Successive Ukrainian governments in the 2000s sought a closer relationship with the European Union (EU). The government of President Viktor Yanukovych had been negotiating an See more

18 February 2014
Protest march and initial clashes
The night before the clashes, Right Sector called on all of its members to ready themselves for a "peace offensive" on 18 February. The Maidan People's Union also urged all concerned … See more

Altogether, 108 civilian protesters and 13 police officers were killed. Most of the deaths occurred on 18–20 February, and most of the victims were anti-government protesters and … See more

• Orange Revolution – Series of political protests in Ukraine in 2004–2005 See more

The protests that began on the night of 21 November 2013 in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv were still ongoing by mid-February 2014.
A period of relative calm in the anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv ended abruptly on 18 … See more

New government
On 22 February 2014, Yulia Tymoshenko was released from prison and addressed more than 100,000 … See more

The perception that Yanukovych was trying to establish closer ties with Putin's Russia played a major role in the protests. Yanukovych accepted "bail-out" money—$2 billion … See more