The newly independent state faced formidable challenges. Would the Russophone east split from the European-looking west, or would Ukraine develop a national identity that took into account regional differences? Equally important, could Ukraine break the hold of its post-Soviet elite and create a viable democracy and market economy? Would Ukraine’s de jure independence become de facto independence?
OP-ED
John E. Herbst, Steven Pifer, William Taylor: Ukraine at 25
Twenty-five years ago, after seventy years of Soviet dominance and over three hundred years of rule by Russia, Ukraine declared its independence. This occurred after a national referendum in which over 90 percent of Ukraine's voters chose independence. Every part of the country, including Crimea - which at that time had a population that was over 60 percent ethnic Russian - chose independence by a majority vote.
