There are real reasons for the Ukrainian government to be concerned. In the past Russia has punished the Ukraine by cutting its entire gas supply off. On another occasion they banned Ukrainian products from their country entirely, sending the country into a financial crisis.
Putin wants to bring eastern bloc countries back together and go head to head with the EU. Without the Ukraine this dream would be impossible. Putin believes that the riots have been planned by the West and are not a genuine revolution. He’s also started helping them financially by slashing gas prices and buying billions of dollars worth of government bonds. He is desperate for the Ukraine to remain in the fold.
The general populus of Ukraine is split 50/50 as to whether they want to go Ruski or Euro. The population in the east share the Russian’s language and religion and want to stay with Putin. The western areas of Ukraine have closer European ties and want to leave.
Last week, President Yanukovych pushed through anti-legislation laws which ban most forms of protest in the country. Demonstrators can no longer wear masks or helmets and anyone who blockades public buildings will be given a five-year jail term. Over 200,000 supporters of the opposition took to the centre of Kiev to protest against the new restrictions. In a desperate and unbelievably Orwellian move the Ukrainian police force texted thousands of cell-phones: “Dear subscriber … you are a participant in a mass disturbance”. Other desperate measures have also been brought in.
List of weird and harsh new laws on the next page…
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