Graham Stack in Kyiv
Wed, 11th Feb -- Gerhard Boesch, deputy CEO of Ukraine's second-largest bank Raiffeisen Bank Aval, tells bne that Ukraine needs direct support from the EU to stabilize the country's economy and save the bacon of the Western European banks that dominate its banking system.

Lucas Romriell of Galt & Taggart
Mon, 23rd Feb -- Being a Ukrainian/Georgian broker in the current climate is a bit like being the uninvited guest at the party: no one wants to ruin the party by throwing you out, but no one wants to talk to you either.

James Marson in Kyiv
Mon, 23rd Feb -- Five months after the run on Prominvestbank, Ukraine's banking system is edging towards breaking point, with depositors hungry for their cash and borrowers struggling to service loans. Indeed, Fitch Ratings cited the "increased risk of a banking and currency crisis" when it downgraded Ukraine's sovereign debt in February.

James Marson in Kyiv
Mon, 23rd Feb -- Amid the political war between Ukrainian President Yushchenko and PM Tymoshenko, who seem more preoccupied with mudslinging than policy-making, a UN report in January placed Ukraine as the country most likely to default on its debts. But analysts believe any fear of a sovereign default is exaggerated.

Ben Aris in Berlin
Mon, 23rd Feb -- Teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the Ukrainian state will put some of the country's industrial jewels under the gavel this year. Investors are excited, as a large-scale privatisation effort has never seemed more likely, but no one is holding their breath.

Andrii Parkhomenko of Concorde Capital
Mon, 23rd Feb -- The global downturn has revealed innate imbalances in the Ukrainian economy and instigated a sharp economic decline, with severe currency devaluation. Ukraine is fast sinking into its fiercest recession since 1991-1996.

Andriy Dmytrenko of Dragon Capital
Mon, 23rd Feb -- With Ukrainian equities battered and unlikely to start recovering at least until the second half of 2009, fixed-income instruments have become a viable alternative to maintain exposure to Ukraine. Despite the widespread speculation about a looming Ukraine default, we think the prospects aren't as bleak as some suggest. Selected bond issues are definitely a lucrative opportunity to consider for risk-tolerant investors, with some lower-risk bond prices already up substantially on recovering demand.

Konstantin Stepanov, head of investment group Sokrat
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