Windows to Russia

Walking in Ukraine was always relaxing!

Hello,

It has been a few days since I last posted but sometimes life gets in the way of the fun stuff. 🙂

So I was just drinking my cup of coffee and thinking about the trip I just made.

I got back from Ukraine on Sunday Morning and it is sure nice to be back in Russia. Russia has become home and home is where the heart is!

First an interesting happening with the Ukraine Government requesting information, but information only deliverable by TELEX – (A public switched low-speed data network used for the transmission of administrative messages.) Of course this was information that I had in multiples of other forms but only Telex was acceptable.

Second interesting problem was Ukraine Government only would accept American Dollars! Not Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) currency. Yes you heard me correct I had to find dollars in a world that seemed to be lacking in dollars. Four months ago when I was in Ukraine all the ATM machines dispensed dollars, Not Now!

This story will unfold over the next few days. I am trying to get caught up on sleep and everything else.

Next post will be about finding dollars in a dollar poor area…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

It is really neat today to see Kiev wake up from the coma that no gas brought on. Today for the first time in 5 days the smoke stacks of factories are puffing vapor into the air. The people are running around all over the place instead of huddled by fires and electric heaters.

Now you can find heat all over the city and the steam is rising out of the manhole covers again. (You never miss something like that until it goes away.) I can burn myself on the steam heaters in the room again and hot water is really hot. 🙂

I hope that Europe has the same experience because it was no fun wearing all your shirts, pants, socks and sleeping with three blankets.

I feel sorry that Europe had to go through a gas shortage and really hope that it never happens again.

It is a good day in Kiev!

The gas is flowing again.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

A man who told everyone that he was getting death threats stands outside in broad daylight doing an interview with a newspaper reporter. (‘Novaya Gazeta’)

“I’m getting threats. What kind of threats, I asked him. If I don’t drop this case, I’ll get killed. Who are these threats from, I asked. I’m getting anonymous text messages, he answered. Right away, I said to him that maybe I should get a new lawyer, and he said No, I’m going to persevere,” Visa Kungayev, the father of Elsa Kungayeva, said.”

If he was getting death threats than what was he doing running around Moscow in broad daylight and doing interviews in front of the whole world. He was not protecting himself very well.

The lawyer of the Kungayev family, the relatives of a Chechen woman, who was murdered by a Russian army colonel, Yury Budanov, has been killed. Stanislav Markelov was shot dead in the center of Moscow in broad daylight on Monday.

According to witnesses, a man wearing a ski-mask approached Markelov and Anastasia Baburova, a 24-year-old free-lance journalist for ‘Novaya Gazeta’ newspaper, in the street and took out a gun.

The lawyer was shot dead on the spot, while the woman was fatally injured with a gunshot wound to the head, and died shortly after she was taken to the hospital. (Link)

I would think that they should have been doing the interview in a more protected place. The fact that he knew he was being threatened with his life should have given him a clue to keep a low profile.

The shame is that he was shot because that is the Russian way of dealing with it. I had several high profile friends in America killed the same way. People say, “I am getting death threats” then they go about their life like it does not matter. I guess we all think it won’t happen to us.

My Job in the Military everyone was taken out in broad daylight.

These kinda things make me go Hummmmm…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

Guess who has hot water and heat again. Me! (and Kiev)

Ukraine has gas and it sure is nice. I have spent days with no heat just like Europe and watched the news as Ukraine politicians argued and whined about Russia. The fact is Ukraine had no gas and it was getting cold here in Kiev.

Ukraine resumed transit of Russian gas to Europe at around 10am Moscow time. Gas flow through Ukraine will total 424.8 million cubic meters per day, of which 348.8 million cubic meters are destined for European consumers and 75 million cubic meters for Ukraine.

Under the terms of the latest agreement, Ukraine will pay $US 360 per 1,000 cubic meters. Should they fail to pay on time, Gazprom will switch to 100 per cent prepayment in dealing with Ukraine. (Link)

So while the world has lambasted me with multiples of unprintable comments and other nice thoughts. Russia was correct and Ukraine had to be called to the carpet so to speak.

All this hassle was to the fact that Ukraine had no gas and when Russia cut Ukraine’s gas off (due to non payment and past fees) and just kept the gas to Europe going. Ukraine had to resort to stealing the European gas. Then Ukraine shut the pipelines down and tried to blackmail Russia into giving Ukraine gas.

The last few days have been great in Ukraine. The TV stations have been burning up the airwaves with the gas issue. The biggest issue seems to be: Get rid of the Stealing Ukraine Government and get a new Government!

Things that make you go Hummmm…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

Today I am still in Kiev, Ukraine. Svetlana is back in Moscow and I have stayed in Kiev to finish up work.

To me running around these countries is a lot like running around America from state to state. It is harder for Svet because she must have a visa for many countries. (Not Ukraine though.)

So I will be posting from the lobby of the hotel and trying to get comments caught up. I have at last count 58 comments to answer and I just answered 20 before that 58.

This does not count the hate you and die comments that are full of cuss words. The Ukraine’s got hold of me and their English only included sweet America words of endearment. 🙂

I posted all that I could and sent the others to the waste can. So If you see that you lost a comment, retype with out the explicits and I will post…

Got to go, battery is going dead and I got 3 posts and 20 comments answered. I will charge the battery and be back tonight to finish some more comments.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

New world math during the gas crises.

Normally the Western World blames Russia 100% on a, Ukraine – Russia dispute…
(The EU would have said we must reconsider our relationship with Russia.)

This time Russia and Ukraine were condemned equally – 50% to 50%…
(Now the EU says they must reconsider our relationship with Ukraine and Russia.)

That means Russia was 100% correct!

Cool Math!

Kyle

On January 7 2009, Ukraine shut all four pipelines that send gas to Europe. Not Russia!

Kyle

Soviet Champagne for a birthday! 🙂

Hello,

My wife and I today had a surprise that was very pleasant. Today the 16th of January is my Birthday. Well earlier the hotel knew by my registration that it was my Birthday. They sent a bottle of Soviet Champagne and a treat to our room for a Birthday gift.

We had an article earlier about Soviet champagne. (Link) Now we get to try the famous Champagne like it was made during the Soviet Era.

So even though things seem to be rough in the world right now we just had a little spot of sunshine that made us smile. Sometimes the simplest things are the greatest things.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

If I get shut out of the Internet while in Ukraine you will know why. Ukraine is doing major anti Russian censorship of its media in all forms. At this point we can not receive any form of YouTube videos, RIA Novosti, Russian Government blog and many many ru sites. BBC is available on line but all articles that have to do with Russia and gas are removed and or blocked. We can not even search the BBC website. Now we have full access to CNN and Time Western News. The gas articles are slanted in Ukraine favor and we get all Western media just fine.

Seems Ukraine is trying to cover the gas issues by keeping the word from spreading by all media means.

Can anyone say “Censorship”?

The article after this one gives some very good information on what is happening in Ukraine with the gas issue.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

Svet and I are in the hotel Slavutich: They have WiFi and it works really good. Three months ago when I was getting my visa to Russia, this hotel did not have WiFi and it was terrible to try to post. We are getting all we need done and hope to be able to wrap it up early here, but we are going to be here for the weekend at least.

Today Svet and I were able to get a lot of pictures of men ice fishing. We watched them as they drilled their holes and use an ice pick to enlarge the hole. More on that later when we get the pictures to go with the story.

We also have listen to the news about the gas issue. It seems that Ukraine will not let the gas go through and Ukraine tells the local news casts that Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine and put the President and Prime Minister out of office. Ukraine tells the local news that Russia will not pump gas to Ukraine and there is nothing that Ukraine can do.

The international news side is a different story and Ukraine is crying about mean Russia and then making any and all excuses to delay the gas. Ukraine says that the Prime Minister of Ukraine will talk this Sunday to Russia and see what can be worked out. Seems Ukraine has thumbed their nose at the EU and Russia. Ukraine tells Europe that the problem is a internal company problem between Gazprom and Ukraine gas companies.

The rumors of gas shortage in the country side of Ukraine seem to be a reality and all gas seems to be concentrated at Kiev. But I see conservative measures everywhere and our Hotel room is getting very little heat and is in reality very cold but Svet and I are use to cold so we just bundle up and walk allot.

The news is very sporadic about the gas issue and Ukraine skims away from Europe has no gas crime…

What I see here in Ukraine is one step from a political melt down. The President of Ukraine has basically a 0% approval rating. (2.4% by Ukraine figures) The country no longer is being run by the President. I really do not know who is running the country right now but my bets are pointing at the Gas Companies!

That is all for now and we are taking lots of pictures. Svet says hi to all the readers!

Kyle & Svet