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Ukraine: Netizens React to Popular File-Sharing Website's Shutdown

Tetyana Bohdanova — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:27:18 +0000

On January 31, 2012, Ukrainian Internet users learned that the country’s biggest file-sharing site, Ex.ua [ru], was shut down due to repeated copyright violations. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, among the companies that filed a lawsuit [uk] against Ex.ua were Microsoft, Adobe, Graphisoft and others.

Ex.ua was one of the most popular websites in the country and accounted for 15-25% [uk] of Ukraine’s in-country traffic. It required no paid subscription and attracted millions of users who freely shared pirated video and audio files, games and software.

The news of the site's shutdown caused quite a stir online, with many netizens criticizing the government for going after Ex.ua and calling for its restoration.

Christina Vinovska (@chris_vinovska) tweeted a common appeal:

return #exua immediately!

While many echoed her plea, others decided to take action both offline (photos of the Feb. 1 protest in Kyiv are here) and online.

Thus, following the release of the online statement about Ex.ua's shutdown by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry's website went down and remained periodically inaccessible due to “an increased number of visitors and possible DDoS attacks” [uk].

By that time many Twitter, Vkontakte and Facebook users were actively sharing detailed instructions [ru] on how to overload the servers of selected websites. The target list included websites of Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovych, the pro-presidential Party of Regions, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Parliament, and others.

What seemed to begin as a number of decentralized attempts, quickly turned into a mass organized effort, with Ex.ua supporters forming a “Free Ex.Ua” [ru] group on a popular social network Vkontakte [ru], which gathered over 6,000 members during the first hours of its existence (currently, there are over 41,000 members).

By February 1, the Presidential website was completely down [uk] and the Ministry of the Interior had to announce [uk] that it was going to use its two Facebook accounts until its official website was restored. By mid-day of February 1, Ex.ua had to appeal [ru] to users to stop the attack that succeeded in disrupting the work of nearly all major governmental websites:

Dear users,

Administrators of Ex.ua call on you to stop all illegal activity against governmental websites. […]

At the same time, a heated discussion of Ex.ua’s supposed illegal activity was taking place online.

Facebook user Sergei Sidorenko wrote [ru]:

In response to the mass mourning of the Ex.ua’s untimely death, I would tell you something different from what half of the Internet has been yelling about:

I do not have a single piece of licensed non-free software on my computer
I watch only pirated films
I jailbroke my Apple iPod soon after the purchase
Even the licensed Windows installed on my laptop I soon [removed] and installed a pirated one, because it was more convenient for me

But I have to admit that shutting down Ex.ua was the RIGHT THING. And I don’t understand those who now yell, “Yes, they were pirates, but was that a reason to close them?” […]

Guys, if we want to live a civilized [life], let’s at least not condemn the obvious attempts to establish legality.

In defense of Ex.ua, Yaroslav Fedorak of Blogosphere.com.ua wrote [uk]:

Yes, I really do believe that according to today’s legal framework, file-sharing website Ex.ua was conducting an illegal activity and sooner or later would have been closed. But don’t be too quick to throw stones at me! The problem here lies in the legal framework itself, which is hopelessly outdated and no longer meets the needs of the current super-dynamic and hyper-volatile environment.

Amidst such discussions, it was not long before Ukrainian Internet users began to question whether the authorities themselves were following the letter of the law. Giving in to increased media attention, the Ministry of the Interior had to admit [uk] that it was also using pirated software, while holding negotiations with Microsoft to end this practice. Netizens were outraged.

Yurko Chervony (@skinik) tweeted [uk]:

They should first shut themselves down, and not #ex.ua “[The Ministry of the Interior] admitted that half of the software [they're using] is illegal” tinyurl.com/7tjq7c8

Many netizens shared an online comment [uk] by Oleksandr Severyn of Maidan.org.ua:

When marauders fight with pirates, pirates become national heroes

Other netizens, however, believed that the government's action against Ex.ua was motivated not so much by the copyright violations, but by the website hosting [ru] an extremely popular parody video [uk] mocking the Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.

Pavlo Rizanenko (@rizanenko) tweeted [uk]:

Our authorities closed #exua because they did not want to have an uncontrollable information resource on #UaNet [Ukrainian Internet – GV]. Piracy was just an excuse rizanenko.livejournal.com/983.html

Whatever the actual causes of its shutdown, following the unexpected mass reaction of Ukrainian netizens, Ex.ua was back online [ru] as early as February 3, when the investigators concluded [ru] that piracy allegations did not have to result in blocking of the site's domain name.

Many netisens viewed it as a positive case of online consolidation and organization of Ukrainians.

Serge Lavrinchuck (@Lavrinchuck) tweeted [uk]:

The #EXua story, of course, has its positive sides. When else the Ukrainian people would have united like this to attack government websites?

Numerous observers referred to the attacks as the “online revolution” [ru]. Maksym Savanevsky, editor of the Internet business and SMM website Watcher.com.ua, wrote [uk]:

What has changed in the society in the past 60 hours.

Most important: the citizens have had a taste of their victory. They have felt that “together they are many, and they cannot be defeated”. It is difficult to recall similar events since 2004 [Orange Revolution – GV].

Yes, the scope was not the same. Yes, everything happened online, inside warm apartments. But it has been a while since the authorities looked so helpless in the face of the people’s simple desire to get something they thought they deserved.

Still, others were critical of the society mobilizing in defense of a pirate website. Jouranlist Serhiy Shcherbyna wrote [ru]:

Where are you, the renowned [citizens], when honest, normal businesses are being bluntly taken from ordinary mid-level entrepreneurs? […] Why nobody touches the Tax Inspection's website for their regular [pressure] on business?

Why would you not [disable] the Interior Ministry's website when people are being killed at [local police stations]? Why would you not [disable] the Kyiv City Administration's website for [icy] roads on which people are breaking arms and legs every day?

Why are Ukrainians able to protest only when their social benefits and [free stuff] are taken away? Freedom of speech, the lawlessness of the authorities, politically-motivated [imprisonments], a half-dead economy and, most of all, a country that is nearing a collapse, all this is not causing such an outrage.

While the online polemics continue and the future fate of Ex.ua remains unclear, as of February 6, the website is operational and works on restoring its full capacity.

Ukraine: Ex.ua is Back Online

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:10:32 +0000

Ex.ua, a file-sharing site that the authorities shut down two days ago, is now back online [uk], though its content is still inaccessible. @bl4ka tweets [ru]: “The DDoS revolution has won! […]” @VsemPohuy tweets [ru] about the DDoS attacks that followed the shutdown, and the situation in the country in general: “Ex.ua's back, it's now okay to stop DDoS-ing the sites of [the Interior Ministry], the president, etc. That students continue to be killed at police stations, that's [no big deal].” Journalist Pavel Sheremet writes [ru] about “the hackers' revolution”: “There was [Orange Maidan], then [“Tax Maidan”] […]. Now there's a Maidan on the internet.”

Ukraine: Government Sites Under Attack; “Freedom to Ex.ua”

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:09:21 +0000

The official websites of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Internal Affairs Ministry, and the Party of Regions are either completely down or work with interruptions today. Some of the coordination of the collective effort to take down governmental sites, apparently in response to yesterday's shutdown of Ex.ua, seems to be taking place on the “Freedom to Ex.ua” Vkontakte page [uk, ru], which, according to Serhiy Pishkovtsiy [uk] of Watcher.com.ua blog, “gathered nearly 7,000 followers in just a few hours” today; right now, there are 19,604 followers, and this number continues to grow every minute [update: 42,126 followers on Feb. 3].

Ukraine: Authorities Shut Down File-Sharing Site Ex.ua

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:09:03 +0000

On Jan. 31, the Ukrainian authorities shut down Ex.ua, a popular file-sharing site. A selection of relevant tweets [en, uk, ru] is here: e.g., @sinplotnika [ru]: “The state has deprived you of bread, now it's also decided to take the show [entertainment] away.”; @Urshulia [uk]: “For me, the loss of Ex.ua is the loss of the alternative to TV. […]”; @rlasuria [ru]: “Is Ex.ua [shutdown] #SOPA tricks?)”. More details and comments - at TorrentFreak; reader Taras writes: “In Ukraine movie on BlueRay costs $40 when minimal salary is $120.” Following Ex.ua's shutdown, the Interior Ministry's site has been down for hours; @kotusenko wrote: “[…] is this some sort of hacker retaliation 4 ex.ua?”

Ukraine: The Story of Anna Boiko's Life

Tetyana Bohdanova — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:27:09 +0000

I would like to tell you about my grandmother – Boiko Anna. She was born and lives in the village of Yaglush in Rogatyn district of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. She is a cheerful, talented, strong person. A person who has been through a lot, who is full of knowledge and memories.

This is how Anna Boiko’s granddaughter, Olya Suprun, starts [uk] her blog called “The Story of Anna Boiko's Life.” Online, Olya shares her grandmother’s memories, including stories from the life of their family and other residents of Yaglush.

Her grandmother’s native village, Yaglush, is located in today’s Ivano-Frankivsk region of western Ukraine. This region belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1772, to West Ukrainian People’s Republic for a short period after World War I, to interwar Poland between the 1920s and the late 1930s, to the Soviet and then Nazi forces during World War II, and then again to the Soviets from 1944 until Ukraine’s independence in 1991.

Anna Boiko with her husband Mykhailo. Photo scanned by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

Anna Boiko’s memories recorded by her granddaughter go back as early as 1939 and depict the experiences of Yaglush residents during the times of the region's transfer from the Polish to the Soviet rule, the World War II period, and the subsequent return of the Soviet power. They touch on such painful topics of Ukraine’s history as the Nazi occupation, repressions and deportations of the local population during the early years of communism, the fate of the partisans from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

This is how Anna describes [uk] the life of the village with World War II looming on the horizon:

The things in politics were tremulous, too, [people] were expecting better times than under Poland, but things did not turn for the better. The arrests and prosecutions began. Several families were deported to Siberia: Zakhariy Zliukovsky, Dutka and a few more families that were resettled here from Poland. The landowner’s land was divided up, and [my] mom got a few hundred [square meters]. But the land was of clay soil and inaccessible in the rain – there was no good road.

[…]

At that time the war with Germans was approaching. I remember it was a Sunday, a bright and sunny day. Grandma was chatting with a neighbor woman in the house. I went to the yard to let the chicken out […]. Suddenly [I heard] a loud roar of thunder – one, then another. I ran to the house and told grandmother, “Grandma, get the hen in, a rainstorm is coming!” Although the sky was clear, without a single cloud and no storm was in sight. Soon mom came home and said she heard in a village that there was a war! It was not thunder, but the sound of bombs falling. From that day on people became very cautious. It was the year of 1941.

Despite her grandmother's difficult childhood, Olya portrays her as a knowledgeable yet curious 75-year-old woman, who writes poetry and memoires, does beautiful embroidery, plays computer games and enjoys cooking. She frequently shares Anna’s poems, recipes and stories of everyday village life, while paying special attention to customs and traditions cherished by its residents.

Traditional dishes made by Anna Boiko for the 12-Dish Christmas Eve Dinner. Photo by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

In one of the posts, Olya admits [uk] to both being new to blogging and to realizing that her blog is rather unusual:

I know this blog is a bit weird and of an unusual format: strange, unknown house in the background, unpopular stories in which it is hard to find some meaning, and, in addition to this, their author – my grandma - is not the author of this blog… but it is neither [meant] for ratings, nor for profit; in order to understand its significance, one must read between the lines…

Anna Boiko reads a blog about herself together with her husband. Photo by Olya Suprun, used with permission.

It seems, however, that the popularity of The Story of Anna Boiko's Life has already exceeded its author’s expectations. In 2011, it was recognized as the best personal blog at Best Ukrainian Blog Awards [uk], and the number of its readers and fans continues to grow.

Ukraine: Blaming Instead of Renegotiating

Vilhelm Konnander — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:45:52 +0000

LEvko of Foreign Notes argues that Ukraine's government has conveniently chosen to pass the blame on former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko for the high gas prices the country has to pay, instead of trying to renegotiate prices with Russian gas company Gazprom, which allegedly was allowed by the gas contract [ukr] that Timoshenko now is serving time in prison for.

Russia: Ukrainian Blogger's Photos From the Moscow Rally

Veronica Khokhlova — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:52:25 +0000

Kyiv-based blogger Oleksandr Arhat (LJ user olarhat) posts a photo report [uk] from the Dec. 10 post-election rally in Moscow, which reminded him of the 2004 post-election protests in Kyiv: “Unbought people, protesting [not in order to get a piece of bread in return]. Doesn't happen every day, especially in the Russian Federation. […] people who, very likely, thought in 2004 that our [Orange] Revolution was sponsored by the [U.S. Department of State].”

Ukraine: Public Hospital Pioneers Social Media Usage

Tetyana Bohdanova — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:34:00 +0000

Founded in 1798, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital [ru, uk] - named after Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov - is one of the oldest hospitals in Ukraine. It is also one of the first state medical institutions to use social media.

The person behind the creation of the country's first public hospital Twitter (@MechnikovaBoln [uk, ru]) and Facebook [uk, ru] accounts, is a tech savvy epidemiologist and blogger Mykhailo Sukhomlyn (@mvsnotes [uk, ru], mvsnotes.blogspot.com [uk, ru]).

However, this is not his first attempt at running a social media account for a state medical institution.

Social media enthusiasts

Sukhomlyn and his wife - programmer Tetyana Cheshko (@tvnotes [uk]) - used to work at a regional sanitary and epidemic department. Both being social media enthusiasts, they set up [uk] the institution's Twitter account, which was used for timely internal exchange of information amongst the department's staff. Mykhailo and Tetyana also admit [uk] that they are frequently approached by Twitter users with health and medical questions.

After becoming Dnipropetrovsk Regional Hospital's Chief Information Officer, Sukhomlyn decided to apply his successful experience there and launched [uk] its social media accounts to share news about the hospital, including events, employment vacancies, arrival of new equipment, etc.

Mykhailo Sukhomlyn (first from the right) and Tetyana Cheshko (third from the right) with medical information systems specialists, photo by Dnipropetrovsk Regional Hospital

In an interview to Dnipropetrovsk TV Channel 9, Sukhomlyn explained [uk, ru] that the administrators use the hospital's account to tweet about the services provided by the institution, while encouraging Facebook uses to discuss their quality on its official page. For instance, one of the first issues raised by the patients included long waiting lines at the hospital.

Other medical personnel at the institution are also using Twitter. Last month, the hospital shared [uk] their Twitter list and encouraged others to follow:

Рекомендую наших лікарів, твітерян-початківців - @Tolubaiev @Oxanalivshits @DrMedvedev @IhorKyrpa @SokolovMD #ff #sledui #раджу

I recommend our doctors, Twitter-beginners - @Tolubaiev @Oxanalivshits @DrMedvedev @IhorKyrpa @SokolovMD #ff #sledui #раджу

Doctors of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital named after Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, photo by Dnipropetrovsk Regional Hospital

While their activity may be pioneering for Ukraine, there is an international directory [en] of the most influential doctors on Twitter, which currently contains 1,327 names and is updated on an hourly basis.

Ukraine: Starbucks, Social Media Marketing, and “Language Issue”

Tetyana Bohdanova — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:34:28 +0000

Last month, a fake Starbucks Ukraine Facebook page caused a scandal on the Ukrainian Internet. The administrators of the instantly popular page where Starbucks, an international coffee and coffeehouse chain, supposedly announced its upcoming entry into the Ukrainian market, later posted a note found offensive by many Ukrainian netizens.

A copy of the note is provided [ru] by Watcher.com.ua:

Dear fans of Starbucks Ukraine!
The page will be administrated in Russian only because the majority of our subscribers are Russian-speaking.
In no way do we mean to offend the Ukrainian-speaking fans of the brand or provoke a conflict. You may post on the wall in [any language], even in Swahili. Starbucks is an intrenational company – we understand all languages.
Have a nice day!

The page gathered hundreds of negative comments and appeals by angered Facebook users.

Here is one such appeal [en] by TV host Oleksandr Zinchenko:

Dear Sir/Madam,
My appeal is in regards to Ukrainian (I don't know if it is separate Office or combined with Russian) Office. The page of Starbucks Ukraine in Facebook ( [www.facebook.com] )posted all info in Russian language with justification that Ukrainian people all understand it and they don't need translation into official Ukrainian language. Also derogatory comment of that kind: you can write your complaints even on Swahili if don't want to use Russian- we don't care.

Other netizens were unhappy as well.

Twitter user @povnatorba wrote [uk]:

Ukrainophobes at Starbucks Ukraine http://povnatorba.com/ukrajinofoby-v-starbucks-ukraine/

Soon, the page was taken down by Facebook. Starbucks' U.S. office confirmed that it was indeed a fake.

However, according to the analysis [uk] by Serhiy Pishkovtsiy of Blogoreader.org.ua [uk], it is not uncommon for Ukrainian as well as foreign brands in Ukraine to run their social media accounts in Russian. His chart illustrates [uk, ru, en] the situation:

Pishkovtsiy writes [uk]:

I understand that the selection of business may not be (or even surely is not) representative – the companies are of different business areas and scale.

However, it opens our eyes to the so-called “language issue”: only three companies Sony Ericsson, McDonald’s and Pepsi administrate their accounts exclusively in Ukrainian. Curiously, none of them has been established in Ukraine.

Pishkovtsiy concludes [uk] that Russophone social media marketing (SMM) accounts alone are unlikely to disturb the Ukrainian Internet audience. Unless, of course, the language in which they are maintained is aggressively paraded around.

Ukraine: Photoshopped Chuck Norris and the Ukrainian Language Day

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:51:46 +0000

On Nov. 9, Ukrainian netizens marked the Ukrainian Language Day - UA Day 2011 [uk] - by posting and tweeting exclusively in Ukrainian. Cherkasy-based Fedir Gontsa [uk] decided to draw attention to the initiative by creating a photoshopped image of the American actor Chuck Norris posing with a Ukrainian language textbook, and posting it on Facebook and Twitter. This well-meaning prank was mistaken for the real thing by some Ukrainian media: the Lviv daily Vysokyi Zamok and Like.lb.ua both ran the fake photo and reported that Chuck Norris had actually met with members of the Ukrainian Diaspora in Ontario, Canada. Roman Golubovsky posts a chronology of this incident [uk], interviews Gontsa, and writes that “the story deserves a mention in journalism textbooks.”

France: A Rally in Support of Democracy in Ukraine

Veronica Khokhlova — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:11:09 +0000

Maidan.org.ua published Regina Maryanovska's photos [uk] from the Nov. 13 rally in defense of democracy in Ukraine, which took place at Le Parvis des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme/Trocadéro (the Square of Human Rights) in Paris. Maryanovska, a Paris-based documentary director from Odesa, Ukraine, noted that members of the Ukrainian Diaspora in France as well as locals had attended the event, and that a women's marathon in support of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko and democracy was being planned for Dec. 12.

Ukraine: First Online Political Talk Show

Tetyana Bohdanova — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:11:43 +0000

On Politiko.ua, Serhiy Levytsky posts [ru] an announcement about the second broadcast of the first Ukrainian online political talk show. The show, called “The Firing Line” [uk], is run in an informal atmosphere from Café de Paris restaurant in Kyiv, and features noteworthy Ukrainian politicians and analysts taking questions from an Internet audience. The first broadcast, aired Sep. 21, gathered nearly 11,500 viewers across the country.

Ukraine: “We Are Europeans”

Veronica Khokhlova — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:32:50 +0000

In September 2008, Ukraine seemed headed towards signing an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) the following year, in 2009. Three years later, in 2011, the Agreement has still not been concluded.

The latest obstacle to finalizing the process is the October 11, 2011, sentencing of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. A resolution passed by the European Parliament on October 27 describes the seven-year jail sentence given to Tymoshenko “as a violation of human rights and an abuse of the judiciary for the purpose of the political suppression of Ukraine's leading opposition politician.” The resolution also warns of the potential consequences for the EU-Ukraine relations:

[…] a failure to review Yulia Tymoshenko's conviction will jeopardise the conclusion of the Association Agreement and its ratification, while pushing the country further away from the realisation of its European perspective […]

It remains to be seen whether the Ukrainian authorities manage to successfully contain the geopolitical fallout of their domestic policies. Meanwhile, ordinary Ukrainians are beginning to take some of the matters into their own hands, voicing their commitment to democratic values, urging fellow citizens not to remain silent, and searching for optimal ways to interact with Ukrainian and European politicians on a grassroots level in order to help make the country a better place to live in.

On October 20, a group of about 200 people, many of them journalists, gathered in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv to convey this short message to the authorities: “We are Europeans.”

The turning point for many of them must have been the EU's October 18 decision to postpone President Victor Yanukovych's visit to Brussels for Association Agreement-related talks (the Ukrainian leader ended up paying a visit to Cuba instead) - as well as the looming prospect of Ukraine joining Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in the so-called Eurasian Union.

The logo of the "We are Europeans" Facebook group (features the EU flag and the Ukrainian coat of arms)

Yevgeniy Ikhelzon [uk, ru], one of the organizers of the “We are Europeans” rally, wrote [ru] that it had taken just two days and “not a single phone call” to bring the people together: online social networks and blogs had been used to spread the word.

As a follow-up to the October 20 event, a Facebook group [uk, ru; 1,620 members] and a Facebook community [uk, ru; 596 ‘likes'] were set up, and later a number of much smaller regional Facebook branches were registered as well (uk, ru: Lviv, Crimea, Zaporizhzhya, Volyn, Kherson, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Dnipropetrovsk).

On his Ukrainska Pravda blog, Ikhelzon offered these explanations [ru] for the “We are Europeans” initiative:

Oct. 19, 2011:

[…] We want to live by the European laws, we don't need a new Iron Curtain. […] Even though Europe is indeed facing a crisis now, it is just an economic crisis, not a crisis of values. […]

***

Oct. 20, 2011:

[…] - European values do resemble what free people call common sense. […]

- The Association Agreement with the EU includes a number of legislative requirements, which [if implemented] may really change the situation in Ukraine. […]

- There is nothing that prevents Ukraine from fitting the criteria. Serbia, which had a war a very short time ago, will soon get an EU candidate status. We didn't have a war, we didn't have ethnic cleansing. All that needs to be done is replacing the occupation-style governing system with a human and humane one, turning the state around so it faces the citizens. […]

- Joining [Vladimir Putin's] Eurasian Union will not bring about any changes for deregulation of the economy, human rights and civil liberties. […] That is, [the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev] is not going to mind accepting Ukraine into this organization because Tymoshenko is still in jail. Basically, this gathering of former communists and KGB people do not care about such “trifles” - for them, [gaining profit] is the main thing. […]

Here is what some members of the “We are Europeans” Facebook group are saying about Ukraine and the EU:

Oleksandr Oleks. [uk]:

Ukraine's EU aspirations mean very little on their own. If this happened tomorrow and we got a chance to move freely and work in Europe, perhaps half of Ukraine's population would [re-settle there] the day after tomorrow. As for the middle class, all 100 percent would probably move [out of Ukraine]. It has to be emphasized that the most important thing isn't joining the EU, but adopting the European values in Ukraine: first of all, the ability to defend one's property rights, the right to vote in fair elections, to control the work of the authorities, of the police and others. This is when the issue of joining the EU would not be that urgent anymore, and Europe would be more interested in us than we are in it.

***

Adriana Bubnovska [uk]:

[…] I don't want to join anything, neither the United States, nor Russia. I want to live in a normal country with normal values and normal civil rights and liberties. The EU happens to personify this value-based choice. For me personally, it is absolutely not important whether we join the EU or not. What matters to me is that the Ukrainian society grows to understand that it's bad to steal, impossible to falsify the elections, nonsense to jail political opponents - instead of arguing with them during the elections, and that a democracy [cannot select certain convenient rules to play by, while refusing to observe the inconvenient ones].

Some of the group's members are debating the necessity of cooperating with Ukrainian politicians to implement their Europe-oriented goals. Journalist Vakhtang Kipiani wrote this [uk] on his Facebook page:

[…] a single protest isn't going to change anything. We need to form a group of people that will delegate their pro-European value-based interests to another group of people. This is called politics. Without pro-European politics we will not become part of the environment where the law comes prior to the wishes of a particular official. […]

Some Ukrainian politicians seem interested in cooperating with the “We are Europeans” group, too. Iryna Gerashchenko, an MP from Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, suggested [uk] that the group's most active members take part in the upcoming meeting of the parliamentary committee on the European integration that she is a member of, to “express their position and concern about the reverse processes in this sphere.”

So far, there is no consensus in the group on whether it is worth it to allow politicians into this grassroots movement. In a comment to Gerashchenko's note, Ostap Kryvdyk thanked her for her initiative, which he considers useful - “a window to the legislative process, and a link to Western policymakers.” Oleg Zavada, on the other hand, is one of those who feel they do not share any common ground with the Ukrainian MPs:

[…] I'm afraid of catching the [virus] of conformism, narcissism, [euro-loserism] from them, and losing whatever remains of the European prospects, because some of them have as much to do with the European standards as I have with Sharia law.

The second “We are Europeans” rally took place on October 26 in Kyiv. Even though, according to reports [ru], it was less numerous than the first one, the activists managed to draw attention of some of the European diplomats to their cause, by handing the group's Open Letter on the State of Relationships between Ukraine and the European Union [en] to Miroslav Lajčák, the EU's External Action Service's Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Neighbourhood and Western Balkans, who was in Kyiv at the time.

Yevgeniy Ikhelzon posted a link [uk, ru] to the Ukrainska Pravda article [uk], which quoted Lajčák saying that “the desire of the majority of Ukrainians to move towards the European Union is very important, and every demonstration of this is very important and significant.”

Ikhelzon concluded [ru]:

This is the message that we need to get out into the streets and that this is what is expected from us.

Russia: Soccer Team Qualifies for Euro 2012 - “On To Ukraine and Poland!!!”

Donna Welles — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:13:13 +0000

Russia officially qualified for Euro 2012 when they finished at the top of their group with a 6-0 win over Andorra on October 11, 2011. The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship is referred to by some as ‘Polkraine 2012′ since it will be held in both Poland and Ukraine.

Citizen media has captured the popular perception of the qualifying round as well as efforts made toward ensuring the proper facilitation of the tournament. Maxxrus1977 posted a Promo for Euro 2012 on a Kiev Dinamo blog, which gets across the intensity and exhilaration the European continent experiences through international soccer tournaments (click here to view).

UEFA Euro 2012 mascots - Slavek and Slavko. Photo by Roger Gorączniak (CC BY 3.0)

World Cup Blog described the rules of the tournament as well as the schedules of the matches in Group B, Russia's group, in a post from July 3, 2010:

Group B for Euro 2012 qualifying will be contested between the following teams: Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, and Andorra, with the group winner qualifying automatically and the second place finisher entering the playoff round unless they are the highest ranked second placed finisher, which also qualifies automatically.

After this year's September 6 match, when Russia tied Ireland 0-0,World Cup Blog provided this analysis:

Anyway, Russia had a frustrating time in Moscow as they were held to a 0-0 draw by the Republic of Ireland. Russia dominated the game but simply could not find the break through. Shay Given was the strong point while Ireland had no attacks and were almost completely on the back foot. The result keeps Russia in first place ahead of Ireland, Armenia, and Slovakia.

Russian fans commented on the analysis given on the Ireland match on the Russian-language news portal, Football Russia:

seens72: Жаль что не забили… Столько ОПАСНЫХ ситуаций и НЕТ голов! Но игра мне понравилась)

A pity they didn't score… So many DANGEROUS situations and NO goals! But I liked the game)

Ruslan: Удачи России в следующих матчах !!! Русские выйдут с первого места !!! Россия вперед на Украину и Польшу !!! )

Good luck to Russia in the future games!!! Russia will qualify from the first place!!! Russia, on to Ukraine and Poland!!!

After the October 7 match between Russia and Slovakia, World Cup Blog had this to say:

All Russian fans now know that their team almost have one foot in the finals. After defeating Slovakia 1-0 through Alan Dzagoev’s long range goal, Russia are now in first place with 20 points and a draw at home to Andorra will confirm a ticket to Poland and Ukraine. In what was a nervous buildup, Russia started very strongly and dominated most of the match. Slovakia found it difficult to find a footing but did have a few sporadic attacks forcing critical saves from Malafeev.

And, as expected, comments made on Football Russia's analysis of this match were more enthusiastic as the article focused on the 71st minute when Russia was finally able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity.

Rusik: Че несете “че на евро нам делать ” ? Выигрывать ! Россия чемпион )))

What do you mean, “we've got nothing to do with Euro”? We've got to win! Russia is the champion )))

Edik: Самый сок будет когда в евро на финал попадем и выграем хотя бы со счетом 1:0 это будет что то))))))

The best thing will be when we get to the finals and win with at least 1:0 - that would be awesome )))))) […]

Finally, going in to the match against Andorra, World Cup Blog wrote:

Four years ago, Russia faced Andorra in their final Euro 2008 qualifier under very nervous circumstances. Russia had to win and hope Croatia defeat England at Wembley the same day. Well thats what happened. Russia barely defeated Andorra 1-0 while a dramatic game saw Croatia defeat England 3-2. This time Russia sit at the top of Group B needing only a draw to qualify. Only Ireland can surpass Russia if Andorra pull off a major upset on Tuesday. Aside from that, Russia’s task is very direct and clear cut.

Russia not only went on to defeat Andorra, they dominated the match as they kept possession of the ball for a tournament high 72.8% of the match, as OptaIvan reported on Twitter:

72.8% – Сборная России показала наивысший процент владения мячом в квалификации Евро-2012 в первом матче против Андорры. Превосходство.

72.8% - Russia's team has shown the highest percentage of possession of the ball in the Euro 2012 qualifier's first game against Andorra. Superiority.

OptaIvan also cited other interesting statistics regarding Russia's performance in the Euro 2012 Qualifying round.

@malafeev16 is the Twitter account belonging to a Russian goalkeeper out of St. Petersburg, Vyacheslav Malafeev:

С момента появления сборной России (лето'92) ей удалось выйти в финальную часть 6 из 10 крупных турниров (2 ЧМ, 4 ЧЕ). Достижение.

Since the emergence of the Russian national team (summer ‘92) it has managed to reach the finals of six out of ten big championships [2 World championships, 4 European championships]. An achievement.

***

With regard to the facilitation of the tournament, some Ukrainians and Poles have expressed uncertainty as to whether the benefits outweigh the costs of construction and the disturbance in everyday life. Many stadiums must be rebuilt, there are issues of travel legalities between countries, and all if it must be paid for. The Twitter account “Euro-2012 in Ukraine” announces, among other things, the progress that the construction efforts are making:

Варшавський стадіон відкриють через три місяці після здачі в експлуатацію bit.ly/oYmNjR

The opening of the Warsaw stadium will take place three months after its completion bit.ly/oYmNjR

Damon on Kiev Dinamo Blog in a post entitled “Do we really need the Euro?” expressed a very honest wonderment as to whether or not Ukraine would benefit in the long term from taking on the responsibility of hosting such an event. At the very least it seems to be a valid question:

Когда только объявили, что Евро-2012 пройдет у нас, я был в восхищении! Наверное, как и все. Прошло время. И я как-то начал задумываться, а что, собственно, это Евро даст народу Украины, - нам с Вами? Вот подумайте, - ну что, кроме зрелища? А теперь тоже подумайте, кто на этом заработает прежде всего. Я не то, что против евро, но как-то, с учетем нашего убожества, это кажется пиром во время чумы. Ну, если я не прав, то разубедите.

When they had just announced that we would host Euro 2012, I was excited! Just like everyone else, perhaps. Time has passed. And now I'm kind of thinking, what exactly will this Euro give to the people of Ukraine - to all of us? Think about it: except for entertainment, what else? And also think of who is going to profit the most from all this? I'm not exactly against Euro 2012, but considering the squalor around us, it seems like a feast in time of plague. Well, if I'm wrong, go ahead and dissuade me.

Ukraine: Reactions to Yulia Tymoshenko's Sentencing

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:57:08 +0000

BlogActiv.eu, Foreign Notes (here and here), OdessaBlog and OpenDemocracy.com comment, among other issues, on the implications of the Oct. 11 sentencing of ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko for the EU-Ukraine relations. Ukrainiana and Ukraine's Orange Blues post photos and video taken near the Kyiv Pechersky Court on the day of the verdict. Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that #Tymoshenko was trending worldwide on Twitter on Oct. 11.