08:51
9.5.2014
Dmytro Shurhalo of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service writes on the decision of Kyiv authorities to abandon the St. George ribbon in favor of a poppy flower for their Victory Day symbol.
"The emblem -- a stylized red-and-black flower with the dates of the Second World War, 1939-1945, and the words 'Never Again' -- was designed by Kharkiv artist Serhiy Mishakin. A similar symbol is used in European countries. This emblem symbolizes not victory, but the memory of those killed in the war. Above all, Victory Day is a day of remembrance and praise for the heroism of ordinary soldiers -- not the glorification of the state.
"Nearly 7 million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army. And no normal person would say we should deprive these people of this holiday," says Oleksandr Lysenko, who heads studies of Ukraine's World War II history at the National Academy of Sciences. "The change is only meant to focus back on the people who won the war. We have to humanize victory."
You can read the full text (in Ukrainian) here:
08:28
9.5.2014
What's running through the minds of Donetsk's veterans?
08:24
9.5.2014
Russian-born Party of Regions member Vadim Novinsky plays it safe, dons both St. George and Ukrainian ribbons.
08:20
9.5.2014
07:32
9.5.2014
The one flag nowhere to be seen in #Donetsk is #ukraine flag, though Ukrainian national anthem heard with respect pic.twitter.com/Y7mDRITWTf
— James Mates (@jamesmatesitv) May 9, 2014
07:11
9.5.2014
Ukraine national anthem plays, then crowd observes minute silence as bell tolls #Victory Day #Donetsk pic.twitter.com/Yp4W7asrN3
— Simon Denyer (@simondenyer) May 9, 2014
07:10
9.5.2014
Fears of "provocations" on a nervous Victory Day in eastern Ukraine - my report from Kharkiv: http://t.co/EwQxlv8BB2
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) May 9, 2014
07:04
9.5.2014
Meanwhile, influential New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has been talking to has been talking to Serhiy Leshchenko from Ukrayinska Pravda:
You can read the full interview here.
Ukraine has been doing a lot of things right. But your country needs to create an inclusive and legitimate political system that is able to implement Maidan’s expectations through the real political parties, government bodies, and the political process.
Several days ago I wrote in my New York Times column that Putin is much more afraid of you than us. Do you realize what in fact is going on? If Ukraine manages to translate Maidan ideas into life, and elect worthy leaders able to bring the spirit of Maidan into the politics, into the relations with the EU, and if both the East and the West are going to have good prospects, all that becomes a clear and present danger to Putin.
This is what he fears more than our planes, tanks, or even sanctions. The hardest part for him is that there are merely people next door who speak the same language and who have been associated with Russia for a long time, and now these very people choose their destiny themselves.
Several days ago I wrote in my New York Times column that Putin is much more afraid of you than us. Do you realize what in fact is going on? If Ukraine manages to translate Maidan ideas into life, and elect worthy leaders able to bring the spirit of Maidan into the politics, into the relations with the EU, and if both the East and the West are going to have good prospects, all that becomes a clear and present danger to Putin.
This is what he fears more than our planes, tanks, or even sanctions. The hardest part for him is that there are merely people next door who speak the same language and who have been associated with Russia for a long time, and now these very people choose their destiny themselves.
You can read the full interview here.
06:55
9.5.2014
For the first time since USSR collapse - flags of #Crimea and #Sevastopol on armoured vehicles - crowd claps pic.twitter.com/HjKejmhdJ0
— Ivan Nechepurenko (@INechepurenko) May 9, 2014
06:53
9.5.2014
Here's a little bit of news from our Washington desk regarding a congressional team of observers who will be monitoring Ukraine's upcoming presidential election, scheduled for May 25:
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland) and Representative Chris Smith (Republican-New Jersey) will lead a congressional delegation of election observers for Ukraine's May 25 elections, the Representative said Thursday.
The Republican made the announcement during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled "Russia's destabilization of Ukraine."
Smith added that more members could join, though other names were not immediately announced.
Ukraine is holding presidential elections on May 25 amid widespread violence in the country's east as pro-Russian activists demand greater autonomy and even independence from the central government in Kyiv.
Pro-Russian separatists in two cities in Eastern Ukraine have declared that they will go ahead with referendums on May 11 to secede despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it.
The Republican made the announcement during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled "Russia's destabilization of Ukraine."
Smith added that more members could join, though other names were not immediately announced.
Ukraine is holding presidential elections on May 25 amid widespread violence in the country's east as pro-Russian activists demand greater autonomy and even independence from the central government in Kyiv.
Pro-Russian separatists in two cities in Eastern Ukraine have declared that they will go ahead with referendums on May 11 to secede despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it.