Back when everyone was trying to wrap their heads around the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the change was still so new that it hadn't eliminated many of the restrictions of the totalitarian USSR while still kindling hopes that it would, I had the chance to visit Ukraine. It was a time when the dreams of a strong and independent confederacy were at their height, and I was part of a contingent of Western journalists invited by the Commonwealth of Independent States for a trip spanning six weeks and hopping from Kyiv to Moscow to St. Petersburg, all on the CIS's ruble. I saw so much during that time, much of it truly scary, including political corruption and organized crime that was integral to people's daily lives. Still, through the cracks in the facade, I came to understand at least a little of the nature of the ousted regime and a lot about the Ukrainian people.
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