The first thing I do every morning is grab my phone to read the latest news. And every morning I read about yet another ominous threat of Russia invading my home, Ukraine. It’s either Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Ukraine joining NATO would mean death to Russia as we
Editor’s Note: This is the 60th issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly covering events from Dec. 24 - Jan. 14, 2021. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Corporate governance in SOEs Changes in Ukrzaliznytsia’s executive board. On Dec. 23, the Cabinet of Ministers resolved to change
Editor’s Note: Gyunduz Mamedov, Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general in 2019-2021, was in charge of the investigation of the PS752 shootdown on the Ukrainian side. For two years, the Ukrainian investigation of the PS752 catastrophe has been waiting for Iran to fulfill its declared intentions for cooperation. It is
I have certainly put myself out there as having the most hawkish view on Russia (compared to the street consensus), but I still find it difficult to see anything but escalation by Russia with Ukraine from the current postures. Why? First, I just don’t see much room for compromise
Russia is the largest country in the world and one of the most sparsely populated. With about 20 million people more than Japan’s, it occupies a territory nearly 45 times larger than that of the island-country. Yet Russia wants more. It wants to restore “historical Russia,” which, Mr. Putin
Editor’s Note: This is the beginning-of-the-year issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Adoption of draft law No. 5593-d on corporate governance at SOEs Draft law No. 5593-d is called to improve the existing legislation on corporate governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)
The United States has said Moscow’s demands for security guarantees are non-starter and will be off-the-table in Geneva on Jan. 10. The American delegation wants to talk about other things like the positioning of weapons in Europe. Where is the indication Russia has any interest in talking about anything
Editor's Note: This op-ed was published by Atlantic Council. It is republished here with permission. Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union collapsed in a largely bloodless way. But events in recent years have proved that bloodlessness to be only temporary. Russia’s war against Ukraine—with fourteen thousand Ukrainian fatalities
Editor’s Note: The following are the analytical notes that Timothy Ash, senior strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, distributes to his subscribers. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. It seems that “order” will be restored in Kazakhstan, but only with the help of Russian/CSTO (Collective Security Treaty
Editor’s Note: The following are the analytical notes that Timothy Ash, senior strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, distributes to his subscribers. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Despite fighting talk from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, it’s unclear whether he has the support of enough of the
Editor’s Note: This is the end-of-the-year issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. At the end of the year, we would like to look back at the major events of 2021 in the domain of corporate governance at SOEs and privatisation. Based
The contemporary history of the post-Soviet countries in Eurasia is the history of resource-oriented economies. These countries used to export what they managed to mine or grow. But now, the situation is starting to change. Not because they are running out of resources – the Stone Age came to an end
Editor’s Note: This is the 57th issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly covering events from Dec. 18-24, 2021. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Corporate governance in SOEs Parliamentary commission of inquiry asks not to renew the contract with Ukrzaliznytsia’s CEO. On Dec. 17, the Verkhovna
On Dec. 9, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Tupytsky, head of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, and Andriy Portnov, ex-deputy chief of staff for pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Both stand accused of corruption and obstructing reforms. That was surely a great push for Ukrainian reforms and a massive blow
As 2022 nears, the West is trying to figure out Russian President Vladimir Putin's next move on a complex geopolitical chessboard -- and preparing an "aggressive package" of sanctions, should he decide to make another land grab in Ukraine. Tensions are now at their highest since 2014, when Russia illegally
Editor's Note: This is the 56th issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly covering events from Dec. 11-17, 2021. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Corporate governance in SOEs The Cabinet of Ministers replaces the Guaranteed Buyer’s acting CEO a few weeks after appointment. The Cabinet of Ministers
Editor’s Note: This opinion was originally published by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with the author's permission. The deals reached several years ago are far from perfect, but they nonetheless offer a way to talk to Russia while pressing it not
Editor’s Note: This is the 55th issue of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly covering events from Dec. 4-10, 2021. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Corporate governance in SOEs Ministry of Energy terminates the powers of two executive board members of Ukrenergo with no explanation. On Dec. 9,
Editor's Note: The following are the analytical notes that Timothy Ash, senior strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, distributes to his subscribers. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. With lots of focus now on the heightened military threat from Russia, I assume there will be concern about how durable
Their pained voices are often not heard, muffled by the walls of houses, the noise of TV, and the neighboring fence. Hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine face domestic violence every year. And we need to hear them. In 2018, there were 115,000 reported cases of domestic violence
Let’s say the unthinkable begins. Let’s say we in Ukraine wake up in the dead of night to the sound of window-rattling thunder. The sound of Russian missile strikes. They are targeting Ukraine’s military infrastructure. Their strategic air forces hit our command and control grid to behead
