There have been many questions as to what led to massive protests in Ukraine, escalation of the conflict and eventual bloodshed followed by the appointment of the new interim government and the increased presence of the Russian military in southern Ukraine. The timeline below may be instrumental in helping you make up your own mind as to what happened and why.
March 2010. After meeting with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, Viktor Yanukovych declared that Ukraine will embark upon a course of European integration. Since then, Ukraine undertook a comprehensive plan focused on transitioning to European standards across all sectors – political, economic, and social.
November 21, 2013. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine postponed the process of preparation for signing an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU was put on hold in the “interest of national security”.
On the evening of November 21, 2013 people poured into the streets of downtown Kyiv and gathered on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, to rally in support of European integration.
November 25, 2013. During a press conference Viktor Yanukovych said that he admired citizens for their civic position. “How to react? It’s a peaceful demonstration. Yes, please…Anything, which is not forbidden by the law of Ukraine. We’re used to it…I applaud those who came out to support European integration,” he commented.
November 27, 2013. Viktor Yanukovych stated that Ukraine should receive a development plan for creating a stabilization fund after signing the Association Agreement with the EU. “According to different estimates at least EUR 20 billion is needed yearly. Overall EUR 160 billion is needed until 2017,” he said.
November 29, 2013. In Vilnius agreements between the EU and Eastern Partnership countries were signed; however, the key treaty – the Association Agreement with Ukraine – was not signed.
04:15 a.m., November 30, 2013. Special riot police unit “Berkut” violently dispersed people at Maidan Nezalezhnosti who were protesting against the decision of the authorities to put on hold negotiations with the European Union. Witnesses said that young people, including women, who were peacefully protesting through the night, were beaten with truncheons and dragged away. As a result more than 50 people were injured. The authorities justified their actions by saying they were being prevented from installing a Christmas tree for the upcoming New Year festivities.
December 1, 2013. Kyiv gathered for the first Viche, or civic gathering. (Thereafter they have been held every Sunday at midday). The participants were outraged by the cruelty of the police toward the peaceful and unarmed demonstrators and demanded the dismissal of the Cabinet of Ministers and an investigation into the events of November 30 2013. According to various data sources, anywhere from 700,000 to 1.5 million people were in the center of Kyiv that day.
The night of December 10 to 11, 2013. “Berkut” with the support of internal troops officers tried to clear Khreshchatyk Street and Maidan Nezalezhnosti. According to different estimates, several thousand “law enforcement officers” took part in the attack. The traffic police units and trucks blocked the roads to the city center. Despite that, by 5 a.m. more than 15,000 Kyivers, who were woken by church bells ringing to signal an emergency, came to defend the Maidan.
December 20, 2013. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Victor Pshonka stated that according to the results of the investigation, demonstrators themselves were to blame in the November 30 crackdown by “Berkut”, because they stood in the way of the Christmas tree installation and resisted the representatives of the law enforcement authorities.
The authorities didn’t hear people on the Maidan. Despite the sub-zero temperatures and provocations from the officials’ side, people continued to demand change.
January 16, 2014. Adoption of the “Dictatorship Laws”, including the right to block websites, punishment for setting up tents and sound equipment for demonstrations, the prohibition of wearing helmets during demonstrations, and a requirement to re-register organizations which receive funding from abroad.
Soon thereafter, arson attacks on vehicles and assaults of participants began. Several thousand so-called “titushki”, or hired thugs, arrived in Kyiv. They began to attack people and tried to provoke violence which was suppressed by Maidan self-defense units.
January 19, 2014. The situation escalated. Around 3 p.m., after the weekly Viche, several hundred people tried to get to the building of Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) through the roadblocks of police units on Hrushevskoho Street, near the “Dynamo” stadium named after Valeriy Lobanovskiy. “Berkut” responded with stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and water guns. (The usage of water guns in subzero temperatures is strictly forbidden by international conventions).
January 22, 2014. Confrontations on Hrushevskoho Street unfolded again. According to official data, three protesters died that day. Armenian Serhiy Nigoyan and Belarusian Mikhail Zhyznevskiy were killed by firearms on Hrushevskoho Street. Yuriy Verbitskiy was found dead in a forest, where he was taken by the unknown assailants.
As a result of confrontations, according to Maidan medical service, more than 90 people were injured. Typical injuries included rubber bullet wounds, shrapnel facial wounds and chemical burns.
February 18th, 2014. Confrontations between Euromaidan activists and law enforcement units resumed in the center of Kyiv on the day, when the session of Ukraine’s Parliament was held.
The authorities responded with stun grenades, started beating up activists and using firearms. By the evening “Berkut” and internal troops forced the protesters back to the Maidan Nezalezhnosti.
February 20, 2014. In the morning, during the escalated conflict between the parties more than 90 people got killed; most of them got shot by the snipers. Ukraine’s opposition convened an extraordinary session of the parliament. Members of parliament made a decision to recall all law enforcement officers from Kyiv.
February 21st, 2014. After hours-long negotiations between the authorities and opposition parties with European and Russian officials, the participants announced the signing of a compromise agreement which provided returning to the Constitution of 2004, the formation of a new government and holding early presidential elections no later than December 2014.
February 22, 2014. The Parliament of Ukraine adopted a rule “of dissociation of the president from performance of his constitutional duties and of holding early elections of the president of Ukraine” on the 25th of May 2014. On the next day the presidential duties were entrusted to the speaker of the parliament Oleksandr Turchynov.
On the night of February 22nd, 2014. President Yanukovych suddenly fled the capital.
February 27th, 2014. The Parliament of Ukraine appointed the leader of “Batkivshchyna” (“Fatherland”) party Arseniy Yatsenyuk as Prime Minister. The unprecedented number of the members of the parliament, 371, voted for the resolution №4302.
By the end of February a sudden buildup of Russian military forces within Ukraine became evident. In Crimea, Russian troops attempted to take over Ukrainian military bases, ships and frontier posts. The Russian Federation denied that these troops belonged to the Russian army, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
