Russia and Ukraine

Abstract

This edition examines the first Duma elections carried out in Crimea in over a century and offers a perspective on the Kremlin’s view of Ukraine. Firstly, David Szakonyi details how, to no one’s surprise, United Russia dominated the recent Duma elections in Crimea, noting that lingering disaffection with the quality of its leadership could undermine its ability to carve out a durable hold over the new Crimean political landscape. Secondly, Taras Kuzio argues that the outlooks of the Kremlin and the Ukrainian people on the relationship between Russia and Ukraine have been diverging for a quarter of a century, as Ukrainians have sought to disentangle their history and national identity from that of the internationalist, Russian dominated “friendship of peoples”.