The Customs Union’s Strength is Its Weak Link: Oil Prices Threaten Putin’s Project
Kazakhstan’s bank is about to break, and it’s all because oil and natural gas went cheap fast. Last week, falling in with Moscow, Astana announced that it will be tapping its oil wealth fund to steady its petroleum-dependent economy as the price of crude falls against a worldwide economic slump and what appears to be a budding...
These Guns Have Never Been Silent
They say that to the East there is a cease-fire in place, a promise by the Russian conscripts, special operations forces, and locals allied with them not to shoot at the legitimate government of Ukraine and its representatives; and a promise by Kyiv to reciprocate this guarantee. Whenever the former break their promises, this is reported as...
Say It Loud, I’m Belarusian and Proud
Among young people in Belarus, speaking the national language instead of Russian is coming into vogue. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
The Ukrainian coalition agreement
2014-11-26Tadeusz A. OlszańskiThe agreement is quite a voluminous document and sets an ambitious reform agenda covering almost all areas of state governance. …read more Source: Centre for Eastern...
When economy fails, military tension grows
From the interview of Director of Economic Programmes Vasyl Yurchyshyn for the website From-UA. …read more Source: Razumkov...
Economy of Crimea will suffer from Russian restrictions on the export of products from the peninsula
In the comment to the website Finance.ua, Director of Economic Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Vasyl Yurchyshyn assessed how Russian restrictions on the export from Crimea will effect economy of the peninsula. The shift of trade flows to Odessa is a positive natural process, and the ban on the export of products will primarily hit Crimea...
Resolving the conflict in Donbas depends both on security forces and politicians
In the comment to the website Gordonua, Director of Military Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Mykola Sunhurovskyi explained how to resolve the conflict in Donbas. The events in Donbas are caused by the fact that the Ukrainian government has lost the initiative, and is forced to respond to the situation rather than act one step ahead. Since...
The 2014 Election Features and Consequences
The May 25, 2014 election was a unique event in the contemporary history of Ukraine. It was the first election when the previous president shamefully fled the country under the pressure of massive continued protests of people. It was the first election when warfare between the terrorists supported by Russia and the Ukrainian military continued in...
Discount on gas for Ukraine under the Brussels deal can be cancelled by Russia
With a payment dispute that disrupted supplies of Russian gas to Ukraine now settled, officials and energy experts said a deal reached two weeks ago in Brussels includes both benefits and potential drawbacks for Ukraine, the Southeast European Times writes. “Discount on gas for Ukraine can be cancelled, plus the requirement to pay debts at a time...
Putin’s actions have significantly increased Ukrainians support of joining NATO
For the first time, a majority of Ukrainians support the idea of joining NATO and the president Poroshenko this week spoke of putting the idea to a popular vote, but experts say it still remains a distant dream, the newspaper Gulf Times reports. “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions are the main cause of the mood change in Ukraine...
