Tag: Ukrainian Politics
NEWSLINK: “On which side of the reform fence does Poroshenko sit?” – Kyiv Post/Timothy Ash
NEWSLINK: “No reform, no aid” – Kyiv Post
NEWSLINK: “Railing Against Graft, a Georgian Leads Calls for a Cleanup in Ukraine.” – New York Times
Ukrainian Cabinet to keep working, fuss surrounding its work aimed at redistributing financial flows, seizing power – Yatsenyuk
KYIV. Feb 3 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian Cabinet of ministers will continue working, and if some parliamentarians disagree with this, they are free to initiate a vote of no confidence in the government, says Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. “We, as a government, will keep doing our job, we will be fulfilling the government action program, we will pursue reform, and […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Abromavicius: One of Ukrainian government’s great champions” – Interfax-Ukraine
NEWSLINK: “Blow to Ukraine’s reform hopes as economy minister quits” – Reuters
NEWSLINK UNIAN (Kyiv): “Government’s report: economy down 10.4% in 2015”
NEWSLINK: “Replacement of technocratic ministers by politicians in Ukrainian govt would be mistake [U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt]” – Interfax-Ukraine
Ukraine’s Graft Fight Shows Little Progress, Transparency Says
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Volodymyr Verbyany – January 27, 2016) Ukraine’s efforts to stamp out corruption last year brought scant progress, according to Transparency International, which said civil society, journalists and whistle-blowers have been more effective than government officials in combating graft. The former Soviet republic’s score rose “only one additional point” in the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, the Berlin-based […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Interfax-Ukraine: “Two thirds of Ukrainian face corruption in 2015, corruption is key problem of Ukraine – poll.”
NEWSLINK ReadUkraine/Mark Adomanis: “Perfect, Non-Corrupt European Police. The idea that Europe has “solved” governance is badly out of date, and Ukraine’s reformers should take note.”
NEWSLINK David Marples: “Decentralization: Pros, Cons, and Prospects”
NEWSLINK: “Obstructionist-in-chief” – Kyiv Post
NEWSWATCH: “The Case Against Saakashvili. It’s temping to see Georgia’s crusading former president as the solution to all of Ukraine’s problems. Here’s why caution is in order.” – ForeignPolicy.com/Adrian Karatnycky
Writing in Foreign Policy magazine, Adrian Karatnycky considers Georgian-turned-Ukrainian politician Mikheil Saakashvili. Mikheil Saakashvili is back. Having left his native Georgia after voters repudiated his party and his term as president expired, Saakashvili has revived his political fortunes on a much larger playing field — Ukraine. The former Georgian president has taken Ukrainian citizenship and rapidly emerged as one of the […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH: “Row over Ukrainian city’s new name” – BBC
The BBC covers debates in Ukraine over the jettisoning of names recalling Soviet rule, including the effort to rename Kirovohrad as Inhulsk. Since pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in 2014, Ukraine has been removing all public vestiges of Soviet rule, from statues of Lenin to street names honouring other Communist luminaries. A parliamentary committee recently decided that Kirovohrad, which […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “How I stopped worrying and learned to love Ukraine’s system” – Euromaidan Press/Lucy Sohryu
NEWSWATCH: “Seven Key Reforms for Ukraine in 2016” – Atlantic Council/Anders Åslund
Anders Åslund covers unfolding conditions in Ukraine, adding recommendations for steps forward in 2016. … It is quite striking how the mood has changed in a positive direction. The 2016 budget and the modified tax code were adopted on December 24. After two weeks of well-deserved rest, there is a sudden realization that Ukraine accomplished many important economic reforms in […]
» Read moreAfter the ban: a short history of Ukraine’s Communist Party
You can ban Ukraine’s communists, but you can’t beat them. (opendemocracy.net – Denys Gorbach – January 8, 2016) Denys Gorbach is a leftist activist and researcher working on the Ukrainian labour movement. On 16 December, Kyiv’s district administrative court approved a claim by Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice. It sought to ban the country’s Communist Party (KPU). Ukrainian society has come […]
» Read moreVIDEO: Battlefield Kiev Ukraine protesters firebomb cops (YouTube)
NEWSWATCH Reuters: “Ukraine health system in danger of collapse as reforms stall”
Reuters covers concerns over health care in Ukraine. A reform drive launched by the Western-leaning government installed after a pro-Moscow president, Viktor Yanukovich, was overthrown in a popular uprising last year has become mired in bureaucratic inertia, arguments and allegations of corruption. * * * [A] stalled health bill is one of many examples of the slow progress Ukraine is […]
» Read moreUkraine’s Politics Descend Into Slapstick
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – December 15, 2015) Less than a week after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden asked Ukraine’s political leaders to play nice, the quiet war between the teams of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and President Petro Poroshenko has turned publicly and comically violent. The situation is growing increasingly reminiscent of Ukraine’s previous attempt to break […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Kyiv Post: “Avakov tosses water in Saakashvili’s face”
RIA Novosti: Ousted Ukrainian leader wants political comeback – interview to Russian media
(RIA Novosti – December 8, 2015) Deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has expressed his wish to return to politics. He said this in an interview with RIA Novosti (part of the state-owned International News Agency Rossiya Segodnya), excerpts from which were published on 8 December. “I want to return to politics. Today… [ellipsis as received] I do everything in my […]
» Read moreOld Guard Clinches Mayoral Race on Edge of Ukraine’s Eastern War
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska – December 2, 2015) An opposition candidate backed by allies of Ukraine’s ousted pro-Russian leader won the mayoral election in Mariupol, a port city on the fringe of the nation’s 21-month war. Vadym Boychenko, an independent supported by the Opposition Bloc, a group dominated by members of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s now-defunct Party of Regions, […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Atlantic Council/Anders Aslund: “Ukraine Two Years After Euromaidan: What Has Been Accomplished?”
Anders Aslund assesses developments in Ukraine since Euromaidan. Two years ago, popular protests erupted against Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych on Kyiv’s Maidan. Since then, Ukraine’s economy has deteriorated sharply, with a contraction of 18 percent in two years, but the Poroshenko Bloc was the biggest party by far in the October 25 local elections. One might say that the […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Kyiv Post: “Yatsenyuk ally says he will resign from parliament amid corruption scandal.”
Mariupol elections: will Donbas voters be represented in Ukrainian politics?
The Donbas is being airbrushed out of Ukrainian politics. This will only build another barrier to a united and democratic country. (opendemocracy.net – Vitalii Atanasov – November 26, 2015) Vitalii Atanasov is a freelance journalist, videographer and coordinator of media education projects at Kyiv’s Center for Social and Labor Research. He specialises in reporting on social inequalities, civil and labour […]
» Read moreUkraine is caught between war and reform
Two years on from the protests that ignited Maidan, Ukraine is suffering from a clash of agendas. (opendemocracy.net – Mikhail Minakov – November 27, 2015) Mikhail Minakov is Associate Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and President of the Foundation for Good Politics, Kyiv. He is also director of the Krytyka Institute, and editor-in-chief of the journal Ideology and Politics. Two years […]
» Read moreEVENT: The Ukraine Syndrome and European Monism with Dr. Richard Sakwa, Wednesday, November 18 in Washington, D.C.
The Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) George Washington University The Ukraine Syndrome and European Monism with Dr. Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent, England November 18, 2015 The crisis of state building and national development in Ukraine has deep roots and complex interactions, but ultimately the ‘Ukraine syndrome’ reflects the […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Politico.eu: “Ukraine’s most popular politician. Mikhail Saakashvili wants to be the “standard-bearer for reforms” – and possibly the next prime minister”
Ukraine Failing to Probe Pro-Russia Protester Deaths, Panel Says
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska, Kateryna Choursina – November 4, 2015) Ukrainian authorities are failing to adequately investigate 48 deaths, including of 42 pro-Russian protesters, in the Black Sea port of Odessa in May 2014, according to an international panel set up by the Council of Europe. The demonstrators clashed with football fans and participants in a pro-government rally […]
» Read moreFive Questions: The Arrest Of Ukrainian Oligarch Hennadiy Korban
(RFE/RL – Anna Shamanska – November 3, 2015) The arrest of a close associate of one of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs has pundits and the public wondering whether President Petro Poroshenko is finally cracking down on corruption or merely trying to silence political opponents. Hennadiy Korban, the head of the anti-Poroshenko UKROP party, was initially arrested at his home on […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Atlantic Council/John Herbst: “The Motivations Behind Poroshenko’s New Anticorruption Drive”
Ukraine Probes Attack on Chief Prosecutor Amid Calls He Resign
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska, Kateryna Choursina – November 3, 2015) Ukrainian authorities opened a criminal investigation into a sniper attack on Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who’s under pressure to resign amid criticism he has hindered the country’s fight against graft. At about 10 p.m. Kiev time on Monday, an unknown assailant fired at a window in Shokin’s office […]
» Read moreBNE: Local elections in Ukraine pave the way for parliamentary crisis
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – KYIV BLOG: Sergei Kuznetsov in Kyiv – October 27, 2015) Local elections in Ukraine, held on October 25, predictably demonstrated a decline in public support for pro-Western political forces headed by the current president and prime minister. This outcome could trigger manoeuvring among other political players, including members of the ruling coalition, aimed at […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Euromaidan Press: “Ukraine at ‘final stage of saying goodbye to Soviet past,’ Kyiv expert says”
NEWSLINK Buzzfeed: Washington’s Man In Ukraine Can’t Stop His Country’s Corrupt Cronies. Ukraine’s Western allies backed Arseniy Yatsenyuk when he became prime minister and vowed to “wage a war” on graft. But as the country’s fight against corruption stalls, many in Kiev see his government as part of the problem
NEWSLINK Kyiv Post: “Campaigns getting dirtier ahead of Oct. 25 vote”
Swiss federalization experience useful for Ukraine – Naryshkin
GENEVA. Oct 19 (Interfax) – Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has said it would be useful for Kyiv to familiarize itself with Switzerland’s experience as a federal republic. “It seems to me that the experience of state-building in Switzerland would be useful for our Ukrainian colleagues as well. At least they could learn not to be afraid of this […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Kyiv Post: “Poroshenko, Yatsenyuk slammed over prosecutors”
NEWSLINK Kyiv Post: “Svoboda, Right Sector march streets to mark Oct. 14 Defenders’ Day holiday in Ukraine”
NEWSLINK Foreign Policy magazine: “Can Poroshenko Control Ukraine’s Right Wing? The Ukrainian leader’s newest opponents are in his own parliament”
Ukraine investigates nationalists over Maidan shootings
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Kyiv – October 12, 2015) Ukrainian prosecutors have raided the homes of top leaders of the nationalist Svoboda party as part of an investigation into the massacre of anti-government protestors on the Maidan square in Kyiv on February 20, 2014. The shooting of up to 50 protestors by police triggered the […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Kyiv Post: Oligarchy needs to be dismantled to rebuild economy, public trust in business, experts say
Saakashvili’s personal agreement is needed to launch procedure of appointing him as Ukrainian PM – Poroshenko
KYIV. Sept 24 (Interfax) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has responded to an online petition asking him to appoint the Odesa region’s Governor Mikheil Saakashvili Ukraine’s prime minister. “The candidate’s personal agreement to take on this post is a necessary condition for launching the aforementioned procedure of appointing the prime minister of Ukraine. However, Saakashvili has not offered any comments […]
» Read moreSaakashvili for Prime Minister of Ukraine?
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Marc Champion – September 23, 2015) After 24 years of independence and two revolutions, the promise of reforms that would turn Ukraine from a kleptocracy enabled by Soviet-era institutions into, say, Poland still hasn’t materialized. Popular patience is wearing thin. So three months ago, President Petro Poroshenko sent his friend (and Russia’s bete noire) Mikheil Saakashvili […]
» Read more‘Team Georgia’ graftbusters open container of worms in Odesa clean-up
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Odesa – September 21, 2015) Odesa region governor Mikheil Saakashvili wants to crack down on corruption and the shadow economy in Odesa’s ports, and with the appointment to the post of regional prosecutor of Davit Sakvarelidze he now has the power to do this. After intense lobbying in Kyiv, the former […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Kyiv Post: Yatsenyuk fires back at Russia, oligarchs and those who thwart reform
The Kiev Post covers Sept. 16 remarks by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressing multiple challenges facing Ukraine, including a goal of European integration in the face of Russian opposition. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk hardly left anyone out during a televised government meeting on Sept. 16. He charged at Russia, parliament, government coalition partners, local authorities and the customs […]
» Read moreUkraine Lobbies Lawmakers With Debt Vote Said at Risk of Failing
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Natasha Doff, Daryna Krasnolutska – September 16, 2015) Ukraine’s government has stepped up last-minute lobbying because of growing concern that lawmakers won’t back an accord to restructure $18 billion of foreign debt. Government officials have met with ruling and opposition parties before a vote Thursday that’s supposed to give final approval to the debt deal, according […]
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