Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Only US consultants working for Yushchenko and Tymoshenko have registered with the US Department of Justice.

The Wall Street Journal on 14 May published further material about Western consultants working for Ukrainian parties. The article was reprinted in the Ukrainian media.

In the article the Daniel J. Edelman legal firm was allegedly paid $35,000 a month to promote the Party of Regions by Davis Manafort International.

Manafort, working for Renat Akhmetov and the Party of Regions since 2005, has never registered with the US Department of Justice as US legislation requires of foreign governments.

The amount might seem high but its actually only a fraction of what the Party of Regions probably pays Manafort. A Washington-based consultant who worked in a government relations company based in Georgetown, Washington in

2004 told me that the Yanukovych government paid a monthly fee of $120,000 in 2004. It was unclear if this was paid by the government (i.e. the Ukrainian state) or by the Party of Regions.

This was a waste of money. Why? Because in 2004 (unlike maybe since 2005?) Yanukovych and Regions paid the fee without listening to the advice offered to them by their Washington consultants.

I attended a November 2004 press conference in Washington's National Press Club by then Yanukovych adviser Eduard Prutnik. It was the funniest and most chaotic press conference I have ever attended. Voice of America's Myroslava Gongadze recorded it all.

Prutnik came ill prepared, ignored advice offered by the Washington consultants and used a very bad translator. Prutnik's statement was so bad that a State Department official (Gene Fishel) publicly argued with Prutnik, something that diplomats never do. As the press conference disintegrated into chaos Prutnik's translator Alex Kiselev stopped translating and began to argue with those giving questions! The press conference became a bardak that would make the Ukrainian parliament look benign!

One would think that after paying $120,000 a month Yanukovych would listen to the advice offered. Or maybe not.

Only US consultants working for Yushchenko and Tymoshenko have registered with the US Department of Justice. Yushchenko employs Dutko Worldwide in Washington for $35,000 a month plus expenses. The funds are sent from the unknown "Democratic Transformation Foundation" based in Liechtenstein, Registered with the law firm headed by "Dr. Alexander Abfaltere".

Everything can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fara/