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Q: You mentioned that many Russian speakers opposed Putin's military intervention in Southern and Eastern Ukraine. What explains this resistance, and does this opposition indicate that language is declining as a source of identity polarization in Ukraine?
Sergiy Taran: Language is not the magic indicator for political choice in Ukraine. The emphasis on language is a common stereotype about Ukraine. In Kiev, many people speak Russian yet most of these Russian speakers support pro-European parties. The pro-Russian party did not even receive 1% of the vote in the local elections. In Eastern Ukraine, there are Ukrainian villages that supported Yanukovych for many years. The main regional distinction is that in Western Ukraine, people primarily make decisions based on ideology and the charisma of leaders; while in Eastern Ukraine, decisions are made based on patronage. This is where Putin got it wrong. He thought if he went into an area where more than 51% of Ukrainians spoke Russian, he would get support but that did not work out.
full: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-ramani/interview-with-kiev-inter_b_7745766.html
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