Ukraine Protest

[SamanosukeShiva]

surprised I havent see any thread about Ukrainem, or at least I couldnt find one.

They're doing livestream from Ukraine all day if anyone interested



Apparently the protesters are in control of the parliament building?

[ringthree]

President basically fled from Kiev. I think he has tried and used up all of his political power and now its just the slow unwinding of the government until new elections.

[ringthree]

The Parliament just basically voted in a peaceful coup. Holding elections in May. The protesters basically got everything they want and more. Pooty Poot isn't going to be happy.

[mallister]

shit, when do they invade? i'm guess once the olympics are over.

[Andalusian girls]

poor Putin, he really thought that 15 billion dollar bribe was going to keep Ukraine in Russia's orbit and its consequences have now probably done more than anything else could have to link the EU and Ukraine

[6souls]

It's being speculated that the country will split with a East & West Ukraine.

[Meresgi]

Russia will just CGI everything



Sochi Olympics ^

[Mazmaz]

So was there some great injustice here? Or pretty much one half of the country that didn't like the other half winning the election?

[BaneTheBrawler]

well from the pictures of the president's residence i'd imagine there was a fair amount of embezzlement going on

[archibaldcrane]

So was there some great injustice here? Or pretty much one half of the country that didn't like the other half winning the election?

Basically the bulk of Ukraine's citizens want to foster closer ties to the EU and less with Russia. Ukraine needs a financial bailout, and was debating between taking it from the EU (along with trade agreements and such) or Russia (along with trade agreements and such). The majority of the people wanted EU, the president chose Russia, the people were pissed and protested, the government passed some hastily drafted anti-protest laws and started arresting and beating people, the protesters forced the president out of his compound and overran it, and here we are.

[tyven]

[Charismatic]

the government passed some hastily drafted anti-protest laws

Best part is they called them anti-terrorist laws, it always goes well when you call your own people terrorists.

[Ashmada]

So was there some great injustice here? Or pretty much one half of the country that didn't like the other half winning the election?

"Winning" the election is hard to say. The were strong allegations of vote-rigging.
Then when you see the riches Yanukovich amassed during his 4 years of office, you know there were massive amounts of corruption involved during his tenure.
Then comes the arrest of Tymoshenko. And then you remember Yanukovich was already involved in the poisoning of Yuschenko a decade ago.
Then you see the state Tymoshenko is in. One thing's clear: she was not treated well in prison.
The man is a snake, a puppet of Moscow who tried to go full Vladimir Vladimirovich on Kiev. You never go full Vladimir Vladimirovich and get away with it, unless you're the original.

The current troubles are basically "The Orange Revolution, continued".

[mightyg]

There's probably a lot more to it than that as well. Can you imagine a country living under Stalin's control finally becoming a free nation only to have a president (Who had essentially been thrown out of office once before) elected under dubious circumstances AGAIN, Throw the previous president in jail, sign trade deals with Russia? Can you imagine living in a country NEXT to Russia in a post Soviet context?

[6souls]

Kiev's Euromaidan protesters began 2014 the same way they ended 2013: by rioting in the streets in an attempt to bring down their government. Key victories have already been won, with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his cabinet resigning. The demonstrators also forced the annulment of a new anti-protest law that was, ironically, the cause of much of their protesting.

The protesters haven't been contented by this, however, and are still out in the streets, demanding the head of President Viktor Yanukovych and the staging of fresh elections. What began as a protest against the Ukrainian government's close ties with Russian leader Vladimir Putin has become a focus for wider discontent. However, Yanukovych seems in no mood to relinquish his power. As the social unrest spreads across the country, its first post-Soviet President, Leonid Kravchuk, has gone as far as to warn that Ukraine is on the brink of civil war. Dozens of people have lost their lives in just the last two days of violence.

[Viena]

I'd say this last bit of news is outdated by now, as Yanukovych fled and the opposition became the acting government. There's a search warrant to arrest Yanukovych too, accusing him of the deaths of the last few days.

[Twilight Sky]

Basically the bulk of Ukraine's citizens want to foster closer ties to the EU and less with Russia. Ukraine needs a financial bailout, and was debating between taking it from the EU (along with trade agreements and such) or Russia (along with trade agreements and such). The majority of the people wanted EU, the president chose Russia, the people were pissed and protested, the government passed some hastily drafted anti-protest laws and started arresting and beating people, the protesters forced the president out of his compound and overran it, and here we are.

Personally I think that's great. The people were like "fuck that, we're gonna force change".

[Tajin]

What is truly surprising is that it was less chaotic than what happened in Egypt, or maybe it just got less coverage because the left-overs of "fuck communists" mentality.

[BaneTheBrawler]

that's an interestin comparison. is there a religious or ethnic component involved in ukraine?

[Callisto]

No, it's pretty much all politics. Regular people don't want their well-being tied to Russia, they want EU oversight instead.