Dispute Fuels Anti-Russian Sentiment

The Moscow Times ^ | December 19, 2005

[lizol]

Dispute Fuels Anti-Russian Sentiment

The Associated Press KIEV -- Russia's hard-line stance against Ukraine in their natural gas price dispute could backfire and provoke a surge of pro-Western sentiment.

"Russia just doesn't get it -- to win influence ... don't apply pressure and make threats," said analyst Serhiy Taran of the International Institute of Democracy. "It creates problems for all the pro-Russian parties because Russia doesn't have a very good image right now."

A planned protest Friday in support of cooperation with Russia attracted only eight people in downtown Kiev.

Former presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych's Party of the Regions, which has its base in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east, has so far stayed silent. His party draws support from industrial leaders, who could see their factories hit the hardest by the gas price increases.

The Communist Party, whose support has eroded recently, has so far been the most aggressive in attacking President Viktor Yushchenko's government over the dispute, blaming its pro-Western policies for spoiling relations with Russia.

[lizol]

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[Thunder90]

Ukraine should ban the Pro-Russia and the Communist parties for a couple of years.

[x5452]

If Ukraine is so anxious to play with the Europeons they better get used to paying Europeon prices for oil. The subsidies Ukraine gets in gas were because of their loyalty to Russia on certain policies, to expect the gravy train to keep on comin when that loyalty sways is naive. (And the Ukrainians are hardly Naive)

[x5452]

Communist like Yuschenko? Who took millions from George Soros?

[Tailgunner Joe]

loyalty to Russia on certain policies

Which policies?

[x5452]

It's irrelevant really.

Hell we let known-terrorist students into the country out of fear for what Saudis might do if we irritated em. Ukraine has all but said 'bring it on' while they hold next to no leverage.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Ukraine has all but said 'bring it on'

How so?

[x5452]

They've been syphoning gas for years, and the new administration has very anti-Russian policies even going so far as to use the law to exchange Russian church properties for those of the Ukraine Nationalist church and using government emmisaries to petition for recognition of said nationalist church. Further they have been continuingly supressive of Ukraines 17% Russian population, and breaking their part of the bargain on economic treaties with Russia. They are trying to make themselves look good to the EU but the bottom line is the EU couldn't care less about Ukraine, the pompous old Europe fools they are.

[denydenydeny]

A planned protest Friday in support of cooperation with Russia attracted only eight people in downtown Kiev.

:)

[sergey1973]

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[sergey1973]

Whatever sentiments are, it's Russia's gas and Russia has a right to sell it at whatever the price it wants too. I heard that contract on Russia's gas delivery for $50 per 1000 cubic meters (or per 30,000 cubic feet) expires in 2009. Current gas market price is above $200 per 1000 cubic meters. I believe there are some provisions in the contract that could be interpreted that it expires in 2006. I could be wrong though.

Anyway, I hope for a compromise, but I don't see that Russia will continue de facto generously subsidize Ukraine with gas deliveries far below the market prices. On the other hand, Russia will continue it's gas subsidies to the friendly dictatorial Belarus regime of Lukashenko, but that's a politics--friends feeding friends. If Ukraine will divert Russian gas intendent for Western/Central Europe, then Ukraine will face a legal trouble with both Russia and EU. Again, let's hope for a reasonable compromise to avoid the escalation of Russian-Ukrainian gas war.

[GarySpFc]

WASHINGTON ON THE DNEIPER

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler

Friday, 16 December 2005

Here I am in Kiev, Ukraine – but in some striking ways it seems I never left Washington. The parallels go way beyond the geography, as both capital cities are on the banks of a large river, the Dneiper (nyay-purr) in the case of Kiev. In both, the political scum dominate public opinion.

Ukraine is the largest country in Europe (entirely in Europe – most of Russia is in Asia). It had suffered as a colony of Russia’s since the 17th century, and underwent a holocaust perpetrated by Stalin in the 1930s that killed twice as many Ukrainians (well over 12 million) as Hitler killed Jews.

When Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Soviet apparatchiks (bureaucrats) and nomenklatura (ruling elite) still clung to power. The now “ex-” Communists quickly gained control of the Ukrainian Parliament called the Rada. Socialism, corruption, and selling state assets for a song to apparatchiks and gangsters posing as “biznessmen,” flourished.

The smartest and most charismatic of these “biznessmen” wasn’t a man at all but a good-looking blonde named Yulia Timoshenko. She struck up a “friendship” with a collective farm boss named Pavlo Lazarenko from Dnepropetrovsk who got himself named prime minister in 1996. He promptly seized several energy concessions from private companies and gave them to Yulia’s just-formed Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU).

Yulia now had a nationwide monopoly on the import and distribution of Russian natural gas (the stuff that keeps Ukraine from freezing in the winter), giving her control of 20% of Ukraine’s gross national product, and a net worth of $11 billion.

Lazarenko is right now in a federal prison in San Francisco for money laundering and corruption involving his deals, among others, with Yulia. But she bought off so many journalists and judges in Ukraine she was never prosecuted. She also proceeded to buy off every politician and Rada member who would take her money – which was quite a few.

When she got into an argument with Ukraine’s “ex-” Communist president Leonid Kuchma about her not sharing her wealth enough with him and his cronies, she transformed herself into a “reformer” and democracy activist, joining forces with the legitimate democracy leader, Viktor Yushchenko.

Stunningly attractive and articulate, audiences swooned over her. Print and television journalists on her payroll ran gushing articles and interviews. She was given top billing along with Yushchenko for successfully leading the Orange Revolution which forced honest elections and the defeat of Kuchma’s designated successor, Viktor Yanukovich, in December 2004.

New Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko was forced to name Yulia as his Prime Minister. She immediately started grasping for more power, the Rada members on her payroll frustrated many of Yushchenko’s reforms, and pushed through tax increases on business.

When Yushchenko finally fired her last September, she declared all-out war against him. The press began endless stories accusing Yushchenko of “corruption,” tying him to infamous Russian oligarch (and enemy of Putin) Boris Berezovsky. Yulia has formed an alliance of her “bloc” in the Rada with that of “ex-” Communist Yanukovich, and together they promise to win full control of the Rada in the elections next March.

Nothing in Washington are anywhere near as corrupt as in Kiev. Nonetheless, you have a beleaguered president struggling to do his best, an honest and decent man smeared and demonized by traitorous leftwing politicians in cahoots with the media inverting the truth 180 degrees.

Re-read that last sentence: is it about Washington, George Bush, the Democrats, and the leftstream US media – or about Kiev, Viktor Yushchenko, and politicians and the press in the pay of Yulia Timoshenko? The answer is: both.

Now Yulia is backing a move to have Yushchenko impeached. He is the hero of Ukraine and it is she who should be in jail. Yet the public still swoons over her.

One big difference is that Bush has lately been fighting back and hard. Another is that he is lucky to have Dizzy Howard Dean as the leader of the Democrat Party.

Unless Yushchenko starts fighting back hard, this is going to end badly for a country that has seen far too much tragedy in its history. All witches are not ugly. A spell has been cast upon Ukraine by a witch as evil and corrupt as she is beautiful and rich. As a witch, Hillary can’t come close to Yulia. Maybe we should be thankful Washington is on the Potomac, and not on the Dneiper after all.

Ps: If you’re asking why I’m in Kiev, I’m not at liberty to say right now. But when I am, you’ll be the first to know.

Pss: If you want to know what the Witch of Ukraine looks like, here’s a magazine cover of her:

[sergey1973]

Very good analysis and thorough article by Dr. Jack Wheeler. Gary, BTW, can you post it on the FR Forums not as a reply, but as a stand alone article ? It's good to have this article discussed by as many FReepers as possible.


Thanks,

Sergey

[RusIvan]

Almost none accually cares about it now.

[lizol]

A planned protest Friday in support of cooperation with Russia attracted only eight people in downtown Kiev.

Agreed

[RusIvan]

It had suffered as a colony of Russia’s since the 17th century,==

Garry Ukraine wasn't colony at all. She JOINED Russia volunturary. Even begged Russian czar to let her join in 1654.
For example. Check the terrirtory of Ukraine in 1654 and today. You will understand what I mean.

[jb6]

Russia's hard-line stance against Ukraine in their natural gas price dispute could backfire and provoke a surge of pro-Western sentiment.

Spoken like the oligarchial mouth piece that they are. Why should Russia and Russian stockholders loose $3.5 billion (if I remember my figures right) to support a government that spits on them anyways? Makes zero sense from a capitalist view.

[jb6]

Yes, ban the Pro-Russian parties, never mind that almost 50% belong to them. Much better to keep the socialists in charge and lean them towards the anti-American EU. Least you forget who's side you're supposed to be on, Thunder, it was those pro-Russian parties who sent troops to Iraq and its those pro-EU parties who are pulling them out.

You seem to have zero problems with keeping socialists in charge and damning a nation to the repeat hell of central planning as long as its anti-Russian. The pro-Russian parties had the 12.7% GDP growth and low inflation, might I remind you. The pro-Russian parties had an internal market without price settings/controls.

It's disturbing that the hatred of Russians blinds some so much that they gladdly cheerlead for socialist, EU, anti-American regimes.

[jb6]

One of the bigger schemes that Ukraine and Tymoshenko in particular pulled is to buy subsidized Russian gas (while Russian stock holders and the country get the shaft) and then resell it at world prices.