The episode had nothing to do with the simmering war between Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists. It had the air of something more ancient, and perhaps even more sinister: a pogrom against a small community of Roma.
OP-ED
Vladislav Davidzon: Ukraine’s best-known reformer succumbs to the lure of populism
Last Saturday, in the final week of what is usually a sedate period of summer vacation for almost everybody in Ukraine, the country's bucolic southern Odessa region experienced an ominous and unusual bout of ethnic violence.
