Blue &Yellow: Politics and Economics in Ukraine

"They simply didn't know what to do, and therefore made many mistakes," said Viktor Yanukovich, the pro-Kremlin politician who was defeated in the Orange Revolution and who now leads the largest party in parliament.

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Yushchenko's failure to bring corruption under control has contributed to a precipitous drop in his approval ratings, from highs near 75 percent after the Orange Revolution to less than 5 percent now.

The only politician quoted is Yanukovich,  can we call Mr. Yanukovich a better PM during his term?  Did he bring corruption down or continue corruption as usual? The article also  focuses on Yushchenko and Tymoshenko without discussing Mr. Yanukovich's own role in Ukrainian politics over the last four years. All three are political rivals who have tried to undercut the other, but have at times worked together. Perhaps the article wants to create a contrast with the harmonious relationship seen between Medvedev and Putin so a third actor would ruin things. 

But analysts say corruption has worsened because political uncertainty has encouraged short-term thinking. Yushchenko has appointed four prime ministers in as many years.

The article cites no expert and offers no numbers to back up this claim, while also claiming it was "short-term thinking" for the change in PMs and perhaps not Yushchenko's poor political skills or that he was not the great reformer people thought he would be. Yet this quote comes closer to the truth, that Yushchenko is an inconsistent in his political decisions and has not  managed to project a coherent political vision (i.e. the role of the president, relationship with the EU and Russia, etc). 

While the feud between the two leaders has slowed reforms the article tries hard to link it with the energy issue. 

"It was a huge opportunity lost," said Edward Chow, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who argues that Ukraine's failure to reform its gas sector continues to "destroy public trust in its politics, and undermine the interests of its European neighbors."

How exactly did gas sector reform become such an important issue that it could "destroy public trust in politics"?