DISINFO: A junta took power in Ukraine after 2013-2014 revolution
SUMMARY
These militants [Euromaidan participants] know well that without them, without their criminal actions to seize power by force, there would be no Poroshenko or Turchinov, who are correctly called the junta. They gained legitimacy later, already in a destroyed and torn country, where fascists from the streets took power. “The street” understands this perfectly. The militants have reasons to consider themselves a protected caste because they are responsible for the legitimacy of this regime, which took power after the February 2014 events.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative painting the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv as a coup that brought to power a fascist regime. Ukraine is not governed by a junta. Democratic, competitive and generally well-organised presidential and parliamentary elections were held in 2014 and local elections in 2015. The EU welcomed this progress. The OSCE, which observed all these elections on the ground, characterised the presidential elections as showing the "clear resolve of the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms." The 2019 early parliamentary elections, according to the preliminary statement of the OSCE, were efficiently run and respected fundamental freedoms. The European Parliament election observation delegation to Ukraine said in a statement that notwithstanding the fact that the elections were taking place a few months earlier than planned, one can undoubtedly say that they were competitive, well-administered and managed in an efficient way. The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych's last-minute U-turn when, after seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU due to Russian pressure. The protesters' demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence. For similar cases, see here.