By Vladimir V. Sytin
The Ukrainian Times
As is known, there is a fundamental cultural divide between the east and west Ukraine, which is becoming more acute as economic crises and election campaigns tug the loyalties of this country’s 42 million population. After Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, east and west Ukraine continue to be divided along linguistic and religious lines.
The eastern half of the country, formerly part of the Russian Empire going back to 1654, is Russian-speaking and Orthodox, while the western half, part of which was in Poland and part in the Austro-Hungarian empire, is predominantly Ukrainian-speaking and largely Catholic. Importantly, most easterners, far outnumbering westerners, would like to see Ukraine re-unify with Russia, as was eventually the case in Crimea and the Donbas region.
According to Western observers, after 1991 Ukrainian leaders made the profound mistake of imposing Ukrainian ethnicity upon the large Russian population. This was in stark contrast to Byelorussia and Kazakhstan, where the government made Russian the second official language.
They think the West should encourage Kiev to establish a federation, ideally, or at least a confederation. Citizens of Ukraine would benefit from living in a federated or confederated state. In the south and east portions of Ukraine (also known as Novorossia) the arrangement could provide a home base for Russian self-expression, which is currently stifled by the Ukrainian neo-Nazi junta.
No comments:
Post a Comment