Stories about Ukraine from July, 2006
Ukraine: Universal of the National Unity
LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the Universal of National Unity that president Yushchenko expects the leading Ukrainian politicians to sign, and some of the problems that surround the negotiation process.
Latvia: Baltica Festival
Dykun posts footage from the Baltica Festival in Latvia: “More specifically, this is footage of two groups from Latgale. Latgale is a region of Latvia that has long fascinated me; it is considered by many to be the most rural part of Latvia, and it shares a long border to...
Ukraine: Waiting for Yushchenko
Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine posts a brief update on Ukrainian politics and offers a few apolitical links.
Ukraine: Blog in Ukrainian
LJ user laset (UKR) has launched a free WordPress blog service for those who would like to blog in Ukrainian.
Russia, Ukraine: Stories About Words
Below is the translation of three stories about words: in the first one, they are being banned; in the second, they offend; in the third, there aren't enough of them. LJ user plushev, a Russian radio journalist, writes (RUS) about the government's attack on the name of the controversial National...
USA: Ukrainian Sunflower Festival of Detroit
Greg of Reflections on Ukraine writes about the Ukrainian Sunflower Festival of Detroit, scheduled to take place Aug. 25-27, 2006.
Ukraine: Relying on Contradictory Reports
LEvko of Foreign Notes points out a serious problem one encounters when attempting to follow Ukrainian politics: “Tracking events in Ukrainian politics is often confusing because of conflicting and contradictory reports and comments given by the media, and by leaders and spokesmen from differing political parties.”
Ukraine: Parking and Driving on Kyiv Sidewalks
The Humble Observer writes about Kyiv's sidewalks: not just a walking place for pedestrians, but also an “optional lane” and a parking lot for cars.
Ukraine: Politics and Bribes
Orange Ukraine and Vilhelm Konnander discuss the political situation in Ukraine. Petro's Jotter and Foreign Notes write about corruption of the country's leading politicians.
Ukraine: Maidan, Again, Sort Of
Kyiv, Independence Square: “President Kuchma – shame, Yushchenko – the nation's disappointment. Moroz – betrayed the Maidan!” – by Veronica Khokhlova Nearly two years after the Orange Revolution, there are tents at Kyiv's Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) again. The camp isn't big, and it looks dormant for now, but as...
Ukraine: Politics in the Open
Wu Wei points out a positive aspect in what's happening in Ukrainian politics: “The only hopeful thing I can think of is that these days all the changing sides and bribery and “principled stands” are happening more or less under the eyes of the world and not completely in closed...
Ukraine: Platskart Train Car
The Humble Observer describes a ride in a third-class Ukrainian train car, platskart: “I usually ride in second class, where the rooms have four bunks. But when there’s no tickets, I ride with the masses ride in Plat. It’s a wagon on the train with no separate rooms, just lined...
Ukraine: Old Faces, New Positions
Abdymok updates Ukrainian ‘who is who in politics’ list – old names, new positions. He writes: “there is no point theorizing about coalition configurations and broad coalitions when criminals and political thugs [read: yanukovych, azarov, pyskun, kivalov, dziha, moroz, symonenko, etc.] are running the show.” And: “if the president decides...
Ukraine: “Microscopic, Telescopic Views”
Adrian J. Erlinger of Leopolis writes on “microscopic, telescopic views” of the current political situation in Ukraine: “By the looks of mini-Maidan, the most progressive of the Ukrainian electorate have come down with a case of electoral fatigue.”
Israeli Women Blog the War, in Russian
The Israeli blogosphere has a Russian-language corner: quite vocal, it is populated mainly by those who emigrated from the former Soviet states in the past few decades. Below is a selection of posts about the war, written by Israeli women, in Russian. LJ user gollitely (Lena Lagutina, Jerusalem) – July...
Ukraine: Hutsul Wedding Video
Stefan of Dykun offers his readers a break from Ukrainian politics: an annotated video of a Hutsul wedding. “The wedding was that of a cousin of a friend, Anna. Much of Anna's heritage is Hutsul. Hutsuls and their descedents have lived in their part of the Carpathians for some 500-600...
Ukraine: Sheshory Folk Festival
The Humble Observer reports on a trip to a folk music festival in Sheshory, a small town in West Ukraine's Transcarpathians: “Imagine Pete Seiger learns Ukrainian and plays with an instrument that you crank (no kidding) and you have something like what I was at last weekend.”
Belarus, Russia: Ways (Not) to Develop
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog shares his views on what Belarus is and what it's not, as well as what it should not do if it wants to turn into a “a much-improved version of Russia.”
Ukraine: “Devushka Style”
Carpetblogger muses on fashion in the former Soviet Union, posts some pictures and dissects what she calls “Devushka Style“: “I will stick to my original word choice – “hyper-feminine” — to describe Devushka style. “Ho” is a cultural construct to which I will not subscribe. Women who don't cover their...
Ukraine: Eating Out in Kyiv
WuWei writes about eating out in Kyiv: “We had breakfast in the Kofe Haus cafe near the Opera, which was friendly though its pricing seemed odd. You could have a croissant, coffee and fresh orange juice as breakfast for 19 gryvnas or you could have fresh orange juice for the...
Ukraine: Lebanon-Israel Connection
It may not seem so – but it's a very small world. To know that someone we hold dear is directly affected by what for us is nothing but a headline is one way to feel this smallness. As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, a Ukrainian LJ user...
