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The article analyzes the Kremlin’s influence on the presidents of Ukraine from Leonid Kravchuk to Petro Poroshenko, highlighting the complex relations and efforts to gain independence from Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine struggled to build its independence amid strong pressures from the Kremlin. Each president had a different approach to relations with Russia. Leonid Kravchuk tried to balance cooperation with independence – an extremely challenging task for the newly formed state. Leonid Kuchma, after initially seeking to build positive relations with the West, turned significantly towards the Kremlin during his second term. His presidency was marked by corruption and the strengthening of oligarchic structures. Viktor Yushchenko, emerging from the Orange Revolution, aimed to make Ukraine independent despite internal conflicts and pressures from the Kremlin. Viktor Yanukovych strengthened ties with Moscow, leading to massive social protests during the Maidan and his eventual escape to Russia. Petro Poroshenko, who took office during a crisis, sought to strengthen Ukraine’s independence and tighten relations with the West. Despite some successes, his term was also marked by difficulties related to corruption and oligarchic structures. The current situation, a full-scale war initiated by the Russian Federation in 2022, highlights that the challenges of maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remain relevant. The pursuit of complete independence from Russian influence remains a priority, requiring consistent actions and international support.

Introduction and purpose: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) facilitates 3-dimensional visualization of the blood vessels. Nowadays, it becomes increasingly supportive in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guiding in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This report presents IVUS-guided PCI performed on 43-year-old patient with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Brief description of the state of knowledge: IVUS is an established intracoronary imaging technique that can be used in patients with AMI. It allows assessment of the plaque nature, stent selection and optmisation. An increasing body of evidence shows that IVUS-guided PCI is correlated with reduction in number of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), stent thrombosis and with less contrast use. Studies show, that IVUS can be used in patient with STEMI, as it is presented in this report. Conclusion: This case illustrates IVUS-guided PCI performed on the patient with STEMI. It shows that it is crucial to consider using this technique in every patient with AMI, as it provides beneficial outcome of the treatment. It is particularly important in patients with complicated anatomy of the blood vessels and in patients with contraindications to the considerable contrast use.

Parkinson Disease is a neurodegenerative disease which pathogenesis is not well known. Gait and balance disorders are the most basic symptoms of PD. The occurrence of the symptoms depends on phase of disease and patient’s individual attributes. Rehabilitation is one of the possible way to assuage the occurrence of the symptoms. Methods of physiotherapy have to be chosen individually to every patient. Using the methods correctly can help the patient to overcome the symptoms at daily life and improve their quality of life.