With good reason, millions of Ukrainians are disenchanted with the politicians who have run the country since the pro-democracy Maidan revolution of 2014. Fresh winds of hope and change blew through Ukraine after that national uprising, improving many areas of public life. Unfortunately, the acrid pre-Maidan odours of corruption in high places, lack of transparency and oligarchical influence over government and business continue to hang in the air.
On top of this, Ukraine’s struggle with Russia and Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas is entering its sixth year. In the near term, there seems almost no prospect of a peace settlement that would reintegrate the region into Ukraine’s state structures on terms acceptable to all parties to the conflict. The chances that Moscow might give up Crimea, annexed in retaliation for the Maidan insurrection, are even slimmer.
