By Julia Piórko Bermig
As news of Russian war crimes and military aggression in Ukraine become daily news and yet another missile strikes Kyiv, understanding the EuroMaidan Revolution and the Annexation of Crimea is vital to shaping our understanding of the Ukrainian plight today. It shows us why the Russo-Ukrainian War has been waging on since February 2014 - not 2022.
In 2010, Ukrainians elected a pro-Kremlin President- Viktor Yanukovych. Ever since he took power, the economy and political landscape have deteriorated and tensions have risen.
In November 2013, he refused to sign the Association Agreement with The European Union, which would vastly progress longstanding ambitions of EU membership. Shortly after his refusal, he received a hefty loan from Moscow.
His decision sparked fierce protests, the largest being held in Kyiv's Independence Square (Ukrainian: Maidan Nezalezhnosti). Protests grew in scale and size, spreading to other cities.
The protests turned violent when on November 30th Ukrainian police in riot/military gear circled protesters, used tear gas, beat them up with batons, and kicked all who fell to the ground. The public demanded accountability.
On December 1st, protesters returned to the square and began occupying government facilities around Kyiv. All police attempts to stop dissent failed and caused further outrage at police brutality, and the movement grew. On December 8th up to 1 million people marched for the government’s resignation.
At first, demonstrators were advocating for European integration however, as police brutality and repression of peaceful protests increased, demands shifted: the people wanted an end to Yanukovych’s corruption, abuse of power, and police violence, ultimately demanding he resigns from his position.
On February 18-20 2014, riot police fired at crowds of peaceful unarmed protesters, killing around 100 civilians. This was the straw to break the camel’s back. On February 20th 2014, Parliament (including Yanukovych’s party) voted to condemn police violence against the demonstrators the same day.
Yanukovych fled the country, his government collapsed and parliament removed him from power.
Especially at this time, the legacy and importance of the Euromaidan revolution are clearer than ever. It was an irrefutable signal of the Ukrainian people’s desire to be an independent, sovereign, democratic and European nation. Ukrainian culture, history and heritage experienced a new revival.
On February 20th 2014, the same day that parliament voted to condemn violence against protesters, Russia began its deliberate armed attack to seize the Crimean Peninsula. Vladimir Putin had had meetings with senior security advisers regarding instability and loss of Russian Influence in Ukraine. “Little green men” (unmarked Russian troops) captured key sites around the peninsula on February 27 and seized control of the region's parliament. Later, they installed a pro-kremlin puppet government across Crimea led by Sergey Aksyonov and held a highly disputed sham referendum on the status of the territory. The Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was then adopted and Crimea was declared independent from Ukraine, subsequently becoming formally annexed by the Kremlin.
Ukraine had aligned itself with the EU and democracy during the EuroMaidan revolution - the annexation of Crimea was Putin’s response. When Ukrainian NATO membership became plausible this February, the Russian Armed Forces launched a full-scale invasion.
Works Cited
"The Crisis in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine." Encyclopedia Britannica,
Pifer, Steven. "Crimea: Six Years After Illegal Annexation." Brookings, 8 Mar. 2022, www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/03/17/crimea-six-years-after-illegal-annexation
Sobolieva, Alisa. "EuroMaidan Revolution." The Kyiv Independent, 24 Aug. 2022, kyivindependent.com/explaining-ukraine/euro-maidan-revolution.
"What Did Ukraine’s Revolution in 2014 Achieve?" The Economist, 16 Feb. 2022, www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/16/what-did-ukraines-revolution-in-2014-achieve.
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