Editor’s Note :

Ukraine’s Mississippi, the Dnipro, once again is becoming a working river. Cargo probably will hit 12 million tons this year, a post-Independence high. But in the Soviet era, the river annually moved 60 million tons. To get back to the future, the Rada passed – and President Zelenskiy signed — an inland waterways bill. This should stimulate private investment in river ports and barges. Nibulon sets standard here. Waiting in the wings is foreign aid and advice from two nations with deep experience in locks and dikes – the Netherlands and the United States. On the push side, the high tech crackdown on overloaded grain trucks also will channel cargoes to the river. After a 30-year lapse, modern Ukraine will rediscover what the Vikings knew 1,000 years ago: the Dnipro is the best path to the heartland. With Best Regards, Jim Brooke