Extending “Europe”: Putin's bullying transforms mere idealism into a real independence movement

Trampling on youthful hopes, 

Russia radicalizes Ukraine

by Mark Hanssen

Whatever one thinks of its legitimacy, Sunday’s referendum in Crimea has shown that things are going very much Russia’s way in its dispute with Ukraine. In fact, one could say that everything has been going to plan, if the plan was to bring more than “stability” to the former Soviet state.

On February 20th, government snipers open fired on protesters in Maidan Square in Kiev. Among the dead were students, college professors, ordinary citizens, political activists, business professionals and ultra-nationalist political party members. This diverse crowd, united in protest against Viktor Yanukovych’s oppressive government, succeeded in overthrowing Yanukovych and in establishing an eclectic, unstable interim government. Before they could even state their purpose or commonly agree upon one, Russia invaded Crimea.

According to the Russian President and his apologists the protests represented nothing more than “Ukrainian neo-Nazi” elements provoking clashes with police in Kiev. Vladimir Putin’s limited ambitions in an unstable Ukraine were to secure the relative independence of Crimea, guarantee the rental of Black Sea naval bases to Russia and intimidate the new Ukrainian government into a more moderate nationalist stance.

The truth is that, for Putin, the Ukrainian protests represent provocative “Western values,” and Western support of the protests seem to confirm this. The plan, simply, is to stop any such development. Ironically, his intimidation of Kiev is uniting eclectic forces against him in a longer term struggle between Russia and the EU concerning cultural and political influence.

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