Spring is here again in Ukraine and it’s time for yet another election campaign. With snap elections to elect the new mayor of Kyiv on the horizon, it will soon be time to dig out flags, dust off banners and head to your local political rally. What was once a season synonymous in Ukraine with an explosion of greenery and mini-skirts has in recent years become the traditional start of the electioneering season, a shift which reflects an enthusiasm for democracy that not everyone might share but which is nonetheless changing the way the governing and the governed interact in today’s Ukraine More

One feature of Yulia Tymoshenko’s second premiership has been the quick rise of petroleum prices. Similar price rises occurred in her first her term as well, causing Tymoshenko to accuse oil product traders of collusion and to attempt to get the situation under control through tough administrative methods. Nevertheless, this time the Prime Minister is not so rigid and along with requests to examine traders’ actions, Tymoshenko is trying to improve the situation through negotiations More

Three years ago Yulia Tymoshenko burst onto the world scene as the improbably attractive and iconic hero of the Orange Revolution. She has since lost office spectacularly and seen her international profile drop almost from view before returning to power on a wave of popular support. As she approaches the hundred day mark of her new administration, just what does the rest of the world think about Ukraine’s remarkable PM? More

Ukraine’s spring political season will open with another round of unscheduled elections. This time, Kyiv’s mayoral office and legislative seats are all up for grabs following a vote by parliament to call snap city elections in the Ukrainian capital Subscribe

Despite widespread disappointment with the failure of the Orange Revolution to deliver on its high-minded reforming principles, it has long been argued that media freedom has been one of few concrete gains to come from the 2004 uprising. However, while government officials are quick to point to the progress made in moving away from the Soviet-style state censorship of the Kuchma era, there remain question marks over the ability of the post-Orange political classes to protect hard-won media freedoms in the country’s regional capitals, many of which remain the provincial fiefdoms of overbearing local bosses. Meanwhile, last week’s conviction of three low-ranking officers for the murder of journalist Georgi Gongadze will only serve to heighten suspicions that the government lacks the political will to go after senior officials guilty of involvement in violent repression of the press Subscribe

A combination of both natural and made-made events around the world has coincided to bring grains, particularly wheat, to some of the highest prices since wheat futures trading began. This price escalation has occurred at a time when world food supplies are as insecure they have been in decades. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), headquartered in Rome, believes that Ukraine is uniquely positioned to make a major impact on meeting world food needs, but many wonder if Ukraine has the political will to take advantage of the opportunities the new demands and explosive market conditions present Subscribe

Ukraine’s economy has been boasting impressive growth for the past several years, appearing on foreign investors’ radar screens following the country’s 2004 Orange Revolution. Now the record inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and vigorous surge in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that have proved so resilient to escalating imported energy prices and stalled liberal reforms are expected to slip into lower gear. As the troubled US economy continues to send shock waves across global markets, Ukraine will be particularly vulnerable to rampant inflation, which the government has remained unwilling to tackle head on Subscribe

More and more of Ukraine’s emerging middle classes are looking to the country’s stock market as a vehicle for their new-found wealth. As the economy booms and the number of people looking to invest in the markets grows, standards should improve accordingly Subscribe