Pavel Korduban

Pavel Korduban is a freelance writer based in Kyiv.

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    Articles by Pavel Korduban

    Ukraine Fails to Secure IMF Financing In 2011

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission that arrived in Ukraine on October 25 left the country on November 3, one day ahead of schedule, without agreement on the next loan

    Ukraine and Russia Prepare New Gas Agreement

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin near Moscow on September 24 in a last-ditch attempt to persuade the ruling tandem

    Ukraine-Russia Gas Talks Deadlocked

    As winter approaches, the Ukraine-Russia gas price talks have been deadlocked, increasing the likelihood of a repetition of the “gas wars” of 2006 and 2009. Ukrainian officials pledged to avoid

    Ukraine Struggles to Secure Next IMF Tranche

    Ukraine is once again in difficult talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a much needed third tranche of the IMF’s $15 billion stand-by loan which was approved

    Ukraine Returns Disputed Gas to RosUkrEnergo

    There are indications that the Ukrainian government has agreed to return RosUkrEnergo (RUE) the disputed gas, which the Stockholm court ruled belongs to RUE. According to the ruling, Ukraine has

    IMF Approves New Loan for Ukraine

    On July 28, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $15 billion loan for Ukraine, as most observers expected (EDM, July 21). Ukraine received the first $1.9 billion tranche almost

    Ukraine-EU Summit a Failure?

    The Ukraine-European Union (EU) summit held in Kyiv on December 4 failed to move the country closer to the West. An association agreement, viewed in Ukraine as a serious step

    Poroshenko Starts to Mend Fences with Russia

    Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko visited Moscow on October 23. Appointed earlier this month, Poroshenko views rapprochement with Russia as one of his main goals, and he made a point

    Moscow Pressuring Ukraine on its EU Pipeline Deal

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, commencing talks with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 29, said that a "certain confrontation" in the gas trade between the two

    IMF to Resume Assisting Ukraine

    The IMF's mission visited Ukraine April 8-17 and was satisfied with the results of its talks with the government. It will recommend that the IMF board resumes financial assistance to

    Were Ukrainian Arms Supplies to Georgia Illegal?

    A Ukrainian parliamentary commission investigating arms supplies to Georgia has claimed that they were illegal. The commission chairman, Valery Konovalyuk from the pro-Russian Party of Regions (PRU), insists that President

    TYMOSHENKO OPPOSES EARLY ELECTION IN UKRAINE

    On October 9 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko disbanded parliament and scheduled an early parliamentary election for December 7. This was the result of the breakup of the ruling coalition of

    NEW COALITION OR EARLY ELECTION FOR UKRAINE

    On September 16 Ukrainian parliament speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk pronounced the ruling coalition of President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense (NUNS) and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYT) officially dead. If no

    CRISIS IN UKRAINE

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is ready to call an early parliamentary election as his party, Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense (NUNS), withdrew from a coalition with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s

    YUSHCHENKO, TYMOSHENKO LOCK HORNS OVER OIL PIPELINE

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to approve using the Odesaa-Brody pipeline for pumping Caspian oil to the Pryvat Group’s refineries. The pipeline, Odessa-Brody, is currently used by Russian

    TYMOSHENKO CABINET SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE

    The opposition in Ukraine’s parliament has failed to oust the government of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Only 174 deputies in the 450-seat chamber voted in favor of a no-confidence motion

    WILL NATO BECOME POPULAR AMONG UKRAINIANS?

    The Ukrainian government has launched a campaign to make NATO popular in the country in order to secure a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers has

    UKRAINIAN PROSECUTORS TARGET SELF-DEFENSE LEADERS

    The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has opened criminal cases against Minister of the Interior Yuriy Lutsenko and businessman Davyd Zhvania. Both were among the leaders of the 2004 Orange

    RACISM IS ON THE UPSWING IN UKRAINE

    On May 5 a court in Kyiv sentenced four individuals of about 20 years of age to 13 years in prison each for beating a Korean national to death in

    YUSHCHENKO, TYMOSHENKO CLASH OVER PRIVATIZATION

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have demonstrated that they would not stop short of open confrontation when big property is at stake. Yushchenko cancelled Tymoshenko’s orders

    TYMOSHENKO CHOOSES PARLIAMENTARY REPUBLIC

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has suffered a crashing defeat over his plan to change the constitution. Not only has it become clear that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will not support

    CAN THE UKRAINIAN COALITION HOLD TOGETHER?

    The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s Bloc (BYT) and President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine, People’s Self-Defense (NUNS), is on the verge of breaking apart. Yushchenko’s team not only

    UKRAINIANS DIFFER ON NATO SUMMIT RESULTS

    Both President Viktor Yushchenko and opposition leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych have claimed that the April 2 to 4 Bucharest NATO summit’s decision on Ukraine was a “victory.”

    TYMOSHENKO WANTS KYIV MAYOR OUT

    Yesterday, March 18, the Ukrainian parliament called an early election for the post of mayor of Kyiv. This is a victory for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc (BYuT), which spearheaded

    PARTY OF REGIONS DISCUSSES LANGUAGE, NATO AT FORUM

    Ukraine’s main opposition force, the Party of Regions (PRU), organized what it called a “congress of people’s deputies of all levels” in the eastern town of Severodonetsk on Saturday, March

    WILL UKRAINE HAVE NEW CONSTITUTION?

    President Viktor Yushchenko has begun his drive to reverse the 2004 constitutional reform. His goals include boosting presidential powers and weakening the legislature. On February 20 Yushchenko convened the first

    YUSHCHENKO STRIVES TO DOMINATE TYMOSHENKO GOVERNMENT

    The political honeymoon between Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko appears to be over. Yushchenko has thwarted Tymoshenko’s planned visit to Moscow, torpedoed planned appointments to her

    TYMOSHENKO CABINET GETS DOWN TO WORK

    The coalition of President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense (NUNS) and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) succeeded in electing Tymoshenko as prime minister on Tuesday, December 18. The

    TYMOSHENKO VOTE SHOWS COALITION’S LIMITATIONS

    The coalition of President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense bloc (NUNS) and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) has failed to ensure Tymoshenko's return to the post of prime minister, from

    UKRAINIAN COALITION MAY NOT MATERIALIZE

    The Ukrainian parliament elected on September 30 will gather for its first sitting on Friday, November 23. It should elect a speaker and start forming a new cabinet. The constitution

    CRIMEAN TATARS CLASH WITH POLICE OVER LAND

    Ethnic tension has increased in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula as the authorities move to tackle the problem of Crimean Tatar squatters occupying local plots of land. In early November, Tatars were

    IS BIG BROTHER WATCHING UKRAINIANS?

    The Ukrainian government has simplified the procedure allowing the special services and police to procure confidential information about citizens. Ukrainian human rights activists and Internet providers believe that the government

    DIFFERENCES WITHIN UKRAINIAN COALITION ESCALATE

    A coalition consisting of President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense bloc (NUNS) and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) is showing cracks long before the newly elected parliament even has its

    NEW ORANGE COALITION IN THE MAKING

    The blocs of Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense (NUNS) and Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) have agreed to form a majority coalition in Ukraine’s newly elected parliament. Tymoshenko should be the new prime minister,

    CAN TYMOSHENKO LIVE WITH A GRAND COALITION?

    Opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko’s hopes to become prime minister may be dashed. President Viktor Yushchenko wants to invite the Party of Regions (PRU), led by her archrival, Prime Minister Viktor

    UKRAINIAN ELECTION OVER, BUT ITS OUTCOME UNCLEAR

    Ukraine’s September 30 early parliamentary election produced a hung parliament, just like the regular election in March 2006. Like last year, the Party of Regions (PRU) of Prime Minister Viktor

    WILL RUSSIA HELP INVESTIGATE YUSHCHENKO POISONING?

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has accused Moscow of hindering the investigation into his poisoning in 2004. What’s more, he hinted that Russia might actually have been behind the poisoning. An

    DONETSK PROSECUTORS, COURTS STRIKE BACK

    Several prosecutors and courts recently decided high-profile cases in favor of individuals who were prosecuted when President Viktor Yushchenko came to power in 2005. At the same time, the Donetsk

    YUSHCHENKO STARTS ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR HIS PARTY

    There is no unity among the supporters of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, with just three months to go before early parliamentary elections, scheduled for September 30. His strongest ally, Yulia

    UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT IN LIMBO

    The majority of Ukraine’s parliament has defied the accords between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych to disband parliament and hold an early parliamentary election. Yushchenko has not

    IS UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SICK OR HIDING?

    Interior Minister Vasyl Tsushko has left Ukraine for medical treatment in Germany. President Viktor Yushchenko had accused him of breaking the law when Tsushko ordered riot police to storm the

    CRISIS OVER, BUT RULE OF LAW UNDERMINED IN UKRAINE

    The Ukrainian political crisis triggered by President Viktor Yushchenko’s April 2 decision to disband a hostile parliament appears to be over. On May 27, Yushchenko and his opponents, Prime Minister

    UKRAINE’S CONSTITUTIONAL COURT UNDER PRESSURE

    On May 21, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CC) closed proceedings related to President Viktor Yushchenko’s April 2 decree to disband parliament. This was a pure formality, as Yushchenko had

    YUSHCHENKO REPLACES KEY SECURITY AIDE

    On Saturday, May 12, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko replaced Vitaly Hayduk with Ivan Plyushch in the post of secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). Hayduk -- co-owner

    WHEN WILL SNAP ELECTION BE HELD IN UKRAINE?

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has bent to pressure from President Viktor Yushchenko and agreed to an early parliamentary election. This decision has been essentially a compromise between the two

    YUSHCHENKO SETS NEW DATE FOR PARLIAMENTARY POLL

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has re-scheduled the snap parliamentary election from May 27 to June 24. His opponents initially reacted as they had to his April 2 decree, which called

    IS COMPROMISE POSSIBLE IN UKRAINE?

    Radicalism is apparently giving way to compromise in the Ukrainian political crisis. President Viktor Yushchenko, aware of the impossibility of holding a snap election as early as May 27, as

    CAN UKRAINE’S CONSTITUTIONAL COURT BE UNBIASED?

    Today, April 17, Ukraine’s Constitutional Court (CC) began considering an appeal by a group of pro-government parliamentarians regarding President Viktor Yushchenko’s April 2 decree on the dissolution of parliament. The

    YUSHCHENKO RULES TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT

    Yesterday, April 2, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree dissolving parliament, which the parliamentary majority immediately rejected. Yushchenko’s opponents -- the ruling coalition, consisting of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych’s

    UKRAINE NAMES NEW FOREIGN MINISTER

    On March 21 Ukraine’s parliament approved President Viktor Yushchenko’s choice for foreign minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, 32. The appointment ends a standoff of nearly four months between Yushchenko and the Cabinet

    UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE A PRIORITY FOR YUSHCHENKO

    The language card is being played in Ukraine again, which often happens when elections loom. On February 22 Ukraine’s parliament, which is dominated by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of

    CORRUPTION PROBES IN UKRAINE: TABLES TURNED

    As leadership has changed at Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, many former officials who fled Ukraine amid accusations of corruption after the Orange Revolution have nothing to fear. Criminal cases against them

    UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER SUE EACH OTHER

    As Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych continue to dispute each other’s powers, interpreting the constitutional amendments of 2004-2006 each in his own favor, both hope for

    WILL THE ORANGE TEAM RE-UNITE?

    As Ukraine’s parliament reconvened after the winter recess, the caucuses of the pro-presidential Our Ukraine (NU) bloc and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc announced they would act as a unified opposition.

    UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN LIMBO

    Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has become hostage to a constitutional reform that failed to clearly define the boundaries between the remits of the legislature and the executive. President Viktor Yushchenko insists

    YUSHCHENKO FACES NATO REFERENDUM PROBLEM

    Signatures have been collected in Ukraine in favor of holding a referendum on membership in NATO and the Single Economic Space -- a loose economic union with Russia, Belarus, and

    ARE EARLY ELECTIONS AN OPTION FOR YUSHCHENKO?

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko may opt for an early parliamentary election in order to reverse the 2004-2006 constitutional reforms. Reversing the amendments, which diminished presidential authority and made it possible

    YUSHCHENKO REGAINS CONTROL OF HIS PARTY

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has replaced the leadership of his party, People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NSNU). The NSNU’s business wing, the “dear friends” who controlled the party since its foundation in

    YUSHCHENKO LOSING KEY MINISTERS

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has lost at least two of the four ministers who remained loyal to him while working in Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's cabinet. Parliament, which is dominated

    CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM QUESTIONED IN UKRAINE

    The constitutional reform that Ukraine’s parliament passed during the Orange Revolution in December 2004 and that came into effect after the March 2006 parliamentary election may now be revised. President