if the setting looks at all familiar for these images it s because the large-scale protests didn t just start now. the large-scale protests in kiev started in november. if you look at the map of ukraine, just in terms of where they are situated geographically in relation to other countries and other regions, obviously they are part of the former ussr. they have a long border with russia. they re not all that far from moscow. but much of ukraine, geographically and ethnically and to a growing extent politically, they orient themselves to the left of this map, to the west. toward europe as much as they do toward moscow. and these protests started, these mass protests started in november when ukraine s president had the opportunity to sign a huge trade deal with europe that would have knitted ukraine s economy much more into europe s economy. he had the opportunity to do that and he turned it down. he would not sign that deal and instead he essentially reupped with putin. reupped with mos
he had the opportunity to do that and he turned it down. he would not sign that deal and instead he essentially reupped with putin. reupped with moscow. he signed instead a $15 million loan arrangement, and an arrangement to get lots of new cheap natural gas from vladimir putin as a replacement for that deal with europe that putin really did not want him to take. and that is when the mass protests started, and the opposition movement in ukraine is big. it s diverse. both in terms of its class and age and its range of ideologies and everything else. they, for a protest movement, for an opposition movement in a fairly repressive country, they re good at articulating what they stand for, what they stand against and have been really good at maintaining a huge presence visibly in public in the public square. and, yes, there have been moments of violence, but there have been longer stretches honestly it felt like a celebration, even at times an ongoing concert in the streets of kiev. and rec
of what s happening right now tonight in kiev. if the setting looks at all familiar for these images it s because the large-scale protests didn t just start now. the large-scale protests in kiev started in november. if you look at the map of ukraine, just in terms of where they are situated geographically in relation to other countries and other regions, obviously they are part of the former ussr. they have a long border with russia. they re not all that far from moscow. but much of ukraine, geographically and ethnically and to a growing extent politically, they orient themselves to the left of this map, to the west. toward europe as much as they do toward moscow. and these protests started, these mass protests started in november when ukraine s president had the opportunity to sign a huge trade deal with europe that would have knitted ukraine s economy much more into europe s economy. he had the opportunity to do that and he turned it down. he would not sign that deal and instead he e