29th December 2011
One of my favourite events in Kyiv is the BBC Book of the Year Award, sponsored by the BBC Ukrainian Service. I’ve presented the winner with the prize for the last four years, including in 2010 and this year — you can see a report on the prize, including details of the shortlist and the […]
15th December 2011
How good does wine have to be to be served at the residence of the British ambassador in Ukraine? The answer is that taste in wine is a pretty subjective issue; but that I’m always on the look-out for good Ukrainian products and, of course, for value for money. I’m also keen on promoting good […]
Read more on British ambassador serves Ukrainian wine | Reply (2)
13th October 2011
This week, for almost the first time since I arrived in Ukraine in June 2008, Ukraine has been the number one item on the BBC World News website and in other media around the world. Friends have been getting in touch to ask me what’s going on, and where Ukraine is going. It’s an important […]
6th October 2011
The following is a guest blog from Mary and Detlef Golletz, friends of mine who visited in the summer. “Kyiv?” friends asked quizzically as we discussed plans for a short break. A reasonable question, given that it proved impossible to buy local currency in the UK and our 2008 Lonely Planet Guide said that the […]
12th May 2011
A couple of people have commented on my recent Oxford speech that they were surprised to see how much military co-operation went on between Ukraine and the UK. Having listed various other areas of joint work (EU, energy, macro-financial assistance) I said: A final key area of cooperation is military. There’s a lot the UK […]
12th March 2011
Guest blog by Svita Yavorska, EU Co-ordinator, British Embassy Kyiv It’s great to find the Ukrainian Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources full of people who care passionately about climate change. The occasion is a round table organised by the British Embassy in partnership with the State Environmental Investment Agency of Ukraine to highlight the […]
Read more on How might climate change affect Ukraine? | Reply
7th March 2011
1 March is St David’s Day, named after the patron saint of Wales who died in 589. I’m part-Welsh: my great-grandfather John Derfel (photo below) came from the the town of Llanderfel in north Wales and was the son of the Welsh poet and political writer Robert Jones Derfel (for the Welsh-language Wikipedia entry, click here). […]
24th January 2011
Which is the country which is most free in the CIS? Can we say confidently that it is Ukraine? Or how about a new pretender to that crown – Moldova? There are many ways to measure freedom, some more objective than others. As I noted in a recent blog on human rights, one can often […]
29th November 2010
It’s 9.30 p.m. and the Sancho Panza Restaurant is packed with Scots and Ukrainians in kilts and traditional embroidered linen shirts (actually most of the men in kilts are wearing Ukrainian shirts). A Scottish/Ukrainian band equipped with bagpipes, a harmonica, fiddles and a tsymbaly play Ukrainian and Scottish dance tunes accompanied by roars of enthusiasm […]
Read more on St Andrew’s Night in Kyiv: a Ukrainian-Scottish ceilidh | Reply
16th November 2010
How does the life expectancy of the average Ukrainian compare with the world average – or that of any other country? To find out, check out this brilliant World Bank web-site. All you have to do is to click on “world” or on the country of your choice in the list on the left-hand side […]