The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page A24

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Reward that you can use on all merchandise. No exclusions. OR 59 99 Sizes 6-10M. New teakwoodnavyroseturquoise rangala, an Iowa State niversity senior chem- i stry major from Kiev. He saw people laying ead bodies on the rotest leaders and beleaguered resident agreed Friday form a new govern- ent and hold an early lection, a compromise hat could begin to mend he divide.

ut many protesters old the Associated Press hat the deal go far nough, spawning doubts a bout whether it can be estored. developments ollowed an escalating onths-long standoff ver future. attles this week bet ween anti-government rotesters and police in iot gear left scores dead a nd hundreds wounded in he worst violence the ountry has seen since it ecame independent in 1 991. hrough it all, Iowans ith ties to the country atched in horror as raphic images rolled in. just aid Viktoriya Zilber- ints.

ilbermints, whose aughter, Regina, is a egister reporter, lived in a apartment close to In- ependence Square be- ore immigrating to West es Moines 20 years ago. he described it as the imes Square of Kiev, a athering place for all ajor celebrations and olidays. Seeing it all in she said, eally leksandr Zhylyev- kyy, an assistant profess or of economics at Iowa tate University, grew up i Ukraine and lived for ix years in Kiev during is studies. A classmate of his, an a ctivist, was recently kid- apped while helping an- ther protester who was i njured, he said. a he aid.

he current conflict egan when President iktor Yanukovych aban- oned closer ties with urope in favor of a bail- ut deal with Russia, longtime ruler. kraine, a nation of 46 illion, has divided loyal- ies between Russia and he West. I general, its western egions want to be closer the European Union, a nd many cities have re- ected au- hority, while eastern Uk- aine favors closer ties ith Russia. Ukraine has never een one said Olga parks, an Odessa native ho lives in Waukee and uns a translation service oth here and in Kiev. Now the divide is deep- ning, and I hate I the agreement an- ounced Friday, Parlia- ent slashed the powers Yanukovych and voted free his rival, former rime Minister Yulia Tym oshenko, from prison.

ut Jeff Link of Link trategies, a Des Moines irm that consulted on Tym 2009 presi- ential campaign, thinks i too early to be optimist ic. What we learned hen we were doing fo- us groups around the ountry is that people in kraine have great dis- rust of their govern- ent, and their govern- ent gives them a great eason to have ink said. idea that anukovych is going to egotiate with an opposi- ion leader and go- i ng to resolve this, I think i does not have a terrific hance of icki Claypool, a pro- essor of political science a the University of Iowa, aid the way forward for kraine is in the hands of he European Union. The European Union as to be more accommo- ative in the sense of not eing quite as critical of political sys- em and economy, and all owing it to ascend to Claypool aid. membership ould become a more like- prospect, then Ukraine ould not be forced to re- as heavily as it does on rade with he other factor for inding common ground, laypool said, is that Uk- ainian leaders must rec- gnize that part of its cons tituency has European a spirations.

So far, Yanukovych as turned his back on she said. i gnore those or the Russian minor- i ty of Ukrainian citizens, ike the parents of Marina aloznaya, a University Iowa sociology profess or, the current situation rings a mix of feelings. parents oted for Yanukovych in opes of recognition of ussian as an official lan- uage, and felt by the activ- i sts. But as the protests rew, they have become upporters. In their words, this is longer just about the ast vs.

West tensions in he Zaloznaya aid. it is about eople standing up a gainst the corrupt gov- rnment that repeatedly a buses the rights and reedoms of its oman Serebryakov, a raphic designer in Altoon said his family in outhern Ukraine is prep aring for civil war. People are in line at he grocery store and uying gas for the cars, ecause they are expect- i ng something to said. erebryakov almost ave up his student visa to eturn to Ukraine and join is friends in Independ- nce Square. But the hreat of being arrested, i njured or worse kept him ere.

very he aid. get the freshest ews I can get, but a lso the saddest news, be- ause it seems like a lot of eople are getting hurt or no reason. been rying to stay away from i because I started get- ing depressed, because not a lot I can hindurangala, the I SU student from Kiev, is oing what she can from A mes. She is planning to istribute ribbons on ampus next week to aise awareness about the light of the protesters, ho include her parents. extremely wor- she said.

I now that everything is oing to be fine, because he people have never een this united. I feel ike we will be a great ountry after the presi- ent is gone and this is The Associated Press ontributed to this story. UKRAINE Continued from Page 1A WHAT IS THE CONFLICT ABOUT? Ukraine is a country ivided between East and West. The Russian-speaking, astern part of the nation of 46 million people generally favors economic and olitical ties with Russia, while protesters in the capital and Ukrainians peaking western cities want to move closer to the European Union. he current conflict began in November, when President Viktor Yanuko- ych backed out of signing an agreement with the uropean Union that would have brought the economy closer in line with European standards.

After iolent protests resulted in scores of deaths, the government and the opposi- ion signed an agreement on Friday for an early election, a new constitu- ion and a new unity government. If it holds, the ambit ious agreement could be a major breakthrough in the months-long crisis over kraine's future. But it is unclear whether it will succeed in providing a table government that can heal the rifts and improve the economy. Press Awoman places a flower on Friday near the site in central Kiev where an a nti-government protester was killed during clashes with police. IMAGES DESIGN COPY FILE NAME: ARTIST: Kelli COPY DESK: COLOR: YES NO ASSOCIATED PRESS m01XXgraphic RUSSIA Kiev Winter Olympics in Sochi Protests in Ukraine.