Another Head to Head; A presidential race again pits Russia against the West.

Byline: Frank Brown

It's a shadow war reminiscent of cold-war conflicts in Third World countries. Russia and the United States are going head to head in Ukraine, the former Soviet republic that holds a pivotal presidential election on Oct. 31. The two sides' arsenals don't include Kalashnikovs or Stinger missiles anymore. Rather, dollars from Washington and political advisers from Moscow are the weapons of choice.

The battlelines could not be starker, nor could the stakes be much higher--for Ukraine or the region. Of 24 candidates, only two have a chance. One: Viktor Yanukovych, the current prime minister (and protege; of the retiring President Leonid Kuchma), who pledges close ties to Moscow. The other: Viktor Yushchenko, who vows to attack corruption and take the country further toward democracy. The reform-minded Yushchenko is the darling of the West. Yanukovych has the support of the country's powerful business clans and the security forces, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin. "For Ukraine," says opposition parliamentarian Pyotr Poroshenko, "this is a crucial test."

It promises to be bruising--and dirty. International watchdog groups accuse the government of preparing to rig the vote. The state has used tax laws to harass Yushchenko and his supporters. Opposition campaign events have been disrupted, and pro-Yanukovych propaganda flows from state-controlled Ukrainian and Russian television stations. Employing tactics imported by their Russian political consultants, top government officials deliver daily instructions--temnyki --to news executives concerning what issues to cover and how. "The temnyki are our work," boasts Sergei Markov, a Kremlin adviser to Yanukovych.

More brutal Soviet-style tactics are also coming into play. Earlier this fall Yushchenko was apparently poisoned. "They were absolutely trying to kill him," says an aide, who rushed with him to a Vienna hospital. State courts are now threatening to close the country's last independent TV station, which supports Yushchenko. Meanwhile, Putin--hugely popular in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine--has all but endorsed Yanukovych, announcing he would come to Kiev just three days before the vote.

Western NGOs are working hard--and spending freely--to ensure the election is fair. ...