Alexander J. Motyl

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Ukrainian soldiers carry water supplies near a military base in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 2. DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images

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When Ukrainian defense forces encounter a suspected Russian saboteur passing himself off as a Ukrainian, they usually ask him to say the Ukrainian word for a type of local bread: palyanitsya. Almost invariably the suspect betrays his nationality and politics by pronouncing it with a different ending: palyanitsa. Similarly, in World War II, the Dutch resistance would ask German spies to say the name of the seaside town of Scheveningen. In Dutch, the first syllable is pronounced skheh; in German, it’s sheh. It’s an age-old practice: An account of the first pronunciation test to identify enemies, known as a shibboleth, is mentioned in the Bible.…  Seguir leyendo »

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So, just what is Russia up to now?

On April 17, at the same time Russian President Vladimir Putin snarled at Ukraine and the West at a press conference in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed a conciliatory agreement in Geneva with the United States, the European Union and Ukraine.

On the face of it, the foreign minister seemed to repudiate the President and betray the pro-Russian terrorists in eastern Ukraine.

Whatever Putin and Lavrov's game, the statement signed by Lavrov in Geneva represents a major stand down by Russia. To be sure, given the Kremlin's past mendacity and slipperiness, the agreement is ultimately nothing more than a piece of paper.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Vladimir Putin's gala address before Russian parliamentarians and officials Tuesday surprised no one when he announced Russia's annexation of Crimea. The interesting part was his distorted view of Russian history, and his proclamation that a bizarre kind of simultaneously aggrieved and aggressive hyper-nationalism is now Russia's official ideology.

In discussing Ukraine, however, Putin seemed to go out of his way to suggest he had no aggressive intentions and was not planning to divide the rest of the country.

Listening to Putin, one could easily forget that Russia is and for many centuries has been the largest country in the world and that it acquired its territories by imperialist expansion often accompanied by genocide and ethnic cleansing.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Confieso que el 16 de marzo, mientras en Crimea se celebraba un referéndum falso sobre su independencia bajo el ojo avizor de las fuerzas de ocupación rusas, mi mente y mi corazón estaban en otra parte.

Nunca he experimentado la guerra ni la amenaza de aniquilación. Pero ahora, gracias a internet, vivo al borde de un abismo existencial al igual que miles de ucranianos-estadounidenses. La violencia —la guerra— que amenaza a Ucrania no me amenaza a mí. Yo estoy en Nueva York y Ucrania está a miles de kilómetros de distancia. Sin embargo, la guerra amenazará a mis amigos, a mis colegas y a mi familia en Ucrania.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Viktor Yanukovych is probably doomed -- even if he does not yet know it. He should just step down.

As the embattled Ukrainian President hides in the presidential administration in central Kiev, medical authorities report from 70 to 100 demonstrators have been killed and hundreds wounded. His minister of internal affairs has authorized police units to employ live ammunition. There are also fears that army units are moving on Kiev, the capital city.

These appear to be the desperate measures of a dying regime.

The turning point took place on Tuesday when Yanukovych ordered police units to storm the Maidan -- the area centered on Independence Square that has been occupied by the democratic opposition since late November.…  Seguir leyendo »