Euromaidan. Ukraine's Dignity Revolution of 2013-2014
Serge Shevchenko
Excerpt from the brochure "Ukraine 2014. Challenges and trials. Experiences of overcoming post-imperial colonisation
Initially, the events on the Maidan in the winter of 2013 appeared to be a political manipulation by opposition parliamentary parties in the run-up to the elections, as has often happened in Ukraine.
The leaders and organisers of the protests were well-known politicians from the Impact, Solidarity and Fatherland parties, including Volodymyr Klitschko, Arseniy Yatseniuk, Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko. These politicians were once involved in corruption scandals due to their links with the oligarchs of the Party of Regions, and they did not remotely resemble incorruptible revolutionaries. They were hard to trust. Therefore, I did not have high expectations and I thought that the pro-Euro-integration rallies would fizzle out by January 2014. But many activists from radical Ukrainian organisations got involved in the protests and many self-organising initiatives emerged among ordinary people. Thanks to them, the protests became radicalised and escalated into street battles with the policemen guarding the government quarter. It all started with the police trying to disperse the protesters by force. Bloody clashes broke out with casualties on both sides. Among the Maidan, the "Hundred of Heaven", and among the anti-Maidan, who later became separatists, the dead militiamen and Berkut hit squads were honoured.
The situation on the Maidan was changing rapidly, and the mood was becoming increasingly revolutionary. Yanukovych's power was falling, as was the influence of the Party of Regions, which for years had been the "party of power".
But that's all in a nutshell:
Euromaidan is the name given to a series of protests that began in Ukraine in November 2013 and
continued until February 2014. These events marked a decisive moment in Ukraine's history, triggering significant changes in the political, social and economic life of the country.
Euromaidan is the political revolution that led to the formation of a modern Ukrainian nation and the overcoming of dependence on colonial imperial Russia. It is also known as the Revolution of Dignity.
Causes of Euromaidan
The main trigger for the protests was the government of Mikhail Azarov and President Viktor
Yanukovych's decision to slow down preparations for the Association Agreement with the European Union. The majority of Ukrainians were keen on Euro-integration, which they saw as a step towards democratic reforms and a better economic future.
Mass dissatisfaction with Yanukovych's government, which many saw as corrupt, usurping and out of touch with the people.
The protests symbolised Ukraine's desire to assert its independence from Russian influence and
move closer to European values such as freedom, democracy and human rights.
The economic situation in the country was difficult, the standard of living had fallen, which reinforced social
dissatisfaction.
The sequence of events:
21 November 2013: Start of protests following the government's announcement of euro integration
pause.
30 November 2013: Violent dispersal of peaceful student demonstrations in Independence
Maidan. This was the turning point that led to the mass protests.
January-February 2014: Escalation of conflict, adoption of "dictatorial laws", confrontations
between protesters and the thugs.
20 February 2014: Bloody events on Instituto Street, where over 100 protesters (later nicknamed the "Hundred of Heaven") were killed.
22 February 2014: Viktor Yanukovych has fled the country and the Verkhovna Rada has declared that he has arbitrarily resigned from office.
The events in Kyiv led to a series of important political changes: the ousting of President Yanukovych, the formation of a new government focused on European reforms, and the election of Petro Poroshenko as Ukraine's new President (May 2014).
Unfortunately, Euromaidan, as could have been expected, triggered events that would test the Ukrainian people for the next ten years, such as the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. Russia reacted to the change of power in Ukraine by occupying Crimea (February-March 2014) and starting a war in the east of the country. The conflict killed thousands and made millions more refugees.
The decisive achievement of Euromaidan was the strengthening of Euro-integration.
In 2014, Ukraine signed an Association Agreement with the EU, and in 2017, Ukrainians were granted visa-free travel to the European Union.
Reforms and civic engagement.
Euromaidam has become a platform for anti-corruption reforms, law enforcement reform, decentralisation
catalytic converter. Civic engagement increased and a volunteer movement was created.
International relations.
The rapprochement with Europe and the US, the deterioration of relations with Russia, leading to open armed
conflict.
Euromaidan has become a symbol of the Ukrainian people's struggle for freedom, human rights and a democratic future
symbol. Although its consequences were mixed and painful, it became the basis for
changes that continue to affect Ukraine's development.
There will be more
Prepared in the framework of the project "Sharing the Experience of Resistance of Ukrainian Citizens in the Occupied Territories with Lithuanians", partly financed by the Ministry of National Defence.
