Ukraine's European Revolution?

[Grinning_Colossus]

Lwow, Polski na zawsze!

[Maximus]

Hmm, scratch that.  Sumy may border Russia, but it's still on the periphery of the western block in all those infamous divided Ukraine maps.

1927 GMT:UNIAN reports that protesters have stormed the offices of the regional state administration in Poltava, breaking windows and throwing Molotov cocktails. Police are reported to have subsequently dispersed the crowd. Earlier today, protesters there attacked the regional offices of the Party of Regions, smashing windows and doors before setting fire to the office.

I thought Poltava would be solidly in the eastern bloc, but maybe not? Which map are we going off of?

[Barrister]

It was a famous cultural center for Poles and Jews.  And keep in mind I'm calling it L'vov not L'wow.

Not saying it wasn't.

My understanding was that the elites were polish and jewish (and german, for you Lemberg fanboyz).  As such those elites were absolutely able to make it a vital cultural centre.

But the lower class majority spoke something closer to Ukrainian.

And why the tears for Ukrainian Greek Catholics?  There are a whole parcel of active Uniate churches going in Edmonton and Alberta, for example.

[Admiral Yi]

I thought Poltava was wicked close to Kiev.

[Valmy]

It's Lemberg FFS.

Zombie Franz Joseph approves.

[Queequeg]

It was a famous cultural center for Poles and Jews.  And keep in mind I'm calling it L'vov not L'wow.

You think that this is a less offensive implication?

Russian's a commonly used language in Ukraine and Lvov was Lvov on Russian maps and in the Russian language for over half a millennium.  I didn't even mean anything by calling it L'vov. 

[crazy canuck]

I take it back, the question of whether Lviv, Lvov, Lwow or Lemberg is more strongly identified with one national group or another has the potential to be just as amusing as any Balkantard argument.

This wiki article even suggests the local Ukranian community were just confused Poles. 

During the 1848 revolution, the Austrians, concerned by Polish demands for greater autonomy within the province, gave support to a small group of Ruthenians (the name of the East Slavic people who would later adopt the self-identification of "Ukrainians") whose goal was to be recognized as a distinct nationality.[3][4] After that, "Ruthenian language" schools were established, Ruthenian political parties formed, and the Ruthenians began attempts to develop their national culture.[3][5] This came as a surprise to Poles, who until the revolution believed, along with most of the politically aware Ruthenians, that Ruthenians were part of the Polish nation (which, at that time, was defined in political rather than ethnographic terms).[4] In the late 1890s and the first decades of the next century, the populist Ruthenian intelligentsia adopted the term Ukrainians to describe their nationality.[6] Beginning with the 20th century, national consciousness reached a large number of Ruthenian peasants[clarification needed].[7]

[Duque de Bragança]

It's Lemberg FFS.

Nope, Leopolis.

[Maximus]

Truce confirmed.

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/30111.html

[DGuller]

Hmm, scratch that.  Sumy may border Russia, but it's still on the periphery of the western block in all those infamous divided Ukraine maps.

1927 GMT:UNIAN reports that protesters have stormed the offices of the regional state administration in Poltava, breaking windows and throwing Molotov cocktails. Police are reported to have subsequently dispersed the crowd. Earlier today, protesters there attacked the regional offices of the Party of Regions, smashing windows and doors before setting fire to the office.

I thought Poltava would be solidly in the eastern bloc, but maybe not? Which map are we going off of?

No, I think it's still part of the "west".

[crazy canuck]

And why the tears for Ukrainian Greek Catholics?  There are a whole parcel of active Uniate churches going in Edmonton and Alberta, for example.

Really?  You have to ask why people might feel sympathy for them?

[jimmy olsen]

Truce confirmed.

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/30111.html

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm very skeptical that the country can be pulled back from so close to the brink after all the violence we saw yesterday. Once these dynamics get started they're really hard to stop.

[crazy canuck]

I am more skeptical that the new found commitment to peace by the government is just a tactic to buy time to put more loyal troops into the West.

[Barrister]

I am more skeptical that the new found commitment to peace by the government is just a tactic to buy time to put more loyal troops into the West.

I dunno - Yanukovych has shown a willingness to negotiate, on multiple occasions.

It's just that he appears unwilling to make any concessions that would limit his own power as president.

[derspiess]

Some serious shit going down in Khmelnitsky.  Protesters surround the SBU (Ukrainian KGB) building, someone from inside the building fires on the crowd, killing a woman (the video is on Youtube).  Protesters evidently set the building on fire, blocked all exits, and turned off the water to the building.  I don't think they let those inside out yet.

Dang, those Old World types don't fuck around.

Hope the truce holds, anyway.