24.11.2014 Ukrainian crisis news. War in Ukraine, DPR, LPR, Novorossia.
24.11.2014 Ukrainian crisis news 1) Pushilin allowed the OSCE observers to get access to the Donetsk airport 0:02 2) British journalist Graham Philips wounded in Donbass 0:20 3) Ukraine cannot...
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24.11.2014 Ukrainian crisis news. War in Ukraine, DPR, LPR, Novorossia. - Video
Ukraine: British journo Graham Phillips alive and kicking after Kiev shelling ordeal
Video ID: 20141124-032 W/S Ambulance arriving M/S Graham Phillips M/S Graham Phillips SOT, Graham Phillips, journalist (in Russian): "I was in Peski today with commander Zhora when an ...
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Ukraine: British journo Graham Phillips alive and kicking after Kiev shelling ordeal - Video
British journalist Graham Phillips wounded by shrapnel covering Ukraine crisis
British journalist Graham Phillips has been wounded in eastern Ukraine. He was taken to hospital after being hit by shrapnel from a mine. Philips was filming the fighting between local militia...
By: RT
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British journalist Graham Phillips wounded by shrapnel covering Ukraine crisis - Video
Even among the sordid histories of Eastern Europe, Ukraine is particularly tragic. In just the 20th century, it wasstarved by Stalin, decimated by Hitler, subjected to seventy years of incompetent Soviet rule, looted by its own government and, most recently, invaded by Putin.
Ukraines situation today remains desperate. The country is in dire financial straits, dependent on financial assistance from the IMF, US and EU. Crimea has been annexed, the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk are caught in a frozen conflict and its chief antagonist, Russia, controls its gas supply.
Yet still, Ukraine is not without promise. While much of its Soviet era industry lies dormant within the conflict zone, its tech industry is booming. I recently talked with Yevgen Sysoyev ofAVentures, a venture capital firm in Kyiv, and he thinks that we may be seeing the birth of a new Ukrainian renaissance. While that may sound crazy, he might very well be right.
What Makes A Tech Mecca?
Ever since Silicon Valley emerged as the center of the technology world in the seventies and eighties, others have tried to followed its lead. Most have failed, but a few, such as New York, Tel Aviv, and Austin have succeeded brilliantly. No one has unseated the Bay Area yet, but these places have built thriving technology startup scenes.
If youexamine todays startup hubs further, it becomes clear that they all have some things in common. Each, for instance, has strong universities turning out capable technology talent. They also have whatRichard Floridacalls theCreative Classa tolerant environment that promotes an active subculture of art galleries, music scenes and avant garde cafes.
Anybody familiar with the technology industry in Ukraine knows that Kyiv has these things in spades. It is already a thrivingoutsourcing center. Elance, the leading online freelance site,ranks Ukraineas the third best place in the world to find people with advanced skills. Kyiv is a fun place, with a thriving culture and, above all, is tolerant and inviting.
Yet there is a final element that Ukraine has been missing. Every great startup culture requires a catalyst, one breakout company that spawns the local financial and professional networks new firmsneed to thrive. Silicon Valley hadHewlett Packard, Tel-Aviv hadICQ, and New York hadDoubleclick. In Ukraine, theres no one, but that may soon change.
Ukraines Emerging Technology Ecosystem
AVentures Sysoyevestimatesthat the Ukrainian tech industry is worth about $5 billion and splits the market into four distinct sectors. The first, outsourcing, is the most developed and employs roughly 50,000 engineers across 500 firms. A small but growing contingent of global R&D centers set up by Samsung and other tech giants makes up the second sector.
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Could Ukraine Be The Next Silicon Valley? - Forbes
The people of Belarus have plenty of reasons to be unhappy with President Alexander Lukashenko. The close economic ties he forged with Moscow are inflicting severe pain on Belarus as Russias economy stumbles. The Kremlins actions in neighboring Ukraine are a reminder that good relations with President Vladimir Putin can quickly turn bad. Even before the Ukraine crisis, Belarus suffered from a feeble economy and widespread human-rights violations under Lukashenkos leadership.
Surprisingly, though, the recent turmoil appears to have shored up support for the authoritarian president and for his policy of heavy economic dependence on Russia. A recent poll shows that more than 55 percent of Belarusians say they trust Lukashenko, up from less than 40 percent last year. An increasing number of Belarusians say they believe their country is on the right track, according to the poll by the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic & Political Studies in Minsk.
Nearly half of respondents in the poll said that if given the choice, they would choose economic integration with Russia over membership in the European Union. In a poll a year ago, the situation was reversed, with nearly half favoring EU membership.
How to explain this, when the Belarusian economy has slowed to a crawl, inflation is in double digits, and fast-falling oil prices are threatening the countrys main source of cash, the refining and reselling of Russian oil?
Lukashenko has benefited from the Ukraine showdown for at least three reasons:
He has deftly played both sides. After Russias annexation of Crimea, he appeared to side with the government in Kiev, saying that he favored a single and unified Ukraine. At a press conference last month, however, he accused the Ukrainian government of provoking Russias action by banning the Russian language and threatening [the[ lives of these people in Crimea. Lukashenko also hosted peace talks in Minsk, burnishing his image with countrymen as a statesman. He has even proposed sending Belarusian troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers.
Most Belarusians get their news from Russian media outlets, which overwhelmingly portray the annexation of Crimea in a positive light and blame the fighting in Ukraine on the government in Kiev and its Western allies. The fear of similar mayhem in Belarus has created a real demand for stability, a firm hand, Valery Karbavelich, a Belarusian political analyst, says in a recent interview with Transitions Online, a newsletter that covers the region. The economy was a crucial factor in shaping public attitudes toward the government until recently, but now it doesnt play as big a role, he said.
The situation has effectively neutralized Lukashenkos political opponents, even those who were calling, a few years ago, for a quick overthrow, says Yaraslau Kryvoi of the Ostrogorski Center, a London research group on Belarus. They fear that if the authoritarian president were weakened or even ousted, Belarus could become the next Crimea. Many people are saying, `Lets just stick with Lukashenko. Well deal with democracy later, Kryvoi says.
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Ukraine's Turmoil Is Helping Belarus Strongman Lukashenko