Ukraine, Russia and the West

Ukraine, Russia and the West 

The Gist

Ukraine (it's Ukraine, not THE Ukraine) is in the midst of civil war that was triggered after the overthrow of the corrupt, but democratically elected, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was pro-Russian (he is a native Russian speaker) and rejected a plan that would have integrated Ukraine into Europe (which would have made Russia’s President Vladimir Putin very testy). The eastern part of the country is still under the control of Russian-backed rebels (called Russian separatists and freedom fighters by some) and the Crimean peninsula is now nominally part of Russia proper. None of this should have come as a surprise, however, since divisions between the Ukrainian majority west and the Russian majority east have been tense since independence in 1991. The notion that Russia would simply give up and happily become part of the capitalistic West has always been questioned by experts. Ethnic Russians make up a substantial minority in Ukraine and Kazakhstan; Belarus and Moldova are pretty much de facto members of the Russian Federation. The rapid expansion of both the European Union and NATO is seen as the overall reason for Russia’s support of Ukrainian separatists, its invasion of Georgia, and its threats against the Baltic States. Ukrainian officials have steadfastly refused to talk to the Russian-backed rebels. However, with at least 4,317 people killed and 9,921 wounded since April, that steadfastness will probably waiver…and now you know the gist.