. Ukraine's position on Soviet crimes has, therefore, not changed. Under Putin, Russia has moved from condemnation to celebration of Stalinism

Russia’s response to crisis: Crackdown

2008-12-29T22:32:00.005-05:00

http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/32149Russia's response to crisis: Crackdown17 December, 21:12 James Marson, Kyiv Post, Staff Writer APPolice officers in St. Petersburg,Russia, detain a demonstrator during apeaceful anti-Kremlin protest on Dec.14. Police broke up a similaropposition rally that day in Moscow Use of force is preferred method against protesters in Moscow and St. PetersburgMOSCOW – In

Estonia Shaken by Pro-Russia Spy Midst Its High Officials

2008-12-25T01:45:00.009-05:00

Ukraine needs to seriously look into its own vulnerabilities to Russian intelligence penetration, which are considerably greater than those of Estonia.The SBU has been successful in some areas, such as preventing the hiring of any Ukrainians to fight against Russians in Georgia, which the Russian secret services put no small effort into doing in the run-up to the Georgian war. The goal was

Crumbling Buildings in Ukraine Match Crumbling Economy

2008-12-25T01:45:00.008-05:00

It seems like every year at least one building in Ukraine blows up because of gas leakage.When I lived in Kyiv, there was a building not far from where I lived that had a gas explosion. It's always a horrifying sight. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4BO04R20081225Ukraine blast flattens apartment block, kills 19Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:26am EST YEVPATORIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - An

Latvia demands Russians learn Latvian

2008-12-22T05:48:00.002-05:00

Latvia demands that their large Russian minority learn the Latvian language. Ukraine has chosen a slower, more evolutionary path in conversion to Ukrainian language.

Entrepreneurship: The real source of China's economic miracle

2008-12-18T23:10:00.009-05:00

An interesting article from a respected American management consulting newsletter McKinsey Quarterly. The basic point is that it was not foreign investment or state capitalism that accounts for most of China's spectacular economic rise - but homegrown entrepreneurship. Ukraine can and should learn from China's experience.Entrepreneurial capitalism, unlike state-led capitalism, not only generated

Tymoshenko, Yushchenko, Lytvyn Heading New Coalition

2008-12-10T16:32:00.006-05:00

Finally, they got some sense...INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE December 11, 2008Ukraine's Leaders Reach Accord on New Coalition By CLIFFORD J. LEVYAfter months of political discord, Ukraine's pro-Western leaders announced that they had patched up their differences and would not call new elections.

Ukraine’s Slow Movement to NATO Is Irrevocable Even without the MAP

2008-12-09T23:42:00.002-05:00

An interesting perspective from the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR):As long ago as the adoption of the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan in 2002, officials and experts noted that by its essence, the document is the Membership Action Plan. Then Secretary of the NSDC Yevhen Marchuk stated, "By its gist, the Action Plan is de facto the Membership Action Plan. It incorporates

Russia’s Bare-Knuckle Policy on Oil

2008-12-08T22:49:00.003-05:00

The new Obama administration needs to realize Russia has a potential stranglehold on America's European allies and will play its energy card when it wants to: to block the further expansion of NATO, for example, or the EU. Russia's next likely move, which could be delayed until the global economy starts picking up again, will be an attempt to orchestrate a global natural gas cartel patterned on

Ukrainian R&B by Vova zi Lvova

2008-12-08T02:34:00.004-05:00

Ukrainian R&B by Vova zi Lvova

Russia's Resurgence or Downfall?

2008-11-27T03:41:00.002-05:00

Russia is rotting from the inside - morally and demographically. It may be strong enough to kick around weak neighbors, but that's about it.Its population is increasingly falling into alcoholism, even among women now, with the resulting early death rates. Russians are literally drinking themselves to death. (The Russian government is now relying on alcohol excise tax receipts to take them through

Russian Historical Forgetfulness

2008-11-23T03:45:00.006-05:00

An excerpt from a Washington Post article: .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass body.EC_hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;} "But few debate that Russians are unwilling to properly honor the victims of Soviet-era purges, reconsider the dark pages of the country's history and acknowledge that the Soviet regime was guilty of grave crimes. Critics say that

Українці та Російський Імперіалізм

2008-11-23T01:52:00.004-05:00

Факт є фактом, через пропаганду чи ні, але більшість росіян вороже налаштовані до України. Справа в тому, що більшість українців самі себе не поважають, а росіяни про справжню Україну майже нічого не знають, бо українці їм нічого ніколи про це не говорять. Чи то через побоювання згубити друзів, чи через зневагу до самих себе.Я свої справжні думки про Росію від росіян не приховую. Реакція буває

How Many Ukrainians Died in the Holodomor?

2008-11-22T03:39:00.005-05:00

The demographic data from the Soviet Union can only suggest the lowest number. Going by the Soviet data, the lowest possible number is 5 million dead. And we know the Soviets had reason to inflate post-Holodomor numbers, so the number is likely higher. Besides that, Ukraine had one of the highest birth rates in Europe in the 20th century, so between the dates of the Censuses, the population

Communism Should Be Condemned By Humanity

2008-11-22T03:36:00.003-05:00

It is my firm belief that both fascism and communism need to be condemned by humanity. Unfortunately, not all fascism was condemned. German fascism was fully condemned. But Japan never underwent the same process as Germany. Unlike Hitler in Germany, Emperor Hirohito of Japan stayed in power and many of the crimes of the Japanese in China (just read The Rape of Nanking for a horrific picture) and

Ukrainian Economy Increasingly Independent of Russia's

2008-11-22T03:15:00.004-05:00

If you think that Ukraine's independence is a good thing, then this is going to be good news for you. I would actually go so far as to argue that Ukraine has already been torn away from Russia, at least as far as the economy is concerned.The European Union is already Ukraine's largest trading partner and that number is increasing, so economically speaking Ukraine is already integrating into the

Gorbachev, Obama and the end of USSR

2008-11-21T17:46:00.005-05:00

This is a response to the following blog post on Lex Libertas:Gorbachev Urges Obama to Carry Out Perestroikahttp://lexlibertas.com/2008/11/11/gorbachev-urges-obama-to-carry-out-perestroika/ You are talking about the downfall of the Soviet Union like it was a bad thing. The only people who think it was a bad thing are the Communists and the Russian nationalists.I think it was a wonderful thing

Ukraine Genocide Analysis by Yevhen Zakharov

2008-11-21T06:40:00.004-05:00

In regards to the legal classification of Holodomor as genocide, I would strongly recommend the legal analysis by Yevhen Zakharov of the Khakiv Human Rights Protection group:Opinion: Legal classification of Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine and in Kuban as a crime against humanity and genocidehttp://www.khpg.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1221299499 The basic fact is that due to the rolling back of

Russian KGB and Ukraine

2008-11-21T06:26:00.004-05:00

The Russian people are not an enemy of Ukraine. I personally have more Russian friends than Ukrainian friends. But unfortunately the Russian government is an enemy of an independent Ukraine.The trouble is with the fact that the Russian government is run by the KGB (FSB), which has two main goals:1. Increase their power as much as possible.2. Make as much money as possible. (Much of which ends up

Yuri Bezmenov: The KGB and the Brainwashing of the West

2008-11-20T01:57:00.015-05:00

The Russian Embassy in DC is the largest embassy in the United States, with over 3,000 employees. The KGB business is proceeding briskly inside of it, just as it was in Soviet days. In fact, if you believe American intelligence analysts, Russian intelligence in the West is stronger today than it has ever been during the Cold War.And even though Ukraine has a mutual agreement with the Russian

Dining near Chornobyl attracts British TV show

2008-11-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/30790 Dining near Chornobyl attracts British TV showThe Age newspaper of Melbourne, Australia, put the spotlight Oct. 30 on the BBC-produced TV program "Cooking in the Danger Zone." Naturally, TV host Stefan Gates found his way to Chornobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear power accident in 1986."This week's series return sees him traipse around Chornobyl, Geiger

Kyivskyi Pohlyad with Evheniy Kyselyov

2008-11-13T02:35:00.003-05:00

If you understand Ukrainian, I would recommend the weekly analytical program "Kyivskyi Pohlyad" with Evheniy Kyselyov, on the Ukrainian TV channel TBI, which regularly discusses Ukrainian economics, politics and culture.A new edition comes out every Sunday.You can watch it here: http://news.rtvi.com/vyvody/UKR?q=high

Deputy Andriy Shevchenko appeared in NYC to appear at U Penn

2008-11-08T03:12:00.003-05:00

Summary by Bohdan Oryshkevich, Founder of the USA/USA ProgramVerkhovna Rada Deputy from BYUT, Andriy Shevchenko, appeared in the East Village of New York City on Saturday November 1, and met with members of the Ukrainian American community and with USA/USA students from Ukraine who came from as far away as Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania. His appearance created a lively afternoon

Yulia Tymoshenko Congratulates Obama On Victory

2008-11-07T20:44:00.004-05:00

In Ukraine, where Obama will confront a region where Russia is playing an increasingly assertive role, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called Obama's victory "an inspiration for us. That which appeared impossible has become possible."Blacks everywhere have a reason to celebrate, as do whites, about electing the first black (or actually half-black) man for the Presidency of the most developed and

Political Analysis of the American Elections

2008-11-07T03:25:00.006-05:00

This post is in Ukrainian language:Політичний Аналіз Американських ВиборівЦі нотатки було написано у відповідь на цей постінг:http://bohdanp.multiply.com/journal/item/188/188 Щодо моралі можна подискутувати, а от щодо інтелектуальних здібностей, автори цього листа не занадто далекозорі. Поняття червоних і синіх штатів досить химерне. За останні 15 років тільки 17 штатів були завжди синіми і

Ukraine's Film Industry Struggling to Survive

2008-11-04T18:45:00.005-05:00

I think Ukraine's film industry has been given a boost by a Ukrainian court order that required the Ukrainian dubbing or subtitling of all films shown in Ukraine. This will give a boost to Ukrainian actors, or at least the Ukrainian voice actors.The Russian film industry is nothing compared with Hollywood or Bollywood, but it's definitely ahead of the Ukrainian film industry. One of the reason is

HARVARD CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT FAMINE IN UKRAINE

2008-10-31T20:17:00.005-04:00

This conference at Harvard is free and open to the public.Harvard Ukrainian Research InstituteAnnounces a Two-Day International ConferenceThe Great Famine in Ukraine:The Holodomor and Its Consequences, 1933 to the Present17-18 November 2008The year 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-1933, now often referred to by its Ukrainian name Holodomor (extermination by hunger).

Palin: If Obama Wins Russia Might Invade Ukraine

2008-10-23T00:32:00.004-04:00

The American Vice Presidential candidate from the Republican Party has voiced a common concern of many Ukrainians: 'In Reno, Palin went on to hit Obama for opposing the troop surge in Iraq and for what she saw as "indecision" when Russia invaded Georgia, "After the Russian army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama's reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence - the kind of

Ukrainian-born Republican candidate in Pennsylvania

2008-10-21T18:10:00.005-04:00

Marina Kats, a Ukrainian-Jewish woman, born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, is now running for the House of Representatives in Pennsylvania on a fiscal conservative platform: http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/pa/state/vote/kats_m/ Marina Kats pictured with John McCain"I came to America as a legal immigrant from Ukraine in 1979 with barely any money and no understanding of the English language.

West Europe's Appeasement Emboldened Russia's Belligerence in Georgia

2008-10-21T02:28:00.007-04:00

Excellent article by John R. Bolton in the Washington Post and an excellent letter to the editor in response to it by Robert McConnell, the co-founder of the US-Ukraine Foundation. If only the Western European states would heed the message before it's too late.Response 10/21/2008A NATO Path for Ukraine and Georgia A16 (Post) Article 10/20/2008 Russia Unromanticized John R. Bolton, A15 (Post)

Russia Needs To Loose Its Empire

2008-10-18T03:11:00.004-04:00

Russia's leaders have recently become very worried that Russia may fall apart in the future:http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=B1924265-A5E4-4EDB-BF0E-69FB31D5123DThey see weakness where many see renewed strength, and rightly so. Despite huge foreign currency infusion thanks to oil revenues, Russia's Soviet-era infrustructure hasn't been rebuilt and it is crumbling. And due to

Russia prevents Holodomor commemoration

2008-10-14T19:18:00.002-04:00

This is a press release from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) on recent events in Russia:ABUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA CONDEMNEDInternational Remembrance Flame Stopped With Scare TacticsWinnipeg, October 14, 2008- The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) condemns the recent and blatant abuse of human rights by the Russian government which has banned events planned in Russia to commemorate the

Kyiv is the best city in the world!

2008-10-13T23:00:00.004-04:00

A nice video about my hometown - the proud and ancient city of Kyiv:

African-Ukrainians sing a jingle

2008-10-13T22:46:00.003-04:00

African-Ukrainians sing about how much they love Ukraine:)(African style)*I Love Ukraine*

Ukraine: undiscovered Europe

2008-10-13T18:40:00.002-04:00

"Ukraine is the geographic centre of Europe, a bridge between East and West, and a country of history, culture and beauty.This video, created by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine, provides an insight into this fascinating country."

Ukraine - A European Nation!

2008-10-13T18:34:00.003-04:00

Ukraine promotional video:

Ukraine's Economy in 2007

2008-10-13T17:17:00.005-04:00

This was Ukraine's economy in 2007:Things are slowing down now, because of the global economic slowdown.

Ruslana speaks good English

2008-10-11T02:22:00.003-04:00

I am impressed!I saw a video of Ruslana in Malta and she is speaking pretty good English, for someone who studied it in Ukraine:(they speak some Maltese first in the video)

Folk the movie

2008-10-10T03:25:00.003-04:00

KinoRox Productions has made a documentary about the older generations of Ukrainian-Americans trying to keep their culture alive for generations.The movie is called "Folk". You can watch a trailer here:http://www.kinorox.com/

There is only one thing Russians understand: the language of power

2008-10-09T22:05:00.003-04:00

An excerpt from an article from Der Spiegel:Language of Power"And," Miroslav Mamchak asks, smiling, "what was the outcome of that war? Russia lost, and Sevastopol fell. All enemies that have ever come here have captured the city - that is the bitter truth about this city of heroes."A retired sea captain in the Black Sea fleet, Mamchak was one of the first to swear an oath of allegiance to the

Ukraine Banks Ask Government For Billions In Assistance

2008-10-09T15:48:00.004-04:00

"The NBU already had approved 23 of 25 assistance package requests worth some 620 million dollars, according to the report. The banks needing cash inflows accounted for some 25 per cent Ukraine's banking sector, observers said." Ukraine Banks Ask Government For Billions In Assistancehttp://blog.kievukraine.info/2008/10/ukraine-banks-ask-government-for.html

HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL SITE APPROVED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

2008-10-09T14:58:00.003-04:00

HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL SITE APPROVED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.On Thursday, October 2, 2008, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved and awarded a parcel of federally owned land to the Ukrainian Government as the site for the Memorial to Victims of the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-33.Initiated under the auspices of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in cooperation with Rep. Levin's

Ukraine Can Become Bread-Baskett of Europe Again

2008-10-09T14:27:00.005-04:00

Ukraine really needs to develop its agriculture. It's going to be one of the vehicles for Ukraine's rise as an economic power. The main reasons are:1. The food prices are going up to astronomical levels worldwide.2. The yields on farming land in Ukraine are still extremely small, compared with the rest of Western Europe. Even Russia is now ahead on how much it produces out of the same piece of

Ukraine’s black soil tilled for private investment

2008-10-08T22:48:00.007-04:00

"World Focus" feature on Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008On Thursday, Oct. 9, the PBS television program "World Focus" will have a feature story on how Ukrainian farmers are benefitting from the global rise in food prices."World Focus" (http://worldfocus.org/) is a half-hour-long digest of TV news reports from around the world. The programs can also be viewed online, at their Web site.This is the

More on Ethnic Russians in Ukraine Re-identifying as Ukrainians

2008-10-07T23:12:00.005-04:00

The Russian identity is actually quite weak without strong state power, which is what the authors rightly noted. It is in a sense an artificial identity maintained by a strong authoritarian state, which actively promotes nationalism and promotes the propaganda of this identity.But when ethnic Russians are placed in a democratic foreign environment, even where they speak Russian and are fully

RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SEEKS TO DESTABILIZE CRIMEA

2008-10-07T23:03:00.004-04:00

An excellent article by Taras Kuzio in the Eurasia Daily Monitor.One of the most atrocious facts that he brings up is that the Russian FSB actively tried hiring Ukrainians with military experience in Ukraine to go fight against the Russian forces during the Russian-Georgian War, so that they can then give the Russian propaganda machine a powerful tool to denounce "extremist Ukrainian nationalists

Folk the movie

2008-10-07T22:48:00.004-04:00

KinoRox Productions has made a documentary about the older generations of Ukrainian-Americans who have kept their culture alive for generations.The movie is called "Folk". You can watch a trailer on their site:http://www.kinorox.com/

Ukrainians in the Russian Navy

2008-10-07T03:53:00.002-04:00

Pretty interesting article on the history of the Ukrainian NAVY: http://www.geocities.com/unavy/aUNRnavy.html75% of the Russian Imperial Black Sea Fleet was made up of Ukrainians! And consequently, most of the 60,000 "Russians" who died in Russian Empire's Crimean War, were actually Ukrainian conscripts.Most of the other Fleets of the Russian Empire - Caspian Sea Fleet, North Sea Fleet, etc.,

Ukraine's Ethnic Russians Re-identifying as Ukrainians

2008-10-07T03:51:00.005-04:00

Interesting post by Paul Globe on his blog Window on Eurasia. The number of self-identified ethnic Russians had fallen from 23% to 17% in the decade after Ukraine's independence in 1991. And this number has likely fallen further in the intervening years.The interesting conclusion derived from his analysis is that the Ukrainian ethnic identity is actually much stronger than the Russian ethnic

Western Ukrainians Ukrainianizing Crimea

2008-10-07T02:45:00.003-04:00

This is a pro-Russian article in Russian on a pro-Russian site, but I thought it was interesting that they mentioned that Western Ukrainians are now working to Ukrainianize Crimea. That's a very good sign for the future unity and stability of Ukraine!

Protest against racism in central Kyiv October 3, 2008

2008-10-04T22:55:00.003-04:00

An interesting picture from Ukraine: "Immigrants stand with placards during a protest against racism in central Kyiv October 3, 2008"http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/pictures/KIE05.htm

Ukrainian Scientists Worldwide Unite!

2008-10-03T01:19:00.002-04:00

If you are interested in Ukrainian science or scholarship done by Ukrainains, I'd like to welcome you to join this site!http://uascientist.ning.com/Fact: Ukraine was responsible for 40% of science research conducted in USSR.

Ukraine Ship Hijacked

2008-10-01T02:55:00.003-04:00

A Ukrainian ship "Faina" carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry paid for by the government of Kenya has been hijacked by a bunch of Somali pirates. You have to wonder why a ship carrying heavy-duty weaponry wasn't better protected. How did a few pirates on small boats take it over? Sure, they were armed with AKs and granade launchers. But can they possibly sink such a large ship? And now

The sword of Russia is shining again?

2008-10-01T02:01:00.004-04:00

An interesting article in LA Times on the rise of tensions in Crimea, due to pressure from the resurgent imperialist Russia. A telling quote from the second page of the article:"In a scene that seemed cut from tsarist times, Russian navy officials and Orthodox priests sat at a long table, knocking back shots of vodka and proclaiming emotional toasts. "The West shuddered 150 years ago when Russia

Religious People More Rational, New Survey Results

2008-09-27T20:38:00.005-04:00

Ukraine is one of the most religious nations in Europe, according to a Pew Trusts survey from several years ago.http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/167.pdfIf this new survey's results are to be believed, then this means that Ukrainians are actually less likely to be irrational and as such more likely to succeed in the future. There's something to it, because Russia, in contrast, is one of the least

Remembering Holodomor - Ukrainian Genocide

2008-09-27T03:40:00.004-04:00

A few items in memory of one of the worst genocides in history:There is an excellent analysis by Yevhen Zakharov of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, showing that the Holodomor is genocide under all applicable international laws: http://www.khpg.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1221299499Ukraine's experience in the Russian empire has been anything but positive for Ukrainians. All you have to do is

Holodomor Resolution passes U.S. House of Representatives

2008-09-27T03:04:00.002-04:00

On the 75 Anniversary of one of the greatest genocides known to humanity, the US House of Representatives has voted to recognize Holodomor as an act of Genocide and condemned the Soviet government for perpetrating it. The resolution was based on the conclusions of a special Congressional committee that was ordered in 1985 to investigate the events of Holodomor and report to Congress. While it

A pig raises tiger cubs in Ukraine

2008-09-27T02:52:00.003-04:00

A pig has been rearing three tiger cubs on a farm in southern Ukraine after they were abandoned by their mother.Video on BBC:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7630765.stm

A Crucial Choice for Ukraine

2008-09-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

It looks like McCain has been seriously interested in Ukraine for quite a while. As I was doing my research, I found this interesting article that McCain wrote for the Washington Post in 2004 expressing concern for the previous government's crackdown on the democratic opposition, two months before the Orange Revolution made Ukraine famous worldwide. In other words, he knew and cared about Ukraine

McCain vs. Obama on Ukraine

2008-09-26T23:47:00.003-04:00

I think both McCain and Obama did pretty well in today's first presidential debate, but not when it comes to Ukrainian issues.McCain had an entire paragraph on Ukraine in his speech: "It's not accidental that the presidents of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine flew to Georgia, flew to Tbilisi, where I have spent significant amount of time with a great young president, Misha

The Russian-Georgian Conflict Shifts Energy Supplies from the Caspian Region

2008-09-23T20:09:00.002-04:00

One important consequence of Russia's war in Georgia was the suspension of Kazakhstan's and Azerbajan's energy exports through Georgia and their increased reliance on Russia. In the short term Russia has won by increasing transportation of Central Asian and Caspian energy through its territory, as well as by decreasing the reputation of the Russia-free Caucausus energy transportation network by

New Documentary: The Soviet Story

2008-09-23T01:54:00.003-04:00

There's a new European Union-sponsored documentary out about Soviet history. I just saw it and highly recommend it.This is the official film site: http://www.sovietstory.com/This is a trailer for the film:You can see it for free here.Part 1:Part 2:The film features newly discovered evidence from the archives on the close Soviet-Nazi cooperation before the German attack on the Soviet Union.

Movies In Ukraine Now Shown In Ukrainian Language

2008-09-23T00:52:00.005-04:00

Until this year, the film distributors in Ukraine, most of whom are either Russian or English-speaking, were being lazy and simply showed the movies that were prepared for the Russian market in Ukraine without changing anything. All the American movies were dubbed in Russian. A few years ago close to 100% of all the movies were in Russian. So, what wasn't happening through the market, happened by

100% of movies are in Ukrainian

2008-09-22T21:30:00.003-04:00

According to 5 Kanal, the Ukrainian government has taken the percentage of foreign movies shown in Ukraine in Ukrainian language in three years from 20% to 50% to 70% and now to 100%.More here (video - 63,4 MB - in Ukrainian):http://5.ua/img/forall/cytaty/chas_vajlyvo_chmil_carov_5kanal_18072008.wmv

Belarus president urges West to accept election

2008-09-19T18:11:00.002-04:00

There is no evil without some good in it. After Russia's bullying of Belarus over energy prices and a forced takeover of its pipelines by Gazprom, Lukashenka is warming up to the West, releasing political prisoners and promising free and fair elections.It will be interesting to see how far the liberalization of "the last dictatorship in Europe" goes...http://www.kyivpost.com/world/29790World