Issue #31 Aug. 06, 2021
Preview IssueCatch & Kill?
Ukrainian security services warned Belarusian activists living in Ukraine that dictator Alexander Lukashenko may be deploying hit squads against them. And that's the conclusion many have drawn from the hanging of Vitaliy Shyshov in a park on the outskirts of Kyiv. We cover the long, sordid, bloody history of how two dictators -- Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko -- aren't content to stifle dissent at home, but also feel compelled to murder their enemies abroad.Other news: * Worries are emerging over Ukraine's growing reliance on cheap Chinese loans and what may be the high political cost. * The arrest of an Odesa Defense Ministry official for soliciting a $1 million bribe to rig a housing contract for soldiers exposes endemic corruption in both military and construction sectors; related story on lack of successful prosecution of top officials charged with corruption. * Star columnist Mikheil Saakashvili on the new Economic Freedom Act that will lift Ukraine's economy. * Lifestyle: Winery tours and Odesa International Film Festival. * Some $18 billion in salaries is unreported and, therefore, untaxed, in Ukraine by some estimates. What to do? * Ukraine's space industry is turning to private investment.
