At one time it looked like Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn't going to touch this region, he believed that western territory is too toxic, too anti-Russian. He wanted this region to go to the devil.

Yaroslav Hrytsak

Yaroslav Hrytsak (Ukrainian: Ярослав Грицак, born January 1, 1960 in Dovhe, Stryi Raion) is a Ukrainian historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences and professor of the Ukrainian Catholic University. Director of the Institute for Historical Studies of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Guest professor (1996-2009) at Central European University in Budapest; First Vice-President (1999-2005) of the International Association of Ukrainians. Chief editor of the scientific journal "Ukraine Modern". Member of the editorial board of the journals Ab Imperio, Critique, Slavic Review, and a member of the supervisory board of Harvard Ukrainian Studies. Honorary Professor of NaUKMA.

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