In November of 2013, there were protests in Kiev, Ukraine against the current President Yanukovych denying a European Union deal and accepting a Russian one. The Russian deal, which would pump at least two billion dollars into Ukraine, upset pro-West Ukrainians, and the country divided. But since then, the demonstrations have turned ugly with riots involving Molotov cocktails and the government resorting to deadly force.
As associate professor at the University of Arizona, Dr. Willerton, put it, “Ukrainian nationalists want to reorient Ukraine toward the West by restructuring the country’s economy with stronger economic linkages with Western Europe. They have long opposed the intimate (they would stay stifling) relationship with Russia.”
But today in Ukraine, it is no longer a matter of east versus west, but a civil government. The governments overbearing force and attacks on its citizens have even caused historically pro-Russian Ukrainians to question this government.
I asked Sergii Gorbachov a Ukrainian, MA student at the University of Arizona, who he lends his support to. “With the protesters of course, because the government, they have been oppressing people all over the Ukraine. Even though my family is from the Eastern part, which is very close to Russia and they speak Russian there, but their cultural identity, I think they lean towards the western party towards Europe.“
Anna Votna, another Ukrainian, MA student at the University of Arizona said, “I’ve talked to my family they are supporting the protesters. Also, my mom is a Russian, so we are from the eastern part as well.”
St. Michael Tucson Ukrainian Church did not respond for comment but put on the front of their website, “Please pray for the peaceful but just resolution of the conflict between the protesters and the thuggish current government of Ukraine. This is a time of the utmost urgency. Appeal to the US government to apply economic and visa sanctions against the oligarchs of Ukraine and the Yanukovych regime that continues to oppress the people.”
The historical bond between Russia and Ukraine goes back hundreds of years and continues to this day. Recently, a famous rapper in Russia, Roma Zhigan, released a song named “Russia” with the following lyrics: “I genuinely love you with all my heart, my Russia, Belorussia, and Ukraine. And we will never be split up, [since] we are one.”
As Dr. Teresa Polowy, the department head of Slavic studies at the University of Arizona, put it, “What you have to remember and know is this so-called ‘conflict,’ some people look to Russia, some people look west. This has been going on for 500 years. This is not new. This is not Putin and Yanukovych. This is not EU and Ukraine. This has been going on for 500 years because part of Ukraine looked to Russia against the Polish Lithuanian Empire.”
Dr. Willerton similarly said, “Such nationality-related tensions and conflicts have been the stuff of Ukrainian politics for centuries. I see no evidence of any profound change from this historical reality, unfortunately.”
While protesters continue to be killed in Kiev, and Yanukovych’s grip on power begins to slip, the answer for Ukraine doesn’t appear to be in the European Union nor Russia, but less violence.
Votna adding, “And it is not about particular parties, it is not about the opposition government anymore. It’s about government and the people. Those are two distant parts… When I read one article on CNN, I was kind of surprised because it was issued a couple days ago, and CNN was saying the protests in Ukraine are about joining the European Union or Russia, but people should understand everywhere that it is not about that anymore. People did not allow themselves to be killed to join the European Union. It is not about this choice anymore. It is about politics inside the country, and it is about how government is bad towards its people.”
The protesters have also caused carnage. Sergii Gorbachov categorized them, “Those people who went out on the streets, a very small part of them are extremist and radical powers. I think most of them are ordinary people who don’t know how to fight. They just went there to show importance. To show they disagree with the government. They don’t want to kill anyone they just go there without anything.”
The violence in Kiev cannot solely be put on the Kremlin or the European Union, but the Yanukovych administration must find a peaceful solution to bring the country back together. It is likely only possible without Yanukovych in power, but their agreement with Russia is likely to move forward experts say.
Looking to the future, Dr. Willerton doesn’t see much of a resolution, “I would be guessing, with a variety of equally viable scenarios. I fear this will be a long, drawn-out matter. I will guess that Ukraine will not break apart, so I assume some sort of fragile and highly uncomfortable draw.”
Although the Yanukovych government and the opposition have signed a deal and committed to an election, the protesters remain.