Russia's War Against Ukraine
Sylvie Kauffmann: Ukraine’s activists are taking no chances
Given the circumstances, Hanna Hopko, a public health expert-turned-democratic activist, had ample reason to feel gloomy. Russia’s prime minister, Dmitri A. Medvedev, had just warned that her beloved Ukraine was “on the brink of civil war” — a slight exaggeration, but one that underscored the dangerous power struggle taking place in the east of the country. There, pro-Russian commandos had stormed local government buildings and police stations in several cities, while Moscow, after swallowing Crimea, was further unnerving the government in Kiev by concentrating 40,000 Russian troops near the border.