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"Russia, still cleaning up after Yeltson"

I don't get people's infatuation with Putin, or Russia for that matter. Putin is behaving like a dictator, and the Russian Duma just legitimized the Stalinist dictator of Belarus. They oppose the US in just about everything we do. Are we supposed to get all goo-goo eyed and look the other way while they build Iran's nuclear capability...just because they are bombing Chechens? Seems lopsided to me.

UKRAINIAN SECURITY SERVICE RAIDS AND SEARCHES U.S.-
FUNDED FREE AND FAIR ELECTION PROGRAM ZNAYU (I KNOW)
Several former US Congressmen at the scene of the search

TV 5 Kanal, Kiev, in Ukrainian, 1400 gmt 22 Oct 04
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Fri, Oct 22, 2004

KYIV - The Security Service of Ukraine has searched an office of the Znayu (I Know) NGO nine days ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 31 October, the opposition TV channel reported. Znayu is officially funded by the USAID US government programme and is campaigning for a fair election.

The security service seized video tapes and some documents. Police searched offices of the Pora (It is Time) NGO, charged with terrorism, and homes of its activists today. The following is the text of a report by Ukrainian television TV 5 Kanal on 22 October:

[Presenter] Ukraine is getting ready for presidential elections. According to news agency reports and our own observations, nine days prior to the election, there are numerous searches at the offices of public organizations, vigorous checks of transport and a ban on selling tickets to Kiev from the regions. The opposition is saying that the authorities are preparing for a violent scenario of the election. The authorities explain that all their actions are aimed at maintaining public order. With a view to maintaining order, the security service and police began numerous searches at the offices of public organizations and homes of their activists this morning.

These organizations are in some way connected with the forthcoming presidential election. A court issued search warrants as part of an investigation into a criminal case on terrorism, which was launched after explosives or fake explosives were found at the office of the Pora public organization. The video you are watching now shows a search at the flat of Oleh Yatsenko. The security service calls him a Pora activist. He says he is not a member of any organization.

The security service also searched the Kiev offices of the Freedom of Choice NGO and the Znayu NGO. However, the legitimacy of the searches at the offices of these NGOs is questionable because only Pora is mentioned in the criminal case.

Znayu is officially funded by the USAID US government fund. A US congressman and a representative from the US embassy came to the scene of the incident. No explosives were found during the search, but several video tapes and some documents were seized.

A four-hour search at the office of Znayu, which is campaigning for a fair election, surprised experienced international observers, who have been officially registered by the Central Electorate Commission. They witnessed the actions of law-enforcement agencies.

[James Slattery, captioned as an election observer, in English fading into Ukrainian translation] I have observed elections in many countries, including Nicaragua under a Communist regime. But I have not seen anything like this there. I think it is frightening when offices are being occupied, people detained and searches carried out. Observers will report about this to the governments of their countries.

[Video shows Oleh Yatsenko speaking at the threshold of his home, observers showing their ID cards, soldiers from the Berkut special-purpose police unit, observer James Slattery being interviewed.] -30-

FOOTNOTE: There was a six person election monitoring delegation in Kyiv last week. The delegation was composed of 5 former members of the U.S. House and one former member of the European Parliament.

The delegation represented the Former Members Of Ukraine Organization who were participating in a program organized under an excellent program designed and implemented by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and funded by USAID.

The member of the delegation that was actually inside the office in Kyiv when the security service raided it was former U.S. Congressman Samuel G. Coppersmith (D-AZ).

Four other members of the delegation came later and were outside the building around noon. This is when the events related in the news statement below happened and former U.S. Congressman Jim Slattery
(D-KS) was interviewed outside the building.

The four members of the delegation outside were Richard Balfe (UK), James Hubert Bilbray (D-NV), Marjorie Margolies- Mezvinsky (D-PA), and James Slattery (D-KS). The sixth member of the delegation left Kyiv early Friday morning. This was Robert McEwen (R-NY).

The "I KNOW" program is sponsored by a coalition of private, voluntary organizations composed of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation (USUF), Europe 21, and Freedom House. -30-

>>>>I don't get people's infatuation with Putin, or Russia for that matter.

My biggest thing is, the left doesn't like him. To me, that is credibility.

Russia is not the same governing as the USA. So that can't be compared. I don't agree with how Russia is run; but Bush seems to like Putin and the left doesn't. That is my lead.

>>>They oppose the US in just about everything we do.

Not everything. Putin is and has been heading up the N. Korean Nuc talks. Putin stopped the nonesense sales with Iran. Putin has China in check.

>>>Are we supposed to get all goo-goo eyed and look the other way while they build Iran's nuclear capability...just because they are bombing Chechens? Seems lopsided to me.

Putin stopped the Nuke sale with Iran. That is why Iran put the bounty on Putin's head.