Ukrainian Protests and Russian Influence (Dispatch)
Video Transcript:
Video Transcript
Protests continued for the second straight day in Ukraine July 5 in response to a controversial language bill that was passed by the country's parliament earlier in the week. The bill calls for the Russian language to be legally used in educational, government and legal institutions in Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine. While the bill has yet to become a law, the public reaction demonstrates how controversial the language issue is in Ukraine and reflects the country's deep internal divisions, as well as its complicated relationship with Russia.
As a country on the borderlands between Russia and Europe, Ukraine has faced many challenges as a result of its location. For much of its history, the territory of modern Ukraine has been ruled by larger external powers -- whether those be Poland, Austria-Hungary, the Ottomans or Russia -- many of which controlled different parts of Ukraine simultaneously. The last 20 years of Ukrainian independence since the fall of the Soviet Union has been the longest period that Ukraine has known in its modern history.
It is in these last 20 years that the Ukrainians have been undergoing a difficult process of not only building a state, but also building a nation. Key to this concept of building national identity is language. Because different parts of Ukraine were ruled by different powers, this has created a dichotomy in the country on issues of culture and especially language. Eastern and Southern Ukraine have been most heavily influenced by Russia, and these areas boast a significant ethnic Russian or Russian-speaking population. Meanwhile, the population in Western Ukraine has been more oriented toward Europe and predominantly speaks Ukrainian as their first language.
This cultural split and particularly the language issue is one that outside powers have sought to manipulate to their advantage -- especially Russia.While the Soviet Union is no more, Russia still retains designs on Ukraine in line with its traditional geopolitical imperatives. Ukraine is critical to Russia's economy as its agricultural and industrial base is virtually integrated with those of Russia. Ukraine also serves as the primary transit point for Russian energy supplies to Europe and hosts a Russian naval base in Crimea. Perhaps most important is Ukraine's location which directly abuts Russia's own heartland, a location that has been used by outside powers -- most recently by the Germans in WWII -- as an invasion point into Russia proper.
These factors explain Moscow's interest in Ukraine and its desire to integrate the country further with Russia. But how Ukrainians identify with themselves and with Russia is much more controversial. Indeed, the most recent language bill was actually a watered down version of a previous bill proposal, which would have made Russian the second official national language, on par with Ukrainian. Instead, this new bill would only grant Russian a regional language status.
Still, this bill has led to demonstrations in Kiev and other cities across the country, as well as protests by the opposition and the resignation of the speaker of parliament. It is not even a certainty that this bill will pass, as it must still be signed by the speaker of parliament and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to become a law. What is clear is that this will be one of the most important issues in Ukraine as parliamentary elections approach in October. But more broadly, this reflects deeper issues of Ukraine's national identity, issues that are intimately tied to the country's long and complex history with Russia.
