Almost all of the 289 Italian chestnut trees planted with great fanfare on central Khreshchatyk Street in April turned out to be imposters – common Ukrainian chestnuts, to be precise.
The truth surfaced after they blossomed white instead of red. Some 115 of the trees were donated by a charity fund, while 174 were purchased by the city council from Italy for $675 each. City administration blamed the Italian supplier and said on May 29 the Italian company promised the replace the trees.
