What opposition does the political map of Ukraine express

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Usually a political map is called a part of a geographical atlas, on which the borders between countries are clearly marked, and the territories themselves are painted over in different colors so that there is no doubt: here it is Mongolia, but here China. Ukraine in this sense is a unique country, it has internal borders, and not some kind of administrative ones, but more serious ones, which should be crossed with extreme caution. The political map of Ukraine appeared out of nowhere. Today this is a very serious reality. This is not a joke at all.

Globe of Ukraine

Yes, this joke is old, but it has not lost its relevance. Quite the opposite. Since March 2014, on every television screen, no matter what the program is, there has been a badge in the corner - a yellow-blue flag and the inscription "United Country". At the same time, the difference between the worldview of the inhabitants of certain regions sometimes differs much more significantly than, for example, that of the average American and Canadian, although these countries are perceived by the inhabitants of the planet as completely sovereign states. The political map of Ukraine, compiled from the beginning of the Kyiv unrest that occurred at the end of 2013, initially showed the distribution of likes and dislikes for the Maidan participants. In the West, they sympathized with them, in the East - not very much, but in the South - they also somehow did not welcome the next revolution, knowing already from experience that it would hardly be better.

After the victory of the Maidan

But Maidan won. The celebration was somewhat overshadowed by the departure of the Crimeans along with their entire peninsula, and for a couple of months the political map of Ukraine remained uncertain, no one knew whether it would be possible to return the rebellious province to the bosom of a single power. Then began numerous excesses associated with the seizure of administrative buildings, and in the West, and in the East, and in the South, and in the North. But the Maidan did not disperse, which did not add to the overall picture of calm. In Rovno, a certain Sashko Bily, waving a Kalashnikov assault rifle, offered to take it away to someone. The formation of self-defense units with its mass nature evoked associations with 1918, however, not for everyone, but only for those who taught history at school. There are few of them today.

Historical debates

Attitude towards the heroic past of the Ukrainian people in society is extremely ambiguous. If in the Western regions the number of those who consider the UPA fighters, the soldiers of the SS Nachtigal and Roland battalions, the Galicia division to be heroes is considerable, then in Donetsk or Odessa there are much fewer of them. Despite explanatory work,carried out under almost all presidents of Ukraine since 1991, this difference remains, apparently, there are family traditions, and for some reason schoolchildren trust their parents more than conscious ("Svidomo") teachers. Mazepa is also treated differently.

Thus, the political map of Ukraine is also divided according to historical preferences. There is little reason to hope that they will smooth out over time, although there are still some progress.

Before the election

The political map of Ukraine by region is like a patchwork quilt that someone fired a shotgun at. Separate fragments mean the quantitative superiority of the adherents of European integration or the customs union, and the dots - "shoot through" mark the cities in which a violent change of power took place. There, the governors, on their knees, asked for forgiveness from the people. This happened in different regions, regardless of political orientation, but supporters of choosing a course of rapprochement with Russia were declared separatists and terrorists. It was not difficult to predict the further actions of the authorities, troops were sent to pacify the rebels.

Elections over

Both in the eastern regions and in the West, people expected a lot from the upcoming presidential elections, first of all, an end to the bloodshed. In Odessa, even before the elections, the camp of supporters of the Customs Union was destroyed, people of various political views died. The perpetrators must be determined by the investigation, which has not yet been completed. Political map of Ukraine startreplenished with other "hot spots".

The elections did not give the expected results. The confrontation in Donbas continues, leading to numerous casu alties.

How borders are drawn

There are several criteria by which the current political map of Ukraine is built. About half of the population speaks Russian in this country. It's not that these people refuse to learn Ukrainian, but they demand to recognize the right to use their native speech in the process of work. Views on the state structure also differ. “Wide autonomy” is a vague concept; both the federal system and the unitary system have their supporters. Claiming that either of these two groups clearly outnumber their opponents is difficult until people are asked. In real combat conditions, this means the rightness of those who are better armed and shoot first.