On November 12-13, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his second visit to Ukraine in as many weeks. Although Kremlin officials maintain that this time Putin went to the neighboring country to open a ferry line across the Kerch Strait, most analysts agree that the Russian... MORE

Ahead of the November 21 presidential runoff between Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, the pro-Russian Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP) has strongly come out in support of the pro-Russian candidate -- Yanukovych. The Moscow church has stopped... MORE

Unlike the 1994 and 1999 races, foreign policy issues have not played a central role in Ukraine's 2004 presidential campaign. The main opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, has deliberately stayed away from foreign policy issues. More importantly, foreign policy issues are not a major concern for... MORE

Rumors from sources close to the Russian presidential administration have suggested that Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych might be ready to withdraw from the second round of the presidential elections, set for November 21 (top.rbc.ru, November 5). Such a drastic step would ensure a second... MORE

The news of George W. Bush's re-election has drawn scant comment from Ukrainian policymakers. This is not surprising, given the fact that the U.S. elections took place just two days after Ukraine's own crucial presidential poll, whose first round ended in a draw between opposition... MORE

Five days after the election, the final results are still not declared in Ukraine's presidential election. Nevertheless, as opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko declared: "Whatever the authorities might say to us," he won the first round. "And, in the second round we shall finalize this victory,"... MORE

Challenger Viktor Yushchenko won the first round of the Ukrainian presidential elections on October 31 (Itar-Tass, November 2). According to official Central Election Commission (CEC) figures, Yushchenko won 16 oblasts and the city of Kyiv. Besides sweeping western Ukraine, Yushchenko won the whole of central... MORE

Attempts by President Leonid Kuchma's administration to silence dissenting opinions on television ran into resistance at a decisive moment in the presidential election campaign. Journalists from most of Ukraine's nation-wide TV channels have vocally protested efforts to muzzle free expression just a few of days... MORE

With the Ukrainian presidential election just two days away, it is becoming increasingly clear how crucial this ballot is. Its outcome, as the dean of Ukraine specialists, Harvard University Professor Roman Szporluk, has succinctly put it, will set the course for this pivotal nation: "Toward... MORE

Throughout 2004 Western delegations to Ukraine and statements by governments and international organizations have repeatedly asked the Ukrainian authorities to conduct free and fair elections. During the summer both houses of the U.S. Congress voted for resolutions in support of free and fair elections, as... MORE