Ukraine--what you don't read.

I guess I get this yen to research foreign countries from our keeping of many exchange students in the 90's.  Much of what you read in US press about Ukraine cannot be correct.  This morning AP had a story about how the country was divided in two--Ukrainians and Russians.  But Economist published a map of the 30 or so 'regions' (we'd call them counties) in Ukraine.  In only one, Crimea, are the Russians in the majority.  In the eastern provinces they comprise 25-40%.  In the North and West it is more like 10%. The country has other minorities in abundance as well--Tartars, Moldovans, Poles, Germans. Moldovans are half-German and have asked for independence in the past.  
    Hence to conclude that the nation is simply two countries and must logically be split is about like saying that California needs to be given back to Mexico because it is 40% Mex.  Duh.  What I suspect is that the AP reporters are liberal Dems who want to have an excuse for Obama when he does absolutely nothing in response to Putin.  And so if Putin annexes part of Ukraine, the AP hopes we will all see that as sour grapes.  Russia deserves to get part of the country back. 
    Here's the second fallacy.  It is breathlessly reported that the Russians are all Orthodox and the Ukrainians are Catholic so there is an irreparable divide between them on religion.  If that is true, then why are half the Ukrainians Orthodox?  And why are so many that I have talked to who lived there telling me stories about how in the communist days they never asked whether you were Prostestant, Catholic or Orthodox when they met another closet Christian.  They were just so Glad to find another believer, they rejoiced.  I suspect that it is divided somewhat like Orthodox and Catholic are here.  The Orthodox Church has a dogma that other Christians aren't for real but in practice they love to compare ministries and jokes about 'church'. 
    Kiev is the ancient capital of Russia, so all Ukrainians swear that this is their true capital, both the Russian speakers and the Ukrainians.  But the eastern part of the country is full of coal mines and steel industry while the east is farming almost entirely.  This gives a cultural difference.
    The opposition parties have been led by mamby pamby populists who muffed their rule after the Orange Revolution in 2005.  The Regions party of Yanukovich and Russian interests was oppressive with kangaroo courts and KGB-like tactics.  Apparently a majority of the people want reform.  So the Regions party MPs voted to oust Yanky along with the opposition party folks a couple weeks ago.  This desire for modernism and not "Back to the Soviets" is evidently a strong desire.  If the Russians take over Crimea, they may have problems.  The minority Tartars are violent in culture and strongly opposed to being part of Russia, seeing Ukraine now as their best hope of their own country after centuries of Russian domination.  Look for guerilla warfare. 
   But I would also look for Putin to take what he wants, to try to extort Ukraine for a buffer state, and for Obama to not do jack spit.  Meanwhile the West is faced with  an enormous challenge of helping Ukraine put in place democratic institutions--fair and reliable courts, a somewhat balanced budget, IMF assistance, Western businesses.