Decree sets early parliamentary election for December 7
KYIV, Oct. 9: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's decision to dissolve Parliament is now in legal force after a relevant decree was posted on his website this morning. It says an early election to Parliament is to be held on Dec. 7 2008.
He announced the decision in a pre-recorded address on the evening of Oct. 8. Yushchenko's decision came after parliamentary forces were unable to agree on forming a new coalition. More
Top presidential aide criticizes opponents of snap election
KYIV, Oct. 9: Leaders of minor parties within the 
propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence faction have called the decree by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Parliament’s dissolution "mistaken and unconstitutional". The Forward Ukraine party chaired by Viktor Musiyaka, the People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) headed by Borys Tarasyuk, the Christian Democratic Union headed by Volodymyr Stretovych and Defenders of the Fatherland headed by Yuriy Karmazin, along with the People's Self-Defence movement chaired by Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, said at a briefing in Parliament they were against dissolution of Parliament and a snap election. More
UN authorizes force to free hijacked ship
KYIV, Oct. 9: The UN has authorized force to free a hijacked ship. The UN Security Council resolved that states with warships and planes in the area should attack the ship "on the high seas and airspace off the coast of Somalia". More
Foreign minister rebuffs Russia over alleged arms sales to Georgia
KYIV, Oct. 6: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko has said that the Russian-Georgian conflict needs to be investigated but this should be done in the context of establishing who is to blame for the start of the hostilities. Ohryzko said this in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency while commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement that Ukraine should investigate the circumstances of arms supplies to Georgia: "The Russian-Georgian conflict does indeed need to be investigated but in the context of bringing to account those who are to blame for the fallout of the war on the territory of another state and for the violation of international law by recognizing as 'states' the separatist formations on the territory of sovereign Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia)." More
President says coalition should be formed by October 7
KYIV, Oct. 6: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is giving Parliament time till Tuesday Oct. 7 to form a new coalition, following which he will start consultations on disbanding Parliament. Yushchenko said this to reporters in Khmelnytskiy Region on Oct. 4. More
Army to draft over 25,000 conscripts in autumn
KYIV, Oct. 6: Some 25,550 conscripts will be drafted into the Ukrainian army in October-November 2008. This is envisaged in the Cabinet's resolution of Oct. 1 posted on the government's official website. In line with the resolution, 20,000 servicemen will be drafted to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 5,000 to the Interior Ministry's Internal Troops and 50 people to the state service. More
President grants tax holiday to gas monopoly
KYIV, Oct. 3: The state oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny will have its taxes payable in 2008 delayed until 2010. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree to this effect today, enacting the decision by the National Security and Defence Council dated Sept. 26 on the Cabinet of Ministers' implementation of measures to stabilize Naftohaz's financial situation. More
Arms trader denies supplying Georgia during conflict
KYIV, Oct. 3: The director-general of the state arms 
trader Ukrspetseksport, Serhiy Bondarchuk, categorically dismisses accusations of Ukraine's supplying arms to Georgia during the military conflict between Russia and Georgia. "I confirm that since the beginning of the military conflict (between South Ossetia and Georgia) not a single bullet was supplied from Ukraine," Bondarchuk said at a news conference in Kyiv today. He said that he was surprised when he read in the Internet about these accusations by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Oct. 2 More
Premier praises outcome of gas talks with Russia
KYIV, Oct. 3: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that she is absolutely satisfied with the outcome of the gas talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Oct. 2. She said that the memorandum on the two countries' cooperation in the gas sector signed during the talks would serve as a basis for a long-term agreement on gas supplies between state oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. Tymoshenko was speaking at a news conference today in Kyiv. More
Premier says effect of world financial crisis will be minimal
KYIV, Oct. 2: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that the world financial crisis will have a minimal effect on the Ukrainian economy, because the domestic stock market is undeveloped and a low number of Ukrainian companies are traded on foreign stock exchanges. She was interviewed in the studio of the 5 Kanal TV channel on Oct.1. More
Parliament rescinds controversial laws adopted recently
KYIV, Oct. 2: The Ukrainian Parliament today rescinded five laws which led to the split last month in the coalition consisting of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence bloc. Today, YTB and the OUPSD did not vote on defeating the presidential veto on the amended law on the Cabinet of Ministers, a move which automatically repealed this law. The Party of Regions and the Communist Party raised only 201 votes in favour of the motion, short of the necessary minimum. The law on temporary investigative and special commissions was rescinded in the precisely the same manner. More
Spokesperson says premier's gas talks with Russia could be disrupted
KYIV, Oct. 2: Ukrainian-Russian gas talks scheduled for today might not take place in Moscow, since Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the Ukrainian delegation flew there separately after their flight was delayed when President Viktor Yushchenko's plane had to make an emergency landing today. Thus Tymoshenko, who flew together with the head of the national energy company Naftohaz Ukrayiny and her senior adviser, will only hold one-on-one talks with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, her spokeswoman, Maryna Soroka, has said. More
"Constructive" coalition talks reported between former coalition allies
KYIV, Oct. 1: On Sept. 30 leaders of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence bloc began the discussion of fundamental principles of a new coalition's activities. According to Ukrayinska Pravda's sources, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko attended the meeting in person. "To make the talks more constructive, the political council of Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence called its own meeting two hours earlier to approve the fundamental principles of a new coalition's activities," the sources said. More
Ukraine hopes to sign landmark treaty with EU during Sweden's presidency
KYIV, Oct. 1: Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and his 
wife are on an official state visit to Kyiv. Sweden is also an advocate of Ukraine joining the European Union, as Stockholm fully supports Kyiv's integration. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko hopes that in less than a year, during Sweden's presidency of the EU, Ukraine will sign an associate membership agreement with the EU. More
State arms trader says hijacked tanks destined for Kenya, not Sudan
KYIV, Oct. 1: The T-72 tanks on the Faina ship seized by Somalian pirates are destined for Kenya, the Inter TV channel reported on Sept. 30, quoting the Ukrainian state-run arms trader Ukrspetseksport. "The customer for the military hardware is the Defence Ministry of Kenya. The supplies were carried out in line with the valid international norms of trading arms and military hardware," Ukrspetseksport, the sender of the cargo, said in what Inter described as Ukrspetseksport's official commentary for the channel.
Several mass media had earlier reported that the tanks were allegedly destined for Sudan, which would mean violation of the UN arms embargo.
Court cancels licence revocation of UK oil, gas firm
KYIV, Sept. 30: The Poltava regional administrative court has cancelled a decision by the Environmental Protection Ministry to annul the licences of the British oil and gas company Cadogan Petroleum Plc, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported today.
Interfax said that the court also cancelled the decision of July 21 by the Poltava regional economic court to revoke licences issued in 2007 to the subsidiaries of the British company Cadogan Petroleum Plc., Astrohaz and Astroinvest Energy companies, to develop the Pyrkivske and Zahoryanske gas deposits in Poltava Region. More
President says situation moving towards early election
KYIV, Sept. 30: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said that an early parliamentary election is highly probable. Yushchenko was speaking at a meeting with representatives of the US-Ukraine Business Council in Washington on Sept. 29. Yushchenko said that a proposed coalition between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Party of Regions and the Communist party has no prospects. This union is not acceptable for Ukrainians, which is why it is unlikely to happen, Yushchenko said. In his view, the situation is moving towards an early election.
He also said that events in the Ukrainian Parliament after Sept. 2 are not a purely domestic political issue. This is Georgia-2, he said and its goal is to destabilize the situation. The Ukrainian scenario envisaged a vote of no-confidence in the heads of the regional executive power, with the further destruction of the entire system of local government, raising the threshold at parliamentary elections and early parliamentary, presidential and local council elections in December 2008, he added. More
Premier to discuss gas during Russian visit on October 2
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KYIV, Sept. 30: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will pay a working visit to the Russian Federation on Oct. 2, the Cabinet's website says. A meeting between the Ukrainian prime minister and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is scheduled along with the talks between government delegations on preparations for signing a long-term deal on natural gas supplies.
Russian oil company probed over pollution off Odesa
ODESA, Sept. 29: The highest allowed concentration (HAC) of sulphur dioxide has been registered in the air on and around the premises of the Russian company LUKoil-Odesa refinery. The state environment inspectorate in Odesa Region has made public a statement to this effect. "The HAC of sulphur dioxide was exceeded by 50-60 times. These are the findings following an inspection of the company," inspectorate officials said. More
US destroyer "closing in" on Somali pirates holding Ukrainian crew
KYIV, Sept. 29: A US destroyer off the coast of Somalia has closed in on the hijacked Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, watching it to ensure the pirates who seized it do not try to remove any cargo or crew. A US defence official said the destroyer, USS Howard, is pursuing the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, and is now within a few thousand yards of it. The pirates seized the ship destined for Kenya on Thursday and are now reportedly demanding a 1.4bn-shilling ransom to release the vessel and its crew. More
President to visit UK on October 6, Italy afterwards
KYIV, Sept. 29: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is scheduled to visit the UK on Oct. 6. The news was revealed by Ihor Dolhov, the head of the main service for foreign policy of the presidential secretariat. More
Somali pirates hijack ship with Ukrainians, tanks on board, ministry says
KYIV, Sept. 26: The crew of the ship which has been taken hostage by Somali pirates consists of three Russians, 17 Ukrainians and one Latvian citizen, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
"Ukrainian embassies in the UK and Kenya were instructed to clarify the details of the accident," the ministry said. "The (Foreign Ministry's) consulate service department is following developments closely," the ministry added. The Faina ship was hijacked late on Sept. 25. More
Engine builder Motor Sich to open plant in Russia
KYIV, Sept. 26: The Zaporizhzhya-based Motor Sich open 
joint-stock company has plans to open a plant in Dubna, Moscow Region, by the end of 2008 which will service engines for the Russian Defence Ministry's aviation programmes.
The plant's operation will be aimed at maintaining worldwide standards of service and repair of Zaporizhzhya-made engines, the Motor Sich board chairman and director-general, Vyacheslav Bohuslayev said at the 6th international aerospace show Aviasvit XXI. More
Cabinet appoints EU, NATO integration bureau head
KYIV, Sept. 26: The Ukrainian cabinet has appointed Vadym Tryukhan as director of the Bureau for European and Euro-Atlantic integration and plans to fully staff it by the end of the year, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Hryhoriy Nemyrya told a briefing today. He said that Tryukhan was appointed at the cabinet meeting on Sept. 24. This body already has 22 employees.
There are plans it will employ 70 public service workers from Jan. 1 2009. "In fact, the cabinet has taken a very important step to pass to the most efficient coordination, that is, horizontal coordination," he said. He added that the bureau would conduct strategic monitoring and analyse the methodology which is used by the EU. More
Defence minister rules out Russian fleet staying in Crimea after 2017
KYIV, Sept. 26: The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has ruled out the possibility of the Russian Black Sea Fleet deployment in Ukraine after 2017. Ukrainian Defence Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov told journalists today. "As for laws, let alone the constitution, the Defence Ministry does not dispute it, it obeys them. The constitution states 2017 (the year when the Russian Black Sea Fleet's stationing in Ukraine expires)," Yekhanurov said.
He also said that the time will come when Ukraine will cease to have any foreign military bases.
"The possibility of the Russian fleet staying in Ukraine is not even discussed by the Defence Ministry, we have the constitution," Yekhanurov added. It was reported on Sept. 23 that Russian Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov said that Russia could offer Ukraine a number of mutually beneficial proposals, which would allow the Black Sea Fleet to remain in Sevastopol after 2017. More
Foreign Ministry censures Russia over famine statements
KYIV, Sept. 25: The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine is indignant 
over the Russian Foreign Ministry's message in which it showed no respect while commenting on Ukraine's bid to let the international community know about the famine of 1932-33. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a statement to this effect today.
"Ukraine is indignant over the press release which was issued by the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation on Sept. 24, in which it commented in an unacceptably disrespectful tone on Ukraine's bid to let the international community know the truth about the famine of 1932-33," it said. "Ukraine calls upon leaders and prominent politicians of the Russian Federation to stop the practice of cynical denials of the historical truth about the famine and attempts to justify the crimes of Stalinism," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
Premier accused of seeking to discredit Yushchenko poisoning probe
KYIV, Sept. 24: Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is seeking to discredit the investigation into President Viktor Yushchenko's poisoning, Ihor Pukshyn, a deputy head of the presidential secretariat, has said.
The 5 Kanal news channel today showed him saying: "The closer the investigation in the case of Viktor Yushchenko's poisoning gets to completion, the more obvious organized and planned resistance to the process of investigation becomes." "Investigators from the Prosecutor-General's Office have come close to the completion of the investigation. The results of their work, conclusions by specialists and imminent procedural consequences will be unexpected for some of those involved in this high-profile case. This is why there will be various attempts to present a distorted picture of the investigation and its results in order to pervert public opinion and evoke mistrust of probable accusations," he said, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. More
Ukrainian helicopter-makers to set up consortium
KYIV, Sept. 24: Around 20 Ukrainian helicopter-manufacturing companies have confirmed their readiness to join a project aimed at establishing a helicopter-producing consortium, the Transcarpathia regional administration's information and public relations department quoted Ukrainian Deputy Industrial Policy Minister Vitaliy Nemylostyviy as saying.
The consortium could be created using the premises of Transcarpathia's helicopter-making association in 2009, if the state manages to provide all the necessary funds for the project, he said. The consortium's possible members include the Kyiv-based design bureau Vertikal, which is engaged in developing the K-122 light-weight multi-purpose helicopter.
The consortium is expected to launch serial production in 2011. More
Ukraine, USA to launch new space rocket in late 2010
KYIV, Sept. 24: Ukraine and the United States will make the 
first launch of a new carrier rocket at the end of 2010, the deputy director-general of Ukraine's National Space Agency, Eduard Kuznetsov, said today.
According to Kuznetsov, the project will be presented at the aerospace show AviaSweet-21 to open outside Kyiv on Sept. 25. "It will be a vehicle for the delivery of cargoes to the International Space Station," he said. The Ukrainian space agency will also present, jointly with a German firm, a series of robots the production of which may be launched in Ukraine.
Socialist leader says main suspect in journalist's murder alive and well in USA
KYIV, Sept. 23: The main suspect in the controversial murder of opposition journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, Gen Oleksiy Pukach, is in the USA now, the leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine and former parliamentary speaker, Oleksandr Moroz, has said.
Speaking to reporters before entering the Prosecutor-General's Office for questioning in the case, he said: "As far as I know, he is in the USA, according to, let us say, oblique information. If the leadership of our state really wanted to dig into the essence of this case, we would have had answers to all questions three years ago." More
Foreign minister, US secretary of state discuss NATO entry
KYIV, Sept. 23: The United States will continue supporting 
Ukraine's bid to join NATO, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has assured Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko during a meeting in New York. A session of the UN General Assembly is under way there.
Rice said Washington has always supported Kyiv's Euro-Atlantic ambitions, so the agreements to grant Ukraine a NATO Membership Action Plan at the alliance's December summit remain in force. More
Russian embassy denies mass issue of passports to Ukrainians
KYIV, Sept. 23: The embassy of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has described reports about the mass issuing of Russian passports to the residents of certain Ukrainian regions as absolutely unfounded. The Russian embassy explained that the federal law "On the citizenship of the Russian Federation" of 2002 cut a number of requirements for obtaining Russian citizenship for people living abroad.
The simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship affects exclusively Russians who participate in the aforementioned program and who have already moved to Russia.
Parliamentary speaker mulls own political project
KYIV, Sept. 22: Parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said he is mulling a political project of his own. In an interview with the Inter TV channel on Sept. 21, he said this would not be a project of "Yatsenyuk only" but of "an idea of a strong democratic state".
He denied rumours, which have recently circulated in the media, that he has been discussing this project with businessman and Party of Regions MP Rinat Akhmetov. "If I start building a political project on one or another businessman, a very respected one I'd say, or one or another clan, or on a single personality, this will be a closed joint stock company," he said, adding that in such a case this will not be anything new but a reformatting of the old political scene.
However, Yatsenyuk refused to specify who would join him in this project by saying "you will certainly hear about them during the presentation of the project. When asked whether the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rayisa Bohatyryova, is among them, Yatsenyuk said that she is not because she deserves a separate project. When asked if the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rayisa Bohatyryova, is among them, Yatsenyuk said that she is not because she deserves a separate project.
Speaking about possible solutions to the current parliamentary crisis, he said: "I can hardly believe in a democratic coalition (between the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence bloc and the progovernment Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc) in a new-old format. This would be too good. As chairman of the Supreme Council, I would hail this. Secondly, I do not rule the formation of another coalition." However, he added that if the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the opposition Party of Regions do form a coalition, it would be difficult for them to explain their ideological foundations to voters. The third option, according to him, would be an early parliamentary election. "The worst thing is that people are tired of it but it is another chance for democracy," he said. Yatsenyuk resigned as speaker last week but will remain in his post until a new speaker is elected in Parliament.
President Yushchenko leaves for three-day visit to USA
KYIV, Sept. 22: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has 
left for a three-day working visit to the USA. He is planning to visit the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 23 and make a speech to the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24. Yushchenko is also scheduled to give interviews to a number of mass media, including the New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg TV.
President promises not to use force against Parliament
KYIV, Sept. 19: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko believes that the ultimate goal of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine is snap presidential, parliamentary and local government elections at the end of autumn 2008. These actions of the above political forces are aimed at destabilizing the whole executive branch of power in Ukraine, Yushchenko said. Speaking in an interview on Ukrainian TV today he said that the ad-hoc alliance between the YTB and the Party of Regions is sufficiently far from prompting him to start resolving the political crisis with the use of force. More
Speaker refuses to sign laws vetoed by President
KYIV, Sept. 19: Parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk has refused to sign a number of draft laws, which were adopted by a joint vote of the progovernment Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Party of Regions on Sept. 2, as they were vetoed by President Viktor Yushchenko, it was reported today. "I do not put my signature under unlawful acts," Yatsenyuk said in response to demands by the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Party of Regions that he sign these laws. More
Ukrainian, Polish premiers hail Euro-2012 preparation, discuss Georgian conflict
KYIV, Sept. 19: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have said they are prepared to ensure the proper hosting of the Euro-2012 football championship and agreed on the countries' joint stance on the military conflict in Georgia.
The prime ministers were speaking at a joint news conference broadcast live by the Ukrainian 5 Kanal TV following their meeting in Kyiv today. At the news conference both parties said they are happy with cooperation in preparation to host the championship. More
Official says Ukraine may sign gas supply deal with Russia in December
KYIV, Sept. 18: The national oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny and Gazprom may postpone signing a deal on gas supplies for 2009 till December 2008, Naftohaz head Oleh Dubyna said in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency.
"We might even benefit, since gas prices are falling and the trend will continue in 2009. This way we can probably get a better price if we sign the deal later rather than now," Dubyna said. More
Party of Regions leader says his party in talks on new coalition
KYIV, Sept. 18: Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych has 
said that his party is getting ready for a snap election. Speaking in Luhansk where he was taking part in festivities dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the region, he also said that the party is engaged in talks on setting up a new coalition.
He said he will feel uncomfortable in an alliance with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, but added that the faction must conduct consultations with all parties in Parliament. More
Constitutional Court approves bill restricting MP immunity
KYIV, Sept. 18: The Constitutional Court has approved proposed amendments to the Constitution restricting the immunity of Members of Parliament.
The Constitutional Court made public a verdict to this effect on September 16. It ruled that a draft law restricting the immunity of Members of Parliament complies with Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution. Earlier, Parliament asked the Constitutional Court to rule whether or not the draft law "On amending the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding parliamentary immunity No 1375 of Jan. 18 2008) complies with Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of Ukraine. More
Speaker announces resignation after coalition collapse
KYIV, Sept. 17: Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk tendered his resignation today following the formal end of the ruling coalition between the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence Bloc and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc yesterday.
Addressing today’s plenary meeting in Parliament, Yatsenyuk said: "I became speaker under democratic values and under democratic ideals. One should come to power with dignity and should go with dignity too." More
Britain extradites suspected offender to Ukraine
KYIV, Sept. 17: Great Britain has for the first time 
extradited a criminal wanted by Interpol to Ukraine. The press service of the national central Interpol bureau in Ukraine has reported that the offender is a Ukrainian citizen born in 1979.
He was taken to Kyiv Boryspil international airport on a scheduled flight from London under the custody of Ukrainian police officers. The Interior Ministry directorate in Ivano-Frankivsk Region put him on the Interpol wanted list for a crime described in Article 121 of the Criminal Code (inflicting bodily harm). More
President to visit USA, attend UN session end of September
KYIV, Sept. 17: President Viktor Yushchenko plans to attend the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly where a draft resolution on the 1932-33 famine issue initiated by Ukraine and a number of other states is expected to be considered. Yushchenko said this in an interview with The Washington Times, when asked about the goals of his forthcoming visit to the USA, the presidential press service said today. More
Ukrainian, Czech premiers discuss integration
KYIV, Sept. 16: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has expressed hope that the Czech presidency of the EU will help Ukraine in its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Tymoshenko was speaking during a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in Kyiv today.
"We are pinning great hopes on your country and you personally, as the head of state, to do everything to help Ukraine cover this way successfully and receive necessary documents (for integration with the EU)," Tymoshenko said. More
Parliamentary speaker announces end of ruling coalition
KYIV, Sept. 16: The governing parliamentary coalition of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, and President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence has formally ceased to exist. Parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk read out an announcement to this effect in Parliament on the morning of Sept. 16. "I officially announce the end of the coalition of democratic forces in the Supreme Council of Ukraine set up by Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc on Nov. 29 2007." More
Lytvyn Bloc expresses interest in talks on new coalition, president’s office gives view
KYIV, Sept. 16: The Lytvyn Bloc is ready to join a coalition of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Party of Regions if such a coalition is going to be set up in Parliament, Lytvyn told journalists today.
"If our position is accepted, we will be ready to formalize relations today, and if there is potential on the part of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Party of Regions, we will welcome such a step. Let them take a transparent decision in the end while our stance is clear," Lytvyn said. More
Leader of propresidential OUPSD says ruling coalition defunct
KYIV, Sept. 15: The propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self Defence faction has received no proposals from its former coalition partner, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, about renewing the current format of the coalition or from the faction of the Lytvyn Bloc about the possibility of setting up a new coalition. Our Ukraine-People's Self Defence faction leader Vyacheslav Kyrylenko said this to journalists in Kyiv today.
"The coalition of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine-People's Self Defence has just ceased to exist. There have been no proposals from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc," Kyrylenko said. More
Supporters of president, premier clash in Lviv
LVIV, Sept. 15: A rally in support of Prime Minister Yulia 
Tymoshenko in Lviv was disrupted by propresidential Our Ukraine party supporters on Sept. 14. They chanted "Down with Yulia!" and "Shame!" The sound of the shouts from several thousands of protesters prevented Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc MPs from starting a scheduled people's gathering initiated by the regional organization of the Tymoshenko-led Fatherland party.
Clashes started in the square. Serious disturbances were avoided only thanks to the police. They separated the supporters of different political parties and escorted participants of the clash out of the crowd. More
President invites Russian counterpart to visit Ukraine
KYIV, Sept. 15: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has invited Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev to visit Ukraine in November-December 2008. The two presidents spoke by phone yesterday, the presidential press service reported. "In the conversation, the president confirmed his invitation for Medvedev to visit Ukraine in November-December 2008, which the Russian president accepted," the Ukrainian presidential press service said.
Yushchenko expressed his deepest condolences to Medvedev in connection with the Aeroflot plane crash and the death of its passengers. More
President insists on original direction for oil pipeline
KYIV, Sept. 11: President Viktor Yushchenko has insisted that the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline should be used in the originally planned direction towards Europe.
He was speaking at a ceremonial meeting on the occasion of Day of the employees of the oil, gas and oil-processing industry, as well as on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Ukrainian gas transport system. More
Presidential official says premier stirs up tension in regions
KYIV, Sept. 11: The deputy head of the 
presidential administration, Roman Bezsmertniy, has said that the leadership of the Ukrainian Cabinet plans "to pass the destabilization of the political situation on to local level". He said that there are reports about the prime minister and eponymous bloc leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, initiating the sending of so-called open letters from members of regional, city and district councils to the president of Ukraine accusing him of allegedly ruining the parliamentary coalition, the presidential press service said. More
Our Ukraine leader says party says ready to go into opposition
KYIV, Sept. 11: The propresidential party Our Ukraine will go into opposition if Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc forges a formal coalition with the opposition Party of Regions and the Communists, its leader, Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, has said. More
Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship returns to base in Ukraine
KYIV, Sept. 10: The Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship, missile cruiser Moskva, returned to its base in Sevastopol bay today. It was met by 10 residents of Sevastopol on the land. They were chanting "Russia! Russia!" and holding Russian flags.
It should be recalled that the Moskva left its temporary base twice, in the middle and at the end of July, heading for the Georgian coast. During the Russian-Georgian conflict, President Viktor Yushchenko introduced new procedures for the movement of Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in Ukrainian territorial waters. More
Defence minister says army severely underfunded
KYIV, Sept. 10: Defence minister Yuriy Yekhanurov has 
promised to attend Cabinet of Ministers meetings even if the coalition collapses. Yuriy Yekhanurov gave assurances today that the ministers appointed under the propresidential Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence quota would continue to carry out their duties. In addition, Yekhanurov said that reduction of the Ukrainian army has been stopped despite the low levels of funding.
According to him, in early November the Ukrainian military will have nothing to eat. But the minister gave assurances that the army would not be left to starve. Unless Parliament allocates funds for food, the army will spend the money earmarked for weapons. More
Germany, Brazil, Argentina want to use Ukrainian satellite rocket
KYIV, Sept. 10: Germany, Brazil and Argentina have expressed their interest in using Ukrainian booster rocket Cyclon-4 for putting satellites into the orbit, the deputy director-general of Ukraine's National Space Agency, Eduard Kuznetsov, said yesterday.
The Cyclon-4 project is being implemented by the agency's companies, he confirmed. The protocols have already been prepared that Germany, Brazil and Argentina can use the Cyclon-4 in 2011-14. More
Our Ukraine party calls for unity around President Yushchenko
KYIV, Sept. 9: The propresidential Our Ukraine party is calling on all democratic forces to unite around President Viktor Yushchenko to defend national interests, the press service of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence bloc, the leader of Our Ukraine, Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, reported on Sept. 8.
"When the (progovernment) Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, (opposition) Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine are creating a pro-Kremlin majority in the Supreme Council, Our Ukraine is calling on all democratic and patriotic forces to unite in order to defend the national interests of Ukraine," he said. More
Party of Regions MP decries "political persecution" of premier
KYIV, Sept. 9: The Party of Regions views as political persecution the fact that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been summoned for questioning to the Prosecutor-General's Office, Hanna Herman, a deputy leader of the Party of Regions faction in Parliament, said in an interview on Sept. 8. More
EU-Ukraine summit opens in Paris
PARIS, Sept. 9: French President Nicolas Sarkozy today launched the summit between the European Union and the Ukraine, which is expected to express their wish for closer ties, without, however, considering the membership of the union which Kyiv hoped for, an AFP journalist said.
Mr Sarkozy, the current president of the EU, along with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Europe's top diplomat, Javier Solana, greeted Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on the steps of the Elysee Palace shortly after 1330. More
Suspected crime bosses from Russia detained in Crimea
KYIV, Sept. 9: Two highly dangerous criminals have been 
detained in Crimea, private Ukrainian TV reported today. These were two Russian citizens who were internationally wanted.
Officers of the main directorate for fighting organized crime detained them as a result of a special operation. More
New Ukrainian MP sworn in
KYIV, Sept. 8: Viktor Sinchenko, registered by the Central Election Commission to replace Mykhaylo Syrota, was sworn in as a member of parliament on Sept. 5. Sinchenko is an MP of the parliamentary faction of the Lytvyn Bloc, the smallest in Parliament.
Syrota was killed in a road accident last month. He is regarded as the father of the Constitution of Ukraine adopted in June 1996. Sinchenko was born in 1949 and worked as an assistant to an MP.
KYIV, Oct. 10: One of the alleged masterminds behind the Elita-tsentr housing scam in Kyiv, Oleksandr Volkonskiy (Shakhov), was flown to Kyiv from 
DAMASCUS
