Bird flu has been officially confirmed to be present in the Crimea. Ukrainian media report that tests for the presence of the deadly virus H5N1 in this Ukrainian region have proved positive after samples of the virus were analyzed at a number of research institutions, including a specialized laboratory in London. So, according to the information of the Ukrainian Ministry for Emergency Situations, bird flue has already been registered, since December 3, in 15 localities of the Crimea.
Fighting the virus has been drastic – 62,600 chickens have been destroyed. At he same time, Ukrainian president V. Yushchenko has proposed declaring a state of emergency in the Crimea. Independent experts believe that this radical measure is aimed at concealing a certain devious plan.
At present, the rating of V. Yushchenko's "Our Ukraine" electoral bloc across the whole of Ukraine is far below than that of V. Yanukovich's "Regions' Party". Particularly catastrophic for V. Yushchenko's party is the situation in the south, south-east and east of Ukraine, where the "orange party" has no influence at all among the people. It seems hardly unlikely that Yushchenko's team would be able to reverse the situation ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary election. In this context, the imposition of a state of emergency in the Crimea would automatically lead to the cancellation of the election in the region, thus giving "Our Ukraine" room for maneuver.
Should poultry deaths be shortly registered, say, in the Donetsk and Zaporozhie regions (V. Yanukovich's patrimony), it would be possible to speak of bird flu having become a new factor in the political struggle in Ukraine.
Moreover, experts point out that the reports of bird flu striking the Crimea appeared soon after V. Yushchenko approached certain well-known American political technologists and PR experts asking them for help. It is not to be ruled out that the idea of making bird flu a factor in the electoral campaign in Ukraine has been prompted to "Our Ukraine" by US political technologists from the "Center for American Progress" and "Grassroots Enterprise".
Fighting the virus has been drastic – 62,600 chickens have been destroyed. At he same time, Ukrainian president V. Yushchenko has proposed declaring a state of emergency in the Crimea. Independent experts believe that this radical measure is aimed at concealing a certain devious plan.
At present, the rating of V. Yushchenko's "Our Ukraine" electoral bloc across the whole of Ukraine is far below than that of V. Yanukovich's "Regions' Party". Particularly catastrophic for V. Yushchenko's party is the situation in the south, south-east and east of Ukraine, where the "orange party" has no influence at all among the people. It seems hardly unlikely that Yushchenko's team would be able to reverse the situation ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary election. In this context, the imposition of a state of emergency in the Crimea would automatically lead to the cancellation of the election in the region, thus giving "Our Ukraine" room for maneuver.
Should poultry deaths be shortly registered, say, in the Donetsk and Zaporozhie regions (V. Yanukovich's patrimony), it would be possible to speak of bird flu having become a new factor in the political struggle in Ukraine.
Moreover, experts point out that the reports of bird flu striking the Crimea appeared soon after V. Yushchenko approached certain well-known American political technologists and PR experts asking them for help. It is not to be ruled out that the idea of making bird flu a factor in the electoral campaign in Ukraine has been prompted to "Our Ukraine" by US political technologists from the "Center for American Progress" and "Grassroots Enterprise".
