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Catch 22: From Georgian War to Ukraine 2022

by Oui Sun Jun 12th, 2022 at 08:49:07 AM EST

A trail of blood and tears ... Manifest Destiny.

Could have been written today ... Jerome a Paris in August 2008 ...

The warmongers have lost yet another war

Neocons are people that see danger everywhere and seem to crave military solutions in all cases. They endlessly blather about how we need to stand firm against bullies or other threats (Russia being near the top of the list), and protect our brave allies on the front lines, and along with them, democracy, freedom and our honor.


They mock cowardly European who think appeasement (read - any diplomacy) might have a chance. They fuel conflicts and perpetually tout military options.

And yet, whenever given the opportunity to stand up to their words (and sent other people to fight, of course, they don't do that themselves), the results are surprisingly poor.

After the catastrophic invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the neocons have just lost a third war, in Georgia.

Front-paged by afew

Just as in Georgia, John McCain played a major role in Iraq invasion, visiting rebel jihadists in Northern Syria and in the weeks ahead of the violent overthrow of democracy on the Maidan in Kyiv in February 2014.

Gunboat diplomacy is pure aggression and bullying of a people. Propaganda polishes over the blemishes of violating the UN Charter.

Quite interesting to read the comments from August 2008 and the list of recommends and “likes”…

Jerome even got a friendly email:

First of all, taking Geo-Political or Foreign Policy advice from a Frenchman is akin to taking Social Humanism advice from Stalin. You people have always been: A. Cowards B. Out of your league.

The US won the Iraq War and will likely destroy the Taliban. We will have forward deployment bases, housing our advanced weaponry in Iraq and Afghanistan for centuries. If these are all proxy wars against Russia and it's crazy friends all over the world, I would call our moves (Bush's Moves) genius.

BTW, instead of saying "Neo Con" why not just, be a man, and say what you want to say, "Jew."

Cheers,

Aaron

Kabuki theater ... just sickening these corrupt politicians run the state of affairs ... not for "We The People".

A corrupt Washington DC.

Started as a comment to a post by Cat.

Ukraine parliament approves foreigners as government ministers | EuroNews - Dec 2, 2014 |

The Ukrainian parliament voted in a new reformist Cabinet of Ministers using the same old tactics of dirty Ukrainian politics | Medium - Dec. 2, 2014 |

✓ The day of the vote, President Poroshenko signed a decree that granted 3 foreigners Ukrainian citizenship -- they became ministers the same day

To become a minister, you must have Ukrainian citizenship ... single day by decree ... easy come, easy go 😂

See Georgian president Saakashvili who was charged with corruption an lived in exile in the US got a job as governor of Odessa until he kept complaining to Poroshenko about endemic corruption 😟
Lost his Ukrainian citizenship before a turn of the head.

Georgia strips former-president Saakashvili of citizenship in wake of Ukrainian role | DW News |

Asylum seeker application ...

Saakashvili Applies for Family Reunification (EU) | Jan. 5, 2018 |

Related reading ...

In «Dire» 2014, Ukrainian Citizens, with few resources, defied Russia's might; here's what happened in Kharkiv | Lviv Now |

Former president Poroshenko was charged with treason by sitting president Zelensky ... until bailed out on instruction from Joe Biden. Who rules this "sovereign" nation?

The Nuland and Chris Steele angle on Ukraine and Russiagate.

The Story Behind Chris Steele - Ukraine and Nuland | Posted by Oui on Jan 6, 2018 |

Renowned British author continues his success with writing novels about Putin's KGB style of leadership and #Russiagate. Harding is a strong supporter of Chris Steele and the credibility of his dossier delivered to the FBI, intelligence communities, Democrats and in the end John McCain.

...
Steele wrote more than a hundred reports after 2014 about the war in Ukraine - about what Russia was doing, about its sort of covert movement of tanks and troops, about its sort of strategic objectives. And these were well-received by U.S. intelligence. They were sent up the chain. They were circulated within the State Department. And they were, I was told, read by John Kerry and Victoria Nuland, who was the assistant secretary of state in charge for Europe at the time in the George Bush (VP Cheney) and Obama (VP Biden) administration.

In other words, the sources who were right on Ukraine were behind the Trump dossier. And the FBI knows that. The U.S. intelligence community knows that.

Biden's Ukrainian Oligarchs and Corruption | Aug. 6, 2017 |

Trump's Revival of anti-EU Sentiment in Warsaw | July 6, 2017 |

And Biden convinced all of Europe to save the planet we need to antagonize Russia and form a global military alliance with risk of forever wars? Beyond crazy.

NATO Summit of Bucharest - A Declaration of War - Part 2 | March 4, 2017 |

Decay in American Leadership | Jan. 1, 2016 |

In one of his last interviews, the historian Tony Judt lamented his "catastrophic" Anglo-American generation, whose cossetted members included George W Bush and Tony Blair. Having grown up after the defining wars and hatreds of the west's 20th century, "in a world of no hard choices, neither economic nor political", these historically weightless elites believed that "no matter what choice they made, there would be no disastrous consequences".

A conflict between Avakov and Saakashvili took place at a meeting of the national reform council that was attended by President Petro Poroshenko. After a verbal exchange, Avakov threw a glass with water at Saakashvili. The two reportedly used foul language. Later, Poroshenko took sides with the Odessa region governor and asked the interior minister to "refrain from xenophobia."

Odessa region governor accuses Interior Minister of controlling paramilitary groupings

    "On 7 November 2016 Saakashvili resigned as Governor while blaming President Poroshenko personally for enabling corruption in Odessa and in Ukraine overall. Four days later he announced his goal to create a new political party called Wave."

Clashes as Ukraine ultra-nationalists back rail blockade | AFP |

US senator calls 2017 year of 'kicking Russia in the ass' | DW News |

Definitely a non-aggression positioning by US politicians and NATO military command.

As an afterthought ….

Oh yes, Ukraine is ready now to be a partner in the EU, but above all a worthy NATO partner to confront Russia. Passed their tough exam.

Ukriane on the Road to Peace …

    I was glad to end my visit with a walk on the Maidan.

    I’m so touched to see life back in the streets of Kyiv.

    They are slowly coming back to their busy pace.

    This is a symbol of hope for this brave country.

Of course it’s not your task to witness the daily bloodshed and deaths of hundreds each day as the war endures. As a future member, one needs to shed blood for the price of freedom. Forever hate.

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Russia's FM Lavrov spoke to the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 11:59:41 AM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 12:00:26 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 12:33:40 PM EST
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'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 04:55:02 PM EST
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Don't do stupid things ...

Translation Olaf Scholz:
There is a war in Ukraine. Many citizens ask themselves: What are we doing - what is Europe doing? We ensure that Ukraine has a European NATO future. How exactly, I explain in the first episode of #KanzlerKompakt

Translation:
Could it be that after Brexit, the British aren't feeling the heat, longing for a long Russian winter? What does that mean for brainless #NATO? off to war against 🇷🇺? you get my kids for your inability to solve problems, NOT!

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 12:36:39 PM EST
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 12:37:39 PM EST
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Ukraine mourns 'our golden generation' killed on frontlines | The Guardian |

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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 02:28:46 PM EST



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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 05:08:58 PM EST

Double strike by Kaliber missiles ... Nikolaev is Russian name for Mykolaiv.

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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 05:10:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Mykolaivka is a different city close to the village of Shirokaya Dacha in Dnepropetrovsk Region.

Could there be a confusion about the targeted strike?

In President Zelensky's hometown, an economic hub is under threat

Kryvyi Rih is located in a strategic position between Southern and Eastern Ukraine, the city prides itself on having become one of the country's main economic backbones: a large part of its mining and steel activities have been redirected to the war effort.

Don't do stupid things ...

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 05:36:12 PM EST
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116th day of hostilities: Russia confirmed the use of Su-57 stealth fighters in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today warned that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could drag on. "We have to be prepared for the fact that conflict could go on for several years. We must not give up our support for Ukraine. Even if the cost is high, not only in terms of military support but also in energy costs. quantity and food increased," he said in an interview with the German newspaper picture on sunday June 18th.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that it had launched Kalibr missiles at a Ukrainian command center killing more than 50 generals and officers.

The attack took place near the village of Shirokaya Dacha in the Dnepropetrovsk region of central Ukraine. Moscow said the missiles targeted the compound where the commanders of several Ukrainian units were gathering for a meeting.

In addition, Kalibr missiles launched from warships also destroyed 10 M777 howitzers and 20 armored vehicles.



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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 06:05:42 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 06:16:10 PM EST
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 06:35:05 PM EST
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Push Russia out of whole of Ukraine, says Truss | BBC News - Apr. 27, 2022 |

UK MoD and spelling checker ...

Who is new UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace? | Army-Technology - July 25, 2019 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 06:35:55 PM EST

Attempts to appease Putin dangerous, says British Foreign Secretary Truss | UA - May 26, 2022 |

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by Oui (Oui) on Sun Jun 19th, 2022 at 06:45:22 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 04:51:59 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 04:53:07 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 04:54:31 PM EST
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Severodonetsk is key to the Donbas ...



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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 04:55:57 PM EST
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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 09:13:22 PM EST
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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 07:14:44 PM EST
Some hard thoughts about post Ukraine | by Graham E. Fuller |

The war in Ukraine has dragged on long enough now to reveal certain clear trajectories. First, two fundamental realities:

    1. Putin is to be condemned for launching this war- as is virtually any leader who launches any war.  Putin can be termed a war criminal-in good company with George W. Bush who has killed vastly greater numbers than Putin.
    2. secondary condemnation belongs to the US (NATO) in deliberately provoking a war with Russia by implacably pushing its hostile military organization, despite Moscow's repeated notifications about crossing red lines, right up to the gates of Russia. 

This war did not have to be if Ukranian neutrality, á la Finland and Austria, had been accepted. Instead Washington has called for clear Russian defeat. As the war grinds to a close, where will things go?

Contrary to Washington's triumphalist pronouncements, Russia is winning the war, Ukraine has lost the war.  Any longer-term damage to Russia is open to debate.

American sanctions against Russia  have turned out to be far more devastating to Europe than to Russia. The global economy has slowed and many developing nations face serious food shortages and risk of broad starvation.

There are already deep cracks in the European façade of so-called "NATO unity." Western Europe will increasingly rue the day that it blindly followed the American Pied Piper to war against Russia. Indeed, this is not a Ukrainian-Russian war but an American-Russian war fought by proxy to the last Ukrainian.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 07:16:48 PM EST
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More Russian Oil Than Ever Before Is Heading for China and India

China Imports of Russian Oil Hit Record in May, Top Saudi

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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:12:26 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:13:43 PM EST
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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:14:54 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:16:39 PM EST
by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:17:37 PM EST
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EU rhetoric is well ahead of reality ...

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:19:01 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 at 10:20:18 PM EST
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From the diaries ...

Finlandisation 2.0: Plus ça change... | Oct. 1, 2007 |

The 2007 Session of the Nordic Council | Nov. 7, 2007 |

In recent years, co-operation with neighbouring states has been increasingly emphasised, with the council maintaining regional offices in all of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) as well as in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:03:23 AM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:04:28 AM EST
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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:05:20 AM EST
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The future of Kaliningrad: a pilot region or exclave?

Trade and transit. Given its small size and enclave location, Kaliningrad is dependent on imports, the value of which is three times that of its exports, with heavy reliance on trade and economic interaction with mainland Russia. Every year more than 6 million tons of goods transit, mainly by rail, through Lithuania to and from Russia. 55% of this traffic is oil, coke and coal. Kaliningrad also imports many goods from its immediate neighbors, Poland and Lithuania. Although Kaliningrad has relatively more trade links with its non-Russian neighbors than other Russian border regions, it is still relatively poorly integrated into the regional economy.

Energy supplies. The Kaliningrad Region is almost totally dependent on imported energy from the Russian mainland and produces only 20% of its own needs. The delivery of fuel oil and coal is costly and complicated, because of the need to negotiate the transit regime with neighboring countries. Gas is supplied from mainland Russia through a pipeline which goes via Belarus and Lithuania.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:06:36 AM EST
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Tom Cotton Threading On Hot Coals of War | Aug. 12, 2017 |

    Russia has invested considerable energy into developing A2AD capabilities and carefully positioning them to maximize their strategic effect. Russia's A2AD deployments span as far north as the Arctic down to Syria, with particular concentrations in Kaliningrad and around Crimea - a sort of "thicket of overlapping and redundant A2/AD systems."  

    In the event of a crisis, such deployments would complicate NATO's ability to access key areas such as the Baltics or Poland. These relative weaknesses within NATO could increase the attractiveness to Russia of a fait-accompli.

Remember Barack Obama bull$hitting the global community ... placing anti-missile systems in "New Europe" because of the ICBM threat from ... Iran!

Why Russia's Kaliningrad Naval Base Poses a Deadly Dilemma for NATO

Assessing Russian Reactions to U.S. and NATO Posture Enhancements | RAND Corp. |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:09:12 AM EST
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Supporting witness to witch hunt ...

America as a model of democracy and our moral values.

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:11:04 AM EST
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U.S.: Rumsfeld's 'Old' And 'New' Europe Touches On Uneasy Divide | RFERL - Jan. 24, 2003 |

It's not clear how far Rumsfeld's comments represent official U.S. thinking on Europe, although they clearly echo remarks by President George W. Bush at last year's NATO summit in Prague and immediately afterward. It was in Prague that the military alliance agreed to invite the seven new members: Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Speaking in Vilnius the day after the summit, Bush praised the Lithuanians -- and, by extension, all of the citizens of NATO's former communist states -- by saying that life under a dictatorship had made them more appreciative of human freedom.

"You have known cruel oppression, and you withstood it. You were held captive by an empire and you outlived it. And because you have paid its cost, you know the value of human freedom."

It's also not clear yet how far NATO's new members can go toward pleasing the U.S. without jeopardizing their -- arguably greater -- interests in joining the European Union, where France and Germany hold most of the cards and where being part of the "old" Europe is vastly preferable to being part of the "new."



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:12:16 AM EST
Different date, new war, now Europe is fighting America's war on its own continent - damn stupidity.

The Vilnius 10 Group signed a letter in support of American military intervention in Iraq | EU Observer - Feb. 6, 2003 |

The Vilnius 10 group, composed of Slovakia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia and Macedonia on Wednesday signed a letter in support of American military intervention in Iraq.

The Vilnius 10 said that US Secretary of State Colin Powell had proved to the UN Security Council that Iraq had clearly violated UN resolutions. The signatories are also willing to participate in the international coalition for the disarmament of Iraq.
The letter was drafted on Wednesday before and after the speech of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in which he submitted evidence that Iraq does not respect UN resolutions.

In the draft letter seen by EUobserver, the Foreign Ministers of the ten countries state that they "understand the dangers posed by tyranny and the special responsibility of democracies to defend our shared values".

They support the declaration made at the Prague NATO Summit in November, which asked for full disarmament of Iraq as stipulated by the UN Security Council resolution 1441. They also make reference to the "international efforts to achieve a peaceful disarmament of Iraq".



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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:13:25 AM EST
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General Colin Powell and the My Lai report of the Vietnam War.

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:14:11 AM EST
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Colin Powell's Vietnam Fog | The Nation - May 2001 |

Journalist Seymour Hersh and the My Lai massacre.

The matter could not be smothered, and in November of 1969, journalist Seymour Hersh exposed C Company's massacre of civilians at My Lai.

So America put actors in the White House, lately a clown with Jan 6th insurrection and found an actor to lead Ukraine into war with Russia after the chocolate king Poroshenko failed to reconquer Crimea and the Donbas. A sad balance of corruption, lies and warmongering. Not my moral values ... so much BS.

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Jun 22nd, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM EST
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Russian Rouble surges as Asian currencies slide

Local currencies around the world are losing value against a resurgent dollar. But the Russian Rouble has defied expectations to become the best-performing currency in the world.

Russia is raking in record oil and gas revenue 

Russian rouble hits near 7-yr high of 54.20 vs dollar | CNBC |

The reasons are, to put it simply: strikingly high energy prices, capital controls and sanctions themselves. 

Russia is the world's largest exporter of gas and the second-largest exporter of oil.
Its primary customer? The European Union, which has been buying billions of dollars worth of Russian energy per week while simultaneously trying to punish it with sanctions. 

That's put the EU in an awkward spot - it has now sent exponentially more money to Russia in oil, gas and coal purchases than it has sent Ukraine in aid, which has helped fill the Kremlin's war chest.



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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Jun 24th, 2022 at 12:53:07 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jul 5th, 2022 at 10:59:48 AM EST
Under Zelensky the implementation of the Minsk agreement stalled before the Verkovna Rada.

So sad ... what a BS uttered by VDL

Ukraine slipped 5 positions down in the global Corruption Perception Index for 2021, published by Transparency International on Jan. 25, settling at 122nd out of 180 countries

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jul 5th, 2022 at 11:10:15 AM EST
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The EU will support in healing your broken bones and bodies ... for as long as it takes.



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by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jul 5th, 2022 at 11:10:49 AM EST
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Industrial South-East of Ukraine has been invaded by Russia and a process of annexation is underway ...

Economy of Ukraine by Sectors - Wikipedia

Ukraine Growth Study Final Document | World Bank - 2018 |

Openness to the outside world, adoption of new technologies and a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit is driving this transformation of the Ukrainian automotive industry. Similar trends are occurring in agriculture and information technology (IT). In just a decade Ukraine has become one of the leading exporters of grain in the world. And, with over 100,000 Microsoft certified software professionals the IT sector in Ukraine is now Europe's largest software development industry. There are many such examples of drivers of Ukraine's new economy in other sectors, too.

Today, Ukraine is at a crossroads: despite impressive success in some sectors, the foundations of the emerging new economy are still fragile, and the old economy is still having a strong negative effect on growth. The rate of growth of the new economy is still too anemic to absorb the excess supply of workers released by the old economy and by new entrants to the labor force. Many young Ukrainians have opted to emigrate, attracted by higher expected earnings in neighboring countries and elsewhere. In 2017 over one million Ukrainians worked in Poland, with several hundreds of thousands in other neighboring countries. The reliance on commodity-based exports, short-term foreign savings, and foreign remittances has made Ukraine's growth trajectory volatile and unsustainable.



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by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jul 5th, 2022 at 11:12:39 AM EST
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'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Jul 7th, 2022 at 08:05:14 PM EST


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