When Iryna Balabukha came to Syracuse University to pursue a Ph.D. in family studies, she often found herself thinking about her family back in Ukraine.

Balabukha lived in Cherkasy, a major city about 2.5 hours southeast of Kiev, the country’s capital, for 21 years. In Kiev, 14 protesters were killed Tuesday, the single bloodiest day since demonstrations began.

For people in Kiev, chaos has become a part of the city. Independence Square, Kiev’s major city square, has become akin to Tahrir Square in Egypt or Taksim Square in Turkey. The standoff began on Nov. 21, when Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych backtracked on promises to have more open trading relations with members of the European Union. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians responded by protesting in the streets of Kiev.

Yanukovych met with leaders of several opposition parties on Wednesday, and they agreed to a truce and negotiations for ending the violence and stabilizing the country. On Thursday, European leaders were slated to discuss what action, if any, can be taken by the global community at a meeting in Brussels. The EU and its nations have been reluctant to pass sanctions.

Tuesday’s clashes with police raised the total death count for demonstrations to at least 26, and caused hundreds of hospitalizations and immeasurable physical damage to the city.

Balabukha’s family remains in the Cherkasy area as she pursues her studies at SU. She said her city’s national building was taken by the opposition, but was given up in a deal the next day. Still, her family has been fortunate to not witness as many violent clashes between protestors and the government as those who live in Kiev.

“They’re just having the life they had before the revolution. Businesses run the way they were,” she said. “In general, many people are just trying to live their lives. It’s less chaotic.”

Evhenia Viatchaninova, a 2013 graduate in public diplomacy from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, is a native of Ukraine. She said protesters and their supporters want more economic freedom to decide what is best for Ukraine. Protesters are calling for the president to sign the Ukraine EU Association Agreement, which would strengthen ties between Ukraine and the EU, and give the country more freedom in trading with other members of the EU.

“We’re not talking here about any close political associations with the EU, we’re not talking about entering the EU, it was not on the table by any means,” she said. “It is simply a free trade agreement.”

Brian Taylor, an associate professor of political science, said he is not surprised that Yanukovych didn’t sign the agreement. He said it would have brought on “somewhat costly economic reforms” that could have turned out to be politically disastrous for Yanukovych’s presidential bid next year, considering that not everyone in Ukraine supported the agreement.

“The underlying problem is that Ukrainian society is deeply split about how it feels about the EU, Russia, Yanukovych and the opposition,” he said.

Viatchaninova, who has participated in protests in America, said Kiev is in a state of emergency. The city and parts of the country have been experiencing what she calls an “informational blockade.” Television media, the most popular source of information for Ukrainians, is controlled by the state, who have been choosing to show “silly soap operas” rather than coverage of the protests, she said. Russian media also influences parts of Ukraine.

Before he and the opposition agreed to a truce, Yanukovych made many compromise attempts, but leaders of the opposition held a strong line against the government. Yanukovych, who has defended his position since outcries against him began, said he acted in order to avoid trade sanctions that have been threatened by Russia.

“Oppositional leaders neglected the main principle of democracy — the power is gained not on the streets or squares, but at the polls,” Yanukovych said Wednesday in a presidential press release. “These, so to speak, politicians tried to seize power without mandate of people, illegally, violating the Constitution of Ukraine, resorting to riots, arsons and murders.”

Insisting that he has never condoned the use of power against protest, Yanukovych accused the protesters’ actions of holding the country hostage and stalling true democratic progress. Each side — the government and the protesters — blame the other as instigators for the initial violence.

Given the magnitude of the protests, most of Ukraine has been enflamed in some sort of uprising, Viatchaninova said, but the severity differs from one protest to another. Still, she added, a quick progression of the protests was unexpected.

“I don’t know how (Yanukovych) has managed in just three years to arouse such a hatred against himself,” she said. “But he and his regime have managed to do so because prior to him, we just had crony capitalists.”

Balabukha said Kiev is one of the most volatile cities in the country because of its diversity. But when Balabukha was in Ukraine this past summer, she sensed “nothing in the air” — meaning unrest or anger toward the government — that might indicate it escalating to its current level.

“I didn’t expect it to be as violent as it is,” she said. “I did not expect it to arrive at the time that it did.”

Published on February 20, 2014 at 2:26 am