RFE/RL BELARUS, UKRAINE, AND MOLDOVA REPORT
19.11.2013
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.
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BELARUS
 Inessa Yakhliel: Oswald 'Spoke About Kennedy Very Sympathetically' Inessa Yakhliel met Lee Harvey Oswald in Minsk in 1961, when he was living there (after having defected to the Soviet Union) and married to Marina Prusakova. Yakhliel recalled her friendship with the young couple in an interview with RFE/RL correspondent Pavel Butorin, More  RFE/RL Exclusive: Those Who Knew Lee Harvey Oswald In Minsk Tell Their Stories For more than two years in the early 1960s, the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was Oswald's home. To mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, RFE/RL conducted exclusive interviews with three people who knew Oswald during his time in Minsk. I More  Inna Markava: Oswald 'Enjoyed Being At The Center Of Attention' Inna Markava was a student at the Minsk Institute of Foreign Languages in 1960 when she met Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald had recently defected to the Soviet Union and was living in Minsk. She met Oswald at a performance of Mendelssohn's violin concerto at the philharmonic concert hall. She later visited Oswald at his small apartment located in an exclusive section of Minsk. Markava returned to the apartment to share her impressions of him with RFE/RL correspondent Pavel Butorin. More  Interview: Understanding Lee Harvey Oswald's 'Soviet' Period To mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, a wave of books has been published in the United States covering everything from Kennedy’s legacy to alleged new details about his death. One new title examines the Soviet chapter of the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who shot Kennedy. More  Stanislau Shushkevich: 'I Never Saw Oswald Get Excited About Anything' In 1960s Minsk, Stanislau Shushkevich worked on product design at the same radio factory as Lee Harvey Oswald and taught him Russian. Shushkevich -- who went on to become the first post-Soviet leader of Belarus -- spoke about U.S. President John F. Kennedy's presumed assassin with RFE/RL correspondent Pavel Butorin. More For more than two years in the early 1960s, the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was Oswald's home. To mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, RFE/RL conducted exclusive interviews with three people who knew Oswald, his presumed assassin, during his time in Minsk. More  Publisher Loses Suit Against Belarus Authorities The Supreme Economic Court of Belarus has rejected a lawsuit filed by a Minsk-based independent publisher against the Information Ministry. More  Two Jailed For Belarus Memorial Two activists in Belarus have been sentenced to five days in jail for publicly commemorating the life of a young man who died in prison under uncertain circumstances. More  Lukashenka Fells Longtime Ally, Leaving Belarus-Watchers Stumped Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka took to the TV airwaves last week to publicly criticize, then fire, a handful of top-ranking officials for failing to modernize an unprofitable timber mill. Those dismissed include the 66-year-old former governor of Minsk Oblast, Barys Batura, who has spent decades in government service and was widely viewed as a compliant presidential ally. So why did he get the ax? More  Former Chief Of Leading Belarusian Hockey Club Arrested The former chief of a leading ice hockey club in Belarus has been arrested. More President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Lukashenka, who was unhappy with conditions when he toured a state-owned timber plant, threatened a criminal probe against Barys Batura unless he took over as director of the plant and rectified the situation by spring. More  In Belarus, Your T-Shirt Can Land You In Jail A court in Minsk has sentenced a man to five days in prison for wearing a T-shirt with a slogan calling for President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's resignation. More Five Days In Jail For Wearing Anti-Lukashenka T-Shirt Another man in Belarus is facing trial for wearing a T-shirt that carried a slogan against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. More  In Belarus, A Dedicated Mother Kills Herself, Leaving 11 Children Behind Katsyaryna Onakhava devoted her life to raising 11 biological and adopted children in western Belarus. But then she killed herself, leaving behind many questions about the problems faced by stand-in parents. More  Belarus Activist Gets Three Days In Jail The leader of the unregistered Youth Front political movement in Belarus has been sentenced to three days for resistance to police. More  Moscow Requests Potash Exec's Extradition From Belarus Russia's prosecutor-general has requested the extradition of the general director of the Russian potash producer Uralkali from Belarus. More  EU Visa Loosening For Moldova The European Commission has recommended the lifting of visa requirements for Moldovan citizens entering the European Union who hold biometric passports. More  Congress Looks At Progress, Setbacks, In Aspiring EU Countries The head of a U.S. Senate committee on November 14 criticized Russia for putting “considerable pressure” on Eastern European countries who want to join the European Union. More  Moldova Leading In Media Freedom Moldova has come out on top in the latest press-freedom index among six former Soviet republics included in the European Union's Eastern Partnership initiative. More  New 'Tymoshenko Bill' Delay The European Union has conditioned the signing of a key free-trade agreement with Kyiv later this month on the release for medical treatment abroad of Tymoshenko, whose conviction on abuse-of-office charges is seen by Brussels as "selective justice." More  EU Issues 'Urgent Appeal' To Ukraine EU foreign ministers have called on Kyiv to take action over jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko as they gathered in Brussels to discuss Ukraine ahead of an EU summit in Vilnius later this month. More  Ukraine's Choice: East Or West? The EU's Eastern Partnership summit is less than two weeks off, and it still unclear whether Ukraine will sign a long-negotiated Association Agreement with the bloc. What are the pressures on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and why might the matter not be settled until at least 2015? More  Ukraine Could Lose EU Deal 'Indefinitely' A senior EU envoy has warned Ukraine not to miss its chance to sign a key deal with the bloc at a Vilnius summit on November 28-29. More  'Historic Moment' For Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova A top U.S. official has said Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova stand at a "historic moment" as they work toward EU integration, while also saying the United States and Russia "can't stop working" to find areas of "common purpose." More  EU Prolongs Ukraine Monitoring Mission The EU mission to monitor the fate of imprisoned former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been prolonged to the EU's Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius on November 28-29. More  Ukrainian, Russian Oligarchs Find Common Ground -- Soccer As Ukraine's political and business leaders ponder whether to align their country toward Western Europe or Russia, in another area of economic competition the east-west arrow is decidedly leaning toward Moscow. More  Syrian Missiles No Match For Ukrainian Helicopters A Ukrainian company that makes helicopter engines has turned video footage of a helicopter surviving a missile strike in Syria into an advertising campaign. More Ukraine's parliament has failed to debate a bill to allow jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seek medical treatment abroad. More Ukraine's jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has accused President Viktor Yanukovych of dealing a fatal blow to the country's hopes to sign a landmark agreement with the European Union by opening a criminal investigation against her lawyer. More  Tymoshenko Lawyer Questioned The top lawyer for imprisoned former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Serhiy Vlasenko, was summoned on November 11 for questioning by prosecutors on suspicion of beating his former wife. More  EU Sets Deadline For Tymoshenko Release Ukrainian parliament members say EU envoys have given parliament one week to pass a law allowing jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seek medical treatment in Germany if Kyiv wants to sign an EU Association Agreement later this month. More Ukrainian lawmaker Vyacheslav Kyrylenko has called on the Ministry of Taxation to check if all Russian entertainers touring Ukraine have their work permits in order. More  Ukraine Mulls Law For Tymoshenko Case The Ukrainian parliament is set to resume key discussions of draft laws that would allow inmates who are ill to receive medical treatment abroad. More Russia's Federal Migration Service has fined nine members of a Ukrainian rock band for not having work permits. More  EU Envoys In Kyiv For Tymoshenko Talks EU mediators are back in Kyiv in a new bid to secure the release of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko ahead of a November 28-29 EU summit in Vilnius. More  On The EU And Ukraine: 'Slightly Pessimistic' The European Union's Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius is just weeks away, on November 28-29. RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak spoke with longtime international diplomat and former Swedish Prime Minister (current Foreign Minister) Carl Bildt about what to expect. More  Kyiv Signs $10 Bln Shale Gas Deal Ukraine and the U.S. energy company Chevron have signed a $10 billion shale-gas deal that Kyiv says will lessen its dependence on Russian energy. More |
