Kyiv Post classic: Ringing in 2018

Did Ukraine accomplish the 18 tasks the newspaper set out 7 years ago?

This is Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner’s summary of the Jan. 12, 2018, edition, which can be read here in PDF format:

The Kyiv Post enters its 23rd year in print, and I couldn't be happier, given the rough climate of independent news media in Ukraine. Our longevity is thanks to advertisers, subscribers, donors, and, of course, Kyiv Post publisher Mohammad Zahoor.

We preview the year ahead with the Kyiv Post staff's picks for 18 steps Ukraine must take to succeed in 2018.

We also have stories on the complex secret court ruling, leaked to Al Jazeera news organization, that exposes ties between allies of President Petro Poroshenko and the corruption under exiled President Viktor Yanukovych. It helps explain why, four years later, there are no convictions of anybody for Yanukovych-era corruption and paltry amounts of stolen assets recovered.

We asked two economic experts on Ukraine -- Anders Aslund and Timothy Ash -- for their forecasts in 2018.

We round up the key business developments to expect in 2018 and highlight China's greater importance to Ukraine as an investor and trade partner.

While Ukraine's law enforcers and courts turn in dismal performances, courts abroad are more active in taking action against suspicious assets of Ukrainian oligarchs. Judges abroad have frozen over $3 billion in assets owned by 3 top oligarchs - Rinat Akhmetov, Ihor Kolomoisky, and Gennadiy Bogolyubov.

We have a sensational story online of the funny smell surrounding ex-Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's sale of his share of money-losing Expreso TV for a whopping 1,000 percent profit -- from $145,000 to $1.5 million. He wasn't the only one in power to mysteriously cash in -- Interior Minister Arsen Avakov's wife sold an even larger share. Lawmaker Sergii Сергій Лещенко says it smells like money laundering.

Ukraine's advertising market looks set for a rebound to $721 million this year, an improvement over last year. While TV advertising is still popular, digital is catching up, leaving print, radio, and outdoor advertising behind.

We also have all the regular features you've come to expect.

We at the Kyiv Post look forward to serving our international audience in 2018 with independent news that you can trust. Best wishes.