It seems like the infrequent stories I post about Ukraine are often negative, and unfortunately this time is no different. This Metafilter thread nicely summarizes and collects links about the recent controversial presidential elections, in which examples of rampant fraud have been reported by basically every independent observer. Currently, Russia is the only nation acknowledging the “election” of pro-Kremlin Viktor Yanukovych, although Russian President Vladimir Putin is hedging his bets slightly, commenting that “We cannot recognize or protest results that are not yet official.” The “pro-West reformer” opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko has refused to back down, and huge demonstrations in his support have been taking place across the country.
As I hear more about this, I worry about the governmental response to such demonstrations, and reports from observers that “Russian soldiers [are] being flown across the border into Ukraine, dressed in Ukrainian militia garb, and set among the protestors” do little to ease my fears. I hope that this can all be resolved peacefully and that Yanukovych will concede if the results are proven to be fraudulent, although I’m very pessimistic about the whole situation right now…
