Ukraine’s Cultural Divide Deepened by Political Campaigns

The historical and cultural divide between East and West in Ukraine has been aggravated by political campaigns, say sociologists who urge politicians to instead promote unity.

People with Ukrainian flags make a human chain on the bridge across the Dnieper River to mark Sobornist Day, which commemorates the unification of Eastern and Western Ukraine in 1919, on Jan. 22, 2013. Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

KYIV, Ukraine—Electoral campaigns in Ukraine have deepened the cultural and historical divide that has long existed between the East and West in Ukraine, or more precisely the Northeast and Southwest.

“Although this difference existed on a latent level, this split gained acute forms as a result of the 2004 presidential election campaign,” said Andriy Bychenko, head of sociological research at the Razumkov Center, in a telephone interview. “And since then, every election worsens the situation.”