Ukraine and Crimea, Part II up to the present crisis.

In Part I, we saw that Ukraine translated as “borderlands” and indeed over the years, most of its neighbors have encroached on its borders numerous times. In the twentieth century, the Ukraine was absorbed into the Soviet Union as a Soviet Socialistic Republic. Today, in the Eastern Ukraine, the side bordering with Russia, there is a majority of ethnic Russians. They are presumed to be pro Yanukovych, and indeed, he is presumed to be “hiding out” in the East. As a result of W.W. II, Stalin drove many of the muslim Tatars out of Crimea, ostensibly because of their sympathy to the Nazis. Following the collapse of The Soviet Union, Crimean Tartars started returning to their homeland. Crimea joined the new Ukraine, albeit as noted, with a large degree of autonomy. In 2008, Russia was accused of giving a sizable number of Russian passports to Crimeans. In the 2004 election, the vast majority of Crimeans voted for Viktor Yanukovych. Following the overthrow of Yanukovych, several anti-Russian measures were taken...

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