Comments on: Dealing in Kyiv.

By: Michael S.

Michael S. — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 04:53:51 +0000

Thanks, DoDo, but god forbid. I already spend too much time on other people’s blogs.

By: DoDo

DoDo — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 03:12:15 +0000

LOL!

Michael, you should start a blog - your imputs are just invaluable.

By: Michael S.

Michael S. — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:24:07 +0000

Those interested in Russian role in the Ukrainian crisis might want to run the recent interview with Gleb Pavlovsky in Nezavisimaya Gazeta through Babelfish. Pavlovsky was the main consultant of the Yanukovych campaign. He’s the Russian answer to Karl Rove, but he’s a Karl Rove for hire and speaks with (chilling) candor. I’ll translate a small fragment:

Q: Many think that the presence of our politicians and politologists was among the reasons for increasing the destabilization of the situation in Ukraine, and harmed the electoral campaign…

A: The harm to the electoral campaign was done by a revolution that didn’t get clubbed on the piehole in time. The presence of Russia was cosmetic; we barely redressed the balance. What do you think Lech Valensa is doing when he arrives in Kiev as a representative of Poland and reproaches the demonstrators — why have you waited so long? From my perspective, Russia participated in Ukrainian affairs to an insufficient degree, and while the situtation is being remedied, it was all begun too late. We weren’t taking interest in the discussions among the Ukrainian elites about the passing of power from Kuchma to the goverment candidate. At the same time, Western representatives were actively participating in them. Which is a problem, and has led Russia to the politics of faits accomplis. I can only repeat the question of Lech Valensa — why have we waited so long indeed?

By: Michael S

Michael S — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 12:38:01 +0000

Actually, I think Putin was trying to say that if the opposition took sole power, its policies would put east Ukraine in a position similar to east Germany’s as of today, or something to that effect. The phrasing, though, merits a prize of some sort for silliness, especially in the original — a Bushie?

By: Michael S

Michael S — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 12:03:15 +0000

cryptically accusing the West of reconstructing an iron curtain

No, he cryptically accused it of colonialism. Everyone mistranslated the bit where he alluded to the “kindly but strict mister in a cork helmet” (AFP had “uncle”, which is how children refer to grownups in Russian.)

Gazeta.ru’s today’s top headline read: Putin Against Mister In Cork Helmet.