April 21, 1997. Victor P. Kulevar, an authoritative criminal, was killed. Due to some information Kulevar dealt with oil business. He played a definite role keeping criminal world in balance and preventing its interference into p olitics. The killer is still not found.

July 14, 1997. Odessa Executive Committee adopted a decision to close one of the most profitable local market "Yuzhny" for repairing. According to unofficial information the market is controlled by the criminal groups directly bo unded with the Militia. The decision was made following the demands of the Sanitary and Architecture Control city offices. City services have repaired the market and prepared it for privatization. Opposition has used so-called "Chechen factor". The demons trations aimed against people of Caucasus origin blamed in purchasing city property were carried out.

Note: Eduard Gurvits is famous as a person who managed to establish people democracy relations with the leaders of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. In, 1996 when at the time of Russian-Chechnya withstanding refugees from Chechnya began to arrive to Odessa, he allowed holding of the Congress of Vainakh Diaspora. In October 1996 Gurvits personally flied to Chechnya and assisted 36 citizens of Ukraine captured in Chechen territory to be released. His peace making activity was honore d with the victory in the nomination "Mission of Good Will" at the prestige all-Ukrainian competition "Person of the Year". Beside that at the same competition Gurvits has won in the nomination "Mayor of the Year". Only the President was honored thrice. O pposition repeatedly blamed him for attracting "Chechen fighters" to the city, forcing the density in relations between Slavonic orthodox people and representatives of the others, mainly Muslims, nationalities.

July 26, 1997. Early in the morning about 300 people armed with crowbars stormed the market, which was planed to be opened 27 July. Directly before that the Militia has dismissed the guards and did not prevent organization of mas s disorders by shadow leaders. The withstanding Militia bodies and Local Authorities began.

August 11, 1997. Boris Derevyanko, Chief Editor of the newspaper "Vechernyaya Odessa", the deputy of the City Council was killed. Gurvit's opposition used Derevyanko's murder for political purpose.

August 19, 1997. Colonel Anatoliy Berladin, Chief of Odessa City Militia Department of the Ministry Department of Interiors in Odessa Region, who worked tightly with city government, was dismissed. Further on a number of chiefs a nd officers of the legal defense bodies loyal to the Mayor's attitude lost their positions. Three of them were Deputies of the City Council.

August 28, 1997. A group of terrorists intended to commit murder of Gurvits was arrested. Chairman of the Regional State Administration Bodelan, August 29, 1997, informed about it in the presence of the Chiefs of Militia and Secu rity Services in Odessa Region and Deputy Minister of Interiors of Ukraine.

Afterwards instead of suing of the organizers of the crime that event will be presented by the mass media opposite to the city authorities as a staging prepared by the 1st Vice-Mayor Anatoliy Vorokhaev. Despite of the numerous interroga tions and confrontations his guilt was not proved.

October 18, 1997. Chief of the Special Militia Forces against Organized Crimes Filippoff said in his interview to the newspaper "Vechernyaya Odessa" that "9 ordered murders were planned" to be executed in Odessa, and that aggress ion against journalists could be repeated.

November 12, 1997. Victor Belous, General Director of the "Odessa- Chay" Co., a "Gromada" Party deputy candidate, who worked in contact with the City Authorities, was shot dead in the porch of his house. The murderer is not found .

November 20-21, 1997. The newspapers "Odesskie lzvestia" and "Vechernyaya Odessa" published letters of the authoritative criminal Angert ("Angel") who according to unofficial information became a leader of the criminal world in O dessa after the murder of Kulevar. Angert is a murderer. He was accused and imprisoned for 12 years. Later on he was engaged in criminal activity, was arrested and released with the assistance of the present leaders of Odessa Militia. Now he deals with oi l business. He is a citizen of Israel and lives abroad. Mass media sources controlled by the main opponent of the Mayor started unprecedented campaign of lie and slander against Eduard Gurvits. TV company RIAK - Regional State Administration is one its fo unders - broadcasts in their programs about ten criminals blaming Mayor in different crimes. They used indecent vocabulary, necrophilia elements, etc.

November 26, 1997. Odessa Regional Prosecutors Office officially informed the speaker of the Municipal TV Company "ART" Ludmila Dobrovilskaya about preparation of the murderous attempt against her, but they refused to start a cri minal case on that fact.

December 2, 1997. General Director of the Joint-Venture Company "Bipa-Moda" Arkadiy Tabachnik and his bodyguard were shot dead. Arkadiy Tabachnik actively supported position of the Mayor. He was one of the famous businessmen in t he city. The murderer is not found yet.

February 15, 1998. A murderous attempt to the Editor of the newspaper "Slovo", Chairman of the City Electoral Commission Leonid Kapelushniy. Two armed wounds. The criminal is not found yet.

Note: Leonid Kapelushniy, well-known journalist, correspondent of the newspaper "lzvestia" in the Southern Region of Ukraine, Chief Editor of the Municipal newspaper "Slovo", he is a Councillor in the Mayor's Office for the id eological issues. Systematic threats by the telephone to members of the District Electoral Commissions began.

February 27, 1998. lgor Svoboda, Chairman of Kievskiy District Administration, Deputy of the Regional Council, Member of the Executive Committee of Odessa City Council was kidnapped near his house.

Note: lgor Svoboda is old and active supporter of Mr. Gurvits being his deputy at Zhovtneviy District Executive Committee, City Executive Committee, Representative in the International Black Sea Club. Due to his obligations he was responsible for the market "Yuzhniy".

March 12, 1998. A supporter of Mr. Gurvits, President of the concern "Veselka" Eduard Khachatrian is arrested. He is an Armenian, well-known man in the city by his charity activity.

March 13, 1998. Friday, 13.03.1998, 36-years old Boris Anikeychik was shot in the porch of his house. He was a member of the one of criminal groups. He died March 15. His death is used by Ruslan Bodelan to blame Gurvits in attemp t on the life of the young man. The appeal of Ruslan Bodelan and the reply appeal of Eduard Gurvits are attached.

Unprecedented campaign for unfound blaming of the Mayor in some assassinations and deaths, that were happened in Odessa last years, has begun. Films demonstrated funeral, sufferings of relatives of diseased has been used; thereby a mora l influence is exerted on the citizens of Odessa. Non of the blames is proved.

March 21, 1998. Chief of the Legislative Department of the Odessa Executive Committee Sergey Varlarnov was kidnapped. In spite of the obvious political character of the crime Militia bodies did not start active search of the los t. Following the insisting demands of his friends and relatives only after 3 days the criminal case was started. Up to now criminals are not found.

Note: Sergey Varlarmov - young and talented lawyer, he was an active participant of the pre-electoral campaign and advisor of Mr. Gurvits on legal issues. He is a Member of the Executive Committee of Odessa City Council.

March, 1998. First Deputy of the Malinovskiy District Administration Sergey Korenev is arrested; he is an active participant of the election preparation process.

Being in the hospital Deputy Chairman of Executive Committee Michail Kuchuk was taken under the convoy. He was informed about the criminal case started against him. Kuchuk was an authorized delegate of Leonid Kuchma during at the latest elections of the President.

March 22, 1998. Murderous attempt on Eduard Gurvits. Officers of the State Security Service found explosives in the Mayor's residence. In the result of examination a radio control set and 2 bombs equivalent to 16 kg of tortilla w ere neutralized.

Note: This act of terror was going to be committed in the highly populated part of the city where popular disco clubs, hotels, restaurants and resorts are situated.

March 23, 1998. At 19.30 officers of the Special Militia Forces against Organized Crimes armed with automatic gun machines made an illegal attempt to arrest First Vice-Mayor Anatoliy Vorokhaev in his office in the Town Hall. The building was surrounded. Spontaneous meetings started to support the City Executive Committee. TV Marathon of the citizens who wish to express their attitudes towards the events in the city began. Following the telephone call of the Deputy Chairman of the Regional State Administration Balukh the municipal TV Company "Art" was cut off.

Under different pretexts broadcasting of the Channels 52 and 45, the Municipal Radio company "Odessa" were temporary interrupted. On Ruslan Bodelan's claim the accounts of the newspapers "Slovo", "Odesskiy Vestnik", "Yug" were arrested.

March, 1998. Telephone threats to the Chairmen of the Electoral Commissions. By sanction of the Regional Prosecutor lvanov a search was made at home of the one of them.

March 26, 1998. An anonymous call informed that the building of the Regional Administration was mined. The mines were not found.

Anti-Semite and national factors are actively used in the pre-electoral campaign.

March 26, 1998. President of the Legal Defence Academy Valeriy Kochetov was arrested and beaten by Militia officers at his Office.

March 27, 1998. The municipal Radio station "Odessa" and TV Channel 45, that supported the Mayor, were cut off the electricity until March 31 under the pretext of mining.

It was informed that the building of the TV Channel 26, that actively supported the Mayor, was mined. The attempt to evacuate the stuff and seal the building failed.

Odessa Malinovskiy District Court against the Procedure Code and without hearing adopted the Decision to oblige the City Territorial Commission to cancel the registration of Eduard Gurvits as a candidate to seat of the Head of the City.

March 28, 1998. Deputy Chairman of Odessa Regional Court / A.Chernushenko suspended the Decision of Malinovskiy District Court. Mass media controlled by the Regional Structures spread the information about the Decision of the Cou rt to cancel the registration of Gurvits as a candidate to seat of the Head of the City.

March 29, 1998. Election's day. Sunday. Chairman of Odessa Regional Court A.Luniachenko cancelled the decision of his Deputy and at 11.10 informed the City Territorial Commission about that. At that time the elections were in ful l course. Militia officer spread the Decision to the District Commissions. Opposite to the Mayor mass media spread the information about the cancellation of the registration of Gurvits till 13.00.

Deputy Chairman of Odessa Regional Court A. Chernushenko suspended for the second time the Decision of Malinovskiy District Court and signed Protest against that Decision.

Observers of the OSCE and Council of Europe were present at the elections and the meetings of the City Territorial Electoral Commission.

Journalists Arkadiy Romm and Aleksey Sadilenko were beatten by Milicia officers at the voting station. The aggression against one of the journalists was shot on video.

Note: Last decade of March journalists of the municipal TV company "Art" repeated the suffered the aggression from the side of Militia officers and unknown criminals. Four video cameras were broken, one camera was stolen. In a month before the elections following the execution of the juridical claim of Ruslan Bodelan under the pretext of the inventory of the property the equipment of the TV Company was taken out to unknown place by the officers of the Special Militia Forces ag ainst Organized Crimes.