Taking the temperature on Ukraine

One of the people who participated in the protests in Kyiv which started in November last year, was International Economics and Trade graduate from Kyiv National Economics University, Yegor Vlasenko. He delivered food and medicines to the protesters and took part in organising workshops and lectures for them at the city’s Independence Square.

– Unlike the current Crimean crisis, we had a chance to show up and help instead of constantly worrying and following the news, he says.

- The West looks weak

Vlasenko is careful to suggest any possible escalations of the crisis between Ukraine and Russia. Rather than viewing this as a bilateral conflict, he points out that the global security system is changing, and that the country that had earlier guaranteed for her territorial sovereignty, now occupies parts of Ukraine.

The support from the international community is widely appreciated among the demonstrators, Vlasenko says, but the view on the EU has turned from an idealistic to a more pragmatic one. He explains that the protesters call for more concrete actions from the West that can prevent further armed confrontations that may lead to casualties.

– The reactions by western leaders look too weak and too late, in light of the rapidly changing circumstances here, he says.

Presidential elections to come

Vlasenko is optimistic about the future of internal affairs in Ukraine. He explains that the protests have brought about new reforms, which decentralize power and give more attention to the regions outside the capital.

He puts faith in the upcoming presidential election, and the following parliamentary election to let all parts of the society express their opinion. He adds that the president’s role has changed in the last weeks.

– Yanukovych’s successor will have less power, due to the recent changes in the Constitution after he left office, Vlasenko says.

On the other hand, Vlasenko is much more pessimistic about the situation on the Crimean peninsula.

– The best we can hope for would be demilitarization of Crimea, followed by continuous work of Ukraine and international community to resolve this frozen conflict, he says.

Fear of escalation

Vlasenko sees Crimea as a part of Ukraine. He does not see the claim that parts of the Crimean population feels closer connected to Russia than Ukraine, as a legitimate reason for Russia’s interference on the peninsula. Vlasenko fears that these actions could have consequences for travelling between Ukraine and Russia.

– The whole world is currently working towards diminishing borders between states, and I don’t want to see someone building new ones, he says.

My only wish is for the Russian army to go home. I don’t want to see tanks on my bus stop. – Selim Kendgametof, Crimean student

He denies any tensions dividing specific populations within Ukraine. However, he fears these attitudes may change if the world lets Putin keeps pushing the Ukranian army backwards.

– If this worst-case scenario happens, it would be a tragedy for both nations, he says.

Vlasenko voices that he thinks the future of Crimea should be decided by internal consultations within Ukraine, rather than by Russia.

– Not in their business

Linguistic student Ekaterina Lobanova at Tyumen State University in Tyumen, Russia, now sees Crimea as a legally part of Russia.

– The people of Crimea spoke for themselves, and Russia claims no other territory. From now there should be peace. But I hope that the European boycott of Russia ends soon, as it hurts both sides, she says.

Talking about foreign involvement, Lobanova says that the conflict is none of the Western powers’ business.

– Interfering in the situation only make matters worse, and creates tension in the world, she says.

Could this escalate into an even larger conflict?

– Only if the U.S. tries to «help», as they did in Iraq and Lybia, she says.

– CNN manipulated reports

Lobanova claims that Western media deliberately manipulated statements from voters at the recent Crimean elections that were set to decide whether the peninsula should belong to Russia or Ukraine.

– A few days ago my friend and I were watching CNN reports. They interviewed some voters, and translated their words in an anti-russian way, despite the fact they were talking pro-russian. Being able to understand both languages we were totally astonished, as CNN is supposed to be a trustworthy channel, she says.

The same thing happened, Lobanova says, when she watched different videos on Youtube about the conflict. No matter what the endgame of the conflict will be, Lobanova does not believe that it will affect the relationship between Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine.

– Almost everyone in Russia has Ukrainian relatives or friends. I don’t think anyone can stop keeping in touch just because of the political situation, she says.

- Most peaceful place in the world

Selim Kendgametof is a student from Crimea and describes the latest events as unstable, and chose to stay with his family rather than participating in any events. He avoids linking the events on Crimea to what happened in Kyiv, and says that the Crimean people had no intention of joining Russia.

– We were an autonomous republic, which was a part of Ukraine that just “ wanted «independence».

He is happy about any solution that does not lead to war.

– My only wish is for the Russian army to go home. I don’t want to see tanks on my bus stop, he says.

Kendgametof says that the biggest threat to stability is that many people make their opinions based on biased information from the media. He assures that Russians and Ukrainians on the peninsula bear no hostility against each other, and describes Crimea as «the most peaceful place in the world»