There have been numerous discussions of this on HN a few weeks ago. Basically, nobody is exactly a champion of freedom here, but some are way more evil than others:
The current government is heavily influenced by Russia. It is utterly corrupt and is trying to help Russia exert further influence over Ukraine the land and the people. There is no question in my mind that it should be let go. Given Yanukovych's track record, he should never have been elected or allowed to become president and there is very clear evidence that he is abusing his power for personal gain.
Now, the protesters are really two different people: there is the politicians who are trying to gain power and then there are the common people who are simply fed up with the corruption. IMO, at least some of the political figures involved in the opposition might be only slightly less corrupt than the current government. I have no idea what they'd really be like if they came into power but I have never seen an honest politician in Ukraine.
The people can be faulted, once again IMO, only for having a lack of vision. They want Yanukovych gone, but they don't know what real democracy feels like so they are not going to get much done beyond that. I don't believe them to cause the violence, so much as react to it.
Edit: My friend's opinion is that Yanukovych simply cannot give up the power. For him it's quite literally a matter of life and death; as in, if he no longer has the protection afforded to him by being the president, he, his family, and anyone who was affiliated with him will be in danger of coming to physical harm.
Sure. Yanukovych is playing for his own survival. It is important to remember that he is NOT doing anything for the people unless it helps him personally. If the Ukrainian people benefit, it's a side effect, but not a goal.
He is a puppet in that Putin has lots of influence on him personally and on the Ukrainian economy in general, but I suppose you could say that he has his own agenda: to steal as much money as possible as quickly as possible and not get killed in the process.
You sure know a lot about what happens inside Putin's or Yanukovich's head.. Are you their private psychologist, do you have crystall ball or you're just making this stuff up to push your agenda?
It's amazing what some understanding of history can do for you. In particular, it can confer the ability to make surprisingly accurate surmises regarding the behavior of public figures.
The current government is heavily influenced by Russia. It is utterly corrupt and is trying to help Russia exert further influence over Ukraine the land and the people. There is no question in my mind that it should be let go. Given Yanukovych's track record, he should never have been elected or allowed to become president and there is very clear evidence that he is abusing his power for personal gain.
Now, the protesters are really two different people: there is the politicians who are trying to gain power and then there are the common people who are simply fed up with the corruption. IMO, at least some of the political figures involved in the opposition might be only slightly less corrupt than the current government. I have no idea what they'd really be like if they came into power but I have never seen an honest politician in Ukraine.
The people can be faulted, once again IMO, only for having a lack of vision. They want Yanukovych gone, but they don't know what real democracy feels like so they are not going to get much done beyond that. I don't believe them to cause the violence, so much as react to it.
Edit: My friend's opinion is that Yanukovych simply cannot give up the power. For him it's quite literally a matter of life and death; as in, if he no longer has the protection afforded to him by being the president, he, his family, and anyone who was affiliated with him will be in danger of coming to physical harm.