Voices of Ukraine

Der Marionetten-Ministerpräsident der Krim, Sergei Aksjonow, hat zugegeben, dass Bürgerrechtsaktivisten, von denen man vermutet, dass sie sich gegen die prorussische Zielrichtung beim Pseudo-Referendum am Sonntag aussprechen werden, in Gewahrsam gehalten werden. Berichten zufolge sagte Aksjonow am Dienstag, der von der Krim stammende Maidan-Aktivist Andrij Schtschekun sei nicht von Bürgerwehren entführt worden sondern werde vom Geheimdienst der Krim wegen von ihm als “subversive Aktivitäten” bezeichneter Betätigung “in Haft gehalten”.

March 13, 2104
Open Letter to Russians

I don’t like to see people suffer. I especially don’t want to see Russian people suffer needlessly, due to the reckless behavior of their president, Vladimir V. Putin. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel warned that impending sanctions by the European Union would inflict “massive” political and economic damage to Russia unless it backs down from its effort to annex Crimea.

How will this affect the ordinary Russian?

• Russia will be isolated from the rest of the world and so will you.
• The Russian Ruble could be devalued by up to one third and so will your purchasing power, just like in 1989.
• What good is Russian oil when you won’t be able to afford western car parts or non-Russian cars, or even access to buy new ones.

Oleh Leusenko, politologist

I had a sneak peak at the Facebook page of my friend from Moscow, the author and the host of the Russian TV show “Ezhednevnik” (“The Diary”), Yuri Pronko:

“Russia’s economy is completely in the gutter, yet the country is still unaware of it! All the money has gone to the ‘Crimean front’…”

To: Committee of Experts (the – “Committee”)

Council of Europe

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

DG II – Directorate of Human Rights and Anti-discrimination

Agora Building, 1 quai Jacoutot

F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France

 Dear Committee Members,

Using this opportunity, please, let us avail ourselves.

We are writing to you based on Article 16(2) of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (the “Charter”). The following is to bring your attention to adoption by the Ukrainian Parliament of the Law of Ukraine “On the Basis of the State Policy on Languages” dated3 July 2012 (the “Law on Languages”). According to the explanatory note to the Law on Languages, its purpose was to ensure implementation of this law in Ukraine. However, it appears that the real purpose behind the Law on Languages is to return to practice of imposing the…