The Moving of the Bronze Soldier and the Aftermath. Author: Sophia Wilson, Political Science Department, University of Washington

Abstract: The Orange Revolution of Ukraine and its consequent election crises have attracted lots of attention from the West. The question often addressed by the Western scholars and the media was whether these events have indeed changed the scope of Ukrainian politics pushing it toward democracy, or whether they have just secured a switch of the political elite. This paper analyzes the state of press freedom and religious liberties before the Orange Revolution of 2004 and compares it with the current condition (2007-2008). I argue that while the rights of journalists have indeed significantly transformed due to the public support, the freedoms of religious minorities have remained at a similar level reflecting popular distrust of these faiths. The analysis is based on the personal interviews with journalists and members of religious minorities and data collected during research fieldwork in Ukraine in January and February of 2008.