the maidan?> reporter: hannah hopka's life is changing too. she's now an elected official after deciding to run in last month's parliamentary elections. something she says people begged her to do. >> hannah, why you not running for parliament? you know in the transition period in the country if such people like you will not run, whom shall we trust? >> reporter: for generation maidan, the 23 years since independence from the old soviet union has been squandered. it might not come again. >> there's nobody else, when you turn who's that? it's us. what method is that you belong to this country. this is your country. this is your future, this is your independence. >> sheila macvicar, al jazeera, kiev. >> when we return, the president's move to end the immigration crisis and what some on the front lines see as the real source of the problem. >> along the border we have more to fear from the border patrol than we do from border-crossers. >> checkpoints and the communities that live with them, a report

forward from the maidan. >> >>:. >> hannah's life is changing.he is now an elected official after deciding to run in last month's parliamentary elections. something she says people begged her to do. >> hannah, why you not run for the parliament. you know in this transition period in the country, if such people like you do not, who do we trust: for generation maidan, 20 years of independence have been squandered. they have this chance. it may not come again. it's our job. when you turn and say who is that. it's us. what matters is it belongs to this country, your future, your independence. >>> ahead in the final segment, a monumental makeover, fixing the cracks at the top of the government. we explain that after the >>> tapping into a new word, vape. a verb. it's part of the oxford english dictionary. don't know what it is - it's port of the market for electronic cigarettes and is changing what it means to light up. here is christopher putzel. >> in february 2013 the unthink ag happened. for the first time in half a century an add for cigarettes a

to ukrainian held territory in search of functioning banks. >> the year has gone and the people of maidan has changed the government but for those of us here it means war and more war. >> the security is worse, and the financial situation is worrying everybody here. life has become hard. >> and hardship is far from restricted to this part of eastern ukraine. the economy as a whole is in serious situation. international aid stalled. already the optimism of the year ago is a world away. an attempt to recreate that spirit at least pay tribute to it. thousands gathering in indians square. wondering what will happen to their country in the course of the next year. harry fo fawcett, al jazeera, donetsk. >>> ali velshi and his series the new cold war. >> this is a familiar site for many living in eastern europe. in bulgaria's fifth largest city, ceremonies honoring red army soldiers, legacy with moscow. in fact, russia has ties to nearly every part of eastern europe. thanks to energy, economics, and a diaspora of russian speakers and ethnic enclaves who spread out across the region over centurie

they observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the hundreds of protesters who were killed in maidan square, the heart of the popular rumbled. >-- popular revolt. >> i ask for a moment of silence to remember those who gave their lives and the civilians who died. >> 341 of the 450 mps voted to reappoint arseniy yatsenyuk as the country's prime minister. the country reaffirmed its goal of stronger ties with the west possibly joining nato, keeping ukraine united. >> 100% are for a unified state and country. >> the constitutional majority of ukrainians see this as a single country. there will be no federalization. >> a few hundred kilometers away, near donetsk, fighting continues. pro-russian separatists and ukrainian soldiers are each trying to consolidate their position ahead of a long winter. despite the announcement of a cease-fire nearly 900 people have been killed in the eastern part of the country since september. >> now with christmas fast approaching, people across the world are getting in the mood, including in japan, where this chap was scuba diving. wishing everyone a merry c

the funds are still flowing at the spiritual center of ukraine's revolution, on the maidan. sentiments are shared by many ukrainians. they believe much has been won, and the new president, a new parliament, a new patriotism, but so many lives have been lost. they expect more sacrifices to come. al jazeera, kiev. >> russia is accusing the west of trying to topple it's government by imposing sanctions over that crisis in ukraine. foreign minister lavrov said that the measures are intended to damage russia's economy and to cause public protests. >> as for the concept behind the use of coercive measures the u.s. is making clear it does not want to change the policy of the russian federation, which in itself is an illusion. they want to change the regime. practically no one denies this. >> the prospect of a new cold war is having reverberations around the globe from ukraine to the arctic. russia plans to build 30 new bases there breathing new life to outposts left on ice during the collapse of the soviet union. ali velshi reports in norway's high arctic. >> three factors mart mos

this comes on the first anniversary of kiev's revolution, that's being marked in maidan square.eting ukraine's leaders today. among them, the prime minister there on the right. they're expected to discuss the collapse of a cease-fire in the east of the country. according to the u.n., nearly a thousand people have been killed since that cease-fire was declared in early september. >>> the south china seas have become one of the most disputed ocean territories in the world, with the islands known as the spratlys fast becoming a flash point. it's thought there could be huge reserves of hydrocarbons beneath what is already a busy shipping lane. it's rare that the leaders of either country open themselves up to questioning, but my colleague secured an interview with the philippines' president, and he began by asking about a meeting with his chinese counterpart in beijing last week. >> we had a few minutes conversation, but the message was really inspiring in a sense. first, there was the long-standing relationships between china and the philippines. and the emphasis of very good relat