Kiev, Ukraine( CNN) The front-runners in Ukraine‘s presidential election were a chocolate magnate, an energy tycoon-turned-populist and a television comedian. That may sound like a charade headline, but Sunday's vote was serious business for a country at war.
The incumbent, President Petro Poroshenko, campaigned on his ability to play tough with Russia. In a statement this week on Twitter, Poroshenko cast Russian President Vladimir Putin as his main opponent.
“When asked who is my ally, with whom I am ready to unite and coordinate my actions, I answer: my ally is the Ukrainian people, ” he tweeted Tuesday. “Who is my opponent? I am not ashamed to say it openly — this opponent is Putin.”
