Section: Voice of America (USA)
Polls Open in Ukraine’s Presidential Election
The polls have opened and voters in Ukraine are casting their ballots Sunday in the first round of the country’s presidential election. The top three of the 39 candidates are: a comedian who plays the role of the president in a television comedy series, the incumbent president, and a former prime minister, who is running for president for...
Crimean Tatars’ Leader: Russian Detentions Aim at Purging Followers
Moscow’s recent raids in Simferopol are part of a broader effort to suppress democratic activists in the Russian-controlled Black Sea Peninsula. That’s the assertion being made by Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars’ self-governing body that Russia has outlawed. Crimean Tatars, who are predominantly...
Comedian Leads Presidential Polling in Ukraine
A comedian who’s never held political office tops the public opinion polls ahead of Ukraine’s presidential election, but even he appears to be falling far short of enough support to win in the first round. Ukrainians on Sunday will choose from among 39 candidates for a president they hope can guide the country of more than 42 million...
Analysts: Russia Using Disinformation to Try to Disrupt Ukraine Poll
Russia is trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine by stirring up division and amplifying negative news stories, according to several analysts who have been monitoring Kremlin propaganda surrounding the March 31 poll. The first round of voting is set for Sunday, with 39 candidates on the ballot. The...
Analysts: Russia Using Disinformation to Try to Disrupt Ukraine Election
Russia is trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine by stirring up division and amplifying negative news stories, according to analysts. With no openly pro-Russian candidates taking part in Sunday’s poll, analysts warn Moscow has resorted to using social media and covert influence on local media...
Facebook Beefs Up Political Ad Rules Ahead of EU Election
Facebook said Friday it is further tightening requirements for European Union political advertising, in its latest efforts to prevent foreign interference and increase transparency ahead of the bloc’s parliamentary elections. However, some EU politicians criticized the social media giant, saying the measures will make pan-European online...
East Ukraine Conflict Divides Country’s Young Voters
Five years after a deadly separatist conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine, the front line between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has become a de-facto border, cutting off a generation of first-time voters from Sunday’s presidential election. Only those who left their homes in the east to live in areas under government...
Voting on the Front Lines: Ukraine’s Election and the War With Russia
The city of Mariupol lies on the Azov Sea, next to the front lines of Ukraine’s war against Russian-backed rebels. The conflict has touched everyone’s lives as the danger of an escalation looms over the city. Moscow’s continued detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors seized just offshore in November underlines the threat. Faced with...
Voting on Front Lines: Ukraine’s Election and War with Russia
At the height of the conflict in 2014, the people of Mariupol, Ukraine, feared their city would be the next to fall to Russian-backed rebel forces. The threat of annexation by Moscow has subsided for now. But the front line lies just six kilometers (3.7 miles) to the east — and the conflict continues to have a big impact on everyday life in the...
Ukraine’s Ultra-Right Increasingly Visible as Election Nears
As Ukraine’s presidential election draws near, its ultranationalist groups are becoming increasingly visible, posing a dilemma for the West. Thousands of far-right activists marched to incumbent President Petro Poroshenko’s administration headquarters earlier this month, chanting about alleged corruption and throwing funeral-style...
