Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:41:39 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Michael Mainville :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Michael+Mainville istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/ukrainian-leader-fires-government-of-prime/19839/ Fri, 9 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Infighting and allegations of corruption have torn apart the fragile coalition of Western-minded reformers who spearheaded last year's Orange Revolution in Ukraine, with President Yushchenko yesterday firing the government of charismatic Prime Minister Tymoshenko. With parliamentary elections only six months away, political analysts say Mr. Yushchenko may be setting himself up for a damaging confrontation with Ms. Tymoshenko that could paralyze attempts to modernize Ukraine's economy... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/was-georgias-rose-revolution-as-rosily-democratic/19213/ Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST TBILISI, Georgia - The short drive from the airport to the center of Tbilisi offers the first glimpse of how much has changed in Georgia since the Rose Revolution. Not long ago, this road was a minefield of deep potholes lined with unsightly gray apartment blocks. Today, the highway is smooth and clean, and the facades of the buildings have been painted in fresh pastel blues, pinks, and oranges - part of a civic polishing program that has touched many parts of the capital. This is where... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/in-azerbaijan-political-and-economic-issues-heat/18468/ Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST BAKU, Azerbaijan - It's been a hot summer in Baku, and it's not just the weather. As temperatures in the Azeri capital have soared to record highs of nearly 105 degrees, the political heat on the government of this oil-rich former Soviet republic has also been on the rise. Nearly every weekend has seen another protest under the blazing sun, from small rallies of only a few dozen to a July demonstration that saw at least 10,000 people take to the streets. Waving Azeri flags and carrying... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/second-largest-recipients-of-us-aid-armenians/18286/ Tue, 9 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST YEREVAN, Armenia - A close ally of Russia, with a grossly corrupt economy and a ruler accused of increasing authoritarianism, Armenia hardly seems a prime candidate for massive doses of American aid money. Yet this tiny South Caucasus republic receives more American aid per capita than any other country except Israel - a total of more than $1.6 billion since 1992. When the White House tried to cut sizably American assistance to Armenia earlier this summer, Congress blocked the move, bumping up... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/british-rescue-russian-submariners/18214/ Mon, 8 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Seven Russian sailors finally returned to shore yesterday after three days trapped in a mini-submarine in the depths of the Pacific, but Russia's relief at their rescue was clouded by embarrassment that the country's navy was unable to save the crew without foreign help. Assisted by American divers, a British remote-controlled Scorpio undersea vehicle cut the submarine loose from undersea cables that had ensnared it at a depth of 625 feet during an exercise off the Kamchatka Peninsula... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/two-cold-war-era-rivals-russia-and-china-plan/17982/ Wed, 3 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Highlighting growing military ties between Moscow and Beijing, Russia and China will hold an unprecedented joint military exercise later this month that will see nearly 10,000 troops taking part in land, air, and naval war games. Officials announced yesterday that the exercise, dubbed Peace Mission 2005, will be held August 18-25 in Russia's Far East and on China's Shandong Peninsula. The maneuvers are another sign of warming relations between the two Cold War-era rivals, who since the... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uzbek-refugees-in-kyrgyzstan-are-bound/17685/ Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - As the U.N. refugee agency began removing hundreds of Uzbek refugees from Kyrgyzstan so they are not returned to face torture and repression in their home country, a Western immigration official in Moscow said yesterday that some would be headed for America. The 455 refugees, who fled to Kyrgyzstan after government forces opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators in May, were being flown to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, and the evacuation was expected to be completed today. From there... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/g-8-summit-offers-putin-the-chance-to-bolster/16579/ Wed, 6 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - While the issue of relieving poverty in Africa is expected to dominate the summit meeting of G-8 leaders starting today, President Putin heads to Scotland with a different mission in mind: shoring up Russia's deteriorating international reputation as it prepares to take over leadership of the exclusive club. Analysts say that with pressure increasing for Russia to be thrown out of the G-8, Mr. Putin will be looking to reassure President Bush and other Western leaders that his country... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russian-prisoners-slash-their-wrists-in-mass/16256/ Wed, 29 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW — Hundreds of Russian prisoners have slashed their wrists, necks, and legs in a gruesome protest over prison conditions and alleged abuse by penal authorities. The regional prosecutor's office in Lgov, about 310 miles south of Moscow, said yesterday that 260 prisoners had used razor blades to inflict the wounds on themselves Monday night. The office said in a statement that they suffered only light injuries and were being cared for by a team of doctors. But human-rights workers who had... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/conviction-of-would-be-rape-victim-sparks-uproar/16029/ Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - When a tearful Alexandra Ivannikova flagged down a Moscow police car in December 2003 to report an attempted rape, the last thing she expected was to be arrested. Mrs. Ivannikova had just escaped from the car of 23-year-old Sergei Bagdasaryan after stabbing him in the leg with a kitchen knife while he was trying to rape her. Earlier this month, despite her pleas that she acted in self-defense, Mrs. Ivannikova was convicted of murder. "I had two choices: to defend myself or to submit... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/chechen-warlord-killed-forbes-editor-russian/15642/ Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors have named a Chechen rebel warlord as the mastermind behind the high profile slaying last year of New York born Paul Klebnikov, editor of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine. The killing was ordered by a former deputy prime minister in the Chechen separatist government, Kozh-Akhmed Nukhayev, who was the subject of a book by Klebnikov, "Conversations with a Barbarian," the prosecutor general's office said. "Nukhayev paid members of a criminal group to kill... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/khodorkovsky-gets-9-year-sentence/14680/ Wed, 1 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Bringing an end to the most closely watched and politically charged criminal trial in Russia's post-Soviet history, a Moscow court yesterday sentenced former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay vast sums in taxes and fines. During a Washington press conference, President Bush expressed some concern over the handling of the case. The court found Mr. Khodorkovsky, 41, guilty of six of seven charges of fraud and tax evasion. The sentence, one... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/jews-who-fled-the-soviet-union-return-to-russia/14147/ Fri, 20 May 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - When she fled the Soviet Union for Israel with her family as a teenager, the last place Irina Azanyan expected to end up 15 years later was in Moscow. "My parents were desperate to get away, and we went as soon as we could," she said. "I loved Israel, even before I'd ever been there. I don't know why, maybe it was in my genes." Yet here she sits in her fifth-floor office at the Moscow Jewish Community Center, alternating effortlessly between Russian and Hebrew as she fields calls for... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uzbek-forces-regain-control-of-karasu/14150/ Fri, 20 May 2005 00:00:00 EST KARASU, Uzbekistan - Uzbek security forces easily regained control over the border town of Karasu yesterday, bringing at least a temporary end to the violence and unrest that had engulfed eastern Uzbekistan after the reported massacre of anti-government protesters in nearby Andijan last Friday. Residents said heavily armed troops entered the town of 20,000 in the early hours and met little resistance. They arrested rebel leaders, including a number of Islamic extremists who claimed to be behind... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uzbeks-seize-chance-to-flee-country/14073/ Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 EST KARYA DARYA, Kyrgyzstan - With her husband and four sons already across the border in Kyrgyzstan, 53-year-old Mamlaket wasted no time when authorities lifted roadblocks around the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan yesterday. Along with four of her grandchildren, she rushed to the refugee camp where more than 500 Uzbeks fled after government forces opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators in Andijan last week. "I was waiting for them, I thought they would come back. When we found out on television... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uzbek-citizens-seek-democratic-freedoms/14012/ Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 EST KARASU, Uzbekistan - Sitting cross-legged on a faded carpet, a lamb skewer in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, Bakhtiyar Gulamjamogli explained why the people of his small Uzbek town have risen up against their government. "We are like slaves. Those who work hard have nothing to eat, while the president, the mayors, and the police live off bribes and have everything," he said. "That is why I and others here are trying to lead our people to freedom, to life, and to prosperity." Unrest and... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/thousands-flee-uzbekistan-amid-violent-clashes/13850/ Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Thousands of refugees fled to the border in an attempt to escape violent clashes in Uzbekistan yesterday as witnesses reported that eight Uzbek soldiers and three Islamic militants died. As many as 500 people were killed when government forces opened fire on demonstrators in the eastern city of Andijan on Friday. A teenage boy who had witnessed the attack on Friday told Reuters that troops had opened fire on a crowd of 3,000 protesters and shot them down "like rabbits." The protests... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-in-ex-soviet-georgia-hails-a-beacon/13643/ Wed, 11 May 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Standing before tens of thousands of cheering Georgians in the capital, Tbilisi, President Bush yesterday hailed the former Soviet republic's young democracy as a "beacon of liberty" that is inspiring people around the world to rise up against oppression. Speaking in Freedom Square - the focal point of the "Rose Revolution" that installed a pro-Western government in 2003 - Mr. Bush promised American support for the tiny country in the Caucasus Mountains. "You gathered here armed with... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russians-celebrate-their-role-in-defeat-of-nazis/13568/ Tue, 10 May 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - The massed ranks of the world's leaders, with President Putin flanked by President Bush and German Chancellor Schroeder, watched yesterday as 8,000 Russian soldiers and war veterans paraded through Red Square to mark the 60th anniversary of the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany. Observing from the sidelines, Russian veteran Mikhail Kurbatov, his chest loaded with medals, swelled with pride. "When you see Mr. Bush and his wife, and the leaders of Germany and France and all the countries... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-putin-to-join-world-leaders-in-moscow/13420/ Fri, 6 May 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - President Bush will join President Putin and about 50 other world leaders in Moscow Monday for massive celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Red Army's defeat of Nazi Germany on the eastern front. For Russia, the celebrations will be a chance to highlight its decisive role in defeating the Nazis - a role many here believe is overlooked in the West, despite the death of more than 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians in what it calls the Great Patriotic War. But in a... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/putin-speech-sounds-right-notes-critics-are-wary/12808/ Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Stung by international criticism of his democratic record and growing uncertainty among investors, President Putin used his annual state of the nation address yesterday to lay down a vision of Russia as "a free and democratic country" where tax officials no longer "terrorize business" and "arrogant" bureaucrats have been brought to heel. But while it appeared that Mr. Putin had sounded all the right notes, critics noted that his speech was rife with caveats and that it remained to be... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/yukoss-khodorkovsky-expected-to-be-found-guilty/12732/ Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - It had the beginnings of a classic courtroom drama: Russian special forces storming the private jet of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country; an 800-page indictment outlining charges of massive tax evasion and fraud; allegations of political persecution ordered from the highest reaches of the Kremlin. But as the trial of the Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky crept forward over the last 10 months, it became clear his story was lacking the most important... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/rice-calls-russia-strategic-partner/12580/ Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Secretary of State Rice balanced criticisms of the Kremlin's democratic record with praise for Russia's role as America's "strategic partner" during a visit to Moscow that ended yesterday. "Russia is not a strategic enemy. We are not against Russia," Ms. Rice told Ekho Moskvy radio before meetings with President Putin and Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. "We see Russia as a strategic partner in the war on terror. We see Russia as a strategic partner in stopping the spread of... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/rice-in-russia-to-discuss-democratic-record-nukes/12447/ Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Secretary of State Rice arrives in Moscow today with experts expecting her to temper criticism of democratic backsliding in an effort to shore up cooperation on strategic issues such as keeping nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists. Ms. Rice, on her first visit to Russia as America's top diplomat, will meet with President Putin and other top Russian officials during the two-day summit. She said before departing that she will raise the issue of Russia's democratic record. "My... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/popes-unfulfilled-dream-lies-in-russia/12063/ Tue, 12 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - As they gathered by the hundreds in Moscow's Church of the Immaculate Conception last week to watch Pope John Paul II's funeral on a screen hung over the altar, Russian Catholics couldn't help but reflect on the great unfulfilled dream of his papacy. For them, his legacy is tinged with bitter irony. For while John Paul traveled more widely than any pope in history, he never once set foot in the world's biggest country. And while he has been praised around the world as a religious... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/business/would-be-assassins-attack-russian-privatization/10790/ Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - One of Russia's most prominent and powerful figures survived a daring assassination attempt yesterday by camouflaged hitmen who detonated a bomb near his car and sprayed his convoy with automatic gunfire. The attack underscored the violence and lawlessness that remains - despite some progress - a hallmark of Russia's political and business climate. Anatoly Chubais, the 49-year-old head of Russia's state-controlled electricity monopoly and one of the architects of post-Soviet economic... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russia-puts-10-million-bounty-on-rebel-warlord/10644/ Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Russia announced yesterday that it had paid out $10 million for information that led to the killing of the Chechen separatist leader, Aslan Maskhadov, and promised to do the same for informants who help track down another top rebel warlord, Shamil Basayev. Russia's successor to the KGB, the Federal Security Service (FSB), said Maskhadov's killing had come following a tip-off in response to a bounty on the leaders of the Chechen separatist movement announced in September. "This helped... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/chechen-rebel-leader-is-dead/10283/ Wed, 9 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - To some, he was a blood-soaked terrorist; to others, a hero fighting for his people's independence. But yesterday, Aslan Maskhadov's decade as the symbol of Chechen resistance to Russian rule came to an abrupt end with images of his bare-chested corpse, lying in a pool of blood, broadcast around the world. After years of hunting, Russian forces finally caught up with Maskhadov yesterday in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt in the north of Chechnya, the breakaway Muslim republic where... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russias-population-plummeting-as-outlying-areas/10004/ Thu, 3 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST BULYAVINO, Russia - Along a snow-packed road two hours off the highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg lies the village of Bulyavino, population 13 people, a bull, a cow, two sheep, four ducks, half a dozen chickens, and assorted cats and dogs. "We used to have another cow but it got sick and died two years ago," Boris Vasiliev, born and raised in the village, said ruefully. Thirty years ago, Bulyavino was a thriving Russian village, with more than 30 families, a school, a local shop, and... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-confronts-putin-face-to-face-over-democracy/9697/ Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - In a surprisingly public rebuke of a man he has long called a friend, President Bush yesterday chastised President Putin for backsliding on democracy in Russia. During what seemed to be a tense and uncomfortable joint press conference after a nearly three-hour meeting in Bratislava Castle, Mr. Bush said he told Mr. Putin that "democracies have certain things in common; they have a rule of law, and protection of minorities, a free press, and a viable political opposition."... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/us-russ-summit-marks-new-era-for-slovakia/9652/ Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Only seven years ago, it was dubbed the "black hole of Europe" - a cesspool of corruption, political repression, and populist nationalism. But when President Bush touched down in Slovakia last night for today's summit meeting with President Putin, he capped a dramatic reversal for this tiny country of 5.4 million. "Slovakia is this week at the center of the world," said the president of the Bratislava-based Institute for Public Affairs, Grigorij Meseznikov. "For us, this... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/acrimony-expected-at-bratislava-summit/9570/ Wed, 23 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - President Bush and President Putin have set the stage for what could be their most acrimonious exchange to date when they meet tomorrow in the capital of this former Warsaw Pact country. Facing increasing pressure to take a harder line on Russia's faltering record on democracy, Mr. Bush surprised observers by criticizing the country Monday at the outset of his European tour. In a speech in Brussels, Mr. Bush called on the Russian government "to renew a commitment to... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/moscow-to-crack-down-on-unregulated-gypsy-cabs/9101/ Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Day and night, the streets of Moscow are clogged with drivers in beat-up Ladas cruising for fares. Schoolteachers, doctors, pensioners - they take to the streets in their spare time looking to supplement their meager incomes. Those in need of a ride simply walk to the curb and stick out their arms. Within minutes, the cars will be lined up, their drivers ready to negotiate a fare. About $3 is usually enough for a ride anywhere downtown, and $8 will get you clear across the city... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bizarre-death-takes-georgian-leader/8726/ Fri, 4 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - One of the key leaders of Georgia's Rose Revolution, Prime Minister Zhvania, died yesterday in a bizarre gas poisoning, robbing the volatile ex-Soviet republic of its steadiest political hand. Zhvania was found dead in a friend's apartment from an apparent gas leak. While authorities insisted his death was accidental, some Georgians remained suspicious considering the country's history of political violence. Experts warned that Zhvania's death could destabilize poverty-stricken... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/reports-of-chechen-russian-cease-fire-dismissed/8750/ Fri, 4 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - As reports that Chechen rebels have declared a ceasefire and are seeking peace talks with Moscow were dismissed as a bluff, the mastermind of the bloody Beslan school siege warned in an interview broadcast yesterday that he is planning to carry out more terrorist attacks on Russian soil. In the broadcast on Britain's Channel Four TV, radical warlord Shamil Basayev justified attacks on civilian targets and warned of more to come. "We are planning more Beslan-type operations in the... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russian-mps-seeking-to-ban-jewish-groups/8265/ Wed, 26 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - A maverick group of nationalist Russian lawmakers drew rebukes from Israel, Russia's Jewish leadership, and the Kremlin yesterday for a shocking declaration that accused Jews of fomenting anti-Semitism and called for the banning of Jewish organizations. The letter, dated January 13 and signed by some 20 members of the Russian Parliament, called on Russia's top prosecutor to launch proceedings "on the prohibition in our country of all religious and ethnic Jewish organizations as... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/orange-revolutionaries-gather-to-hail-president/8116/ Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Ukraine's "orange revolutionaries" gathered one last time in Kiev's Independence Square yesterday for the swearing in of the country's new president, Viktor Yushchenko. His inauguration ended more than two months of political crisis over what supporters of Mr. Yushchenko, a Western-leaning reformer, said was massive fraud in an election won by Viktor Yanukovich, the Moscow-backed prime minister. More than 100,000 cheering supporters gathered yesterday in the square, which for weeks was... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/wave-of-protest-aimed-at-putin-sweeps-russia/7960/ Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST OREKHOVO-ZUEVO, Russia - Anatoly and Maya Tunikov don't know how they'll survive. Once factory workers in this industrial suburb of Moscow, the retired couple live on a combined pension of about 4,200 rubles ($150) a month. They used to receive a wide range of government benefits, including free medication, free public transportation, and housing subsidies. But under Kremlin-sponsored social reforms that cut off assistance to millions of Russians as of January 1, all of those benefits have been... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/crisis-is-brewing-over-russ-missiles/7612/ Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - A diplomatic crisis is brewing over Russia's potential sale of advanced missiles to Syria, a sworn enemy of Israel accused of supporting Hezbollah and Palestinian Arab terrorists. Israel's Channel Two TV reported yesterday that Russia plans to sell arms to Syria, including shoulder-fired missiles, which could threaten Israeli aircraft. In a separate report, the Russian newspaper Kommersant said the sale would include Iskander-E ground-to-ground missiles, which would give Syria the... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/soldier-killed-in-chechen-war-is-venerated/5870/ Tue, 7 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST KURILOVO, Russia - They marched in a blistering snowstorm early on a dim Saturday morning, a motley group of about 40 gold-toothed babushkas, young Russian soldiers, and bearded Orthodox priests. Hunched over in the wind, the procession made its way to the grave of Yevgeny Rodionov - Russia's new unofficial soldier-saint, a casualty of the war in Chechnya who is venerated by thousands of Orthodox Christians for his refusal to renounce his faith in the face of certain death. "He was a hero who... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/yushchenko-takes-his-case-to-ukraines-parliament/5321/ Wed, 24 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Ukraine plunged further into crisis yesterday as the Western-leaning opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, claimed the presidency and tens of thousands of his supporters marched to the presidential office in defiance of poll results they say were rigged by the pro-Moscow government. "Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict," Mr. Yushchenko warned lawmakers gathered for an emergency session. There were no reports of violence as demonstrators faced off with hundreds of riot... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/thousands-cram-ukraine-streets-to-protest-fraud/5246/ Tue, 23 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Ukraine took its first steps toward a Georgian-style revolution yesterday as tens of thousands of demonstrators crammed into downtown Kiev to protest alleged fraud in Sunday's presidential election, and a handful of major cities refused to recognize official results. The question now is whether the opposition - led by pro-Western reformer Viktor Yushchenko - will be able to sustain protests in the same way Georgians did during the "Rose Revolution" this time last year. With more than... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/total-fraud-is-charged-in-election-in-ukraine/5140/ Mon, 22 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Ukraine's pro-Western opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, has accused authorities of "total fraud" and called for massive street demonstrations in downtown Kiev today after initial results showed the prime minister,Viktor Yanukovich, winning yesterday's presidential run-off vote. The Central Election Commission said early today that with 69% of precincts counted, Mr. Yanukovych had 48.58% of the vote, compared with 47.78% for Mr. Yushchenko. About 2% voted against both candidates. "I... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/prospective-parents-flock-to-russia-to-adopt-but/4877/ Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - It's been just more than a year since Peter and Cynthia Coughlin of Long Island joined the thousands of Americans who adopt Russian orphans every year. In October 2003 - less than a year after first applying to adopt a Russian child - they flew back to New York with a 6-month-old baby girl they named Kaylee. "We're ecstatic," Mr. Coughlin said. "She's fabulous, she's healthy. Everybody that we meet says she's the most beautiful girl." With hundreds of thousands of abandoned children... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/kiev-mired-in-confusion-as-observers-declare/4138/ Tue, 2 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST KIEV, Ukraine - The liberal, pro-Western opposition in Ukraine seemed mired in confusion yesterday over how to respond to an inconclusive first round presidential vote that international observers said failed to meet democratic standards. With 94.4% of the vote counted, the pro-Moscow prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, led with 40.12% while challenger Viktor Yushchenko had 39.15%, the Central Election Commission said. Exit polls also showed a tight race, but with Mr. Yushchenko leading in most... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/early-results-favor-pro-moscow-yanukovich-win/4066/ Mon, 1 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST KIEV, Ukraine - In the face of early results showing pro-Moscow prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, with a comfortable lead in yesterday's Ukrainian presidential election, the Western leaning opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, declared victory for his own campaign and accused authorities of mass fraud. With about 22% of the vote counted late last night, Mr. Yanukovich was leading with about 48%,not enough for a first-round victory, the Central Elections Commission said. But Mr. Yushchenko... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/rancorous-presidential-campaign-in-ukraine-is/3995/ Fri, 29 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST KIEV, Ukraine - With Ukraine in the midst of a tense and often nasty presidential election campaign, it seems even the calendar is no longer safe from political manipulation. Ukraine yesterday celebrated the country's liberation from Nazi Germany 60 years ago with Soviet-style pomp, as hundreds of fresh-faced military cadets marched along Kiev's main street behind a vintage T-34 tank and the hammer-and-sickle flag raised over the Reichstag after the fall of Berlin in May of 1945. The outgoing... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russia-stifling-rights-groups-in-wake-of-abuse/3630/ Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - Amid reports that dozens of Russian soldiers are dying and hundreds committing suicide every year because of brutal hazing, officials are cracking down on soldiers' rights groups. In a report released this week, New York-based Human Rights Watch urged President Putin to take action against the systematic abuse of conscripts, including harassment, humiliation, beatings, and sexual assaults. "The Russian army is in crisis and what's amazing is that a president who is so preoccupied with... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/putin-backs-bush-as-kerry-gets-nod-of-a-critic/3387/ Tue, 19 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - It wasn't exactly an endorsement, but President Putin made it clear yesterday that his sympathies lie with President Bush in the American presidential race. Speaking during a visit to the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Putin said the ongoing terror attacks in Iraq are aimed at scuttling Mr. Bush's reelection bid and warned that they would likely increase if Mr. Bush loses. "I consider that the activities of terrorists in Iraq are not as much aimed at coalition forces but... MICHAEL MAINVILLE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/fears-mounting-over-revenge-in-russia/3105/ Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW - On September 5, two days after the Beslan school hostage crisis descended into carnage, a young man with bloodshot eyes knelt beside the coffin of one of the victims, 35-year-old Timur Tsallagov, as it was lowered into the ground. Throwing dirt onto the coffin, the man made a vow: "I promise I will have my revenge on those who killed you." He was not alone. In the days after the massacre - in which more than 330 people, including scores of children, died - talk of vengeance was...