Революция достоинства

Эта статья об украинской революции 2014 года. Чтобы узнать о других значениях, см. Революция достоинства (значения) .

Революция достоинства
Часть Евромайдана
Top: Protesters fighting government forces on Independence Square on 18 February 2014. Внизу: Площадь Независимости 23 февраля.
Date	18–23 February 2014 (5 days)
Location	Ukraine (mainly in Kyiv)
Goals	Removal of President Viktor Yanukovych Restoration of the 2004 amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine
Methods	Protesting, rioting, civil disobedience, insurrection
Resulted in	Euromaidan / opposition victory show Full results President Yanukovych overthrown; Yanukovych becomes a fugitive and flees to Russia Restoration of the 2004 amendments to Constitution of Ukraine Interim government formed Pro-Russian, anti-revolutionary unrest in southern and eastern Ukraine, leading to the Russo-Ukrainian War Yulia Tymoshenko released from prison 50 persons, including top officials, charged with organizing the killing of protesters Berkut special police dissolved Nationwide destruction of Soviet monuments
Parties
Maidan People's Union Anti-government civilian protesters Parliamentary opposition parties Defected police officers Government of Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs Berkut Militsiya Internal Troops Security Service Alpha Group Titushky Supported by: Russia
Lead figures
Arseniy Yatsenyuk Vitali Klitschko Oleh Tyahnybok Petro Poroshenko Yuriy Lutsenko Oleksandr Turchynov Yulia Tymoshenko Andriy Parubiy Andriy Sadovyi Arsen Avakov Dmytro Yarosh Ruslana Viktor Yanukovych Serhiy Arbuzov Vitaliy Zakharchenko Oleksandr Yefremov Andriy Klyuyev Hennadiy Kernes Mikhail Dobkin Viktor Pshonka Olena Lukash Yuriy Boyko Leonid Kozhara Dmytro Tabachnyk
Number
Kyiv: 400,000–800,000 protesters 12,000 "self-defense sotnia" Elsewhere in Ukraine: 50,000 (Lviv) 20,000 (Cherkasy) 10,000+ (Ternopil) other cities and towns Law enforcement in Kyiv: 4,000 Berkut 1,000 Internal Troops 3,000–4,000 titushky Pro-government/anti-EU demonstrations: 20,000–60,000 (Kyiv) 40,000 (Kharkiv) 15,000 (Donetsk) 10,000 (Simferopol) 2,500 pro-Russia (Sevastopol)
Casualties and losses
Deaths: 108 (January–February) Injured: 1,100+ Arrested: 77 Deaths: 13 Injured: 272 Captured: 67
Overall deaths: 121 Overall injuries: 1,811

Революция достоинства ( украинский : Революция гідності , латинизированная : Революция хидности ), также известная как Революция Майдана или Украинская революция , состоялся в Украине в феврале 2014 года. в конце протестов Евромайдана , когда смертельные столкновения между протестующими и государственными силами в столице Киеве завершились свержением президента Виктора Януковича , возвратом к Конституции Украины 2004 года и началом российско-украинской войны 2014 года .

В ноябре 2013 года волна крупномасштабных протестов, известная как «Евромайдан», началась в ответ на решение президента Януковича не подписывать соглашение о политической ассоциации и свободной торговле с Европейским Союзом (ЕС), вместо этого выбрав более тесные связи с Россией . Евромайдан вскоре превратился в крупнейшее демократическое массовое движение в Европе с 1989 года. Ранее в том же году Верховная Рада (украинский парламент) подавляющим большинством голосов одобрила завершение соглашения; Russia had pressured Ukraine to reject it. The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government. Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption and abuse of power, the influence of Russia and oligarchs, police brutality, human rights violations, and repressive anti-protest laws.

A large, barricaded protest camp occupied Independence Square in central Kyiv throughout the 'Maidan Uprising'. In January and February 2014, clashes between protesters and Berkut special riot police resulted in the deaths of 108 protesters and 13 police officers, and the wounding of many others. The first protesters were killed in fierce clashes with police on Hrushevsky Street on 19–22 January. Following this, protesters occupied government buildings throughout the country, and the Azarov government resigned. The deadliest clashes were on 18–20 February, which saw the most severe violence in Ukraine since it regained independence. Thousands of protesters advanced towards parliament, led by activists with shields and helmets, who were fired on by police snipers.

On 21 February, Yanukovych and the parliamentary opposition signed an agreement to bring about an interim unity government, constitutional reforms and early elections. Police abandoned central Kyiv that afternoon and the protesters took control. Yanukovych fled the city that evening. The next day, 22 February, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Yanukovych from office by 328 to 0 (about 73% of the parliament's 450 members). Yanukovych claimed this vote was illegal and asked Russia for help. Russian propaganda described the events as a "coup".

Pro-Russian, counter-revolutionary protests erupted in southern and eastern Ukraine. Russia occupied and then annexed Crimea, while armed pro-Russian separatists seized government buildings and proclaimed the independent states of Donetsk and Luhansk, sparking the Donbas war.

The Ukrainian parliament restored the 2004 amendments to the Ukrainian constitution. An interim government, led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, signed the EU association agreement and disbanded the Berkut. Petro Poroshenko became president after winning the 2014 presidential elections. The new government began a removal of civil servants associated with the overthrown regime. There was also widespread decommunization and de-Sovietization of the country.

Prelude

Euromaidan protesters in Kyiv, December 2013

Main article: Euromaidan

Successive Ukrainian governments in the 2000s sought a closer relationship with the European Union (EU). The government of President Viktor Yanukovych had been negotiating an association agreement with the European Union since 2012. Such a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU would have impacted Ukraine's trade agreements with Russia, the latter being Ukraine's biggest trade partner at the time. Yanukovych believed that the complications could be addressed, and he said that he intended to enter the agreement, but continued to postpone. This was interpreted as an attempt to back out of signing this agreement, and led to a wave of protests which came to be known as the "Euromaidan" movement.

Protests originally erupted in November 2013 after Yanukovych refused to sign the association agreement with the EU at a meeting of the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius, Lithuania, choosing closer ties with Russia instead. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had asked for €20 billion (US$27 billion) in loans and aid. The EU was willing to offer €610 million ($838 million) in loans, but Russia was willing to offer $15 billion, as well as cheaper gas prices. In addition, the EU demanded major changes to Ukraine's regulations and laws, but Russia did not stipulate regulatory or legal adjustment of such nature or scale. Russia also applied economic pressure on Ukraine and launched a propaganda campaign against the EU deal.

Yanukovych's decision meant the country was turning towards the Russia-proposed Eurasian Economic Union, which was more popular in Ukraine's East. Western-oriented Ukrainians went to the Maidan square to protest against the turn. The rallies were initially peaceful but became violent in January 2014 after parliament, dominated by Yanukovych's supporters, passed laws intended to repress the protests. The European Union and the United States urged Yanukovych to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict and said they would impose sanctions on government officials if they were found responsible for violence.

In mid-February, an amnesty agreement was made with protesters under which they would be spared criminal charges in exchange for leaving occupied buildings. The demonstrators vacated all occupied Regional State Administration buildings, and activists in Kyiv left the Hrushevskoho Street standoff; Kyiv's City Hall was also released back to government control on 16 February. All those previously jailed for taking part in protests were scheduled to be released after 17 February.

On 14 February, Yanukovych said: "I want to say that I was incited, and I'm incited to use various methods and ways how to settle the situation, but I want to say I don't want to be at war. I don't want any decisions made using such a radical way." He called on all politicians to refrain from radicalism and to understand that "there is a line that shouldn't be crossed, and this line is law".

Overview

The protest camp on Independence Square in February 2014

Protesters at a rally on Independence Square, 19 January 2014

The protests that began on the night of 21 November 2013 in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv were still ongoing by mid-February 2014.

A period of relative calm in the anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv ended abruptly on 18 February 2014, when deadly clashes broke out between protesters and riot police (known as the Berkut militsiya). At least 82 people were killed over the next two days, including 13 policemen. More than 1,100 people were injured.

On 18 February, some 20,000 Maidan protesters marched from Independence Square towards the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) in support of restoring the 2004 Constitution, which had been repealed by the Constitutional Court after Yanukovych was elected president. The Berkut blocked their path. The confrontation turned violent. BBC correspondents reported that each side blamed the other. The security forces fired guns, including automatic weapons and sniper rifles, loaded with both rubber bullets and, later, live ammunition, while also using tear gas and flash grenades to repel thousands of demonstrators. The protesters fought with rocks and bats, Molotov cocktails, and firearms, and broke into Party of Regions headquarters. Eleven protesters were killed or fatally wounded; three were shot dead by police, eight died of other injuries. Four police officers were also shot and killed.

On the evening on 18 February and into the early hours of 19 February, the security forces launched an operation to clear Independence Square, and stormed the main protest camp. Clashes broke out, resulting in the deaths of seventeen protesters and five riot police. Most of the protesters were shot dead by police. Two others died when riot police set the Trade Unions Building on fire, which served as the Maidan headquarters. Another protester and a journalist were killed by titushky (government loyalists). The five police officers died from gunshot wounds. Political commentators suggested that Ukraine was on the brink of a civil war. Some areas, including Lviv Oblast, declared themselves politically independent of the central government.

In protest at the deaths of civilians, Maidan activists began occupying regional state administration (RSA) buildings.

On 19 February, the security forces set up checkpoints and announced restrictions on public transport and school closures in Kyiv, which the media referred to as a de facto state of emergency.

On 20 February, Internal Affairs Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko announced that he had authorised the use of live ammunition against protesters. On the morning of 20 February, riot police massed at the edge of Independence Square. Clashes broke out, and two Berkut officers were shot dead. At around 9am, protesters tried to push the Berkut away from the Maidan and back up Instytutska Street. The Berkut fired indiscriminately on the protesters from ground level, while snipers fired on protesters from above. By midday, 48 protesters had been shot dead on Instytutska Street, as had two other Berkut officers. In response, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament (equivalent to the office of speaker in other countries' parliaments), Volodymyr Rybak, announced the next day that he had signed a parliamentary decree condemning the use of force and urging all institutions such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cease immediately all military actions against protesters. Parliament also suspended Zakharchenko from his duties.

On 21 February, President Yanukovych signed an agreement with opposition leaders. It promised constitutional changes to restore certain powers to parliament and called for early elections to be held by December. Despite the agreement, thousands continued to protest in central Kyiv, and the security forces withdrew, leaving demonstrators in control of the city's government district: the parliament building, the president's administration quarters, the cabinet, and the Interior Ministry. The evening, Yanukovych secretly fled the capital, without informing parliament of his whereabouts.

On 22 February, parliament voted 328–0 in favour of removing Yanukovych from office and scheduled new presidential elections for 25 May. Parliament named its chairman, Oleksandr Turchynov, as interim president. An arrest warrant for Yanukovych was issued by the new government on 24 February. Over the next few days, Russian nationalist politicians and activists organised rallies in Crimea and urged the Russian government to help defend the region from advancing "fascists" from the rest of Ukraine.

Detailed timeline

See also: Timeline of the Euromaidan

18 February 2014

Protest march and initial clashes

Protesters building a barricade, 18 February

Protesters in standoff with riot police, 18 February

Protesters throwing bricks and Molotov cocktails at police officers behind a burning barricade

The night before the clashes, Right Sector called on all of its members to ready themselves for a "peace offensive" on 18 February. The Maidan People's Union also urged all concerned citizens to take part in the "peace offensive", which student unions had agreed to join as well. The Maidan Union reported on the morning of 18 February that columns of protesters would begin a march on parliament at 08:30.

That morning, around 20,000 demonstrators marched on the parliament building as that body was set to consider opposition demands for a new constitution and government. Around 09:45, the demonstrators broke through the police barricade of several personnel-transport trucks near the building of the Central Officers' Club of Ukraine and pushed the cordon of police aside. The clashes started after some two dozen demonstrators moved a police vehicle blocking their path to parliament. At 10:00, a member of parliament representing Batkivshchyna, Lesya Orobets, reported that police armed with Fort-500T shotguns had begun to attack with flash and stun grenades from Shovkovychna Street and Lypska Street.

As the column neared the parliament building at 10:08, it met resistance from another cordon of police officers. There were reports that the number of protesters had swelled to 50,000. At 10:18, according to other reports, explosions and smoke were seen on Instytutska Street as people started to tear up roadway paving blocks. Protesters started to throw the pavement blocks at the police, while officers defending themselves with shields tried to subdue the crowd with stun grenades. Protesters who had barricaded themselves near the Dynamo Stadium colonnade began setting fire to tires. At about 10:30, parliament was set to vote on whether to restore the 2004 constitution. However, it did not happen as Chairman Rybak did not register the bill.

At 10:33, the street fights between protesters and the police shifted to Shovkovychna Street. Protesters started to wave ₴200 banknotes in the face of some of Yanukovych's police forces—saying that they were mercenaries—in Mariinskyi Park. An activist, Oleksandr Aronets, reported that snipers were targeting civilians. By 11:00, protesters had sustained serious wounds. Molotov cocktails were thrown by the protesters, and on Shovkovnycha Street, a barricade of dump trucks was set on fire.

Berkut special police on Instytutska Street, Kyiv, 18 February

At 11:23, the Berkut special police forces tried to launch an assault on the crowd, but the protesters attacked back. Two minutes later, the first report came that protesters were breaking down the doors of the Party of Regions headquarters on Lypska Street. At 11:30, protesters—including the journalist Tetyana Chornovol—sacked and set fire to the building. Two persons died as a result, including a programmer who worked at the headquarters. At 12:12, Minister of Healthcare Raisa Bohatyriova was attacked by protesters as she left Mariinskyi Park, but she escaped unharmed. By 12:30, the police had regained control of the Party of Regions office.

By 13:00, thousands of police officers had encircled the government district and begun chasing down protesters. One protester with a head wound told the Kyiv Post that charging police officers had "smashed everybody" in their path.

Around 13:30, four officers on Instytutska Street were stationed atop a building, lobbing stun grenades at the crowd and shooting, when protesters stormed the building and set part of it on fire. The protesters forced their way to the roof, forcing the police to retreat. The building on Instytutska Street was described as the scene of the day's most violent clashes. Berkut and Internal Troops servicemen opened a full-scale assault, firing directly into the crowd. There were reports of police using water cannons to break through.

Hand-to-hand fighting between protesters and Internal Troops

By mid-afternoon, police officers using tear gas drove as many as 10,000 protesters from Mariinskyi Park, where barricades had been built earlier in the day. Demonstrators threw stun grenades, filling the park with smoke. Other anti-government activists tried to keep the pro-government and anti-government forces apart.

Multiple news outlets published photographs showing the police armed with AK-74 assault rifles. Former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Hennadiy Moskal speculated that they were Alpha Group units. A Berkut leader, Vladimir Krashevsky, said the armed police officers in black with yellow armbands were part of a Berkut unit that had been deployed to help evacuate the interior troops.

Protesters re-occupied City Hall.

At 15:45, hundreds of riot police officers advanced toward Maidan, attacking protesters. An officer grabbed the gas mask of a Kyiv Post journalist on Instytutska Street and said of the police advance: "I love it! We love it!"

A riot police officer is thrown to the ground during clashes in Kyiv

At 16:00, the acting chief of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Yakymenko, and acting Interior Minister Zakharchenko issued a public warning to protesters to clear the streets within two hours, saying, "If by 18:00 the lawlessness doesn't cease, we shall be forced to use all legal means to bring order." At the October Palace, visible from Independence Square, riot police threw bricks down the hill at protesters from a bridge along Instytutska Street.

Throughout the day of 18 February 2014, protesters lit tires, threw and launched Molotov cocktails, bars of steel and other projectiles at lines of Berkut police. At 17:04, armed Berkut untied the wire at the Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street barricade gate near Dynamo Stadium and penetrated with some surprise. EuroMaidan protesters were watching a drone hovering from the opposite direction, with their backs turned to the police. Hundreds of Berkut began throwing grenades, two of which injured U.S. photographer Mark Estabrook and countless others while discharging their pistols and shotguns. Euromaidan protesters and civilians began a mass retreat toward the next gate in a barricade on Khreschatyk Street. There were many injuries and several deaths.

At 20:00, pro-Russian sources had reported that 50 unknown or presumably pro-Russian assailants were trying to break into the Canadian embassy. On the same day, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson acknowledged that protesters had taken "shelter" and were "peaceful and have not caused any damage or harm to staff." In 2015, it was revealed that the embassy had deliberately opened its gates after spotting a Canadian passport-wielding Euromaidan protester being chased by Berkut. Upon entry of the unknown passport-wielding Euromaidan protester, a deluge of Euromaidan protesters stormed the embassy and occupied the main lobby, using the embassy as a safe haven from Berkut. The embassy was used to treat the wounded during the evening of 18 February. Euromaidan protesters later left the embassy voluntarily, leaving flowers. Unnamed European allies later asserted, that given the prolonged occupation and lack of resistance by Canadian foreign service officers, Canada played an intentional and deliberate role in enabling Euromaidan protesters. Contemporary media sources argue that Prime Minister Stephen Harper never acknowledged the true extent of the security breach.

Attack on Maidan

Militsiya attack on Independence Square, 18–19 February

Following the warning, the police advanced on thousands of protesters on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) with guns, a water cannon, and an armored personnel carrier. Tents housing protesters were burned in the main square. The police justified their actions as part of an anti-terror campaign against "individuals who had clearly armed themselves". Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk called on the police to retreat 200 meters up Instytutska Street and urged both sides to call a truce until morning. Protesters on the square stacked tires and other burning debris to create a wall of fire between themselves and security forces.

The TV channel 5 Kanal's broadcast was shut down countrywide but remained available via satellite (with a brief interruption) and a live feed on YouTube.

Kyiv's Trade Unions building, used as Euromaidan headquarters, on fire after a police raid

At approximately 22:00, it was reported that the police had broken through the protesters' barricades on the eastern side of the square. Officers then tried to retake the occupied Trade Unions building but failed.

Presidential adviser Hanna Herman said that negotiations between the government and the opposition would not happen until peace was restored and the crowds retreated, and that "calling further for armed conflict is a great crime against the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state." General Prosecutor of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka said: "Organisers of mass protests will be held accountable. We will demand the heaviest punishment both for those who revved people up to take part in today's action and for those who organised and controlled them."

At 01:35 the next morning, street lights were switched off around the square. The activists believed that this heralded the beginning of a decisive assault.

Opposition leaders meeting with Yanukovych

Emerging from a meeting with President Yanukovych, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko told Hromadske TV that the talks had not been successful. Klitschko said that opposition leaders had listened for more than an hour to Yanukovych's claims that they were to blame for the 20 deaths on 18 February. The president also demanded that the opposition force the protesters to leave Maidan Nezalezhnosti. He reportedly threatened opposition leaders with criminal prosecution.

In a message on Ukrainian television, Yanukovych told the opposition leaders, "Separate yourself from the radical elements that seek bloodshed and conflict with law enforcement agencies," and said that if they did not do so, he would "talk differently" with them. He added: "The opposition leaders have ignored the basic foundation of democracy. The line had been crossed when they called people to arms."

On 18 February, three opposition parties (Batkivshchyna, UDAR, and Svoboda) said in a statement: "We never have and never will call people to arms. This is our principled position. The death of each person is a personal tragedy for each of us." Later that day, the parties said, "To hold talks with the regime, the policies of which led to the deaths of many people, is an extremely unpleasant thing, but we must do everything possible and even the impossible to prevent further bloodshed." They said that dissolving the protests would be "counterproductive and unrealistic" and stated: "It was not we who brought Maidan together, and it is not for us to disperse it! People will decide themselves what to do depending on when and how their demands are satisfied."

19 February

Maidan crowds on 19 February

The Kyiv Metro was closed and main roads blocked by police. Bigger stores and malls on Khreshchatyk were also closed, but according to a Euronews correspondent, "Life away from the barricades is business as usual."

In the early morning, titushky shot two protesters, killing one. By this point, the death toll had risen to 26 on both sides, including 10 police.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched an "anti-terrorist" operation, while the intelligence services began investigating unnamed politicians over what was described as an illegal attempt to seize power. The decision to begin the anti-terrorist operation involved the SBU, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Defence, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and the central and local governments, according to a statement on the SBU website. According to political analyst Taras Berezovets, the decree meant that the SBU could search protesters, seize their property, and detain them at will, "without a court order or other legal safeguards."

In the early morning, Olena Lukash announced that the opposition had refused to sign a declaration disapproving of radical measures. President Yanukovych demanded that the opposition stop occupying buildings and seizing arms; the opposition, however, would not concede. The acting minister of defence, Pavlo Lebedyev, acknowledged that he had sent some airborne troops from Dnipropetrovsk to Kyiv. Ciphered telegrams were discovered in which Yuriy Ilyin, the newly appointed chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, gave direct orders to deploy military units.

Also on 19 February, a military An-26 made a secret flight from Kyiv to Russia to pick up a large batch of anti-riot weapons and ammunition; this only became known in 2015.

A Euronews correspondent on Independence Square reported that protesters were arriving "from all parts of Ukraine". By 14:50, about 5,000 remained on the square. Right Sector occupied the Kyiv Central Post Office and the State Committee for Television and Radio, with the post office serving as a new headquarters.

Burning of the Euromaidan headquarters in the Trade Unions Building

President Yanukovych fired the chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Volodymyr Zamana, and replaced him with Ilyin, who was previously the commander of the Ukrainian Navy. The Ministry of Defence announced that it was redeploying units around the country to guard military facilities. The director of the SBU, Oleksandr Yakymenko, said that military bases and arms depots had been attacked in several regions.

The European Investment Bank froze activities in Ukraine, saying, "For the time being, the situation is so cruel that it would be politically the wrong signal, but also irresponsible vis-a-vis the people we asked to do the job, to be active on business in Ukraine."

Following a meeting between government and opposition leaders late at night, both sides declared a truce and agreed to start negotiations. President Yanukovych said in a statement that he had agreed to "start negotiations with the aim of ending bloodshed and stabilising the situation in the state in the interests of social peace". According to opposition politician Yatsenyuk, the truce included a pledge from Yanukovych not to launch a police assault that night. Right Sector did not agree to the truce. A Euronews correspondent on Independence Square reported that the number of protesters had grown, saying, "In general, all I have heard from people is the more they are attacked and the worse they are beaten, the more determined they are to stand back up and resume the struggle."

20 February

Protesters on the Maidan on 20 February, shortly before the shooting started

At 00:35, Interfax reported that Yanukovych had declared 20 February a day of mourning for those killed in the clashes.

Around 03:50, activists claimed that they had torn a shoulder patch from the uniform of a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) soldier during the clashes, brandishing the patch as alleged proof of Russian involvement. Protesters at Independence Square continued to hear gunshots, despite the ceasefire agreement. Around 04:20, five buses carrying protesters from Ivano-Frankivsk arrived.

Each side blamed the other for igniting the deadly conflict. SBU director Yakymenko blamed Ukraine's current Euromaidan government, claiming they were responsible for hiring snipers on 20 February. In a statement, the Presidential Administration of Ukraine claimed that the protesters had gone on the offensive: "They are working in organised groups. They are using firearms, including sniper rifles. They are shooting to kill," it said. Protesters accused the police of starting the conflict by throwing Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices. Opposition politician Klitschko issued a statement saying: "Armed thugs have been let loose in the streets to attack people and create an illusion that there is a confrontation between citizens."

On the morning on 20 February, protesters advanced up Instytutska Street in a bid to push the Berkut away from Independence Square. They were led by activists with shields and helmets. The protesters were fired on by the retreating Berkut, as well as by snipers. Altogether, 48 protesters were killed or fatally wounded by gunfire.

People tending to a protester who has been shot by a sniper

According to a UNIAN correspondent, there were more than 30,000 people on Independence Square. At 09:25, protesters had pushed the Berkut back to the October Palace after security forces tried to set fire to Kyiv Conservatory, which was being used as a field hospital for wounded protesters. At 09:32, it was announced that parliament would not convene. Euromaidan protesters marched on the police with shields and Molotov cocktails and forced them to retreat, thus regaining control of Independence Square and capturing up to 67 police officers. Around 10:49, law enforcement personnel were captured while sleeping in the Ukrainian House and during clashes on barricades near the October Palace. Many of the men were only 18 or 19 years old, were not trained, and were armed only with rubber truncheons. Those with minor injuries were treated by medics. The captured police were from Crimea, the central-eastern cities Dnipropetrovsk and Kryvyi Rih, and eastern Luhansk. Interior Troops soldiers, of whom almost 100 surrendered during the clashes (mostly conscripts aged 19–20), were held prisoner at the headquarters of the Energy Company of Ukraine and at the October Palace.

At 10:55, the chief of the presidential administration, Andriy Klyuev, announced that the president was prepared to sign a treaty with the opposition on the demanded changes to the Constitution of Ukraine, and that the ongoing clashes should compel politicians to find a quick consensus.

At 10:00, Euromaidan's activists picketed the main office at the Kyiv Metro station Politekhnichnyi Instytut, demanding that the system be reopened. A former head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Ivan Saliy, also called for the reopening of the metro. At 16:00 that day, the Titushky were transported by metro from the Pozniaky station to the Pecherska station, Lvivska Gazeta reported. The government also closed highway and railway access to Kyiv.

Trains between Kyiv and Lviv, one of the protesters' strongholds, were temporarily suspended; a railway spokeswoman said this was because of damage to the lines. Coincidentally, there were reports that arms had been seized from an Interior Ministry armory in Lviv and transported to the outskirts of Kyiv.

The head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Volodymyr Makeyenko, resigned from the Party of Regions but said that he would continue to perform his duties to ensure that the city functioned properly. He then ordered the reopening of the Kyiv Metro. By 15:00, the metro was still not running, and ground-based transport in the city was scarce. The metro was partly reopened in the early evening, but interchange stations remained closed.

The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Kyiv was temporarily closed.

Snipers in central Kyiv

Radio Liberty published video footage of police special forces shooting protesters with Kalashnikov and sniper rifles. Acting Interior Minister Zakharchenko announced that combat weapons had been provided to the police, saying in an address to the nation, "We signed relevant orders as part of the Antiterrorist Center's work: the law enforcement officials have been provided with combat weapons, and they will be used in line with the law on police." The ministry's website said the riot police had the right to use their weapons to free hostages being held by protesters. The ministry further stated that a sniper had injured 20 of its police officers.

Interfax-Ukraine reported that at 15:00, "a group of unknown individuals" headed to the Presidential Administration Building, and shots and explosions were heard. The Euromaidan self-defense force had repeatedly urged protesters not to go outside the square's perimeter.

Diplomatic efforts

The above-mentioned clashes erupted shortly before three visiting EU foreign ministers—Radosław Sikorski of Poland, Laurent Fabius of France, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany—were due to meet with President Yanukovych to push for a compromise with the Ukrainian opposition. The meeting was delayed for security reasons and began an hour late. Before the meeting, Fabius said in an interview with BFM TV: "Our purpose is to cause the Ukrainian administration to conduct elections. There is no solution other than elections." The negotiations lasted six hours. Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland told reporters soon afterward, "It was agreed with Yanukovych that there was a willingness to hold early elections this year, both presidential and parliamentary." Tusk also said that Yanukovych "was willing to form a national unity government in the next 10 days and to change the constitution before the summer". Further talks were scheduled to negotiate the signing of the relevant document.

After a telephone conversation between Yanukovych and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Russian human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin was sent as an envoy to Ukraine, at Yanukovych's request, to try to mediate talks between the government and the opposition.

The United States imposed visa bans on 20 Ukrainian officials it considered "responsible for ordering human rights abuses related to political oppression". The European Union introduced a visa ban and a financial asset freeze against those responsible for the violence in Ukraine, and a ban on export to Ukraine of equipment that could be used by the government for "internal repression". "The scale of implementation will be taken forward in the light of developments in Ukraine," the EU Council concluded.

Ukrainian political developments

The leader of the ruling Party of Regions, Oleksandr Yefremov, travelled to Luhansk to meet with local leaders and law enforcement agents to discuss the possibility of southeastern Ukraine's declaring independence and seceding from the state. The chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, travelled to Moscow, where he announced that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea would secede from Ukraine if there were a change of power.

Party of Regions MP Sergiy Tigipko called for the resignation of parliament chairman Volodymyr Rybak, his replacement with an opposition parliamentarian, and the urgent election of a prime minister supported by all factions. "The president, the parliament speaker, the acting prime minister, and opposition leaders have completely lost control of the situation in the country and do not offer any solutions to pacify the country," he said. "Their inaction is leading to increased confrontation and deaths. Immediate concrete steps, rather than negotiations, are needed to resolve the crisis in the country." In the evening, Tigipko held talks with opposition politicians Yatsenyuk and Klitschko.

The head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Volodymyr Makeyenko, and 17 MPs resigned from the Party of Regions. In Rivne and Zhytomyr, the Party of Regions formally disbanded, with all MPs from those regions leaving the party as well.

Ten Party of Regions and two independent MPs called for a return to the parliamentary-presidential form of government. They also called on security forces to "execute the oath they swore to the Ukrainian people, not to follow criminal orders to use firearms, not to allow the participation of law enforcers in provocations involving gangs against the peaceful public and protesters all over Ukraine".

At 16:42, parliament convened for an emergency sitting. The Party of Regions did not take part. According to a UNIAN correspondent, 227 MPs out of 450—mostly from the opposition, but some from the Party of Regions—were present. Out of 238 deputies present, 236 voted to condemn the recent violence, ban the use of weapons against protesters, and withdraw troops and the police deployed against them. The entire parliamentary faction of the Communist Party of Ukraine and some 80% of the Party of Regions chose to miss the session. Lawmakers barred chiefs and commanders of the Interior Troops, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the SBU, and other government agencies from carrying out any counter-terrorism operations because they violated the Constitution of Ukraine. They were also ordered to stop blocking roads and bridges, squares and streets in Kyiv and other cities and towns. The Party of Regions MPs at the sitting agreed to form an "anti-crisis group".

Late in the evening, it was announced that five more MPs had left the parliamentary faction of the Party of Regions.

The Parliament of Crimea called for an extraordinary session on 21 February. The leader of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People said he suspected that lawmakers would ask for Russian military intervention, stating, "Tomorrow may be a decision that will bring chaos and disaster to Crimea." Several scholars discussed the possibility of Russian intervention in Crimea specifically, because of its unique geopolitical nature and demographics.

21 February

Euromaidan crowds on 21 February

The Armed Forces' deputy chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Yuri Dumansky, resigned because he disagreed with the involvement of the army in the conflict. "Today the army is being involved in the civil conflict, which could lead to the mass deaths of civilians and soldiers," he said. At around midnight, journalist Artem Shevchenko, referring to his sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced that 10 BTRs had departed from Kozacha Bay (Cossack Bay), where the Black Sea Fleet of Russia is based, escorted by DAI (Road Auto Inspection) vehicles. According to Shevchenko, 1,500 airborne soldiers and 400 marines—including the 25th Airborne Brigade, the 1st Marine Brigade, the 831st Anti-sabotage Unit, and the 2nd Marine Spetsnaz—had been transferred on 20 February under the command of the SBU for the anti-terrorist operation.

In the lead-up to the day's parliamentary session, it was reported that many members of the Party of Regions and their families had fled the capital, including acting Interior Minister Zakharchenko and Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka.

Later, Maidan activists released the Interior Troops servicemen whom they had captured the previous day. Meanwhile, the entire police force of Radekhiv joined the protesters in Kyiv.

The Security Service of Ukraine officially ended its "preparations for antiterrorist operation" introduced on 19 February.

Agreement on settlement of political crisis

Main article: Agreement on settlement of political crisis in Ukraine

Yanukovych signing the 21 February agreement with the opposition

A compromise deal was agreed to on 21 February after hours of negotiations led by the European Union mediators and Foreign Ministers Radosław Sikorski of Poland, Laurent Fabius of France, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany. Officially called the Agreement on settlement of political crisis in Ukraine, but unofficially called the 21 February Agreement, it was signed by both opposition leaders and the president after overnight negotiations (read the full text of the agreement here). The agreed-to provisions included a restoration of the constitution as it was between 2004 and 2010; constitutional reform to be completed by September; early presidential elections no later than December 2014; an investigation into the violence conducted under joint monitoring of the administration, the opposition, and the Council of Europe; a veto on imposing a state of emergency; amnesty for protesters arrested since 17 February; the surrender of public buildings occupied by protesters; the forfeiture of illegal weapons; "new electoral laws", and the formation of a new Central Election Commission. The three EU foreign ministers signed the document as witnesses, but not the Russian mediator Vladimir Lukin, because he had no mandate to sign an agreement on the crisis.

The 450-seat parliament voted unanimously, 386–0, to return to the 2004 constitution, and then it voted 332–0 to suspend acting Interior Minister Zakharchenko. Another bill made changes to the Criminal Code, allowing for the release of Yulia Tymoshenko. 310 MPs voted in favour of the measure, including 54 from the Party of Regions and 32 Communists. Mykola Rudkovsky introduced a bill to impeach President Yanukovych. Parliament also adopted a resolution late that evening that ordered all Interior Ministry troops and police officers to return to their barracks.

Agreement aftermath

Protester-occupied regional government offices in late February 2014

Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh rejected the agreement, saying, "We have to state the obvious fact that the criminal regime had not yet realised either the gravity of its evil doing." He noted that the agreement did not include provisions for the arrest of Interior Minister Zakharchenko; the punishing of Berkut commanders alleged to have been involved in the murder of civilians; the removal of the general prosecutor and defence minister; a ban on the Party of Regions and Communist Party; and guarantees of safety for those involved in the opposition. He called for the "people's revolution" to continue until power had been completely removed from the governing authorities. Euromaidan leader Andriy Parubiy insisted that elections be held as soon as possible and reiterated that one of the main demands of protesters had been the resignation of President Yanukovych. AutoMaidan also announced that it would not accept anything short of Yanukovych's resignation.

Vitali Klitschko apologised to the crowd on Independence Square after shaking hands with Yanukovych. Protesters there responded to the deal by booing opposition leaders. Activist Volodymyr Parasiuk warned from the stage that if Yanukovych did not resign by 10:00 the next day, an armed insurrection would be staged. Outside of Kyiv, it was later discovered that the summer home of pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk had been set on fire.

By late afternoon, hundreds of riot police officers guarding the presidential compound and nearby government buildings had vanished. Radosław Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, described the withdrawal of forces as "astonishing", noting that it was not part of the agreement. The riot police had begun withdrawing early in the morning because they feared that Yanukovych's government would pin the responsibility for the violence on them, and because they feared being attacked after protesters stole around 1,200 pistols and Kalashnikov rifles from the police on 18 February during the occupation of government buildings in Lviv. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry was left without leadership. Deputy Interior Minister Viktor Dubovik ordered the riot police to leave the city, but it is unclear where this order originated. Opposition member Serhiy Pashynsky arranged escorts out of the city for more than 5,000 officers, Interior Ministry forces, and other special forces. After the riot police vanished, Andriy Parubiy reported that Euromaidan self-defence had peacefully gained control over Kyiv and its government buildings, and that the military was standing with the opposition.

A new parliamentary coalition was created after 28 MPs left the Party of Regions' faction. Within the remaining faction, a "group of 31 deputies with a special position" was formed by Sergiy Tigipko "to persuade other Party of Regions MPs to vote progressively".

On 21 February, President Yanukovych and parliament declared 22 and 23 February to be days of mourning "due to the loss of human life as a result of mass disturbances".

Removal of Yanukovych

Pro-revolution activists outside parliament on 22 February 2014

On 22 February, Yanukovych could not be found, and parliament were not informed of his whereabouts. There were unconfirmed media reports that he had flown to Kharkiv (the governor of Kharkiv Oblast at the time, Mykhailo Dobkin, later said Yanukovych was in Kharkiv that day). It was announced that most of the ministers had disappeared, including Interior Minister Zakharchenko, who was reported to have fled to Belarus.

That day, parliament held an emergency session. The Chairman of parliament, Volodymyr Rybak, resigned that morning, citing illness. Parliament then elected Oleksandr Turchynov as Chairman. Under the 2004 Constitution, which parliament had voted to reinstate, the president's powers would transfer to the Chairman if the president should resign or be unable to fulfill his duties. The former constitution had stated the president's powers would transfer to the Prime Minister. The acting Prime Minister, Serhiy Arbuzov, was also missing.

In the afternoon, the Rada voted 328–0 (about 73% of the parliament's 450 members) to remove Yanukovych from his post and to schedule an early presidential election for 25 May. The resolution stated that Yanukovych had withdrawn from fulfilling his constitutional duties, "which threatens the governance of the state, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine", and cited "circumstances of extreme urgency". The resolution to remove Yanukovych was supported by all opposition parties: 86 deputies of Batkivshchyna (Fatherland Party), 41 deputies of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR), 36 deputies of Svoboda (Freedom Party), 30 deputies of the Communist Party, as well as 99 independents. Furthermore, 36 deputies of Yanukovych's Party of Regions voted for his removal. There were no votes against. Of the remaining deputies, 115 were absent and 6 did not vote. Parliament did not vote to impeach the president, which would have involved formally charging Yanukovych with a crime, a review of the charge by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and a three-fourths majority vote in parliament—at least 338 votes in favor.

Under the 2004 constitution, parliament Chairman Turchynov became acting president. Turchynov claimed that Yanukovych had agreed to resign as president and had recorded a resignation statement, but had changed his mind after consulting with advisers. Yanukovych said he would not resign or leave the country and called parliament's decisions "illegal". He added, "The events witnessed by our country and the whole world are an example of a coup d'état", and compared them to the rise of the Nazi Party in 1930s Germany.

Disappearance and prosecution

Following the parliamentary procedures to transfer power to the new provisional government, General Prosecutor Pshonka and Minister of Revenues and Duties Oleksandr Klymenko were stopped at the Russian border while trying to flee the country. According to the State Border Service, Yanukovych also tried to flee via a charter flight from Donetsk, but was stopped by border guards. The guards were "met by a group of armed men who offered money for flying without the proper clearance". Yanukovych then left by armored car, and his subsequent whereabouts were unknown. Former Interior Minister Zakharchenko also tried to fly out of Donetsk and was similarly turned back.

23 февраля депутат парламента Олег Ляшко заявил, что Януковича видели на российской военно-морской базе в Севастополе, когда он готовился бежать из страны на борту российского военного корабля. Журналистка Татьяна Черновол предположила, что на самом деле он пытался скрыться на своей частной яхте, также в Севастополе. Согласно судебным показаниям телохранителя, Янукович и его семья вылетели из Харькова в Донецк на вертолете, затем поехали в Бердянск на Азовском море, откуда их доставили самолетами с российской военной маркировкой через два других аэродрома на российский объект. в Ялте, Крым, затем перебрался на российскую базу в Севастополе и улетел поздно вечером 23 февраля.

24 февраля исполняющий обязанности министра внутренних дел Аваков заявил, что Янукович объявлен в самый разыскиваемый в стране список и что в отношении него и других чиновников "заведено уголовное дело о массовых убийствах мирного населения".

25 февраля парламент обратился в Международный уголовный суд с просьбой «установить и привлечь к ответственности высокопоставленных украинских чиновников, в том числе ... Януковича, за преступления против человечности во время мирных протестов граждан с 21 ноября 2013 года по 22 февраля 2014 года». В тот же день Янукович и Захарченко были объявлены в международный розыск. Уголовное дело было возбуждено по факту убийства демонстрантов Евромайдана 20 февраля. Янукович; бывший глава администрации президента Андрей Клюев; бывший генеральный прокурор Пшонка; бывший министр внутренних дел Захарченко; бывший глава СБУ Якименко; командующий Внутренними войсками Станислав Шуляк; и ряд других были объявлены подозреваемыми по этому делу.

Последствия

Майдан 23 февраля.

Новое правительство

Смотрите также: Первое правительство Яценюка и Второе правительство Азарова § Осень

22 февраля 2014 года Юлия Тимошенко вышла из тюрьмы и выступила перед более чем 100 тысячами человек на площади Независимости. В тот же день парламент назначил Арсена Авакова исполняющим обязанности министра внутренних дел. Законодатели также вынесли Виктору Пшонке с поста генерального прокурора Украины. вотум недоверия

23 февраля, во второй день национального траура, парламент проголосовал за отмену закона о языковой политике, который предоставил русскому, румынскому и венгерскому языкам официальный статус региональных языков в некоторых регионах. Однако позже на эту меру наложил вето исполняющий обязанности президента, заявивший, что не подпишет законопроект до тех пор, пока не будет разработано новое законодательство, защищающее языки меньшинств. В тот же день парламент уволил министра иностранных дел Леонида Кожару , министра здравоохранения Раису Богатырову и министра образования Дмитрия Табачника , а также национализировал частное поместье Януковича Межигорье . Ордера выданы бывшему министру доходов Александру Клименко и бывшему генпрокурору Пшонке. Парламент также принял поправки, восстанавливающие его полномочия по назначению и увольнению судей, которые принадлежали Высшему совету юстиции .

Киевский метрополитен снова заработал на полную мощность, включая открытие станции «Майдан Незалежности» 24 февраля.

24 февраля парламент уволил министра социальной политики Наталью Королевскую и министра культуры Леонида Новохатько ; оно также уволило Игоря Соркина с поста председателя Национального банка Украины и заменило его Степаном Кубивом . В тот же день он назначил Валентина Наливайченко главой Службы безопасности Украины после увольнения Александра Якименко . с этой должности Тем временем лидер фракции Партии регионов Александр Ефремов заявил, что партия уходит в оппозицию. За последние несколько дней фракцию покинули 77 депутатов.

сформировать правительство национального единства . Во вторник, 25 февраля, исполняющий обязанности президента Турчинов призвал к четвергу (Двумя днями ранее он просил сформировать такое правительство ко вторнику. ) Также 25-го числа Анатолий Кинах и еще 32 депутата, в основном бывшие члены Партии регионов, создали фракцию "Экономическое развитие" .

26 февраля Турчинов приступил к исполнению обязанностей Верховного главнокомандующего Вооружённых Сил Украины .

27 февраля 2014 года было сформировано первое правительство Яценюка во главе с Арсением Яценюком . Кабинет министров был сформирован как коалиция партий «Батькивщина» , «УДАР» и «Свобода» , а также парламентских фракций «Экономическое развитие» и «Суверенная европейская Украина» и других независимых депутатов.

Юридические события

24 февраля парламент принял решение освободить всех политзаключенных, в том числе отца и сына по уголовному делу Павличенко . Парламент также прекратил полномочия пяти судей Конституционного суда Украины , назначенных по парламентской квоте, за нарушение присяги. Законодатели также предложили уволить по той же причине двух судей, назначенных президентом Украины, и призвали Совет судей Украины созвать в трехдневный срок внеочередной съезд для рассмотрения вопроса об увольнении пяти судей Конституционного суда, назначенных советом. В этом же постановлении Верховная Рада поручил Генеральному прокурору Украины возбудить уголовные дела в отношении всех судей, которые, по мнению народных депутатов Украины, виновны в принятии 30 сентября 2010 года решения Конституционного Суда Украины (№ 20-рп/2010) о порядке внесения изменений в Конституцию. 27 февраля судьи Конституционного суда направили письмо европейским организациям, международным организациям и правозащитным учреждениям, ставя под сомнение конституционность парламентской резолюции.

27 февраля Януковича обвинили в краже 70 миллиардов долларов из государственного бюджета.

Служба безопасности Украины арестовала бывшего начальника службы контрразведки Владимира Быка. 3 июля 2014 года бывший премьер-министр Николай Азаров был объявлен в международный розыск по подозрению в злоупотреблении властью.

Пресс-конференция Януковича и реакция России

См. Также: Российско-украинские отношения и изображение украинского кризиса в СМИ.

28 февраля Янукович присутствовал на пресс-конференции на юге России и ответил на вопросы преимущественно российских журналистов. Он заявил, что досрочные президентские выборы, назначенные на конец мая, были незаконными и что он "не будет в них участвовать". Он также сказал, что, хотя соглашение от 21 февраля могло бы успокоить ситуацию, оппозиция на него не согласилась.

Российская пропаганда и правительство описывают свержение Януковича как переворот (вторя Путину, назвавшему это «незаконным переворотом» и «военным захватом власти»). узаконить свои предстоящие действия. Исследователи считают последующие действия России в Крыму настоящим военным переворотом , поскольку российские военные захватили парламент и правительственные здания Крыма и спровоцировали замену его правительства российскими доверенными лицами.

1 марта российский парламент одобрил просьбу Путина о вводе российских войск в Украину.

24 марта Путин заявил, имея в виду выборы президента Украины 2014 года : «Мы будем уважать выбор украинского народа и будем работать с властью, сформированной на основе этих выборов».

Запрет на российское государственное телевидение

11 марта Украинский национальный совет по телерадиовещанию поручил всем кабельным операторам прекратить вещание ряда российских каналов , включая международные версии основных государственных станций — «Россия 1» , «Первый канал » и НТВ , — а также «Россия 24» .

Люстрация

Смотрите также: Люстрация в Украине

26 февраля Егор Соболев был выдвинут на пост главы комитета по люстрации в новом правительстве Яценюка . Спустя несколько месяцев, 14 августа 2014 года, парламент принял законопроект, устанавливающий «процедуры проведения проверок государственных чиновников и лиц, выдвинутых на государственные должности, с целью определения того, соответствуют ли они определенным критериям для занятия соответствующих должностей».

Закон о люстрации, исключивший из правительства большинство чиновников, работавших в администрации Януковича, затронул до миллиона человек. Владимир Яворский из Харьковской правозащитной группы назвал это «необоснованным» и «серьезным, систематическим нарушением прав человека» — среди прочего, потому что это означало, что слишком много людей потеряют работу, включая чиновников, которых будет нелегко заменить.

Беркут распущен

25 февраля исполняющий обязанности министра внутренних дел Аваков подписал указ о роспуске Беркута . В марте Россия объявила, что крымское подразделение «Беркут» сохранит свое название, поскольку оно было включено в состав МВД России .

Протесты против революции

Основная статья: Пророссийские волнения 2014 года на Украине

Пророссийские протестующие в Донецке , 1 марта 2014 г.

Пророссийские активисты маршируют по улицам Одессы , 30 марта 2014 г.

После свержения Януковича на юге восточной Украины начались пророссийские контрреволюционные протесты. По словам Кэти Янг , в ходе протестов Антимайдана против революции уличные плакаты, посты в Интернете и даже выступления на митингах критиковали новое правительство как «еврейскую клику», стремящуюся использовать украинцев для защиты интересов богатых евреев, и изображали революцию. как «сионистский переворот».

Пророссийская организация «Украинский фронт» провела 22 февраля встречу с представителями юга и востока Украины . Организатор мероприятия Андрей Клюев сообщил, что группа намерена обсудить федерализацию страны на полуавтономные регионы. После соглашения с оппозицией и мер, принятых парламентом, Янукович вылетел из Киева в Харьков для участия в съезде Украинского фронта; Источники указали, что силы Беркута собрались в Харькове в ожидании этого события. Как сообщил Юрий Луценко , около полуночи 22 февраля СБУ возбудила уголовное дело против губернатора Михаила Добкина Харькова и мэра Геннадия Кернеса за пропаганду сепаратизма.

На съезде Юга и Востока в Харькове 22 февраля депутаты приняли резолюцию, в которой заявили, что готовы взять на себя ответственность за защиту конституционного порядка на своей территории. Они заявили, что недавние события в Киеве парализовали центральную власть и дестабилизировали страну. Они также подписали заявление об отказе от полномочий парламента. В МВД сообщили, что губернатор Добкин и мэр Кернес затем сбежали в Россию.

23 февраля парламент принял законопроект об отмене закона страны о языках меньшинств . В случае подписания президентом законопроект лишил бы русский язык статуса меньшинства на Украине, хотя в таких регионах, как Крым, проживает русскоязычное большинство. Газета Christian Science Monitor сообщила, что законопроект «только разозлил русскоязычные регионы, [которые] увидели в этом шаге еще одно свидетельство того, что антиправительственные протесты в Киеве, свергнувшие правительство Януковича, были направлены на продвижение националистической программы ». 28 февраля исполняющий обязанности президента Турчинов наложил вето на законопроект.

Также 23 февраля в Харькове вспыхнули столкновения между тысячами равночисленных проправительственных и антиправительственных митингов, и мэру Кернесу не разрешили войти в здание горсовета. Пророссийские протестующие охраняли статую Владимира Ленина в центре города. однако заместитель главы ОГА заявил, что город все равно снесет статую 25 февраля.

24 февраля исполняющий обязанности министра внутренних дел Аваков сообщил, что против лидера харьковской антиевромайдановской организации "Оплот" Евгения Жилина возбуждено уголовное дело.

1 марта тысячи людей в Харькове , Донецке , Симферополе , Одессе , Луганске , Мелитополе , Евпатории , Керчи и Мариуполе протестовали против новой власти. Общественные опросы, проведенные в апреле, показали, что большинство жителей восточных регионов Украины считают все уровни власти нелегитимными. Половина респондентов считают, что президент Турчинов "незаконно занимает свой пост". Примерно половина придерживается такого же мнения о центральном правительстве во главе с премьер-министром Яценюком. Однако почти 70% согласились, что Янукович также не является законным президентом страны.

Российская оккупация Крыма

Российские солдаты без опознавательных знаков занимают здание парламента Крыма

Основные статьи: Российская оккупация Крыма и аннексия Крыма Российской Федерацией

Хотя российская пропаганда характеризует Евромайдан как переворот, на самом деле военный переворот был совершен Россией в украинском Крыму 27 февраля 2014 года, когда российские военные захватили крымский парламент и правительственные здания и заменили украинских выборных должностных лиц фигурами, контролируемыми Россией.

Разрушение советских памятников

Снос памятника Ленину в Хмельницком , 21 февраля 2014 года.

Смотрите также: Декоммунизация в Украине

Памятник российскому фельдмаршалу Михаилу Кутузову снесли в городе Броды на западе Украины. боевая группировка «Правый сектор» . В большей части разрушений была обвинена Кроме того, из западноукраинского города Стрый убрали памятник в честь советских воинов . В начале декабря 2013 года неизвестные активисты частично раскрасили в красный и черный цвета (похожий на флаг националистической Украинской повстанческой армии ) статую в честь погибших в 1918 году рабочих киевского завода «Арсенал». памятник, посвященный советским воинам, сражавшимся во Второй мировой войне 28 февраля в Днепропетровске были разграблены и расписаны националистическими лозунгами , и памятник, посвященный советским солдатам, сражавшимся в Афганистане. В своем англоязычном аккаунте в Твиттере Министерство иностранных дел России назвало нападения на памятники, построенные в России и СССР, « русофобским вандализмом» и «возмущением» и потребовало прекратить это.

Спорт

19 февраля 2014 года УЕФА объявил, что решил изменить место проведения Лиги Европы УЕФА 2013–14 матча 1/8 финала между киевским «Динамо» и «Валенсией» с Олимпийского стадиона в Киеве на стадион GSP в Никосии , Кипр , из-за беспорядков. в Киеве.

Киевское «Динамо» и другие клубы, участвующие в 1/8 финала, перед матчем почтили минутой молчания погибших в Киеве, а спортсмены играли в траурных повязках.

25 февраля были перенесены последующие игры Украинской баскетбольной Суперлиги сезона 2013–14 . 26 февраля вторая часть Украинской Премьер-лиги 2013–14 была приостановлена ​​из-за ситуации в стране.

3 марта запланированный товарищеский матч между США и Украиной в Харькове был перенесен в Никосию из-за опасений по поводу потенциальной нестабильности в Харьковской области .

Три ХК «Донбасс» домашних матча плей-офф КХЛ были перенесены с донецкой » «Арены Дружба на «Словнафт Арену» в Братиславе , Словакия.

Общественное мнение

Опрос 2040 украинцев, проведенный Киевским международным институтом социологии в декабре 2016 года , показал, что 56 процентов респондентов по всей Украине расценили эти события как «народную революцию», а 34 процента увидели в них «незаконный вооруженный переворот».

Подписание Соглашения об ассоциации с ЕС

Первое правительство Яценюка подписало 21 марта 2014 года Соглашение об ассоциации между Европейским Союзом и Украиной. с DCFTA, которое будет подписано после президентских выборов в мае 2014 года .

В мае 2014 года Международный валютный фонд выделил 3,2 миллиарда долларов США на стабилизацию Украины. Европейский Союз потребовал от Украины получить этот пакет помощи от МВФ, чтобы получить около 1,6 миллиарда евро, обещанных в соответствии с недавно подписанным Соглашением об ассоциации Украина-ЕС .

Самоубийства бывших чиновников

После Евромайдана Януковича, было установлено, что восемь бывших чиновников, связанных с Партией регионов покончили жизнь самоубийством. Когда Newsweek летом 2015 года обратился в Генеральную прокуратуру по поводу смертей, в ведомстве сначала ответили, что вся информация о них является государственной тайной. Позже прокуратура заявила, что четыре смерти расследуются как убийства; Подозреваемому также предъявлено обвинение в убийстве по пятому делу - смерти прокурора Сергея Мельничука .

Потери

Основная статья: Жертвы Майдана

Мемориал на Майдане погибшим, 24 февраля 2014 г.

Всего были убиты 108 гражданских протестующих и 13 полицейских. Большинство смертей произошло 18–20 февраля, и большинство жертв составили антиправительственные протестующие и активисты, убитые снайперами полиции в районе улицы Институтской в ​​Киеве. К июню 2016 года обвинения в убийствах были предъявлены 55 людям, в том числе 29 бывшим сотрудникам ОМОНа Беркут» « , десяти «титушкам» и десяти бывшим госчиновникам. В Генеральной прокуратуре заявили, что усилия по привлечению виновных к ответственности были затруднены, поскольку многие подозреваемые покинули страну, а доказательства были утеряны или уничтожены.

Мирные жители, погибшие в ходе революции, известны в Украине как « » « сотня Небесная или . Небесная компания » Их память ежегодно отмечается 20 февраля, в «День героев Небесной сотни».

Российское участие

17 декабря 2013 г. Украинско-российский план действий

Смотрите также: Российско-украинские отношения.

представление о том, что Янукович пытается установить более тесные связи с путинской Россией Большую роль в протестах сыграло . Янукович принял деньги «спасения» — 2 миллиарда долларов из пакета в 15 миллиардов долларов — от России . Российские чиновники оказывали давление на украинскую администрацию, чтобы она приняла решительные меры для подавления протестов, а приказ о нападении полиции на протестующих Евромайдана был отдан через несколько часов после того, как из России были переведены 2 миллиарда долларов. Несколько правительственных министров со всей Европы обвинили Россию в обострении насилия.

Согласно правительственным документам, обнародованным бывшим заместителем министра внутренних дел Украины Геннадием Москалем , в разгоне протестующих участвовали российские советники. Операции под кодовыми названиями «Волна» и «Бумеранг» включали использование снайперов для разгона толпы и захвата штаба протестующих в Доме профсоюзов. До того, как некоторые полицейские дезертировали, планы включали размещение в Киеве 22 000 сотрудников службы безопасности. Согласно документам, бывший первый заместитель российского ГРУ останавливался в гостинице «Киев», играл важную роль в планировании разгона и получал зарплату от Службы безопасности Украины. По данным Reuters , подлинность документов подтвердить не удалось. Министр внутренних дел Арсен Аваков заявил, что конфликт спровоцировала "неукраинская" третья сторона и расследование продолжается.

21 февраля, после того как в результате неудавшейся репрессии погибли почти 100 человек, Янукович пошел на уступки оппозиции. Премьер-министр России Дмитрий Медведев заявил, что Януковичу необходимо перестать вести себя как «тряпка» и что дальнейшие выплаты по кредиту будут отложены. Российский политический советник Сергей Марков заявил: «Россия сделает все возможное по закону, чтобы помешать [оппозиции] прийти к власти». 24 февраля МИД России выступил с заявлением, в котором призвал украинцев «расправиться с экстремистами, которые пытаются утвердиться у власти». а Медведев отказался признать временное правительство Украины.

Во время пресс-конференции 3 апреля 2014 года новый министр внутренних дел, главный прокурор и главный начальник службы безопасности Украины обвинил более 30 агентов Федеральной службы безопасности (ФСБ) России в разгоне протестующих, заявив, что эти агенты помогали планировать репрессии и прилетели. большое количество взрывчатки в аэропорт под Киевом. Валентин Наливайченко , временно исполняющий обязанности главы Службы безопасности Украины (СБУ), заявил, что российские агенты базировались на территории СБУ в Киеве во время протестов на Майдане, были обеспечены «государственной связью» и находились в регулярном контакте с Силовики Януковича. Кроме того, глава СБУ Януковича Александр Якименко , который позже бежал из страны, провел несколько брифингов с агентами. В ФСБ ответили, что это «беспочвенные обвинения».

Российская пропаганда

Российская пропаганда изображала революцию как переворот, организованный США.

В декабре 2013 года Виктория Нуланд США , помощник госсекретаря по делам Европы и Евразии , заявила в своем выступлении перед Фондом США-Украина, что США потратили около 5 миллиардов долларов на программы построения демократии в Украине с 1991 года. Российское правительство ухватилось за это заявление, заявив, что оно является доказательством того, что США организовывают революцию. В феврале 2014 года в сеть попал телефонный разговор Нуланд с послом США в Украине Джеффри Пайеттом . Нуланд и Пайетт обсуждают, кто, по их мнению, должен или не должен быть в новом правительстве Украины, и высказывают свое мнение о некоторых украинских политических деятелях. Представитель Госдепартамента США Джен Псаки заявила, что дискуссия не является свидетельством какого-либо плана повлиять на политический результат, заявив, что "не должно быть сюрпризом", что политики будут обсуждать революцию и будущее руководство Украины. Йельского университета Профессор Тимоти Снайдер сказал: «Представьте, сколько у русских доказательств того, что США делали на Украине, учитывая, что у них был доступ к этому телефонному разговору. Это было лучшее, что они могли придумать. И в контексте В то время этот телефонный разговор показал, что американцы, А, не были в курсе того, что происходит на Украине, и, Б, не могли влиять на события, происходящие в Украине».

См. также

• Оранжевая революция - Серия политических протестов в Украине в 2004–2005 гг.