Below are the domestic responses to the

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

. Euromaidan was a wave of

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Protest, a public act of objection, disapproval or d ...

and

civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to maintain public order or tranquility. Causes Any number of things may cause civil di ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

that began on the night of 21 November 2013 after the Ukrainian government suspended preparations for signing an

Association Agreement A European Union Association Agreement or simply Association Agreement (AA) is a treaty between the European Union (EU, or its predecessors), its Member States and a non-EU country or bloc of countries that governs bilateral relations. Areas fre ...

and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Government response

President

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

called for calm in a 25 November televised interview, after skirmishes between riot police (who had fired tear gas at protesters) and demonstrators who had hurled traffic cones and rocks at security forces. On 27 November, Yanukovych stated "I applaud those who came out into the streets in support of European integration but there are also those who turned up to solve their political problems, who had flags and slogans which they will use for the 2015 presidential elections. I could see that very clearly". In his address to the Ukrainian people, President Yanukovych stated that he is deeply outraged by those events that took place at night at the Independence Square (violent crackdown on protesters) on 30 November. "I condemn the actions that led to violent confrontation and suffering of people. I demand from the

General Prosecutor A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Ma ...

urgently provide me and the Ukrainian society with results of immediate and impartial investigation for appropriate punishment", stated Yanukovych. Following the 30 November violence,

Serhiy Lyovochkin Serhiy Volodymyrovych Lyovochkin (; born 17 July 1972) is a Ukrainian politician, formerly a member of the Parliament of Ukraine. Over 20 years, he has held various leading posts in civil service as well as top corporate positions. Early life I ...

, Chief of Staff of the Yanukovych administration, resigned from his position within hours of the event. But President Yanukovych turned down his application for resignation and Levochkin continued his tasks. On 2 December 2013,

President of the European Commission The president of the European Commission, also known as president of the College of Commissioners is the Head of government, head of the European Commission, the Executive (government), executive branch of the European Union (EU). The president ...

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He previously served from 2002 to 2004 as the List of Prime Ministers of Portugal, 114th prime minister of Portugal and from 2004–2014 as the 11 ...

and President Yanukovych agreed that "a peaceful and political solution is the only way for Ukraine out of the current situation", and, according to the EU, Yanukovych "explicitly confirmed the intention to investigate into the use of force by the Ukrainian police and to inform the public about the results". In an interview with journalists from four TV channels he called on government and opposition to unite in investigating and identify what he called "provocateurs" "hiding behind children" and he stated "As for the people who came out to the rallies, any show of public will is always confirmed by everybody's freedom and right to speak their mind. It doesn't matter if it is the representatives of the government, law enforcement agencies or the participants of the rallies – all must respect the law".Yanukovych: 'bad peace better than good war' in Ukraine
,

Euronews Euronews (stylised in lowercase) is a pan-European television news broadcasting, news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the ...

(2 December 2013) "I am convinced that a bad peace is better than a good war," was also added. On 10 December, President Yanukovych stated "All responsibility rests with the incumbent authorities today" and "I always try to be impartial in my judgments. This is really a matter of principle for me" but also added "Frankly speaking, I want to turn over this unfortunate page and never allow this again…Surely, it's unacceptable to block roads, administrative buildings… The life of the country continues". On 19 December, Yanukovych referred to Euromaidan as "This is not for the first time that there are attempts to seize power in the country through unconstitutional means" and added "I am opposed to representatives of other countries arriving and thinking that they can boss as they please - at Maidan or not at Maidan. I am utterly opposed to someone coming to us and teach how we should live here, we have always had enough wisdom, political will and, if you want, responsibility to the future generations". On 19 December, Yanukovych stated "When we saw such an upsurge in society and when we saw Euromaidan, I said at the very start that there is nothing bad in this. This is the people's aspiration for a better life". And he added "Politicians, extremists, and various instigators started to gamble on this during this emotional outburst. We need to make conclusions from this all, and we are making them so as never to allow such cases in the near future. The Lord has given us this ordeal, and we should pass it with an open face and looking into the people's eyes". In his New Years speech of 1 January 2014, Yanukovych stated "Through maidans and national panel discussions, political arguments and sincere dialogue we are moving the way of mutual understanding and national consolidation. Irrespective of the political affiliation, Ukrainians have demonstrated to each other and to the whole world their common responsibility for the destiny of the country". He added that Ukraine was continuing work over the Association Agreement with the European Union and that it "had restored the relations of friendship and brotherhood with Russia".

Presidential citations

Number of awards were issued out on January 22, 2014 by the

=Merited Jurist of Ukraine

= * Lt Colonel Oleh Tatarov, Chief of police in Ukraine * Mykola Dzhyha, former chief of investigation of the

Gongadze Affair Georgiy Ruslanovych Gongadze (21 May 1969 – 17 September 2000) was a Ukrainian journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in 2000 near Kyiv. He founded the online newspaper ''Ukrainska Pravda'' along with Olena Prytula in 2000. He was born i ...

=Medal "Defender of Motherland"

= * LT Denys Kolomiets, platoon leader of spetsnaz (Internal Troops) * MAJ Valentyn Sirak, chief of military unit #3028 (Internal Troops)

Prime minister

Prime Minister

Mykola Azarov Mykola Yanovych Azarov (; ; née, né Pakhlo, Cyrillic: Пахло; born 17 December 1947) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician who was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 11 March 2010 to 27 January 2014. He was the First Vice Prime Minister an ...

contrasted the EuroMaidan protests to those of the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

of 2004, stating his government " nowsthat such events are financed, for example. If this is carried out within a legal framework, fine," he told Russian television on 24 November. "If all this is carried out in violation of the law, then, of course, the government will not act like it did in 2004, when the technology of overthrowing the lawful government was being worked out quite simply before our very eyes. In this case, we won't fool around." In a 26 November interview with

, Azarov stated he was "not surprised" by the demonstrations "It was our government who drafted the agreement, and we were constantly explaining to our people why we were doing it. So it's quite natural that when we made our announcement a significant number of people took to the streets demanding that the process of European integration be continued. This active involvement of our people proves again that, in general, our policies on EU integration were correct". On his Facebook page, commenting on the events of November 30, he stated that he is deeply outraged and worried what happened at night at the Independence Square. "Those details from various sides that I have at the moment, do not allow a clear conclusion: Who is responsible for this provocation", Azarov said. On December 1, Azarov claimed that the protesters were ignorant to the economics behind the decision to pull out of the EU Association Agreement, and that they were 'governed by myths and emotions'. The next day Azarov referred to the protests as resembling a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. On 3 December, Prime Minister

assured parliament that neither he nor President

ordered the dispersal of the rally. At the 5 December opening of the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

security group summit in Kyiv, Azarov dismissed the protests in Ukraine as usual, just like in any European country, and described the situation as a temporary inconvenience that will soon be overcome.Journalists protest outside a Kyiv OSCE security summit
,

(5 December 2013)Uneasy OSCE meeting held amid Kyiv protests
,

(5 December 2013) On December 6, Azarov stated: "...I have signals that people are not able to go home. For instance, they were brought to Kyiv and have no money to return home. We are ready to allocate some money and help everyone who wishes go home..." On December 30, Azarov claimed "We have received reliable levers to stabilize the financial and economic situation in the state, continue to modernize our

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and, finally, create a free trade area with the European Union on strong positions, while having a free trade area with the CIS". On 15 January 2014, Azarov stated "There is artificial political confrontation in Ukraine, which is being fueled only with provocations from the opposition and support from certain, unfortunately, foreign figures"; he also concluded "During all this time the Maidan has not given any constructive proposals for the country and has not done anything useful for the people".Azarov: Maidan has no constructive proposals for Ukraine

Interfax-Ukraine Interfax-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 1992, the company publishes in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. The company owns a 50-seat press centre. The staff of the agency is 105 people (as of the end of February 2022) ...

(15 January 2014) He also demanded that a tough legal assessment of the use of children in political rallies be made (a girl who had been missing had been found back on Euromaidan, where she had been staying). Azarov considers that people on the streets were shot by provocateurs. Azarov denies the fact that police were shooting at people, because police did not have authority to do so. He thinks that it could be provocateurs from number of extremists organizations. Azarov offered his letter of resignation on 28 January 2014. According to his cabinet, Azarov was quoted saying that "In order to create additional opportunities for socio-political compromise, for the sake of the peaceful settlement of the conflict, I have made a personal decision to ask the Ukrainian president to accept my resignation from the post of Ukrainian prime minister". Following the resignation

Serhiy Arbuzov Serhiy Hennadiyovych Arbuzov (, ; born 24 March 1976) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian former banker and politician who briefly served as acting prime minister of Ukraine from 28 January to 22 February 2014, following the resignation of Mykola Azarov amid ...

became interim Prime MinisterSerhiy Arbuzov to head Ukraine govt pending premier's appointment

(6 February 2014)Ukrainian parliament delays vote on amnesty law until Wednesday
,

(28 January 2014)

Azarov's same-sex marriage statement

Azarov stated on 14 December at a rally of supporters of the

Party of Regions A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

on European Square in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

that in order to get a visa free regime with the European Union (EU), Ukraine should allow

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and pass the equality act for

sexual minorities Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) comprise individuals whose sexual identity, sexual orientation, sexual behavior, or gender identity differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Sexual minorities include lesbians, gay men, bisexual peo ...

.National governments, not EU establish family laws, says EU Delegation in Ukraine

(31 December 2013) An EU Delegation in Ukraine press release of 31 December stated the EU does not set family laws or get involved in moral issues "While some EU members decided to legalize same sex marriages, in others marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. Ukraine agreed with the EU a set of laws to be adopted in order to allow visa liberalization. This includes anti-discrimination laws, but these have nothing to do with rules on marriage".

Ministers

On 26 November, Education Minister

Dmytro Tabachnyk Dmytro Volodymyrovych Tabachnyk (, ; born November 26, 1963) is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician who served as the minister of education and science of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014.ICTV channel on 30 November, the first deputy Prime Minister

said that Ukrainians should calm down and figure out what really happened during the forceful disperse of a peaceful protest at "Maidan". Arbuzov down played on 7 December the deferment of the EU Association Agreement "Nothing more terrible has happened than that we didn't sign it on the 29th f November So what? We'll sign it on the 29th of the next month, we'll sign it in a month or two".Ukraine needs $10 bln to avoid default - deputy PM

(7 December 2013) On 3 December, Ukrainian prime minister

assured parliament "I will draw conclusions from what has happened he dispersal of the pro-EU rally on November 30 Resolute government reshuffling is coming". On 13 January 2014, Deputy Prime Minister Arbuzov stated he expected that Ukraine and the EU would sign an association agreement in 2014; "We will do everything to sign the agreement this year. We are working with the European Union". On January 23, 2014, the

Ministry of Justice of Ukraine The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (), Мінюст �країни Minjust f Ukraine is the main body in the system of central government of Ukraine that regulates state legal policy. It is one of the oldest ministerial offices of the country ...

(headed by

Olena Lukash Olena Leonidovna Lukash (; born 12 November 1976) is a Ukrainian former jurist, politician, former Ministry of Justice (Ukraine), Minister of Justice of Ukraine, as well as a former member of the Party of Regions. She was a Merited Jurist of Uk ...

) announced that all public organizations that receive money from out of country have three months to register as foreign agents.

Parliament

Ukrainian parliamentarian

David Zhvania Davyd Vazhayevych Zhvania (; ka, დავით ვაჟას ძე ჟვანია; 20 July 1967 – 9 May 2022)

stated on 2 December that the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

(Ukraine's parliament) would force the second Azarov Government to resign the next day. The same day

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine () is the presiding officer of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russi ...

Volodymyr Rybak confirmed that this vote would be held on 2 December and that he was "planning to invite the leaders of all political parties... They should not only raise questions, but also to find ways to resolve these issues". Eventually, on 3 December, the Azarov Government survived the vote of no-confidence easily with 186 MPs supporting the motion when at least 226 votes were needed.Ukrainian parliament fails to dismiss government

(3 December 2013) However, the

Communist Party of Ukraine The Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU or KPU) is a banned political party in Ukraine. It was founded in 1993 and claimed to be the successor to the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine, which had been banned in 1991. In 2002 it held a "unifi ...

that had not supported this vote stated that on 4 December they would put forward their own no confidence motion, based on the government's management of the

.Ukraine government survives no-confidence motion
,

(3 December 2013) If the 186 MPs supporting the 3 December motion support the 4 December no-confidence motion – which they have stated they will – the 4 December motion will pass with over 226 votes. However, the parliamentary meeting of 4 December was cut short and adjourned "in connection with the impossibility for further conducting the meeting".Plenary meeting on December 4, 2013

(4 December 2013) On 5 December, Prime Minister

stated (at a meeting with

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs is a position within the United States Department of State that leads the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs charged with implementing American foreign policy in Europe and Eu ...

Victoria Nuland Victoria Jane Nuland (born July 1, 1961) is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2021 to 2024. A former member of the US Foreign Service, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for European an ...

) he was "ready to create a negotiating group in order to normalize the situation with representatives of the oppositional political forces" if there supporters would unblock the

Budynok Uryadu Ukrainian Government Building (, romanized: ''Budynok Uriadu'') is located in the center of Kyiv on Hrushevsky Street in the vicinity of Verkhovna Rada building. It serves as the administrative building for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. ...

(the administrative building for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine). The same day

Batkivshchyna The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko B ...

faction leader

Arseniy Yatsenyuk Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk (born 22 May 1974) is a Ukrainian politician, economist and lawyer who served two terms as Prime Minister of Ukraine – from 27 February 2014 to 27 November 2014 and from 27 November 2014 to 14 April 2016. He was t ...

stated "This is not a parliamentary crisis. This is an all-Ukrainian political and economic crisis. It cannot be resolved through parliamentary methods."Yatseniuk: Current political crisis cannot be resolved through parliamentary methods

(5 December 2013) On 7 December, opposition parties Batkivshchyna,

UDAR The Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform of Vitali Klitschko (, using the acronym UDAR Vitali Klitschko () translates to "strike" or "punch", ) is a Political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine headed by retired

and

Svoboda Svoboda () means "freedom" in various Slavic languages. It may refer to: People * Svoboda (surname) Organizations Media * Radio Svoboda, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty * ''Svoboda'' (newspaper), a daily Ukrainian language newspa ...

put forward 3 demands that the government would have to satisfy if it were to hold talks with them: the release of all "political prisoners" detained on

Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti (, ) or Independence Square is the central town square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchenko Raion. The square contains the iconic Ind ...

, punishing all those guilty of violently dispersing demonstration onthe square, and the dismissal of the second Azarov Government.Ukraine opposition parties set terms for talks with govt

(7 December 2013) The same day the

had released a statement in which it complained of a destructive attitude by the opposition and threatening behaviour by "extremists" among the protestators while "We have stretched out our hand to the opposition". On 13 December, MP and former Chairman of Ukraine's parliament

Volodymyr Lytvyn Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn (, ; born April 28, 1956) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician best known for being Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until ...

called for the government's resignation. The parliament's rostrum was blocked by the opposition on 14 January 2014.

Political withdrawal from Party of Regions

MPs

David Zhvania Davyd Vazhayevych Zhvania (; ka, დავით ვაჟას ძე ჟვანია; 20 July 1967 – 9 May 2022)

, Volodymyr Melnychenko and

Inna Bohoslovska Inna Hermanivna Bohoslovska (, , alternative spellings: ''Bogoslovska'', ''Bogoslovskaya'') is a former Ukrainian politician and member of the Ukrainian parliament from 2007 to 2014. Bohoslovska was a candidate for President of Ukraine in the 201 ...

left the party in protest, with Bohoslovska calling for the president's resignation. On 1 December, MP

Mykola Rudkovsky Mykola Mykolayovych Rudkovsky (; born 18 December 1967) is a Ukrainian politician who was the fourth Ministry of Infrastructure (Ukraine), Minister of Transport and Communication from 2006 to 2007. He was also the former chairman of the banned S ...

resigned from the Party of Regions parliamentary faction (not from the party). On 2 December

Viktor Bondar Viktor Vasylyovych Bondar ( ; ) is a Ukrainian politician, a member of Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) of the 7th and 8th and 9th convocations, the Minister of Transport and Communication of Ukraine (2005–2006), and the Head of Dnip ...

announced his resignation from the party, and Bohoslovska predicted that more MPs will soon leave the Party of Regions faction.Bohoslovska: More MPs will quit Party of Regions faction

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine (), or Ukrinform (), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of Ukraine. It was founded in 1918 during the Ukrainian War of Independence Kyiv City State Administration Kyiv City State Administration (, commonly abbreviated as KMDA ) is the national-level branch of the Government of Ukraine that administers Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The current Head of the Kyiv City State Administration is Vitali Klitschko; ...

Oleksandr Popov Oleksandr Pavlovych Popov (; born 22 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, businessman, former head of the Kyiv City State Administration. Biography He graduated Tyumen Civil Engineering Institute and Higher School of the KGB in Kyiv. From ...

appealed to the city's administrative court to prohibit protests at Mykhailivska Square. Popov and three top officials of the Kyiv police are since of 14 December 2013 suspected of abuse of power and since under home arrest. On 14 December, President Yanukovych suspended Popov of his duties.Senior Kyiv police official another suspect in November 30 Euromaidan crackdown case

(8 January 2014) On 2 December 2013, the

Kyiv City Council Kyiv City Council (, ), also known as Kyivrada (), is the city council of Kyiv municipality, the highest representative body of the city community. The members of city council are directly elected by Kyivans and the council is chaired by the M ...

condemned the police crackdown and riots of 30 November - 1 December. ''The Cabinet condemned the crackdown of peaceful protesters on Maidan''

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(2 December 2013)

Crimea

On 9 December, the

Supreme Council of Crimea Verkhovna Rada of Crimea or the Supreme Council of Crimea, officially the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, was the Ukrainian legislative body for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea before the annexation of Crimea by Russi ...

(parliament of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

) issued a statement condemning the Euromaidan protests, and called for the government to restore order in Kyiv. The statement accused European officials of trying to "force" Ukraine into Europe, "ignoring the will of the majority". "We assure you that we will not give Crimea to the mercy of rabid European integration from

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

and

Russophobe Anti-Russian sentiment or Russophobia is the dislike or fear of Russia, Russians, Russian people, or Culture of Russia, Russian culture. The opposite of Russophobia is Russophilia. Historically, Russophobia has included state-sponsored and gr ...

s" - said the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea. In response to the occupation of administrative buildings of 23 January 2014 by Euromaidan protesters, the Supreme Council asked (on 24 January) President Yanukovych, the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

and MPs to introduce a state of emergency in Ukraine. They also did "propose stop funding from the state budget the regions that declared themselves to be out of law, in which where the authorities were overthrown by force, until the constitutional order is restored in them".Crimean parliament's presidium urges Yanukovych to declare state of emergency in Ukraine

(24 January 2014) On 24 January, the

Council of Ministers of Crimea The Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (; ), briefly SovMin, is the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a republic within southern Ukraine that is currently suspended due to Russian occupat ...

and

Prime Minister of Crimea The chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea (prime minister of Crimea), is the head of government of the Republic of Crimea (previously the Autonomous Republic of Crimea located in the southern region of Ukraine). Unti ...

Anatolii Mohyliov Anatolii Volodymyrovych Mohyliov (; ; born 6 April 1955) is a Ukrainian politician. He served as the prime minister of Crimea and the Ukraine, Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), minister of Internal Affairs.

Odesa Region

The region council of the

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

asked the

to take measures against the

. The Odesa Oblast regional council called the Kyiv events on January 22 as an attempt to coup d'etat.

Party of Regions politicians

politician

Serhiy Tihipko Serhiy Leonidovych Tihipko (; born 13 February 1960) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who was Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. After founding the TAS Group conglomerate in 1998, Tihipko was Minister of Economics in 2000 and subsequent ...

stated that "The people who gave the order o attack protesters and it is especially those who committed the attacks, will inevitably have to answer for it under the law".

Viktor Viktorovych Yanukovych Viktor Viktorovych Yanukovych (, , ; 16 July 1981 – 20 March 2015) was a Ukrainian politician and Member of Parliament. He was the son of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Early life and education Yanukovych was born on 16 July ...

, MP and son of the president, reacted to the November 30 police crackdown by calling the events a "provocation" and blamed activists for the scuffles. On his Facebook page on December 1, he stated "The activists who possibly stayed there behaved not at all peacefully in relation to law enforcement officers, I feel sorry for the victims. There is no other word but to call it a provocation." Following his statements, the two members of his press service publicly quit. MP Vadim Kolesnichenko in an interview stated "Criminals should be in jail, but the organizers of this criminal coup should sit at the negotiating table, because they are personally responsible for all of the injuries and property damage that occurred in the capital and Ukraine" and said that those attacking police officers should be prosecuted. Party member and

Sevastopol City Council The Sevastopol City Council ( Crimean Tatar: Aqyar şeer şurası, , ) is the unicameral legislature of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol. The council is composed of 76 members. Background The city state administration was first created in 1992 ...

Deputy Serhiy Smolyanynov called for Russian military intervention. His statements were denounced by the party.

People's Deputy of Ukraine A people's deputy of Ukraine (, ) is a member of parliament and legislator elected by Direct election, popular vote to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine. They are often referred to simply as "deputies". Prior to 1991, the Verkhovna R ...

Yevhen Balytskyi expressed confidence that opposition followed the bloody scenario of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and other Arab countries.In Party of Regions believe that activist at Hrushevskoho was killed by sniper from NATO

. January 23, 2014 He noted that in clashes "already are victims, yet the opposition leaders do not want take responsibility for it". Balytskyi stated: Governor of the

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...

Mykhailo Dobkin Mykhailo Markovych Dobkin (born 26 January 1970) is a Ukrainian politician, former governor of Kharkiv Oblast, former mayor of Kharkiv,Party of Regions A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

Opposition

After the 30 November police actions against demonstrators

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

Mayor Serhiy Nadal, stating he was outraged at this "crackdown", called all citizens to travel to Kyiv and join the protests on 1 December. On 2 December, the head of the

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Regional Council Petro Kolody and the Mayor of

Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk (, ), formerly Stanyslaviv, Stanislav and Stanisławów, is a city in western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast as well as Ivano-Frankivsk Raion within the oblast. Ivano-Frankivsk also host ...

Viktor Anuškevičius declared an indefinite strike. In the morning following the night classes of early 11 December clashes, Nadal, citing the president's inability 'to respect human dignity and civil rights', called for the city's public sector strike to continue, and for all citizens to travel to Kyiv to join in the protests; and all who remain to protest in support in the city. Former Minister of Defense of Ukraine and MP for the opposition party

Anatoliy Hrytsenko Anatoliy Stepanovych Hrytsenko (; born 25 October 1957) is a Ukrainian politician, independent deputy of the 7th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, former Minister of Defence, and member of the Our Ukraine political party and leader of the Civil Posi ...

in his blog commented in regards to the Berkut raid on 30 November, "we went to sleep in Ukraine, but woke up in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Other Ukrainian political response

Former deputy in the

(Ukrainian Parliament)

Taras Chornovil Taras Viacheslavovych Chornovil (; born on 1 June 1964) is a Ukrainian politician who served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from 2000 to 2012. The son of Ukrainian Soviet dissident leader Viacheslav Chornovil, Chornovil was first elected to t ...

told

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

on 3 December "Some of the MPs inside the

are not dependent on the party leaders but on other influential people. Everything may change depending on what the main sponsors of the party decide. Ukraine's fate is not decided on Independence Square, or in the parliament, but somewhere in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. The richest and most influential people are now making their decision".Ukraine protests grow as government survives no-confidence vote

theguardian.com ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

(3 December 2013) On 11 December, he apologized to demonstrators from stage for his four years in the party. "I didn't have enough brains to figure out who was Yanushesku."

Former Ukrainian presidents

All three former Ukrainian presidents,

Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (, ; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukrai ...

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (, ; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine, serving from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. The only president of Ukraine to serve two terms, his presidency was marked by demo ...

, and

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

released a joint statement on 4 December, expressing their solidarity with the peaceful civil actions of the protesters, and questioned the abrupt about-face the government took with regard to signing the European Association Agreement in Vilnius. Further, they stated that "the cruelty with which the erkutpolice acted should not only be publicly condemned, but also punished according to Ukrainian legislation, as it is totally unacceptable in a democratic country." First Ukrainian President Kravchuk proposed on 9 December a meeting, to discuss "important issues facing Ukraine", of the four Ukrainian presidents (Kravchuk, Kuchma, Yuschenko and incumbent President

) to take place on 10 December. On 9 December (current) President Yanukovych stated he would discuss the crisis with the above-mentioned three former presidents on 10 December to try to find a compromise.Ukraine police dismantle Kiev protest camps

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

(9 December 2013)

Ukraine's representative to the UN

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations This is a list of the United Nations Permanent Representative, Permanent Representatives of Ukraine to the United Nations. Permanent Representative is the head of the permanent mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. History On 26 June 1945, ...

Yuriy Serheyev called the 30 November violent actions of the Ukrainian police "an encroachment on the constitutional rights of citizens and international law" while delivering a speech at a Euromaidan meeting in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on 2 December.

Legal experts

On January 30, 2014 the Ambassador of Ukraine, the former judge of

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...

and Merited Jurist of Ukraine

Volodymyr Vasylenko Volodymyr Andriyovych Vasylenko (; 16 January 1937 – 9 October 2023) was a Ukrainian diplomat who twice served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine. Education Volodymyr Vasylenko graduated from Taras Shevchenko Nation ...

in an interview to

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' (, ) is an illustrated weekly magazine and news outlet covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides a range of analysis, opinion, interviews, feature p ...

said: "Under conditions of outright ignoring all request of Maidan by Yanukovych, the leaders of opposition forces must mobilize its protest potential on creation of mechanism of the All-Ukrainian movement, capable to achieve immediate resignation of Yanukovych as president or seek early presidential elections by initiating All-Ukrainian referendum; immediately sign and publish an agreement to nominate a single opposition candidate in the upcoming presidential elections; immediately form a joint shadow government that urgently develop a realistic and understandable to society, and thus, supported by it a specific program to overcome the crisis, the introduction of his democratic reforms, socio-economic rights and the recovery Euro-integration course for Ukraine; to begin establishing a mechanism to protect the results of the people's will during the upcoming presidential election.

Terror acts against EuroMaidan activists

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

, activist Sergej Seneka (Сергія Сенека) of local Euromaidan was burned to death in his car, on 16 February. "Ghosts of Sevastopol" declared their responsibility of the act and said that they would proceed with "revenge" to "maidauns" in a YouTube video.

Police and security service response

On the evening of 25 November, demonstrators, including several members of parliament, overtook a white van which they believed

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...

(SBU) officers were using to eavesdrop on protest leaders' cellphones. Once overtaken, hundreds of riot police descended on the scene, triggering violence clashes during a 30-minute standoff. Demonstrators seized the belongings of the van, which included several license plates, a passport, and electronic equipment used for spying, photos of which were posted online. Kyiv's Interior Ministry claimed they were recovering the van because they believed it contained an explosive device, whereas the SBU said the van was used to monitor for explosives, as well as scan for radio channels that could be used to set off a bomb in the crowd. The state intelligence agency asked the General Prosecutor's Office to open a criminal investigation and to punish the perpetrators, whereas opposition leaders countered by accusing authorities of illegal eavesdropping. In the early morning of 30 November, at 4 am 2,000 armed Berkut police forcefully broke up the ongoing rally on

, beating protesters with truncheons and employing tear gas at over 1,000 who remained overnight. Protesters, including women, children, and passersby, were targeted indiscriminately and numerous injuries and detainees were reported. The reports were corroborated by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden. In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...

, and Ukraine's Channel 5.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

news agency said the injured included one of its cameramen and a photographer, who was left bleeding. A Danish journalist captured video of police beating and kicking defenseless men in the head; upon realizing they were being filmed, the Berkut troops attacked the journalist. "They beat me in the head and made several attempts at trying to grab my phone out of my hand," Andersen said. Riot police were seen intentionally carrying out blows directly to the heads of protesters, which was captured in a number of videos and photos. About a criminal origin of that fact was also mentioned on the Ukrainian political show ''Shuster Live'' (December 6, 2013) by the Major General of Justice in reserves Viktor Chumak whose specialization is in a disciplinary responsibility of uniform services personnel. Police spokeswoman Olha Bilyk justified the police raid by saying that protesters were interfering with preparations to decorate the square for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Maidan 2.0, a civic organization, reported that the police units who broke up demonstrations were brought into Kyiv from

Perevalne Perevalne (; ; ) (until 1945, Angara) is a village in Crimea, a disputed territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine but administered by Russia as the Republic of Crimea. The village of Perevalne is administered by the Dobre ...

and Kizil-Tashi in

because the authorities were afraid that the Kyiv units would not attack their own citizens. Oleh Tiahnybok, leader of Svoboda, also reported that some units were bused in from

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

, and Yuri Lutsenko stated the troops were from both Luhansk and

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

. The police denied bussing in any special units from Crimea. The chief of Kyiv City militia (police) Valery Koryak expressed regret over what happened on Saturday night at the Independence Square and stated that he was ready to resign.Chief of Kyiv militia is ready to resign but not by himself alone (Начальник міліції Києва готовий піти у відставку, але не сам)

. November 30, 2013 The

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

of Militia,

Hennadiy Moskal Hennadiy Hennadiyovych Moskal (; 11 December 1950 – 17 March 2024) was a Ukrainian politician who served as governor of Zakarpattia Oblast from 2015 to 2019.Vitaliy Zakharchenko Vitaliy Yuriyovych Zakharchenko (, Russian: Виталий Юрьевич Захарченко, born 20 January 1963) is a Ukrainian and Russian politician who is a senior consultant at Russia's Rostec state corporation. He previously served as ...

, Minister of Internal Affairs, by taking responsibility for the Berkut actions, while some political analysts regard the raid to have been authorized by

Viktor Medvedchuk Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk (; born 7 August 1954), also known as Viktor Vladimirovich Medvedchuk (), is a former Ukrainian lawyer, business oligarch, and politician who has lived in exile in Russia since September 2022 after being handed ...

. The authorities claimed that the Berkut's pogrom was conducted on petition of the city's community services in order to install the city's Christmas Tree. On 30 November 2013, Valeriy Koryak concurred at a press conference that it was he who issued a personal order to use the Berkut special assignment unit against people at the Independence Square.It became known who issued an order to Berkut to go against the Maidan (Стало відомо, хто віддав наказ «Беркуту» йти на Майдан)

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

. November 30, 2013 On 1 December, Koryak tendered his resignation.Opposition on offensive in protests against Ukraine President Yanukovych

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...

(2 December 2013) However, his resignation was not approved, yet he was temporarily relieved of his duties for an internal investigation. On 5 December Minister of Internal Affairs Zakharchenko stated he had no intention of resigning.Ukraine's interior minister has no intention to resign

(5 December 2013) The city's community services claimed that they have no relations to any operations at the square or any petitions to law enforcement agencies. On December 4, 2013 Minister of Internal Affairs Zakharchenko ordered law enforcement authorities to refrain from using force on participants of peaceful rallies and warned rally organizers on the responsibility for the safety of participants. On December 9 police investigators went to

Ukrainian Catholic University The Ukrainian Catholic University () is a Catholicism, Catholic university in Lviv, Ukraine, affiliated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) was the first :Catholic universities and colleges, Catholic ...

to ask for a list of all students who took part in the Euromaidan protests. The UCU in an official press release stated they perceived this to be a form of police intimidation. Those who were beaten during the 1 December protests have accused the police of intimidation and repercussions for coming forward and filing police reports. Police have been accused of using trumped up charges against Euromaidan activists, including distribution of pornography via social media, and 'corrupting the morals of minors'. Forensic examination of Verbytskyi's body showed that Yuri died from

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

.Murder of Verbytskyi is being hanged on Automaidan?

. January 23, 2014 "There is no causal link between injuries that are on the body, and death" stated in the regional police. The prosecutor's office claims that members of AutoMaidan also participated in kidnappings on January 21–22. There were number of incidents when any injured people in hospitals were being arrested by police. There were number of incidents when Berkut and

titushky The Titushky (plural; ; ; ; ) were mercenary agents in Ukraine who supported the Ukrainian security services during the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, often posing as street hooligans in sports clothing with the purpose of serving as provoca ...

were kidnapping activists after which their fate was not known to regular police units. There were incidents that police does not inform about arrested to their relatives or friends. There also were incidents of Berkut beating up random people and sadistically scorn over them using excessive foul language and forcing them to undress and run around the city naked. Some videos were later posted on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

.Berkut undress a person and filmed him

. January 23, 2014 On one of helmets was noticed an identification number of military unit (#228).

Ukrainian police and secret service

On 29 January 2014, a number of agents from some formations of special assignment in the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

submitted their resignation. At the same time six soldiers of the SBU "

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

" team from

and another agent of the " Hryfon" formation officially submitted their resignation.

Security Service response

The

(SBU) is investigating an unspecified number of unnamed politicians for "attempting to seize state power", its official website states. The statement said that a pre-trial investigation was opened on suspicion of "forceful seizure of power." The interior ministry specifically named Batkivshchyna lawmaker Serhiy Pashinsky as one among several Batkivshchyna lawmakers that have called on people to storm state government buildings.

Army

At least three tanks were deployed from Chernihiv on 22 January 2014.Tanks arrived to Chernihiv and going to depart in southern direction
BBC Ukraine. January 22, 2014 Officially the tanks were being transferred to the

and not be going to

. On January 23, 2014 it was announced that due to the complicated situation in the country all tanks were returned to their place of permanent base. On 31 January 2014 the

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine () is the ministry of defence, ministry of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government that oversees national defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the List of Ministers of De ...

put out a statement: "The military and the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

have called unacceptable the violent 2014 Ukrainian Regional State Administration occupations, seizure of state institutions, and interference with representatives of state and local governments to carry out their duties, noting that further escalation of the conflict threatens the territorial integrity of the state. Laying out their civil position, servicemen and employees of Ukraine's armed forces... called on the commander-in-chief to take urgent steps within the limits of existing legislation with a view to stabilising the situation in the country and reaching consent in society".Ukraine activist says he was abducted and tortured

(31 January 2014)

Juristic response

The

General Prosecutor of Ukraine The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also ''Procurator General''; , ) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (, or, before 2020, ). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by th ...

's Office called in for questioning (starting on 9 December) on 6 December leading opposition MPs and

Minister of Internal Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Vitaliy Zakharchenko Vitaliy Yuriyovych Zakharchenko (, Russian: Виталий Юрьевич Захарченко, born 20 January 1963) is a Ukrainian and Russian politician who is a senior consultant at Russia's Rostec state corporation. He previously served as ...

"on the criminal case on abuse of power by the police on the night of 30 November on

". Twelve criminal cases were also opened into beatings of journalists the same night.

(opposition) MP

Serhiy Pashynsky Serhiy Volodymyrovych Pashynskyi (; born 14 October 1966) is a Ukrainian politician and statesman. He has been a people's deputy of Ukraine of four convocations and is the chairman of the Committee on National Security and Defense Council of Ukr ...

failed to appear for questioning on 9 December. On 10 December President Yanukovych asked Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka to immediately "free some people" detained at rallies "who did not commit major violations". On 19 December the

(Ukraine's parliament) adopted a law on the inadmissibility of the prosecution and punishment of people involved in events that took place during peaceful rallies in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Oliynyk points out to the fact that under that amnesty law fall not only protesters.Amnesty extends on those who beat and who disperse the Euromaidan
iPress.ua. December 24, 2013 Oliynyk also explained that there are crimes that have a completed form of act and such that continue, while amnesty cannot be continued over time. On 27 December a law (drafted by the second Azarov Government) introduced criminal liability for the seizure of buildings "which leads to the disruption of their normal operation" in the

Criminal Code of Ukraine The legal system of Ukraine is based on civil law, and belongs to the Romano-Germanic legal tradition. The main source of legal information is codified law. Customary law and case law are not as common, though case law is often used in support ...

. On 8 January 2014 the Pecherskyi Raion Court in Kyiv dismissed a petition of Yaroslav Prytulenko, who was arrested in connection with riots near the presidential administration on 1 December 2013, for his release from custody and dropping criminal proceedings against him. On January 25, 2014, the

Obolon Raion Obolonskyi District is an urban district of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Obolonskyi District encompasses territories far beyond of its historical neighborhood sharing the same name. It was formed on 3 March 1975 and initially called as Minskyi ...

Court in Kyiv recognized a 72-year old Mykola Pasichnyk as an

extremist Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...

and jailed him for an assault on Berkut and an organization of mass disturbances. On January 27, 2014 the court let him go under the

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

. Pasichnyk refuses to go an amnesty as he does not consider himself guilty. In his interview he also mentioned that before being taken to jail police were holding hims outside undressed at freezing temperatures. On January 29, 2014 after arrival of the

, the parliament adapted an amnesty law for all the detained. Parliament backed the amnesty for arrested protesters on condition they vacate occupied government buildings.

Sentences

A Kyiv court found an alleged participant of the December 1 riots near the Presidential Administration Building guilty and fined him "50 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens" (850 hryvnya), and then released him from custody.

Suspicion of abuse of power of politicians in 30 November 2013 police actions

On 14 December President Yanukovych suspended the Head of the

Kyiv City State Administration Kyiv City State Administration (, commonly abbreviated as KMDA ) is the national-level branch of the Government of Ukraine that administers Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The current Head of the Kyiv City State Administration is Vitali Klitschko; ...

and the Deputy Secretary of the

Volodymyr Sivkovych The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

.Yanukovych suspends Kyiv City Administration Head Popov and Deputy NSDC Secretary Sivkovych from office, say decrees

(14 December 2013)
Deputy NSDC Head Sivkovych, Kyiv City Administration Head Popov and two top officials of Kyiv police suspected of abuse of power during events on Maidan on Nov 30, says prosecutor general

(14 December 2013) Later the same day the

's Office handed "a notification on suspicion of abuse of power when ordering the police actions of 30 November 2013" out to them; and to former Head of Kyiv police Valeriy Koriak and his Deputy Head Petro Fedchuk. According to Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka "All four officials will soon be placed under home arrest". On February 12, 2014 it became apparent that all criminal proceedings against Sivkovych and Popov were closed on February 7, 2014, a fact which was confirmed by office of the

and the Pechersk district court of Kyiv city. On 13 December 2013 Popov stated in his testimony that on that night of 30 November 2013 he received a command from Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council

Andriy Klyuyev Andriy Petrovych Klyuyev (, Russian: Андрей Петрович Клюев, born 12 August 1964), also spelled as Andrii Kliuiev, is a Ukrainian businessman and politician, who was ranked as 7th "Most influential person in Ukraine" in 2011 ...

to follow orders from Sivkovych. Kliuyev denied this. On 8 January 2014 the chief of a unit of the main department of the Interior Ministry in Kyiv was handed notification of suspicion of abuse of power during on 30 November.

Ban for 36 foreigners to enter Ukraine

The newspaper ''

Kommersant Ukraine (, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia certified July 2013 circulation of the daily ...

'' reported on 24 December 2013 that the

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (, ) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the foreign relations of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. History Originally, the ministry was establ ...

and the

(SBU) had satisfied an inquiry of

MP Oleh Tsariov to deny entry into Ukraine to 36 people. Tsariov himself had told ''Kommersant Ukraine'' that they were suspected of "consulting with the opposition to destabilize the situation in the country", and hinted that they would have attempted to organize a revolution (in Ukraine). Among the 36 people were former Georgian President

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili (born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist. He was the third president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 25 January 2004 to 17 November 2013. He is the founder and former chair ...

, academic

Taras Kuzio Taras Kuzio is a Professor of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ( Kyiv, Ukraine). His area of study is Russian and Ukrainian political, economic and security affairs. Education Taras Kuzio is of Ukrainian de ...

, member of the expert council of the

Committee on European Integration

Andreas Umland Andreas Umland (born 1967) is a German political scientist studying contemporary Russian and Ukrainian history as well as regime transitions. He has published on the post-Soviet extreme right, municipal decentralization, European fascism, post- ...

, Brian Fink, Myron Wasylyk,

Alec Ross Alexander Ross (15 September 1879 – 25 June 1952) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a native of Dornoch and learned his golf in his home country, but like many British professional golfers of his era he spent many years working a ...

and Marko Ivkovic. The list was alleged to contain 29 citizens of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, five U.S. citizens and a citizen of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Business leaders

Viktor Pinchuk Victor Mykhailovych Pinchuk (; born 14 December 1960) is a Ukrainian businessman and oligarch. As of January 2016, ''Forbes magazine'' ranked him as 1,250th on the list of wealthiest people in the world, with a fortune of US$1.44 billion. ...

– In a 13 December comment to the''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' Pinchuk stated about Euromaidan "It gives me huge optimism for the future of our country". *

Rinat Akhmetov Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov (born 21 September 1966) is a Ukrainian billionaire and businessman. He is the founder and president of international investment group System Capital Management (SCM), and is the wealthiest man in Ukraine. Akhmetov i ...

– In a 13 December released statement Akhmetov claimed he had urged the "President three and a half years ago to take the European road" and called (the peaceful protest of) Euromaidan "it's great".

Religious leaders and organizations

Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), commonly referred to by the exonym Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was officially formed in 1990 in pla ...

- The largest church in Ukraine has largely taken a neutral stance, condemning violence on all sides. Due to internal church issues with regards to the ill health of its primate, the autonomous church has largely remained quiet with regards to the protests. Despite having institutional associations with Russia, there are indications that they may be aligned with the Kyivan Patriarchate in terms of their internal views. The church openly criticized the Russian intervention in Crimea, and in an open letter, urged Putin to "prevent division of the Ukrainian state". *

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

- Archbishop Emeritus of the Greek Catholic Church

Lubomyr Husar Liubomyr Huzar MSU (; 26 February 1933 – 31 May 2017) was the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the first elected in independent Ukraine. He was also a cardinal of the Catholic Church. After the transfer of the s ...

spoke from the stage on Maidan Nezalezhnosti on 8 December, and Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests in Kyiv wore ribbons in the colours of the Ukrainian and European Union flags, and prayed for the protesters who were arrested. On 13 December, Patriarch

Sviatoslav Shevchuk Sviatoslav Shevchuk (; born 5 May 1970 in Stryi, Ukrainian SSR) is a Catholic Church in Ukraine, Ukrainian Catholic prelate who has served as the Ukrainian Catholic Major Archeparchy of Kyiv–Galicia, Major Archbishop of Kyiv–Galicia and P ...

stated "Our society is divided with lack of trust and we see barricades growing on Maidan with the growth of distrust," while denouncing violence. He also spoke of the important role of youth in the Euromaidan movement, "Their voice should be decisive for anyone who takes decisions about Ukraine's future," he said, adding that pressure on them in recent weeks has been wrong. "Students are getting an interest from prosecutors, or they get direct calls from security services. This is a way of pressure." *

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate Ukrainian may refer or relate to: * Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe * Ukrainians, an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine * Demographics of Ukraine * Ukrainian culture, composed of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian peopl ...

- "Our church is together with the people," the Kyivan Patriarchate's leader, Patriarch Filaret, said in an interview. "It supports Ukraine entering the European Union. We pray to God that he will help us enter the European Union in order to keep our statehood, to keep peace and to improve the life of the people." On 13 December, Filaret said "Use of force only calls for more force. And what does that mean? A civil war. Do we want a civil war? None of us wants a civil war," and that "You can't disperse Maidan by force – they will gather again. And if you sign an agreement with Russia, even more people will come (to the EuroMaidan demonstrations.) *

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

Kirill I of Moscow Kirill or Cyril (, , secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, ; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 1 February 2009. Prior to becom ...

said, "I pray for Ukraine, I pray for that nation. I realize that there is a threat of the split of the nation. The threat of another round of civil confrontation. What we see now is a revolutionary situation." *

Jewish communities Jewish ethnic divisions refer to many distinctive communities within the world's Jewish population. Although "Jewish" is considered an ethnicity itself, there are distinct ethnic subdivisions among Jews, most of which are primarily the result o ...

– Chief

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

of Ukraine, Moshe Azman, condemned the protests as 'dangerous for the Jewish community'. Rabbi Pinchas Vishedski, head of the Jewish community organization in the eastern Ukrainian city of

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

, said "We fear that this situation will get out of control," and "when there is chaos, minorities will suffer, as our history tells us." Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and all of Ukraine Yaakov Bleich stated in an American Radio interview on 23 February 2014 ""The majority of the protesters are grassroots, regular, everyday old people from Ukraine that were fed up with living in a corrupt society, and they came out to protest against it and to try and make change. That’s the majority. They’re not anti-Semites, they’re not

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology which includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, ultraconservatism, racial supremacy, right-wing populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xe ...

s or

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, the way the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

have been trying to paint them". Bleich said he has received assurances from opposition leaders that they will not tolerate

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

but "The Jewish community has to stay vigil and see what’s going to be" and added that a minority element within the opposition was

anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, citing

. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church did hold services on Maidan Nezalezhnosti during Euromaidan. The Church stated it is not involved in politics but "cannot stand aloof when believers ask it for spiritual assistance". Early January 2014 the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture told Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk that priests need official permission to hold services in places such as a square in Kyiv. The ministry said that a failure to comply with these requirements might be the grounds for a court ruling to suspend the activities of relevant religious organizations. On 14 January 2014 President Yanukovych said it is necessary to improve legislation on religious matters to allow believers to pray where they wish. The

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery The St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is a monastery in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. It is located on the edge of the bank of the Dnipro river, to the northeast of the St Sophia Cathedral. The s ...

provided shelter for demonstrators and served as a makeshift

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

hospital.

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

's offered a prayer for peace on Maidan Nezalezhnosti and a

klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

band performed

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

songs in the square. A former (Ukrainian born) member of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade () is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade formed in 1947. During the 1948 war, it was involved in capturing Palestinian villages in operations ''Hametz'', ''Barak'', and ''Pleshet''. Before Israel's 2005 ...

lead a street-fighting unit of 40 men and women (most of them not being Jewish but the force also included 5 fellow Israel Defense Forces veterans) in violent clashes with government forces.

Community leaders

The Jewish community "is very split on the issue of the protests," said Meylakh Sheykhet, Ukraine director for the

Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ) is an American non-governmental organization that reports on the human rights conditions in countries throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, exposing hate crimes and assisting comm ...

. "Generally speaking, the young generation of Jews, just like other young Ukrainians, support this revolution. But the older generation of Ukrainian Jews, the ones who grew up and were educated in the Soviet system, they are not in support. They are very pro-Russian."

Allegations of provocateur agents

''Titushky''

The Kyiv Post reported the presence of ''

'', or hired thugs, with video showing them numbered in the hundreds on 29 November. On that same day a journalist of

5 Kanal 5 Kanal () is a television station in Ukraine formerly owned by businessman and fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.Hromadske.TV hromadske (; lit. ''Public'') is an independent online media in Ukraine. The station was announced in June 2013 by 15 journalists, before commencing operations on 22 November 2013. It is registered as an NGO.Mariinskyi park, while "police were nowhere in sight". The attacks occurred during filming. The thugs broke the reporter's camera and stole his flash memory card."Тітушки" напали на знімальну групу "5 каналу" з палками та камінням''"Titushky" attacked the crew "Channel 5" with sticks and stones''
,

5 Kanal 5 Kanal () is a television station in Ukraine formerly owned by businessman and fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.Ukraine: tension in Kyiv as pro and anti government protesters hold rallies
,

(29 November 2013) Singer and protest leader

Ruslana Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko (, ; born 24 May 1973),Руслана – Биография< ...

suggested that paid provocateurs who were present have instigated fights in the protests. On 28 November, Euromaidan organizers and members of the Democratic Alliance were assaulted by titushky in

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

. On 1 December, opposition leader

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

stated there were hired provocateurs outside the presidential building. "I am stating that there are 1,500 hired thugs (outside the president's administration), they are armed and are located there for provocations." In

, 3 athletic men assaulted 4 people at a bus stop, including a District Council Deputy and an assistant to MP Leonid Serhiyenko; the 4 claim the attackers were ''titushky''. A day after announcing her resignation from the

, MP

claimed she had information from a witness that the government was paying football

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...

UAH₴250 to participate in the provocations. She claimed this was financed by

and Russia. She also recalled that a year ago she spoke with government officials, who spoke of the need to use football fans for such a cause. On 6 December, 2 men were detained by Euromaidan self-defense units in Kyiv, who were carrying concealed gas pistols. The men were described as appearing as fitting the typical ''titushky'' profile. The same day MP of her party

Andriy Kozhemiakin Andrii Anatoliiovych Kozhemiakin (; born November 13, 1965, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR Ukrainian Prime Minister The prime minister of Ukraine (, , ) is the head of government of Ukraine. The prime minister presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government. Following the 1991 D ...

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

's abduction from Central Clinical Hospital No. 5 in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

to discredit the opposition. On 8 December Batkivshchyna claimed to have information regarding "authorities plans to provoke clashes in Kyiv with the involvement of about a thousand young people with a sports background in order to find a reason to announce a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

; this may happen as soon as today". On December 9, 2013, the Main Administration of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv acknowledged the fact that the detained by protesters a person is an agent of the

State Security Administration The State Security Service, also known by its original name as the Directorate for State Security, was the secret police organization of Communist Yugoslavia. It was at all times best known by the acronym UDBA, which is derived from the organiz ...

(UDO). Previously, militia denied any connections of the detained with UDO. In the early morning of 12 December, about 2,000 titushky were spotted and photographed in Marinsky Park, according to UDAR. The formation then split into groups of 5.

Alleged ''Radical groups involved in calls for overthrow of government in Ukraine''

Viktor Pshonka stated on 20 December in the

(Ukraine's parliament) that "members of radical groups, who have long been operating under the guise of various public organizations, including sports organizations, are involved in various provocations and violations. They are characterized by powerful financing, cohesion and ideological work on the dissemination of nationalism and the incitement of ethnic hatred". Pshonka said that the

was investigating two criminal proceedings under Article 109 of the Criminal Code (actions aimed at the forcible change or overthrow of the constitutional order or at the seizure of state power).

Alleged illegally spying on Euromaidan activists

Andriy Kozhemiakin Andrii Anatoliiovych Kozhemiakin (; born November 13, 1965, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...

(SBU) was carrying out illegal surveillance of Euromaidan activists.

Media

Online media attacks by hackers

On 2 December 2013

reported that its website and that of other Ukrainian internet news sources "underwent a massive attack by hackers". It also report that its website "had been subjected to a powerful attack" on 24 November. The website of opposition party Fatherland (Ukraine) went

offline In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on li ...

on 9 December. in what appeared to be a DDoS attack. At around the same time, the

also went down without explanation and suffered slowness, but was later restored but not without issues. On 14 December, the site of UDAR suferred DDoS attacks.

Ukrainian television

Political expert

Anders Åslund Per Anders Åslund (; born 17 February 1952) is a Swedish economist and former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He is also a chairman of the International Advisory Council at the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE). His work fo ...

commented on 11 December "virtually all the television channels owned by the

oligarchs Oligarch may refer to: Authority * Oligarch, a member of an oligarchy, a power structure where control resides in a small number of people * Oligarch (Kingdom of Hungary), late 13th–14th centuries * Business oligarch, wealthy and influential mag ...

have covered the protests quite objectively - more so than during the

". And added "Only

state television State media are typically understood as media outlets that are owned, operated, or significantly influenced by the government. They are distinguished from public service media, which are designed to serve the public interest, operate independent ...

has ignored the protests". According to

MP Iryna Herashchenko the channel

Rada TV Parliamentary TV-channel «RADA» () is the official television channel of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Until its relaunch in December 2021, it showed live broadcasts of the parliament's meetings, and others programs related to the ...

in December 2013 ignored the pro-European rallies of Euromaidan while broadcasting mostly speeches and statements made by

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

members and rallies held by

(and thus not covering the activities of all parliamentary factions and MPs, including opposition and independent deputies).

Computer games

At least five

computer games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

inspired by Euromaidan have been released.

Media coverage compared to Orange Revolution

The role and contribution of media between the

and Euromaidan in Ukraine contrasts starkly. While social networks, new media, and

Web 2.0 Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture, and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, a ...

did exist in 2004 they had not matured as tools used by organizers, activists, and participants. Media coverage during the Orange revolution by standard TV, newspaper, and radio outlets was largely seen as reactionary. According to Tetyana Bohdanova, "One of the major differences, however, between Euromaidan and the 2004 protests has been the use of new media, social networks and other IT tools for organizing and sustaining the protests." By contrast new media has played an extraordinary role in shaping Euromaidan. As Joshua Tucker describes "Many reports have credited initial tweets by journalists and activists as the key mechanism that brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians out into the streets.". Facebook and Twitter were used extensively to organize protests: "Social networks appear specifically essential for first time protesters, all of whom reported receiving text-messages, e-mails and telephone calls directly from friends and family members pushing them to join-in and telling them were to go." YouTube and live Web streams particularly

Hromadske.TV hromadske (; lit. ''Public'') is an independent online media in Ukraine. The station was announced in June 2013 by 15 journalists, before commencing operations on 22 November 2013. It is registered as an NGO.Spilno.TV,

Espreso TV Espreso TV () is an Internet television station in Ukraine that started to operate in November 2013. Espreso TV enabled the Euromaidan protests to be broadcast worldwide. Ownership The channel is owned by the media company Goldberry LLC.

, etc. were the dominant platforms to document protests. Euromaidan video content manifested itself into several categories: * Raw, unfiltered video content, often several hours long. * Edited "canned" video content often two to three minutes in length typically modeling TV news reports. * Extended edited highlight video content with commentary by audience participants, organizers, and speakers. * Mashup videos that included still images such as photographs, pictures of tweets, charts, etc.. * Tribute videos with visual content merged with popular rock and pop songs. * Cinematic videos typically shot with professional quality gear and representing an artistic approach to filming Euromaidan, e.g. #Babylon'13: A cinema of civil protest.

Citizens volunteering

volunteers offer free food, hot drinks and medical help. Some people who did not join the demonstrators supplied them with food after "looking through special websites to find out what the protesters need". Patrols and volunteer security services were conducted by Afghan war veterans, former

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force (, PS ZSU) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). Its current form was created in 2004 by merging the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces into the Air Fo ...

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

s, and retired

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

officers. Opposition (

) MP

Andriy Parubiy Andriy Volodymyrovych Parubiy (; born 31 January 1971) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician who served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, from 14 April 2016 to 29 August 2019. He previo ...

was coordinator of the volunteer security corps for the mainstream protesters. In 2016

Oleksii Arestovych Oleksii Mykolaiovych Arestovych (; born 3 August 1975) is a Ukrainian political adviser, former military officer, and columnist. He is also a theologian and the founder of the Apeiron School. Arestovych was a speaker for the Trilateral Contact G ...

described the spirit of Euromaidan as a "chronoclasm", sci-fi term meaning an intervention from future into past, referring to the spirit, self-organization and civic engagement during the protest.

Artists' response

Singer

Ruslana Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko (, ; born 24 May 1973),Руслана – Биография< ...

was one of the leading figures of the protests.Musicians liven up EuroMaidan stage

(29 November 2013) Since the second week of protest she has been on the stage on

virtually all night (up to ten hours a night). In an 11 December interview with ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' she explained her role in the opposition as "charging Maidan with freedom-loving energy" and insisted she "hated" politics.Meet Ruslana Lyzhychko, the Soul of Ukraine’s Revolution

(11 December 2013) And has denied supporting any single leader.Eurovision winner sings for revolution in Ukraine

Yahoo! News Yahoo News (stylized as Yahoo! News) is a news website that originated as an internet-based news aggregator by Yahoo. The site was created by Yahoo software engineer Brad Clawsie in August 1996. Articles originally came from news services such ...

(13 December 2013) Ruslana also stated "if needed, I will sing every night in Maidan until next presidential election in 2015". Two make-up artists were at her disposal during the protest. From

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

ians to a choir of priests shared the stage at Maidan Nezalezhnosti with Ruslana. On 13 December 2013 (one of Ukraine's most popular band)

Okean Elzy Okean Elzy () is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. It is the most famous and successful Ukrainian music band. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received ''Fuzz Maga ...

performed during at this stage too. On

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

2014 a festive concert was held at Maidan Nezalezhnosti with (among others) performances of Ruslana, S.K.A.Y. and

TNMK TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo ( ; "Dance at the Congo Square") is the most successful Ukrainian hip hop, Ukrainian hip-hop group. They are known for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek, lyrics; mixing hip-hop with Rock music, rock, funk and jazz ...

Sports

* On 26 January it was announced that

HC Berkut Berkut Hockey Club (, ''HC Berkut'') was a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Brovary. While its home arena is in Brovary, within the Kyiv region, it also played in the city of Kyiv. It was a founding member of the Professional H ...

-2, a Ukrainian ice hockey team in the Amateur Hockey League would be changing so as to avoid association with Berkut forces in their role repressing Euromaidan activists.

Notes

References

{{Euromaidan Euromaidan Domestic responses Reactions to 2010s events