Differing Views: Oppression in Ukraine

Jake Madl
HWLC Per 2
5/18/16
Sayre
Two neighboring countries, Russia and Ukraine are in the
middle of a big dilemma. A part of eastern Ukraine, called Crimea,
would rather be a part of Russia than Ukraine. Most of Crimeas
population speaks Russian as a first language. So, for anyone that
lives in eastern Ukraine, their lives have likely changed for the
worse in the last two years. These people are being oppressed by
daily by their own government.
In 1991, countries like Estonia, Ukraine, and Lithuania
gained their independence. This happened after the fall of the
Soviet Union. After Ukraine gained its independence, is when the

relationship between Russia and Ukraine started to dwindle. Serhy

Yekelchyk says in his editorial, "Ukrainian-Russian relations suffer
from differing attitudes toward the Russian imperial past. Both
republics became independent after the Soviet Union collapsed in
1991, but what was a new beginning for Ukraine was a loss of
empire and great-power status for Russia" (Yekelchyk 1). He
means that Russia has gotten significantly smaller since the fall of
the Soviet Union and even though they have lost a lot of power
status, doesn't mean that they are not a weak country. In Ukraine,
there is a place in southeastern Ukraine called Crimea. Crimea has
a lot of Russian speakers and people that support Russia. On
March 6, 2014, Crimea issued a referendum asking the people of
Crimea if they wanted to join Russia, or stay a part of Ukraine.
Russian president Vladimir Putin was in an all night meeting in
February of 2014 about the removal of the Ukrainian president
Viktor Yanukovych. At the end of the meeting, Putin claims, we
must start working on returning Crimea to Russia (1) The
Russians stuck to their plan and overthrew the Ukrainian president

from office. Then, on March 18, 2014, Russia annexed Crimea.

This left hundreds of people homeless and without food because
they were using residential areas as the war zone. After this
annexation, Ukraine cut off the food and supplies to Crimea,
because they felt if they wanted to secede from the rest of Ukraine,
then they should be able to fend for themselves. Non-governmental
organizations, most likely from Russia, were trying to send food
into Crimea, but the soldiers were ordered to not let these trucks
full of food cross into Crimea.
Some people of Ukraine have fled to Russia until the war
between these two countries stops. The Kremlin, which is like the
White House of the Ukraine, is forcing the 300 refugees that have
fled from the Ukrainian-controlled country must have left by this
past February 1st. One lady says, We are waiting for the war to
end. We are all preparing to return. You know, [at home] it seems
to be quiet, theres no shooting. We wait a month and then begin
getting ready to return. Then: boom, theyre shooting again (UA
Today 1) The Kremlin is putting sanctions on Russia to try and

stop this. Also, the United Nations was asked to put peacemakers
in Crimea, but they are choosing not to. Marvin Kalb, a writer for
the Washington Post, exhibits, Roughly a year ago, Putin faced
one of the biggest decisions of his presidency: whether to strike a
compromise deal with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko or
openly commit his troops and tanks to the war (Kalb 1). In
addition, Russia is sending surveillance drones into the Crimean
part of Ukraine. These drones are designed to monitor the territory
and deliver food. Ukrainian forces are being told to shoot down
these drones. From May 1st to May 23rd of this year, there were
thirty-five drones spotted.
Many of the citizens of Ukraine are very afraid of what is
going on in their country. Some are being forced to leave their
homes, because right outside their front doors, is a war zone. Also,
people that live in eastern Ukraine, weather they are for Russia or
not, are being denied goods and services from the rest of Ukraine.
In addition, the people that have fled to Russia or left Crimea when
this was all starting are not allowed back. If they choose to come

back, they will be arrested and could face up to five years in

prison. People are very displeased about this because they may
have family in Crimea, but are not able to see them. Anna
Andriyevskaya, a journalist from Crimea, claims that, Skype is
her main connection to her homeland of Crimea, where her family
and friends have remained two years after Russias annexation of
the region previously tied to Ukraine. They, too, face threats from
the Russian government, she said (Tomkiw 1). She moved to Kiev
for her safety in May of 2014, but the government was still after
her. Russian agents raided her parents home in March 2015 asking
them questions about Anna and playing back the familys private
phone calls to them. This part of the country is really struggling.
However, even after the annexation, Crimea still depends on
Ukraine for energy and water. Turkey is a leading trade partner to
Crimea. Another thing that has gone bad in Crimea is the price
inflation. According to The Federal State Statistics Service,
...consumer price inflation in Crimea has been much higher than
in Russia, rising to 41.5% at the end of 2014 and averaging just

over 44% in 2015 (EIU 1). This means that because of what is
going on in the country and since people are leaving, the prices of
everything are going up at a very fast rate. Together with this,
Crimeas biggest money maker before it was annexed, which is
tourism, has experienced a large decrease with its number of
visitors down 50% since 2013. A survey conducted by the Pew
Global Attitudes Project, shows that A majority of Ukrainians
(55%) believe that their national government does not respect the
personal freedoms of its people (Pew 1). This makes the country
look really bad, because as a leader of a country, you are supposed
to bring the country together. On the other hand, people are entitled
to their own views and opinions.
The people in Ukraine experienced a sudden change in their
everyday lifestyle do to this war between the two neighboring
countries of Ukraine and Russia. They feel that their country
doesnt care about them, that is why a lot of them fled to Russia.
The citizens are not happy that they are being oppressed by their

own country. Even though there is a current ceasefire, tensions are

still very high.

Annotated Bibliography
"Ukraine politics: Crimea's annexation: two years on." Economist
Intelligence Unit: Country
ViewsWire 5 May 2016. Global Issues In Context. Web. 9
May 2016.
A study done by the Economist Intelligence Unit provides
interesting and factual information about Crimea since the
annexation. This company provides country analysis and
industry reports for each country.
"The Ukrainian Crisis: In Russia's Long Shadow | Origins: Current
Events in Historical
Perspective." The Ukrainian Crisis: In Russia's Long Shadow
| Origins: Current Events in
Historical Perspective. Ed. Serhy Yekelchyk. Ohio State
University Department of History, June 2014. Web. 16 May
2016.
This editorial displays the origins of the situation. This author
is credited with a B.A., M.A. and a Ph.D.
"Ukrainian Refugees Face Deportation from Russia." Uatoday.tv.
Ukraine Today, 15 Jan. 2015.
Web. 19 May 2016.

This article comes from a Ukrainian TV station. It shows

peoples reactions to the situation and what they felt while
this war was going on.
Kalb, Marvin. "Putin won in Ukraine." Washington Post 7 Sep.
2015. Global Issues In Context.
Web. 10 May 2016.
Martin Kalbs article in the Washington Post tells the public
about Russias decision to go to war
or make a compromise with Ukraine.
"3. Ukrainian Public Opinion: Dissatisfied with Current
Conditions, Looking for an End to the
Crisis." Pew Global Attitudes Project. Pew Research Center,
2015. Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 May 2016.
This public survey conducted by the Pew Research Center
shows how Ukrainians view
their country and the people who lead their country.
Tomkiw, Lydia. "Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Two Years After Crimea
Annexation, Region Is A
'Black Hole' For Human Rights."International Business
Times. International Business Times, 19 Mar. 2016. Web. 26
May 2016.
This article is an international source for information. It
displays how people are affected by the annexation and how
they feel about not being able to see their families.