Background

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Ukraine has had to face the challenges of a divided population for many years, but never more than after the Iron Curtain fell. The responsibility fell to the Ukrainian people to decide how they would advance in the future. As a result of Stalin-era resettlement policies of the profitably industrial East, many people in that area of the country are Russian, or at least sympathize with Russia. Linguistically, fewer people in the East speak the Ukrainian language. Culturally, they find more in common with Russia, and economically, they see the advantages of joining with Russia and breaking away from Ukraine. 

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Protests

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In 2010, Ukraine elected a President who came from the East. The election was widely believed to be rigged, but nevertheless President Yanukovich took power and began steering the country closer to Russia. In December of 2014, after failing to sign a trade agreement with the European Union, protests broke out in downtown Kiev and in other cities. The police response was quick and brutal; after using clubs, the police began shooting into the increasingly hostile protesters. Realizing that the violence was galvanizing the people against his rule, Yanukovich fled to Russia, as Parliament prepared for early elections. 

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Wider Conflict

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Seizing on the chaotic situation in Kiev, Russia began moving to protect and annex the loyalist areas. Armed soldiers with no markings began appearing in Crimea, a peninsula with bases under lease to Russia, and also in eastern cities. The Ukrainian army began advancing into the East to stem an advancing army loyal to Russia, and fighting began in the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, and the surrounding villages. Some cities such as Odesa and Kharkiv resisted loyalist provocations, but others had a population more sympathetic to Russia. 

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Stalemate

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As of October 2017, the situation remains a stalemate. Various ceasefires have been enacted and violated, and both sides remain entrenched in the East. 

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