At the heart of the crisis in Ukraine is the question of whether it would be better for that country to forge a future with the European Union or with Russia. The answer is very complex since Ukraine and Russia have a long history and many Ukrainian citizens have very close ties to Russia. But there is also a strong desire among many Ukrainians to build a future that has a more open political system, more promising economic opportunities, and a less oppressive and corrupt government with a better human rights record. Many believe that Russia's intention is to reassemble Eastern European countries into a 2014 version of the Iron Curtain. Ukraine is very important for Russia economically, militarily and historically. In recent months, Russia has taken extreme measures to protect its interests, whether through persuasion or brute force. Despite Russia's aggression, Ukraine should resist the step back into a dark alliance with Russia and take a new, freer direction by building a stronger alliance with the European Union. Before the Ukrainian crisis even began, Russia and Ukraine had a conflict that went down in history for over 1000 years. The relationship between these two countries has had its ups and downs, including the recent bloodshed in which several pro-Russian militants were killed by Ukrainian military forces. Clearly, the crisis is reaching a level of tension and violence not seen in decades. As the world debates the fate of Ukraine, one of the central questions seems to be: “While Ukraine has had close ties with Russia for centuries, why does Russia now feel justified in taking control of entire parts of Ukraine, like Crimea? " Again, it starts with the fact that these two co...... middle of paper ...... especially important for the Russian navy and merchant fleets. Russia today is using military force, positioning tanks and troops ready to invade at any time outside Ukrainian territory, to try to “convince” Ukraine to join them. Russia is also using its air force to patrol the surrounding areas and support the troops of land when necessary This is how tense the situation Ukraine is in right now (“Russia Battles”). It was also shown that Crimea's vote to join Russia, which was currently the first to vote to join Russia, it was a forced ballot that contained fake ballots and many duplicate votes. One journalist also claimed to have seen Russian troops patrolling the voting area and some voters leaving three or more ballots in the ballot box. (Smith, 1). This is clearly a fraudulent voting system and should be investigated by non-partisan or United Nations officials.