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vol. 16, issue 32
Ukrainian rock star Ruslana will headline a concert dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. The show takes place on Maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv on Aug. 24. Ruslana will sing several songs, including her new hit WOW and famous Wild Dances, for which she won the 2004 Eurovision song contest. Before the concert, President Viktor Yanukovych will give a speech in honor of the holiday. In order to economize, Yanukovych canceled a military parade. In connection with the celebration, traffic will be closed on Khreshchatyk Street from Instytutska Street to Bessarabka Square from 8 p.m. on Aug. 23 until 6 a.m. on Aug. 25.
August 12, 2011
Summer Storm
Riot police clash with supporters of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko outside the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv on Aug. 5. Judge Rodion Kireyev, who is hearing a case in which Tymoshenko faces abuse of office charges, ordered her arrested on contempt of court charges. The arrest triggered allegations of political persecution by President Viktor Yanukovych, charges that he flatly denies. (AP)
BY S V I T L A N A T U C HYN S KA TUCHYNSKA@KYIVPOST.COM
The arrest of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko provoked a sharp reaction abroad and at home, with hundreds of her supporters hitting the streets. Western governments urged authorities to consider setting her free. Critics view the charges against her as politically motivated to remove
Inside:
President Viktor Yanukovych’s top rival from upcoming elections. After weeks of hearings where she stands accused of abuse of office while premier in 2009, Judge Rodion Kireyev ordered her arrested for contempt of court on Aug. 5. By that evening, supporters had already thrown up more than 20 tents on the sidewalk in downtown Kyiv outside the court. When the trial resumed
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on Aug. 8, more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered around a stage. They chanted, waved flags and cheered. The scenes were far smaller and less energized than the Orange Revolution, but for some resembled the epic 2004 event that made Tymoshenko a heroine for leading hundreds of thousands of people in standing up to a rigged Nov. 21 election then and denying Yanukovych the presidency. Viktor
Yushchenko won a re-vote against Yanukovych on Dec. 26, 2004. Six years later, fortunes have been reversed. Yanukovych is president after narrowly beating Tymoshenko in a 2010 presidential contest. She is fighting to survive politically and stay out of jail. Political analysts said protests are unlikely to mushroom into revolution, given widespread disappointment with
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the results of the leaders who ruled Ukraine for five years after the Orange Revolution, including Yushchenko and, as prime ministers, Yanukovych and Tymoshenko. Disillusionment with politicians is high from all sides. But the rapid negative reaction from Western capitals in response to Tymoshenko’s arrest is putting pressure on Yanukovych. Even Ukrainian officials are now suggesting that Æ10
2 News
AUGUST 12, 2011
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August 12, 2011
Vol. 16, Issue 32 Copyright © 2011 by Kyiv Post
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Ukrainian poultry producer hires top executive from Kraft Foods
УКРАИНА: Народ и завод: Кто травит украинцев и как с этим бороться Катерина Панова Жители города Дунаевцы Хмельницкой области третий год борются против вредного химического производства. Случай достаточно редкий – обычно украинцы делают вид, что собственное здоровье их не волнует. Во дворе по улице Шевченко в который раз Жители Дунаевцев с пикетом собралась толпа негодующих местных житев Киеве в 2010 году. лей. Кроме соседства, этих людей объединяет общая беда и общая борьба. Три года назад возле них открылся цех по изготовлению плит из пенополистерола – материала для теплоизоляции полов, стен и фундаментов, который продается во всех сетях строительных гипермаркетов. Практически сразу у жильцов, от млада до велика, появились серьезные проблемы со здоровьем – от онкологических до аллергий и проблем с дыханием. Общие симптомы у всех одни: дерет горло, сложно дышать...
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Selectively yours
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Tymoshenko’s address to the Ukrainian people, recorded before arrest (VIDEO)
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Reaction swift to Tymoshenko's arrest (updated)
Замовлення № 11-5383 Аудиторське обслуговування ТОВ АФ “ОЛГА Аудит” З приводу розміщення реклами звертайтесь: +380 44 234-65-03. Відповідальність за зміст реклами несе замовник. Mailing address: Kyiv Post, Prorizna Street 22B, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01034 Advertising tel. +380 44 234-65-03 fax +380 44 234-63-30 advertising@kyivpost.com Editorial staff tel. +380 44 234-65-00 fax +380 44 234-30-62 news@kyivpost.com Subscriptions Nataliia Protasova tel. +380 44 234-64-09 fax +380 44 234-63-30 subscribe@kyivpost.com Distribution Serhiy Kuprin tel. +380 44 234-64-09 fax +380 44 234-63-30 distribution@kyivpost.com Marketing Iuliia Panchuk tel. +380 44 234-30-40 fax +380 44 234-63-30 marketing@kyivpost.com
УКРАИНА: Сколько трупов стоит уголь Наталия Васютин Две загубленные шахтерские жизни на один миллион тонн добытого угля. Такую цену платит страна Украина, и это самый высокий показатель в мире. Даже в Китае, где еще пять лет назад горняки гибли сотнями, сейчас эта цифра - 0,7. Самое страшное — то, что «удешевления» в ближайшем будущем не предвидется. Похороны горняка в Макеевке. Причины этого замыкаются в замкнутый круг: частные собственники гонятся за прибылью любыми путями; шахтеры тому потакают, поскольку благополучие их семей напрямую зависит от количества добытого, а государство допускает эксплуатацию последних, отгрызая свою долю от богатства первых...
ЧЕТЫРЕ САМЫХ ЧИТАЕМЫХ СТАТЕЙ НЕДЕЛИ НА
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СТИЛЬ ЖИЗНИ : От фарцовщиков к глобальным брэндам. Как изменялась мода в Украине Юлия Раскевич Если вы, живя в современной Украине, открываете гардероб и по-прежнему думаете, что нечего надеть, вспомните СССР. Еще 20 лет назад быть модницей было равносильно подвигу, и для его достижения инструментами были не фэшн-блоги, бутики, глянец и web-money, а блат, портные и Советские "модные" магазины фарцовщики. поражали унылостью Голь на выдумки хитра. Эта поговорка как нельзя кстати приходится для описания того, как выкручивались любители моды в Советском Союзе....
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Муж Тимошенко: Над Юлей в камере издеваются
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Европейские политики шокированы арестом Тимошенко (обновляется)
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В Афганистане погибли спецназовцы, уничтожившие Бен Ладена
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2011
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August 12, 2011 Advertisement
-BOE 3FGPSN /PWFM
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If the clear set of laws for equitable distribution of rural resident Victor Yanukovych signed the Law# assets is in place, country’s land market and the overall 3613-VI “On State Land Cadastre�, which economy will enjoy economic multiplier effect. Balancing will serve as a pre-requisite for the cherthe rights of domestic and foreign businesses for acquirished land reform. State land cadastre, a parceling property rights for non-agricultural lands will also be a based information system lays down the grounds surgical strike for country’s land market and the investment for efficient land transactions and secures land attractiveness. tenure in general. Hence, structured land database will be the first meaningful step to architect a more balanced and more sustainable land market in Ukraine. State land cadastre is a statutory register which contains NATALIYA the records of land location, boundaries, coordinates; propDOTSENKO-BELOUS erty rights, ownership, leases; land quality, economic, tax Senior Associate, Vasil Kisil & Partners and improvements’ value. Ukrainian policymakers plan to roll out the electronic database of land assets till the end of 2011 and thus enable free and unrestricted access to cadastral e-maps. he Law of Ukraine “On State Land Cadastre� has A multi-purpose Law “On State Land Cadastre� contains been adopted to improve the regulation of land the norm which can help drive recovery of national land relations and to streamline the management of land fund. Namely, 2013 will see the abolishment of state deeds resources. The Law expressly establishes the procedure for for land, the prime movers of state control over the allocastate registration of land plots. This procedure is actually tion and use of land. However, functioning zero-option ban limited to the assignment of a cadastral number to the on productive land sale will be lifted only in case the Laws land plot. For the first time, the Law defines an exhaustive on Land Market and Land Auctions are aptly designed and list of land management and appraisal documents serving adopted. The norms of the current Land Code of Ukraine as the basis for entering the respective data into the State enforced in 2001 are over-restrictive and cumbersome as Land Cadastre. The Law reduces the number of agencies regards the use and purchase of land assets. If the defiinvolved in the registration of the land-related information ciencies of land management are stamped out, Ukraine’s (this authority is given only to the district (town) territorial economy will fetch premium as the efficiency and output of bodies of a central executive authority for land resources). land resources will boost. Thus, the Law of Ukraine “On State Land Cadastre� introThe EBA has duces efficient mechanisms to regulate consistently put land relations. We believe that the adop/PSNT PG UIF DVSSFOU -BOE $PEF PG on stream the tion of this Law will make a positive need to cancel impact on land market development and 6LSBJOF FOGPSDFE JO BSF PWFS† the “moratothe possibility of doing agrarian busiSFTUSJDUJWF BOE DVNCFSTPNF BT SFHBSET on rium� on state ness in Ukraine. purchase of proThe state registration of land plots is UIF VTF BOE QVSDIBTF PG MBOE BTTFUT ductive land and carried out at the place of location of such to remodel the land plots by a relevant State Cadastral land market of Ukraine. Land reform is given its first start Registrar of a territorial executive body for land resources with the approval of the Law on State land cadastre advo(the State Committee for Land Resources). The land plots cated by business community, and the EBA will continue its are registered within 14 days on the basis of an application, efforts to free up publicly-owned land. land management documentation, and other documents.
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The land-related information is to include data about land owner (user) as well about registered proprietary rights, based on the information from the State Register of Immovable Property Rights. The cadastral numbers of land plots are specified in the decisions of state authorities and local self-government bodies regarding the transfer of such land plots for ownership or use, the change of their intended purpose, the pecuniary valuation of the land plots, and the approval of land management and appraisal documentation in respect of certain land plots (Article 16 of the Law). Final provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On State Land Cadastre� provide that the Law shall come into force from January 1, 2012. The Law provides that the land plot-related information
4USVDUVSFE MBOE EBUBCBTF XJMM CF UIF GJSTU NFBOJOHGVM TUFQ UP BSDIJUFDU B NPSF CBMBODFE BOE NPSF TVTUBJOBCMF MBOE NBSLFU JO 6LSBJOF contained in the State Land Cadastre will be posted on the website of the central executive body for land resources. It is necessary to remember that an extract from the State Land Cadastre with the information about the land plot must be obtained when entering into any land transaction. The Law also contains the list of documents to be filed when obtaining an extract from the State Land Cadastre and specifies the grounds for refusal to provide such information (Article 38 of the Law). According to the final provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine, a moratorium on sale of agricultural lands will be effective until the laws of Ukraine on state land cadastre and on land market enter come into force effect and such moratorium may not be lifted earlier than January 1, 2012. The Law of Ukraine “On State Land Cadastre� has already been adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament. The Law of Ukraine “On Land Market� is expected to be adopted in autumn 2011.
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Tax Code Amended: Tourism Taxation
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he hot-of-the-press Law “On Amending the Tax Code of Ukraine� No. 3221-VI has settled down the taxation of travel agents who act on behalf of foreign tour operators. The initial wording of the new Tax Code of Ukraine was rather cumbersome as regards the basis of taxes levied on tourist operators and agents. The interpretation of margin scheme (applying VAT to the profit margin for services sold) was often conducted in a very divergent way, which led to intensified taxation and distortion of competition. On the heels of the adoption of the new Tax Code of Ukraine, foreign tour operators were granted powers to supply tourist services in parallel with residents and to take advantage of the same tax regime. Factored in the regulated taxation basics, the novelty can bring the stimulative effect for the country’s investments surge. The recently adopted Law “On Amending the Tax Code of Ukraine� has set the clear rules which stipulate that the taxable amount is the profit margin realised by the agency/operator on the supply of a travel package. The Law is tailored to bring the tourism taxation in Ukraine into sync with the Council of the European Union Directive 2006/112/EC “On the Common System of Value Added Tax.�
Find more at www.eba.com.ua
New law confirms the status of travel agents as intermediaries between foreign tour operators and customers. Ukrainian taxmen has now legislated and put into force the grounds for taxation regime of travel agents’ activities. The procedures of tax administration and collection are now clarified. The new legislation has put in order the terminology and basics of travel market regulation, which is now more refined, more balanced and legal. As from now “package holidays� (transport, accommodation and other related services) supplied by tour operators through travel agents to the holidaymakers serve as a basis for taxation and referred to as a “single supply pack�. To spot the difference, tour operators render tourist services directly or through tour agents via granting a tourist voucher. Tour agents are less influential market participants. They are natural persons-entrepreneurs or legal entities, going between tour operators and the customer. It is difficult now to evaluate the outcome and the implementation of the novelties, however, the future will show whether the tourist industry will fetch premiums or left with bromides. Despite the fact, that the new rules seem encouraging and beaming with optimism, travel business community hopes it will not aggravate tax pressure due to the increased volume of VATable transactions.
NEW! EBA Biotech Committee Following the initiative of EBA member companies we have launched EBA Biotech Committee as an industrial platform for R&D biotech companies. The main strategic objective set for EBA Biotech Committee is to establish an encouraging environment for commercialisation of biotech agricultural crops in Ukraine by means of: • Regulatory and communication advocacy work with public, scientific and governmental stakeholders; • Planning, preparing, execution and supervision of projects, submitting guidance and regulation documents on state and industrial standards, including the legislation on agricultural biotechnology; • Protection of intellectual property rights for biotechnological agricultural products; • Cooperation with governmental bodies in order to build open and accessible market of agricultural biotechnology crops and products produced thereof; promotion of fair trade methods of market players; • Organisation of local conferences, symposiums, workshops and seminars for target audience persons, public, scientific and governmental stakeholders; organisation of international conferences to understand and adapt best European and international practices of regulation, compliance and trade; • Assistance in mutually advantageous cooperation with other stakeholders on agricultural biotechnology market and scientific institutions.
4 Opinion
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August 12, 2011
Editorial
Rising contempt For reasons that go far beyond the fate of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, international governments and domestic critics are justified in their concerns about the state of democracy, rule of law and justice under President Viktor Yanukovych. If his administration keeps going down the authoritarian road, Yanukovych has no one to blame but himself and his wealthy backers for dashing Ukraine’s democratic aspirations and chances of greater political and economic integration with the European Union. The ongoing trial of Tymoshenko has exposed Ukraine’s judiciary as cruel, arbitrary, inept and anything but independent. Judges are appointed and dismissed on on political whims. The nation’s general prosecutor, Viktor Pshonka, views himself as part of Yanukovych’s team. He shows it every step of the way by fast-tracking spurious charges against Tymoshenko while ignoring allegations of serious corruption among people close to Yanukovych (and even the president himself) while dragging his feet on solving such heinous crimes as the 2000 murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze. The rights to jury and public trials are routinely flouted. Authorities don’t dare let a jury of the defendant’s peers decide guilt or innocence because they would no longer be able to control the outcomes of trials. Authorities don’t want the public (through TV broadcasts) to witness the proceedings through live television coverage because they fear the backlash against kangaroo justice. The judiciary does not even speak in its own defense. Western and Russian criticism of the Tymoshenko case was, instead, met with sharp counter-attacks by the Party of Regions, underscoring the political nature of this sad spectacle. “In any democratic country, obstruction to justice, no matter where it comes from, is considered as a serious offense,” the Party of Regions said. Exactly, but this is not a democratic country and the courts here behave in contemptible fashion. Few are likely to believe Yanukovych’s Aug. 11 denial: “I cannot and will not interfere in the work of the Ukrainian courts.” The pro-presidential Party of Regions insists that Tymoshenko signed an illegal, financially ruinous deal to end the January 2009 natural gas shutoff. If so, Yanukovych and his predecessor, President Viktor Yushchenko, had ample opportunities to cancel the agreement. They did not. We suspect the reason for the charges against Tymoshenko have more to do with revenge against her for eliminating RosUkrEnergo, the controversial gas intermediary co-owned by businessmen close to Yanukovych, from the lucrative trade than any criminal act. Yanukovych and his billionaire friends are pursuing vendettas against those who stand in their way. They seem so blinded by their desire for revenge that they are failing to see that they are fueling the opposition, not squelching it, and are turning away friends that Ukraine will need to prosper. Do they care at all about Ukraine’s future? Or is all that matters their grip on power and business interests?
Trouble ahead? The world is bracing for another economic crisis as stock markets have plunged amid concerns about slow economic growth and the size of state debts in Europe and the United States. Economists say a repeat of the 2008 global crisis would hit Ukraine harder than more developed countries for the same reasons as three years ago: The country is over-reliant on exports of steel and chemicals; smalland medium-sized businesses are strangled by corruption, over-regulation and demand for bribes from officials; foreign investment is kept away by fears over the lack of the security of their investment; big businessmen keep profits offshore to avoid tax; state funds are wasted as officials prefer to line their own pockets. Only fighting against these ills will allow Ukraine to insulate itself against future global shocks. But, so far, there is little evidence that President Viktor Yanukovych and his team have made big progress for any of these problems. Top officials seem to have no interest in dismantling the system that brought wealth and power to them, their families and their business backers. This system rejects the basis of liberal democracies and market economies – free and fair competition. The lack of political and economic competition are closely connected. The trial and subsequent arrest of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko earlier this month served as a reminder for foreign investors that the courts serve those who are in power, rather than acting as independent arbiters of justice. It is also becoming increasingly clear that other powerful institutions – such as the media and the police – are serving not the public, but the elites who rely on them to maintain their power. As long as this system is kept in place, Ukraine will remain without a prosperous middle class and vulnerable to external economic shocks. This could, however, come back to haunt the current rulers. After all, then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko seemed a dead cert for the presidency before the 2008 crisis hit, and look where she is now.
Published by Public Media LLC J. Michael Willard, Chief Executive Officer Brian Bonner, Senior Editor Editors: Kostya Dovgan, Katya Gorchinskaya, Roman Olearchyk, James Marson, Yuliya Popova Staff Writers: Alexey Bondarev, Tetyana Boychenko, Oksana Faryna, Natalia A. Feduschak, Anastasia Forina, Oksana Grytsenko, Kateryna Grushenko, Vlad Lavrov, Yura Onyshkiv, Kateryna Panova, Mark Rachkevych, Denis Rafalsky, Yuliya Raskevich Olga Rudenko, Nataliya Solovonyuk, Maria Shamota, Daryna Shevchenko, Svitlana Tuchynska, Nataliya Vasyutyn, Alyona Zhuk Photographers: Alex Furman, Joseph Sywenkyj. Photo Editor: Yaroslav Debelyi Chief Designer: Vladyslav Zakharenko. Designer: Anna Belyakovskaya Marketing: Iuliia Panchuk Web Project: Yuri Voronkov Sales department: Maria Kozachenko, Alisa Kyryliuk, Elena Symonenko, Yuriy Timonin Subscription Manager: Nataliia Protasova Newsroom Manager: Svitlana Kolesnykova Office Manager: Elena Pashkovskaya
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“We’re making huge progress with the new wing. It will have enough space for all your government.”
LUKYANIVSKA DETENTION CENTER
NEWS ITEM: After her arrest on Aug. 5, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko ended up in the same prison cell in Lukyanivska pre-trial detention center as in 2001. She spent more than 40 days there a decade ago, under the authoritarian regime of ex-President Leonid Kuchma, before charges were dropped against her and she was freed. Today, Tymoshenko – the nation’s prime minister in 2005 and 2007-2010 – and several members of her government are facing corruption and abuse-of-office charges. Some of them, including former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, share the prison with their ex-boss. Lutsenko has been locked in prison since December without a trial, while others have spent more than a year behind bars for alleged crimes stemming from the same natural gas deal with Russia in 2009. Tymoshenko is accused of illegally brokering the gas agreement with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Jan. 19, 2009, which allegedly caused financial damage to the nation. She dismisses the charges as politically motivated persecution so that President Viktor Yanukovych would no longer have to face her during an election. Tymoshenko lost to Yanukovych by 3.5 percentage points in last year’s presidential election, but still commands a 105-member faction in parliament, the largest after the 184-member pro-presidential Party of Regions.
NEWS ITEM: Vitali Klitschko, the world heavyweight boxing champion along with brother Wladimir, said on Aug. 10 that he is prepared to bail out from jail ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was arrested on Aug. 5. In a comparison between President Viktor Yanukovych and Tymoshenko, Vitali Klitschko said: “The opponents clearly have unequal conditions and different weight categories. So today this looks more like a street fight. If this delicate woman needs to be bailed out, I am prepared to do it,” Vitali Klitschko told journalists. He temporarily interrupted his training for a Sept. 10 title defense bout against Tomasz Ademek to call attention to the Tymoshenko situation. “The release of Yulia Tymoshenko from custody could be the first step toward restoring stability in the country and the trust of the international community,” he also said.
Feel strongly about an issue? Agree or disagree with editorial positions in this newspaper? The Kyiv Post welcomes letters to the editors and opinion pieces, usually 800 to 1,000 words in length. Please e-mail all correspondence to Brian Bonner, senior editor, at bonner@kyivpost.com or letters@kyivpost.com. All correspondence must include an e-mail address and contact phone number for verification.
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August 12, 2011
Tymoshenko’s trial and Ukraine’s future
Riot police push an elderly supporter of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko from Kyiv's main street Khreshchatyk on Aug. 8. The supporter holds Tymoshenko party's flag. A Ukrainian court on Aug. 8 rejected lawyers' requests to free Tymoshenko from jail during her abuse-of-office trial, a case the West has condemned as selective justice. (AP Photo)
Soviet pipeline system carrying gas from Siberia to Western Europe have obviously impeded Ukraine’s political development. But, whether saint or sinner, everyone deserves a fair hearing, not a show trial. The rule of law must apply to all, and very few believe that any of the charges against Tymoshenko would stand the slightest chance of being upheld in a Western court. It all smacks of a politically directed attempt by Yanukovych and his supporters to rid themselves of a powerful opponent before the next election. Together with other similar cases, these trials raise serious questions about Ukraine’s judicial system and law enforcement agencies. They provide the clearest indication yet that Ukraine, despite assurances by Yanukovych’s government, is developing in the wrong direction. Negotiations on the EU association agreement should proceed – this is an issue of strategic importance to Europe – but subsequent steps will inevitably depend on Ukraine’s commitment to the values and principles underpinning European integration. If the bizarre scenes now being witnessed in Kyiv continue, even Ukraine’s closest friends in Europe will find it very difficult to make the case for a deepening of relations. Tymoshenko’s trial, and how she is treated by the Ukrainian authorities, must not only be fair, but also must be seen to be fair. Ukraine’s moves in the direction of the EU reflect its efforts to modernize and reform its economy. Indeed, the country could develop into a mini-China, placing massive manufacturing capacity immediately
adjacent to the global economy’s largest integrated market. And Ukraine’s potential as an agricultural producer is equally impressive. Yet Ukraine currently is struggling to meet the conditions of its IMF assistance program. Parliament watered down a proposal for far-reaching pension reform to the point that it borders on useless, and repeated promises to stop subsidizing wasteful energy consumption through low gas prices have not been honored. Determined reform policies could overcome these obstacles; but, if Ukraine wants to proceed on the EU path, it must understand that the rule of law is a precondition for substantial integration. Yanukovych’s government must take stock of its behavior. Freedom House concluded earlier this year that, since Yanukovych came to power in 2010, Ukraine “has become less democratic and, if current trends are left unchecked, may head down a path toward autocracy and kleptocracy.” But its assessment also noted that “political and cultural diversity is a bulwark against any one force dominating political space throughout the country.” So Ukraine’s future remains open. It is a great country that deserves a secure and prosperous future as a member of Europe’s family. The show trial of Tymoshenko, unfortunately, risks turning it into an estranged cousin. Carl Bildt is foreign minister of Sweden. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2011; www.project-syndicate.org. Project Syndicate granted the rights to reprint this column to the Kyiv Post.
Tabachnyk an obstacle to improving education SE R H I Y K V I T
Reforms cannot happen mechanically, on their own or without the public’s support. Not one systemic change can happen in the nation without public understanding and support. The Aug. 5 arrest of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko instantly reverted Ukraine to an entirely different rhetoric: to political and political party resistance. The need to reexamine the 2009 gas
VOX populi WITH OKSANA MARKINA
Supporters and opponents of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko are camped out on Kreshchatyk Street. We asked: What do you think of the charges against her? Christina Bezhnar Chernivtsi student “I’m here because I’m for justice. We came here not because of Yulia. We came here for ourselves. We are tired of watching what is happening now.”
CARL BILDT
STOCKHOLM – There is little doubt that the embarrassing spectacle of the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko – and her recent arrest on contempt charges during the proceedings – is causing great damage to her country. And there is little doubt that how Ukraine develops will be of great importance for Europe’s future. Ukraine’s Orange Revolution in 2004 ignited the hope of a new wave of democratic reforms in the countries to the east of the European Union – a period of so-called “color” revolutions. Soon, however, those forces that feared losing power in this vast and important region began a determined counteroffensive. Nonetheless, Ukraine continued to stumble in a European direction, preserving important parts of the gains made in 2004. The 2010 comeback of President Viktor Yanukovych was essentially the result of a free and fair election. It took some time, but Yanukovych’s determination to press on with the European integration efforts begun by his predecessor, Viktor Yushchenko, has become increasingly clear – in the face of repeated calls (and sometimes thinly veiled threats) by Russia to join its customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. Indeed, tension with Russia could well escalate towards the end of the year, because Ukraine’s foreign-policy orientation is of clear consequence to the Kremlin. A democratic Ukraine with an open economy and close ties with the European Union could not fail to influence Russia’s future path as well. Negotiations for an association agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which includes far-reaching provisions for trade and regulatory integration, are well advanced, and could even be concluded this year. The agreement could become a model for similar agreements with other countries belonging to the EU’s Eastern Partnership. Georgia and Moldova are lined up to start similar negotiations. Ukraine, reasonably enough, wants this agreement to be accompanied by an acknowledgment of its European destiny, and by clear steps towards reciprocal visa-free travel. Such an acknowledgement could be seen as formal recognition of the fact that membership of the EU remains a long-term option for Ukraine. All of that has been put in profound jeopardy by Tymoshenko’s trial. Of course, few saints grace Ukrainian politics. Indeed, large-scale corruption has become entrenched in the country’s political system, with various oligarchic groups often battling each other. The corruption networks surrounding the old
Opinion 5
supply agreement between Russia and Ukraine and whether it was legal has essentially become exclusively political. It’s not simply about putting a high-ranking civil servant on trial, but rather a leading opposition politician. Therefore all formalities and procedures should be upheld. This is how the international community treats similar cases, as evidenced by its negative backlash. The election technology of “two Ukraine’s” revived this new resistance. Reforms should be carried out with the following justification: one state, one nation. This event has unexpectedly set off another huge problem – chaos in the Ukrainian humanitarian sector which is run single-handedly, rather manipulated by Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk. His
Æ Tymoshenko arrest will only invigorate resistance
ideological bias exceedingly harms both society and the pro-government political party, since there isn’t a need to divide Ukraine. Instead there’s a need to unite and rally the nation together. Over the course of the last several months, much information came to light about the activities of Dmytro Tabachnyk from open sources of Æ8
Oleksander Fesan Kyiv builder “People are standing here and coming here not just because of Yulia Tymoshenko. We came here to protect our dreams for a bright future. Also, we came here to say ‘no to bandits,’ ‘no to usurpers’ and to call for a return to parliamentarianism in Ukraine.” Halyna Kasyanchuk Brovary pensioner "I think that soon people won’t suffer anymore and there will be a big struggle for democracy. Yanukovych and his policies have one month left.” Olha Bezverha Kyiv director of housing and communal services “Tymoshenko was accused unfairly, but I doubt people will stand up for her. We have already stood in protest on Maidan, [the main square, during the 2004 Orange Revolution,] and gained nothing from it. Oleksiy Shramko Kyiv auditor “Tymoshenko was accused unfairly. The judge is acting with prejudice. Tymoshenko and [ex-Interior Minister Yuriy] Lutsenko were accused of absurd charges. I think such actions just ruin the image of our country. It’s hard to say whether there will be another “Maidan” [revolution] or not. But there will be some reaction.” Vox Populi is not only in print, but also online at kyivpost.com with different questions. If you have a question that you want answered, e-mail the idea to kyivpost@kyivpost.com.
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6 Business
August 12, 2011
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Ukrainian Lukachuk takes charge of Kraft Foods‘ regional business BY O K S A N A FA RY N A FARYNA@KYIVPOST.COM
Taras Lukachuk, a 35-year-old Ukrainian, is taking over as a vice president of international food giant Kraft Foods, heading operations in Ukraine and helping to oversee 11 other markets in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Lukachuk accepted the big promotion, a rare instance of a Ukrainian being entrusted to such a high executive position at a multinational corporation, after veteran George Logush, a Ukrainian-American, was hired as vice president by leading Ukrainian poultry producer MHP. Lukachuk is a veteran of Kraft’s operations in Ukraine. He joined the company in Ukraine in 1995. It was then that Logush started building the group’s now strong business in Ukraine from scratch. As a student of Ukraine’s prestigious Kyiv Mohyla Academy back in 1995, Lukachuk was just 19 when he
Taras Lukachuk
started rubbing shoulders with some of the most experienced top executives at Kraft. At 24, Kraft appointed Lukachuk sales department manager. “Logush believed in me,” Lukachuk recalls. “At that time, I was pretty much the youngest manager at the company.”
ÆOn the move VOLODYMYR CHYRYKALO
During his first two years as sales director, his department – which was selling chocolates, snacks, coffee and other food products – was recognized as the best within the vast company. Lukachuk left Kraft for a year to gain experience in the investment banking business, returning in 2008. He was put in charge of Kraft’s business development in 11 Eastern Europe and Central Asia nations. When the time came to find a replacement for Logush this August, it didn’t take long for Kraft to appoint one. Lukachuk said one of his primary tasks will be to complete construction of a new production factory in Trostyanets, which is due to be opened at the end of this year. Kraft Foods has invested $36 million into this Sumy Oblast-based biscuit plant. Kraft pumped more than $200 million in capital investments into Ukraine since 1995. Contrary to many other companies, which suffered during the recent recession, Kraft came out even stron-
Ukraine, Lukachuk advised to find the “keys to the country.” “The first key is to come first to the market. Second is to have a primary focus, to treat it as a priority. The third key is to build a strong and stable local team of people who understand the Ukrainian market,” Lukachuk said. Much of the company’s local management team is comprised of Ukrainians who have stayed with the company for the past 15 years. A decade ago, most multinationals put expatriates in charge of their business in Ukraine. “This trend started changing because a new generation of Ukrainian managers is emerging,” Lukachuk said. There aren’t many of them in the most senior of positions at multinationals yet. But they are following in Lukachuk’s footsteps, gradually proving themselves at top management positions. Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna can be reached at faryna@kyivpost. com.
Send On the Move news to otm@kyivpost.com or contact Oksana Faryna at 234-6500. Items should include a photograph of the individual who has recently been appointed to a new position, a description of their duties and responsibilities, prior experience as well as education. Note: The Kyiv Post does not charge for publishing these notices or any news material.
LYUDMYLA PAKHUCHA was
joined NAI Pickard, a property consultancy company in Ukraine, as head of the retail real estate department. Prior to joining NAI Pickard, Chyrykalo worked as a project manager at Ukrainian Trade Guild, a Kyiv-based real estate developer, where he supervised leasing for commercial space at shopping centers. Chyrykalo has five years of experience in real estate. His specific areas of expertise include monitoring and analysis of the retail real estate market, supervision of projects from the concept development stage up to the opening of a shopping center, attracting tenants and consulting with investors. Chyrykalo graduated from Kyiv National University of Food Technology where he earned a master’s degree in information processing and management.
ger. Net revenues nearly doubled to more than $500 million over the last three years. “One should treat business in Ukraine as a long-term one,” Lukachuk said. If you take a long-term view of things, “when certain problems occur, you won’t curtail business activities, stop advertising, layoff people and squeeze investments. At the very peak of the recent crisis, we increased our investments into advertising budgets, in contrast to what other companies did. Now we are benefitting from that decision.” As of 2010, Kraft held a 60 percent market share of Ukraine’s salted snacks, 40 percent of instant and natural coffee and 24 percent of chocolates. In the first six months of this year, Kraft Foods Ukraine stood out as the group’s most quickly developing business unit in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa regions, according to Lukachuk. To build a successful business in
admitted to partnership at PwC Ukraine Assurance. She will lead audit and consultancy services to banking institutions. Pakhucha joined PwC Ukraine in 1994. She was involved in a number of audit assignments for central and commercial banks in Ukraine, Serbia and Kosovo. She has wide knowledge and experience in accounting and internal control issues faced by banks in transition economies. Pakhucha has also managed a number of due diligence engagements in the Ukrainian and Central European bank sectors. Pakhucha is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has a local banking audit certificate. She is a graduate of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University.
VOLODYMYR TRYHUBA has been appointed Jaguar brand director at Winner Imports Ukraine, an official importer of Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Porsche automobiles. In his new role, Tryhuba will manage sales, public relations and after sales activities for Jaguar throughout Ukraine, developing and implementing brand strategy nationwide. Tryhuba started his career at Winner Automotive in 2004 as a management trainee. In 2007 he was placed in charge of the Land Rover sales department. Tryhuba is a graduate of Ternopil National Economic University where gained a specialist‘s degree. He has also completed a master’s degree at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.
DMITRY DARKOV was appointed as an advisor to the chief executive officer of NASTA, a local insurance company. This appointment was made to strengthen company’s position in the VIP clients segment. Darkov will continue as a customer service center director at NASTA. Darkov has been working at NASTA since the first day of its foundation. He began his career in the company as head of the VIP client service department. Darkov has more than 11 years experience in insurance. Prior to NASTA he worked for several insurance companies, including Arma and Allianz Ukraine. He graduated from Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics with a master’s degree in insurance.
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Business 7
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TNK-BP IN UKRAINE
Nation braces for another painful economic beating BY K AT E RY N A PA N OVA PANOVA@KYIVPOST.COM
Ukraine is bracing for a possible repeat of the economic crisis of 2008-2009, experts say, pointing to fears of another global downturn in coming months. Global equity markets rallied on Aug. 9 after the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to preserve interest rates at close to zero until 2013, but confidence remains weak. Markets have plunged on fears that worldwide economic growth was stagnating on the heels of debt crises in the U.S. and European Union. Confidence in global growth was further rattled this month after credit rating agency Standard & Poors downgraded the US, the world’s largest economy. Fears and talk about a possible double-dip recession are spreading. If it happens, Ukraine, one of the world’s hardest hit economies during the 2009 recession with a 15 percent plunge in gross domestic product, could get hit hard yet again. Many world stock markets have in recent months dropped about halfway towards 2008-2009 levels. Ukraine’s small and relatively illiquid stock market crashed in the past week by more than 20 percent. Alexander Valchyshen, head of research at Kyiv-based Investment Capital Ukraine, said he expected a downturn, but probably less severe than that experienced in 2009. “There will be a downturn, but not as abrupt as in 2008,” Valchyshen said, holding out the hope for slight growth in gross domestic product this year. Kyiv’s economy remains heavily vulnerable to external shocks. Ranked as one of the world’s top 10 steel-exporting nations, its economy depends on world demand for steel. The global situation and Ukraine’s place in it is “very worrying,” according to Tim Ash, head of emerging market research in London at the Royal Bank of Scotland. “We are in an aggressive risk-off environment, with investors taking all risk off the table.” Fortunately, he said, Ukraine’s position is better than in 2008-2009, citing $37 billion in central bank reserves and improved budget revenues. “But the impact on Ukraine will be felt through the real economy, such as trade. The clear risk is that we see metals prices easing back which will impact heavily on Ukraine,” Ash added. Ukraine’s currency tumbled by nearly 50 percent in early 2008 and its public finances suffered heavily during the 2009 recession. Financial collapse was prevented with billions of dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund. The fund froze additional loans this year after President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration failed to deliver on austerity measures, namely bringing up household utility prices to market levels and increasing the retirement age, now set at a 55 for women and 60 for men. Ash said Ukraine will need to renew cooperation with the IMF. “The Ukrainian government needs to make sure it works to bring the IMF program back on track, to get some cash in the bank to put it in a better position to manage through what looks set to be a much more challenging global environment,” Ash said. Andriy Nesteruk, head of research at investment bank Jaspen Capital, said troubles could show as early as the fourth quarter of this year, if world steel prices drop while Russia hikes the price of Ukraine’s natural gas imports. Nesteruk said such a scenario could swell the nation’s current account deficit, as imports rise while exports fall, putting
Ukraine’s economic growth tightly pegged to global steel prices 900
15%
750
10%
600
5%
450
0%
300
-5%
150
-10%
0
2000
2001 2002 2003
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
-15%
Average CIS region Steel Price ($/ton) Ukraine’s gross domestic product (percentage change)
Coal miner Ihor Smetanin
Whistleblower coal miner reportedly forced out of job
Source: Dragon Capital
B Y V LA D LAV R OV LAVROV@KYIVPOST.COM
A trader nervously watches her screens at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 11. (AP)
Æ Global debt crisis revives fears that Ukraine may suffer most from downturn Timothy Ash from the Royal Bank of Scotland
pressure on the domestic currency. “Ukraine is a small and open economy that can’t, itself, affect the global situation,” said Ihor Burakovsky, a Kyivbased economist. “Rather, it needs to adapt to it.” Economists have long urged Ukraine to lift bureaucratic barriers to stimulate growth, particularly of small-tomedium-sized businesses. “I would also argue that on the political front it is hardly helpful that
Billionaire Rinat Akmetov
the government is taking legal action against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko,” Ash said, noting that her conviction would not be “viewed positively by investors.” Since independence in 1991, Ukraine has attracted only $50 billion in foreign direct investment, compared to the $200 billion that has poured into neighboring Poland, which has 10 million less people. Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Panova can be reached at panova@kyivpost. com
Openly criticizing dangerous conditions in which Ukraine’s underpaid coal miners work can be a bad career move. Ihor Smetanin said he has been asked by management to leave the company. He was a wagon driver at billionaire Rinat Akhmetov’s Luhansk coal mine, where 28 miners died in a methane explosion on June 29. But Ihor Kyryliuk, spokesperson for Akhmetov’s Metinvest mining and steel conglomerate, said Smetanin got a job at another company-owned coal mine, Samsonivska-Zakhidna. By the time this edition of the Kyiv Post went to press, Smetanin couldn’t be reached on his mobile phone for confirmation. One of the workers who brought the bodies of the dead miners to the surface, Smetanin vaulted on to the national spotlight after a video appeared online in which he blamed the mine’s management and owners for the deaths. “My supervisor gave me a sheet of paper and told me to write a resignation letter, saying that we won’t be able to work together,” Smetanin told the Kyiv Post in a phone interview on Aug. 8. “Look, don’t you understand that I won’t be able to stay there. Even if I stay, they will let me work for a month or two and then eat me alive. It’s better to quit.” In the video that may have cost him his job, Smetanin openly lamented the unrelenting pressure by mine owners to increase coal, saying that the coal miners “died because they keep [telling us]: ‘Come on! Faster! Give us [new] shafts, give us millions.” Other miners have gone public in recent years. Experts and free trade union activists say Ukraine’s authorities and business tycoons tightly control thousands of miners working in more than 1one hundred mines, in part through non-independent unions. Ukrainian miners are, on average, paid less than colleagues in neighboring Poland, despite strong business margins at the local mines. Domestic mines are also notoriously more dangerous. The miner’s departure from his job comes just days after Prime Minister
Mykola Azarov unexpectedly backed him. Without naming Akhmetov or managers by name, Azarov blamed the “greed” for the accident and promised protection to the miner. “I believe him (Smetanin). I see that he is desperate,” wrote Azarov on his Facebook page. “I will make sure his frankness doesn’t cost his job.” Vitaly Lukianenko, Azarov’s spokesman, said the prime minister is aware of the situation and instructed his subordinates to ensure that Smetanin is reinstated at Sukhodilska-Skhidna. “It’s a double-edged situation,” Lukianenko said. “Officially, Smetanin quit himself, even though one might imagine they forced him do so. If they did force him, he will get his job back.” Speaking to journalists on Aug. 11, Azarov reiterated his intentions to hold oblast officials responsible for Smetanin’s employment. “We won’t let anyone do away with Smetanin, no matter who he is,” Azarov said. But in an earlier interview with Kyiv Post, Smetanin said that despite all the trouble he got into, he does not regret what he said, even though he was very pessimistic that conditions at his coal mine will improve. “I am not sorry for what I said, but on the on the other hand, nothing will change. I should have just quit quietly and gone on searching for a better fate. [After the videotaped interview] my life has gotten much worse. I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown right now,” Smetanin said. Ukrainian coal mines are considered among the most dangerous in the world, with an accident rate of two people per one million tons of coal extracted. This is almost triple the mortality rate of the Chinese coal mines, 10 times higher than in Russia and almost 100 times higher than coal miners’ mortality in the United States. According to the experts, the widespread use of shady intermediaries and tax optimization schemes, common practice of selling the coal at below the market rates, as well as the chronic unwillingness of the billionaire owners to invest into the mines’ safety and modernization could be at the root of the problem. Kyiv Post staff writer Vlad Lavrov can be reached at lavrov@kyivpost. com.
8 Opinion/News
Kvit: Education in nation deteriorating
Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk
Æ5 information, various inquiries, and publications that run counter to Ukraine’s national interests. They are: 1. The non-transparent distribution of public spending in higher education institutions associated with increased tension in society, the lack of objective criteria for the allocation of state resources, withholding information about the actual volume of actual orders in various universities, thus violating the law on access to public information. 2. The discrediting of external independent testing for university entrants. 3. The commercialization and monopolization of scholastic exercises
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August 12, 2011
for students in grades 5-8, as well as the absence of relevant texts on the official website of the Education, Youth and Sports Ministry for two months. 4. The opaque situation concerning the procurement and supply of textbooks to schools. 5. The promotion of the passage of a new law on education, which contains norms that contradict principles of university autonomy and render impossible the development of competitive Ukrainian universities. Presently, the education system not only needs reforming but it also first needs to stop the process of degradation. Development of the national economy, the state and society is directly dependent on education and science. An intelligent educational policy is part of the idea of a united Ukraine for its development. So what should the government do? First it must release Tymoshenko from pre-trial detention. Second it should establish the position of vice prime minister of humanitarian issues who would be responsible for formulating state policy aimed at integrating society. Third Tabachnyk should be removed from his post as an abominable and unprofessional figure. Without these immediate steps the chance of returning to a healthy conversation about reforms will be lost. Serhiy Kvit is the president of Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
Students in Lviv on March 17, 2010, seek the ouster of Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, seen as "anti-Ukrainian." (AFP)-
Expectations vary for soccer games BY MA RK RACH KEV Y CH RACHKEVYCH@KYIVPOST.COM
Foreigners and Ukrainians alike choose Kyiv as their favorite Euro 2012 destination. Yet the capital’s residents are the least enthusiastic and second least likely of the four host cities to be hospitable to foreign visitors, a recent study says. A nationwide poll of Ukrainians conducted in June and released recently by market research firm GfK Ukraine, revealed that 84 percent of Kyivans embrace next year’s European soccer championship that is being co-hosted along with four Polish cities. The poll surveyed residents in all four Ukrainian host cities as well as foreigners visiting Ukraine. Residents in two eastern Ukrainian cities hosting games, Donetsk and Kharkiv, as well as Lviv, the nation’s largest city in the west, were slightly more enthusiastic: 89, 87 and 86 percent, respectively. Donetsk and Lviv residents will be the most hospitable toward foreigners, with 55 and 54 percent respectively, saying they’re willing to speak with and assist foreigners in their cities. Despite approval running high, three-quarters of Ukrainians believe the impact that the soccer tournament will have on Ukraine will exceed tournament-related expenses and possible losses. By the same token, 66 percent of Ukrainians fear that government investments in Euro 2012 will be stolen. Only a quarter of respondents think the government won’t recuperate its investments. Ukraine is definitely on the radar of foreigners. A whopping 93 percent of foreign visitors to Ukraine are aware that the nation will co-host the tournament. Most foreigners – 55 percent – think the event will make Ukraine better known the world. But only one of the 1,008 polled foreigners thought Ukraine will draw nearer to Europe as a result of hosting
The world’s largest plane, the Ukraine-built Antonov 225 Mriya (above), was the first plane to land on July 26 duringt the launching ceremony for a new runway at the Donetsk airport. Ukrainian officials held a bash at the airport that day to celebrate. The government spent $225 million on building the new runway as part of a massive infrastructure overhaul taking place ahead of the Euro 2012 soccer championship, which is being co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland. (Ukrainian Photo)
the soccer event. “Foreign guests don’t want or don’t believe in this prospect,” said Inna Volosevych, senior analyst with GfK Ukraine. By contrast, Lviv residents chose European integration as the biggest outcome. Kyiv and Kharkiv residents expect Ukraine to benefit from a higher global profile. Donetsk residents see infrastructure upgrades as the biggest achievement. The 51 percent of foreigners who plan on attending Euro 2012 matches chose Kyiv as their top destination, presumably because the capital will host the quarter-final and final matches, in addition to three group-stage matches, GfK observed. The picturesque city of Lviv, blessed with beautiful architecture, a caf? culture and cobblestoned streets, was next on foreigners’ list with 30 per-
cent, GfK said. The industrial city of Kharkiv was the least favored destination among foreigners and Ukrainians alike, 25 and 20 percent respectively. Not many host city residents said they’ll visit fan zones, large public areas set aside for entertainment complete with large-screen TVs, souvenir shops and other amenities, during the tournament. Lviv was the highest with 23 percent of residents wishing to visit fan zones whereas 13 percent of Kyiv residents said they’ll visit the fan areas. Thirty percent of Ukrainians believe their national team will make it to the Euro 2012 finals. Donetsk residents are the most optimistic among the host cities with 29 percent of hopefuls. Lviv and Kyiv residents are the least hopeful with 20 percent foreseeing their team playing for the Henri Delaunay Cup. Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at rachkevych@kyivpost.com.
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August 12, 2011
Foreign Ministry irks French Embassy BY K Y I V P O S T S TA FF
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry appears to have picked another fight with a European Union country last week, after its spokesman said France’s ambassador was being recalled to Paris, a rumor that the French Embassy in Kyiv quickly quashed. This is the second public spat the Ukrainian government has entered into with a country in the 27-bloc nation bloc which it says it wants to join. Earlier this year, the ministry rebuked the Czech Republic for offering political asylum to Bohdan Danylyshyn, a former economy minister who faced abuse-of-office charges in Ukraine. Kyiv later expelled two Czech military attaches, accusing them of spying. The latest scandal began when Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Aug. 5 quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying French ambassador in Kyiv Jacques Faure was being recalled to Paris after he had “crossed the line of what is regarded as acceptable in Paris.� The quote refers to Faure’s recent words about a criminal prosecution against Ukraine’s opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko that is widely seen to be a politically motivated attempt by the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych to sideline an opponent.
Faure was quoted on Tymoshenko’s party website as saying: “I did not want to comment on the trial, but I want to say that one is getting the impression in France that unfortunately the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko is very far from justice, but very close to politics.� Oleh Voloshyn, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman, confirmed to journalists that Faure was being recalled,
but said he didn’t know why. But a source at the French Embassy told the Kyiv Post that they suspected the Foreign Ministry was behind the original story. A second embassy source said that while Faure was set to leave Kyiv, the reason was that he was about to reach the end of his three-year period as ambassador. He arrived in Ukraine in
August 2008. “It’s just not true,� the source said, referring to the rumors about Faure being recalled. “Our ambassador should be leaving sooner or later because he has already been in Ukraine for three years, which is now the limit.� “The ambassador's position doesn't contradict the position of the [French foreign] ministry,� the source added.
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Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
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French Ambassador to Ukraine Jacques Faure
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On Aug. 11, the French Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Paris to inform him of its â&#x20AC;&#x153;concernâ&#x20AC;? at the detention of Tymoshenko â&#x20AC;&#x153;and more generally the progress of this process.â&#x20AC;? The ministry added in its statement that France and other EU countries were closely following developments.
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10 News
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August 12, 2011
Tymoshenko arrest triggers protests Æ1 the arrest could harm relations. On Aug. 10, Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko told a German newspaper that the arrest had complicated negotiations over free-trade and association agreements with the European Union. Prosecutors accuse Tymoshenko of abusing her power as prime minister in 2009 by ordering state energy firm Naftogaz to sign a contract with Russia’s Gazprom that prosecutors allege was against the national interest. If convicted, she faces imprisonment for up to 10 years and would be barred from holding public office. The decision to jail Tymoshenko during the trial came after another day of standoffs in the courtroom, where she openly mocked Prime Minister Mykola Azarov for speaking Russian in court instead of Ukrainian. On her Twitter micro-blog, Tymoshenko wrote that she would request an interpreter for him. Since the trial began in June, Tymoshenko has repeatedly defied Kireyev, calling him a puppet of the presidential administration. Tymoshenko accuses the judge of not giving her a fair chance to defend herself against the charges, by refusing to allow her witnesses to appear in court and interfering in her questioning of witnesses called by the prosecution. Kireyev ordered her detained by police, who escorted her to an armored truck that drove her to the Lukyanivska detention center after riot police shoved supporters out of its path. As the trial resumed on Aug. 8, a rally of several hundreds of supporters were taking place outside the courtroom demanding her release. The crowd spilled across both sides of Khreshchatyk Street, Kyiv’s main thoroughfare, jamming the underpass beneath. Some protestors held portraits of Tymoshenko; other waved the flags of her party, a red heart on a white background. A stage was erected for speakers, including Tymoshenko’s right-hand man Oleksandr Turchynov. The Kyiv Post counted about 1,000 police officers inside and outside more than 30 buses that lined the street. In their full uniform of high rubber boots, helmets and protective vests, some ate ice cream, while others watched journalists and protesters curiously. Alongside the pro-Tymoshenko protests stood a neatly organized antiTymoshenko gathering behind large black banners decrying her actions. Speakers with loudspeakers from both camps competed to be heard. While Tymoshenko’s supporters mingled, her
Æ Western response could hurt government worse than opposition rallies on Kyiv streets opponents stood in neat rows, waving flags in unison. Each camp claimed that the other’s protestors had been paid to turn up, which each side in turn denies. The courtyard outside the Pechersk District Court was filled with journalists and politicians. Opposition politicians, including former Verkhovna Rada speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk, put their names to a declaration condemning political persecution. Inside the courtroom, which was packed with diplomats, opposition lawmakers and church leaders, the judge refused three motions filed by Tymoshenko’s lawyer to free her on bail. As the week wore on, protesters thinned out, numbering several hundred on the evening of Aug. 10, but the police presence remained impressive. As the jail car emerged from court to take her back to the detention center, around 50 riot police ran alongside in a protective cordon, as hundreds of others formed a barrier along Khreshchatyk. Tymoshenko is being held in the same cell as when she was detained for several weeks in 2001 on charges of forgery and smuggling, dating back to when she headed a natural gas trading company in the mid-1990s. During this period of time, she became spectacularly wealthy as a protege of ex-Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, now serving a U.S. prison sentence after being convicted of money laundering and other financial crimes. A decade ago, she was freed from jail by a judge and emerged as a major opposition force, eventually leading the Orange Revolution. Tymoshenko and her supporters have urged people to hit the streets and protest in an attempt to repeat
Police officers in riot gear clear a path through crowds of protesters for a prison car transporting former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko from court to a detention center on Aug. 10. (Alexey Furman)
Several hundred protesters and a similar number of police officers take to Khreshchatyk Street, Kyiv's main thoroughfare, on Aug. 10. (Alexey Furman)
that success. But analysts are skeptical. “People are disappointed in all politicians, including Tymoshenko. Her negative rating is around 70 percent,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta think-tank. If dissent within Ukraine has done little to worry the authorities, the
chorus of disapproval from Western governments is a warning shot that relations, which Yanukovych has been keen to strengthen, are souring. The U.S. government repeated earlier warnings that the trial against Tymoshenko looked like selective justice, and urged that her “incarceration be reviewed and consideration be
given to her immediate release.” The European Union said it was “extremely concerned” by the arrest. Even Russia weighed in, saying that the gas deal “was in accordance with the laws of both countries and international agreements.” Analysts said the Kremlin wants to protect the gas contract and prevent any attempt by the Ukrainian government to break it off. While the government assured that the arrest would not affect attempts to pursue closer ties with Europe, including signing a free trade agreement, Tigipko, the deputy prime minister, told the German financial daily Handelsblatt that “the trial against Tymoshenko is naturally complicating the negotiating process.” Political analyst Volodymyr Kornilov said the government did not expect such a strong reaction from abroad, and now seems at a crossroads without an immediate plan. “On the one hand, to close the case and free Tymoshenko means losing face for the ruling party. On the other hand, to jail Tymoshenko means spoiling relations not only with the West but with Russia as well,” Kornilov said. Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at tuchynska@kyivpost.com. Mark Rachkevych and Oksana Markina contributed to this story.
Yanukovych refuses to interfere in Tymoshenko’s trial (Reuters) Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Aug. 11 defended a criminal court action against his political rival former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and refused to interfere in her trial. Yanukovych has come under pressure from the European Union and United States to intervene in the Tymoshenko trial, which many Western governments say appears to be politically motivated.
Yanukovych and Tymoshenko have been at daggers drawn since he narrowly defeated her in an ill-tempered election for president in February 2010. Her supporters say the trial on a charge of abuse-of-office and which has been going on for several week is aimed at neutralizing her as an opposition force. Replying specifically to Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic,
Yanukovych said the Ukrainian court system was “independent and unbiased”. “I can not and will not interfere in the work of the Ukrainian courts,” he wrote in a letter to Klaus, the text of which was published on Yanukovych’s presidential website. Referring not only to Tymoshenko’s trial but others in which some of her former allies have been imprisoned, he said: “None of today’s court hear-
ings involving former state civil servants have been or can be politically motivated.” In a letter to Yanukovych on Tuesday, Klaus asked for his assurance that the trial was not being used to settle “personal and political differences inside Ukrainian politics”. Tymoshenko, 50, is accused of exceeding her authority and coercing the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz into signing an agreement
with Russia’s Gazprom in 2009 that saddled the country with an unfavourable price for Russian gas. She denies this. Since the trial began at the end of June, Tymoshenko has refused to stand for the judge and denounced him as a Yanukovych “puppet.” The judge on Aug. 5 ordered her to be held in police custody for contempt of court, triggering street protests outside the city centre courthouse.
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August 12, 2011
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Hospitable hostels grow in popularity
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Only geeks need to use Google+ Everyone knows that Facebook â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular social network â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is inconvenient and messy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine anything else that could be attractive to 700 million users while being so ugly. Social networks are the main trend of the web now, and there is no better social network than Facebook. But some tech junkies think there soon will be. Some experts have declared Google+, the new social networking site launched by the Internet giant in June, as the start of a revolution. It has a clean design and unique features. With 20 million users signed up after just two weeks, could Facebook be in trouble? No. Google+ is the perfect social network for geeks. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it. Ordinary people will stick to Facebook until the trend changes and something new emerges. Here is why.
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Guests rest in a dormitory at Kyiv Central Station, which offers a mix of shared and private rooms. (Alissa Ambrose)
BY A L I S S A A MB R OS E
Tucked discretely into residential buildings and often marked only by small placards, most youth hostels in Kyiv are easy to miss. But for the past six years, the Ukrainian hostelling industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with support from government tourism
authorities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has been quietly growing. With the push to expand tourism for Euro 2012, the soccer championships to be co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, new hostels are appearing all the time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are opening up like mushrooms,â&#x20AC;? said Roman Ponomarenko,
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president of Hostelling International Ukraine. Youth hostels are budget accommodations that typically offer beds in communal dormitories. Ponomarenko organized the first hostels in Ukraine in 2004 with the help of a Hr 300,000 grant from the Ministry of Youth,
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Family and Sport. He currently runs the Ukrainian chapter of Hostelling International out of a governmentowned building on Artema Street that doubles as the 120-bed International Youth Hostel Kiev. At 10-15 euros per night, the average cost for a hostel stay in Ukraine Ă&#x2020;12
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Apple redesigned Facebook, it would save millions of hours of time every day,â&#x20AC;? famous film critic Roger Ebert once said. Apple, of course, is too busy getting enormous profits from iPads and iPhones, and social networking is not something its CEO Steve Jobs has extra time to think about. But it seems that Google has clearly understood what Ebert wanted to say. Google hired Andy Herzfeld, one of the designers who invented the Mac interface back in 1980s, to create the unique look and feel of Google+. The mission was accomplished successfully. G+ looks beautiful and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much more pleasant that Facebook. Usability has also been taken into account. All the menus are in their logical spots just a few clicks away. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to roam into meaningless corridors of Facebook settings to find something. The core feature of G+ is what they call circles. You choose other users to follow and include them in circles. You can have as many of them as you want. And when posting you can choose which circles can read your post. For example, you have two circles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; friends and colleagues. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want your colleagues to read your discussion about beer on Friday evening, and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want your friends to be bored with your business stuff. So all you have to do is just pick the right circle when you publish your post. On Facebook you have almost the same functions available, but you have to be Sherlock Holmes to find the necessary settings menu. One more thing. On Facebook, reciprocity seems to be the most fundamental thing. If you want to be friends with someone, you need his or her approval. No such problem in Ă&#x2020;13
12 Lifestyle
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August 12, 2011
More travelers discover joys of staying in inexpensive hostels Æ11 is far lower compared to a 100300 euro hotel room. Bathrooms, kitchens and lounges are almost always communal while other perks like wireless Internet, breakfast and organized tours vary from place to place. Despite the moniker “youth hostel,” travelers of all ages are welcome, with some restrictions for young children. Several rooms in The Kyiv Central Station hostel on Hoholivska Street were recently taken over by an older Peace Corps couple and their entire extended family who were visiting from the United States. They are a good resource for budget travelers in the know, but youth hostels haven’t caught on yet with the general public in Ukraine. “Many people are not even aware that such a thing exists or they have a kind of prejudice that a hostel is something dirty, packed with other people, something cheap and terrible,” said hostel owner Artem Danilov. “But when they actually stay here, they are very surprised.” Danilov is the owner of the TIU Kreshchatik hostel, which occupies a converted apartment in the city center. The 10-bunk dormitory and one private room on Khreshchatyk Street are simple but clean and comfortable. It is normal to see a range of travelers, including European tourists, journalists and newly arrived workers from Belarus mingle in the common room or chat over tea in the shared kitchen. Right now, the majority of hostellers in Ukraine come from the former Soviet Union, according to Hostelling International Ukraine. But a recent deal with British travel agency TUI could change that. TUI, which is the official accommodation agency for Euro 2012, being jointly hosted by Ukraine and Poland, will promote Ukrainian hostels for the European championship soccer games next summer with a standardized price of 18-22 euros per bed. Not all hostels will participate, however, including Danilov’s. He is able to fill his beds with regular travelers, he said, and would rather avoid a rowdy crowd of football fans. But next summer’s events aren’t only about football. It is a chance to
ÆIf you don't mind sharing space, hostels are much cheaper than hotels and a great place to meet fellow travelers promote Ukraine as a travel destination and government tourism officials think that hostelling can play a part by appealing to budget travelers. “Hostels build bridges between the nations by supporting tourism,” said Dmytro Zaruba, deputy head of state tourism and tourist services. “There are very few cheap accommodation facilities in Ukraine. And most tourists are looking for the cheapest possible option.” Hostelling International Ukraine has received annual grant funding from the government and, according to Zaruba, state agencies will continue to support initiatives to promote hostelling in international trade and travel shows. Official government standards for youth hostels were recently developed, according to Zaruba, and should be implemented by the end of the year. Travelers thinking about booking a hostel stay in Ukraine should consider checking customer reviews first. HostelWorld.com and the Thorn Tree travel forum (www.lonelyplanet.com/ thorntree/index.jspa) tend to have reliable information. Keep in mind that while some hostels maintain a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, others cater to travelers who want to party, so make sure to choose the one that is right for you. Hostel beds fill up quick, so book in advance if possible, especially during tourist season. Most hostels will accommodate drop-ins if they have a bed available, but there is no guarantee.
Olga Khokhlova, the live-in hostess at TIU Kreshatik, prepares tea in the hostel's shared kitchen. (Alissa Ambrose)
This is a list of all the hostels listed in Kyiv, but according to Hostelling International Kyiv, more should be opening soon. Not all of the hostels are Hostelling International members, but ratings of all of them can be read online. Map of All Kyiv Hostels: www.hostelworld.com/hostels/Kiev/ Ukraine/Map (Hostel World) Hostel Ukraine Kiev Backpackers 28 Yaroslaviv Val 4th floor Apt 13 Kiev Lodging Hostel 5 Pushkinskaya St, Apt 10 Kiev- Art Hostel 20 Konstantinovskaya, office 29 Dream Hostel- Kiev 47 Chernovoarmiis’ka St (http://dreamhostel.com, +38 044 289 36 13) Hostel Really Central Kiev 10 Bogdana Khmelnilskogo Floor 2 Apt 50 (www.reallycentralkiev.hostel.com, +380 982 636506) TIU Kreshatik 8b Kreshatik St, Apt 11 One Step Independence Square Hostel 18/1 G Prorizna St, Floor 4, Apt 35 City Center Hostel 2 Sofiivska St, Apt 10 Podol Hostel 26/24 Mejigirska, Apt 19 Kiev Central Station 25 Gogolivska, Apt 11 (www.kievcentral-
station.com, +380 9 37 58 7468) Lvivska Brama 10 Artema St, Floor 2, Apt 15 Magic Bus Kiev 31 Saksagunskogo St Apt 3 St Sophia Hostel 2 Heorhiyvskyi Ln, Apt 2 Art Lounge Hostel 18B Horkoho, Apt 14 (www.facebook. com/pages/Art-Lounge-Hostel/123621717717054#!/pages/ArtLounge-Hostel/123621717717054?sk=info, +380 637 294 688 ) D’Lux Kiev Hostel 10 Observatorna, Floor 6, Apt 6 Eurohostel Kiev 11 Lesi Ukrainki, Apt 31 Downtown Hostel 12 Kropvynytskogo St, Floor 5, Apt 18 (+380 98 263 6506) Chillout Hostel Kiev 22B/35 Gorkogo (www.chillouthostelkiev. com, +380933324306) International Youth Hostel Yaroslav 10 Yaroslavska St TIU Kiev Backpackers 18 Krashnoarmejska St, Apt 15 Salve Hostel 18/1G Prorizna St, Floor 6, Apt 46 Why Not? 30/3a Saksahanskoho (http://whynothostels.com/ kiev/kiev.html, +380636883880) Center Kyiv Podil 48/28 Verhniy Val, Apt 7 International Youth Hostel “Kiev” Backpackers 52 a Artema st, building 2, Apt 813
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Kyiv Cricket Club gladly welcomes teams participating in the Kyiv Cricket League: KCC, BUCC, Seniors, Friends, Kagarlyk, Combined XI & EverGreen XI The League’s competition begins on May 28 through August 14, 2011 with games at the Voskhod Stadium at 6 Pryvokzalna Street, Kyiv. You are invited with family, friends & colleagues! Cold beer & snacks available to beat the heat & enjoy watching the game.
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August 14 Sunday
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Results of Kyiv Cricket League held on August 6-7, 2011: August 6 Saturday August 7 Sunday
Kagarlyk vs EverGreen
EverGreen won by 8 wickets
KCC vs BUCC
KCC won by 37 runs
BUCC vs EverGreen
EverGreen won by 5 wickets
Kagarlyk vs KCC
Man of the Match: Bimal Man of the Match: Puneet Man of the Match: Alok
KCC won by 4 wickets Man of the Match: Shailesh Rajendraprasad
Kagarlyk: 122 runs/7 wickets EverGreen: 125 runs/2 wickets KCC: 162 runs/5 wickets BUCC: 125 runs/5 wickets BUCC: 130 runs/8 wickets EverGreen: 131 runs/5 wickets Kagarlyk: 126 runs /6 wickets KCC: 127 runs/6 wickets
Thanks to everyone involved in the Kyiv Cricket League!
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Through Aug. 17, 4:30 p.m. (Courtesy)
Aug. 14, 8 p.m.
Entertainment Guide 13
(www.folk.ee)
La Mala Cabeza duo
August 12, 2011
This experimental duo was born in 2005 when Spanish vocalist and saxophonist Paco Serrano met French accordionist Florian Demonsant. Since then, the musicians have come up with several projects that they have shown all over Europe as well as in Asia and Africa. At their ďŹ rst concert in Kyiv, La Mala Cabeza will demonstrate their new project called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nontrivial Tango,â&#x20AC;? which they say is a mix of live music and a theatrical performance. Apart from Kyiv, the musicians will perform in other Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv and Lviv. Friday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., Divan, Kyiv, 2 Bessarabka Square, 235-7366. Tickets: free. Tuesday, Aug. 16, 8 p.m., Salo museum, Lviv, 6/8 Svobody Prospekt, (032)2355536. Tickets: Hr 65. Friday, Aug. 19, 7 p.m., Jazzter Club, Kharkiv, 11/13 Teatralniy Lane, (0572)7064819. Tickets: Hr 80-120.
Ă&#x2020;11 G+. Like in Twitter, the friendship here can be a one-way street. Group video chats (hangouts) are supposed to be the killer feature of G+. You can have a video chat with as many as 10 people simultaneously. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no such thing on Facebook at all. They replied immediately with a video chat function a few days after the G+ launch. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a tet-a-tet chat only.
Cons
(Ukrainian Photo)
Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 13-14
Sweet honey This weekend is the best time to buy fresh honey, as on Aug. 14 Orthodox Christians celebrate a special holiday known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Medoviy Spas,â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Honey Savior.â&#x20AC;? Traditionally on this day priests bless fresh honey with water, after which people are allowed to eat this healthy and delicious product. The festival is celebrated in mid-August because honeycombs are usually full of honey by then and beekeepers can start to collect it. To celebrate this day, Pyrohiv museum launched Beekeeperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Days, which will take place on Aug. 13-14 on the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main square. About 20 beekeepers from central Ukraine will sell linden, ďŹ&#x201A;ower, buckwheat and other types of honey collected this year. On Saturday morning, there will also be a fair selling different kinds of traditional bread and a concert of folk bands. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 13-14, National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, Pyrohiv village, marshrutka 156 from Bessarabska Square or trolleybus #11 from Lybidska metro station. Open daily from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., tickets Hr 20, 5265765, www.pirogovo.org.ua.
Bondarev: Google+ no threat to others
Melancholia by Lars von Trier A new movie by the scandalous Danish director can ďŹ nally be seen in its original language in Kyiv. Von Trier, who won the Palme dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his drama Dancer in the Dark, was banned from the festival this year after saying that he sympathized with Adolf Hitler. His long awaited movie, Melancholia, was not taken out of the competition, however, and Kirsten Dunst, who played the main part in the movie, received the Palme dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Or as best actress. The movie tells the story of two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg), one of whom is preparing to have an incredible wedding. But the celebration is in danger as a nearby planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with the Earth. Every day through Aug. 17, 4:30 p.m., Kyiv cinema, blue hall, 19 Velyka Vasylkivska St., 234-3380, www.kievkino.com.ua. Tickets: Hr 30, 40. Movie is demonstrated in English with Ukrainian subtitles.
Compiled by Oksana Faryna
Circles are good. But they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fix the oldest problem of Facebook and its clones â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the trash in the news stream. Some of your friends might often write about things you are not interested in. And you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to remove them. They are your friends after all. In Facebook, there is no solution at all. In G+ there is only a partial solution. If you care about your friends, you will spread them into different circles so that you never bother them with unwanted information. But 99 percent of ordinary users never even bother to change the default wallpaper after they buy a new computer. Who could expect such a user to start sorting out friends in circles, especially if he or she has hundreds or thousands of friends? My prediction is that most G+ newcomers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother paying attention to circles. They will use G+ exactly like they use Facebook and that will be the end of the story. Circles as well as hangouts are features for geeks who care about technical stuff a lot. Those 20 million users who have joined G+ already are mostly geeks. There is no threat to the 700-million army of non-geek users of Facebook. Facebook might be ugly and inconvenient. But everybody is there. You can find people and companies from any field of activity or interest. There must be some serious feature to make you switch to something new. There is no such feature in G+. G+ will be popular. But it is no threat to Facebook domination. Kyiv Post staff writer Alexey Bondarev can be reached at bondarev@kyivpost. com.
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16 Lifestyle
www.kyivpost.com
August 12, 2011
Dnipro River too dirty? Kyiv still offers plenty of places to swim under the sun BY O L E K S A N D R A DIMIT RIYEVYC H DIMITRIYEVYCH@KYIVPOST.COM
This summer’s options for outdoor swimming have been limited by the authorities’ decision to close all official beaches in Kyiv, saying that the low quality of water poses a danger to health. But as summer enters its final month, there are plenty of other places to enjoy any sun we get in outdoor pools, clean lakes or, if the weather lets us down, at huge indoor aqua parks. If you go to a pool or aqua park, you mustn’t forget a health certificate from your dermatologist, slip on shoes and a swimming cap.
Swimming pools: Yunist Yunist isn’t just a swimming pool, but a whole complex with a gym, sauna and solarium. There are two pools – a 50-meter outdoor swimming pool with five lanes and a 25-meter indoor pool. There are special groups for children and classes in water aerobics. Not only does Yunist offer the largest outdoor pool, it’s also the warmest at 27 C, even in winter. For all this relative luxury, the high price shouldn’t be much of a surprise, at Hr 65-75 for 45 minutes, depending when you visit. To visit this pool you should make a payment in any bank in Kyiv using a form printed off its website. Yunist, 7 Bastionna Str., metro Druzhby Narodiv, http://openpool.kiev. ua/, www.swimming-pool.vitava.com.ua/ kiev/basein-yunost.php
5 Element This is a huge sport complex where, alongside an outdoor pool, you can find everything from a gym to a beauty room. The downside for swimmers is that you have to buy a club card, which gives you access not only to the pools but also to all of the services in center. The club has four pools: a 25-meter indoor pool with four lanes, a pool for children, an outdoor hydro-massage pool with sea-salt and an outdoor sum-
Located outside of Kyiv, Terminal water park has a wave pool and water slides. You can even drink beer and eat pizza at a poolside bar. (Courtesy)
mer pool, which you can also relax beside if you want to work on your tan. Right before you start your trainings or visiting the pool, you’ll get full diagnostics in the center, they will create your own training program. 5 Element, 29 Elektrykiv Str., metro Kontraktova Ploshcha, http://5el.com. ua/services/bassein/
Lakes: Although Telbin lake beach – the only official sandy lake beach in Kyiv – has been closed by authorities, there are few lakes in Kyiv that are still considered safe. The biggest lake in Kyiv, Almazne, is not recommended for those who want to swim, as the water hasn’t been tested, but many people swim there anyway.
Ministersky Lake This lake is the ideal spot for those who want to hang out with friends in the countryside. And it’s convenient even if you don’t have a car. The lake there is deep and clean, there are even few sandy beaches, everything else is just a wild beach, where you can kick back right on the grass under a tree. The place is picturesque, but sometimes scenic view can be ruined by
The wave pool at Terminal aqua park in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, is popular with visitors. (Courtesy)
private houses with high fences that have appeared recently. The infrastructure is rather bad, so you should bring everything with you. There are only a few places where you can buy water or beer, and there are no toilets. You can often meet fishermen there – another hint that water in the lake is clean. The beaches are clean, too, and there are not many people there on weekdays. How to get there: From Minska metro station take bus 99 or marshrutka 172 to the Mayorova stop; from Heroiv Dnipra metro station take any marshrutka that goes to Vyshhorod and get off at the Ministersky Lake stop.
Verbne Lake This lake is situated in a few minutes from Petrivka metro station, and surrounded by greenery, so you can spend hot summer days just walking along the shores of the lake. There’s no sandy beach here, and there’s a lot of garbage and bottles, but it’s still a favorite of students and young people. The water here is clean, but you might not like to get in when there are a lot of people splashing around, as the mud rises from the bottom.
One big plus here is that there are a lot of places to have a snack or just buy a bottle of water. How to get there: From Petrivka metro station, take a marshrutka to Moskovsky Prospect.
Almazne Lake This is the biggest lake in Kyiv, and a lot of people like to spend summer ays here, even though there’s no official beach. The lake is surrounded with the pine forest, and some people say the nature here is among the most beautiful in Kyiv. Beside the lake, you’ll find people relaxing in different ways, be it fishing or cycling. There’s a lot of rubbish on the bank of the lake, but the water seems to be clean at first sight. People on different forums say that the main indicator of clean water is that crayfish inhabit the lake. But you may change your mind about swimming if you catch a glimpse on the shore of the lake of Lisove cemetery and decide it’s better just to enjoy the picturesque views. How to get there: From Chernihivska metro station, take marshrutka 416, 419, 418, 236, 434 or 414 to the Kraynya Street stop, then walk for 20 minutes to reach the lake.
Aqua parks: If August doesn’t bring any sunshine, you can still have swimming fun at indoor aqua parks, which offer a wide range of entertainment alongside swimming.
Dream Island at Dream Town This aqua park claims to be the biggest in the former Soviet Union, and is certainly packed with an impressive number of things to do: You can swim in one of five pools, ride down one of 14 water slides, or just rest in the lagoon which boasts an aqua bar. There are plenty of places to relax, too, including an array of baths, saunas and a Jacuzzi. Dream Town, Obolonsky prospekt 21-B, metro Minska or Obolon.
Aqua Park at Terminal: It’s well known for its entertainment. It boasts a pool with waves, six slides, a jacuzzi and aspecial spa-zone for sauna- and bath-lovers. There’s also a children’s zone specially designed with kids in mind. http://aquapark-terminal.com.ua/ 316 Kyivska Str., Brovary (a Kyiv suburb), from Lisova metro station, take marshrutka 404 to the Terminal stop.
Presidential embrace
Ukraine's poor run continues
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, welcomes Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych at a presidential residence outside Sochi, Russia's Black Sea resort on Aug. 11. No agreements were announced by the time this editio of the Kyiv Post went to press. But in the run-up to the visit, Ukraine has been trying to seek cheaper prices for Russian gas imports while the Kremlin has criticized the Aug. 5 arrest of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, on trial for abuse-of-authority charges for a 2009 gas deal she reached with Russia. The Kremlin said there was nothing illegal about the deal. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Vladimir Rodionov, Presidential Press Service)
Sweden's Christian Wilhelmsson takes on two Ukraine defenders during his team's 1-0 over Ukraine's national team in a friendly game in Kharkiv on Aug. 10. Sweden substitute player Tobias Hysen scored the only goal in injury time at the end of the game, extending Ukraine’s poor run to just one victory in the last 10 games. As co-host of the Euro 2012 soccer championship, Ukraine will play only friendly games until the tournament kicks off next summer. (AP)