Features Editor
Ukraine protesters have been pushing for former president Viktor Yanukovych to step down, and on February 22 he fled Ukraine for an unknown destination. Yanukovych stills claims to be the true president of Ukraine although he was ousted from the government and acting president Oleksander Turchynov has taken his place.
Russia
has since invaded the former Russian territory of Crimea, Ukraine. Crimea’s people
have scheduled a referendum on March 16 to determine if the region will rejoin
Russia or remain part of Ukraine. Since many Crimean citizens have Russian
heritage, the expected result of the people’s vote is to rejoin Russia.
Turchynov
refuses to send troops into Crimea due to the amplitude of Russian force, but Ukraine’s
parliament has warned of dissolution of the region unless the vote is canceled.
The U.S. and European Union have declared this referendum illegal, while Russia
says it will respect the results.
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Russia
refuses to communicate with Ukraine because they do not consider Turchynov a
legitimate president. Due to this Russian hostility, U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry has canceled a meeting with Putin until he stops his attempt to
“annex” Crimea. President Barack Obama in the meantime hosted interim Ukraine
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on March 12 in order to discuss the situation
between Moscow, Crimea, and the rest of Ukraine.
