DISINFO: Violent coup in Ukraine in 2014 was organised by the US and supported by Europe
SUMMARY
The coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014, organised by the US and supported by Europe, provoked the division of the country and the secession of Crimea. This violent and unconstitutional coup d’état removed President Yanukovych from power, even though he had agreed to all of the demands of the opposition.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Euromaidan and the war in Ukraine, portraying the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution as a coup d'etat that was supported and/or orchestrated by the US and Europe. The article’s message is also consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives on the annexation of Crimea
It is not true that there was a coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. The peaceful protests, which broke out in Kyiv in November 2013, were a popular revolution in response to a change in the policies of the government, then led by Viktor Yanukovych.
This spontaneous popular uprising is known as Euromaidan and was born within Ukrainian society, uniting citizens of all ages, sexes and social classes. Furthermore, there is no evidence to support the claim that Euromaidan was provoked by Western governments.
The Ukrainian population rallied against then-President Yanukovich's refusal to sign the EU-Ukraine Association agreements, cancelling seven years of negotiations, in favour of a more Russia-aligned policy, distancing Ukraine from the European Union.
Yanukovych literally abandoned the Ukrainian government and abandoned the city of Kyiv on 21 February 2014, following the signing of an agreement aimed at stopping the escalation of violence caused by the bloody government crackdown against Euromaidan protesters over the previous months. On February 18-20 the crackdown on protesters had resulted in over 80 deaths. This was followed by the Ukrainian parliament distancing itself from President Yanukovych.
Commenting on the situation at 21 February and Yanukovych’s escape, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who was present in Kyiv at the time, said: “This wasn’t a coup. The government was abandoned”.
Furthermore, it is not true that the secession of Crimea and the division of Ukraine was caused by this alleged “Western-backed coup d’état”. Crimea is currently under the illegitimate control of Russia as a result of an internationally unrecognised forced annexation, and the war that currently divides the Donbas region from the rest of the country is the result of a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces. See here for further background on Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Read similar cases claiming that EU and US interference and coup in Ukraine caused the armed conflict in Donbas, that A violent coup d’état took place in Ukraine in 2014 or that The US financed the 2013-2014 “colour revolution” and the ouster of former Ukrainian president Yanukovych.