From our newsroom:
Poland's former prime minister, Donald Tusk, has denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia and Poland carve up Ukraine.
Tusk told Polish Radio TOK-FM on October 24 that Putin never made such an offer to him.
The claim was made by former foreign minister Radek Sikorsk,i who said in an interview with the U.S. internet magazine Politico on October 19 that the offer was made in a one-on-one meeting between Tusk and Putin in Moscow in 2008.
But Sikorski later backed away from the allegation, saying his memory had failed him.
Tusk said October 24 that Sikorski must have gotten the impression from alarming remarks Putin made at a NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008 in which he said Ukraine was an artificial country and that Russia has interests there.
Must-see investigative report from our Ukrainian correspondent Natalie Sedletska, who used car, boat, and drone to track down these mansions connected to former Naftogaz oligarchs running for office -- and the immunity it carries with it.
U.S. Urges Ukrainians To Vote
ICYMI, a very good report on tensions in the Baltic Sea:
With the plant's furnaces echoing the thump of shelling nearby, Magomedov sounds more worried about his workers than about Metinvest. "There is a way out" of the crisis, he says. "We just don't know where it goes."
From the European Parliament:
Members of European Parliament arrive in Ukraine to observe the Rada elections
On 24 October a delegation of 14 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), led by Croatian MEP Andrej Plenković (EPP) starts their activities to observe the 2014 parliamentary election in Ukraine.
"The forthcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine are important for consolidation of democracy in Ukraine, especially since in some regions they are held in very demanding circumstances. We, together with other international observers, will have an important role in observing that the elections are conducted in free and fair manner", said Mr Plenkovic, who leads the MEPs delegation.
The aim of MEPs' mission is to assess whether the 2014 parliamentary elections in Ukraine are conducted according to country's international commitments and national laws. MEPs' work will be guided by international standards and criteria, as defined by OSCE/ODIHR, and grounded in fundamental civil and political rights.
How will MEPs work
On 24-25 October MEPs will meet the Ukrainian electoral authorities, international and Ukrainian election observation organisations, leaders of the main political parties, civil society and media representatives. Also meetings with Ukraine's President, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs are scheduled.
On Sunday, 26 October, day of the election, MEPs will observe the elections in the capital Kyiv and also cities of Cherkasy, Odessa, Kharkiv and Dnjepropetrovsk. They will visit polling stations, watch the voting process and observe the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of votes.
The delegation will finish its work after the joint press conference in the afternoon on 27 October, where they, together with other international observers, will present the preliminary conclusions on the election process.