Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Darth Vader statue replaces Lenin monument in Ukraine – video
People dressed as Chewbacca and Stormtroopers from Star Wars attend the unveiling of the Darth Vader monument in Odessa on Friday. The monument, built around a bronze Lenin statue, is part of Ukraine’s de-communisation legislation which was introduced earlier this year. The Darth Vader character attending the event says that he is happy to...
Forced out: Darth Vader replaces Lenin statue in Ukraine
The Star Wars character is a prominent figure in the country’s local politics and has now been recruited to help erase Ukraine’s communist pastJust in time for the release of the latest Star Wars film, Ukrainians have transformed a statue of Lenin into one of Darth Vader, who is an oddly prominent figure in local politics.Lenin, the...
The force awakens (in Ukraine): Darth Vader statue replaces Lenin monument
Artist converts Vladimir Lenin statue in Odessa into a monument to the Star Wars villain and it’s not the first time the George Lucas film has invaded politicsIn Odessa, Ukraine, the force really has been awakened with a statue of Vladimir Lenin being converted into one of the dark lord himself, Darth Vader.While the rest of the world was...
Hopes and hurdles for the European project | Letters
Paul Mason relies on tired old cliches – and, bizarrely, his dislike of the Belgian police – to justify his claim that there is no democratic control over the European Union (G2, 19 October). He talks of “vast bureaucratic structures” and “the sheer size of EU directorates”, yet the whole European commission has around the same number of...
Ukraine elections: high stakes and dirty tricks in hotly contested vote
Local elections are both a referendum on Petro Poroshenko’s rule and a jostle for power and influence among country’s oligarchsOn the side of the road to Kiev’s main airport, Gennady Korban slipped out of his black Mercedes to unveil a new campaign poster for the Dill party. The billboard featured a hand dragging from the earth...
Stalin portraits emerge in heart of Ukraine’s rebel-held territory
Soviet nostalgia rules as images of the former dictator go on display in the centre of Donetsk, the rebel capital of eastern Ukraine once called StalinoThree portraits of the former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin are on display in the centre of Donetsk, the rebel capital of eastern Ukraine, as the separatist authorities fuel a mood of Soviet...
Polio in Ukraine: nationwide vaccination campaign needs to start straight away
With two WHO-confirmed cases of polio in Ukraine in September, vaccinating the country’s 1.8 million children needs to start as soon as possibleNext week a nationwide polio vaccination campaign should start in Ukraine. I say should because we’ve been here before. The campaign should have actually started weeks ago.Ukraine’s...
US defense chief: we will deter Russia’s ‘malign and destabilizing influence’
Ash Carter says US will not cooperate as long as Russia pursues a ‘misguided strategy’ in Syria but Moscow says it has been rebuffed in calls for consultationThe US defense chief has vowed to take “all necessary steps” against a resurgent Russia which is challenging a frustrated Washington in eastern Europe and the Middle East.Ash Carter,...
Former head of Ukrainian defence factory faces six years for espionage
Yury Soloshenko, 73, sentenced by Moscow city court to six years in strict penal colony for allegedly smuggling missile components out of RussiaA Russian court has sentenced an elderly Ukrainian citizen who once served as director of a defence factory to six years for espionage, a court spokesman said.The classified case against Yury Soloshenko,...
Son of two Australian MH17 victims says Ukraine should have closed airspace
Queensland man Paul Guard, whose parents died in the July 2014 disaster, says Malaysia Airlines should have been told not to fly over Ukraine conflict zoneA Queensland man who lost both parents when MH17 was brought down says Malaysia Airlines should have been told not to fly over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.A Dutch safety board report...
