Ukraine-The Future

[JayH]

More --  all helps explain current issues

Election is win for EuroMaidan Revolution

. Five years after the country’s EuroMaidan Revolution, which ended the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian public has acted decisively and with surprising unity to choose the country’s next leader.

But once the heated emotions fade, Ukrainians who supported President Poroshenko in the election should see that they too are the winners of this historic event.

It is too early to pass judgment on Volodymyr Zelenskiy as president. He is inexperienced and has worrying ties to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. He faces an ongoing war with Russia, entrenched corruption, and a weak economy. There are many reasons to be concerned about what his presidency will yield for Ukraine. But his election itself is a win for Ukrainian democracy and, yes, Ukraine’s European path.

The vote was free and fair. While there were electoral violations, the campaigns engaged in ugly mudslinging, and much about campaign finance remains untransparent, the election was truly competitive and voters had a clear choice of candidates. They exercised that choice decisively, giving the next president a clear mandate to lead.

The quality of the vote shows that the Ukrainian government is capable of truly democratic elections, and the Ukrainian public has committed itself to democracy. Poroshenko’s gracious concession and promise to remain involved in politics is also good news. There will be a peaceful transfer of power, and Poroshenko has expressed his openness to helping Zelenskiy advance Ukraine’s integration with the European Union. In other words, while the presidential election may have been a referendum on Poroshenko’s presidency, it was not a battle over geopolitics nor two fundamentally polar projects of building the Ukrainian state.

The electoral landslide also demonstrates that Ukraine is hardly as divided as many people claim. Even in the first round of the vote on March 31, the old “East vs. West” divide was limited to a few regions and border areas.

http://www.kyivpost.com/article/opinion/op-ed/matthew-kupfer-ukraines-2019-election-is-a-win-for-the-euromaidan-revolution.html

[JayH]

Well --it has not taken long. With a quick witted response to the ridiculous games Putin persists in playing--  the President elect have very neatly mocked the whole idea--  and shown the direction  he will take.
Along with his comments on the Donbas & Crimea being Ukrainian - so far so good.

Treating Putin with contempt -- and the Russian nonsense that way -- is showing  that Zelenskiy will not allow himself to be pushed around  .Using his natural ability and instincts to get a laugh is a great way to take on those that want to set the agenda .

He did make some very serious comments in the process.

In his Facebook post, Zelenskiy warned Russia not to talk with Ukraine “in the language of threats or military or economic pressure”.

Ukraine president offers Russians citizenship in snub to Putin


Zelenskiy, who takes office in June, responded to Putin’s offer by releasing a statement on Facebook late on Saturday that pledged to “give citizenship to representatives of all nations that suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes, but first and foremost to the Russian people who suffer most of all”.

 Zelenskiy’s election proves Ukraine is a healthy democracy. Putin hates that

“We know perfectly well what a Russian passport provides,” he wrote, “the right to be arrested for a peaceful protest” and “the right not to have free and competitive elections”.

He said one of the differences between Ukraine and Russia was that “we Ukrainians have freedom of speech, freedom of the media and the internet in our country”.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/28/ukraine-president-volodymyr-zelenskiy-snubs-putin-passport-offer-and-hits-back



Ukraine's president-elect rejects Russian passport plan

Ukraine's president-elect has mocked Russia's offer to give passports to his countrymen, saying the document would provide "the right to be arrested".

In a Facebook post rejecting the idea, Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to give citizenship to "suffering" Russians.

Earlier this week, Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree offering people in eastern Ukraine's separatist territories passports.

He later said he was mulling extending the scheme to all Ukrainians.

But Mr Zelensky - a former comedian with no political experience who was elected last Sunday - said he did not believe many of his countrymen would take up the offer.

"Ukrainians are free people in a free country," he said.

Instead, he offered citizenship to "all people who suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes", but firstly "to the Russian people who suffer most of all".

The Facebook post was written in both Ukrainian and Russian "so that everyone can hear us", Mr Zelensky said.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48085505

[ML]

 Putin, a former KGB operative, will have ruled for an uninterrupted 25 years, as president or prime minister, when he steps down at the end of his current term in 2024 (that is, if he respects the Russian constitution). Putin has no obvious plan for that transition.

Actually Putin does have a plan to extend his rule.

Join Belarus with Russia into a newly formed/named country.

Run for election as supreme leader of that new country whose constitution won't have any restrictions on term limits.

[krimster2]

you go girl!!!

a doggedly determined dingo, once opined, "that copy/paste is in such poor taste"
so please woncha' think
and just include the link

I mean really...

[krimster2]

much better to have Rada name him with 100% unanimous vote as "leader for life" before 2024!!!
especially, after his handling of events in Ukraine, while simultaneously keeping the oil and gas flowing to Europe...
if Putin is able to restore the flow of water to the Northern Crimean Canal, the propaganda just "writes itself"
they will build statues of him, the young will sing songs about him....

only way to stop putin is for the USA to put an Air Traffic Radar as close as possible to where MH17 was shot down and expand it
to block Putin
because otherwise, beginning in about 6 months Ukraine is going to "come apart" at the seams
and when it "pops"
the glorious Red Army will march in and save everyone!!!
ras! vas! tree! hurrah!!!

but...must...be...quiet...now...
maybe, I shouldn't talk too much about this...
yeah..forget about it...

[ML]

http://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/us-army-101st-airborne-soldiers-deploy-to-ukraine.html

Too bad they didn't go to Eastern Ukraine.

[JayH]

For  those who do have a genuine interest in the future for Ukraine -- this initiative is just one taking place. Numerous interesting observations -- and suggested solutions.

Why We Can't Get Enough of Ukraine

The impact one can have on building institutions like the modern state, the rule of law, and democracy is limited. The area where it’s easiest is the third category, building democracy. The first two, building the modern state and building a real rule of law, are much harder, and those are the areas that have been the real obstacles to the modernization of the political systems of many countries, including Ukraine. The reason that those are particularly difficult is that they’re essentially about power. If you hold an election, the old guard can think we will win the election. We know how to run candidates, we can contest things, we can protect our interests. If you want to build a modern state, it’s a different task. If you want to have a rule of law that applies to powerful people in a society, that is much harder because one is basically forcing them to give up power.

A lot of the well-meaning efforts of outside donors and governments to influence that process has been quite disappointing, especially in the area of corruption, which is the area I have looked at most closely. Corruption exists because it’s not in the self-interest of existing elites to have things change. Elites like the status quo. Therefore, changing that system is a matter of power. It’s a matter of gaining power on the part of people that are not corrupt and want a modern system. One can help that along by creating the proper kinds of incentives; one can do things like create special prosecutors, anti-corruption courts, and the like, which Ukraine has been involved in. One can try to pay people better in the bureaucracy so that they’re not as tempted to take bribes. So there some short-term things in terms of people’s incentives.


http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/why-we-can-t-get-enough-of-ukraine

[krimster2]

as far as Ukraine is concerned...
let the dead bury the dead...
all those who want to live will have to change their postal address to Novo Russiya
personally, I think if the messiah was coming to Ukraine, he'd have been there by now...
things will really be different after the war, and that's fer sure good buddy

[JayH]

Never a more apt heading for a linked article in this thread.
There has been quite a lot of foundation laying by the new broom Zelensky that looks and feels decent . I remain optimistic for Ukraine --the will of the peoples intent has been again reflected in the recent elections --  and it is now Zelensky & Co holding the batten to run with.

Just as a small anecdotal aside -- I was recently involved in a ''discussion" with a group of Ukrainians doing some basic work for me-- and when I wanted  to make a specific point myself -I used  my phone to translate. It was set on English to Russian  ( which we have found is a far better more accurate translation than using Ukrainian) . I did not think before using this-- and the leader of the group looked aghast at my translation to Russian ! I did know the conversation was in Ukrainian  and I simply gave it no thought --  when it was pointed  out to me I used all my Ukrainian  slogans to save myself from further embarrassment --  and to the approval of all present! Ukrainian nationalism in real life action !

Following article expresses neatly some pertinent observations .
This is a 1989 moment — an opportunity to throw off a legacy of corruption and misrule


History offers Ukraine a second chance.

History does not often grant second chances. ... It is a 1989 moment: an opportunity for Ukraine to throw off a legacy of dysfunction that has held the country back and follow its neighbours into the European fold 30 years on.



   History does not often grant second chances. But it just has in Ukraine, where new president Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party has won parliamentary elections in a landslide. It is a 1989 moment: an opportunity for Ukraine to throw off a legacy of dysfunction that has held the country back and follow its neighbours into the European fold 30 years on.

Experience shows that Ukraine’s neophyte politicians do not have long before the window of opportunity closes. It is the international community’s duty to do all in its power to help them avail themselves of it.

Ukraine’s travails since independence are in a class of their own, with not one lost decade but three. The chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Sergei Guriev, points out that in 1989, Polish gross domestic product per head was comparable to Ukraine’s; today it is three times larger.

The causes for this slow-motion disaster, in a nation richly endowed in skills and resources, are well known. Deeply corrupt institutions have led to more or less legalised plunder of assets by a handful of oligarchs, worsened by destabilising pressure from Russia including an invasion of the country’s east, the theft of Crimea, and continued aggression on land, on sea and in cyberspace.

If there is a surprise, it is that Ukraine is not doing even worse. Since the 2014 revolution and the onset of the war, the economy has stabilised. Annual growth has been coming in around 3 per cent for several years. Mr Guriev thinks inflation could come down towards the 5 per cent target by next year. Anders Aslund, an economist with decades of regional experience, highlights that a rising currency has brought public debt down to 55 per cent, from 80 per cent of GDP in 2016. Investors are sanguine.


http://www.ft.com/content/c9c15c3c-b77a-11e9-8a88-aa6628ac896c

For those that cannot access the article--

      The immediate priority is to cement new foundations for de-oligarchisation — cleaning up the rotten parts of the judiciary, removing immunity for politicians and increasing transparency across the board — and reinforce those already in place. Strong reformers have been allowed to do good work in institutions such as the finance ministry and the central bank. It is imperative to stand by the latter’s independence, in particular its nationalisation of a troubled bank previously owned by Mr Kolomoisky.

Then comes further economic reform, which should aim to improve productivity but also erode the oligarchs’ grip on the economy. A wealth tax ought to be in the mix. More competition is essential; since the war, Russian companies have been sanctioned, with the side effect of reinforcing local monopolies.

Europe has a particular responsibility and ability to help. Ukraine’s desire to integrate with Europe triggered the Euromaidan protests in 2013-14. While Russia has been waging war, the EU has put in place an association agreement. The visa-free travel this grants “has changed the existential direction of Ukraine towards the west”, in the words of one Ukrainian friend. Mr Zelensky promises prosperity; the EU can help him deliver it.


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   http://www.ft.com/content/c9c15c3c-b77a-11e9-8a88-aa6628ac896c

[msmob]

Ukraine chance # 1 '89

# 2 ..  2004… Orange Revolution


# 3 Present and Parliamentary selections of 2014

# 4 fighting corruption, Sakashvilli scuppered by his old mate Poroshenko ..

# 5  2019 Presidential and Parliamentary elections...

Whilst I am well aware of the negatives your article lists... They and you seem to forget how many chances Ukraine is being given...

[Grumpy]

 After weeks of wrangling, Ukraine lawmakers Wednesday effectively blocked a powerful oligarch from regaining control of his former bank, potentially unlocking a $5 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

With the economic crisis triggered by covid-19 threatening to slash Ukraine’s GDP by nearly 5 percent, according to the government’s estimate, Ukraine desperately needs the IMF funding to deal with the pandemic and reboot its economy.

The new law targets one of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs, Ihor Kolomoisky, co-owner of Privatbank, the country’s largest lender, nationalized in 2016 after $5.5 billion of its assets disappeared.

Court action by Kolomoisky to recover Privatbank is ongoing. But the law passed Wednesday — known in Ukraine as “anti-Kolomoisky law” — makes it impossible for him to regain control of the bank. The new law prevents former owners of banks that have been nationalized after insolvency from regaining their assets.

“Financially, he is losing at least $5 billion, which he hoped to receive as a compensation for Privatbank. However, politically it will mean in eyes of general public and political elites that he has lost control over Zelensky, which is a real blow,” she said.

Aslund said the passage of the law meant Kolomoisky would lose the bank but he would still have metallurgical factories, airlines, television network 1+1 and other assets. He also still has allies in parliament.

“This is hardly the end for Kolomoisky,” said Aslund, “because he has so many other assets, but it should be the end of his alliance with Zelensky, who is then turning to the West and decency instead.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-kolomoisky-bank-imf/2020/05/13/3fbd2802-8571-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html

[krimster2]

docs in 4 langs

Hebrew
Arabic
Russian
English

we wish to personally thank the esteemed President of the Russian Federation
for his personal help in clearing away any obstacles to bringing in this equipment from Israel
to Russian Hospitals
(he actually HAD NOTHING to do with it!)

and never mind about the "other stuff"

[Shadow]

After weeks of wrangling, Ukraine lawmakers Wednesday effectively blocked a powerful oligarch from regaining control of his former bank, potentially unlocking a $5 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

With the economic crisis triggered by covid-19 threatening to slash Ukraine’s GDP by nearly 5 percent, according to the government’s estimate, Ukraine desperately needs the IMF funding to deal with the pandemic and reboot its economy.

The new law targets one of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs, Ihor Kolomoisky, co-owner of Privatbank, the country’s largest lender, nationalized in 2016 after $5.5 billion of its assets disappeared.

Court action by Kolomoisky to recover Privatbank is ongoing. But the law passed Wednesday — known in Ukraine as “anti-Kolomoisky law” — makes it impossible for him to regain control of the bank. The new law prevents former owners of banks that have been nationalized after insolvency from regaining their assets.

“Financially, he is losing at least $5 billion, which he hoped to receive as a compensation for Privatbank. However, politically it will mean in eyes of general public and political elites that he has lost control over Zelensky, which is a real blow,” she said.

Aslund said the passage of the law meant Kolomoisky would lose the bank but he would still have metallurgical factories, airlines, television network 1+1 and other assets. He also still has allies in parliament.

“This is hardly the end for Kolomoisky,” said Aslund, “because he has so many other assets, but it should be the end of his alliance with Zelensky, who is then turning to the West and decency instead.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-kolomoisky-bank-imf/2020/05/13/3fbd2802-8571-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html

OR in other words, stealing has been made legal if done by the state.

[Boethius]

How is the state stealing?  Kolomoisky killed his partners, who, together, by force, stole state owned enterprises in the Dnepropetrovsk region.  All the state is doing is taking back the proceeds from state assets Kolomoisky stole, then sold. 


Had Kolomoisky faced trial in a country with an actual rule of law, he'd be in jail right now, and his assets would have been rightly returned to the state.



This post was composed without the aid of google.

[jone]

Zelensky sees a new vision.   And the bread is buttered on the other side of this new vision.   Interesting.

[Shadow]

How is the state stealing?  Kolomoisky killed his partners, who, together, by force, stole state owned enterprises in the Dnepropetrovsk region.  All the state is doing is taking back the proceeds from state assets Kolomoisky stole, then sold. 


Had Kolomoisky faced trial in a country with an actual rule of law, he'd be in jail right now, and his assets would have been rightly returned to the state.



This post was composed without the aid of google.

While this may be applied for this case, it opens up the possibility of any private owned bank being nationalized without possibility for compensation.

[jone]

While this may be applied for this case, it opens up the possibility of any private owned bank being nationalized without possibility for compensation.

Yah, buttttt ...

For a generation these oligarchs have been kicking people around with no governmental opposition.   Maybe its about time for them to have to consider that the government might actually have teeth when requiring them to toe the line.

[Shadow]

Yah, buttttt ...

For a generation these oligarchs have been kicking people around with no governmental opposition.   Maybe its about time for them to have to consider that the government might actually have teeth when requiring them to toe the line.

The last guys who did it in that way were Lenin and Stalin in order to get rid of the nobility. Worked well for them a bit less well for Ukraine.

[msmob]

Yah, buttttt ...

For a generation these oligarchs have been kicking people around with no governmental opposition. 

Er, NO ... depending on which govt was in power... be it weakness or showing favours. you COMPLETELY misunderstood the situation...   Remember in 2014, Mr K effectively ran his oblast (Dnipropetrovsk) like a fiefdom and funded a private army.

There were those, myself included, who wondered if President Z was back by Mr.K's might and money ..   I STILL do not now if this is a 'stunt' or proof I was wrong  ...given the strength of the Oligarchal hierarchy.

[Boethius]

While this may be applied for this case, it opens up the possibility of any private owned bank being nationalized without possibility for compensation.

Privat Bank wasn't a bank.  It was a money laundering operation, and that is the basis for it being shut down in the first place.  Almost all its loans were made to shareholders.  At the time of its nationalization (agreed to by its owner, Kolomoisky), it had a shortfall of $5.5. billion.  Nationalization was done to ensure clients' funds were safe.  So, the nationalization was done to protect millions of Ukrainians who'd had their life savings "loaned" to Kolomoisky.  He has real chutzpah to demand it be returned after the Ukrainian taxpayer bailed out its $5.5 billion shortfall.


The refusal to hand the bank back to Kolomoisky has little to do with Zelensky.  It's all about public outrage.


This post was composed without the aid of google.

[Boethius]

The last guys who did it in that way were Lenin and Stalin in order to get rid of the nobility. Worked well for them a bit less well for Ukraine.

Mmmm, no.  Putin's Russia also renationalized industries, and the proceeds therefrom, that were stolen by oligarchs. 


This post was composed without the aid of google.

[Boethius]

Remember in 2014, Mr K effectively ran his oblast (Dnipropetrovsk) like a fiefdom and funded a private army.

There were those, myself included, who wondered if President Z was back by Mr.K's might and money ..   I STILL do not now if this is a 'stunt' or proof I was wrong  ...given the strength of the Oligarchal hierarchy.

Dnipropetrovsk is still run by oligarchs, Kolomoisky being the strongest of them.  Kolomoisky is also spreading his tentacles into Donbas.  There are plenty of reports of civilians being killed by his "army" there.

This post was composed without the aid of google.

[Shadow]

Mmmm, no.  Putin's Russia also renationalized industries, and the proceeds therefrom, that were stolen by oligarchs. 


This post was composed without the aid of google.

And Ukraine wants to copy that.....

[msmob]

And Ukraine wants to copy that.....

Have you taken an obtuse pill, John ?

The Kremlin 'nationalise' the assets of folks that do not 'support' the aims of United Russia and the President. They are busted for same by the ECHR ( European Court of Human Rights ) and ignore rulings of Arbitration Courts ..

Let's see if Mr.K goes that route and any findings ? ....

[Shadow]

Have you taken an obtuse pill, John ?

The Kremlin 'nationalise' the assets of folks that do not 'support' the aims of United Russia and the President. They are busted for same by the ECHR ( European Court of Human Rights ) and ignore rulings of Arbitration Courts ..

Let's see if Mr.K goes that route and any findings ? ....

I am just not defending laws that are obviously made to steal.
I am aware that people here believe Ukraine is a country full of honest people that try to create a democracy and economy like the US or any Western EU country.Reality is that they are still in the mindset of right after the USSR where olicharchs and crime syndicates rule and a president is just a face they put on for the outside world.Please tell me that Ukraine is not a country divided by civil war, where people are getting by facing huge corruption and crime without hope for a solution.