The Moscow Times: Moscow No Match for Kiev - by Fyodor Lukyanov

Presidents Viktor Yushchenko and Vladimir Putin
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Moscow No Match for Kiev-by Fyodor Lukyanov

For Russians the current political imbroglio in Kiev was similar to the struggle for power that took place in Moscow in September and October 1993. On the outside, the two episodes look almost identical. In both cases, the heads of state lost patience with endless opposition from the parliament and opted to call for new elections.

But a focus on these impressive similarities is misleading. The current situation in Kiev differs fundamentally from the earlier events in Moscow.

The first difference is that Russia had just experienced a critical socio-economic crisis, so the struggle for power in Moscow played out amid a mix of potentially explosive political forces. Despite numerous problems, today's Ukraine is a developing state. The second is that there were almost no systemic avenues in place in the Russian system in 1993 by which different political groupings could pursue their interests.The current collision of political forces in Kiev is but the latest in a series of showdowns to determine the direction the country will take.