Free Republic

KIEV, Ukraine — Understanding the depths of the crisis Ukraine faces today takes only a visit to historic St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. There, beneath distinctive blue and gold onion domes, as the cathedral’s patriarch prays for “calm and security for all Ukraine,” parishioners peel away to visit two donation boxes. Each box is labeled. One is “For the church” while the other is “To support our armed forces.” On a recent night, parishioners typically slid folded bills into each. Boxes urging support for Ukraine’s armed forces can be found seemingly everywhere: in shops, along Kiev’s Independence Square, or Maidan, and in...

KIEV, Ukraine—As the Kremlin began its invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea last month, a days-old government in Kiev turned to its military to stem the tide. There was an immediate problem: No car batteries for the military vehicles. With coffers empty, Ukraine's fledgling government appealed to the U.S. embassy for help. The embassy said it would take weeks to get assistance, so the government had to search—among its own people—to find a regional oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, to kick in the funds to buy them locally. According to a spokesman for the banking and oil products magnate, Mr. Kolomoisky...

In the wake of a March 16 referendum in which Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation, Ukrainian leaders refused to cede any part of the peninsula, calling on their troops to prepare for war. “Crimea was, is, and will be our territory,” said Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh in a statement delivered at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center on March 17. Former heavyweight boxing champion and leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform Vitali Klitschko announced that Ukrainian troops would remain at their bases, even after March 21, the end of a peace treaty signed by the interior ministries...

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy on your page in the social network Facebook wrote that according to the decision of the National Security Council military mobilization happening across Ukraine. "Just rang my assistants voyenkomatu with orders to arrive at 8:00 am as planned mobilization. According to the decision of the National Security Council mobilization happening across the country, "- wrote Parubiy. Recall, March 1, Federation Council supported the appeal Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to the introduction of the Russian Armed Forces in the Crimea. Acting President of Ukraine Turchynov said that...