DISINFO: Ukraine's Russian speakers revolted against nationalist coup in Kyiv
SUMMARY
In 2014, pro-Western ultra-nationalists led a coup d’etat in Kyiv, which precipitated a revolt by Russian-speaking provinces in the country’s east and south.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative painting the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests as a coup d'etat, Russia's armed aggression in the Donbas as an internal Ukrainian conflict, and the war as a result of the alleged discrimination which Russian speakers are facing in Ukraine. The Euromaidan was not a coup but a nationwide popular uprising stemming from the government's last-minute decision not to sign the EU Association Agreement. See the full debunk here. Regarding the protests led by ultra-nationalists - the latter had a very limited presence throughout the Euromaidan and have consistently failed to win any parliamentary mandates since 2014. The war in Eastern Ukraine was provoked by the pro-Russian separatists and mercenaries funded and supported directly by Russia. There is irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in Eastern Ukraine. The international community, including the European Union, recognises and condemns clear violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014 when Russia intervened in Crimea and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula on March 16, 2014. The war was not provoked by language issues. On the contrary, many Ukrainian citizens from the predominantly Russian speaking Southern and Eastern oblasts actively participated in the events in the Euromaidan and supported the European integration of Ukraine. According to a survey, 27% of Euromaidan participants were Russian speakers and 18% were bilinguals.