the mighty political machine that epitomized blue Ukraineprimarily consisting of the Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine�experienced an unprecedented crisis. Not only was it deprived of its Crimea and Donbas electoral strongholds (which�accounted for about 15 percent of the Ukrainian electorate), it also faced a sudden loss of legitimacy and the exile of some of its leaders to Russia. The Party of Regions disintegrated in 2014, and the Communist Party of Ukraine was banned in 2015.
Both parties target the southeastern Ukrainian electorate with similar political platforms, proposing to restore peace and to ensure economic and social development. The main difference is their approach to Russia. The Opposition Platform is much more sympathetic to Moscow, explicitly proposing to resume partnership with Russia and to adopt a neutral status for Ukraine. Thus, while the Opposition Bloc could be defined as a “southeastern-minded” political party, the Opposition Platform is both “southeastern-minded” and “Russia-friendly.”
