You're reading: Edmonton Journal: Current regime a setback for Ukraine

Twenty years ago, the Ukrainian parliament declared independence, following a failed putsch in Moscow. The dramatic move virtually guaranteed the end of the Soviet Union, as Mikhail Gorbachev admitted. It also raised hopes that the new state of 52 million people would emerge as a democratic and strong country through its strategic location in Central Europe. The late 1980s saw a cultural revival and a popular movement led by leading writers who spearheaded the move to independence. Catalyzed by the U.S.S.R.'s failure to respond to the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, it revisited "blank spots" of the past, such as the tragic famine of 1932-33 and Stalin's purges. Fuelled by activists from a plethora of informal associations - environmental, political and religious - it signalled real hope for Ukraine, a resource-rich country endowed with valuable agricultural land. The future seemed bright. Read full story here.