On February 10 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko visited the heavily industrialized and densely populated Donetsk region, whose representative, Viktor Yanukovych, finished a disputed second in the 2004 presidential election. Yushchenko has been notoriously unpopular in Donetsk, scoring around 3% there both with his Our Ukraine... MORE

As Ukraine's newly formed government prepares to thoroughly revamp the moribund socio-political system it inherited from the corrupt Kuchma administration, Russia is warily pondering its policies toward a new Ukraine. While a group of liberal-minded experts argue that Kyiv's Europe-oriented political course is not inimical... MORE

Since the December election of President Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office has launched a variety of new investigations, some already leading to criminal charges. One of Yushchenko's fundamental reforms will be institutionalizing the rule of law in a country that had continued the Soviet tradition... MORE

Now that the Ukrainian parliament has confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister (see EDM, February 7), the country is witnessing a radical generational change. New people, pro-Western and not tainted by Soviet rule, are entering the political system (Zerkalo nedeli, February 5, includes biographies of... MORE

Responding to Moldova's appeals after years of procrastination, the European Union has decided to institute an EU Special Representative to Moldova, with a focus on Transnistria conflict settlement (AP, February 8). The decision must be welcomed as progress. But it follows the EU's style of... MORE

On February 4 Ukraine's parliament approved President Viktor Yushchenko's choice for prime minister, his populist ally Yulia Tymoshenko. She mustered 375 "yes" votes in the 450-seat body, beating the record set by Pavlo Lazarenko, whose bid for prime minister was supported by 344 parliamentarians in... MORE

Ukraine's Social Democratic United Party (SDPUo), the oligarchic party that gained the most from Leonid Kuchma's second term in office, is now faced with a deep crisis that will ultimately be its undoing. Unfortunately for Viktor Medvedchuk, its leader and the former head of the... MORE

The radical youth group and anti-Leonid Kuchma youth movement PORA! (It's Time!) has been acclaimed for its contribution to Viktor Yushchenko's victory in Ukraine's recent presidential elections. The two wings of the group, known as "Black" PORA and "Yellow" PORA, held a united congress on... MORE

Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, nominated his populist ally, Yulia Tymoshenko, for prime minister on January 24 (see EDM, January 26) and submitted her candidacy to parliament on January 28. The Ukrainian constitution requires that a simple majority in the legislature, that is 226 votes... MORE

On January 18, the organization "Free Belarus" nominated Mikalay Statkevich as a candidate for the next presidential election, stating that its campaign must adopt the flag of the European Union and that its symbol should be a cornflower. The nomination followed two others from the... MORE