InfoUkes: Ukrainian-related news stories from RFE

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EXILED TYCOON CLARIFIES CALL FOR USE OF 'FORCE' TO OUST PUTIN. Self-exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky was quoted by Britain's "The Guardian" newspaper on April 13 as saying that it is not possible to change the "criminal" regime in Russia "without force, pressure" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 13, 2007). On April 14, he told RFE/RL's Russian Service by telephone from London that what he meant by "force" was street protests on the model of those that brought about regime change in Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine in 2004. Berezovsky drew attention to the role in those two countries of "forceful pressure on the authorities from the street and the square in order to change the regime." He stressed that "Putin has created a totalitarian regime. There's no chance of changing that through elections. The only way is to use power." Following the publication of the interview in "The Guardian," several Russian authorities said on April 13 that they will again seek Berezovsky's extradition from Britain, where he has political asylum. On April 16, Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika said he signed "an international warrant for the extradition of...Berezovsky. I have made clear that it is unacceptable for him to use his [asylum] status and his residence [in Britain] as a [base] for provocations," Interfax reported (see "Russia: Tycoon Clarifies Remarks, Calls For Popular Revolution," http://www.rferl.org, April 14, 2007). PM

RUSSIA STARTS BUILDING 'FLOATING NUCLEAR PLANT.' Sergei Kiriyenko, who heads the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), said on April 15 in the Arctic city of Severodvinsk near Arkhangelsk that construction has begun on the world's first "floating nuclear plant" to provide electricity and heat to remote areas. He added that the two small reactors have a total output of 70 megawatts and are completely safe. The $352 million facility is expected to start operating in 2010. Russia has also offered to build similar plants for Indonesia and Namibia. In June 2006, Sergei Obozov, who heads the power-generating consortium Rosenergoatom, said that Russia may set up as many as six power stations at sea, with plans already in the works for the regions of Chukotka, Kamchatka, Krasnoyarsk, and Sakha (formerly known as Yakutia). Kiriyenko said in June 2006 that the floating plants will be safe, adding that "there will be no floating Chernobyl.... [The plants] will be as reliable as the world-famous Kalashnikov assault rifle." Some Western experts believe, however, that a floating nuclear power plant would be inherently dangerous because it could sink or be involved in an accident when being towed from one site to another (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 15 and December 4, 2006, and February 26, 2007). PM

BELARUSIAN SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DENIAL OF REGISTRATION TO LEFT ALLIANCE. The Supreme Court of Belarus on April 13 upheld a decision by the Justice Ministry denying the registration of an alliance uniting three opposition leftist parties, Belapan reported. The alliance called the Union of Left Parties (SLP) was established by the Belarusian Party of Communists, the Belarusian Women's Party "Hope," and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party at a conference in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in December 2006. The conference was held in Ukraine as the founders failed to find an auditorium for the meeting anywhere in Belarus. The Justice Ministry rejected the SLP's registration application on the grounds that Belarusian laws ban political parties from holding any events outside the country. AM

UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER THREATENS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT WITH DISSOLUTION. Viktor Yanukovych said on April 14 that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine should be disbanded if it fails to assess the constitutionality of the presidential decree dissolving the Ukrainian Parliament, Interfax reported. "When will there be a decision by the Constitutional Court? Some say the court will be considering the case for six months. Must we wait for six months? A year? If we see clearly that the Constitutional Court is incapable of passing a decision and it is under the influence of some political forces, we should endorse a decision to disband this Constitutional Court," Yanukovych said. If the Constitutional Court is disbanded, Yanukovych added, a decision on early elections will be endorsed and the Prosecutor-General's Office will investigate why the Constitutional Court was unable to assess the presidential decree. The Constitutional Court intends to start hearings on the presidential decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada on April 17. AM

PRESIDENTIAL SECRETARIAT CONSIDERS INCREMENTAL FUNDING OF UKRAINIAN EARLY ELECTIONS. The Ukrainian Presidential Secretariat is considering the possibility of incremental funding of early elections to the Verkhovna Rada if the government does not allocate budgetary resources in the near future, the "Ukrayinska pravda" website reported, quoting a source in the Presidential Secretariat. The plan provides for financing early elections, including payment for the printing of ballot sheets and payment for local election commissions' members, after the elections are held. Central Election Commission Chairman Yaroslav Davydovych estimated that elections will cost 340 million hryvnyas ($67 million). The Ukrainian government adopted on April 11 a resolution banning the funding of early elections. President Viktor Yushchenko has contested this resolution in the Constitutional Court, Interfax reported on April 13. AM