Inside News on Odessa and Ukraine
If anybody still pays attention to the credit assessments of agencies such as Moody’s, Fitch and S&P, and I have to be quite honest and say I don’t and never have, then yesterday those who still have faith in their accuracy and independence may have noted that Moody’s downgraded 11 Ukrainian banks. Those downgraded were […]
It seems the Ukrainian President has nominated Mykola Azarov has been nominated for the post Prime Minister again, before the President disappears into the sunset on a visit to India. Not much to say about that nomination really, other than it has put to bed rumours of other candidates. Azarov may be a grey, uninspiring, […]
Whilst all headlines will be on the action of the last RADA session passing the 2013 budget, 234 MPs also supported Law 11285 which relates to securities and derivatives - something that won’t make the headlines. Law 11285 introduces a specific tax on transactions with securities and derivatives, a 0% rate on stock exchange transactions, […]
The Ukrainian NGO Чесно or “Chesno” which has made a pretty good attempt at identifying each RADA MP in the previous parliament with their numerous personal integrity failings in the past, be they issues of swapping political parties, corruption, illegal voting, being oligarchy puppets etc., etc, and has arrived at a similar graphic display for […]
Although I studied economics as part of a degree in Business Management and Finance many moons ago, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it was not exactly the most interesting of subjects, and one in which I had to motivate myself to maintain a respectable overall end grade. The fact it […]
One of the (United-ish) opposition platforms for their next term in opposition has been stated as creating more anti-corruption laws as outlined here. As I wrote only a few days ago, Ukraine does not need more anti-corruption laws. It has plenty. In fact, not only does Ukraine have plenty of anti-corruption laws, the laws it has […]
Ukraine officially takes over the chairmanship of OSCE on 6/7th December 2012 at the OSCE ministerial council meeting in Dublin, when Ireland hands over, and will thus chair OSCE through 2013. That on the back of some robust criticism by OSCE of the recent Ukrainian parliamentary elections - their final and authoritative report on said […]
So the opposition parties in Ukraine have accepted the election results as called by the CEC, with the exception of 5 seats that are to be re-run. One presumes that having done so, the call for the elections to “represent the genuine will of the Ukrainian voters” as per the EU press statement of two […]
Uggggghhhhhhhh! In the first real test of cohesiveness after the voting on 28th October, the opposition parties are doing their very best within a week of proving my previous statements about their (in)ability to work together correct - in the fastest time possible. Sometimes I write something in the hope of being proved absolutely and […]
A very brief post today as my itinerary prevents having time to write anything lengthy. Coinciding with the first ever occurrence of the far-right, openly anti- Russia, anti-EU, pro NATO and anti-Semitic Svoboda party winning seats in the RADA, the Jews of Ukraine have voted Ihor Kolomoisky as President of the United Jewish Community of […]