Halyna Romanenko,
geographer
“Everyone says there needs to be dialogue between the two sides. I think this separatist mood in eastern Ukraine is warmed by Russian propaganda. We always lived well together. I think everywhere there are people, and in Kyiv too, who would like the rebuilding of the Soviet Union, but you can never enter in the same river twice.
Viktor Melnyk,
biologist
“This is an incredibly hard question that worries every citizen of Ukraine. Of course separatists should be stopped. They can be stopped. But in the end, there are too many of them, and they are strengthened by their Russian neighbor. It’s a nightmare.”
Konstantin Solovienko,
teacher
“Separatists definitely should be stopped, and treated militarily with the arsenal that exists to defend the country. All our life we pay the bills for that, which is why these institutions should act. This is an opportunity for Russians to occupy eastern Ukraine.”
Maksym Berkal,
student
“The response should be much more radical than the way our government operates now. It is necessary to accelerate the coercive approach… And, of course, to close the borders with Russia and apply visa procedures.”
Oksana Garko,
translator
“The government should resolve some issues that worry people from eastern Ukraine, for example, their fear of being forbidden to speak Russian. Everyone knows it’s nonsense. It would do well to hold a nationwide referendum on the language issue, federalization, joining the European Union and the (Russian-led) Customs Union. I am not afraid of that; I know that Ukrainians will make a good choice. But holding a referendum locally just for them is ridiculous.”
