Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Somali pirates in small boats patrol alongside the hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship Faina. The mostly Ukrainian crew of 20 men was taken hostage on Sept. 25. Warships surrounded the vessel in the Indian Ocean. AP A weekly column looks at how Ukraine is portrayed internationally.

Somali pirates holding Ukrainians hostage

As this edition of the Kyiv Post went to press, pirates were still holding hostage 20 men, most of them Ukrainians, aboard the cargo ship Faina off the Somalian coast. The pirates were promising a fight to the finish and demanding a $20 million ransom and the ship’s cargo of T-72 tanks and other weaponry in exchange for releasing the crew members alive.

Journalists tried to find the home port and ownership of the Faina, without definitive success, following the Sept. 25 hijacking. An Associated Press reporter, tracking information that the Faina is owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine, put in a call. But the woman who answered the phone at the Odesa-based company denied ownership. Other media have reported the Faina is operated by Tomex Team, another Odesa-based company. Its representatives declined to comment, the Associated Press reported.

Wherever the ship and men are from, they were still in harm’s way on the Indian Ocean as of Oct. 1.


Ukraine's inflation rate tops in all of Europe

Russia had the second highest inflation rate among European countries in January-August, surpassed only by Ukraine. According to International Monetary Fund data, Ukraine saw the highest year-to-date inflation at 14.7 per cent, followed by Russia at 9.7 percent.


London puts spotlight on mail-order romance

Ukraine’s reputation as a place to find love will likely be enhanced by Dawn Porter, a British TV personality, who made a trip to Odesa to investigate the mail-order bride business for a recent series. “Women, for example, want to get out of Ukraine so badly that they will marry a Western man they hardly know,” according to a Sept. 28 article by Kate Burt in the London-based Independent newspaper.

The highlight of Porter’s excursion was a party that brought together potential brides and grooms. “Rather disappointingly for the men, the booze and buffet seems the biggest draw for the women,” the article continued. “Many of the supposedly amorous women from the agency that the men had been e-mailing in advance of the holiday didn’t bother turning up.”

Porter goes on to slam Ukrainian men.

“With Ukraine’s economy on the up, do [women] really need to entertain the idea of finding a husband in this way? The problem is less about the economy, more about the dearth – and low caliber – of men,” the article said, then quoted Porter: “There were all these gorgeous girls in the streets, but you couldn’t say the same for the men.”


Yushchenko's speeches could be shortened

Brief speeches are evidently not Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko’s strong suit. On a Sept. 23 trip to the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, Yushchenko gave a long-winded speech after an introduction by Chrystia Freeland, U.S. managing editor of the Financial Times newspaper. Afterwards, Freeland said: “Usually it’s journalists who get politicians in trouble, but President Yushchenko has now gotten me in trouble because of my absolute failure to discipline him on the length of his speech.”


Polish leader: Russian aim in Georgia stopped

Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski has alleged that Russia’s military action in Georgia was aimed at toppling the Georgian government and that it sealed his country’s decision to host a U.S. missile shield vehemently opposed by Moscow.

“First, Russia wanted to carry out an annexation of two provinces (Abkhazia and South Ossetia). Second, there was an attempt to topple the (Georgian) government,” Kaczynski said in an interview due to appear in the Oct. 6 international edition of Newsweek magazine. “The West was capable of one thing: not allowing this toppling of the government.” Many in Ukraine and abroad are fearful of Kremlin intentions based on the Georgia conflict.


Euro 2012 is on for now, but check back later

After much angst, European soccer’s governing board on Sept. 25 decided that Ukraine and Poland will remain co-hosts of the 2012 European Championship. But the Union of European Football Associations warned they could lose the tournament if preparations fall behind schedule.


The Klitschko brothers have new phone game

Whenever 3G (Third Generation) technology takes off in Ukraine, mobile phone users will be able to box with the heavyweight champion Klitschko brothers, Vitaliy and Volodymyr. Artificial Life, Inc., is marketing “Klitschko Boxing – The Official Mobile Game” at www.artificial-life.com, the Hong Kong-based company’s website.

“Your mobile phone will become a boxing ring and your thumbs will crash the hardest punches,” according to the website.

In real life, the next fight involving a Klitschko takes place in Berlin on Oct. 11, when Vitaliy tries to regain the World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Samuel Peter.