The College Fix

Andrij Tarasiuk is a 19-year-old Franklin & Marshall College freshman who, like many Americans, has watched with concern the news reports over recent armed standoffs and violent protests in Ukraine.

Yet for Tarasiuk, it’s not just another story about unrest in Europe. It’s the story of his family. His friends.

Tarasiuk’s grandparents and parents are Ukrainian, and they ultimately fled to America after World War II. Now, some in his immediate family have returned to Ukraine, to rally for freedom, to keep Ukraine free. They’ve seen firsthand what tyrants and oppressive regimes can do to humanity. They don’t want Mother Russia to take control of Kiev, to take control of Crimea, to take control of their country.

“The uprising should reinforce the true identity of the Ukrainian people: determined, hard-working, culturally enthused, and, above all free,” he told The College Fix. “On the long term, it should establish a precedent that the people should uphold, that is: Ukraine is a free country and its people are a free people, therefore its government should do all that it can to serve them.”

So why the uprising?

“There is simply too much Russian influence that has corrupted Ukraine’s government,” Tarasiuk said. “Obviously the people of Ukraine were unhappy with its government run by Viktor Yanukovich, so I’m happy to see Ukraine presented with an opportunity to separate from the Russian Federation.”

A few of Tarasiuk’s family and friends have flown to Ukraine to support the protestors and film a documentary. He said America should support Democracy there, too.

The United States “must monitor that Ukraine seizes its opportunity and develops independently from previously oppressive influences.”

As for Ukraine, so far there seems to be hope in some of the emerging parties, he said.

“I believe that the Klitchko ‘Udar’ party and the Yatseniuk parties provide the most potential for Ukraine’s future,” he said. “The former has established himself as an international boxer. Although his talent in the boxing ring does not reflect his ability as a politician aside from maybe perseverance and integrity, his political party is new and looking into the best ways to serve the people of Ukraine, the ultimate necessity of government.”

He also said Arseniy Yatseniuk is an experienced politician.

“Based on his resume and his history of involvement with Ukraine’s first attempts to gain true independence, Yatseniuk, knowing what has failed in the past, should prove to be the favorite candidate come the 2015 elections,” Tarasiuk said.

In the end, Tarasiuk added, he hopes the uprising reinforces “the true identity of the Ukrainian people,” and that its new government emulates America of old, the country after the Revolutionary War.

“Although the bloodshed was not nearly to scale, and Ukraine was and is an independent nation, Ukraine should strive to emulate the ideals of United States’ founding fathers in building an international identity,” he said, adding: “Slava Ukraini, Heroyem Slava! (Glory to Ukraine and its Heroes!)”

College Fix contributor Andrew Desiderio is a student at The George Washington University.

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