Presidential and parliamentary elections will dominate Ukraine’s national life for next 12 months with the outcome of the battle between Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko likely to set the political tone for years to come both domestically and in the regional geopolitical arena

Oleshky Sands is a huge but little known desert in southern Ukraine about 30 kilometers from the Black Sea coast. A few hundred years ago this was grassy plains but in the 18th and 19th centuries, sheep farming caused the grass to die off. The barren but strikingly beautiful landscape has in recent years become an increasingly popular tourist attraction as more Ukrainians seek to explore their own country.