Moscow doesn’t wish to deal with Ukrainian President Viktor Uschenko

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit has taken place on October 9th , 2009 in the Moldavian capital of Chisinau (Kishinev). The agenda of the day was quite extensive: CIS heads of state discussed approaches in overcoming the international economic crisis, the joint message to the international community in connection with the 65th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory, approaches in cooperation on reinforcement of boundary security, as well as the fight against the illegal drug trade. The breaking news during the summit could be Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Uschenko. A letter with the request for meeting was sent through the Russian Embassy to the country’s foreign ministry back on September 15 and the Russian foreign ministry notified Kremlin about it, said a source from the Ukrainian foreign ministry. However, the Russian paper Vedomosti’s Kremlin source insists that Moscow did not receive a request from Kiev for a bilateral meeting. “It is clear that Uschenko was refused a meeting for political reasons. Official Moscow once more gives a clear understanding that they don’t wish to deal with him, though Kiev insists that it is better to state claims face-to-face than on TV,” stated representative of the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

Tymoshenko will not protest presidential election outcome

"If the people elect their President, and this is not Yulia Tymoshenko, I will take this choice easy, for sure," the Prime Minister of Ukraine said on TV in Poltava, Ukrainian radio reported. "We will not challenge any election returns to avoid tremors, which may bring about instability in this country," she assured. Tymoshenko confirmed once again that her key rival in the presidential race is Party of Regions' leader Viktor Yanukovych. Presidential elections in Ukraine are scheduled for January 17, 2010. This election will be Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Nobody in Ukraine believes that this election will take place without shady fighting using all possible methods to obtain power. Not long ago Tymoshenko started using election posters saying: “They loot Ukraine. She works”, “They promise. She works”, “They are talking. She works” pointed against Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions. In response to such fierce attack, Party of Regions has hunged up following posters: “Ukraine is getting poor. She works”, “Ukraine is starving. She works”, “Euro-2012 is under the threat of frustration. She works”. suddenly Yulia Tymoshenko decided to change the meaning of the word “She” that caused following video available now on YouTube. You may watch it at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxziMHypmzk

, but please read translation below before!

PM Yulia Tymoshenko (voiceover): Every day, I work till late night because I know that my every minute is for the sake of the people, for the sake of my native Ukraine. I know that millions of people work a lot every day as well because they know that today their work is needed like never before. Every minute, our country smelts ore, sows bread, heals the sick, creates art, teaches and brings up kids. It is she, our best country. She works. She is Ukraine!

Poltava hosts annual lard holiday

Over one thousand people were eager to try the announced delicacy, lard covered with chocolate, and to entertain themselves. The holiday's initiators did not allow anyone to get bored: artists were singing folk songs, dancing, holding contests. The winners of the contests were awarded with a piece of lard and a bottle of vodka. According to Head of the Poltava City Council Andriy Matkovsky, the crisis is unable to frighten Ukrainians until they have such a product. However, not only Poltava residents love lard. Thus, on October 19, participants in the festival With Love to Lard in Lutsk (West Ukraine) made a 23-meter long sandwich with lard and the day before a new party was created, namely the Party of Lard Lovers.

http://poltava.us/

Poltava City Council has announced bypass highway construction ahead of Euro 2012 finals

One of many weak points of Ukrainian roads is a lack of bypass highways and flyover crossing. By preliminary calculations an approximate cost of the project is about 485 million hryvnas (400 million SEK). This number doesn’t include compensation to be paid to the seized land owners. Ukrainian Government has proposed to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) to increase in 2009 the financing for the construction and reconstruction of roads in six cities hosting the finals of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship. Moreover, the government foresees additional UAH 5 billion in state guarantees to road building company Ukravtodor to raise loans for the development of roads of national importance ahead of Euro 2012 finals.

Russia and Ukraine will work together under the AN-70 project

There are sufficient grounds to state that Russia and Ukraine have passed the lowest point in their relations. After negotiation between Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that has taken place in August an agreement was signed during the MAKS 2009 airshow to resume work on the AN-70 military cargo project, including its civilian version, and launch it into serial production. This project is of utmost importance for the aircraft industries in both countries, because it allows them to meet the domestic need by using this unique design and vie for a worthy place on the world cargo aircraft market.
The AN-70 aircraft belongs to a new generation of the short takeoff and landing tactical military medium transport. AN-70 is capable to carry practically any item of the military armament and equipment nomenclature with a total weight up to 35-47 t of cargo over the 3,000-5100 km range at cruising speed of 700-750 km/h, air drop of personnel and vehicles, including the single piece of cargoes up to 21 t with both high and low altitudes, delivery of 300 soldiers and evacuation of 206 wounded and sick persons. Maximum service range is 8,000 km. Nowadays the AN-70 aircraft is coming to the end of flight and certification tests. At Aviant Kiev Aviation plant 2 first serial aircraft are being built under the order of Air Force of Ukraine. Learn more about ANTONOV Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex on company’s official site
http://www.antonov.com/products/air/transport/AN-70/

New findings from the Battle of Poltava are available for the visitors.

A few very interesting findings from the time of the Battle of Poltava were shown to the public in the special exhibition hall of Poltava Regional Museum. Many of them were found during archeological excavations that were carried out recently in the downtown. Besides some examples of cold steel, firearms, maps, and portraits are also shown there. This hall is a very place where the bronze bust of Swedish King Charles XII created by artist Bernhard Englund is exhibited. For those who a fond of live Swedish history I would like to recomend strongly his amazing site dedicated to Ryttmästarbostället vid Simsjön. To learn more about Swedish military settlements of 18th - 19th century just click on http://www.ryttmastarbostallet.nu/

Fighting with ragweed on Poltava Battle field.

Poltava battle field is under the threat of being closed for visitors because of extremely high level of weediness. The most dangerous sort of weeds is ragweed (ambrosia), a summer annual plant whose growth height largely depends on the environment (the kind of soil, light, humidity, etc.) and may vary from about 30 cm to 1.5m. The highly allergenic plant pollen may cause symptoms similar to those of grass pollen allergy: running, itching nose; watery, swollen eyes. That is why Poltava City Council asked students from local institutes and colleges to take part in mass weeding on the Poltava Battle field. To stop ragweed spreading each plant must be pulled up by the roots that makes a fighting with ambrosia difficult and time consuming. The total square polluted by ambrosia in Poltava region is estimated to be app. 8,000 hectares.