Christian Borys has been writing for RFE/RL on the fight against corruption in Odesa (it does not seem to be making much progress...):
ODESA, Ukraine -- To many of those living or doing business in this otherwise laid-back slice of southern Ukraine, even a whiff of the salty Black Sea breeze can't mask the smell of corruption.
It is a persistent problem that rankles Kyiv and figures prominently in the Ukrainian leadership's Western-backed push for cleaner government and national unity, key factors in the country's pitched battle against armed separatism farther to the east.
With that significance in mind, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in May recruited Mikheil Saakashvili, a Georgian ex-president with a pugnacious reputation, to become Odesa's governor.
Half a year later, a perceived lack of progress and concerns that Saakashvili's real aim is to use Odesa as a stepping stone to national prominence have conspired to cast doubt on the process.
By virtually all accounts, there is plenty of work ahead to achieve real reform in this city of 1 million and its surrounding region.
A case in point is the bright-eyed, 26-year-old head of customs whose appointment drew sharp criticism, Yulia Marushevska. A former literature and history student who shot to fame at the height of the Maidan unrest thanks to her appearance in an überpatriotic (but Western-made) YouTube video titled I Am A Ukrainian, Marushevska joined Saakashvili's team over the summer and was tabbed in October to tackle corruption plaguing the city's bustling commercial port.
Some have suggested it's the toughest customs job in all of Europe.
Her boss, Saakashvili, built a reputation in his previous political life as the blunt-speaking face of reform and anticorruption while president of his native Georgia. And still, his appointment in May by Ukraine's oligarch-turned-president Petro Poroshenko raised eyebrows.
Marushevska, on the other hand, was immediately derided following her appointment for a perceived lack of notable qualifications or any record of achievement battling corruption.
But now two months into her job, she seems undaunted and is adamant that their shared goal is to usher in a wave of young reformers who can finally clean up one of the country's most corrupt cities.
"The scale of the corruption here is unbelievable," Marushevska says during an interview in the two-story building near downtown Odesa that houses the customs authority. "But seeing the extent of it all is also inspirational, because now I know how much we can pay people if we clean up corruption. People could actually earn normal salaries."
Read the entire article here
Barring any major developments, that ends the live blogging for tonight.
Main news today is Ukrainian farmers holding protests across the country and blocking roads over a new tax law.
Coverage from our Ukrainian Service here.
Highlights today from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service:
Trial of the Crimean Tatar activists in Simferopol
UKROP party leader Korban will stay in custody amid protests
Criminal case against whistleblower, who accused the military prosecutor of corruption
Re-upping this piece from yesterday on Saakashvili's challenges in Odesa.