Hi, I'm Marta Sand and I'm your host of Travel Fremzy on HerTube Travel Channel.
At the end of the last episode, I show you this video from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
I was planning to visit Ukraine myself this spring, but because of the complicated political
situation in Ukraine, I decided to postpone my trip and hopefully go there next year.
Let's take a short look at what has been happening in Ukraine this year.
It has been more than a month since protesters swarmed Kiev's independent square and ousted
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Shortly after, the autonomous region of Crimea in southern Ukraine was annexed by Russia
following protests and a referendum propagated by the Russian-speaking population of Crimea.
Today in Kiev, barricades and memorials to the heavenly hundred, those who gave their
lives during the protests on independent square, are being removed little by little in an attempt
to clean the square in time for the Easter holidays.
However, things are not quiet on Ukraine's eastern front.
For weeks, Ukrainian military and other sources say that Russia has been amassing troops along
the border with Ukraine, bringing with it a spirit of fear and uncertainty.
It's never been bloodshed in Ukraine during the 22 years of independence, so people are
shocked, people are scared, fearful.
A short drive from the border city of Harkov, Ukrainian tank divisions are digging in in
preparation for a possible Russian invasion, and soldiers are not permitting video crews
to work in the area, calling it a border zone.
In town, as a sign of solidarity, a group of students daily gather on a busy city intersection
to wave the Ukrainian flag while they sing the Ukrainian national anthem.
We are not nationalistic people, we only try to show that we have a right to live in freedom
country, and we don't have to have a war with Russia.
Even during the Soviet era, Ukraine has been a land of duality, where the Ukrainian culture
and language mixes with Russian language and culture.
Traditionally, the eastern cities are populated with those who consider themselves to be ethnic
Russian.
Now, these eastern cities are leading the call to follow Crimea and leave Ukraine to
become regions of the Russian Federation.
Pro-Russian rallies have been staged nearly every weekend in the border cities of Harkov,
Lugansk and Donetsk.
Locals believe that pro-Russia protesters are being fueled by Russians who cross the still-open
border each weekend.
One restaurant worker in Donetsk observed that many attending the protests pay with Russian
bank-issued credit cards and speak with Russian accents.
Recently, police dressed in riot gear who were guarding government buildings in all
three border cities were overcome by protesters, and today the Ukrainian flag has been replaced
by regional flags and the flags of Russia.
Reports from Donetsk say there is talk of a future referendum in the city similar to
the one in Crimea, and locals say that they are waiting for police from the west of Ukraine
to arrive since local police refused to attack those from their own city.
But not everyone in these cities supports the pro-Russia movement.
We only want to be a sole country, to be Ukraine, not Russia.
Today, life in these cities has somewhat returned to normal.
While protesters still occupy government buildings, people continue with their daily
routine, watching and waiting.
From the Eastern border of Ukraine, I'm Mark Hooks.
If you want to know the backstory of the Ukrainian Revolution, the Soviet story tells what happened
to Ukraine during the Soviet era, and a lot more.
You can get the Soviet story on DVD, Amazon, or even watch the full movie on YouTube.
The world keeps supporting Ukraine.
In this video, you see demonstrations and protests in Europe.
Our next video will be about the different cities in Ukraine.
I have made a compilation of videos, so you could see a little bit from every corner of
Ukraine.
That's all for now, I will see you next week.
You can connect with me on hertube.tv and follow me on Twitter at Marta Marta Sand.
