When protestors first started gathering in the square in Kyiv (formerly Kiev), before the prior government fell, the driving issue was the degree to which Ukraine would be oriented to Europe and the West or to Russia.
The then-government preferred Russia, the protestors preferred Europe. For having this preference Russia's Putin calls them "Nazis." Echoes of the Great Patriotic War 70 years ago.
As a recent poll reported in The Washington Post makes clear, it remains the issue that divides Ukrainians; some want to orient east, others west. Some miss being part of the Soviet Union, others wish to be part of the European Union. Plus ça change plus c'est la même chose.
