Under cloud of war, Ukraine set to vote for pro-Western future

Ukraine braced for decisive parliamentary elections Saturday against the backdrop of unrest in eastern regions roiled by conflict between government troops and pro-Russian separatist forces. Parliament is set to change completely in composition with the former ruling party of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted by a street revolt in February, set to disappear from the legislature. Parties expected to enter into parliament all broadly share a pro-Western line and are united in their calls to tackle rampant corruption and undertake root-and-branch economic reforms.

We are bringing new people into parliament. We are going to parliament to carry out radical reforms, to radically change the situation.

Radical Party leader Oleg Lyashko

Polls show a majority of Ukrainians support economic and democratic reforms — especially a crackdown on corruption — leading eventually to European Union membership. However, the optimism and energy of the revolution have been sucked out by Russia’s seizure of the Crimea region and a pro-Russian insurgency in the industrial Donbass region that has killed more than 3,700 people. With no military victory in sight, Ukrainians may face the same kind of frozen conflict severely weakening other ex-Soviet states, such as Georgia, that have tried to break free from Russia’s influence.