· April, 2011

Stories about Ukraine from April, 2011

Ukraine: Memories and Photos of Chernobyl in August 1986

RuNet Echo  28 April 2011

Aleksandr Strannik (LJ user av-strannik) arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in mid-August of 1986, some four months after the April 26 blast at Reactor #4, to assist in the clean-up effort. Twenty-five years later, he is sharing some of his memories and photos from that time.

Belarus, Ukraine: “Chernobyl: The First Month”

  23 April 2011

At OpenDemocracy.net, Barys Piatrovich, a Belarusian writer and journalist, recalls the first month after the Chernobyl catastrophe of April 26, 1986: “It was difficult for me to write this text. I've been working up to it for over twenty years. More than once I have started to write but given...

Ukraine: Politicians As “Folklore Characters”

  22 April 2011

Good Girl Gone Ukrainian writes that by now many Ukrainians perceive the country's politicians as “some sort of folklore characters,” and offers examples of “jokes, user-generated videos and photo collages circulated on- and offline.”

Ukraine: “Chernobyl Tourism: Time to Put an End”

  21 April 2011

Leopolis writes about the negative effect of “Chernobyl tourism”: “It has been branded as extreme tourism. The only problem is that as opposed to jumping off a cliff, you see the site that caused, and continues to cause, lots and lots of suffering.”

Ukraine: “Crumbs From the Table”

  20 April 2011

Foreign Notes reports that a Ukrainian MP Rinat Akhmetov has bought a penthouse in London for £136 million ($222 million), and intends to donate $1 million for the construction of the new containment structure at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; Akhmetov's fellow Party of Regions MP Mykola Lisin died in...

Ukraine: Kyiv Post Editorial Staff on Strike

  18 April 2011

Democratist writes about the situation with Kyiv Post, an English-language newspaper whose staff went on strike last week to protest the publisher's decision to fire the editor-in-chief over the publication of an interview with the Ukrainian minister of agriculture.

Ukraine: Chernobyl Charity Walk on April 22

  16 April 2011

On April 22, a group of volunteers from the British and French embassies in Ukraine will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe and fundraise for the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund (CCRDF) and the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA) by walking 63 miles (110 km)...

Ukraine: Natural History Museum; Farmers’ Markets

  15 April 2011

A walk through Kyiv's Natural History Museum – at Uncataloged Museum; a look at Kyiv's farmers’ markets (here and here), as well as a traditional Ukrainian recipe for a viburnum (kalyna) drink, “delicious and nourishing” – at The Pickle Project.

Ukraine: Photos of presidential palace

  15 April 2011

Foreign Notes comments on pictures published by Ukrainian daily Segodnya [RU] of Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich's, new palace on the outskirts of Kiev, and the public outrage this luxurious mansion has provoked.

Ukraine: Politicians on Facebook and Twitter

  13 April 2011

With over a million of Ukrainians using Facebook and over 80,000 users on Twitter, more and more Ukrainian politicians choose to join these services, too. Tetyana Bohdanova highlights some of the findings by a Ukrainian Internet business and social media marketing website Watcher.com.ua, which has recently set up a real-time popularity ranking of politicians’ Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Ukraine: “Stalin” Tea Sparks Controversy

  8 April 2011

Blurred attitudes toward the recent communist past in Ukraine are being eagerly exploited by manufacturers. Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the ongoing heated discussion among Ukrainian netizens, which was sparked by the promotion of a tea named after Joseph Stalin.

Ukraine: Eyewitness Video of a Racist Attack on Kyiv Metro

  7 April 2011

Slava Baranskiy witnessed (RUS) the beating of a black African man on a crowded metro train in the center of Kyiv, between Khreshchatyk and Arsenalna stations, on April 2. Baranskiy was in an adjacent train car and recorded the beating on video, which he later gave to the police, who,...