Ukraine Update

The New York Times had a fascinating article on Jan. 17 describing how the Ukrainian security police (the SBU) blocked the Interior Ministry's attempt to use force to disperse the demonstrators in Independence Square. Note the role of various cliques and factions within the SBU--so that the folks who detained me in October may not really have worked for or with the guys who gave the Yushchenko campaign the telephone intercepts they used to prove vote fraud in the court case. I leave you to ponder the irony of KGB alumni turning out to be the guardians of emerging democracy.

Also, yesterday the Ukraine Supreme Court dismissed or denied several motions filed by former Prime Minister Yanukovych, but adjourned without issuing a final ruling on the loser's appeal. It is not clear when the court will finish with the case and clear the way for Yushchenko's inauguration. Morgan Williams, who writes the frequent and lengthy Ukraine Action Report (he make me look terse), says the best current guess for the inauguration is either Jan. 22 or 23. "BE READY TO LEAVE FOR KYIV ON A MOMENT'S NOTICE!" he writes, which isn't an easy thing to do from Phoenix.