Following on from yesterday’s entry and the numerous questions raised regarding prickly agendas and subsequent local election political fallout, extremely unfairly a reader emailed and asked for predictions regarding Odessa and the local elections - this before any candidates and party lists have been formalised. Solidarity meets later today to select candidates and form lists, […]
Prickly agendas? - Odessa City Hall
August 27, 2015 by 2 Comments
Following along nicely from the previous entry, yesterday’s session of Odessa City Council - not to be confused with the Oblast Council - was canceled. The City Council session was canceled due to only 56 deputies registering in the session hall, when the minimum number required for a legal quorum is 61. An issue of […]
Time to peel away the recently applied Odessa veneer and get dirty once more
August 26, 2015 by 1 Comment
Odessa has benefited from some rather rosy/and or glorifying headlines lately - the obvious increased tourism (due to the loss of Crimea), the new Patrol Police taking to the streets to (hopefully) change societal attitudes towards the rule of law, Governor Saakashvili doing numerous populist (and popular) PR stunts - and the first signs of […]
The new “Patrol Police” begin - Odessa
August 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
On 25th August, perhaps fittingly, the first 392 officers of new “Patrol Police” take their oath and are subsequently unleashed upon the (diving) public of Odessa, at the statue of Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septimanie de Vignerot du Plessis - better known as the (5th) Duke Richelieu. The remainder of the 800 Patrol Police officers do […]
Running the (prosecution) interference - Odessa
August 24, 2015 by 1 Comment
Saturday afternoon was spent by your author with a member of an EU Mission visiting Odessa. The EU Mission in question relates directly to the rule of law. For once your author was not talking to a diplomat, bureaucrat or academic (enjoyable as that always is) - this EU Mission Member was a practitioner. The […]
Assimilation complete? Solidarity
August 23, 2015 by 1 Comment
Last week, this blog sent the following tweet relating to the assimilation of Mayor Klitchko’s UDAR Party into President Poroshenko’s Solidarity Party. Кличко і Порошенко об’єднують партії http://t.co/7h6MLQZpgl via @ukrpravda_news - 1 assimilated, 1 to go with Yatseniuk’s NF. — Nikolai Holmov (@OdessaBlogger) August 18, 2015 It was no surprise of course. As predicted many […]
A few first’s for Odessatalk - Podcasts and Balkanists (& Saakashvili)
August 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
A short entry doing the blog no favours by directing regular readers elsewhere following two”first’s”. The first is a debut with the Balkanist, where a few lines are published relating to the challenges facing Governor Saakashvili at the ports. The second “first” is an appearance on the ever interesting Power Vertical podcast - Regular readers […]
A swapping of criminal databases - Ukraine
August 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment
24th August is Ukrainian Independence Day - a day this year that will resonate deeply with much of the Ukrainian citizenry. It is also the day that President Poroshenko will meet with Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande in Berlin. Something that may well irritate the perpetual paranoia rampant within Kremlin DNA. The “Normandy Four” minus one. […]
Setting the stage for the next “Normandy Format” meeting
August 20, 2015 by 2 Comments
Today Berlin will host an informal meeting of legal experts from the “Normandy Four” - also in attendance will be the Venice Commission - the aim is to explain to The Kremlin that the collective interpretation is that the proposed amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution regarding “decentralisation” fall squarely within the terms of the Minsk […]
Want to buy a Bear? (Strategic bomber that is)
August 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has opened an investigation into the regime of former President Yanukovych for selling two “Bears” to person(s) unknown - Bears as in Tu-95 MS (Bear) strategic bombers. Unbelievable? They aren’t small or easily missed after all. Well, sadly it is believable to anybody with access to, or moving within certain […]