Roman Kupchinsky

Ukrainian President Lashes Out At Opposition

Prague, 29 October 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma lashed out at the opposition on the eve of the country's presidential election, saying that "if there is any threat to the elections it comes from them."

Analysis: Putin And The Liberation Of Ukraine From Nazism

Russian President Vladimir Putin began his visit to Ukraine on 26 October -- marking his 10th meeting with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in 2004. The trip begins five days before the Ukrainian presidential election on 31 October.

Analysis: The Dismantling Of Russian Oil Giant Yukos

Will the Kremlin reward state-owned natural-gas monopoly Gazprom for its loyalty with a murky $18 billion deal as a year-end bonus? Many financial analysts in Moscow are leaning toward that conclusion, as Russian officials appear bent on the dismemberment of integrated oil and gas giant Yukos.

Analysis: Suspected Al-Qaeda Links Emerge In Egypt, Libya

Disturbing reports of suspected Al-Qaeda activity have begun popping up throughout the Middle East and North Africa, with suspected terrorists in Lebanon and Libya being linked to the terrorist network and suspicions of its involvement in bombings in Egypt.

Analysis: New Evidence Of Corruption In Iraq Oil Voucher Scheme

Hussein manipulated the oil-for-food program (file photo) Two separate reports have recently surfaced describing in greater detail allegations of corruption in the United Nations-administered oil-for-food (OFF) program in Iraq and the so-called "oil voucher" scheme by which various individuals and companies were given gifts of oil by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in return for political support. The main beneficiaries of this scheme, according to these reports, are alleged to have been Russian, French, and Chinese companies and individuals.

Analysis: How Do Arabs View The Violence in Iraq?

Chilling scenes of indiscriminate car bombings, beheadings, and mortar attacks, showing dozens of dead Iraqi civilians, have become a regular feature on Arabic TV news stations like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiyah, alongside footage of civilians killed during coalition bombing raids and firefights with insurgents. Viewed by large audiences in the Middle East, television coverage of the war has generated predictable condemnation of the United States' role in Iraq. At the same time, these reports have also created the image of Sunni insurgents who claim to be battling coalition forces but are often seen killing Shi'ite Muslims.

Analysis: Is Al-Qaeda Operating In Lebanon?

Just days after Italian intelligence services informed the Lebanese police that they possessed information about an imminent car-bomb attack on the Italian Embassy located in the center of Beirut, Lebanese Interior Minister Elias Murr announced on 22 September the arrests of 10 members of a suspected Al-Qaeda network in Lebanon.

Analysis: Islambouli Brigades Issues New Warning To Russia

The murky group calling itself the Islambouli Brigades issued a call on 9 September to "all our cells in every region of Russia to launch a destructive war." The text of the message as reproduced in English on the globalterroralert.com website reads:

Analysis: Is Al-Qaeda Operating Inside Russia?

The claims of responsibility by a relatively unknown terrorist group for the downing of two airliners on 24 August and a suicide bombing outside a Moscow subway station on 31 August have fuelled speculation that, for the first time, Russia is being targeted by an international terrorist organization aiding the Chechen cause.

Analysis: Who Downed The Russian Jets?

Russian investigators looking into the causes of the simultaneous plane crashes on 24 August have now established that the same explosive, hexogen, more widely known as RDX, which was found in the wreckage of the first downed airplane, was also on board the second plane. Eighty-nine passengers and crew died in the crashes.

Analysis: Explosives Found In Russian Jet's Wreckage

A Federal Security Service (FSB) spokesman announced on 27 August that traces of the explosive hexogen have been found in the wreckage of the Tu-154 passenger jet that crashed on 24 August, RTR and other Russian media reported. The spokesman added that so far no explosives have been found at the site of the crash the same day of a Tu-134 jet, although analyses are ongoing. This is the strongest evidence thus far that terrorism and not "pilot error" or "bad fuel" was responsible for the twin tragedies.

Analysis: The Changing Face Of Al-Qaeda

Still in charge? In a series of apparently well-coordinated raids, British and Pakistani security forces arrested a number of terrorism suspects in early August. Some of the men arrested in the United Kingdom were charged with "conspiring...to cause fear, panic, and disruption." These arrests have provided a wealth of new information on the current complex status of Al-Qaeda and its mode of operations. At the same time, this information contains many troubling indications that the war on terrorism is far from over.

Many Charges Dropped Against Ukraine's Ex-Premier

Prague, 10 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Claiming that the government was unable to establish proof of violations of existing Ukrainian law and sufficient evidence of fraud to sustain a conviction, U.S. Federal Judge Martin Jenkins of the Northern District Court in San Francisco on 7 May dismissed 23 of the 53 charges contained in the indictment against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko.

Former Ukrainian Premier 'Protected' Money From President

The second week of the landmark money-laundering trial in a U.S. court of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko got under way in San Francisco on 22 March with testimony from a Geneva bank officer who claims Lazarenko requested an $85 million bank wire to protect the funds from Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.

Iraqi Paper Lists Companies And Organizations Hussein Allegedly Bribed With Oil

The Iraqi daily newspaper "Al-Mada" in its 25 January edition published a sensational list of companies, organizations, and individuals who allegedly were allocated crude oil in return for political support for the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Ukraine: Businessmen Seek To Bolster Trade With Iraq

Ukraine: Kuchma Begins Visit to Russia

Ukraine: Prime Minister Lazarenko's 'Temporary' Removal -- An Analysis

Ukraine: Parliament Decides To Debate Relations With Russia

Russia/Ukraine: Postcard from Yalta, Vacation Spot To New Middle Class