Ukraine to start demarcation of border with Russia from Chernihiv region

KYIV, August 29, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine and Russia can begin the demarcation of the state border in September 2011. Such a conclusion was made by the Ukrainian-Russian interstate commission.

The border demarcation will start from Chernihiv region. The first border pillars on an over 2,000-kilometer-long border will appear in the village of Senkivka. As reported, on June 4, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryshchenko said he expected the demarcation of the Ukrainian-Russian border to start in the second half of 2011. The joint Ukrainian-Russian demarcation commission held its first meeting in December 2010.

The commission began its work on the basis of an agreement on border demarcation, which was signed in May 2010 and which foresees the demarcation of the border in line with the agreement of January 29, 2003. Ukraine and Russia have no disputable issues concerning the land border.

Over 5,000 opposition activists protest former PM Tymoshenko's arrest on Independence Day

Over 5,000 demonstrators, many of them wore traditional Ukrainian white embroidered shirts, attempted to march on the president's office in Kiev, but were held back by police in riot gear who flooded the city's center. Smaller groups of protesters were later allowed onto the capital's main avenue. Tymoshenko's abuse-of-office trial and arrest this month on charges of contempt of court have galvanized Ukraine's notoriously fragmented opposition. Wednesday's rally attracted a broad spectrum of government critics opposed to President Viktor Yanukovych's government and a trial they see as selective prosecution meant to bar Tymoshenko from upcoming elections.

Tymoshenko issued an appeal from jail, urging unity among the opposition. She vowed that current authorities will be prosecuted for what she called the crimes they are committing today. Five years from now, "real, and not political, prisoners will be in jail; today we know their names," she said in a letter posted on her website. "Happy holiday, my dear ones! This is our holiday! We will prevail, we will win! I promise!" she wrote.
She was arrested Aug. 5 on charges of contempt of court as part of a trial in which she stands accused of violating official procedures when signing a natural gas import contract with Russian in 2009. Tymoshenko denies all the charges, and the United States and European Union have condemned the arrest and trial as politically motivated. Yanukovych says the criminal cases against Tymoshenko and a number of her senior allies are part of a government effort to fight corruption. Tymoshenko's arrest has threatened the prospects of Ukraine's integration with Europe, but Yanukovych maintained Wednesday that Ukraine was on a pro-Western course. "Our history is inseparably linked with modern Europe," Yanukovych said in a statement on his website. "For centuries the best sons and daughters of Ukraine have dreamt of an independent country which is based on freedom, humanity and democracy. And their dreams have come true." Ukrainian lawmakers declared the Soviet republic independent on Aug. 24, 1991, days after a failed hard-line Communist coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Ukraine's voters overwhelmingly approved the decision in referendum that December, and it became independent later that month when Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
http://www.newser.com/

Manneken Pis in Brussels dressed in Duke Yaroslav the Wise costume on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day

KYIV, August 24, 2011 (UKRINFORM). The famous statue of the Manneken Pis in the Belgian capital Brussels has been on Wednesday dressed in a historical reconstruction of the costume of Duke Yaroslav the Wise of Kievan Rus. The organizer of a traditional action on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day in Brussels is the European Association of Ukrainians. A unique costume has been delivered to the City Hall of Brussels by a 10-year-old Ukrainian opera singer Solomiya Lukyanets. Brussels city hall officials said the action to dress the Manneken Pis has became the 871st since the foundation of this tradition in 1698. The organizers expect that by to the end of Wednesday, 24 August, the Manneken Pis wearing the ancient Kyiv costume will be viewed by about 10,000 tourists.

Sorochyntsi fair

Sorochyntsi Fair is a large fair held in the village of Velyki Sorochyntsi near Poltava in the Myrhorodskyi district of Ukraine. It was held five times a year during the Russian Empire, then went into a 40-year moratorium during Soviet rule. It is now held annually since its revival after Ukraine gained its independence. Following a Presidential Decree of August 18, 1999 the fair holds the status of Ukraine's national trade fair. If you come to Poltava region at the end of august, you will have a unique opportunity to participate in this famous fair. There you can purchase traditional handicrafts made by skilled craftsmen: embroidery and rugs, famous Ukrainian ceramics created in the village of Opishne, woodcarving, you can watch the fascinating theatrical performance with characters from works by famous Ukrainian writer Mykola Gogol.

MAKS-2011 International Aviation and Space Show in Russia

Russian first stealth fighters T-50 perform during MAKS-2011, the International Aviation and Space Show, in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on August 17, 2011. Russian officials said the final version of the jet will not be ready until the end of 2016. India was reported to be interested in up to 200 T-50 fighters for its air force while Russia was planning to order at least 150.

Russia's United Aircraft corp (UAC) has said it is looking to clinch a contract to supply the country's military with ten Antonov An-124 freighters.
"Staring from 2015, we plan to supply the Defense Ministry with ten An-124s as part of the arms procurement program until 2020," UAC chief Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters at the opening of the MAKS-2011 air show outside Moscow.
The An-124, the world's largest military transport plane, is made in Ukraine and Russia and is also used commercially.

A new book published by SMB has been presented to the Poltava Battle Museum

A new book Poltava 1709. Wändpunkten dedicated to the Battle of Poltava and written by Ukrainian historian Valerij Moltusov has been presented to the staff of the Poltava Battle Museum. Valerij är bosat i Poltava där han numera är akademisk lärare i ekonomisk historia. Evgenij Putrja har assisterat Valerij Moltusov i undersökningarna av Pusjkarjovka och bidragit med illustrationer till denna bok.

Forskningsresultaten har i femårig dialog med författaren bearbetats för utgivning i Sverige i samverkan mellan skribenten Einar Lyth och en av våra främsta kännare av Poltavaslaget, Bertil Wennerholm.

On the photo taken soon after the presentation you can see Natalja Bilan, director of the Museum (to the left), and Lyudmila Schendrik, deputy director.

President Yanukovych wants to reduce armed forces by 8,000

KYIV, August 13, 2011 (UKRINFORM). President Viktor Yanukovych initiates the reduction in 2012 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by 8,000 people, including - 5,000 of the military, according to the website of the head of state. The president submitted a draft law on the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2012 for immediate consideration by the Verkhovna Rada. By the end of next year, the president proposes to bring the number of Ukrainian army to the amount of 184,000 people, including - 139,000 of military men, stressing that the task is to be fulfilled within the 2012 budget spending. The instrument specifies the principles for reducing the armed forces, in particular, through the optimization of the structure of military control; eliminating duplication and reducing the levels of control; forming standby military units and mobilization reserves; optimizing the structure and number of combat units - especially those equipped with broken weapons and vehicles, whose recovery is economically impractical. The matter also concerns the dissolution of unpromising arsenals, depots and warehouses that store the excess or unfit for further use missiles, ammunition and propellants, arms and military equipment. The draft law provides for the optimization of the number and strength of units responsible for life and logistical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - including through the transition to new forms of organization and implementation of such services (outsourcing). The document aims to bring the military education system in line with modern tasks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the improvement of training centers for training of junior specialists, introduction of a new system of training and retraining of professional non-commissioned officers.

Ukraine Judge detains 'disruptive' Yulia Tymoshenko

5 August,2011 (BBC News)

A Ukraine judge has ordered that former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko be taken into custody during her trial on charges of abuse of office. Police escorted Ms Tymoshenko out of the courtroom, prompting her supporters to shout "Shame!" and scuffle with police. The judge has accused Ms Tymoshenko of repeated violations of court rules, including impeding proceedings.
Ms Tymoshenko says the charges against her are politically motivated.
She is accused of illegally agreeing a 10-year contract to buy natural gas from Russia, which investigators say meant Ukraine was forced to buy gas at prices that were ruinous for its economy. Until now, Ms Tymoshenko had been required to remain in Kiev but had not been placed in detention. Court proceedings have been adjourned until Monday.
The whole article is available at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14419216