Valentinas Mite

Also by Valentinas Mite

• February 17, 2005

  Ukraine: Premier Says Government To Review Former Privatization Deals

  President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Tymoshenko (file photo) A Ukrainian court ruled today that the privatization of the country's largest steel enterprise, Kryvoryzhstal, was illegal. It marks the beginning of a review of shady privatization deals in the country, as Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko announced yesterday that the government will revisit the privatization of some 3,000 firms. The government says many privatized companies were sold to allies of former President Leonid Kuchma at very low prices and the new owners should either pay the market value for the firms they acquired or return them to the state. It is difficult to predict how this move might affect foreign investment in Ukraine or the business climate in the country.

• February 17, 2005

  Russia: Army Testing New Equipment In Chechnya

  Russia's Defense Ministry has admitted the army is testing new military equipment and weaponry in Chechnya, where federal forces have been battling separatist militants for more than five years. Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Belousov says some of the weapons that have been tested will enter mass production this year. Russian military analysts say the admission comes as little surprise.

• February 16, 2005

  Ukraine: New Government Could Make Life Difficult For Ex-President Kuchma

  Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma (file photo) Former Ukrainian leader Leonid Kuchma might have been hoping to fade quietly from public view following the defeat of his handpicked successor in December's presidential runoff. But many of his one-time political opponents have now risen to power, and they may have other plans. Politicians have accused Kuchma of misdeeds ranging from corruption to illegal arms sales and murder, and some radical parliamentarians have already called for the former president's arrest. Kuchma denies any wrongdoing, but it appears doubtful the new Ukrainian government will leave the former leader in peace.

• February 14, 2005

  Russia: Moscow Insists It Is ‘Close’ To Possessing Unique Nuclear Weapons

  Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced yesterday that Moscow will soon have a unique new generation of nuclear weapons "not possessed by any country in the world." The minister did not give any technical details. Russian President Vladimir Putin first spoke of the new generation of nuclear weaponry in November but also provided no details.

• February 11, 2005

  Ukraine: Yushchenko Has Strong Words For Would-Be Separatists In Eastern Ukraine

  Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko (file photo) Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has threatened to take legal action against politicians in eastern Ukraine who are calling for the Russian-speaking part of the country to secede. Yushchenko, speaking yesterday in the eastern city of Donetsk, said all of the country is Ukrainian and that those supporting separatism are "sick." Yushchenko also demanded an end to corruption, the “shadow” economy and business clans.

• February 07, 2005

  Chechnya: Cease-Fire Holding, But Little Chance Of Negotiations Seen

  Aslan Maskhadov (file photo) A unilateral cease-fire called by Chechen separatist leaders appears to be holding -- giving some the impression there may be an opening in the Chechen crisis. The cease-fire was called by Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov and warlord Shamil Basaev as a goodwill gesture to encourage the Russians to engage in talks over the feature of the republic. Chechnya's Russian-backed government has dismissed the move as a publicity stunt, and observers say that with memories of September's tragic Beslan school siege still fresh, the Russians are not likely to rush to the negotiating table.

• February 03, 2005

  Chechnya: Maskhadov Reportedly Orders Cease-Fire

  Aslan Maskhadov (file photo) Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has allegedly ordered Chechen fighters to temporarily halt all offensive operations in the republic. A statement by Maskhadov published on a Chechen website says the cease-fire, due to last through 22 February, is a gesture of goodwill. Chechnya's Russian-backed government has dismissed the report, calling it a publicity stunt that cannot be trusted.

• February 02, 2005

  Ukraine: Kyiv Accused Of Selling Weapons To Iran In 2002

  Prague, 2 February 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Ukrainian lawmaker Hryhoriy Omelchenko has alleged in a public letter to President Viktor Yushchenko that Ukraine illegally sold cruise missiles to Iran in violation of international nonproliferation treaties.

• February 01, 2005

  Chechnya: Human Rights Activists Say Police Involved In Abductions

  Ramzan Kadyrov at his father Akhmed's funeral Disappearances and kidnappings have plagued Chechnya for years. In the latest development, relatives of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov have been abducted. The Chechen Prosecutor-General's Office has opened an investigation into the disappearance of the eight Maskhadov family members. The war between federal forces and Chechen resistance fighters is now in its fifth year, and it is civilians who suffer most. It is not known how many civilians have been kidnapped, tortured, or killed.

• January 27, 2005

  Iraq: Shi'a Parties Will Dominate, But What Will Be State Of Play After Vote?

  There's little doubt that Shi'a political and religious parties will do well in the 30 January elections for a new Iraqi National Assembly. However, it is difficult to predict which candidate list will win the most votes and which political groupings will dominate.

• January 25, 2005

  Ukraine: As Her Program Is Unannounced, Analysts Say Tymoshenko Is Shoo-In As Next Ukrainian PM

  Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has named his controversial "Orange Revolution" ally, Yuliya Tymoshenko, as acting prime minister. Tymoshenko -- who frequently appeared side-by-side with Yushchenko during November and December's street protests in Kyiv -- still needs to be approved by parliament. Although her program has not been announced, she previously promised to review murky privatization deals and push forward market reforms. She also pledged to review the national budget and restart Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union. Analysts say her appointment is virtually guaranteed.

• January 24, 2005

  Ukraine: Yushchenko Talks About Europe -- But Heads To Moscow

  Newly inaugurated President Yushchenko (file photo) The day after his inauguration, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko made his first foreign visit today -- to Moscow. Yushchenko said yesterday that Ukraine's future lies in the European Union. Yet Russia remains the priority for Kyiv -- at least for now. In the coming days, Yushchenko is also scheduled to tour Central and Western Europe. He has also been invited to Washington.

• January 21, 2005

  Iraq: Strict Measures Imposed To Improve Voter Safety

  Up to 13 people were killed and 40 wounded today when a car bomb exploded near a Shi'a mosque in Baghdad as worshippers were celebrating the Eid Al-Adha, one of the most important Islamic holidays. Women and children are among the casualties. It's the latest in a string of deadly attacks and killings by insurgents in Iraq apparently aimed at intimidating voters ahead of the 30 January elections. RFE/RL reports on what is being done to try to ensure the safety of Iraqi voters.

• January 18, 2005

  Iraq: Kidnapping Of Catholic Archbishop Highlights Christians' Plight

  This Baghdad church was bombed in August Iraq's Roman Catholic Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa has been released following his abduction yesterday in the northern city of Mosul. The cleric was the highest-ranking Catholic prelate to be targeted in Iraq. But his abduction was only the latest in a series of attacks against Iraq's Christians, who make up less than 3 percent of the country's population but an important part of its culture and society.

• January 17, 2005

  Russia: Pensioners' Protests Mount Growing Challenge To Putin

  Thousands of Russian pensioners are staging protests against reforms to their social-benefit payments all over the country. A demonstration in St. Petersburg alone on 15 January attracted some 10,000 people. Smaller demonstrations took place in Stavropol, the Moscow region, Tatarstan, Samara, and other places. The protests were triggered by a law that took effect in the beginning of January giving retirees, the disabled, and war veterans cash stipends instead of free benefits such as public transportation and medicine. Protesters say the payments don't match the benefits they replace. The protests are the largest and most passionate since Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000 and might just be the start of a real challenge for the president.

• January 13, 2005

  Iraq: Neighbors View Upcoming Elections From Radically Different Perspectives

  Many fear that the elections will be disrupted by violence All of Iraq's neighbors -- Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey -- say they support national elections scheduled for 30 January. However, neighboring states all have different hopes and fears about the vote. Iran would like to have a Shi'a-ruled state as its western neighbor, while Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait fear a Shi'a clerical authority in Baghdad. Turkey, meanwhile, is more concerned about the issue of Kurdish autonomy.

• January 10, 2005

  Iraq: Troubled Town Mosul Very Different From Al-Fallujah

  A U.S. soldier patrolling the streets in Mosul (file photo) Iraq's third-largest city, Mosul, has become a recent trouble spot since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the insurgent stronghold of Al-Fallujah in November. Soon after the Al-Fallujah operation, insurgents in Mosul attacked police stations, killing dozens of coalition troops and Iraqis cooperating with them. The interim Iraqi government has pledged to take back control of the city. But analysts caution that Mosul presents a different challenge for the U.S.-led coalition than did Al-Fallujah.

• January 03, 2005

  Ukraine: 'Orange Revolution' Is Over -- Time To Form A Cabinet

  The winner of the Ukrainian presidential election, Viktor Yushchenko, must now form a new cabinet to push forward his promised agenda of economic and political reforms. But he faces some difficult decisions, and he has promised his Our Ukraine bloc's two main allies a quarter of the cabinet posts.

• December 23, 2004

  Afghanistan: 25 Years Later, Soviet Invasion Remembered As Cold War's Last Gasp

  The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan 25 years ago this month -- the first time since World War II that organized Soviet troops had been sent outside the bloc or Cuba. The fighting in Afghanistan -- which lasted 10 years -- devastated the country's infrastructure and left more than 1 million dead. Nearly 5 million refugees fled the fighting, and Afghans are still believed to represent the single largest refugee group in the world.

• December 22, 2004

  Ukraine: East And West -- Different Histories, One Future

  Why the divide? (file photo) Ukraine's geography and history have played an important role in the country's current political crisis. Western parts of the country at times belonged to Poland, Austro-Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, while eastern and southern parts bowed to Moscow. Only after World War II did Ukraine attain its present borders as a republic within the Soviet Union. That history partly explains Ukraine's voting patterns, political sympathies, and outlook on the future. Still, analysts say that despite disputes over the recent presidential elections, Ukrainians have little choice but to get along together in one country.

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