14:28
6.4.2014
More from Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko, in an exclusive interview with Reuters:
-- He says ridding Ukraine of corruption is key for any new leadership, warning that failure will anger a "reborn" people with high expectations for real change after months of turmoil.
-- He says Ukrainians have earned the right to a path to membership in the EU but said he would not seek to join NATO, which he said would risk dividing the country while Russian troops are massed on its frontier.
"If you are asking: What is the top priority? Is it to be in NATO or keep the unity of the country? My answer would be: Keep the unity of the country."
-- On the best way to govern:
"A new country was born and a new people was born. If the president, the government and the parliament do not demonstrate a different style and show that we live in different conditions, people after half a year, nine months, will say 'OK' and withdraw their support. [The future leaders] should know why 104 people gave their lives."
-- On corruption:
"There must be zero-tolerance for corruption. We should seriously cut the number of bureaucrats in the country and cut the [paperwork] in the country because the system simply does not need that."
-- He says the practice of bribe-taking deters much-needed foreign investment:
"Just imagine. You can fly to Ukraine from any European capital in just two hours. You don't need a visa. You can come to a very safe and very nice country with very experienced labor ... and the only obstacle to that is corruption. That is why it is a top priority."
-- On the need for a new security architecture in Europe following Crimea's annexation by Russia:
"The concentration of 30,000 Russian forces on Ukraine's border and the destabilization of the situation in nine regions of the east and south, have produced the most serious threat from the Russian Federation since the time of the Cold War."
14:14
6.4.2014
#Ukraine billionaire Petro Poroshenko, the leading candidate for president, says if elected he won't push for NATO membership.
— Paul Waldie (@pwaldieGLOBE) April 6, 2014
13:58
6.4.2014
Some cool images in here from Kyiv...— Lars Dybdahl (@ldybdahl) April 6, 2014
Updated pictures and videos from #maidan #euromaidan #kiev #kyiv https://t.co/3A3VZGlymg with geotagging
13:55
6.4.2014
Seen on the streets of Kharkiv in eastern #Ukraine ... pic.twitter.com/JtT4VRjQlO
— Fran Blandy (@franblandy) April 6, 2014
13:44
6.4.2014
Hammer and sickle everywhere at pro-Russian demo in #Odessa #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/zoHOi3tpxa
— David Patrikarakos (@dpatrikarakos) April 6, 2014
13:43
6.4.2014
USSR fell ~20 years ago, yet #Putin is still trying desperately to bring #Ukraine under #Russian control @Ukroblogger http://t.co/my7XOc5K0v
— Mateo Diachok (@MDiachok) April 6, 2014
12:53
6.4.2014
In Odesa, a flashmob at the city's main mall sings the Ukrainian national anthem.
12:51
6.4.2014
2000 separatists came to pro-#Russian rally in #Donetsk http://t.co/CveWyxUvk0 pic.twitter.com/UIbMCGEJDi @LIGAnet | PR News #Ukraine
— Euromaidan PR (@EuromaidanPR) April 6, 2014
12:33
6.4.2014
RFE/RL's News Desk reports:
The body of a nationalist Ukrainian activist and reporter who played a role in protests that led to the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych has been found in a forest outside Kyiv a day after his abduction.
In a statement, the Svoboda (Freedom) nationalist party said the body of Vasyl Sergiyenko bore marks of torture and was hidden under rubbish in the woods near the village of Vygrayev, 120 kilometers southeast of the capital.
The statement said Sergiyenko's head was bashed in, his kneecaps mangled, and there were stab wounds near his heart and neck.
Sergiyenko, who was a member of Svoboda, helped organize the protests against Yanukovych in February and was a member of one of the nationalist opposition's self-defense groups that periodically clashed with the police.
The local prosecutor's office confirmed the discovery of the body.
The body of a nationalist Ukrainian activist and reporter who played a role in protests that led to the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych has been found in a forest outside Kyiv a day after his abduction.
In a statement, the Svoboda (Freedom) nationalist party said the body of Vasyl Sergiyenko bore marks of torture and was hidden under rubbish in the woods near the village of Vygrayev, 120 kilometers southeast of the capital.
The statement said Sergiyenko's head was bashed in, his kneecaps mangled, and there were stab wounds near his heart and neck.
Sergiyenko, who was a member of Svoboda, helped organize the protests against Yanukovych in February and was a member of one of the nationalist opposition's self-defense groups that periodically clashed with the police.
The local prosecutor's office confirmed the discovery of the body.
12:23
6.4.2014
#Shalegas exploration in #Ukraine as solution for economic #Independance http://t.co/SCqvrREwlb #geoeconomics #Chevron #energy #russiangas
— Anthony Pierini (@Antonepierini) April 6, 2014