Eastern Ukraine votes in doubt and trepidation

Voting in Eastern Ukraine reveals a few more of the divisions in society. The young vote differently to the old, some miss the certainties of the past, and others resent the changes they see as being forced upon them.

No doubts for volunteer fighters of the Azov batallion in Mariupol, however. Among Kyiv’s strongest supporters, they voted early.

“Most of us are manning check-points now. The first group came here and voted, then they’ll change the guard of the forward defense and the long-range defense of the city,” said one man in uniform.

Not everyone there supports the government in Kyiv, but with the outskirts being shelled, everyone wants an end to the violence.

“I want peace, that’s what is important. And I want to stay in Ukraine. We remember Trans-Dniestera and the poverty there. People in Donetsk and Luhansk are isolated and can’t get their salaries,” said one woman.

Some, it seems, have given up on the political process altogether.

“I won’t take part in voting, I don’t b