Russland wurde in der Ukraine nie als Feind gesehen – bis zur Annexion der Krim. An der Ostgrenze rüsten sich ukrainische Soldaten nun für den Ernstfall.
Ukraine

In the days after the 2004 Orange Revolution, when protesters in Kyiv overturned rigged presidential elections, I made my first trip to Ukraine. From my base in Moscow, I frequently returned. Ukraine was poor and shabby by comparison, but its citizens were also freer and less afraid of their government than Russians were.
After the first mass shootings during the Maidan protest in February 2014, I flew to Kyiv expecting to stay a couple of days. Instead I ended up covering Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the beginning of a conflict that has torn Ukrainians and Russians apart.
Das östliche Pulverfass
Die Millionenstadt Charkiw ist russischsprachig, hat aber eine ausgeprägte ukrainische Identität. Eine Angliederung an Russland will nur eine Minderheit.
Putin’s Phony War
Convinced that the new authorities in Kiev will finally pull Ukraine out of Russia’s orbit, Vladimir Putin is hacking off as much of the country as he can get away with.
Why Putin Took Crimea
Russia’s seizure of Crimea wasn’t an act of an expanding empire but of an archaic regime throwing up a last line of defense against Westernization.
Obama’s Response to Invasion of Crimea Is ‘Pathetic’
“The Sixth Fleet should be here,” said Ali Hamzin. “Today only the U.S. can preserve the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.”
Relief and Fear in a Divided Crimea
“I thought I was working for freedom and human rights,” said Serhiy Kovalsky. “But now I have the feeling that in reality I was working for Putin.”
At Night in Crimea, Residents Await Move from Russia
“They’re occupying us,” said Ruslan Temirkayayev, as an unmarked military truck trundled by. “We don’t need weapons. We’ll use our fists to defend ourselves.”
Eine Keule gegen Kiew
Anspannung auf der Krim: Die Angst vor einer Abspaltung von der Ukraine wächst. Prorussische Demonstranten bedrängen das Parlament mit Waffengewalt.
Does Russia Really Want Crimea — And Does Crimea Want Russia?
The phantom of Crimean separatism has spooked Ukraine since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Is Crimea Ukraine’s Next Ticking Time Bomb?
In the sleepy Crimean capital Simferopol, tension is building between supporters and foes of the central government in Kiev.


