What's up in the Ukraine?

By BJ

While a lot of the world's focus has been on Georgia this last week, for obvious reasons, the Ukraine is seen by many as another potential crisis-in-the-making between the West and Russia. And it looks as though the pro-Western Ukrainian President is already using the threat of the Russian bear to attack his most likely challengers.

Aides to Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko have accused Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of working in Russia's interests in a bid to become president.

. . .

"Last week, we announced that we had information about Yulia Tymoshenko's systematic work in the interests of Russia. Unfortunately, that information is now confirmed," said Mr Kyslynsky, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"We will hand over the material we have to the law enforcement bodies, for detailed study," he said.

"Society has the right to get an answer to the question: How far can politicians go beyond the point where political campaigning ends and betrayal of national interests begins?"

For those with short memories, Tymoshenko was one of Yushchenko's biggest allies when he came to power during the "Orange Revolution", overturning the election of Viktor Yanukovych. At the time, Yanukovych and his Russian backers were accused of poisoning Yushchenko, something Yushchenko promised to launch a full investigation into once he came into power. Somehow, I've never heard anything more about it. Once Yushchenko became President, the story basically disappeared and the investigation, near as I can tell, either never happened or never found anything. If anybody knows different, I'd be curious to know.

In any case, Yanukovych, rather than fading away like a good defeated rival, came back to win the parliamentary elections and become Prime Minister. This sparked a power struggle between the two, which led to Yushchenko dissolving parliament and ordering troops into the streets of Kiev.

Still-an-ally Tymoshenko became Prime Minister after another narrow loss for the pro-Russian Yanukovych, but it appears that eyeing Yushchenko's Presidency is enough to flip someone from being "pro-democracy" to a "Russian traitor". It is a situation that bears watching, particularly given the apparent rush to bring both Ukraine and Georgia into NATO before they've really dealt with their internal issues arising from what were once meaningless borders that the Soviet leaders drew on a map nearly a century ago.

Comments

[Cheryl Rofer]

Eh, that's Ukraine, no definite article.

[R]

"Yanukovych and his Russian backers were accused of poisoning Yushchenko, something Yushchenko promised to launch a full investigation into once he came into power. Somehow, I've never heard anything more about it..."

Haven't you heard? On 24 July Yushchenko accused one David Zhvania, one of his own people, of being the poisoner. Now he wants him deported to Georgia. Zhvania was accused after he admitted that the whole poisoning story was a hoax designed to improve Yushchenko's election chances.

So he accuses one Orange Revolution ally of being the poisoner and now accuses another of High Treason - and at the same time is itching for war with the Russians. Perhaps the stress of his job is too much for him.

[BJ Bjornson]

Cheryl, I always make that mistake, don’t ask me why. It just sounds right for some reason.

R, thanks for the info. I hadn’t heard. Would you happen to have a link with the story?

[Cheryl Rofer]

Here's one explanation of the grammatical fine points.

I suspect the reason it sounds "right" to you is that the definite article was commonly used when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.

Here's the money quote:

A few neanderthal writers in the past have even promoted "the Ukraine" to reflect the original meaning "the borderland" in order to diminish the international political stature of Ukraine.

This is coming from a Ukrainian writer, but it makes the point. "The Ukraine" implies just what Russia would currently like: for its neighbors to be nothing more than "borderlands."

My own preference would have been to use "Ukraina" as the name of the country, which would have lessened the tendency toward the definite article, but they didn't ask me.

[anderson]

BJ,

Here is a fascinating analysis of the dioxin poisoning claims by Thomas Boyle, M.D., who examines the known effects of dioxin and that is takes "weeks or months" to manifest symptoms. He also looks into the Swiss Rudolfinerhaus clinic, which originally diagnosed pancreatitis triggered by the previous evenings boozing.

Boyle seems pretty sure that Yushchenko -- a known boozer -- suffered from pancreatitis and had been for sometime. It was the alcohol consumed the night before that triggered a severe reaction entirely consistent with the disease. He then used the opportunity to hide the truth of his malady and implicate his political opponent in the process. Of course, the west would believe it. Anyone waving a story of the Ruskies poisoning people is drunk in like an elixir that only strengthens and defines our goodness and their evil. How can we not believe it?

Yushchenko could not have been admitted to the Rudolfinerhaus Clinic in Vienna for dioxin poisoning. And the medical records obtained from that clinic do not indicate that diagnosis. In fact, Viktor Yushchenko's problem is likely much more severe than record blood levels of dioxin. His problems are in all probability so severe and of such import for him and his party that he and the Rudolfinerhaus medical claque chanced a daring and bold gambit in order to hide the truth and simultaneously implicate his opponent.

Anyway, check out Boyle's article. There are a lot details you probably never saw in media stories.

[BJ Bjornson]

Cheryl,

Fixed, though at least I know I wasn't alone.

Anderson,

I believe I read that article before. Plausible, but not provable, unfortunately. Still, it remains an interesting read. Thanks.

[R]

Yushchenko poison hoax story

Yes, Zhvania concurred with Dr. Boyle's opinion - that it was "food poisoning and pancreatitis". He was there at the fateful dinner and the secret policeman there was also a Yushchenko ally - thus, he was among friends.

As for Ukraine vs The Ukraine, so what? There's The Sudan and The Congo. It means borderland, so does the late Serb Republic of Krajina - Ukrainians are choosing to use this supposedly demeaning name - would they prefer Malorus?