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1-Page Summary of Ukraine Crisis
Overview
A European country governed by a rogue leader. Oligarchs and mafia dons have been making political decisions for years, with the rest of the world watching in silence. If you speak up against them, they’ll jail you or kill you. This is modern Ukraine. For years, politics in this former Soviet country have been for sale to Russia, who has more power than ever before over the region.
This passage is about how Ukraine got into this mess and what can be done to get it out. It also explains why the rest of the world needs to help Ukraine, as well as details on how a president allegedly fled with cash and how masked men took over Crimea.
Big Idea #1: Ukraine, sandwiched between Russia and the EU, is a country torn by old and new loyalties.
Ukraine has struggled with political and economic problems for a long time. This is because it’s located between two very different parts of the world, Russia and Western Europe.
Russia has a very long history of intervention in Ukraine. Recently, Russia sought to reassert its control over the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, Ukraine depends heavily on Russian gas and oil reserves. This gives Russia a lot of leverage over its neighbor.
Russia has funded certain Ukrainian politicians, who advocate for Russian interests. In return, the EU has tried to influence Ukraine’s government and politics. Both sides have been trying to expand their spheres of influence in the region. Russia wants its former allies back while the European Union is trying to protect itself from Russia’s aggression by building up military forces.
For a while, the European Union decided to simply ignore Ukraine’s growing problem. Unfortunately, this made things worse in the end.
Big Idea #2: Putin’s authoritarian Russia spreads propaganda to bring countries like Ukraine back under its influence.
After the fall of Soviet Union, Western countries expected Russia to embrace democracy and Western political modes.
While it’s true that Russia has a democratic government, its practices are not democratic. Bribery is common, censorship is still present and political thought suppression exists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to gain as much power as possible without international interference since coming to power in 2000. He’s done this by manipulating elections, such as doubling votes from regions known to support him and suppressing anyone who opposes him. However, he’s also used money to his advantage by cutting funds from regions that criticize his policies while spending lavishly on areas or groups that support him.
The government also works to silence journalists. Journalists at rallies are attacked more often than protesters, so they can’t report on the dissent going on there. The government manipulates people both domestically and internationally, including in Ukraine. Putin spent $8 billion one year as part of a public relations campaign aimed at convincing Russians living in neighboring countries that those lands should be reunified with Russia’s “fatherland.” He used all resources available to him—including propaganda—to gain power for himself and his government.
Big Idea #3: The early Orange Revolution failed to root out rampant corruption in Ukraine’s political system.
Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It seemed like it would embrace a legitimate democratic government, but that didn’t happen because Russia interfered and the European Union wasn’t supportive enough.
Corruption was widespread in newly independent Ukraine. The government couldn’t or wouldn’t crack down on organized crime, so oligarchs and mafia groups influenced the country’s political future. Russian elites were eager to keep a hold on Ukraine, so they approached these Ukrainian leaders with bribes in hand.
