By Andrew L. Jaffee

Oy, I had hoped Ukraine had started on the path of freeing itself from Russian interference. But Orange Revolution champion, President Viktor Yushchenko, has reluctantly made his and pro-Russian arch-rival Viktor Yanukovych his prime minister, with parliamentary approval. This act will certainly allow Russia the opportunity for further meddling in Ukrainian affairs.

In 2004 elections, Yanukovych, oligarchy candidate, and pal of Russia’s ex-KGB goons, wouldn’t concede presidential elections. Ukraine’s Central Election Commission certified that Orange candidate Viktor Yushchenko won the election with 51.9% of the vote, compared to 44.2% for Yanukovych. 77% of eligible voters turned out. Yushchenko only gained victory by rallying his pro-Western supporters and filling the streets of Kiev with protesters.

One would think that after three rounds of elections in two months, and a substantial loss by 7.7% or 2 million votes, Yanukovych would’ve gave in. But this is the guy allied with forces who tried poisoning Yushchenko and committed all sorts of voting improprieties in the last two rounds. People like Yanukovych are “old style” — Soviet/KGB-style dictators. Why allow Ukrainians to control their own destinies when Yanukovych et al can stay drunk on power, corruption, and probably vodka?

The BBC points out the realpolitik:

Some Orange Revolution supporters see Mr Yushchenko’s move as a betrayal, and they have accused the president of weakness.

But Mr Yushchenko’s aides say the other option - of dissolving parliament and calling new elections - would merely have sharpened the stand-off. …

Mr Yanukovych draws his support from the mainly Russian-speaking industrial south-east of Ukraine, where many voters are suspicious of the pro-Western, liberal Orange Revolution agenda.

Ah, Russia — still with its pipsqueak ambitions. In 2004, Russia interfered in Ukrainian affairs: it spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Yanukovych campaign; Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Ukraine twice to show support for Yanukovych.

After Russian/Soviet history with Ukraine — 7,000,000 starved to death in 1932-1933 — the Ukrainians would wish to move further from, not closer to, Putin’s KGB cadre, where in the Kremlin nowadays, “influence stems from the former Soviet organs of repression.”

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Related: Europe, Communism / Socialism, Elections, Russia

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