Voting Wrong…

Finally, someone has uttered the sacramental words I have been waiting for so long. “This country needs censored democracy” a leading Ukrainian economist said in an interview. Below, I will explain what “censored democracy” is, but now I sadly admit: after a good laugh at sarcastic appeals for grandchildren to hide their grannies’ passports to keep them from voting in elections or posters of an old woman saying that her cat will inherit her house after she found out that her grandson voted for the Party of Regions, the public and some opinion leaders have begun to think that democracy, as it is, does not work in Ukraine.

Who Really Controls the Donbas?

In their struggle for power, Ukraine’s oligarchs formed a fraternity of common political interests, joining forces rather than promoting personal ambitions. Once the ultimate political goal was reached, their egoistic motivations became the priority.

Language Myths in Eastern and Southern Ukraine

In the minds of Ukraine’s leadership and entire political class sits a deep conviction that eastern and southern Ukraine does not understand or accept Ukrainian and that the language irks and outrages everyone there, meaning it is better to not even speak it in those regions.

Estonia: The Second World War Finally Over in 1994

Unlike many other nations in the Second World War the foreign troops did not leave Estonia in 1944 or in 1945, but in 1994.

Following Reagan

Mitt Romney offers a more aggressive tone in relations with Russia and plans to focus more on the problems of Central and Eastern Europe

A Big Silence

A journalist exposed a conman: the latter had stolen USD 150mn on a single shady oil rig deal. His first reaction: “a journalist can be bought – someone paid him for the publication”. For the most part, the internal world of crime is unknown to me, but all of a sudden, my interest is piqued: does he really believe this? He does indeed

Estonia: the Importance of Being Re-Independent

20 August 1991 is the Estonian Re-Independence Day. Namely, on that day just a few minutes before midnight, the Supreme Council of Estonia declared Estonia independent and some days later the international recognitions began to pour in. The way Estonian independence was declared and what was written in the Supreme Council’s declaration continue to influence Estonian society today.

Dmytro Salamatin, a New Ukrainian-style Blyukher

Defence Minister Dmytro Salamatin – the same man who unlawfully became a Party of Regions MP and earned infamy for his brawls in parliament – seems to be intent on joining the ranks of outstanding military leaders since the day of his appointment

Andrey Sheptytskiy Unrecognized

Having saved 150 Jews during the war, Andrey Sheptytskiy, Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (uniate church), deserves the Israeli title of “Righteous Gentile”

Thou Shalt Not Kill!

Over the past twenty years, everyone has begun to get used to thinking that they could all be identical citizens of this country. That peaceful co-existence of different languages was possible. We have waited a long time for the civilized times to come. Now, the difference once again has a chance to grow visible.