NEWSBRIEFS (08/14/05)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukraine bans poultry imports from Siberia

Kyiv - Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry has banned poultry imports from Russia's Tyumen Oblast and Altai Krai due to cases of avian flu (aka bird flu) found in poultry (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 2 and 3), Interfax-Ukraine reported on August 3. Ukraine had previously banned poultry imports from Novosibirsk Oblast. According to Russian officials, the strain of bird flu found in the region is H5N1, which is potentially highly dangerous to humans. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Russian detained for multiple murders

Kyiv - Ukrainian police have arrested an unnamed Russian man in the eastern Zaporizhia Oblast on suspicion of killing as many as 20 young girls over the past two decades, Deputy Interior Minister Hennadiy Moskal told journalists on August 6, according to Reuters on August 8. The suspect, who settled in Dnipropetrovsk from Siberia in 1982, was arrested in connection with the murder last week of a 10-year-old girl, and has reportedly confessed to an unspecified number of killings. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Gongadze investigation completed

Kyiv - The Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement on August 8 that it has concluded its investigation into the slaying of Internet journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, the "Ukrayinska Pravda" website (http://www.pravda.com.ua) reported. Three former police officers, Valeriy Kostenko, Mykola Protasov, and Oleksandr Popovych, are suspected of murdering Gongadze in 2000. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Ukraine scraps visas for Czechs

Kyiv - Ukraine has cancelled visa formalities for Czech citizens who visit Ukraine for a maximum of 90 days, CTK reported on August 8, quoting the Czech Foreign Ministry. Czechs, like all other EU citizens, were previously allowed to enter Ukraine without visas between May 1 and September 30 but had needed a visa in order to visit at any other time of the year. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Kryvorizhstal priced at $2 billion

Kyiv - The Ukrainian government on August 9 set a $2 billion starting price for a 93.02 percent stake in the Kryvorizhstal steel mill, which was sold last year under a disputable privatization tender for $800 million to a consortium controlled by oligarchs Rynat Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk, Ukrainian and international media reported. Earlier this year the privatization of Kryvorizhstal was annulled by a Ukrainian court (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 3). Bidders in the new privatization tender are also obliged to present an eight-year investment program worth 12 billion hryvnyas ($6 billion). Kryvorizhstal declared earnings of more than $400 million last year. Akhmetov and Pinchuk have lodged complaints against the Kryvorizhstal reprivatization with the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the European Court for Human Rights, both of which are pending. (RFE/RL Newsline)

President calls Kuchma on birthday

Kyiv - President Viktor Yushchenko on August 9 passed his best wishes to former President Leonid Kuchma on the latter's birthday, Interfax-Ukraine reported, quoting the presidential press service. In a telephone conversation, Mr. Yushchenko reportedly wished Mr. Kuchma a warm anniversary spent with friends and relatives. Kuchma turned 67 on August 9. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tymoshenko says she lives modestly

Kyiv - Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists on August 10 that she is not a rich person and holds no stocks in any company, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The year 2004 was the apogee of reprisals against me and my family. That is why neither my husband nor I own any property, as our family has diversified all risks," she explained. She said her 2004 income statement truly reflects her earnings, adding that she and her husband are living "extremely modestly." According to that statement Ms. Tymoshenko earned some 66,000 hryvnyas ($13,000) last year, while her husband reportedly did not bring home a single kopeck. (RFE/RL Newsline)

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