You're reading: CBC News: Divided Ukraine roiled by protest, love-hate with Mother Russia

For the past two decades, Ukraine has been torn between competing impulses. 

Should it preserve its historical connections with Mother Russia to the East or seek greater economic ties — and possibly full membership — with the European Union in the West?

Three weeks ago, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych renounced the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia, a move that led to roiling street protests and a feeling among many Ukrainians and foreign observers alike that the country is headed down a precarious path.

“This is the beginning of the end, in my view, of an independent, stable Ukraine,” says Stephen Larrabee, the Washington-based distinguished chair in European security for the Rand Corporation. 

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