9 questions about Ukraine you were too embarrassed to ask

[Tommy_Carcetti]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/30/9-questions-about-ukraine-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

Snippets:

1. What is Ukraine?

Ukraine – not "the Ukraine" – is a country in Eastern Europe, between Russia and Central Europe. It's big: about the area of Texas, with a little less than twice the population. Its history goes back thousands of years – the first domesticated horses were here – and has long been characterized by intersections between "east" and "west." That's continued right up to today's crisis.

Ukraine has a long history of being subjugated by foreign powers. This is even reflected in its name, which many scholars believe means "borderland" and is part of why it used to be called "the Ukraine." (Other scholars, though, believe it means "homeland.&quot It's only been independent since 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed and it broke away. The last time it was independent (for a few short years right after World War I; before that, briefly in the 1600s), it had different borders and very different demographics. That turns out to be really important.

2. Why are so many Ukrainians protesting?

The protests started, mostly in the capital of Kiev, when President Yanukovych rejected an expected deal for greater economic integration with the European Union. The deal was popular with Ukrainians, particularly in Kiev and that part of the country (although not as popular as you may have heard: about 42 or 43 percent support it).

But this is about much more than just a trade deal. Symbolically, Yanukovych's decision was seen as a turn away from Europe and toward Moscow, which rewarded Ukraine with a "stimulus" worth billions of dollars and a promise of cheaper gas exports. Moscow had subjugated or outright ruled Ukraine for generations, so you can see why this could hit a nerve.

More at link

[Bigmack]

1. Kicking... thanks! nt

[etherealtruth]

2. Informative/ K and R

[Whisp]

3. K&R Thanks!

[GP6971]

4. Good read. n/t

Thanks for posting

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Thanks Tommy for posting this

NOW I understand what could be the core issue.

[Stargazer09]

6. Very informative

I hope they find a way to resolve everything, but with such a divided national identity, that may be difficult.

[Squinch]

7. Kick. It even had a music break!

[laundry_queen]

8. That was great wasn't it?

I loved that piece.

[Rex]

9. Very informative! Thank you!

nt.

[laundry_queen]

10. Thanks for this

I wanted to add something even though it's not a first person story...my mom's co-worker's daughter danced with one of the most famous Ukrainian dance companies from here in Canada (Canada has an extremely high proportion of people with Ukrainian heritage. I'm half Ukrainian, and Ukrainian was my dad's first language despite being born in Canada and having parents born in Canada). Anyway, this daughter said that when they went on tour in Ukraine, that they had people coming up to them constantly praising them for keeping their culture alive. See, many Ukrainians weren't allowed to practice their culture or pass it on to their kids, so over a few generations it was completely lost. However, the Ukrainian immigrants in Canada kept many of the aspects of the culture alive and in Ukraine, they were very thankful to see traditional dances done to folk tales that they had forgotten. I thought that was pretty sad - that they had lost so much in Russia's drive to 'Russian-ize' Ukraine.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. I'm second generation Ukrainian American.

I would like to visit one day, just hope that the political situation allows for it.

[laundry_queen]

14. Me too.

My Baba and aunt have gone several times. They took pictures of the gravestones of all our ancestors...I was surprised it was all still standing. I hope someday I can go as well.

[el_bryanto]

11. This is really informative. Thanks for sharing. nt

[riderinthestorm]

13. Great synopsis. Thanks for posting nt