I'd rather be writing about something else, but it's hard to ignore the negative publicity that C. J. Chivers' stories keep getting: this time, from Kuchma himself!

Everyone - RIA Novosti, Gazeta.ru, Obozrevatel, Ukrainska Pravda, Korrespondent.net - are now quoting this little paragraph posted some four hours ago at Kuchma's official website:

Leonid Kuchma, president of Ukraine, has sent a letter to the editor of The New York Times, in which he expressed surprise at the use of twisted facts and incorrect commentaries not supported by the quotes from the Head of the state, by the author of the article based on the materials of an interview with Leonid Kuchma.

I can't wait for the New York Times to publish this letter - I'm very curious about the specifics of Kuchma's discontent.