What You Need to Know About Ukraine Today
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Ukraine is a nation whose history is filled with both tragedy and triumph. From its first appearance in recorded history to the modern day, Ukraine has been an area of great turmoil and change due to its strategic location between East and West. In fact, throughout most of its existence, Ukraine has been split into two parts; western Ukraine was controlled by Poland, Austria-Hungary and later Nazi Germany from the 16th century until World War II.
Eastern Ukraine was controlled by the Russian Empire from 1783 onward. Following World War II and up until 1991, Ukraine existed as a sovereign state for the first time in almost 500 years. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine once again became divided into east and west.
Western Ukraine became an independent country while eastern Ukraine remained part of Russia as a constituent republic known as the Republic of Crimea. Because of this tumultuous history, understanding what’s happening in today’s Ukraine is critical to understanding not only who they are as a people but also where they may go from here…
The Basics
First and foremost, it’s important to note that the name “Ukraine” is derived from the word “Ukrainian”, which itself is a derivative of the word “Ukrainian”. This name is a reflection of the fact that the people of this nation speak a language that is called “Ukrainian”.
Ukraine is a nation that has existed in different incarnations dating back as far as the 6th century B.C. To understand the current situation, it’s important to understand Ukraine’s unique geopolitical situation and its position between the East and the West. Historically, Ukraine has been a border region between these two superpowers.
The unique history of Ukraine and its position between the East and the West has shaped the trajectory of its political, economic, and cultural development in a very profound way.
Since the end of the Cold War, Ukraine has transformed from a Soviet satellite state to an independent democratic nation while struggling with ongoing internal divisions and geopolitical instability.
What is happening in Ukraine today?
The political unrest that is currently taking place in Ukraine is a result of the growing dissatisfaction with the current government of President Viktor Yanukovych. This is particularly true in the country’s western regions, where the people largely support closer ties with the European Union (EU). In eastern Ukraine, the people tend to support closer ties with Russia.
During the 2010 Presidential elections, current President Yanukovych was defeated in the country’s western regions by pro-EU candidate Viktor Yushchenko. However, Yanukovych eventually won the election after he “won” the support of the people in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
This has caused significant tension and political unrest between the country’s western and eastern regions ever since, with the people of the western regions wanting Yanukovych to step down while the people of the eastern regions want him to remain in power.
Who are the key players?
- President Viktor Yanukovych: Yanukovych was the winner of the 2010 election and is currently serving his second term as President of Ukraine. He has come under significant political pressure in recent years due to his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his decision to turn away from the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. - Vladimir Putin: Putin is the current President of Russia. Like Yanukovych, Putin came to power in the early 2000s and has held the office ever since. He has been criticized for his authoritarian leadership style and his tendency to intervene in the affairs of neighboring countries by sending Russian troops into one country or another. This has caused significant geopolitical tension between Russia and the United States and its allies. - Petro Poroshenko: Poroshenko is a Ukrainian businessman who became one of the leaders of the movement to remove Yanukovych from power.
He won the Presidential election in Ukraine in May of 2019. He has been criticized for his close ties with Russia and for not taking a hard enough stance against the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
Why is there so much conflict and unrest?
The conflict in Ukraine is a result of the growing tension between the country’s western and eastern regions. The western regions want Yanukovych to step down from power while the people of Ukraine’s eastern regions want him to remain in office. The growing tension between these two groups arose after Ukraine turned away from the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.
This caused significant unrest in Ukraine’s western regions, where people largely support closer ties with the European Union. Ukraine’s eastern regions, on the other hand, tend to support closer ties with Russia.
The result of this growing tension between the western and eastern regions has been ongoing protests in Ukraine, with the people of western Ukraine demanding that Yanukovych step down from power and the people of eastern Ukraine demanding that he remain in office.
What does the current geopolitical climate mean for Ukraine?
The current geopolitical climate in Ukraine means that the people of the country will continue to experience political unrest and ongoing conflict between the country’s eastern and western regions. On one side, the people of Ukraine’s western regions want closer ties with the European Union, while the people of Ukraine’s eastern regions want closer ties with Russia. The current geopolitical climate in Ukraine may also cause the country to fragment into two separate countries. While this is unlikely in the short-term, the current geopolitical climate in Ukraine means that this is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. This is especially true if the political unrest in Ukraine continues to increase in intensity and/or if the country experiences a major economic crisis.
Bottom line
The geopolitical climate in Ukraine is one of unrest and instability. This is largely due to the fact that the people of Ukraine’s eastern regions support closer ties with Russia while the people of Ukraine’s western regions support closer ties with the European Union. On one hand, Ukraine is a relatively large country with a population of 42 million people, which means that the conflict between Ukraine’s eastern and western regions could result in the country fragmenting into two separate countries. On the other hand, the people of Ukraine’s western regions are currently in a position of political and economic power, which means that they are likely to push for a government change. If this happens, it’s likely that they will elect a new government that supports closer ties with the European Union.
