tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100074742010-02-09T11:56:44.612+02:00Kiev Ukraine News BlogDaily news and other information from the city made famous around the globe by the "Orange Revolution".Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.comBlogger5000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-54089948280635155002010-02-09T11:50:00.002+02:002010-02-09T11:56:44.620+02:00Reports: Ukraine's Tymoshenko To Challenge VoteKIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to concede the presidential race to opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych and plans to legally challenge the results, Ukrainian and Russian media reported Tuesday. Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko holds a bunch of flowers after casting her vote during the presidential election at a polling station in Dnipropetrovsk, Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-25876967956336169762010-02-09T10:30:00.002+02:002010-02-09T10:36:49.826+02:00BRUSSELS, Belgium -- EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton has congratulated Ukraine on holding free and fair elections, in remarks that will make it harder for the losing side to contest the result. Tymoshenko: has so far kept silent following the negative election result."The generally calm atmosphere in which the elections were conducted, the open campaign in the media and the fact that Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-60572366717600161792010-02-09T08:59:00.003+02:002010-02-09T09:07:17.300+02:00Ukraine's Democratic Evolution, On Hold For NowKIEV, Ukraine -- Every revolution sparks a counterrevolution. The French revolution in 1789 was followed by Napoleon and the restoration of the monarchy. After the Russian revolution, the czar's forces regrouped and fought a bloody civil war. Newly elected president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.Sunday's election of Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine does not represent the Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-68191665792057140072010-02-09T04:03:00.002+02:002010-02-09T04:10:22.998+02:00Did Ukraine's Presidential Election Reverse Its 'Color Revolution'?KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's Orange Revolution erupted in 2004 because of an attempt by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his proxies to impose on Ukraine a version of Russia's corrupt authoritarianism -- beginning with a fraudulent presidential election.The revolt's success produced a messy but functioning democracy in which elections are hard-fought and unpredictable, the press is free and civil Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-13806797453968022632010-02-08T22:23:00.003+02:002010-02-08T22:27:39.411+02:00Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko Under Pressure To Concede In Presidential RaceKIEV, Ukraine -- Pressure swelled Monday for Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to bow out gracefully from a hard-fought and narrowly lost presidential race. Yulia TymoshenkoBut the calls for closure were met with silence from Tymoshenko. The politician known for her relentless drive and seemingly bottomless patience for political tussles stayed out of sight as the country waited for a Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-77630707265124864132010-02-08T10:38:00.002+02:002010-02-08T10:44:16.942+02:00Next President; Viktor Yanukovych Draws Support From Russian-Speakers, Business ClansKIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainians' deep cynicism may have played a decisive role yesterday in the apparent presidential election victory of Viktor Yanukovych, a charisma-starved ex-convict whose last bid for this country's top political job ended in disaster when his campaign was caught engaged in massive fraud. A woman fills out her ballot papers at her house in the village of Bodenky, about 52 Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-65541218615288783652010-02-08T07:54:00.002+02:002010-02-08T08:02:34.139+02:00Yanukovych Says He Won Ukraine’s Presidential VoteKIEV, Ukraine -- Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian opposition leader whose first presidential election victory was overturned by the courts after the 2004 Orange Revolution, said he won yesterday’s vote on a promise to end years of turmoil. Viktor YanukovychYanukovych, 59, led with 48.48 percent of the vote versus 45.86 percent for Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, after 84.43 percent of the Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-70945623607990604672010-02-08T06:37:00.002+02:002010-02-08T06:50:41.348+02:00Ukraine’s Future: The Precarious Alternatives To An EU Membership PerspectiveNEW YORK, NY -- Zbigniew Brzezinski’s dictum that, without Ukraine, Russia is no longer an empire is well-known in Europe too. Yet, its topicality for European security seems insufficiently appreciated in Brussels. Zbigniew BrzezinskiWhile the EU cannot directly influence relations between Russia and Ukraine, any more than it can solve her problems, its Eastern policies do nonetheless affect bothNicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-12925529956427290422010-02-08T06:24:00.002+02:002010-02-08T06:29:31.092+02:00A Divided Ukraine Turns Back To Russian RootsKIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine, a country divided into linguistic and cultural solitudes, showed its Russian face Sunday night as voters appeared to elect Viktor Yanukovich, a former leader whose 2004 election had been declared fraudulent by the courts. Yanukovich claims win in big comeback for former leader.Mr. Yanukovich, 59, delivered his presidential victory speech last night in Russian, his nativeNicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-22433528932221731822010-02-07T20:02:00.003+02:002010-02-07T20:15:50.441+02:00BREAKING NEWS: Ukraine Exit Polls Say Yanukovych Has Won ElectionKIEV, Ukraine -- Exit polls from Ukraine's presidential election indicate opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych has narrowly won. Viktor YanukovychMr Yanukovych had a lead of between three and five per cent over PM Yulia Tymoshenko. President Viktor Yushchenko lost in the first round.If correct, it would be a remarkable comeback for the man who was swept aside five years ago by the Orange Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-40557455854541297582010-02-07T19:07:00.005+02:002010-02-07T19:18:00.390+02:00Half Naked Women Protest Ukrainian ElectionKIEV, Ukraine -- Several young topless women barged into a Ukrainian polling station, rowdily protesting before a candidate cast his ballot. Femen protesters are lobbying 'the end of democracy' in Ukraine.The women, members of a small feminist group called Femen known for staging eye-catching protests, were hustled out of the Kiev polling station by security guards before Viktor Yanukovich showedNicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-88131533101566691972010-02-07T16:42:00.002+02:002010-02-07T16:50:10.617+02:00With Orange Revolution In Mind, Ukrainians VoteKIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainians voted for president on Sunday in an election that is shaping up as a public verdict on the impact of the 2004 Orange Revolution, which put this country at the forefront of the struggle for influence in the former Soviet Union.Ukrainians voted for president in Dnipropetrovsk on Sunday.With Ukraine’s economy suffering and its government paralyzed by squabbling, many Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-70918301863368073462010-02-07T09:54:00.002+02:002010-02-07T10:09:22.525+02:00In Ukraine, A Parting Shot From An Unpopular PresidentKIEV, Ukraine -- Officially a lame duck after being eliminated in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election last month, the country's massively unpopular leader, Viktor Yushchenko, is going out with a parting shot that will stir up even more resentment among his critics. Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko lays flowers at the monument to Stepan Bandera.In one of his last acts as leaderNicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-78037065811404691452010-02-07T08:04:00.004+02:002010-02-07T08:14:03.485+02:00U.S.: Reach Out To Ukraine Before Russia DoesLVIV, Ukraine -- As Ukrainians go to the polls today to elect a new president, the Obama administration is showing signs it is waking up to the importance of Central and Eastern Europe.It's about time.On a recent trip to Paris, Hillary Clinton spoke in favor of EU and NATO enlargement and said today's elections were "an important step in Ukraine's journey toward democracy, stability and Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-56649048245011682282010-02-07T05:42:00.000+02:002010-02-07T05:42:00.287+02:00Ukraine's Election Front-Runner: 'Victory Is Near - And With It The End Of Orange Revolution'KIEV, Ukraine -- As the mercury plunged to minus ten and the strains of martial music filled the freezing air, Viktor Yanukovych took to the outdoor stage. A bear of a man with a bouffant hairdo, he gave a bizarre wave to the crowd before speaking. Viktor Yanukovych is on the verge of staging a remarkable and unlikely comeback in Sunday's election."The hour of our victory is near," he boomed, as Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-28147038478862710322010-02-07T01:29:00.000+02:002010-02-07T01:29:00.182+02:00Observers: Loser In Ukraine Vote Might Not ConcedeKIEV, Ukraine -- The loser in Ukraine's presidential runoff election probably won't concede defeat and may turn to court battles or street protests, observers said Saturday as both campaigns accused each other of possible vote fraud. Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych crosses himself in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra church in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010.Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-75647727977322141972010-02-07T00:19:00.000+02:002010-02-07T00:19:00.924+02:00Platini Hopes Ukraine Political Woes Will EndWARSAW, Poland -- UEFA chief Michel Platini on Saturday said he hoped Euro 2012 co-host Ukraine would solve its deep political crisis, as the ex-Soviet nation braced for bitterly-contested presidential polls. UEFA chief Michel Platini."Things haven't exactly been easy with regard to Ukraine for the past two years," Platini told reporters on the eve of the qualifying competition draw for the 2012 Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-43691386282563514262010-02-06T11:32:00.003+02:002010-02-06T11:40:19.550+02:00Ukraine Needs A President Who Can Break The SpellKIEV, Ukraine -- No matter who is ultimately elected Ukrainian president in the February 7 runoff, the winner cannot become president of all Ukrainians. The mere fact of being elected will not make the winner president of all Ukrainians.Considerable efforts will be required to win the acceptance of even a majority of the country's citizens, and there is no guarantee that such efforts will be Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-67267039157327499492010-02-06T09:00:00.002+02:002010-02-06T09:05:04.079+02:00Ukraine Presidential Race Ends, Tensions HighKIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's two presidential candidates have staged their final rallies ahead of Sunday's election, while authorities have increased security amid rising fears of unrest.Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych ended a bitterly-fought campaign Friday with rival rallies just blocks away from each other in the capital, Kiev.Tensions have Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-74380510510950390212010-02-06T06:08:00.003+02:002010-02-06T06:15:22.833+02:00Ukraine's Orange Band Loses Its VoiceTERNOPIL, Ukraine -- In 2004, as news filtered through that Viktor Yushchenko had lost a rigged election to Viktor Yanukovych, the town of Ternopil in western Ukraine emptied. Ternopil, Ukraine played a big role in Ukraine's Orange Revolution.Local people poured into trains, bound for the Ukrainian capital Kiev, to join the swelling ranks of the protesters on Independence Square.Among them was Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-75183169858687129562010-02-06T04:49:00.002+02:002010-02-06T04:58:35.575+02:00Ukraine Swaps Faith In Revolution For Revolving Door Of Discredited RulersDONETSK, Ukraine -- Presidential rivals in a land riven by divisions have only time spent in jail in common. With its allegations of mass fraud, warnings of imminent violence, claims of gross corruption and even a dash of espionage, this has been a typical week in Ukrainian politics. A supporter of Viktor Yanukovych at a rally in Donetsk, this week.It will culminate in tomorrow’s presidential Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-22029793176289820992010-02-06T04:02:00.000+02:002010-02-06T05:12:18.298+02:00Road To Poland And Ukraine Full Of DangersWARSAW, Poland -- As republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni heads to Warsaw today for the Euro 2012 Championship qualifying draw, scheduled to take place in the city’s Palace of Culture tomorrow morning, the blazers in UEFA must wish the veteran Italian was in a position to stay at home. A dawn view of the construction site of the Polish National Stadium in Warsaw last November. Poland Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-46829384243597237282010-02-06T01:12:00.000+02:002010-02-06T01:12:00.142+02:00Ukraine's Election Highlights Its East-West DivideDONETSK/LVIV, Ukraine -- Two days before a presidential run-off vote, Ukraine's east-west divide remains a gulf as wide as the personal antagonism between frontrunner Viktor Yanukovich and his arch foe Yulia Tymoshenko. Donetsk, Ukraine slum.As the beefy, slow-speaking Yanukovich contrasts with the elegant and sharp-tongued Tymoshenko, so does the pro-Russian industrial city of Donetsk in the Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-8573758032908255002010-02-05T16:26:00.004+02:002010-02-05T16:33:18.325+02:00Ukraine Official: Partisan Force Threatens UnrestKIEV, Ukraine -- Tensions are rising in Ukraine ahead of Sunday's presidential contest, with both candidates threatening to send thousands of supporters into the streets of the capital after the balloting. Ukrainian Interior Ministry troops train for possible large scale public unrest.Kiev authorities said Friday they have received a permit application from supporters of opposition leader Viktor Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-86603736130119711812010-02-05T08:20:00.003+02:002010-02-05T08:26:56.922+02:00Orange Revolution May Fade To Black In UkraineKIEV, Ukraine -- Voters in Ukraine head to the polls Sunday for a runoff presidential election, five years after the Orange Revolution took place in the former Soviet republic. Presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych greets supporters in the town of Yenakiyevo last week. The Ukrainian opposition leader faces Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the second round of presidential voting on Sunday.In Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794uaoffice@gmail.com0