Firtash shocks Vienna with his cortege and 17 bodyguards

The locals complain about Firtash, as he moves around the city with a cortege, and even drives, among other places, in “district one,” which is a pedestrian zone. 

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“Donbas” military base

Anna Agafonova, economist, member of the business community IZOne, Donetsk

It seems to us that what we are living now has not been seen before, it seems that Donetsk’s case is unique. But other countries have already survived all this. 

The reasons for what is happening in our country are the same as the reasons that led to World War II. In the beginning of the previous century, in Europe, as a result of instances of industrial monopoly the capital and power were concentrated in the hands of oligarchs and technocratic managers.

Liberal economies, oligarchy, corruption and lack of social lifts cost thousands of people their lives. The events in Ukraine can be easily compared with the police and private security service shooting of the peaceful demonstration “Hunger March” of the fired workers at the factories of a well-known figure, Ford.

Ten million for the budget

Oles Horodetskiy, May 12th, 2014

Ukrainian Italians, and there are 250 thousand of them, are the biggest European diaspora and one of the biggest, permanent and stable currency donors for the Ukrainian economy.

Within the last 20 years, a separate category of self-employed people has been formed, which is being serviced by our working migrants in Italy. These are the bus drivers.

“Here everyone is living by prison laws”: how business is being flushed out of Donbas

Yekaterina Sergatsova, UP.Life

A small, shabby shop in the centre of Donetsk. There are practically no customers. I am greeted by the owner of the shop Petro, a smart phlegmatic middle-aged man.

“We are working more as security guards here,” he says almost in a whisper, even though there is nobody there to eavesdrop. “Recently, I have been coming here every day myself, to prevent anything from happening. They are not messing with us yet, what is the point? However, there is no point to mess with others either, but they still do it…” 

Petro Poroshenko’s Three Blemishes

Sergiy Leshchenko, UP

Petro Poroshenko is surely leading in the elections of the President of Ukraine. His story is an example of what kind of dramatic changes politics undergoes in the period of revolution and how rapidly ratings may change in an unstable society.

A year ago Poroshenko did not brave announcing his will to become mayor of Kyiv, being unsure of his own victory. And today he has a threefold advantage over his pursuers at the elections of the President, caused by loss of trust to oppositional party leaders on Maidan and Yanukovich’s flight, as a result of which 30 per cent of the voters have lost the representative of their interests in politics.

A Rivne Benefactor Gifts Apartments to Children of the Fallen Heaven’s Hundred Heroes

Ukrinform correspondent reports that local businessman Roman Kurys gifted two studio apartments in a high-rise that is being constructed by his company in Rivne to children of the fallen Heaven’s Hundred heroes Georgi Arutunian and Valerii Opanasiuk.

“The children of fallen heroes will be able to settle in their new apartments before the end of this year, once the building is cleared for operation. The guarantee is the sales deeds that were issued to them”, said Kurys.

According to him, he also plans to engage his other colleagues from among construction industry managers in the benefit process, in order to purchase apartments for families of the other Heaven’s Hundred heroes.

Ukrainian oligarchs and businessmen speak in support of Ukrainian unity as Russia commences invasion of Crimea

As Euromaidan sent Yanukovych fleeing into Russia, and Russian troops de-facto began a military intervention in Crimea, Ukrainian oligarchs have begun speaking out in support of a united Ukraine and its territorial integrity, and against military conflict.

Henadiy Korban, a partner of Ihor Kolomoisky, believes that the oligarchs are ready to wage a war with Russia and only a united Ukraine can secure their prosperity.

That was Korban’s statement to Espreso.TV. “That’s true, policies established by the new government will shatter the economic positions of the oligarchs in Russia, and they will lose some benefits, but all this is only in a short-term perspective. I will tell you more – I have talked to Akhmetov, Kolomoisky, Novinsky – these people are no longer interested to multiply their money. They want to have a place in history. In the long run, only a united Ukraine will ensure them prosperity in a long run”, Korban says.