THE GUIDE

Moscow, March 4 (Interfax) - Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom has announced that it had reduced gas exports to Ukraine by another 25% and that it might cut them further if Ukraine does not resume talks with the company.

“Not only has the deadlock in the negotiations not been broken, there have not even been any more negotiations. Our Ukrainian counterparts have not come to Moscow. The only response from them has been a press release that in effect says that the Naftogaz Ukrainy company may start unsanctioned consumption of gas from volumes designated for European customers. For this reason, gas supplies for Ukrainian customers have been reduced by another 25% as of this moment, as we warned before,” Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told reporters on Tuesday.

Amounts of gas passing through the Sudzha gas measuring station had been slashed by 27 million cubic meters per day and volumes passing through the Valuiki station by 8 million cubic meters a day, he said.

“If the Ukrainian side does not return to the negotiating table, I cannot rule out the possibility of a decision to carry through another reduction of supplies,” Kupriyanov said.

Western Ukraine is the homeland of one of the most profound and intriguing altar sculptors of the 18th century - the famous artist known as Master Johann Pinzel (1751 - 1770s). Master Pinzel, whose real name remains a mystery, is most known as the founder of “Lviv Rococo” style in art and the author of beautiful altars and sculptures he made in Buchach and Horodenka. (more…)

The White Elephant, a once famous Polish observatory in the Carpathians, is as close to the stars as it only could be. Just look at the ruins and try to imagine that the complex erected on top of the Chornohora, or the Mount Black, is located more than two kilometres above the sea level! The initial construction, the Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory, was established back in 1938, when Western Ukraine was still a part of Poland. No one really knows why it was baptized as the “White Elephant” - could it be due to its unusual L-shape, or because of the grand amount of time, effort, and money its design and construction consumed?

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Dusia, a first generation Ukrainian Canadian, says that she does not remember much about the famine in Ukraine of 1932-33. She was only five year old when the Soviet-imposed famine, also known by historians as the Holodomor, started raging in her home village. That was one of the most devastating national disasters of the Ukrainian people in all modern history. “My Mom went out to sell jewellery and buy some bread, but she never returned home”, - recalls Dusia, one of just a handful survivals among people living in central and eastern parts of Ukraine during the Holodomor. It is estimated that the total number of those who died from starvations when communists forced Ukrainian peasants into collective farms can be more than 10 million people…
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• The city of Lviv is located in the western part of Ukraine, at the shores of the Poltava river, 80 kilometres away from the border of Poland. Currently, its population is about 735,000 people, most of whom are ethnic Ukrainians speaking the Ukrainian language.

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Kamyanets-Podilsky is an extremely beautiful ancient town of Ukraine, “a stone flower on the rock”, as the famous Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrayinka described it in the beginning of the 20th century.” Stare Misto”, a majestic stone fortress with numerous fortifications and intricate architectural decorations, which dates back to the beginning of the 12th century, is the heart of this medieval place. The fortress, built on a rocky island near the River Smotrych, is just one jewel of Kamyanets-Podilsky. Among other ancient attractions, there are a two millennia old Roman bridge, a Gothic city hall, and a unique minaret featuring the statue of the Virgin Mary. Besides being a military fortress, ancient Kamyanets-Podilsky was also a stronghold of Christianity. In the 17th century, the town had about 15 different churches of Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian Christian confessions, many of which still stand and continue to marvel tourists.

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Borscht, a deep red beet and cabbage soup, is popular all around Ukraine. The recipe might slightly differ by regions, but the main ingredients still remain the same - cabbage, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, sour cream, and dill. Depending on a season, borscht can be served hot and cold, with cold varieties often being light or vegetarian.

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All the fans of the Russian soap opera “Ne Rodis Krasivoy” (Don’t Be Born Beautiful) should rejoice – the actress who played the main character Katya Pushkaryova in the famous TV series, Nelli Uvarova, will soon reappear on Ukrainian TV screens, this time hosting a talk show on NTN channel, “The Beauties,” which will air in September. The aim of the show is to discuss various problems faced by the fairer sex, including relationships with men, raising children and more. But whatever the program deals with, its success is guaranteed – after all, Uvarova is currently one of the most popular women in the CIS. (more…)

The end of summer is usually the season for big sales, and how appropriate! It’s just the time to get a new wardrobe, and why not do it without breaking the bank? Yet there are also places that always sell clothes at a considerable discount – outlet stores. And while regular boutiques are likely to lower prices on their spring and (more…)

“A Day Without a Mexican”

I don’t know if it should be considered a conspiracy or coincidence, but the fact that the two movies showing in English on Ukraine’s wide screens this week both deal with Mexicans is hard to overlook. (more…)