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

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

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

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

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

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/

NATO may propose cooperation with Ukraine in missile defense – Rasmussen

November 3, 2010 (RIA Novosti). NATO does not rule out proposing cooperation in missile defense with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during a RIA Novosti news conference in Moscow, according to RIA Novosti. "The invitation will be open to our Euro-Atlantic partners. The invitation will also be open to Ukraine if Ukraine wishes. We don`t exclude that possibility," Rasmussen said.

http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-404491.html

Ukrainian army to get 10 modernized Bulat tanks

KYIV, November 2, 2010 (UKRINFORM). A batch of ten Bulat Т-64BМ tanks has been delivered to Chernihiv from the state-run Malyshev Plant (Kharkiv) to be further sent to the 1st separate tank brigade of the 8th army corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, dislocated in the village of Honcharivske, Chernihiv region, north of Ukraine, UKRINFORM reported citing the Defense Ministry press center. The brigade will get another nineteen tanks by the end of 2001.