[Skybird]

I would really like to learn about latest, trustworthy data on how the Ukrainian people in total stand on the issue "EU or Russia". But trustworthy data in a situation like this? It's all propaganda now, both inside and outside the Ukraine, both in Russia and in the EU.

Yanukovich has Putin, the Ukrainian establishment, the oligarchs and all the apparatschiks on his side. That forms a very very strong side already.

I expect that in the major cities, the big cities, people by majority are pro EU, but that in the rural places the pro-Russian sentiment dominates. The majorty of the population I think lives here.

Historically, there also is a second split that needs to be recognised: the Western part of the Ukraine, which historically has been part of the Donau monarchy and of Poland, and the Eastern part with the coal industry centres where people strongly tend towards Russia.

I see no reason to alter my opinion so far that the majority of the Ukrainians still is pro-Russia. The media coverage here in Germany, I believe, is not giving a complete picture, but transports a distorted info on the strength of the two sides. If Yanukovich decides to play it really the hard way, I see little chance for the protest movement to win. He holds the trumps. The opposition - anything but really being united - only has its desire, its rage and its frustration.

Things could become interesting in the unlikely event that the workers in the coal mines in the East decide to rebel against Yanukovich. But as already said, traditionally these are very pro-Russian, so this scenario is something I do not really expect to happen. and even if they kick Yanukovich - this does not mean that they want join the EU. They could kick Yanu and still prefer to ally with Russia.

All this is the front facade of the show only. The real strings are pulled by the oligarchs, and the Kremlin. In the end, even Yanukovich is just an expendable puppet.