Stories about Ukraine from March, 2010
Ukraine: Fire Destroys 20% of Hosting.ua Servers
Some 20% of the servers at Odessa-based Hosting.ua data center – one of the biggest in Ukraine – are reported to have been destroyed in a fire on March 27. UkrainianWatcher writes (UKR) that “tens of thousands of Ukrainian and a number of Russian sites are currently offline” and re-posts...
Ukraine: Tons of Fish Die; Fishing Enthusiasts Start Grassroots Campaign
Hundreds of tons of fish were trapped and crushed to death by the ice, after Ukrainian authorities abruptly lowered the level of water in the Kyiv Reservoir. A group of Ukrainian fishing enthusiasts reacted by launching a grassroots campaign to ensure that further damage is avoided and the government takes steps to restore the ecosystem of the reservoir.
Ukraine: Crimean Tatar Leader Addresses European Parliament
Links related to the March 17 European Parliament hearing with Mustafa Dzhemilev, former Soviet dissident and Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People: Dzhemilev's speech (.pdf file); an overview at Window on Eurasia; an overview at Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO); a written address by MEP Heidi...
UK: Foreign Office on Ukraine and Belarus
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about London's “intense interest in what's going on in Ukraine.” Belarus Digest reports that UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband (whose blog is here) “singled out Belarus in his introduction to the Foreign Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights 2009.”
Ukraine: Fundraising Effort to Help Street Children
Scenes from the Sidewalk announces – here and here – a fundraising effort for CrossRoads Foundation: “If you want to be a part of a group of people who are doing amazing work with street and at risk children in Ukraine, please consider helping us raise money.”
Ukraine: Differing views of the Orange revolution
The Ivanov Report presents a very critical comment on an essay about the Orange revolution by Keith Gessen in The New Yorker.
Ukraine: Book-Burning and Book-Recycling Rallies
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about a book-burning rally in Crimea – and a book-recycling rally in Lviv. The latter was in protest to the appointment of Ukraine's new minister of education and science, and LEvko of Foreign Notes has more on it.
Belarus: “Less Pro-Russian” Than Eastern Ukraine
Belarus Digest writes that, unlike in Ukraine, “groups potentially advocating a unification with Russia have never been too active in Belarus.”
Ukraine: “Deal for Yanukovych: Bandera for Mezhyhiria”
Here is how Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop explains a mock deal that he has offered to the newly-elected Ukrainian president: “The point is to show the absurdity of the [Stepan Bandera] debate: almost everybody from Moscow to Warsaw to Edmonton has an opinion on Bandera (who was killed more...
Russia: Thoughts on March 8, Feminism
Thoughts on March 8 and feminism in Russia and Ukraine – at Poemless, Global Comment, and Sean's Russia Blog.
Ukraine: New SBU Chief and Declassified Soviet Archives
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about the insights he gained while working with the recently declassified Soviet secret police archives – and about Ukraine's new State Security Service chief, who appears likely to limit public access to the archives again: “‘The special service’s main concern is the protection of...
Ukraine: New Coalition, New PM
Tammy Lynch of Jamestown Foundation Blog posts an update on Ukraine's new ruling coalition and the new PM.
Ukraine: “Democratic”
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about one of the Ukrainian definitions of “democratic” – and about the “undemocratic” Ukrainian VIPs.
Ukraine: “Why So Little Internet”?
Siberian Light looks at the BBC News “infographic about internet access in Europe” and wonders “why a relatively authoritarian country like Belarus has managed to get more than 1/3rd of its people online, whereas Ukraine has only managed 1/10th.”
Ukraine: “Bandera Bashing Déjà Vu”
On Feb. 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution, in which, among other things, it called on “the new Ukrainian leadership” to “reconsider” the posthumous award granted to Stepan Bandera a month earlier. In a post titled “Bandera Bashing Déjà vu,” Stepan Bandera's grandson – Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop...
Ukraine: Photos from Vinnytsya Region
LJ user boga4 posts 29 photos from Vinnytsya region (UKR), including this image from Shargorod, of the Monument to a New Monument, a 2009 work by Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova.
