Monitoring press freedom and international affairs from Mid-Missouri Public Radio and the Missouri School of Journalism
TRACKING UKRAINE'S HISTORY
Ukraine's history of independence is told through an interactive timeline put together by Global Journalist staff. From 1990 to the current conflicts in the country, the history of the nation is told with photos and text below.
UKRAINE PROTESTS, AS SEEN THROUGH NEW MEDIA
Demonstrators have been gathering for more than two months in Kiev’s central Independence Square. As the once peaceful rally intensifies, new methods are evolving to cover the protest, from on the ground and beyond.
Political divides in Ukraine are driven by multiple complex factors: dominant ethnic linguistic namely, the nation’s history with the Soviet Union. Ethnic and linguistic alliances with Russia drive part of the nations’ population towards ideologically aligning with Russia, where a nearly equal portion the country seeks social and economic change by aligning with Western culture and the European Union.
Four of every six people in Ukraine are ethnic Ukrainian and speak Ukrainian. Another one of six is ethnic Russian and speaks Russian. Another one in sixth is of Ukrainian ethnicity, but speaks Russian.
Since Ukraine declared independence in 1991, ethnic and linguistic lines have divided the nation politically.
Voting districts are generally dominated by one ethnic demographic, which tends to vote for one candidate. National elections. Ethnic Ukrainians who speak Ukrainian vote for the more progressive candidates across the board, where districts dominated by Russian demographics vote for candidates displaying more heritage and loyalty to Russia.
Poll results show distinct line through the country, where in the last election, those east of the line voted primarily for Yanukovich and those west of it for Tymoshenko.
Here, the map highlights the political divides influenced by the ethnic and linguistic divides.
The blue in the west represents the demographics who voted for Tymoshenko: people with ethnic or linguistic ties to Russia. These are the groups who are against aligning with the European Union, or as many see it, “Not Russia.”
The red portion represents demographics who voted for Yanukovich, and are dominantly Ukrainian by ethnicity or language. These are the dominant groups who also support aligning with the European Union.
