Section: Voice of America (USA)
Ukraine Reverses Nationalization of Tycoon’s Bank
A Ukrainian court has ruled that the 2016 nationalization of a major bank owned by a powerful tycoon was illegal. The court in Kyiv ruled on Thursday that Pryvatbank, owned by tycoon Ihor Kolomoyskyi, was nationalized in 2016 illegally. It was not immediately clear how the government would return the bank, once Ukraine’s biggest private...
Ukraine: Russian ‘Terror Group’ Thwarted
Ukrainian authorities say they have arrested seven people they claim were sent by Russian security services to carry out political killings and other “terrorist” acts, including the slaying of Ukrainian intelligence agents. Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) chief Vasyl Hrytsak made the announcement April 17, four days ahead of...
Poll Favors Comedian as Run-Off Vote Nears in Ukraine
The presidential candidate and comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy is likely to win Ukraine’s presidential election, according to an opinion poll published on Tuesday. The poll by the KIIS research firm showed Zelenskiy, a political novice who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series, on 72.2% of the vote. Incumbent Petro Poroshenko...
As Russia Touts Expanded Arctic Sea Routes, US Observers See Veiled Threat
This story originated in VOA’s Russian Service. WASHINGTON – At this year’s International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russian leaders made the most peaceable statements to date about Moscow’s long-term plans for the a rapidly melting Arctic. Answering questions during the forum’s international plenary session,...
Ukrainian President Arrives for Debate In Kyiv, Challenger Doesn’t
With reporting by Christopher Miller in Kyiv, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, AP, AFP, and Reuters. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko arrived at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv for a presidential election debate even though his challenger, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he will only agree to spar with Poroshenko at the stadium five days later....
London Police Open Fire as Vehicle Rams Ukraine Embassy Car
Police in London opened fire outside the Ukrainian embassy on Saturday after a man rammed his vehicle into the ambassador’s empty parked car at least twice before being arrested, officials said. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened early on Saturday outside the embassy building in the affluent Holland Park area of west London,...
US Visa Ban: A Blow or Unlikely Win for the ICC?
Since taking office in 2012, International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has spent a lot of time on the road, pursuing potential cases in countries as disparate as Mali, Colombia and the conflict-torn Central African Republic. The one place she may not be visiting anytime soon is the United States. After warning of overreach months...
Orban Presses On With Illiberal Democracy
Hungary’s firebrand populist Viktor Orban will face a serious test of his popularity in May when opposition parties try to coordinate their challenge to his ruling party Fidesz in elections for the European parliament. The opposition accuse Orban of backsliding when it comes to democratic freedoms, but the Hungarian leader remains...
Backers of Ukraine’s Rival Presidential Candidates Brawl
Police have moved in to stop a scuffle between supporters of rival candidates in Ukraine’s presidential election. Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who stars in a widely popular TV sitcom about a schoolteacher turned president, easily beat President Petro Poroshenko in the first round on March 31. Zelenskiy garnered 30% of the vote, while...
Election Heats Up as War Grinds On in Eastern Ukraine
The war with Russia may be a key issue in the Ukrainian presidential election, but on the ground, many civilians caught up in the conflict say their problems are not being addressed. In the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukrainian soldiers, rebel fighters and civilians are dying every day as the conflict grinds on. Hundreds of thousands...
