Euan MacDonald

Editor-At-Large, NV English

MA Artificial Intelligence and Linguistics (Edinburgh), MSc Information Technology (Glasgow)

Twenty-seven-year career in journalism in Ukraine as editor at Eastern Economist, Kyiv Post, Interfax Ukraine, UNIAN, Novoye Vremya. Correspondent for BBC local radio, RTE. Writer and content creator.

Likes cats, playing guitar and piano, and geolocating things.


Diplomacy vs. aggression /
US State Department confirms Blinken to visit Ukraine on Jan. 19

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Kyiv and Berlin from Jan. 18-20 as part of wide ranging diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions caused by Russia’s military buildup and continued aggression against Ukraine, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said in a press statement on Jan. 18.
18 January 2022, 09:12 PM 206
Nation

The taxman cometh /
Parliament tax committee chief elaborates on indirect methods of tax control in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers is drafting a bill on indirect methods of tax control, which may be submitted to parliament this year and come into force after the tax amnesty ends, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy Danylo Hetmantsev told the Radio NV radio station on Jan. 11.
12 January 2022, 09:18 PM 47
Business

Don’t cross the line /
US and EU may impose a variety of sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, Nuland warns

The United States and the European Union could impose a variety of different sanctions on Russia if it invades more Ukrainian territory, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said at a U.S. State Department briefing on Jan. 11.
12 January 2022, 02:06 PM 43
Nation

Escalating tensions /
Russia commences war games on Ukraine’s border amid fears of fresh invasion

Concentrated in great numbers around the Russia-Ukraine border, Russian armed forces are engaging in large-scale, live fire military exercises, the Russian Ministry of Defense told news agency Interfax on Jan. 11.
12 January 2022, 01:36 PM 29
Nation

Updating the format /
France’s Macron says US joining the Normandy peace talks is ‘a good sign’

The participation of the United States in the Normandy peace process is a good sign, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Jan. 11 at a joint press conference with President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
12 January 2022, 01:00 PM 14
Nation

Countering the Kremlin /
Top US and Ukrainian diplomats discuss their strategy ahead of Russia-NATO talks

Ahead of talks between Russia and NATO on Jan. 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has discussed sanctions and the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a press statement released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
12 January 2022, 12:44 PM 22
Nation

COVID-19 Vaccinations /
Nearly all of Ukraine’s military is fully vaccinated against COVID-19

An impressive 95 percent of Ukrainian military personnel have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said in a press release issued on Jan. 10.
11 January 2022, 01:23 AM 74
Nation

Air cover /
US Pentagon delegation reviewed Ukraine’s air defense needs during December visit

During a recent visit to Ukraine, a U.S. military delegation assessed what the country needs to bolster its air defense systems, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said at a briefing on Jan. 10. 
11 January 2022, 12:24 AM 47
Nation

Abuse allegations /
'Beatings and threats of deportation’ – Kazakh activists in Ukraine say they were mistreated by the SBU

Zamanbek Tleuliev and Yeldos Nasipbekov, two Kazakh activists living in Kyiv, claimed during a Facebook livestream on Jan. 10 that they were abused by agents of Ukraine’s SBU security service for the role they played in the recent protests in Kazakhstan.
10 January 2022, 06:46 PM 47
Nation

Under arrest /
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih petitions US, Germany for help as bank accounts remain frozen

The bank accounts of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR), Ukraine's largest integrated steel company, remain frozen at the request of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, AMKR told Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine on Jan. 10.
10 January 2022, 06:27 PM 99
Business

Bronze medalists /
Ukraine wins its first medal in the Biathlon World Cup in Germany

Ukraine won a bronze medal in the single mixed relay at the 5th round of the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, Germany on Jan. 8 – its first medal in this season of the Biathlon World Cup. 
8 January 2022, 06:08 PM 91
Life

Job equality /
Ukrainian employers to be fined for putting gender and age requirements in vacancy ads

Employers will be fined for indicating a desired gender, age, race, skin color, and so on in a vacancy posted in Ukraine starting Jan. 8, according to an amendment to the Law of Ukraine On Advertising, created to combat gender discrimination.
8 January 2022, 11:40 AM 40
Business

Warding off Kremlin aggression /
US will ‘respond decisively’ if Russia invades Ukraine, says Biden in phone call with Zelensky

The United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia invades Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a telephone call on Jan. 2 with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House has said in a statement.
3 January 2022, 12:19 AM 44
Nation

Russia’s war on Ukraine /
Ukrainian serviceman, shot by Russian proxy forces sniper on Dec. 27, dies of wounds

Russia’s eight-year-long undeclared war on Ukraine claimed its first victim of 2022 on the first day of the New Year, as a young Ukrainian soldier died days after being shot by a sniper on the front line. 
2 January 2022, 03:26 PM 55
Nation

COVID-19 in Ukraine /
Over 5,000 new positive cases, over 6,000 patients recovered, 190 dead from pandemic on Jan. 1

There were a total of 5,026 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, 190 people died, and 6,073 patients recovered from the disease according to figures for Jan. 1, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has reported.
1 January 2022, 08:11 AM 71
Nation

Keeping cool /
Danylov: No reason for ‘particular concern’ over $4.5 billion lawsuit by Chinese investors in Motor Sich

Oleksiy Danylov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, has said Ukraine has a good legal position in a $4.5 billion arbitration law suit initiated by Chinese investors in Ukrainian engine and turbine manufacturing company Motor Sich.  
30 December 2021, 08:34 PM 263
Business

Travel warning /
US urges citizens not to travel to Ukraine due to COVID, Russia’s threatening military buildup near borders

U.S. citizens are advised not to travel to Ukraine due to the twin threats of the COVID-19 disease and Russia’s ominous military buildup – both near the country’s borders and inside parts of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin forces.
21 December 2021, 02:42 AM 39
Nation