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Kiev Euromaidan[edit]

Euromaidan was a wave of public protests that first began in the center of Kiev on Maidan Nezalezhnosti - "Independence Square". These demonstrations also happened in other cities of Ukraine. The main reason for this was the suspension of signing an association with the European Union from the side of Ukraine's government.[1] This treaty with the European Union would strengthen the stability of democracy in Ukraine, contribute to the economic development of the country, make the society more open and transparent, and help overcome the corruption and other outcomes of the Soviet period. It was the beginning of the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution.

Beginning of Euromaidan[edit]

There had already been an appointed date for the approval of the association. During the year of 2013, Ukrainian people had been anticipating for this significant event to occur. However, in the last week the government as well as the president began rejecting to sign this treaty.[2] Thus, a group of students and many other intellectuals gathered on Khreshchatyk street in Kiev with a petition to sign the association with the European Union.[3] There were meetings approximately for a week in the center of Kiev at the Independence Square.[4] All of this was happening with a peaceful intent. The President of Ukraine at this time was Viktor Yanukovich who had been elected in February 2010.[5]

On the 29th of November in Vilnius, Lithuania, President Yanukovich did not sign the agreement.[6] For this reason, a lot of youth stayed over night on the central square of Kiev to protest. Early on November 30th, the authorities of Ukraine sent out special police forces called "Berkut" to the center of Kiev in order to remove the few hundred of civilians that peacefully stood and defended their rights.[6] Unfortunately, the government did not pay attention to the protestors, but tried to disperse them with the help of power and forceful methods.[7] This was the result of the short-sighted politics of Ukraine. On the second day of protesting, nearly 800,000 people gathered from all corners of Ukraine to Khreshchatyk - the main street of Kiev.[8] The demonstrators began putting up tents and making barricades to be more secured.[9] This was the beginning of the actual Maidan.[10] On the first of December, there were also conflicts by the building of the President's Administration. The Parliamentary opposition supported those who protested, but they were in the minority.

Attempts to Stop the Protest[edit]

During the night from 10th to 11th of December, Berkut forces attacked the group of people on Khreshchatyk. They were professionally shooting with snipers through the head or heart of those who were standing behind barricades made of tires, cardboard, wood, sacks of sand, and whatever material that was brought by other people.[9] Many civilians were beaten to death by the government's special forces. It was a very cruel and violent arbitrariness of how the government treated peaceful protestors.[9] The Orthodox churches started to ring bells of their churches to alarm the city of what had happened. Thus, more people began coming from the entire city to Maidan. Because of this, the police retreated. As a result, this united everyone and those who were there made more barricades and put guards every night to protect the Maidan.[7] Throughout the entire end of the month of December and some of January everything was peaceful again. New Year and Christmas Holidays were happily celebrated with music, dances and speeches in the center of Kiev.[11] Even though the atmosphere was alarming, yet it was also festive.

Laws of January 16[edit]

On January 16th of 2014, the majority of the Parliament of Ukraine passed on laws that limited the rights of people in a very significant way.[12] For instance, rallies were banned, a column of more than five cars in a row was prohibited, helmets were not allowed to be worn, etc. As a sign of protest, on Sunday the 19th of January, on the central square of Kiev there was another gathering of nearly one million of people wearing helmets and cooking pots to cancel these laws. Parts of the civilians walked on Hrushevsky Street towards the House of Parliament to set up tents and require to alter these laws.[11] Armed policemen met them on the way there and the fighting began again.[13] Mikhail Zhyznyevskiy from Belarus and Serhiy Nihoyan, as well as a few other protestors that were seriously injured and later died, were the first few deaths of the Revolution of Dignity.[14]

Culmination of the Revolution[edit]

Uncertainty in the relations between the authorities and the opposition lasted roughly for another month. From the 18th to the 20th of February was the last assault from the side of Berkut which resulted in about one hundred casualties of civilians.[12][15] The participants killed during Euromaidan were later called the "Heaven's Hundred".[11][3] Kiev was blocked so that the others who were trying to join from different parts of Ukraine would not be able to come. When about one hundred people died on Maidan and on the nearby streets, a lot of police forces were turning to the side of the protesters. These uprisings also began in other cities of Ukraine.[3] As a result, the President escaped from the country, the Government resigned, and the majority of the Parliament collapsed.[16][17] After this, a new majority was formed in the House of Parliament which chose the new Head of Parliament - Oleksandr Turchynov.[7] He was one of the speakers and active leaders of Maidan. The shooting and fighting stopped. This was the end of the Revolution of Dignity, or Euromaidan.[18] It was something similar to what had happened at the end of 2004 during the Orange Revolution with Viktor Yushchenko, but rather much more cruel than the previous one.[19][20]


References[edit]

  1. ^ Tigipko, Sergei (September 2011). "Ukraine's European Choice". Russian Politics & Law. 49 (5): 55–67 – via EBSCOhost.
  2. ^ Happ, Dorit; Bruns, Bettina (March 2017). "The EU and Its 'Ring of Friends'—Eye-Level or Top-down Relationships?". Problems of Post-Communism. 64 (2): 94 – via EBSCOhost.
  3. ^ a b c Zherebkina, Irina (March 2017). "The Split of the Nation". Russian Social Science Review. 58 (2/3): 235–251 – via EBSCOhost.
  4. ^ Clapp, Alexander (May 2016). "The Maidan Irregulars". National Interest (143): 26 – via EBSCOhost.
  5. ^ Yaffa, Joshua (September 2016). "After the Revolutions". New Yorker. 92 (27): 40 – via EBSCOhost.
  6. ^ a b "An Insider's View of a City in Turmoil". Timaru Herald, The: 13. 15 March 2014 – via EBSCOhost.
  7. ^ a b c Petrou, Michael (March 2014). "Inside a Revolution". Maclean’s. 127 (9): 20–23 – via EBSCOhost.
  8. ^ Onuch, Olga (July 2015). "EuroMaidan Protests in Ukraine: Social Media Versus Social Networks". Problems of Post-Communism. 62 (4): 217 – via EBSCOhost.
  9. ^ a b c Wilson, Andrew (February 2014). "Rocks and Molotovs against Snipers' Bullets". New Statesman. 143 (5199): 12 – via EBSCOhost.
  10. ^ Aronson, Oleg (July 2016). "Maidan: Redefining Democracy". Russian Studies in Philosophy. 54 (3): 223–232 – via EBSCOhost.
  11. ^ a b c Kozak, Nazar (Spring 2017). "Art Embedded into Protest: Staging the Ukrainian Maidan". Art Journal. 76 (1): 8–27 – via EBSCOhost.
  12. ^ a b Diuk, Nadia (March 2014). "Euromaidan". World Affairs. 176 (6): 9 – via EBSCOhost.
  13. ^ Caloianu, Ioana; Krauthamer, Ky; Marinovic, Karlo (February 2014). "Yanukovych Raises Stakes in Standoff With Protesters, Shell Makes Play for Siberian Shale Bounty". Transitions Online: 7 – via EBSCOhost.
  14. ^ Zelinska, Olga (Fall 2015). "Who Were the Protestors and What Did They Want?". Demokratizatsiya. 23 (4): 379–400 – via EBSCOhost.
  15. ^ Fursov, Andrei (January 2016). "Thirty Days That Changed the World". Russian Social Science Review. 57 (1): 38 – via EBSCOhost.
  16. ^ Fedorenko, Kostyantyn; Rybiy, Olena; Umland, Andreas (June 2016). "The Ukrainian Party System before and after the 2013–2014 Euromaidan". Europe-Asia Studies. 68 (4): 609–630 – via EBSCOhost.
  17. ^ "Ukraine Lawmakers Back NATO Membership". Transitions Online: 1. July 2017 – via EBSCOhost.
  18. ^ Miller, Nick (25 October 2014). "Cold Comfort as Ukraine Voters Choose War or Peace". Age, The (Melbourne): 24 – via EBSCOhost.
  19. ^ Popova, Maria (November 2014). "Why the Orange Revolution Was Short and Peaceful and Euromaidan Long and Violent". Problems of Post-Communism. 61 (6): 64–70 – via EBSCOhost.
  20. ^ Pastukhov, Vladimir (September 2011). "The Ukrainian Revolution and the Russian Counterrevolution". Russian Politics & Law. 49 (5): 68–80 – via EBSCOhost.
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