Latest posts by Veronica Khokhlova from February, 2010
Belarus, Ukraine: Yanukovych from Yanuki
Belarus Digest writes about the “Belarusian roots” of Victor Yanukovych, the winner of Ukraine's presidential election, and about the Belarusian village of Yanuki, the birthplace of Yanukovych's father: “Currently there are only two families live in Yanuki. Both of them are Yanukovichs.”
EU, Greece: Greek PM Parody
Greater Surbiton mocks the the Greek prime minister's comment on the EU-Greek relationship in the time of financial crisis.
The Balkans, Italy: Berlusconi's “Albanian Girls” Comment; Doctored Photo
Balkan Travellers re-posts a Balkan Insight piece about the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's comment that “his country would accept only pretty Albanian girls as immigrants.” Belgraded writes about the photoshopped photos of Berlusconi and Slobodan Milosevic: “Fours days after the [doctored] photo was published, Milosevic lost the elections by a...
Poland: “Better Say Nothing”
The Economist's Edward Lucas posts his article about Poland and follows up with “this exasperated response” to counter “the furious reaction to the earlier piece on the Polish blogosphere.”
Russia: Human Rights Activists’ Blogs
A list of links to Russian human rights activists’ blogs (RUS) – at Human Rights in Russia (hro.org).
Russia: Avatar & North Caucasus – Fiction vs Reality
LJ user burtin posts this comment (RUS) about Avatar: “Interesting that people cry [as they watch] Avatar – while reports from Chechnya and Ingushetia leave them totally indifferent. Even though archetypally the same is happening there – only the people are real, not [computer-generated]. […] If this were happening in...
Russia: Theater Play to “Reconstruct” Lawyer Magnitsky's Death
The death of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old lawyer who spent nearly a year in jail awaiting trial, received much publicity and prompted Russian authorities to introduce some changes. The case also inspired a public discussion of prison conditions in Russia, which is now likely to move to a new level, as a Moscow theater is working on a documentary play that would "reconstruct" the horror of Magnitsky's final hours.
Macedonia: NGO's Statement on Internet Regulations by the State
Macedonia-based Metamorphosis: Foundation for Sustainable ICT Solutions has issued a statement “on the role of the state in the process of protecting children from the risks of using new technologies, by applying internet content filtering systems and systems for categorization of computer games.”
Hungary: Report on Acceptance of Right-Wing Extremism
Hungarian Spectrum reports that, according to the recent findings of a Hungarian think-tank, “in Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Hungary the impulses toward the acceptance of right-wing extremism are the strongest.”
Ukraine: OSCE Observer's Mini-Report
Andrew Tate, an employee of the British Embassy in Kyiv, guest-blogs at Ambassador Leigh Turner's blog about “a day in the Ukrainian countryside as an OSCE observer.”
Ukraine: Post-Election Update
Ukrainiana reports that while PM Yulia Tymoshenko “remains incommunicado,” fans of her opponent Victor Yanukovych are staging “a hardcore parody of the Orange Revolution” in front of the Central Election Commission building (a related YouTube video of a TV news story (UKR) is included).
Ukraine: “Back to the Past?”
Leopolis writes on the Ukrainian election and reactions in the West and in Ukraine. Here's what some of the latter sound like: “This election was the choice between the whorehouse (bardak) and the prison (zona). Of cholera and swine flu. Better to stand in place than take five steps backward....
Ukraine: “Challenges for the New President”
Foreign Notes translates the main points of an article (UKR) on “the challenges for the new president,” which appeared in Ukrainska Pravda.
Ukraine: Media Reactions to Election Outcome
Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog reviews the response to the outcome of the Ukrainian election in the Western media – and by one Russian columnist.
Ukraine: “Everyday Problems” vs “Geo-Politics”
Vadim Nikitin of the Foreign Policy Association's Russia Blog writes that “the success or failure of Yanukovich’s government will depend on fixing the everyday problems dogging ordinary people, not on geo-politics.”
Ukraine: “‘Post-Orange’ Future”
Oleksandr Sushko, research director of the Kyiv-based Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, comments on Ukraine's “‘post-Orange’ future” at OpenDemocracy.net: “The newly elected president’s relative (limited) social legitimacy will be likely to restrict his ability to govern by his own will and perceptions only.”
Ukraine: Post-Election Politics
Updates on Ukraine's post-election politics – at Eternal Remont, here and here.
Ukraine: “Start of Stabilisation”
Ari Rusila of BalkanBlog analyzes the outcome of the Ukrainian presidential election and makes some forecasts.
Ukraine: “Idealism” vs “Practical Concerns”
Natalia Antonova comments on the outcome of the Ukrainian presidential election: “The way I see it, people who urge Ukrainian voters to lay aside petty practical concerns and see the big picture are getting off easy.”
Ukraine: From “Street Children” to “Adult Bums”
Scenes from the Sidewalk writes about the situation with street children in Ukraine: “It is even worse if they are over seventeen as at that point they are no longer children and therefore are on their own. Without rehabilitation, they become adult bums.”
Belarus: Cartoon on New Internet Regulations
A cartoon commentary on the newly-introduced Internet regulations in Belarus: “On the Internet, nobody knows you are a dog… unless you live in Belarus.”
