I'm a Kyiv native; divide my time between Kyiv, Moscow, Istanbul and the Croatian island of Vis; lived in St. Petersburg in 2003-2005; attended Rutgers University in 1993-94, did my master's in journalism at the University of Iowa in 1996-98.
Latest posts by Veronica Khokhlova from July, 2012
Ukraine: Forest Fires in Yalta, Crimea
On Facebook, Andrey Klimenko of BlackSeaNews.net posted night photos (here and here; ru) of the fire raging in the mountainous forest reserve near Yalta, Crimea. On July 31 [ru], there is smog, ashes in the air and strong northeast wind in Yalta: “Early in the morning it seemed it would...
Ukraine, Russia: Olympic Athletes’ Birthplace Controversy
The official website of the London 2012 Olympics turned out to be not the most reliable source of info on a number of foreign-born members of the Russian team. Demanding corrections, Ukrainian netizens launched a protest letter-writing campaign, and even the Foreign Minister got involved via Twitter.
Bulgaria: Security Services “Do Not Serve the Public”
Maya M of Maya's Corner comments on today's deadly bus explosion in the Bulgarian city of Burgas: “[…] While I understand that even the best intelligence can overlook the preparation of a terror act, I am angry, because our “services” are overstaffed and overfunded. They have generous subsidies even in...
Ukraine: “Opposition Talk” Vs. Reality
Taras of Ukrainiana posts a video of the roundtable discussion by the Ukrainian “united opposition” (which took place on July 17 and lasted 3 hours and 37 minutes) – as well as videos featuring “Dnipropetrovsk subway construction workers who have gone without pay for six months” and a Dnipropetrovsk woman...
Croatia: Anja Mutić's “Local Voices Croatia”
Back in April, Anja Mutić of Ever the Nomad (blog; Facebook page) launched the Local Voices Croatia series, which now has eleven interviews with “people who are making a difference, the masterminds behind interesting places, projects and events” – “local “artists, visionaries, foodies, adventurers, nature enthusiasts… The creative cream of...
Ukraine: Politicians and Parties on Facebook
Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that the ruling Party of Regions now has a Facebook page [ru]. For more on Ukrainian politicians’ and parties’ Facebook presence, see this Watcher.com.ua's ranking (uk; updated daily).
Ukraine: Ukrainian Wikipedia's Traffic Hiked as Russian Wikipedia Striked
Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that on July 10, when Wikipedia's Russian-language section suspended its service [en] for one day to protest the Russian draft law “On the Protection of Children From Information Harmful to Their Health and Development,” the Ukrainian-language Wikipedia saw a five-time traffic increase. On that day, according to...
Montenegro: “Foursquare For Development” Project
UNDP's Voices From Eurasia blog announces and explains the “Foursquare for Development” project, whose goal is to create Foursquare tourist routes in northern Montenegro.
Russia: Facebook and “Gay Propaganda”
Alexandra Evans of FP's Passport blog links to an RT news item about a group of Russian Orthodox activists who are campaigning to have Facebook blocked in Russia because of the recent introduction of same-sex marriage status icons, which the activists consider “gay propaganda.”
Russia: Computer Security Tips for Russian Opposition
Following the recent hacking [en] of activist Alexey Navalny's email, LJ user vishka shares some basic tips [ru] on “computer security for the Russian opposition”: “Having set it all up once, you'll never notice the difference in usability. I've armed you, and if they continue to hack you, it means...
Russia: Netizens Respond Online and Offline to Devastating Krymsk Floods
On July 6-7, more than 170 people died in the devastating floods in the south of Russia. Bloggers have been arguing about possible causes of the tragedy in the hardest-hit town of Krymsk; many are already there as volunteers and journalists, and much of the current online discussion focuses on the relief effort, too.
Ukraine: “Football is Over”
On Facebook, Ukrainian writer Andrei Kurkov comments [ru] on the end of Euro 2012 in Ukraine: “Football is over. Europe has won and will depart tomorrow, leaving Ukraine in its own political shadow. […]”
Serbia: “The ‘Accidental’ Belgrade Pride”
Amila Bosnae interviews Boban Stojanović, one of the organizers of the “accidental” gay pride parade in Belgrade – which went without incidents: “There were just over 50 of us. You see, this wasn’t a real Pride, but a small street action. We’re happy with it because as activists, we always...
The Balkans: “The ICTY’s U-turn over genocide in Bosnia”
Marko Attila Hoare of Greater Surbiton comments on the ICTY’s decision to acquit Radovan Karadzic of one count of genocide in Bosnia, noting that “[t]he contradiction between the Trial Chamber’s rulings over Milosevic in 2004 and Karadzic in 2012 indicates that it is not operating on the basis of consistent...
