Ukraine’s independence-era voices say Russia's effort to keep control has lasted decades

AP-EU-Russia-Ukraine-War-Independence, 1st Ld-Writethru KYIV, Ukraine — Oleksandr Donii was one of the leaders of student-led protests for sovereignty and political reform in 1990 that preceded Ukraine’s declaration of independence. He remembers thinking the fight for autonomy would take decades. Instead, it came much sooner than he ever imagined. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine quickly declared independence in 1991 and later conducted a referendum backed by more than 90 percent of voters. ”I was preparing myself for prisons and labor camps, and I thought the struggle would last about 20–30 years,” Donii told The Associated Press. As the country marks 34 years since that monumental event Sunday, Donii and others from Ukraine’s first generation of lawmakers and activists describe how despite separation from the Soviet Union, Moscow's grip endured. Russia used political pressure, social division and the sidelining of pro-Western voices. That eventually paved the way for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three decades later and Ukraine’s current fight for independencWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times