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Yushchenko will align better with the EU, at least. What's better for the Ukrainian people remains to be seen. Is the Ukraine even capable of independence? The world's richest soil lays fallow and hard-coal mines stand idle while Kyiv imports brown-coal from Poland and grain from Russia.

Kyiv 'privatized' almost every important industy, even the main power company Kyivehnergo is owned by an American now, and they have no problem shutting off grannies whose government retirement is something like $10 a month. Kyivehnergo has a nasty habit of shutting off an entire building if enough residents don't pay. If you go to buy an apartment there, if you find out that more than half of the families are retirees, don't even think about it.

Ukraine may have a better economic future if they integrate with Russia, but there's probably too much bad history between them to attempt it.

Here's a joke that describes the Ukrainian mentality:

Mikola and Volodomir were brothers in the Ukraine in the 1930s. When the state collectivized all the farms, Volodomir gave his up to the sovkhoz, while Mikola stayed a kulak and wouldn't give in. When the Germans came in 1941, Mikola became a politsai and turned in commies, while Volodomir became a partisan and fought the Nazis. After the war, Mikola was sent to Siberia and Volodomir went back to the collective farm.
Years later, Volodomir is an old man sweeping up in a factory, while Mikola is the director. One day when they meet in the hall, Volodomir asks his brother: "How is this possible? Why am I sweeping floors, while you're head of the factory?"
Mikola nods and answers: "It's simple. I have a brother who is a war hero communist partisan, and you have one who sat in Siberia as a traitor-kulak."

Fresh mail:

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Privet, dorogoy!
Da, u nas slozhnoe vremya.
Kuchma s Yanukovichem sfal'tsifiroval vybory. I takimi gryaznymi metodami. Oni dali bol'she milliona otkrpepnykh talonov i ugolovniki ezdili po strane i golosovali po pyat' i bol'she raza. A takzhe nasil'no zabirali u lyudey pasporta i po nim tozhe golosovali za Yanukovicha. A v Donetske tak voobshe neinteresovalo mnenie lyudey, vbrasyvali ugolovnye ehlementy v urny nuzhnye byulletni. Seychas ves' narod na ulitse otstaivaet svoi prava. A segodnya TsVK ob'yavila podbedu Yanukovicha, takoy tsinism. Kuchma ne poyavlyaetsya pered narodom, govoryat on v zapoe.
Raduet, chto mnogie goroda prinyali na sessiyakh reshenie o tom, chto podchinyatsya budut tol'ko Yushchenko.
Kieyvlyane progolosovali za Yushchenko 75 protsentov i Omel'chenko, mehr Kieva, prinyal reshenie na Kievsovete o podderzhke Yushchenko.
K Kievu podtyagivayutsya voyska i tekhnika, militsiya. No samoe strashnoe, chto Putin prisylaet omonovtsev, kotorye pereodevayutsya v nashu formu i im prikazano strelyat, esli bol'she 50 chelovek narushit granitsu, kotoruyu oni okhranyayut.
Polozhenie strashnoe.
"Hello!
"Yes, we are in complicated times.
"Kuchma and Yanukovich did a fake election, and with such dirty methods. They gave out more than a million voter forms and criminals travelled about the country and voted five or more times. And they even took people's passports by force and used these to vote for Yanukovich. And even in Donetsk they could care less about the people's opinion, they just tossed ballots in whatever boxes they felt like. Now the entire (Ukrainian) people is on the street demanding their rights. Today the TsVK (Central election commission?) declared Yanukovich's victory, such cynicism. Kuchma won't show his face in public, they say he's on a bender.
"It makes one happy that many cities have held special sessions and decided that they will not follow anyone but Yushchenko.
"Kyiv residents voted for Yushchenko by 75%, and Omel'chenko the mayor of Kyiv and the city counsel has voted their support of Yushchenko.
"Troops and armored vehicles are moving toward Kyiv, as well as police. But the most frightening is that Putin is sending OMON (SWAT) police, dressed in our uniforms and they've been ordered to shoot if more than 50 people cross the border of what they are protecting.
"The situation is frightening."

Mikola and Volodomir were brothers in the Ukraine in the 1930s. When the state collectivized all the farms, Volodomir gave his up to the sovkhoz, while Mikola stayed a kulak and wouldn't give in. When the Germans came in 1941, Mikola became a politsai and turned in commies, while Volodomir became a partisan and fought the Nazis. After the war, Mikola was sent to Siberia and Volodomir went back to the collective farm.

Years later, Volodomir is an old man sweeping up in a factory, while Mikola is the director.

One day when they meet in the hall, Volodomir asks his brother: "How is this possible? Why am I sweeping floors, while you're head of the factory?"

Mikola nods and answers: "It's simple. I have a brother who is a war hero communist partisan, and you have one who sat in Siberia as a traitor-kulak."

Volodomir, the good brother, can't get ahead in life because of his brother's crimes. Mikola, on the other hand, is rehabilitated because of his family connections.

That they are one another's brother makes it the tragic comedy which is the Ukraine.