Ukraine's spreading protests are clearly tied to a modern dilemma: Should the country's allegiance lie with President Vladimir Putin's Moscow, or with the European Union? Yet a look back into its history and geography helps explain why that question is hardly new, and how the passions and upheaval of today stem from centuries of battles over Ukraine's precarious position between East and West.
National Geographic: How history, geography help explain Ukraine’s political crisis
Anti-government protesters clash with the police in the center of Ukrainian capital Kiev during the night on January 25, 2014. Violence broke out in Kiev again late Friday, with molotov cocktails flying in one direction and stun grenades in the other, but both sides stuck to their positions and the flare-up did not escalate into the running battles seen earlier in the week. AFP PHOTO/ SERGEI SUPINSKY
