If anyone watched the news last year, I'm sure they heard about Ukraine and Russia. This is not the first time that these two countries have been in the news. According to a recent article on Ukrainian history published by BBC News, Ukraine is a relatively new country. Ukraine was part of Russia until late 1991, when Ukraine voted to become independent from Russia (“Ukraine Profile – Timeline”). This separation from Russia made Ukraine the second largest country in all of Europe (“Ukraine Profile – Overview”). Ukraine and Russia have had some disagreements since their split in 1991, but they have gotten along quite well since signing a friendship treaty in 1997 (“Ukraine Profile – Timeline”). Given the ties that exist between Russia and Ukraine, it is not surprising to hear their names together in the news again. The current crisis in Ukraine began towards the end of 2013. In an article by the Al Jazeera news agency, the author claims that the crisis began when Viktor Yanukovych, then President of Ukraine, abandoned a trade deal with the European Union (“Chronology: that of Ukraine”). According to Reuters, Yanukovych accepted a $15 million bailout from Russia after abandoning the deal with the European Union ("Timeline: Political Crisis"). This decision by Yanukovych was very unpopular with Ukrainian citizens. Protesters began gathering in kyiv, Ukraine's capital, as soon as news of the trade deal was released. Three days later, around 100,000 protesters gathered on Independence Square in kyiv, in the center of the capital (“Timeline: Political Crisis”). As the unrest continued to escalate, riot police began to intervene using tear gas to disperse the protests ("Timeline: Political Crisis")...... middle of log..... . February 6, 2014. Web. April 15, 2014 “Putin defends the legality of the vote in Crimea to Cameron and Merkel”. St. Petersburg Times. 1801(9). (March 12, 2014). Internet. March 17, 2014Smith-Spark, Laura. “Biden on Ukraine: “You will not travel this road alone. » » CNN. Cable News Network. April 22, 2014. The web. April 22, 2014 Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle. "Crimea prepares to join Russia". St. Petersburg Times. 1800 (8). (March 5, 2014). Internet. March 19, 2014. “Timeline: political crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s occupation of Crimea.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters. March 8, 2014. The web. April 16, 2014 “Timeline: the political crisis in Ukraine”. ALJAZEERA. Al Jazeera News Agency. April 12, 2014. The web. April 16, 2014 “Ukraine Profile – Overview”. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. March 11, 2014. The web. April 10, 2014 “Profile of Ukraine – Timeline”. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. March 20, 2014. The web. April 10. 2014