European Choice for Yanukovych

as a weighty bonus in the upcoming presidential elections

Resetting to a Cold Peace

Instead of dealing with Russia’s mounting economic, social, ethnic, and regional problems, the Putin administration is mobilizing anti-minority, anti-foreigner, and anti-American sentiments to stay afloat

Operation Smear Campaign

With the presidential election drawing closer in Ukraine, a campaign is unfolding to discredit the mass media

Unjustly Humiliated

A strict, often brutal visa regime for Ukrainians will hardly stop criminals or potential illegal migrants from getting to the EU. Instead, it may undermine effective business, academic and cultural contacts

The Schengen’s Kafkaesque Castles

The excesses of the EU visa bureaucracy discourage the most pro-European part of Ukrainian society from gaining experience that is different from post-Soviet realities

Party Versus Regions

Since coming to power, the Party of Regions and Viktor Yanukovych, have consistently ignored the rights and interests of local governments that they said they would defend

The Kremlin’s Bluff

Ukraine’s economic dependence on the Customs Union is exaggerated in an effort to disrupt the Association Agreement

Tug ‘O’ War

Three years after its creation, the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan has proven to be artificial and quasi-effective

In Exile

Despite Viktor Yanukovych’s fear of Yulia Tymoshenko, whom he evidently considers his main political rival, he may agree to let her receive medical treatment in Germany. On one hand, this would sharply increase the regime’s chances of signing an Association Agreement with the EU, while on the other, it would create new obstacles for the opposition

Run, Petro, Run

The flight of Petro Melnyk, a notorious rector of the National Tax Service University arrested while taking a bribe, from under house arrest exposes the severe degradation of Ukrainian law enforcement

Alarming News: Why a Mysterious Periodical is Provoking Anxiety

As the civilized world notes the slow death of the printed press, Ukraine is experiencing a real boom in print media

Government Slavery: 470,000 Officials Become Hostage to the Regime

The new “anticorruption” law turns 470,000 public servants into obedient servants ready to fulfil the will of the Yanukovych Administration

Caught in a Zeitnot

Developments in Ukraine and the lack of effect from the standard techniques of the Russian World have unnerved Vladimir Putin. This may push the Kremlin to radical steps to disrupt the signing of the Association Agreement and DCFTA with the EU and to eliminate the threat of a possible shift in Ukraine’s foreign policy after the 2015 presidential election

James Sherr: “People governing Ukraine are not going to get it closer to Europe, and Russia is taking a full advantage of this”

Chatham House’s James Sherr speaks on Russian diplomacy and the Kremlin’s possible efforts to hamper Ukraine’s real European integration

Mission: Impossible

The celebration of 1025 years of the christening of Kyiv Rus sums up the failure of Russia’s religious expansion in Ukraine headed by Patriarch Kirill

Deactivation

Why civil activists in Ukraine face a new wave of repression

The Post-Vradiyivka Syndrome

The Yanukovych regime does not realize all the risks of de-legitimization in the eyes of the people

Will Ukraine Rebel?

Local protests may escalate to a nationwide movement against the Yanukovych regime well before the 2015 presidential election

Operation “Premier Yanukovych”

The “win at any cost” alternative could well be a scenario whereby Viktor Yanukovych will become prime minister with extensive powers, should he lose the 2015 presidential election

Abuse of Power

The PACE Resolution on keeping political and criminal responsibility separate provides the legal foundation for the prevention of political vendettas in the future, despite the fact that it does not mention Ukraine

WHERE’S THE MONEY?

The plight of local communities whose funding has been blocked by the State Treasury reveals a dire public finance crisis that shows no sign of improving

The Red Card for Corruption

According to the latest Global Corruption Baromete by Transparency International and Gallup International Association, every third Ukrainian is ready to take it to the street to fight bribery

In Pursuit of the Presidency

Vitaliy Klitschko is improving his rhetoric, but fails to give clear answers to crucial questions regarding the nation’s development

Media & Acquisitions

The Yanukovych circle is launching a media purge: Some media moguls have already lost their assets. Meanwhile, new media empires are emerging in Ukraine. The secrecy of their real owners is a typical common feature

The Hidden is Becoming More Evident

The sale of the UMH group to a friend of the Family is not likely to worsen the quality of Ukrainian journalism, since most of it has long become a paid notice board. However, the good news is that from now on, the government will be held responsible for the use of manipulative techniques in the print media

United Twice

Despite the successful merger of the Front for Change and Batkivshchyna, the united party could face more dissent and lose voter support unless Arseniy Yatseniuk revises his approach to party building