Ukrainian Life and Society
Ukraine often seems to be changing at breakneck speed. In politics, we see drastic changes of economic and political courses in the space of a year. In the economy, we see rapid technological changes that many Ukrainians can scarcely keep up with. On the real estate market, property prices have quadrupled in six years. In this time, Kiev has transformed from a large, but quiet town with a spiritual side into a traffic-bound materialistic megapolis.
After the Orange Revolution — the first event in years that had portrayed Ukraine in a positive light internationally — Ukraine was no longer the backwater of Europe. Since then, despite near universal dismay at the Ukrainian government's post-revolution failures, Ukraine has remained in the public eye. What will happen to the country? Will it be engulfed by expanding Russian influence? Will it try again to break away from its Soviet past and embrace European values? Will it be torn apart by the cultural, linguistic, and political rift between the western and eastern halves of the country?
Throughout the thousands of sleepy villages of Ukraine, one would hardly guess that anything is happening in the nation at all. Ukraine remains a distinctly agrarian country, where politicians come from villages and babushki sell home-grown produce to city folk on the sidewalk. And doing business still often involves ceremonial drinking and comradery unseen in the West. Ukraine holds on to its traditional culture despite economic change and political inconstancy.
Articles on life in Ukraine
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