Euromaidan Protests Ukraine

Euromaidan, or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv.^¹ The protests were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.^¹ Ukraine's parliament had overwhelmingly approved of finalising the Agreement with the EU, but Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it.^¹ The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government.^¹ Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption, abuse of power, human rights violations, and the influence of oligarchs.^¹ Transparency International named Yanukovych as the top example of corruption in the world.^¹ The violent dispersal of protesters on 30 November caused further anger.^¹ Euromaidan was the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989 and led to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.^¹