12th July 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I suspect it’s not easy, rollerblading in a wedding dress. It’s probably even harder when you’re accompanied by several dozen smartly-dressed guests, also on rollerblades, and are taking a route which includes several steep hills and staircases. There are always risks in drawing conclusions about national characteristics, so I shall resist any suggestion that this recently-spotted […]
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6th July 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Four mighty slabs of gold hang on a wall. Nearby, a jacket gleams dully. A man’s head, twisted backwards, screams through golden lips. I’m at the “Ya Gallery”( ) in central Kyiv for the opening of a new exhibition, Mr Gold, curated by Pavlo Gudimov, whose Gudimov Art Project is always coming up with interesting […]
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5th July 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I first had the idea of writing a blog about justice and politics in Ukraine in autumn 2009. At that time the campaign leading up to the presidential elections of February 2010 was in full swing. One presidential candidate made the campaign pledge that, if successful, he or she would ensure that another candidate stood […]
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30th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Nineteen young men and women stand in a semi-circle as various luminaries (including me) give short speeches about them and their plans. They then sign a contract under which, in return for financial assistance to study at one of the world’s top 200 universities, they undertake to return to Ukraine and work in their area […]
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29th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How important is it that Ukraine clears away a major source of corruption? An apparently obscure piece of legislation offers a useful insight into the challenges facing the way Ukraine’s system of governance works; and a good indication of whether Ukrainian governance is improving. The Ukrainian government agreed in 2010 to adopt a public procurement […]
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27th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
After a day of thunderstorms the sun emerges. The wet grass glistens as the teams run out. The bright blue terraces sparkle against an ominous dark sky. We’re at Kyiv’s exquisite Dynamo stadium, home of the legendary Dynamo Kyiv, for the first in a series of matches between a volunteer team from the Foreign and […]
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24th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
What do Arsenal Football Club, British and Ukrainian charities, the Chernihiv regional authorities and former British ambassadors in Kyiv have in common? Answer: all have helped support a remarkable institution, the Chernihiv “Revival” centre for the social and medical rehabilitation of children. I’m visiting Chernihiv to help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the “Revival” centre. […]
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10th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s a good feeling to speak first and have not one but two people speaking after you say something which dovetails perfectly with your opening remarks. This happens on my first day back in Kyiv after a stay in the UK, when I host an event at the residence to mark the planned opening of […]
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3rd June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The teenager is lying motionless in the road. The driver of the black Porsche Cayenne stands over him, horrified. A couple of passers-by are on their mobile phones, perhaps calling the police or an ambulance. I saw this scene recently in Kyiv on Ivana Mazepu Street, down which I walk and drive regularly. Although the […]
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12th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
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