Ukraine Crisis
Brianna Sansom
How did the urnest in Ukraine begin?
On January 22 three Ukrainian protesters were killed by riot police, two by gunshot. It happened, strangely enough, on Unity Day. The holiday marks a proclamation of unity made in 1919 between the short-lived Western Ukrainian government, who was then battling Polish forces for control of Eastern Galicia, and the similarly short-lived government in Kyiv, which was soon overrun by Bolshevik forces. Tragedy has been the hallmark of Ukrainian history since the Mongols sacked Kyiv in 1240.
Who is President Yanukovych, and why has he fled?
President yanukovych was ousted fromUkraine. "I was forced to leave the Ukraine under the immediate threat to my life and the life of my family," he said.
Who are the protesters?
The protesters of Ukraine consist if the people that disagree with the Government and believe that the Goverment isn't making any moves to fixing the problems they believe to have.
Why did the unrest escalate in the past two weeks?
Protests in Kiev began in November when it became clear that President Yanukovych had turned his back on an agreement with the European Union. Yet at critical moments since then, the rallies seemed to taper off, as when Russia offered Ukraine a $15 billion lifeline to stem the economic crisis. Last week the world watched in shock as the protests erupted into violence and the government unraveled. The articles below document when the civic unrest spiraled out of control into chaos.
What role do Russia and the West play in the Ukrainian crisis?
The civic unrest in the Ukraine is in many ways an outgrowth of the Cold War, with Russia on the one hand, and the European Union and the United States on the other, jockeying for influence in this former Soviet republic. Read about where President Obama, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and the leaders of the European Union stand, and find out how the Ukrainian crisis is deepening the clash between East and West.