Dec
4
Crimea
Filed Under Ukraine | 3 Comments
Thrill seekers and peace lovers, artists and poets, old and young all will find something that will attract them in Ukrainian land. From forests of the north to Carpathian mountains, which provide skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer, to Flats of the central Ukraine and cliffs and rocks of Crimea. Whether one likes to rock-clime or dive, to take long hikes or tan on the empty lost beach, to paint beautiful landscapes or to listen to sound of waves crushing on the rocky beach, Ukraine has something for everyone. One of the most recommended and famous places is Crimea, and it’s easy to see why.
Crimea combined in it’s beautiful landscapes almost all parts of Ukraine. Tourists can take horse ride in endless steps of Crimea, or hike thru forest towards hidden waterfalls, or sped a day laying on the deserted beach away from anything, or try their skill in rock-climbing on various cliffs with perfect sea view.
.jpg)
Also Crimea is very rich of historical monuments, some of which are more than 2000 years old and were build by Greek settlers. Around Ceriman cities tourists can find anything from ruins of Greek building to bunker which was build during WWII. While hiking thru the forest one can discover old military base (German or Ukrainian) or Turkish chapel of even early orthodox chapel. So if you are and adventures kind you will love Crimea, and even if you not you will always enjoy nice quiet beaches and lost coves of it’s coastline.
Overall Crimea is one of the Ukrainian wonders.
Nov
18
See Chernobyl with your own eyes
Filed Under Ukraine | 3 Comments
Every one of us heard about Chernobyl - the biggest industrial nuclear disaster in the world. Miles and miles of contaminated land. But, What happened to it now? What’s going on inside of 30 kilometer zone of control 22 years after the disaster?
Well, most of the people will be surprised to know that Chernobyl Nuclear Station still running. Three out of four turbines still produce electricity for majority of northern part of the country. Soil and buildings in abandoned areas, like city Pripyat’, were decontaminated to the safe level of radioactive contamination. People still come to work to the station day after day, animals still run in the forests, and destroyed ruins of fourth turbine still are highly radioactive and safely cowered with led dome. And starting from 2002 anyone who have 70 dollars to spare can take a tour inside not only 30 kilometer zone, but in to previously closed 10 kilometer zone and see the station and the dome with their own eyes. Tour will include a small lection (30 min.) about Chernobyl and the tragedy it self. After words tourist will spend 4 hours in the dead city of Pripyat’ where they will see and hear tragic story of man-made nuclear disaster. For allele extra tourist can visit city of Chernobyl too, which is still populated with workers of the plant and their families. Also during tour tourist will be offered 3 course dinner and the whole time will be under supervision of the guide. And all of that for only $70 a person. If needed, interpreter in English or German can be provided by the tour agency, for a fee of extra $150.
So what I’m trying to say, $70 dollars is a small price to see and feel the biggest nuclear disaster in the world.
More info can be found here
Nov
12
Russian-Ukranian relationship in Crimea
Filed Under Ukraine | 2 Comments
In order to understand the point of ownership of Crimea by Ukraine we must look deeper in to history than late 1600 when Ukraine joined Russian empire. For centuries Crimean peninsula was occupied by Turkish and Greek settlers. Starting from early 700s Ukrainian salt traitors were harvesting sea salt in the huge intercostals called Danuslav, which is close to Greek settlement Evpatoriya. That was long before Turkish activity in the region started. In middle 900s first Turkish settlements began to appear on the other end of peninsula, naturally blood was spilled. That started long but not very active conflict between Ukraine and Turkey. On the spread of several centuries Ukrainian and Turkish forces were engaging in to small conflicts on the territory of Crimea. That ended in late 1400s when Turkish king, influenced by his Ukrainian wife, pulled majority of Turkish forces out of the Crimea and Ukrainian army regained control of the peninsula. Therefore for nearly 200 years Crimea belonged to Ukraine. After words it became independent republic part of Russian empire, and later Soviet Union. In 1954 Nikita Khrushchev (who was Ukrainian) joined Crimea and Ukraine in to the one republic. He’s idea behind that was to restore historical territory of Ukraine before it joined Russian Empire.
So, if you follow history of Crimean peninsula you can easily see that Russian Federation has absolutely no rights to claim it as a part of their own territory. Apart from Georgia Crimea is the only outlet to Black Sea for Russian Federation, and since Georgia is currently under supervision of UN they will try to break agreement that was proposed by Ukraine regarding part of Russian fleet and several of the military bases on the Ceriman peninsula.
Schwirtz, Michael. “Russia and Ukraine argue over Crimean Naval Base.(Foreign Desk).” The New York Times. 157. 54320 (May 24, 2008): A9(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. CCLA, Palm Beach Comm College. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=A179335482&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=lincclin_pbcc&version=1.0>.
Sep
24
in reaction to this post
I’d like to talk about connection between Russian and Ukrainian languages in day by day life of average Ukrainian citizen.
Taking to attention long lasting history of Russian-Ukrainian relations it’s natural that Russian language is taught in schools as extensive as Ukrainian. It’s a fact, that Ukrainian language is nation language of Ukraine, there for all official documents, and majority of press is in Ukrainian. But in day by day life average citizen will use Russian in about 70 percents of interactions.
Since Ukraine has been independent only since 1991 majority of people, who 30 years old and older, had no Ukrainian lessons during school, or if they had it was not that extensive. There for majority of people that you will interact in day-by day situations can understand Ukrainian language with no problem, but will choose to response in Russian due to the habit.
In the country sides, however, majority of people will speak Ukrainian, but due to long lasting Russian expansion, language became a dialect: something middle in between Russian and Ukrainian, not a clean cut language that is taught in schools. So yet again to be able properly understand all figures of speech in the dialect called “Surjik” one must know Ukrainian and Russian perfectly.
So, to wrap this up, in order to survive in modern Ukraine, average citizen younger than 30 have to know and perfectly use at least two languages and one dialect in day by day life.
Sep
20
Let’s start with a little of history.
Filed Under Ukraine | 2 Comments
Let’s talk about history first.
First records of Ukrainian activity as a country were proven to be as old as 2,000 years old. In the beginning of the first century Kiev was one of the biggest trading outposts between Asia, Europe and Normandic countries. As a pagan country, Ukraine (Kiev Rus’ at that point of time) was in no danger, since neither of the trading countries had any problems with religious believes of it. So for the first thousand years of its existence as a formed country, Ukraine was very safe and protected place (mostly protected by much bigger kingdoms that had a trading interest in the country).
Problems started in 988 when Kiev Rus’ officially accepted Orthodox Christianity as the main religion, and the whole population was Christianized by the order of Vladimir the Great. After those events Kiev Rus’ could not trade with majority of Asian Kingdoms, and broke grounds completely with Turkish merchants, which started conflict between two growing countries divided by sea, resolution of which was found almost 600 years later.
In the beginning of 12 century conflicts between Kiev and Moscow patriarchate of Orthodox Church, started slow division of two biggest Kiev Rus’s Grand Dukes, brothers and later on Kings of two separate countries. Fall of Kiev Rus’ and its division in to Russ and Ukraine made both countries weaker and more open to aggression from other growing Kingdoms. Grudge held by brothers against each other, due to slight religion disbelieves (which was hold by their families for over 400 years, and is held by church leaders till this day), did not helped either.
That’s when dark times came to Ukraine. Times of invasions and fights for freedom of Ukrainian people, times of being a battle field for Russian Empire and European Kingdoms, times of struggle, and later on slavery.
But I’ll tell you about it in my next posts.
Sep
3
Post one. Hi, I’m from Ukraine!
Filed Under Ukraine | 3 Comments
Ukraine, one may say, what is it?
Well, to start with, it’s a medium size country on the edge of Eastern Europe and Asia.
It’s one of the oldest Slavic countries, which started up as a trading post of Slavic nomads.
The first city of Ukrainian nation was Kiev, which later on became a capital of Kiev-Russ, a country that later on fell apart and formed Russian empire, Ukraine, and several smaller Slavic countries.
Why do I want to write about all of that? Well, that’s easy. I just want to tell people about country that I was born and raised till the age of 19, also because I’m so tired to hear responses like: “Ukraine? Isn’t it somewhere in Russia? And isn’t it’s always cold in there?”
So, you should look at this blog as at little educational page about some far-far away country, that once-upon-a-time jump-started Great Russian Empire, and later on a well spoken Soviet Union.
Since this is my first post on an actual topic, I’ll give you general idea what Ukraine is.
Ukraine, as I said earlier, is a medium sized country in Eastern Europe, with population of 48 million people. It’s conveniently placed in between Carpathian Mountains, Black Sea (which is also lay its bangs in Turkey and Georgia), and Georgian mountains.
So, as you can tell already, it’s not really always cold in Ukraine, as a matter of fact it can be really hot during summer and freezing during winter. And now you know one little fact about far-far away country named Ukraine.
As my posts will go on I will tell you more about culture, politics, nature, architecture, and life of Ukraine.
Sep
2
test post
Filed Under test | Leave a Comment
This is the test post in my blog….
Fore some reason system does not let me change the blog titel to “Ukraine”. Sad.
So, yeah, I’ll be writing about Ukrain.