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NEMTSOV CRITICIZES UKRAINE'S ECONOMIC POLICY. Boris Nemtsov, an informal economic adviser to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, told journalists attending the Yalta European Seminar that while he supports Ukraine's aspirations for European integration, he is critical of the country's economic policies, Interfax reported on 23 July. "The majority of citizens from eastern, central, and western Ukraine support the idea of a pro-European policy, and I think this support will continue to grow," Nemtsov reportedly said. Nemtsov also suggested that actions taken by the government have brought Ukraine no closer to Europe but, on the contrary, are moving them apart. Nemtsov has been critical in the past of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko's views on re-privatization and her handling of price increases by Russian oil companies that operate in Ukraine. Nemtsov is a former leader of the Union of Rightist Forces in Russia, a post he resigned after the party failed to reach the 5 percent electoral threshold in the 2003 Duma elections. RK
UKRAINIAN SECURITY SERVICE CLAIMS IT THWARTED FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES. In an interview with the "Ekonomichni Visti" newspaper published on 25 July, Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) director Oleksander Turchinov said that eight foreign agents found to have been operating under diplomatic cover were declared persona non grata and forced to leave Ukraine in the first six months of this year. Another 41 people who failed to report their links to foreign intelligence agencies were barred entry to the country, and one of 56 Ukrainian citizens with ties to foreign intelligence agents has been convicted while criminal cases have been launched against three others, Turchinov said. RK