DISINFO: Maidan protests led to a coup and rise of Nazi sentiments in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Euromaidan in Ukraine was a coup, but according to the European Commission it marked the desire for freedom. Never before has a violent coup been perceived as a day to be celebrated in the modern history of Europe.
Еvents in Kyiv led to the flourishing of Nazi sentiments. Subsequently, this formed a dangerous regime for the Russian Federation, in particular for the Russian-speaking population. This continues with the tragedies that we see every day in Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv portrayed as a coup d'état led by the West and Ukrainian Nazis.
In 2014, there was neither a coup nor a western orchestrated protest in Ukraine. 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. 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, the formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections, and an end to violence.
Read Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's message on the 10th anniversary of Euromaidan.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. It has been widely addressed here.
Ukraine is fighting for its independence and sovereignty. The West did not declare war on Russia and is not at war with Russia or the Russians. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.