Poltavabloggen

Ukraine's Army Wants You ... For a Holiday

2012-01-24T08:43:00.004+02:00

(ABC News) Ukraine’s cash-strapped military has been looking long and hard for fresh sources of revenue — and hit upon a whole new brand of tourism. In what it says is a first in the former Soviet Union, Ukraine’s armed forces are throwing open 11 military training grounds and three air bases, inviting fee-paying tourists, and offering them the chance to play soldiers. From AK-47 assault rifles to T-72 tanks and Mig-29 fighter jets, Ukraine is offering anyone with money to burn the opportunity to fire, drive and fly the same military equipment that during the Cold War was on hair-trigger alert for a NATO attack.
“Today’s tourists are hard to surprise with anything, so we decided to offer something really spicy — military tourism,” said Hryhory Zhorov, the head of the Alaris travel agency which, with arms exporter Ukrspetsexport and the Defense Ministry, is organizing the project.
He said they hoped to accommodate 1,000 well-heeled travelers every month. Flanked by senior generals, Zhorov showed reporters around one of the bases, Desna, 40 miles northeast of the capital, Kiev. The generals spared no effort, as well as cartridges and artillery rounds, to impress an army of invited reporters in order to promote the sprawling base, covering an area of 810 square miles. Armored vehicles roared through picturesque pine groves, which echoed to a thunder of small arms fire.
One young woman journalist stunned officers by driving a modern T-80 tank after only brief instructions. “It was great! I had never driven even a car, but today I drove a tank!” she said, emerging from the turret of the 1,200-horsepower monster. But the freebie was soon over, and future excursions to Ukrainian military sites will cost each traveler a tidy sum.
Alaris’ Web site (www.alaris.com.ua) says a one hour flight as a co-pilot in the supersonic fighter Mig-29 will cost $8,500, while one of the same duration in the Su-27 ground attack jet will be $9,600. Surface weapons are also expensive. It costs $400 to drive 4 miles in a T-72 battle tank, or $250 to test drive the BMP-2 armored personnel carrier. A shot from a sniper rifle will cost “just” $20, while a round for a Soviet-made RPG-7 hand-held grenade discharger is a more expensive thrill at $50 per shot.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=118719&page=1

Tymoshenko's husband seeking political asylum in Czech Republic

2012-01-06T20:49:00.002+02:00

06 January 2012 (Radio of Ukraine) Yulia Tymoshenko's husband Oleksandr was forced to leave Ukraine and request the Government of the Czech Republic for political asylum due to the intense pressure on the opposition leader through her family. This was disclosed by the "Liberty" radio. According to the newspaper, a relevant request was filed by Oleksandr Tymoshenko as early as the last days of 2011. The newspaper also notes that Minister of Interior of Czech Republic Jan Kubitse on January 4 discussed the matter with Czech Republic Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.

What Ukrainians associate New Year with?

2011-12-31T20:27:00.002+02:00

KYIV, December 31, 2011 (UKRINFORM). A third of Ukrainians associate New Year with the smell of a Christmas tree and tangerines at home, according to a survey conducted by Research & Branding Group from December 4 to December 14 to study the attitude of Ukrainians to Christmas and New Year holidays. Another 36% of respondents associated New Year with a favorite holiday since childhood. One in four Ukrainians associate this holiday with a decorated Christmas tree. Some 26% of Ukrainians associate New Year with a good festive mood, and another 2% of those surveyed - with New Year's feast.

Sweden is getting closer to Ukraine.

2011-12-15T13:24:00.003+02:00

Within the frame of EUROPE IS OUR HOME project the Santa Lucia holiday has been selebrated for the first time in Poltava on December 13th. In Poltava there is only private school where pupils study history and culture of Sweden. Not long ago they initiated Swedish language course for pupils. Mostly they have taken part in the celebration that taken place in Poltava Art Gallery. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, Santa Lucia walked at the head of a procession of girls, each holding a candle. Some of those who participated the holiday have been to Sweden recently. They prepared an exhibition of photos taken in Sweden to bring this still mysterious and little-known country closer to Ukrainians.

Seven Wonders of Ukraine

2011-12-09T09:03:00.002+02:00

December 2, 2011 (UNIAN) Seven Wonders of Ukraine contest announces results of online voting Mykola Tomenko, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine: Castles, Fortresses, Palaces contest, has announced the results of an online voting for the final determination of winners of the competition. The TOP10 included
1. Akkerman Fortress (Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk) in Odesa region,
2. Vorontsov Palace in the Crimea,
3. Kamianets-Podilsky Fortress in Khmelnitsky region,
4. Upper Castle in Lutsk, Volyn region,
5. Metropolitan Palace in Chernivtsi,
6. Kachanivka Palace in Chernihiv region,
7. Khotyn Fortress in Chernivtsi region.

Tomenko said that after the awarding ceremony a brochure will be published "Seven Wonders of Ukraine: Ukraine - a Country of Miracles," to be available in several languages. Next year, organizers of the event as part of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine contest plan to determine the TOP 10 parks in the country.

Future programmers get acquainted with Poltava history

2011-11-24T21:24:00.006+02:00

My dear readers,

Currently I am working as a teacher of programming in Poltava Teachers Training College. So as you can see my passion for the military history is pretty far from my principal activity. Nevertheless I am always very glad to be able to share my knowledge about the battle of Poltava and about the city itself with my students. On the picture you can see a few future programmers and teachers of informatics near the oldest church in Poltava (Vår Frälsares kyrka) that witnessed the decisive battle of the Great Northern War. In spite of chilly weather they happened to know many interesting about the city they live in. The guided tour ended in a small but cosy café where our friendly chat has been supplemented with flavored coffee and cakes.

Defense Ministry to receive two upgraded Su-25M1 planes

2011-11-24T00:09:00.002+02:00

KYIV, November 23, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Two Su-25M1 planes, which were modernized at the state-owned MiGremont enterprise, will be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported. The permanent place of the deployment of the aircraft will be the 299th Assault Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, which received two Su-25M1s and a Su-25UBM1 in 2010.

Poltava libraries have received 15 sets of computer equipment with full software

2011-11-12T21:07:00.004+02:00

KYIV, November 12, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Librarians from Ukraine's central Poltava region have been named the winners of the Bibliomist Program initiated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Global Libraries program. "Thanks to the victory the city libraries have received 15 sets of computer equipment with full software. Poltava residents will also be provided with unlimited free internet access in our libraries," said the director of Poltava Central Library System Tamila Duzenko.

This is not the first victory of the Poltava librarians. Since the early year, international grants in Poltava region were extended to 10 centralized library systems. The Bibliomost program operates in Ukraine since 2009. Until 2013 the grantors plan to earmark 25 million dollars to purchase the latest equipment for Ukrainian libraries and ensure their transformation into modern data centers.

2011-11-10T22:40:00.004+02:00

KYIV, November 10, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine regards with understanding the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which should ensure the transit of additional volumes of gas produced in northern Russia, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boiko has said.

"We regard with understanding the construction of Nord Stream, realizing that additional volumes of gas that will be produced at the Shtokman field and on the Yamal Peninsula require additional transit flows," he said.

At the same time, Boiko said that the Ukrainian gas transport system would remain the most economically attractive route for Russian gas transit to Europe.

"Our national interests correspond to the position that our gas transport system should be operated at full capacity. And we are demonstrating the reliability of our gas transport system, as well as its potential and economic attractiveness, to all of our European partners and Russian colleagues," Boiko said.

As reported, on November 8, the leaders of Germany, Russia, France and the Netherlands launched the first line of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which was completed in June 2011. This line is expected to transport 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The second section of the pipeline, which is almost 70% finished, is to be commissioned next autumn.

Ukraine is the largest supplier of Russian gas to Europe. Gazprom's plan on gas transit through Ukraine this year is 102.7 billion cubic meters, of which over 99 billion cubic meters will be supplied to Europe.

UK will assist Ukraine in reforming its armed forces.

2011-11-01T08:00:00.003+02:00

October 28, 2011 (Interfax-Ukraine) UK Ambassador to Ukraine Leigh Turner (on the photo) said that his country will continue to assist Ukraine in reforming its armed forces. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine face many challenges, and Britain is ready to support you in these reforms," he said addressing the graduates of the institute of state military administration of the National University of Defense of Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday. The British ambassador said that his country would continue sharing its experience with Ukraine in the defense sector. According to him, the British servicemen will continue to play an active role in NATO projects aimed at training of the Ukrainian military and reform of the Ukrainian army.

St Sampsoniy Cathedral in St. Petersburg

2011-10-21T23:39:00.004+03:00

St Sampsoniy Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in St. Petersburg. The original wooden church was built in 1710 to commemorate Russian victory in the Battle of Poltava of June 27th 1709. In 1909 Russia was getting ready for the celebration of the 200thg anniversary of the battle of Poltava. The church was considerably renovated and elevated to cathedral status. The same year a monument to Peter I has been inaugurated in front of the church. The monument was removed by the Soviets and restored in 2003 as part of the city's tercentenary celebrations.The parish was disbanded by the Soviets in the 1930s, and the church building was converted into a warehouse and then into ready-made clothes shop. It was restored in the late 1970s and reopened in 2000 as a museum attached to St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Russian battleship Poltava (1911)

2011-10-16T21:38:00.001+03:00

Poltava was the second of the Gangut-class battleships of the Imperial Russian Navy built before World War I. The Ganguts were the first class of Russian dreadnoughts. She was named after the Russian victory over Charles XII of Sweden in the Battle of Poltava in 1709. She was completed during the winter of 1914–15, but was not ready for combat until mid-1915. Her role was to defend the mouth of the Gulf of Finland against the Germans, who never tried to enter, so she spent her time training and providing cover for mine laying operations. She was laid up in 1918 for lack of trained crew and suffered a devastating fire the following year that almost gutted her. Many proposals were made to reconstruct or modernize her in different ways for the next twenty years, but none were carried out. While all this was being discussed she served as source of spare parts for her sister ships and was used as a barracks ship. She was finally struck from the Navy List in 1940 and scrapping began at a very leisurely rate. She was intentionally grounded in late 1941 to prevent her from being sunk in some inconvenient location by the Germans. She was re-floated in 1944 and scrapped beginning in 1949.

New criminal case is filed against Tymoshenko

2011-10-13T22:26:00.002+03:00

October 13, 2011 (UNIAN) A new criminal case was filed against former Prime Minister of Ukraine – she is accused of laying of the debts of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) corporation on the budget of Ukraine. According to an UNIAN correspondent, chief of the Main Investigation Department of the SBU (the Security Service of Ukraine) Ivan Derevyanko said this at the press conference in Kyiv. “The Main Investigation Department of the SBU filed a criminal case against citizens of Ukraine Tymoshenko and Lazarenko”, he said.

Tymoshenko sentenced to 7 years in jail

2011-10-11T23:21:00.002+03:00

KYIV, October 11, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Pechersk District Court of Kyiv has on Tuesday, October 11, produced a verdict on the former Prime Minister, leader of the opposition party Batkivshchyna, Yulia Tymoshenko, sentencing her to seven years in prison, under Article 365, part 3, the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Judge Rodion Kireyev said Tymoshenko's guilt of abuse of office when signing gas contracts with Russia in 2009 is proved, the convict would also have to pay back the damage she had caused to the state at UAH 1.5 billion (USD 1 - UAH 7.97). She was also banned for three years to hold positions in public service. The verdict can be challenged in the Court of Appeals within 15 days. Interrupting the judge, who was reading out the sentence, Tymoshenko said that the country has returned to 1937. Addressing the audience in the court and her supporters who were watching live streaming on TV, she encouraged them to unite and defend Ukraine. "Then the authoritarian regime will be toppled," she said. Speaking about the trial, the ex-Prime Minister said that a "contract verdict demonstrates only the weakness of power". "Glory to Ukraine - Glory to the Heroes!" she said.

2011-10-10T23:05:00.002+03:00

KYIV, October 10, 2011 (UKRINFORM). The National Bank of Ukraine and the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority signed a memorandum of understanding in Stockholm regarding cooperation in the sphere of supervision over credit establishments, the NBU press service informs. According to the NBU statement, the document regulates cooperation of two supervisory authorities in different spheres of banking supervision, including mutual exchange of information about the general state of banking systems and individual banking institutions, opening and licensing of branches and daughter enterprises of foreign banks, holding of permanent supervision and examination of such institutions, carrying out consolidated supervision, prevention of the use of banks for money laundering, etc. The memorandum also contains obligations of the parties on confidentiality as regards the bank secret and its use exclusively with supervision aims.

Ukrainian books averagely printed in poor circulation of less than 500 copies - Publishers Association

2011-10-01T00:27:00.002+03:00

KYIV, September 30,2011 (UKRINFORM). Books in Ukraine are published in very small quantities, on the average not exceeding 500 copies, as announced by President of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers Oleksandr Afonin. According to him, this situation is largely due to the lack of state orders for the book. Afonin said that if there was a state program to provide libraries with new books that are produced in Ukraine, the circulation would have grown to several thousand copies. Now, in his words, "book often do not go beyond the publishing regions, such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Ternopil." Now Ukraine is in a situation when publishers can not publish books in large numbers, and libraries can not replenish their funds. As reported, the drop in book publishing in 2011 compared to 2010 is 45%. In turn, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov promised that the government will double costs of Ukrainian book publishing in 2012.

68 years ago Poltava was liberated by the Red Army.

2011-09-24T00:09:00.005+03:00

Issued by Marshal Stalin and addressed to Army General Koniev
Troops of the Steppe front, successfully developing their offensive, forced the River Vorskla, and after three days' fierce fighting, today, September 23, 1943 captured the regional centre of the Ukraine, the town of Poltava, a powerful German defence centre in the Ukraine to the east of the Dnieper.
In the fighting for the liberation of the town of Poltava, troops commanded by Lieutenant-General Zhadov, Lieutenant-General Managarov and airmen commanded by Lieutenant-General of Aviation Goryunov, distinguished themselves, especially the 9th Guards Airborne Division (Colonel Sazonov), the 13th Guards Red Banner Infantry Division, bearing the Order of Lenin (Major-General Baklanov), the 66th Guards Infantry Division (Major-General Yakshin), the 95th Guards Infantry Division (Major-General Nikichenko), the 97th Guards Infantry Division (Colonel Antsiferov), the 84th Kharkov Infantry Division (Major-General Bunyashin), the 42nd Light Artillery Brigade (Colonel Skorodumov), the 301st Anti-tank Artillery Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Vlassenko), the 57th Tank Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Federov), the 431st Engineering Battalion (Lieutenant-Colonel Boltusevich), the 294th Fighter Aviation Division (Lieutenant-Colonel Taranenko) and the 266th Stormovik Aviation Division (Colonel Rodyakin).
In commemoration of the victory achieved, the formations and units who distinguished themselves in the fighting for the liberation of the town of Poltava are to bear the name of Poltava. Henceforth the above mentioned formations and units are named: The 9th Guards Poltava Airborne Division, the 13th Guards Red Banner Poltava Infantry Division, bearing the Order of Lenin, the 66th Guards Poltava Infantry Division, the 95th Guards Poltava Infantry Division, the 97th Guards Poltava Infantry Division, the 42nd Poltava Light Artillery Brigade,’the 301st Poltava Anti-tank Artillery Regiment, the 57th Poltava Tank Regiment, the 431st Poltava Engineering Battalion, the 294th Poltava Fighter Aviation Division and the 266th Poltava Stormovik Aviation Division.
The 84th Kharkov Infantry Division, which has for the second time distinguished itself in battle against the German invaders, is to be recommended for the award of the Order of the Red Banner. Today, September 23, at 21.00 hours the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, on behalf of the Motherland, will salute with 12 artillery salvoes from 124 guns our gallant troops which liberated the town of Poltava. For excellent military operations, I express my thanks to all troops commanded by you who participated in the fighting for the liberation of the town of Poltava.
Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the fight for the freedom and independence of our Motherland. Death to the German invaders!

J. V. STALIN
Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union

Ukrainian diaspora in the United States have sent an open letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

2011-09-22T23:57:00.003+03:00

September 22, 2011 (Interfax-Ukraine). Ukrainian diaspora in the United States have sent an open letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
"Dear Mister President! In September 2010 Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), which represents over a million Americans of Ukrainian origin, sent you a letter expressing its concern about the situation in Ukraine. Not many of those issues have been addressed by the government as of today, on the contrary, the situation with human rights and national rights in Ukraine has become even worse, which is proved by the arrest and prosecution of former Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko, as well as other political prosecutions in the country," reads the letter.

The authors of the letter added that, "We still hope that you will realize how wrong your current positions are and will take on the burden of honest service to our people in Ukraine and abroad."

"Today we confirm our position and stress that we continue firmly standing for our principles. As we have already said in our previous letter, we are ready to meet with you and other officials from the government for a constructive dialogue, but only under the condition that we see that the Ukrainian government follows democratic principles and that you sincerely care about the Ukrainian nation and its numerous problems. The UCCA also acknowledges that the Ukrainian government has started carrying out its obligations to the U.S. government by transferring the first tranche for the construction of a memorial to victims of the Holodomor in Washington, Columbia," reads the letter. The authors of the letter also said, "the Ukrainian community in the United States will always work to make Ukraine a rich, democratic, equality of rights respecting state in the family of Euro-Atlantic states."

Ukraine, NATO discuss issues about cooperation concerning general European anti-missile defense system

2011-09-09T15:57:00.006+03:00

September 9, 2011 (UNIAN). Ukraine and NATO discuss issues about cooperation concerning general European anti-missile defense system. According to an UNIAN correspondent, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Dirk Brengelmann said this at the news conference in Kyiv today. "I realized at an early stage that Ukraine is interested in this," said Dirk Brengelmann. He noted that he discussed this issue with officials of the Administration of the President of Ukraine. “We noticed that there is a great interest from the side of our Ukrainian colleagues concerning anti-missile defense system”, underlined Dirk Brengelmann. At the same time, according to his words, NATO and Ukraine should discuss details cooperation in this direction.

Saint Petersburg marks 70 years of Leningrad Siege

2011-09-08T22:36:00.003+03:00

September 9, 2011 (Reuters). Russia's second-largest city is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the start of a deadly 29-month-long Nazi siege during the World War II that cut its population by nearly a million people. Public loudspeakers in St. Petersburg, along with radio and television stations, on Thursday morning broadcast roaring air-raid warnings and sounds of a metronome. The metronome sound was used during the siege to inform residents of air raids and all-clear announcements. The 872-day-long siege of the city, then known as Leningrad, is one of the darkest moments of Russia's participation in the war. A million city residents are believed to have died of hunger and bombings, and while defending the city's outskirts.

Ukraine is celebrating Knowledge Day

2011-09-02T13:51:00.005+03:00

KYIV, September 1, 2011

Ukraine is celebrating Knowledge Day on September 1 with all school bells ringing for 4,200 million pupils. 416,000 of them are first graders. Almost all secondary schools are ready for the new school year: running and overhaul repairs have been completed for almost 19,000 educational institutions, overhaul - 2,058. Knowledge Day was established by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR on November 1, 1984.

Ukraine to start demarcation of border with Russia from Chernihiv region

2011-08-29T21:16:00.005+03:00

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

2011-08-25T08:16:00.005+03:00

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

2011-08-24T21:04:00.002+03:00

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

2011-08-21T15:24:00.003+03:00

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

2011-08-18T10:27:00.003+03:00

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

2011-08-17T08:02:00.005+03:00

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

2011-08-14T09:18:00.002+03:00

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

2011-08-06T08:08:00.002+03:00

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

Multinational exercise Rapid Trident kicks off in Ukraine

2011-07-27T07:54:00.002+03:00

YAVORIV, Ukraine,July 25, 2011 (U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)

Exercise Rapid Trident 11 kicked off today with an opening ceremony at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center here.
“This Partnership for Peace exercise provides all partner nations the opportunity to enhance your capabilities to conduct multi-national and combined coalition operations,” said Kevin Volk, U.S. co-director of the exercise.
“This exercise will leave an impression in the history of rapid trident exercises because this year we will conduct airborne operations,” said Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nazarkin, Ukrainian co-director of the exercise.
Rapid Trident 11 involves approximately 1,600 personnel and will consist of multi-national airborne operations, situational training exercise lanes and a field training exercise. In addition to U.S. Army Europe, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and Ukraine, participants include: Latvia, Belarus, Moldova, Slovenia, Canada, Poland, Serbia, the UK, Lithuania, Estonia, California and Utah National Guard and U.S. Air Force Europe.
“It is very important that during this exercise we will be visited by leadership of Ukrainian armed forces and force commanders of participating countries,” Nazarkin said.
Rapid Trident is a joint training and exercise program designed to enhance interoperability among Ukraine, the U.S. and Partnership for Peace member nations. This exercise will help prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multi-national, integrated environment with host-nation support from civil and government agencies.
“In this safe training environment, I want us to maximize our cultural exchanges and the opportunity to cultivate new friendships,” said Volk.
“We’re here to show them our skills, professionalism and readiness to fulfill tasks in field conditions. I wish every participant high results in the exercise and success in their military career,” Nazarkin said.

2011-07-18T02:15:00.003+03:00

The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany, dedicated to the Battle of Leipzig of 1813, also known as the Battle of the Nations. It is one of Leipzig's main landmarks. It was completed in 1913 for the 100th anniversary of the battle.
This battle involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.Casualties on both sides were astoundingly high; estimates range from 80,000 to 110,000 total killed or wounded. Napoleon lost about 38,000 killed and wounded.
During the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler used this monument as a frequent venue for his speeches when in Leipzig. During the period of communist rule in East Germany, the government of the GDR was unsure whether it should allow the monument to stand, since it was considered to represent the staunch nationalism of the period of the German Empire. Eventually, it was decided that the monument should be allowed to remain, since it represented a battle in which Russian and German soldiers had fought together against a common enemy. Since 2010, the monument is under restoration, with work scheduled to be finished by 2013, the year of the two-hundredth anniversary of the battle.

The monument to Prince Jozef Poniatowski in Leipzig

2011-07-14T19:39:00.007+03:00

This is another story connected with the Battle of Leipzig that I happened to know while stay in Leipzig.

A modest monument dedicated to Prince Jozef Poniatowski (1763 – 1813) who was a Polish leader, general, minister of war, army chief, and a Marshal of France located in a picturesque park in the central part of Leipzig.
As a reward for his brilliant services, on October 16 during the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon made Poniatowski a Marshal of France. He heroically defended Leipzig, losing half his corps in the fighting. In the general confusion, the French blew up the bridge before Poniatowski's corps could reach it. Contesting every step with the overwhelming forces of his pursuers, Prince Józef refused to surrender, and covered with wounds plunged into the river. There he died.
The first Monument of Prince Jozef Poniatowski in Leipzig was unveiled in 1834, but in 1939 it was destroyed by Germans who just came to power. In 1970 it was reconstructed by Polish architects. A part of the old monument was integrated into a new one.

On attached pictures you can see the portrait of the Marshal Poniatowski, the first monument, and the modern one.

The monument to the destroyed bridge in Leipzig

2011-07-11T10:42:00.004+03:00

Dear readers,
Now I am in Leipzig and decided to show you one interesting monument connected closely with the the Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, that has taken place on 16–19 October 1813, and was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. This battle involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.

On 18 October, the Allies launched a huge assault from all sides. In over nine hours of fighting, in which both sides suffered heavy casualties, the French troops prevented a breakthrough but were slowly forced back towards Leipzig. The Sixth Coalition had Field Marshal Blücher (Prussian) and Prince Charles John of Sweden to the north, the Generals Barclay De Tolly, Bennigsen (both Russian) and Prince von Hessen-Homburg (Austrian) to the south, and Ignaz Gyulai (Austrian) to the west.

The Prussian 9th brigade occupied the abandoned village of Wachau while the Austrians, with General Bianchi's Hungarians, threw the French out of Lößnig. The Austrians proceeded to give a demonstration of combined arms cooperation as Austrian cavalry attacked French infantry to give Austrian infantry time to arrive and deploy in the attack on Dölitz. The Young Guard Division threw them out. At this point, three Austrian grenadier battalions began to contest for the village with artillery support. In the meantime, at the behest of his Swedish officers, who felt embarrassed that they had not participated in the battle, the Prince gave the order for his light infantry to participate in the final assault on Leipzig itself. The Swedish jägers performed very well, only losing about 121 men in the attack
During the fighting, 5,400 Saxons of Jean Reynier's VII Corps defected to the Allies. Napoleon saw that the battle was a lost cause and on the night of 18–19 October, he began to withdraw the majority of his army across the river Elster. The allies did not learn of the evacuation until 7 a.m, and were then held up by Oudinot's ferocious street-to-street rearguard action in Leipzig. The retreat went smoothly until early afternoon when the general tasked with destroying the only bridge over the Elster delegated the task to a Colonel Montfort. The colonel in turn passed this responsibility on to a corporal, who, unaware of the carefully planned time schedule, ignited the fuses at 1 p.m, when the bridge was still crowded with French troops, and Oudinot's rearguard was still in Leipzig. The explosion and subsequent panic and rout resulted in the deaths of thousands of French troops, and the capture of many thousands more. During that unfortunate event, Poniatowski, the Polish leader, drowned while crossing the river.
On the picture you can see me standing near the monument dedicated to this event. Unfortunately the river Elster is in concrete pipe now, so it is a bit funny to see the monument to the bridge without seeing the river. Nevertheless the city council has already started to reconstruct a former river in its original view. Another attached picture depicts old painting of retreat of Napoleon on 19 October 1813, showing the explosion of the bridge.

Crimea planning to receive six million tourists this year

2011-07-06T18:10:00.003+03:00

KYIV, July 18, 2011(UKRINFORM). Crimea peninsula (southern Ukraine) is planning to receive six million tourists in 2011, Crimean Deputy Prime Minister and Resorts and Tourism Minister Heorhiy Psariov said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday. "We have set the task of resuming all-year recreation. We expect up to six million tourists this year and over 50 percent in revenues from the tourism industry in the Crimean consolidated budget," he said. Psariov said that Crimea had already been visited by 205,000 tourists since the beginning of this year, the record number in recent years.

Ukraine will participate in meeting of CIS Council of Defense Ministers

2011-07-06T07:31:00.004+03:00

KYIV, July 5, 2011 (UKRINFORM). A delegation of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine left for Sochi (Russia) for participation in the 60th meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS participating countries, which will be held on July 5-6, the agency's press service informed. The Ukrainian delegation headed by Defense Minister Mykhailo Yezhel will take part in this event with the right of observers. Participants in the meeting will determine the ways for practical realization of the Concept of military cooperation of CIS participating countries till 2015. A special attention will be paid to creation and improvement of joint (united) military systems. In particular, perspective trends will be considered for development of the United Air Defense System of CIS participating countries. Within the frames of the meeting, Mykhailo Yezhel plans to hold a number of bipartite meetings with his counterparts from the CIS countries.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Putin hints Russia faces "dirty" elections in 2012

2011-07-03T18:08:00.002+03:00

01 July 2011 (UNIAN) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday that after the 2012 presidential elections he would immediately take a bath, according to Xinhua. "I shall go and have a wash, in the hygienic sense of the word, but also in the political sense," he told a regional conference of the ruling United Russia party in Yekaterinburg after being asked what he would do immediately after the election. "After all, the campaigns which we will have to go through, we will need to busy ourselves with hygiene," Putin was quoted by local media as saying.
RIA Novosti news agency said the remark was Putin`s cryptic hint on his possible participation in the elections. Under the Russian constitution, Putin, who served two consecutive presidential terms in 2000-2008, will become eligible to run for a new term in March 2012. Both Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev have indicated that one of them, but not both, will run in the election.

Ukraine to celebrate Navy Day July 3

2011-06-30T23:04:00.002+03:00

KYIV, June 30, 2011 (UKRINFORM). On the Navy Day in Ukraine, which will be celebrated on Sunday, July 3, a parade of ships will be held in Sevastopol. Ukrainian Navy will be represented during the holiday by frigate Hetman Sahaidachny, large landing ship Kostiantyn Olshansky, command ships Slavutych and Donbas, sea minesweeper Chernihiv, medium landing ship Kirovohrad, corvette Ternopil, and others. They will be joined by the ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. July 3 at 08:45, hoisting of the Navy flag will be held on ships and in military units of the Ukrainian Navy, then - the parade of ships and the traditional delivery of dirks to graduates of the Naval Academy named after Nakhimov. On this day, Sevastopol residents and city guests can visit the Ukrainian Navy ships.

302nd Anniversary of the Battle of Poltava

2011-06-27T13:57:00.003+03:00

The main event of this year folk festival dedicated to the 302nd anniversary of the Battle of Poltava is an opening an access for the public to the grave chapel located in the common grave of the Russian warriors killed in the decisive battle of the Great Northern War.

The chapel, named St. Peter and Paul Chapel in honour of the apostles, was consecrated to God on September 3, 1907. In the 1930s a pig-breeding research institute was established near the common graves, and the grave chapel was turned into a storage facility for fuel and chemicals in accordance with decision signed by then director of the institute. This resulted in the destruction of the ventilation system and all of the wall paintings. The walls themselves began to disintegrate because of the dampness and chemical fumes. Although the chapel was repaired several times after WWII, its unique interior has been lost forever. For a period of time the chapel was turned into a simple, somber memorial hall, with a grave stone its only decoration.

A monument to Ukrainian Hetman Pylyp Orlyk has been unveiled in Kyiv.

2011-06-24T21:41:00.002+03:00

KYIV, June 24, 2011 (UKRINFORM). A monument to outstanding Hetman Pylyp Orlyk, the author of the first Ukrainian Constitution of 1710, has been unveiled in Kyiv. The unveiling of the monument is the dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine. The monument consists of a figure of the hetman signing the constitution and a vertical decorative heraldic composition from the elements of weapons, art, and nationhood.
After the Battle of Poltava in 1709, he escaped together with Hetman Ivan Mazepa and king Charles XII of Sweden to Bender in the Principality of Moldavia, where Mazepa soon died. Pylyp Orlyk was then chosen as a Hetman in exile by the cossacks and the Swedish king Charles XII. While in Bender Orlyk wrote one of the first state constitutions in Europe. This Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was confirmed by Charles XII and it also names him as the protector of Ukraine. Between 1711 and 1714, together with Crimean Tatars and small groups of Cossacks, Orlyk carried out unsuccessful raids into Right-bank Ukraine. Afterwards, Pylyp Orlyk now together with several other cossacks followed the Swedish king Charles XII to Sweden via Vienna and Stralsund. Orlyk with his family and about 40 other Cossacks arrived in Ystad in late November 1715. After some months in Ystad they lived in the city of Kristianstad for some years. Orlyk and his family left Stockholm in 1720 but as late as 1747 his widow and children received financial support from the Parliament of Sweden. From Sweden Orlyk first went to Hamburg, Hannover, Prague, Wrocław and Krakow, where he left his family to stay in a monastery. Orlyk went on to France and in 1722 he arrived in Iaşi in Ottoman Turkey in order to organize an alliance against Russian Empire. From there he went on to Thessaloniki and from the mid 1730s he is known to have lived in Budjak. He died 1742 in Jassy, Principality of Moldavia (today Iaşi, Romania).

Ukraine mourns Great Patriotic War victims

2011-06-24T07:30:00.003+03:00

June 22, 2011 (UKRINFORM, Interfax-Ukraine)
Ukraine is holding official events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Hitler's attack on the USSR and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Kyiv, which the Nazis bombed at the dawn on June 22, 1941, commemorated the victims of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Glory Park and the monument to Marshal Ivan Kozhedub. On the eve, President Viktor Yanukovych addressed the veterans and compatriots, stressing that the Ukrainians had paid an incredibly high price, more than ten million lives, for freedom and peace. The Great Patriotic War (Second World War) is not over until the last soldier who was killed at war is buried, and the state will promote such steps, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.

The new generation says corruption plagues the nation – poll

2011-06-19T14:31:00.003+03:00

June 16, 2011 (UNIAN information agency)

55.4% of Ukrainian youth take the greatest pride in their country and 12% responded in the negative, according to KyivWeekly. In Kazakhstan 68% responded positively and only 9% negatively, a poll by Gorshenin Institute found. The poll was aimed at comparing the systems of values of young students in Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Kazakhstan.

“The poll has found that the main moral reference points for youth are more or less the same, in the four reference countries,” Director of the Human Potential Development Program at the Gorshenin Institute Maryna Tkachenko told Komentary weekly.
50% of students in all four countries responded that problem number one was corruption. They put economic development in second place. Unlike students from other countries, Ukrainian students are concerned about political instability. 44% of Russians are concerned about the level of alcoholism and drug abuse, while the number of Ukrainian respondents that consider this to be a serious problem was two times less. Also, 39.7% of students in Russia are concerned about the threat of terrorism, while in the other countries practically nobody thinks about this problem – in Ukraine – 4%, in Kazakhstan – 3.9% and in Poland – 6%. At the same time, 21% of Ukrainians are worried about the spread of HIV/AIDS, which two-three times higher than people polled in the other countries.
Asked of what was most unexpected in your survey, Maryna Tkachenko said the Poles “were truly amazing.”. While Ukrainians, Russians and Kazakhs associate success with self-realization (77.2%, 66% and 47%, respectively) and a career with material well-being, the majority of Polish students (54%) have chosen love and friendship. And unlike their neighbors, Poles believe independence and freedom are among the elements of success (40%).

The poll indicated that “it was clear that people who were born and raised in a country in which European democratic values and civil rights prevailed are strikingly different from their neighbors.”

SWEDEN AT A GLANCE

2011-06-17T10:05:00.003+03:00

Location: Northern Europe, between Finland and Norway
Government type: constitutional monarchy.
Head of government: prime-minister John Fredrik Reinfeldt
Population: 9 million
Capital: Stockholm
GDP (purchasing power parity): $354.7 billion
GDP - per capita (PPP): $39,100

Swedish globally known businesses:
Ericsson, Electrolux, and IKEA, Volvo, Scania, Tetra Pak, H&M.

Ukraine-Sweden bilateral relations:
Yaroslav the Wise, a prominent Kyivan Rus prince in 11th century, married Ingegerd, a Swedish princess, whose relics are kept today in St. Sofia’s Cathedral in Kyiv.
Ukraine has a small community of ethnic Swedes that live in a village in Kherson oblast since the 18th century.
Kyiv is just a two-hour flight from Stockholm.
Over 100 companies with Swedish capital are registered in Ukraine.
Most known Swedish businesses in Ukraine: Ericsson, Chumak, Oriflame, SEB Bank, Swedbank, Tetra Pak, Skania, SKF.
IKEA, world’s biggest furniture retailer, abandoned investment plans in Ukraine in 2011, allegedly due to unfriendly business environment.
Swedish investment: $1.8 billion
Investment areas: financial sector, manufacture of home appliances, processing of food and agricultural products, packaging, metalworking and engineering goods.

Bilateral trade: $560 million in 2010, Swedish exports comprise 80 percent.

Swedish exports to Ukraine: telecommunications equipment, medical instruments, passenger cars, trucks and buses, manufacturing machinery, heating & cooling, paper and board semi-manufactures.

Ukraine’s exports to Sweden: semi-manufactured products, food products, raw materials, fuels and chemicals.
(Sources: CIS World Fact book, Swedish Trade Council, embassy of Sweden in Ukraine)

Swedish ties to nation are as ancient as Kyivan Rus

2011-06-17T09:48:00.004+03:00

June 16, 2011 (Kyiv Post) Diplomatic, political, cultural and economic relations between Sweden and Ukraine date back more than 1,000 years, to the times of the medieval Kyivan Rus empire.

Back then, the nations’ paths crossed on the trade route, which ran from the Vikings in the north to Byzantinum in the south.
In the early 18th century, Ukraine’s hetman Ivan Mazepa struck an alliance with a Swedish king in a bid to gain Ukrainian independence from the Russian Empire and Poland. The endeavor failed when the Russian czar beat the Swedish army in the famous Battle of Poltava in 1709.
Recent history is more cheerful. The 150 or so Swedes who live in Ukraine are mostly involved in businesses. They include successful agricultural start-ups such as Chumak, a food processing business started by two Swedes, two Swedish banks and the Tetra Pak packaging giant. Swedish investment in Ukraine amounts to $1.8 billion, according to the Swedish Trade Council, making Sweden the nation’s sixth biggest investor. Another landmark is the year 1893, when communications giant Ericsson installed a telephone station in Kyiv and then another in Kharkiv. “Sweden was adapting the new communication technologies very early,” said Olle Tholander, general director of Ericsson in Ukraine, who has previously worked in Japan and England. Chased out by the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Ericsson did not return until 1995. The company now employs 190 people. “One of the key assets of Ukraine is the high level technical education provided by its main universities. We want to attract these competent and skilled persons,” Tholander said. Paradoxically enough, Ukraine – which has many information technology specialists working abroad or providing outsourced work – is lagging behind in telecommunications. Ukraine is one of the last European countries to spread 3G – or third-generation – technologies widely, making Internet speeds slower than they need to be.
Currently, the only 3G license belongs to Ukrtelecom, the former state telecommunications monopoly, which was sold to Austria’s Epic for a below-market price in what many called an “uncompetitive tender.” While Ericsson looks for more “technological freedom,” SEB Bank, part of the Stockholm-headquartered SEB group that arrived in 2005, seeks clearer regulations and stronger rule of law. “In the crisis, banking showed its weak side,” said Kristian Andersson, deputy chairman of the board at SEB Bank in Ukraine. In Ukraine, the bank mostly specializes in servicing corporate customers from Scandinavia and Germany. Andersson also has “great hopes that a free trade agreement will be signed with the European Union in the near future.”
The agreement is expected to boost Ukraine’s international trade in general and with Sweden in particular. Those bilateral figures aren’t high – only $260 million in 2010, with Swedish exports making up the bulk of the numbers.

Natural disaster examined Poltava communal services

2011-06-16T10:59:00.003+03:00

Heavy thunderstorm and squall hit Poltava on June12, 2011. Many big trees have been uprooted and blocked city roads. It took a few days to cut them up and take out. A few damaged roofs have been repared within a few days. Municipal sewage lines faced some minor problems too because of low spillway capacity. Many buildings have been cut of electricity.

Ukraine, NATO complete first stage of project on disposal of ammunition

2011-06-14T21:57:00.003+03:00

KYIV, June 14, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have successfully completed the first stage a project of the Trust Fund of NATO's Partnership for Peace program on the disposal of conventional ammunition, small arms and light weapons, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Omelyanchuk has said. He said that with the help of the NATO Trust Fund, 15,000 tons of surplus ammunition, 400,000 units of small arms and light weapons, as well as 1,000 man-portable air defense systems, had been disposed of in Ukraine since 2006. The Trust Fund allocated EUR 10.8 million for this stage of the project.
"These joint actions by Ukraine, NATO and its partners are a significant contribution to the nonproliferation of weapons in the world," Omelyanchuk said.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft, as a representative of a leading state in the framework of the project, in turn, said he hoped that the Ukrainian government would soon take a positive decision and sign an agreement on the second stage of the project. The Trust Fund's contribution for the second stage will be about EUR 25 million. At this stage it is planned to dispose of 76,000 tons of ammunition, 366,000 units of small arms and 3 million antipersonnel mines. The project of the Trust Fund of NATO's Partnership for Peace program is aimed at demilitarizing 133,000 tons of ammunition and 1.5 million units of small arms and light weapons in Ukraine within 12 years in four stages. The project was launched at Ukraine's request.

2011-05-30T00:34:00.003+03:00

The Lower Dnieper Offensive took place in 1943 during the Second World War. It was one of the largest Second World War operations, involving almost 4,000,000 troops on both sides and stretching on a 1400 kilometer long front. During this four-month operation, the eastern bank of the Dnieper was recovered from German forces by five of the Red Army's Fronts, which conducted several river assault crossings to establish several bridgeheads on the western bank. Subsequently, Kiev was liberated in a separate offensive. To secure such a large-scale crossing a few dummy springboards for attack have been created by the Red Army on the eastern bank of the Dniper River. They had to distract the German forces from main springboards. One of such dummy springboard has been located close to the village of Keliberda located 100 km. away from Poltava. Four Red Army divisions deployed there incurred extremely heavy losses. About 30000 soldiers and officers have been killed there. Not long ago a new monument in commemoration of those who payed with their lives for the liberation of Kiev has been unveiled on the bank of the Dniper River.

Ukraine-Russia Fairway of Peace 2011 naval exercise starts in Sevastopol

2011-05-23T17:55:00.003+03:00

KYIV, May 23, 2011 (UKRINFORM). The opening ceremony of the Ukrainian-Russian naval exercise Fairway of Peace 2011 was held in Sevastopol (southern Ukraine) Monday, the press service of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine reported. During the exercise, the navies of Ukraine and Russia will work out joint actions during peacekeeping operations in crisis areas. The exercise involves 9 battleships, 8 boats and auxiliary vessels, 8 planes, 3 helicopters, 260 marines of Ukraine's Navy and the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as well as aircraft of the Sevastopol tactical aviation brigade of Ukraine Air Force.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved of the admission of units of the armed forces of foreign states to the territory of Ukraine for participation in multinational military exercises in 2011. According to the law foreign troops are allowed into Ukraine to participate in the US-Ukrainian exercises "Rapid Trident 2011" and "Sea Breeze 2011," the Ukrainian-Russian military exercise "Fairway of Peace 2011," the Ukrainian-Polish-US military exercise "Safe Sky 2011," Ukrainian-Romanian exercises, Ukrainian-Belarusian-Russian exercises, Ukrainian-Russian and Ukrainian-Belarusian exercises with the involvement of air defense forces, the "Black Sea Rotational Force 2011" multinational exercise, the "Jackal Stone 2011" multinational exercise, the "Barrier 2011" multinational exercise, and the "Cossack Steppe 2011" multinational exercise. Troops from the following countries are expected to participate in various exercises in Ukraine in 2011: Russia, the United States, Poland, Belarus, Romania, Canada, Moldova, Serbia, Great Britain, Hungary, France, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Norway.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=221756

German soldiers burial place found in Ternopil region

2011-05-15T22:00:00.006+03:00

KYIV, May 14, 2011 (UKRINFORM).
On the outskirts of the village Oliev (Ternopil region, west of Ukraine), the graves of twenty-five German soldiers have been identified. They were found by representatives of the German people's union for the care of war graves, the district council reported. The search lasted for almost fifteen years, until the village head of Oliev saw on the military picture the outskirts of his native village, where there was the burial place.

In the war times, a front line ran there, and all the gravestone crosses were razed to the ground during the fighting. Now, personal tokens of German soldiers have been discovered at the burial site, as well as bottles with notes bearing names, dates, places of birth, information about families. The remains of the German soldiers were moved to the village of Potelychi (Zhovkva district of Lviv region), where the dead Germans are buried.

The monument to the field kitchen has been unveiled in Vinnitsa region (Ukraine)

2011-05-12T13:46:00.000+03:00

The one and only monument to the mobile field kitchen has been inaugurated in the city of Bratslav in Vinnitsa region. This indispensable attribute of the military life was invented in 1905 by the officer of the Russian Army Georgiy Turchanovich. His unique invention is still in use in many armies around the world. In 1908 gifted inventor has taken out a patent. It took only three hours to prepare a three-course dinner for one company. As an irony of fate Georgiy Turchanovich has died of starvation in 1943 when his city was under the German occupation. Not long ago his grave has been found and put in order. The city council is about to erect a bronze bust of the inventor near the monument to the mobile field kitchen.

Modern armament show on the Red Square in Moscow

2011-05-09T22:51:00.002+03:00

Modern armament shown to the publick during the 2011 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

1. The T-90 third-generation main battle tank

2. The MSTA-S 152-mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

3. The BUK M2 self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system

4. The Smerch (Tornado) volley-fire rocket system

5. The S-400 Triumf new generation anti-aircraft weapon system

6. The Pantsir-S1 combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system

7. The 9K720 Iskander mobile theatre ballistic missile system

8. The RT-2UTTKh Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile

2011-05-09T11:34:00.003+03:00

The Russian army Moscow Military Victory Parade of 2011 was held the 09 May 2011. Victory Day marks Germany’s surrender to the Soviet Union in 1945. It became the end of the Great Patriotic War for the USSR, which lost about 25 million citizens in the four years of fighting. Interestingly, until its 20th anniversary (May 9, 1965), Victory Day was not a major holiday, unlike, for instance, May 1, and was considered a work day. Apart from the anniversaries in 1965 and 1985, Victory Day celebrations in the Soviet Union did not feature a military parade. This tradition started in 1995. The biggest military parade is in Moscow’s Red Square, showcasing Russia’s military forces and equipment with aircraft, helicopters, tanks, missile systems and more. Most veterans wear their medals as they head to the parade or an event organized by a local veteran organization.

No military parade on Victory Day in Kyiv this year. The capital of Ukraine hosted a festive procession, a ceremony and a theatrical event to mark the Victory Day.

Public order will be protected by over 38,000 police workers during Victory Day celebrations

2011-05-07T10:44:00.004+03:00

KYIV, May 6, 2011 (UKRINFORM). During celebration of the Victory Day, the public order will be protected by over 38,000 police officers, the Interior Ministry Public Order Department informed.
"The police personnel have been transferred to the enhanced variant of service for the holidays. In addition, operative headquarters will be working at the ministry and its subordinate units in order to exercise control over fulfillment of organizational and practical measures to ensure the law and order," the ministry informed.
According to tentative data, on May 9, in Ukraine, 10,000 events will take place with participation of over 3 million persons.

German experts: Ukraine's population could shrink by 5 million people by 2030

2011-05-03T22:57:00.002+03:00

KYIV, May 1, 2011 (UKRINFORM).

Ukraine's population could shrink by five million people by 2030, experts from the Berlin Institute for Population and Development predicted in their study of the demographic situation in the countries of the former Soviet Union, an UKRINFORM correspondent in Germany said. According to projections, Ukraine's population in 2030 will be 40.19 million people.

According to the institute, 45.43 million people lived in Ukraine as of early 2010. According to the report, since 1991, the country has been shrinking by almost 300,000 per year as a result of its high mortality rate. The population in eastern Ukraine is shrinking faster than in the country's western regions, according to the report. German experts believe that the reasons for this are the outflow of residents from the country's eastern regions to the center and the west, as well as better birth rate figures in the west than in the east. In addition, the question of ageing will be urgent for Ukraine in the coming years, as the number of elderly people is expected to increase every year. German experts advised Ukraine to take steps to stop or reduce the flow of labor abroad and focus on increasing the country's attractiveness for migrants. To this end, the Ukrainian leadership must undertake crucial reforms that will bring the country to EU standards, according to the study. As UKRINFORM reported, according to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine's population was 45.745 million people as of March 1, 2011.

Yanukovych, Medvedev meet outside Kyiv

2011-04-27T11:26:00.004+03:00

KYIV, April 27, 2011 (UKRINFORM). President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who arrived in Kyiv to participate in commemorative events marking the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, met at the Zalissia state house outside Kyiv. Viktor Yanukovych noted that the meeting was a good opportunity to discuss topical issues of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Russia, in particular, issues of the 5th Ukrainian-Russian intergovernmental commission meeting in June. "We still have a lot of questions that we have to solve together with you," the president of Ukraine said. As UKRINFORM learned from the press service of the President, Viktor Yanukovych thanked his Russian counterpart for the active participation of the Russian delegation in the events timed to the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl tragedy. The Russian President, in turn, assured that Russia would continue to cooperate with Ukraine in overcoming the consequences of the Chornobyl accident, in particular on the issue of construction of a new shelter facility. Dmitry Medvedev also noted the need to discuss current issues and new projects that emerged in connection with the positive developments in relations between the two countries. "One thing is absolutely certain: our relationship has got out of crisis, both interpersonal and economic," the Russian President said.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=219663

Fleet will never quit Crimea, Russian says

2011-04-24T12:39:00.002+03:00

MOSCOW, April 23, 2011 (United Press International). Russia's Black Sea Fleet will stay in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol "forever," its former commander says. Adm. Igor Kasatonov made the vow to the Ukrainian magazine Expert, RIA Novosti reported Saturday. A year ago, Russia and Ukraine extended the fleet's lease on the Crimean base until 2042. "The year 2042 is not the final date of the Black Sea Fleet's presence in Crimea. The Russian navy will stay in Sevastopol forever," Kasatonov said. "Russia will never give up either Sevastopol or the Kuril Islands," he said, referring to the Far Eastern island chain captured from Japan at the end of World War II and still claimed by Tokyo. Kasatonov also said the fleet needs updated weaponry to meet present and emerging global threats. The Black Sea Fleet has about 40 operational vessels, but most are slated for decommissioning. Russia's navy chief, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, said last year it would be reinforced with 15 new ships and submarines by 2020.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/04/23/Fleet-will-never-quit-Crimea-Russian-says/UPI-86271303579701/

Chief of General Staff invites Finnish military to exercises

2011-04-17T14:05:00.003+03:00

KYIV, April 16 (UKRINFORM). Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Hryhoriy Pedchenko invited representatives of the Finnish Defense Forces to participate in the Ukraine-U.S. tactic exercise Rapid Trident 2012.

As the press service of the Defense Ministry informed, he handed over a relevant invitation during a visit to the Finnish Republic. The military exercises are planned to be held since July 23 and till August 3 next year in Yavoriv district of Lviv region (Ukraine's west). During the visit, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces held negotiations with the Chief of the Finnish Defense Forces, General Ari Puheloinen, on the issues of reformation and development of the armed forces of both countries, as well as on the state and perspectives of the Ukraine-Finland military cooperation. In addition, members of the Ukrainian delegation visited the Karelia Brigade, familiarized with reforms, held in the Finnish Army, shared experience of peacekeeping activities and determined the ways for further cooperation.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=218801

Strategic Flexibility a Key Issue for Ukraine in Trade Relations with Russia and the EU

2011-04-10T09:37:00.002+03:00

April 9, 2011 (Foreign Policy Journal). The Russian government has been increasing pressure on Ukraine to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan and halt the process of negotiating the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU, expected to be completed by year’s end. While the Ukrainian delegation holds the talks on the EU-Ukraine association agreement in Brussels this week, expected Prime Minister Putin’s visit to Kyiv next week could offer both a “stick” and a “carrot” for Ukraine. A closer look reveals that the risk of a trade war with Russia is not critical, while the benefits of strategic flexibility and strong degree of economic sovereignty are more beneficial for Ukraine.

On 16 March, Vladimir Putin said that “Russia may proceed to tighten up its borders if the free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU goes ahead.” Alongside the threat of trade sanctions, Russia may also present certain economic preferences encouraging Ukraine to suspend the process of EU trade agreement and join the Customs Union. Ukrainian officials’ responses have emphasized the priority of reaching agreement on DCFTA with the EU and finding a plausible solution on cooperation with Russia and the Customs Union through entering the CIS Free Trade Area Agreement, which according to consensus estimates could be signed in May. Russia’s most radical offering would be the reduction of the natural gas price and the levy of export duties for the exports of Russian oil and fuel products to Ukraine. The levy of oil export duty according to Ukrainian Ministry of Economy estimates could create $3-3.5 billion per year benefits for Ukraine and halving the Russian price would result in $4.5 billion benefit. It is likely that Russia could take such costly steps, if at all, only demanding substantial commitments from Ukraine, which would decrease the degree of strategic flexibility and economic sovereignty that the country presently enjoys.

http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2011/04/09/strategic-flexibility-a-key-issue-for-ukraine-in-trade-relations-with-russia-and-the-eu/

AeroSvit doubles Kyiv-Stockholm flight frequency

2011-04-01T20:13:00.002+03:00

KYIV, April 1, 2011 (UKRINFORM). AeroSvit has doubled the frequency of Kyiv-Stockholm flights since the beginning of summer navigation (March 27 through October 29), the company said in a statement. The number of flights between the capitals of the two countries rose to ten flights a week - daily flights from Kyiv in the daytime were complemented by three flights in the evening - on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=217412

Poll: Ukrainians see 70th anniversary of Great Patriotic War as key jubilee in 2011

2011-03-18T12:36:00.002+02:00

KYIV, March 18, 2011(UKRINFORM). The most important dates in 2011 for the Ukrainians are the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (53%), 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident (37%) and 20th anniversary of Ukrainian independence (34%), according to a survey conducted by Research & Branding Group. Meanwhile, the poll found that 18% of respondents believe the most important anniversary is 50 years after Gagarin's space flight, 9% - 20 years from the date of the first Ukrainian presidential election and referendum on the independence of Ukraine, 5% - 20 years from the date of the referendum on the preservation of the USSR. According to the poll, 7% of those surveyed named other anniversaries, 9% said there are no such dates, and 5% are undecided. The significance of the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War increases depending on the age of respondents with 39% for young people to 64% for the older generation, while that of the anniversary of Ukraine's independence raises with 27% for the older generation to 40% for the youth.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=216016

Why do Ukrainians still prefer to buy their food and clothes on the street?

2011-03-15T21:54:00.002+02:00

Most Ukrainians shop at the markets which have thrived since the early 1990s. But as the economy grows, will they disappear? Locals doubt it. There is an expression in Ukraine, "buy from babushkas", a synonym for homemade and organic. This is one of the main reasons people come here for food. Recently Ukrainian shops and supermarkets have started selling imported vegetables and people haven't warmed to the idea. There are potatoes from Egypt, beetroot, apples and carrots from Poland and even blackberries from Mexico. Most of the vendors who buy and sell here have known their customers for years. Sometimes sellers don't even need to ask buyers what they want. Some people who sell at the market do it to boost their 700 hryvnia ($88) per month pension. For most young people who live in the countryside, growing and selling food is the only way to earn a living. Going to market on Sunday is like a special ceremony, it is an opportunity to meet friends, hear news and catch up on gossip, which is exactly what many Ukrainians are doing. Ukrainian markets operate all week long - with the exception of Mondays, Easter and Christmas - but the busiest market days are usually Saturday and Sunday. Many foreign tourists were amazed to see a man trying to fit a wriggling piglet into a sack. Many believe that markets in Ukraine might disappear in just 5 years because small entrepreneurs can't compete with big retailers. But many hope that markets in Ukraine will develop into something more civilised and comfortable for the customers, instead of disappearing completely.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/direct/ukraine/9409814.stm

President approves plan to conduct military exercises this year

2011-03-12T14:19:00.005+02:00

KYIV, March 12,2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has issued a decree approving the plan of conducting multinational exercises in Ukraine involving the Ukrainian Armed Forces and ensuring their participation in multinational exercises outside Ukraine in 2011. The plan was approved given the need to maintain at a proper level the state's defense potential and the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to carry out their tasks.
In particular, in June-October, it is planned to hold in Ukraine the Ukrainian-U.S. Sea Breeze 2011 military exercises involving 2,450 servicemen, in July-September - the U.S.-Ukrainian Rapid Trident 2011 military exercises (up to 1,500 servicemen), in June-September - the Ukrainian-U.S.-Polish Safe Sky 2011 military exercises (up to 350 servicemen), and in June and November - the Ukrainian-Romanian drills (up to 80 soldiers). In May-August, it is also planned to conduct in Ukraine the Ukrainian-Russian Fairway of Peace 2011 military exercises (up to 400 servicemen), in June-October - the Ukrainian-Belarusian-Russian military exercises (up to 300 servicemen), and in April-October - the Ukrainian-Russian and the Ukrainian-Belarusian exercises involving air defense troops. In addition, it is planned to conduct four multinational exercises. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will take part in military exercises in Poland, Georgia, Germany, Romania, France, Hungary and Bulgaria.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=215442

OLD SHOES IN BRONZE

2011-03-10T19:28:00.002+02:00

This spring there will be a new monument in Kyiv... a pair of worn down shoes. Each shoe is 70 cm in length. The material chosen for the sculpture is almost noble – bronze.
"The shoes are now ready and just waiting to be picked up by the customer" - says the sculpture’s co-author Peter Ozyumenko. The memorial will be erected outside of one of Kyiv’s metro stations. The shoes are dedicated to the insurance agent, who wore them out in order to satisfy all of his customer demands.
http://www.discoverukraine2012.net/news/old-shoes-bronze

Drunk Manager rammed the Parliament of Ukraine

2011-03-08T14:37:00.002+02:00

March 8, 2011 (UNIAN). Drunken manager of one of Kiev firms hit by car in the building of the Parliament of Ukraine, UNIAN news agency reports quoting the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The incident occurred around 3:00 on March 8. 22-year-old man in the Volkswagen Passat lost control, and then knocked down the fence around part of the Verkhovna Rada and crashed into a building.
The driver received a closed head injury, trauma of the chest and abdomen. Man hospitalized, his condition is assessed as satisfactory. How serious is the damage the building of the Verkhovna Rada, not reported.

In several years, Ukraine to double grain production

2011-03-06T09:59:00.003+02:00

March 6, 2011 (UNIAN). By 2015, Ukraine plans to realize two national projects devoted to essential and dynamic improvement of indicators of agricultural commodities production, informed Nikholay Prysiazhnyuk, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, on March 1, according to www.agrimarket.info
According to him, the Ministry has two national projects: “Effective cattle breeding” and “Grains of Ukraine”. The ambitious task of the projects: by 2015, agrarians have to increase grain production to the level of 80 mln tonnes per year, oilseeds production – 15 mln tonnes, meat production – 4 mln tonnes, added the Minister.

http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-424178.html

Yanukovich's First Year

2011-03-03T14:40:00.001+02:00

By STEVEN PIFER and WILLIAM TAYLOR
One of the proudest items on the wall of the U.S. ambassador’s office in Kiev from 2006-2009 was a world map showing the Freedom House ranking of free, not free and partly free countries around the world. Visitors could clearly see that Ukraine ranked as the only free country among the post-Soviet states.
Today, however, the Freedom House map shows Ukraine as only partly free. President Viktor Yanukovich, concluding his first year in office, should carefully consider what this means for his oft-expressed goal of integrating his country into Europe.
Ukraine has held a half dozen parliamentary, presidential and nationwide local elections since the Orange Revolution in late 2004. International observers judged all to be generally free and fair — that is, until the October 2010 election, the first conducted under the Yanukovich administration. President Yanukovich made some last-minute attempts to fix the election law, but the ballot fell short of the standard set by previous elections and was widely condemned as flawed.
Another troubling sign is the apparent effort by prosecutors to target officials from the previous government of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Her minister of the interior, Yuri Lutsenko, sits in jail awaiting trial. Her minister of economy, Bohdan Danylyshyn, was granted political asylum by the Czech Republic — a friendly country that wants to see Ukraine succeed — on the assumption that he would be unfairly prosecuted by a corrupt, politically-driven judiciary in Ukraine. The former prime minister, still a formidable politician, is being questioned extensively by the prosecutor-general and banned from international travel.
At a Feb. 14 public talk in Washington, Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko offered an eloquent defense of Ukraine’s recent record on democratic practices. To his credit, he also engaged with Freedom House the next day on the question.
The truth likely lies somewhere between the picture drawn by Ukrainian diplomats and that drawn by President Yanukovich’s domestic critics. But the fact that the foreign minister felt he had to focus his comments on Ukraine’s domestic political scene is a reflection of the impression in Europe and the United States that Ukraine has turned away from European-style democracy.
This carries significant implications for Kiev’s foreign policy. Ukraine under its previous president, Viktor Yushchenko, and under President Yanukovich has sought to integrate fully into Europe, including someday joining the European Union. Ukraine certainly ought to have the chance. Reaching that goal, however, means reforming the economy, restructuring laws, and raising standards to meet E.U. requirements.
While all understood that the process was sure to be long, the effort was seen to be worthwhile and achievable, with time and determination. The U.S. government fully supported this effort. Developments in Ukraine, however, cause Europeans and others to question Ukraine’s commitment to broadly-accepted European norms of political behavior.
If President Yanukovich is committed to European integration and E.U. membership, his administration’s domestic actions make achieving that goal much tougher. The European Union has turned its focus to internal issues and shows little enthusiasm for integrating neighboring states. To the extent that Europeans see Kiev adopting a more autocratic model of government, it will be that much easier for them to ignore Ukraine’s desire to integrate.
So President Yanukovich faces a choice. He can continue, or allow the continuation of, current domestic policies and watch his chances of integrating Ukraine into Europe fade. Or he can strengthen democratic institutions — which, by the way, resulted in his own election last year — and restore positive momentum to the relationship between Ukraine and Europe.
For its part, the West can help crystallize this choice. European and American officials should make clear to the president — in plain terms, so that nuance is not misread — that the policies of his administration look like democratic backsliding. They should make equally clear that continuing this course will disappoint Ukraine’s well-wishers around the world and produce a growing divide between Ukraine and Europe.
Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and William Taylor, a senior vice president at the U.S. Institute of Peace, served as the third and sixth U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/opinion/02iht-edpifer02.html?ref=global

Number of unemployed Ukrainians rise 40,000 in January

2011-03-02T14:23:00.003+02:00

KYIV, March 1, 2011 (UKRINFORM). In January the number of the officially unemployed in Ukraine increased by 40,700 people and as of February 1, 2011 stood at 585,600 (544,900 as of January 1, 2011), according to the State Statistics Service. At the same time, the number of unemployed registered at the State Employment Service as of February 1, 2011 amounted to 610,300. In January, 121,800 people went to the State Employment Service asking to help find job, which is 38,600 less than in December 2010 (160,400). 76.5% of people with a status of the unemployed received unemployment benefits in January 2011.

Experts with the State Statistics Service believe that every second unemployed Ukrainian used to hold the position of a worker, every third - a position of the office worker and the rest had no professional training.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=214365

Ukrainian-Russian An-140 aircraft to be assembled under license in Kazakhstan

2011-03-01T09:28:00.001+02:00

KYIV, February 28, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine and Kazakhstan have signed preliminary documents for the licensed assembly of Russian-Ukrainian An-140 aircraft, Deputy General Designer of the Antonov State Enterprise Oleksandr Kiva has said. He said that Kazakhstan was currently studying a number of investment projects to build an assembly plant in the country. Kiva noted that the country's top leadership "has a political interest in the development of aviation technology, plus they see that aircraft are in demand." According to experts, he added, the domestic aircraft market is over 90 planes. The Kazakh side, Kiva said, opted for the An-140, "after looking how airplanes operate in Yakutia, with minimal post-sales support." He added that state-owned enterprises in that country could also serve as customers for An-140s. Asked about possible aircraft production in Kazakhstan, Kiva noted that according to experts, the first plane could be assembled next year. In the beginning, he added, the issue will concern the final assembly of aircraft from units produced in Ukraine and Russia.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=214373

Russian fighter jets sold for $5 in fraud scheme

2011-02-26T16:44:00.003+02:00

February 25, 2011 (Reuters). A Russian court on Friday, Feb. 25, jailed a former official for 11 years over the sale of four fighter jets for just 5 dollars each. The military corruption scandal, that cost the government about 55 million dollars, underscored endemic fraud in Russia's armed forces. Andrei Silyakov, a former employee of the state Federal Reserve Agency, illegally included the warplanes on a list of state assets to be sold, the Nizhny Novgorod regional court said in a statement on its website. The four MIG-31 supersonic long-range fighter jets, known as Foxhounds, were sold for 153 roubles (5 dollars) each from state-owned Sokol aviation plant in Nizhny Novgorod, 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow. Although the jets were sold stripped of engines and weapons, each was in fact worth about $4 million. The planes were appraised as scrap metal and sold to a shell company that had no authority to trade weapons or military hardware, the statement said. Silyakov was also accused of embezzling 30,000 tons of oil and handed an 11-year jail sentence for fraud, costing the Russian state a total of almost $69 million, the court said. A combination of lack of funding, negligence and corruption have damaged attempts to supplement and maintain the huge arms stockpiles Russia inherited at the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Corruption in the armed forces cost Russia 6.5 billion roubles ($222.8 million) worth of state funds in 2010, Russia's Chief Military Prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky said on Thursday. Sokol is part of the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation.
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/98415/

Parade of Great Patriotic War automobiles held in Kharkiv

2011-02-24T10:49:00.003+02:00

KHARKIV, February 23, 2011. Activists of the famous automobile club "Samokhod" marked the February 23 (Defender of Fatherland Day) by riding cars of the WWII time along the city roads. This automobile club is famous for its automobiles renovated by enthusiasts and often involved for reconstruction of different historical events, in particular for many films about war.

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Belarus and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23. The holiday marks the date in 1918 during the Russian Civil War when the first mass draft into the Red Army occurred in Petrograd and Moscow. It was originally known as Red Army Day. In 1949, it was renamed Soviet Army and Navy Day. Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the holiday was given its current name.

Ukraine has presented the super-tank at a military exhibition

2011-02-21T22:28:00.002+02:00

On Sunday, on February, 20th, at the international exhibition which has opened in Abu-Dhabi of arms IDEX-2011 Ukraine has presented the working out - tank "Stronghold". The Novelty has been created on the basis of the Kharkov design office of a name of Morozova and shown within the limits of an exposition of a state company "Ukrspetseksport". According to the general designer on creation of armour and artillery systems of Ukraine of Michael Borisjuka, tank "Stronghold" is executed at level of the best world samples. On indicators of fighting power, mobility and protection it does not concede to leading NATO analogues. From features of the new tank designers especially allocate the following: new svarochno-katanaja a tower, the built in dynamic reservation of new generation, teplovizionnye sights, and also possibility to fire from a gun with laser prompting, amazing the purposes on distances to 6000 metres. "Stronghold" has today the highest in the world level of protection among the analogues, in particular, from ammunition tаndemnogo type », - has noted during presentation of the tank the representative of the enterprise-developer. He also has noticed that the car keeps the working capacity and battle readiness in a wide climatic range - at temperature from - 40°S to + 55°S and relative humidity of air to 98 % at temperature +25°S. Except "Stronghold" Ukraine has presented to Abu-Dhabi also other novelties of arms - a wheel armoured troop-carrier an armored troop-carrier-4 with fighting module "Sail", advanced tank T-72B with the engine 5-TDFM, the car of infantry BMP-1M with fighting module "Squall", and lorry KrAz 5233VE (manufactured in Kremenchug, Poltava region). Exhibition IDEX-2011 will last till February, 24th, 2011.

http://vikno.eu/eng/sciense-and-technology/sciense-and-technology/ukraine-has-presented-the-super-tank-at-a-military-exhibition.html

NATO-Ukraine Comission to meet in Berlin on April 14-15

2011-02-17T22:42:00.002+02:00

February 17, 2011 (Interfax-Ukraine). The NATO-Ukraine Commission will hold a foreign ministerial meeting in Berlin on April 14-15, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said. "This demonstrates our desire to maintain the dialog between Ukraine and NATO at a high political level," he told Ukrainian journalists in Brussels on Feb. 17.
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/97383/

22-th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan

2011-02-16T17:11:00.004+02:00

The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Between December 25, 1979 and February 15, 1989, a total of 620,000 soldiers served with the forces in Afghanistan (though there were only 80,000-104,000 serving at one time): 525,000 in the Army, 90,000 with border troops and other KGB sub-units, 5,000 in independent formations of MVD Internal Troops, and police forces. A further 21,000 personnel were with the Soviet troop contingent over the same period doing various white collar and blue collar jobs. The total irrecoverable personnel losses of the Soviet Armed Forces, frontier, and internal security troops came to 14,453. Soviet Army formations, units, and HQ elements lost 13,833, KGB sub-units lost 572, MVD formations lost 28, and other ministries and departments lost 20 men. During this period 417 servicemen were missing in action or taken prisoner; 119 of these were later freed, of whom 97 returned to the USSR and 22 went to other countries, the rest were murdered by their captors.
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghansk-sovjetiska_kriget

Poltava lacks some UAH 20 million for salaries to public sector eployees

2011-02-16T08:34:00.003+02:00

Poltava February 11, 2011 (Interfax-Ukraine). Poltava lacks some UAH 20 million for salaries to public sector employees, the city's mayor, Oleksandr Mamay, said on Feb.10. This will force employers to reduce bonuses and request their workers take unpaid leave, the mayor said. "According to the figures reported from Kyiv, Poltava lacks more than UAH 20 million for the payment of salaries to public sector employees, including UAH 13 million to those working in the education sector, UAH 7 million to medical personnel, UAH 2.7 million to those employed in culture sector, and UAH 2 million in sports," he said.
Mamay also said that they had sent an appeal to the regional council, requesting financing for the salaries to state employees in Poltava. In addition, the city's authorities are counting on the government's assistance.
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/96914/

NATO may draw Ukraine in discussing plans to deploy missile defense in Europe

2011-02-15T13:03:00.003+02:00

KYIV, February 15, 2011 (UKRINFORM). NATO is ready in the future to involve Ukraine into discussing the deployment of missile defenses in Europe. James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said this at a news conference in Moscow, as the UKRINFORM correspondent in Russia reported.
At this stage, NATO, he said, is in talks on this issue only with Russia, but the alliance's secretary-general is very well aware of the importance of a coordinated defense for Europe's future. That's why, Appathurai said, they hope to continue the discussion (of the ABM issue) and start cooperating with other countries. So all the European nations, including Ukraine, must be sure that the task is not to conduct a watershed in Europe, but to provide common defense, he added.
The Special Representative also said they respect the choice of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people to have a non-aligned status. But the intention to cooperate with Ukraine since then has not diminished, and NATO continues to remember the obligations assumed in Bucharest, he noted. According to Appathurai, it seems clear to the alliance that the Ukrainian government intends to further develop its cooperation with NATO in various fields. He also indicated that Ukraine is actively continuing to participate in NATO operations. As reported, in early November 2010, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during his visit to Moscow, said he did not rule out the inclusion of the Ukrainian early warning systems in Sevastopol and Mukacheve in the European missile defense system.
November 23 in Warsaw, Secretary of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Raisa Bohatyriova stated that Ukraine was ready to take part in the European missile defense system that NATO planned to create to protect Europe and the US. December 15, NSDC First Deputy Secretary Stepan Havrysh said that Ukraine could take part in the creation of NATO missile defense system only together with Russia.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=213083

Ukrainian armed forces under threat

2011-02-10T09:33:00.004+02:00

On January 12, 2011, 103 out of the 417 registered members of the Ukrainian parliament voted for changes to the Law “On the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” The bill provided for two percent of GDP being used for materiel. Someone once said: “If you don’t want to feed your army, prepare to feed your enemy.”
A week before the New Year the Ukrainian government announced administrative and military reforms. The press service of Lieutenant General Hryhorii Pedchenko, in charge of the Ukrainian Armed Forces [as appointed by the president of Ukraine, being Commander-in-Chief. – Ed.] quotes him as saying that the draft Strategic Defense Bulletin until 2025 provides for three armed services in Ukraine: the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. Pedchenko added that “we will have new structures: red-alert and SWAP-like units that will be based on rapid deployment forces.” He also claimed that this new table of organization will provide for the funding of major tactical and strategic developments.
One day prior to this interview, Pedchenko said that 70 percent of the new Ukrainian defense budget would be allocated to maintenance and 30 percent to research and development: “The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff [of Ukraine] have estimated their 2011 budget: 27 billion hryvnias. This is the financial resource our Armed Forces need to implement the tasks assigned them in full measure, to upgrade their materiel and solve their personnel and social protection problem, and emergency reserve problems.” He went on to say that the government is unable to finance the Armed Forces on an adequate level, and that the Ministry of Defense and General Staff had taken a balanced attitude to the 13.6 billion hryvnias’ worth of central budget appropriations in 2011 — lower by half than actually needed; hence the new realistic tasks and guidelines. Pedchenko noted that “our Armed Forces must have only one function, that of protecting our Fatherland,” whereas replenishing “special surplus funds” is an alien function. He also sounded very optimistic, saying that some 40 combat aircraft could be made operational within the next five years, given the current budget appropriations.
Optimism apart, it is sad to realize that the home of one of the world’s leading aircraft designers and manufacturers has to keep patching budget holes. President Viktor Yanukovych must have felt the same way when he signed an edict, in late December, that placed the whole military-industrial complex under his command, setting up a government-run business entity known as Ukroboronprom, and specifying that its director general is to be appointed as submitted by the prime minister and subject to dismissal as ruled by the president. One wonders about the motives behind this decision of the current head of the Ukrainian state: worries about some of the ridiculous decisions made by the current prime minister, or the desire to raise Ukraine’s military-industrial complex to a level where it can meet the current, complex challenges.
Valentyn Badrak, an expert in the field, commented on the possibility of Ukroboronprom having an impact on Russia-Ukraine-military-industrial-complex opportunities in 2011 by saying that Ukroboronprom would be heavily influenced by Russia, adding that there would be a small likelihood of conflict of interests: “Unless these government-run business entities are subject to market conditions, they will be able to collaborate only within the boundaries of the Russian Federation, but they will need business collaboration in the West, as well.” He went on to say that Russia’s design bureaus have lost certain links in the modern war aircraft construction chain.
http://www.day.kiev.ua/303081/

Ukrainian parliament approved decision of President on sending of peacemakers to Côte d’Ivoire

2011-02-09T16:16:00.002+02:00

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the decision of the President of Ukraine on sending of a peacemaking contingent to Côte d’Ivoire for participation of Ukraine in giving aid to UN operation. According to an UNIAN correspondent, 254 out of 419 lawmakers registered in the session hall voted for this decision. In particular, 177 lawmakers from the Party of Regions, 24 lawmakers from the Our Ukraine-People’s Self Defense bloc, 20 lawmakers from the People’s Party and 33 out factional lawmakers voted for this decision. The BYUT-Batkivshchyna and the CPU did not vote for this decision.
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-419605.html

Antonov to display An-74, An-148, An-158 at Aero India 2011

2011-02-04T16:27:00.002+02:00

KYIV, February 4, 2011 (UKRINFORM). The Kyiv-based Antonov State Enterprise on February 9-13 will participate in Aero India 2011, the biannual international air show in India's Bengaluru. The Ukrainian aircraft giant will present at the air show its airplanes An-74, An-148 and An-158. Antonov offers new planes, which can be widely used in India and other countries of South-East Asia. One of them is a new multi-purpose maritime patrol aircraft An-74, capable of supporting warships with the ability to counter enemy; conducting search and rescue operations; electronic and radio reconnaissance; determining sea pollution. Antonov believes that for operation on regional routes in India jet planes An-148 and An-158 suit best. Antonov SE President/Chief Designer Dmytro Kiva said: "It's safe to say that An-148 and its modifications will work effectively in India. After all, they have been successfully tested under conditions of high air temperatures (+40 C) and high mountains. They can fly on any air routes, including routes with high intensity operations, in usual and adverse weather conditions, day and night. Furthermore, they can be based on a broad network of airfields. An-148 and An-158 can land in almost zero visibility. India's market demand till 2025 in the aircrafts of this class is estimated at 80 planes". Antonov SE has been already cooperating with India for over 40 years.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=212130

Alcatraz: an old fortification, prison and museum

2011-02-01T00:04:00.008+02:00

Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Following the acquisition of California by the United States, the U.S. Army began studying the suitability of Alcatraz Island for the positioning of coastal batteries to protect the approaches to San Francisco Bay. In 1853, under the direction of Zealous B. Tower, the Corps of Engineers began fortifying the island, work which continued until 1858, eventuating in Fortress Alcatraz. The island's first garrison at Camp Alcatraz, numbering about 200 soldiers and 11 cannons, arrived at the end of that year. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861 the island mounted 85 cannons (increased to 105 cannons by 1866) in casemates around its perimeter, though the small size of the garrison meant only a fraction of the guns could be used at one time. At this time it also served as the San Francisco Arsenal for storage of firearms to prevent them falling into the hands of Southern sympathizers. Alcatraz never fired its guns offensively, though during the war it was used to imprison Confederate sympathizers and privateers on the west coast. Due to its isolation from the outside by the cold, strong, hazardous currents of the waters of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was used to house Civil War prisoners as early as 1861. During late 1860s the army switched the focus of its plans for Alcatraz from coastal defense to detention, a task for which it was well suited because of its isolation. In 1868 Alcatraz was officially designated a long-term detention facility for military prisoners. The United States Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz was acquired by the United States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933, and the island became a Federal Bureau of Prisons federal prison in August 1934. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held such notable criminals as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, James "Whitey" Bulger, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party who attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954. It also provided housing for the Bureau of Prison staff and their families. Because it was far more expensive to operate than other prisons and due to half a century of salt water saturation which severely eroded the buildings, the penitentiary was closed on March 21, 1963 by decision of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The entire Alcatraz Island was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was further declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Up to 95% of domestically produced weapons exported

2011-01-17T09:52:00.002+02:00

KYIV, January 14, 2011 (UKRINFORM). 90% of arms and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are morally and physically obsolete. This was stated by the chief inspector of the Ministry of Defense, Valery Frolov, in an interview with The Army of Ukraine magazine. He noted that over 19 years of independence the armed forces have put into operational service only 93 new and upgraded models of weapons and military technology, created by domestic enterprises of the military-industrial complex. The chief military inspector said that it is a minor figure. "At the same time, the quantitative figure of the total latest and upgraded weapons and military technology today does not exceed 10% and the remaining 90% are obsolete and outdated, which requires the purchase of new or upgrading old models," Frolov stressed. In addition, he said, "there is reason to assert that not all the nomenclature of weapons and military technology, which is needed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, can be now produced by enterprises of domestic military-industrial complex". "Also it can not but alarm that 90-95% of the total production at the enterprises of domestic military-industrial complex is exported. Of course, the foreign exchange revenue from the sale of Ukrainian weapons is essential. Not refuting this position, however, we have to note: the current critical state of the Ukrainian weapons and military technology requires quite a different concentration of main efforts of the national defense industry - on its rearmament," Frolov underscored.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=210079

Ukraine needs another two years to overcome crisis - expert

2011-01-07T08:37:00.002+02:00

KYIV, January 6, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Final overcoming of the crisis in the Ukrainian economy needs several years, therefore in 2011 Ukraine will hardly manage to return to the level of 2008, Director of the Institute of Economic Studies and Political Consultations in Ukraine Ihor Burakovsky has said. Earlier, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov expressed conviction that till August this year Ukraine will finally overcome consequences of the world financial crisis.
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=209411

2010-12-31T20:39:00.004+02:00

My dear friends,
Seasons greetings wishing you and your families
a happy and prosperous New Year.
Have a nice winter holidays, stay healthy and happy!
Sincere yours,
Oleg(in 1960) and Oleg (in 2010)

U.S. Government Statement on Investigation of Ukrainian Opposition Politicians

2010-12-30T22:00:00.003+02:00

30 December 2010. Although as a rule the U.S. Government does not comment on the specifics of individual cases, we have raised with the Ukrainian government our concern that while corruption should be pursued, prosecution should not be selective or politically motivated. In that context, we also raised our concern that when, with few exceptions, the only senior officials being targeted are connected with the previous government, it gives the appearance of selective prosecution of political opponents.
http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/scud.html

Lutsenko to celebrate New Year in prison

2010-12-27T16:34:00.004+02:00

Employees of the special subdivision of the Security Service of Ukraine “Alfa” detained ex Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko near his house in Kyiv. Criminal case is instituted against Lutsenko because of abuse of power. The Prosecutor General's Office instituted a criminal case against ex Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko on the basis of offence stipulated by part 3 of article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The press service of the Prosecutor General's Office disclosed this to UNIAN. Pechersk district court of Kyiv changed a preventive punishment to ex Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko from a written undertaking not to leave the country to taking him into custody so most probably Lutsenko will celebrate New Year in prison
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-413459.html

Yanukovych strongly influenced country’s life

2010-12-22T00:30:00.003+02:00

Political experts have described the year 2010 for Ukraine as the year of President Viktor Yanukovych. "This was the year of the new president; it could be called the year of Yanukovych. He strongly influenced the political and social life of the country. He started forming a new political regime in the country, Director of the Penta Center for Political Studies Volodymyr Fesenko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday. Director of the Kyiv Center of Political Studies and Conflictology Mykhailo Pohrebynsky agreed with his colleague and noted that the year 2010 was very eventful. According to him, the most important events were the victory of Yanukovych at the presidential elections, the cancelation of the political reform of 2004, the reduction in conflicts among the branches of power, and the replacement of Kyiv's government.
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/93315/

The next scuffle in Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

2010-12-17T22:07:00.002+02:00

Today, at 7.20 p.m. lawmakers from the Party of Regions burst into the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine through the doors of presidium and after rough scuffle occupied the presidium, which has been blocked by the lawmakers from the "BYUT-Batkivschina" fraction. Some lawmakers from opposition were taken to hospital. The lawmakers from the Party of Regions will stay in the parliament for whole night. Lawmakers from the Party of Regions Volodymyr Rybak said this an UNIAN correspondent. "We should ensure a normal work of the parliament in the morning", he noted.

http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-411977.html

AvtoKrAZ to ship 23 trucks to Philippines in early 2011

2010-12-15T22:58:00.003+02:00

December 15, 2010 (Interfax Ukraine). The AvtoKrAZ holding company (Kremenchuk, Poltava region), the only producer of heavy trucks in Ukraine, plans to ship 23 trucks to the Philippines in early 2011 to work at the first of Philippine nickel ore opencast mines. The holding's press service reported on Tuesday that the contract was signed in the middle of December with Japan's Hanwa Co., Ltd., representatives of which visited the holding. One of the spheres of the Japanese company's activity is trading with vehicles and industrial equipment.

http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/eco/56058/

NATO and Ukraine discuss cooperation under new Strategic Concept

2010-12-08T18:41:00.003+02:00

December 8, 2010 (Interfax). The first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission after the adoption of the alliance's new Strategic Concept has taken place, Deputy Ukrainian Foreign Minister Oleksandr Horin has said. Summing up the meeting in Brussels, he noted that the allies had praised Ukraine's fulfillment of the yearly national program and offered their recommendations for a new document." Actually, there was no criticism. They only proposed that we consider NATO member-states' recommendations and add them to the yearly program for next year," he said. According to the deputy minister, this document is being considered and will be adopted this year." The meeting was positive. The majority of the states expressed their opinions. For instance, the United States noted that Ukraine had asked them for expert help in the creation of the Election Code, while the others raised the issue of energy security," Horin said. He also reported that the allies "stressed that Ukraine had successfully implemented the program, which is an important mechanism for reform and the development of cooperation with the alliance."

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/92331/

All schools in Poltava closed for quarantine

2010-12-08T18:27:00.002+02:00

December 8, 2010 (Interfax) All 42 schools in Poltava city have been closed for quarantine until December 19 inclusively and the winter holidays will be reduced by four days, as the flu and acute respiratory viral infection rate exceeds the epidemic threshold. The press service of Poltava city executive committee told reporters that the number of those who have fallen ill exceeded the epidemic threshold by two times: the illness rate among pupils is 437.7 per 10,000 citizens, while the epidemic threshold is 213.5. "This, in turn, led to a change in the terms of the winter holidays in comprehensive educational institutions of the city: from December 27, 2010 to January 9, 2011 (14 calendar days) to the period from December 31, 2010 to January 9, 2011 (10 calendar days). December 27-30 will be working educational days," reads a report by the press service.

http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/55469/

Russia to completely re-arm anti-aircraft defense by 2020

2010-12-06T17:23:00.003+02:00

December 1, 2010 (RIA Novosti). Russia will completely re-arm its air defense forces by 2020 and the process will start as soon as next year, a military official has said. Spokesman for the Russian Air Force, Colonel Vladimir Drik, told the ITAR-TASS news agency on Wednesday that apart from S-400 and Pantsir-S, the air- and space-defense troops would receive the newest Russian anti-missile system known under temporary name s-500. “Starting from 2011 we plan to supply the anti-aircraft missile forces with newest weapons and military hardware in mass quantities and by 2020 we plan to raise the share of such weapons to 100 per cent of the total,” Colonel Drik said. While describing the S-500 missile system, the military official said that the weapon will be able to take down high-speed targets, including those moving in the stratosphere and on low space orbits. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev dedicated part of his annual address to the Federal Assembly to the reform and re-armament of the Russian military forces. In particular, the president said that the military should pay special attention to the strengthening of the national air- and missile-defense. He said that the anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems should be united into one complex that should be able to control space. He also said that the unified complex would be subject to the strategic command.

http://rt.com/news/rearm-anti-aircraft-defense-2020/

Surviving On 30 Нryvnias (26 SEK) a Day

2010-11-27T18:10:00.003+02:00

There are two million Ukrainians who, according to trade union data, live on the official minimum wage of Hr 907 ($115) a month or Hr 30 ($3.70) a day. The minimum wage is the basic financial unit the government uses to set other financial targets, such as pensions, student stipends, social subsidies and other payments guaranteed by the laws of Ukraine. Five volunteers agreed to live for a month off minimum wage, one made it. They can’t chat with their friends over a cup of coffee. They can’t afford meat. They can’t buy new shoes before the old ones fall apart. What they can do is eat a lot of cheap noodles and bread. They sleep in order not to feel hungry. That means they sleep a lot. They don’t live. They survive.

Read their fascinating stories at
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/91318/

Ukraine, Russia sign seven documents

2010-11-27T14:40:00.003+02:00

November 26, 2010 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine and Russia have signed seven documents after a meeting of the interstate commission, which took place at the Russian presidential residence in Gorki outside Moscow on Friday. In particular, the sides signed a memorandum of mutual understanding between the Russian Transport Ministry, the Ukrainian Transport and Communications Ministry and Russia's Vnesheconombank on the construction of a bridge across the Strait of Kerch. (Ukrainian and Russian Presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Medvedev earlier agreed that the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait worth about USD 900 million could start next year and be completed by 2014). Ukraine and Russia also signed an agreement on cooperation in the sphere of testing and the protection of rights to varieties of plants, an agreement on cooperation in conducting inspections at the sites of the stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory, as well as an plan on cooperation between the foreign ministries of both countries in 2011. The fuel and energy ministries of Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on cooperation in the transportation of oil to Ukrainian refineries and its transit across Ukraine. The heads of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the National Space Agency of Ukraine signed a protocol introducing amendments to an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=205573

Swedish, Russian companies interested in development of digital TV in Ukraine

2010-11-24T21:41:00.001+02:00

November 24, 2010 (UKRINFORM). Swedish and Russian companies became interested in development of digital TV in Ukraine, Chairman of the National Council on TV and Radio Broadcasting Volodymyr Manzhosov has said. According to him, no official bids have come yet for participation in the competition to determine a digital TV provider in Ukraine, however, a number of Russian and Swedish companies became interested in this project. In particular, Swedish companies are interested in supply of technical equipment, whereas Russian companies - in possibility to become a provider of digital TV in Ukraine. Manzhosov believes that official bids from the companies will come nearer to the expiry date of their filing, December 8, 2010.
According to a concept of digital TV implementation in Ukraine till 2015, all TV channels should work exclusively in the digital format. In addition, a single provider should be determined on the competition basis that will be engaged in implementation of digital TV.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=205321

Prince Philippe of Belgium to pay visit to Ukraine

2010-11-23T09:36:00.002+02:00

November 18, 2010 (UNIAN News Agency). Prince Philippe of Belgium will pay visit to Ukraine on November 21-24. The press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine disclosed to UNIAN that Ambassador of Ukraine to Kingdome of Belgium Ihor Dolhov was invited for audience to Royal Palace for a talk with Prince Philippe of Belgium on the eve of his visit to Ukraine at the head of the Economic mission. The Price noted an importance of preserving of high dynamics of the political dialogue between Ukraine and Belgium. An exchange of opinions on condition of economic cooperation between Belgium and Ukraine took place.

http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-406993.html

Over 12.5 million Ukrainians live below poverty line

2010-11-17T11:51:00.002+02:00

November 17,2010 (UKRINFORM). The poverty level in Ukraine has increased in January-September 2010, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine has reported. Some 26.4% of Ukrainians, or 12.5 million people, live below the poverty line. In addition, 9.5 million people live on income below the living wage. The unemployment rate calculated according to the methodology of the International Labor Organization was 8.5%, which exceeded the rate of 8.1% envisaged in an anti-crisis program. At the same time, in the first nine months of 2010 the living wage nominally increased by only 2.2%, but taking into account the consumer price index it actually fell by 4.8%.
The Ukrainian Labor and Social Policy Ministry said that the actual living wage in September 2010's prices was UAH 109 higher than a level of UAH 843 (110USD) legally established for that month.
The Accounting Chamber said that a set of food, consumer goods and services for main social and demographic groups had yet to be reviewed in accordance with the requirements of the law on the living wage. At the same time, the Accounting Chamber made a low assessment of the fulfillment of the 2010 budget in the first nine months.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=204575

Leaders of Foreign Ministries of Poland and Sweden to visit Ukraine

2010-11-16T22:00:00.002+02:00

November 16, 2010 (UNIAN). Foreign Minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski and Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt are about to visit Ukraine on November 17, on Wednesday.
The press service of the Polish Foreign Ministry disclosed this to an UNIAN correspondent in Poland. An interlocutor of the agency noted that in Kyiv the Ministers are about to discuss a preparation of Ukraine-EU summit that will take place on November 22 in Brussels.

Ukrainian Air Force, Antonov discuss plans to re-equip army with new aircraft

2010-11-14T00:35:00.003+02:00

November 12, 2010 (Interfax-Ukraine). Kyiv-based Antonov State Enterprise is planning to create a new multipurpose transport aircraft based on An-158 for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which will replace the obsolete An-12, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported. The plans to re-equip the army with new aircraft were announced at a meeting between Ukrainian Air Force Commander Serhiy Onyschenko and Antonov General Designer Dmytro Kiva.The parties discussed the ways to resolve problems on maintaining the airworthiness of An-24, An-26 and An-30 planes, as well as proposals on the army's future need for new aircraft, including An-26 light military transport aircraft.The two sides also discussed cooperation in the organization of flight tests and the mass production of the new An-70 short takeoff and landing transport aircraft.As reported, Antonov is planning to create the new An-178 transport aircraft with a cargo capacity of up to 15 tonnes to transport military and commercial cargo.

On the photo: Flag of Ukrainian Airforce.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/89836/

Book about Ukrainian diaspora published

2010-11-12T21:18:00.003+02:00

Honored journalist of Ukraine Oleksandr Karpenko has published a book titled "Ukrainians - From Sea to Sea" about the Ukrainian diaspora.
The edition came off the press under the auspices of Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the opposition Batkivshchyna party. The book features the life of Ukrainian communities abroad. It is based on articles and photos by Karpenko in the results of his travels to Russia, Brazil, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Croatia and other countries. As the book author says, during his travels he sought an answer to the question, what is the historical mission of Ukrainians, what is its national idea and what is the reason for disunity of Ukrainians. According to the World Congress of Ukrainians, the number of the Ukrainian diaspora in more than 30 countries around the world exceeds 20 million people. According to official figures posted on the government portal, outside Ukraine there are about 10 million people of Ukrainian origin.

Battle For Kyiv. 1943 reconstructed in Kyiv

2010-11-08T21:17:00.005+02:00

November 7, 2010 KYIV. (UKRINFORM). Military reconstruction clubs from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Czech Republic and Poland held the 7th Festival of Military History named "For Kyiv! Year 1943" dedicated to the 67th anniversary of liberation of Kyiv from fascist invaders, in Pyrohovo, a village near Kyiv. Besides watching a military reconstruction of the 1943 battle, the festival visitors could also get familiar with battle machinery of the Great Patriotic War times, taste field cuisine and attend a concert of military songs.

Ukraine wants European Union to cancel visas for short-term travel

2010-11-05T18:23:00.002+02:00

November 4, 2010 (Interfax-Ukraine ). The Verkhovna Rada's committee on parliamentary cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union considers it expedient to cancel visas for Ukrainian citizens for short-term travel to EU countries, the committee's co-chairman, Borys Tarasiuk, said at a press conference on Thursday. "We, the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament, expressed the view that the best systemic response to the problems linked to the visa regime with respect to Ukrainian citizens would be the cancellation of visas for Ukrainians for short-term visits to EU member states," Tarasiuk said. He said that these recommendations had been expressed in a joint report by the lawmakers of the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament on visa policies between Ukraine and the EU. Tarasiuk said that he was planning to submit the report to the Ukrainian president and the Cabinet of Ministers. He noted that MEPs would send the same document to the EU leadership. Tarasiuk also said that the 15th meeting of the committee on parliamentary cooperation between Ukraine and the EU had been held in Kyiv on Thursday and that it would continue in Odesa on Friday. He recalled that the committee included 16 deputies from the European Parliament and 16 Ukrainian lawmakers.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/88775/

Poltava mayor congratulates his opponent on winning mayoral race

2010-11-04T14:18:00.003+02:00

November 3, 2010. Poltava city council.

Oleksandr Mamay has been elected Poltava mayor, according to unofficial poll returns.

Poltava Mayor Andriy Matkovsky has congratulated Oleksandr Mamay, who was nominated for Poltava mayor by the Sovist Ukrainy (Conscience of Ukraine) Party, on winning the mayoral election, the city council's press service told reporters on Tuesday. The press service reported that based on the preliminary results of the vote count, he had accepted Mamay's complete victory in the mayoral election.According to preliminary data, representatives of the newly elected mayor won the elections in 24 out of 25 single-mandate constituencies.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/88567/