Endurance Test

The government is testing how Ukrainian mass media and society are prepared to protect freedom of speech

A Pinpoint Strike

During the protests in front of Ukrainian House the government has once more used the scenario of the soft, yet consistent narrowing of citizens’ rights to protest. The criminal cases are a perfect tool for pinpoint strikes against the most proactive protest participants.

Valentyna Telychenko: “Everyone involved in the arrest of Yuriy Lutsenko should be charged within three months”

If the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights is ignored, Ukraine’s membership in the Council of Europe may be suspended

The European Court of Human Rights Sides with Yuriy Lutsenko

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg supported the complaint filed by defence attorneys representing the former Interior Minister of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko.

Ukraine Still Stands a Chance

David Kramer and Robert Nurick talk about the latest Freedom House report on nations in transit, including Ukraine, how much the memory of a democratic experience matters and how painful democratic transformations may be

A Fragile Democracy

Freedom House’s new report raises the alarm about Ukrainian society and government as Ukraine’s post-Orange Revolution progress continues to plummet

The Father of His Country?

By searching for non-existent features of patriotism and statesman-like quality in Ukraine’s top officials, journalists are doing society a disservice

Parliament Gone Wild. Again

The passing of the language law has triggered a parliamentary crisis that could explode into a political one.

Euro 2012 is No Cure for Isolation

As planned, the government is trying to convert the positive impressions of the “great football celebration” into political dividends before the election.

Kremlin-imposed “Ukrainian choice”

For several months now, Viktor Medvedchuk has been trying to convince Ukrainians to accept the choice of a Russia-imposed civilisation. At the very least, he wants to be in the Ukrainian parliament to coordinate its pro-Russian lobby.

Watch out for Provocations!

As the Ukrainian opposition successfully overcomes hurdles erected by the ruling Party of Regions, the authorities are being forced to increase efforts to sow conflict and discredit the opposition in the eyes of voters

Untied Opposition: Incompetence or Betrayal?

The June 5th protests that accompanied the passing of a bill that aims to Russify Ukraine showed that while society is ready for radical resistance to the government’s anti-Ukrainian policies, opposition leaders are sitting on their hands.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The mistakes made by the protectors of the Ukrainian language and how they can take the initiative into their own hands

All or Nothing for Mr. Yatseniuk

In his pursuit of laurels, as the united opposition’s leader, Arseniy Yatseniuk has found himself in a position, which could bring an end to his political future. The only chance for him to maintain his prospects as a national leader is to purge the united opposition of people serving oligarchic and anti-Ukrainian interests

Elections 2012: Risks for the Government

By choosing to forge a pro-presidential majority in the future parliament using methods from 10 years ago, the Presidential Administration is doomed to repeat the events of 2004

Jean-Dominique Giuliani: “Ukraine Does Not Have a Rule-of-law State”

The Robert Schuman Foundation is one of the few European think tanks that systematically pays attention to Ukraine’s affairs. Its president, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, has personally come to Ukraine on a number of occasions. In his interview for The Ukrainian Week he looks at how Kyiv has failed to meet the standards of a rule-of-law state and offers his view on the persecution of former members of the government in the country.

Saving Colonel Hrytsenko

Civil Position, the party of former Defence Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko, has a special place among opposition forces that prefer to ignore efforts to unite and which have few chances of entering parliament independently in 2012

Political Deuces

Pseudo-opposition and unpopular projects could steal as much as 10% of the opposition’s votes and play a destructive role in electoral commissions

A Royal Gift to the Government

A number of facts suggest that the Presidential Administration is promoting Natalia Korolevska’s political project. True or not, she is now playing into the hands of the government in its efforts to take control of the future parliament

Why Invest in Culture?

How Ukrainian officials are distorting Ukrainian culture

Russification Redux?

A confrontation over language legislation proposed by the ruling party is unfolding in Ukraine.

The Backup Plan

As the Presidential Administration begins to doubt its ability to stay in power after the parliamentary and later presidential elections, the current authorities are under pressure to pursue alternative scenarios, a key one being changes to the constitution

Questions Without Answers

Vitali Klitschko’s rapid political ascent is due to his readiness to say what most voters want to hear. Yet, it is currently too early to talk about any strategic vision of the nation’s development

Vitali Klitschko: “The Opposition Should Unite In the Parliament”

Vitali Klitschko’s Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) refuses to run under a single party list with Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna and Arseniy Yatseniuk’s Front of Change in the upcoming parliamentary election. From now on, it is the only opposition political force other than the ‘united opposition’ that is confidently crossing the 5% threshold.

How to Save Ukraine

The leading Western media have written much and mostly negative about Ukraine in the past few weeks, focusing on Euro 2012 boycott by European presidents for the bad treatment of Ms. Tymoshenko

A Taste of Isolation

Bankova Street’s hopes to manipulate the EU have crashed. Europe has let Ukraine know that it cannot integrate with its current government, but the issue of an efficient alternative remains open