Election in Ukraine has Russia worried
Daniel Sneider; Monday, October 18, 2004; San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9948241.htm?1c

“The fate of democracy in [Ukraine] will be at stake in its October 31 vote” for President, writes Daniel Sneider in his October 18 piece in the San Jose Mercury News. The election will determine whether Ukraine will pursue closer bonds with its old ally, Russia, or continue on its current path toward closer integration with NATO, the “Western” military alliance. In no uncertain terms, Russian President Putin declared to Russian-leaning candidate Viktor Yanukovych, “The future of relations depends on how Ukraine’s leadership will build its policy toward Russia,” widely interpreted to favor Yanukovych’s policies toward Russia. This new philosophy aligns with a freshly-emerging Russian perspective on geopolitics: one of “two Europes”, the EU, and a Russian-led “Euro-East.” However, Ukrainians do not yet seem to be convinced; according to polls, pro-Western reformer Viktor Yuschenko continues to hold a strong lead.
Says Sneider, “The West and the United States need to wake up to the critical nature of the Ukrainian election… Large numbers of international observers should be present for the vote, and exit polls should be taken to try to block a fix. And we need to be thinking what to do should Ukrainians take to the streets if their rights are denied.”