The document discusses the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia from the perspective of a dating coach who has witnessed divisions among her Russian and Ukrainian friends living abroad. When the Orange Revolution occurred in Ukraine in 2004, it divided opinions among those with ties to both countries. More recently, the events in Crimea in 2014 further divided views as the conflict escalated. However, among the author's social circle living in a western country, heated debates online eventually gave way to forgiveness and an agreement not to discuss politics in order to preserve friendships. The author believes that regular people in both countries wish for the conflict to end and prefer being allies, but propaganda has clouded opinions; however, among her Russian and Ukrainian friends living abroad, peace has been

1. Why Ukraine and Russia are fighting?
Some people in western countries may not even know why Ukraine and Russia have been
fighting over the past year, although this conflict has been going for a while and made
plenty of headlines. I try to stay away from politics (see below why) but I hope this view will
give you another angle on the issue.
When Orange Revolution took Ukraine by storm in November 2004, Elena's Models had an
office in Kiev, just streets away from the central city square, which became the arena of
protests against the results of Ukrainian election favouring a candidate promoting closer
ties with Russia.
Our representative in Kiev, Ukraine, took some pictures at the time, and I published an
article based on his comments. Our manager was Russian, his wife Ukrainian. Although his
original photos of demonstrations attracted a lot of hits and interest, my comments weren't
taken that well, and I guess rightfully, I am not a current affairs commentator. This is where
I promised to myself that I would never be commenting on any such subjects again. It's

2. better to be Switzerland and take no sides; as a dating site we are in the business of uniting
people and not separating them.
When another problem in Crimea surfaced in February 2014 right after the Winter Olympics
in Sochi, with pro-Russian protesters demanding unification with Russia, it brought Ukraine
into the focal point of news crews again.
Westerners, who usually called all of us, Russian-speaking girls living abroad, "Russian",
started to realize that some of us were in fact born in Russia, while others in Ukraine,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, and other countries of the former Soviet Union. But when we hung out
together, we spoke Russian.
With the conflict escalating over the following months, my local Russian-speaking girlfriends
got divided into groups based on their support of a certain political view, started heated
arguments through social networks, called each other names, and cut off online friendships
and connections — all within the space of a few days.
I found out about it at a birthday party of a mutual friend, when all the heated discussions
and name-calling were already over, and they had made up. Debatable themes were
officially banned, the old friends hugged each other, and decided to forgive and forget.
Please note that all these intense fights happened among us, girls living in a western
country, without any threat to our wellbeing or lifestyle whatsoever.
So, you can appreciate how strongly people living in Russia and Ukraine may feel about the
ongoing standoff. The general consensus among population of these states is that Russian
and Ukrainian nations are long-term allies and friends, two branches of the same Slavic
populace, and by no means enemies. Differences relate to historical territorial divisions and
annexations, and current governmental figures and claims, which the regular folk may not
even understand fully.
There is a lot of propaganda in both countries clouding people's opinions and views. Some
observers call it war and others bi-partisan fighting. You only know what you have been told
by media, unless you personally are in the epicentre of the events, and even then, you don't
have the complete knowledge. One thing I know for sure, the conflict has brought economic
hardship to both countries, with Ukrainian hryvnia and Russian rouble losing about 50% of
their value over 2014-2015, and the corresponding price hikes for food and consumer
goods.
You can explore in detail Russia-Ukraine relations through news outlets or other sources. It
is my feeling that regular people of both nations are tired of hostility and would prefer the

3. conflict to be over. Major websites where both Russians and Ukrainians participate in
discussions and forums took a similar approach to our friendship circle, banning
problematic topics and verbal fighting to ensure peace and long-term ability to operate.
What about us, Russian and Ukrainian girls living abroad, we have no problems with each
other, and no one is fighting or voicing opinions over these matters anymore.
 We still speak Russian in the group, and nobody has a problem with that.
 Ukrainian women who moved overseas recently speak Ukrainian to their kids and
Russian to us.
 Russian kids speak Russian and English, and Ukrainian kids speak Ukrainian, Russian,
and English.
 Most children prefer to communicate in English when they talk to each other.
So, here we are. Ukraine and Russia may be in a conflict but we ordinary people don't need
to fight and be part of it. As a hero of a popular Russian cartoon said, "Guys, let's be
friends."
About the author: Elena Petrova is a certified life coach writing for
http://blogs.elenasmodels.com about dating Russian and Ukrainian women.