Some 1500 Ukrainian communists demonstrated against the pro-Western policies of President Viktor Yushchenko – including his desire to join NATO – in the Russian-speaking, Eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk today. Russian media reported that demonstrators installed a collection box in front of regional administration buildings to gather money “to send the president and his family to America,” next to a mock airplane with a slogan reading “Yushchenko, pack your bags for America!”

“We must not be afraid of repression, as the starving and ailing nation has nothing to be afraid of already,” said Mykola Kravchenko, the leader of the Communist Party’s Donetsk branch.

Although Ukraine’s bid to join NATO was derailed last year, the issue has become a focal point for how American foreign policy should engage with Russia. While many analysts condone NATO’s expansion as a countermeasure against Russian aggression, a growing number of voices of all political inclinations seem to think just the opposite.