Unrest In Ukraine Background Unrest In Ukraine printable pdf download

Unrest in Ukraine

Teaching with the News Online Resource

Name:______________________________________________

Unrest in Ukraine—Background

Instructions: Read the information below on the ongoing protests in Ukraine and then fill in the

boxes on the handout “Charting the Crisis.” Be prepared to share your answers with the class.

What triggered the political crisis?

In November 2013, widespread protests broke out in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. These protests

responded to President Viktor Yanukovich’s decision to back out of a plan to sign a far-reaching

agreement with the European Union (EU). The plan would have established a closer political and

economic relationship with the EU, and signaled Ukraine’s interest in joining the twenty-eight nation

bloc. Pro-EU Ukrainians took to the streets, hoping that Yanukovich would retract his decision. He

did not, and instead signed a $15 billion trade deal with Russia. Pro-EU demonstrators rejected Yanu-

kovich’s decision to deepen Ukraine’s ties with Russia and continued their demonstrations. Moscow

had controlled the territory of present-day Ukraine for centuries, up until 1991, and many protesters

did not want to see hard-won gains, specifically those tied to political and economic independence,

undone.

Pro-EU protesters gather at Independence Square in Kiev on December 1, 2013.

How did Yanukovich’s government respond to pro-EU protests?

Starting in November 2013, riot police and security forces used violence and intimidation tactics

in their crackdowns against demonstrators. In January 2014, Yanukovich’s government implement-

ed anti-democratic legislation restricting political dissent. The legislation banned the installation of

tents and stages in public spaces, criminalized the use of masks and helmets at protests, and out-

lawed the slandering of government officials. Facing immense public pressure and criticism from

the international community, the government repealed the laws just two weeks after they had been

enacted. Anti-Yanukovich demonstrations and fears about Russia’s sway over Ukraine continued. In

late February, the violence reached an all-time high with rising death tolls among protesters and the

police. Under growing pressure, Yanukovich fled Kiev and the parliament voted to oust him from

government. After this turn of events, the chiefs of the riot police and security forces signaled their

interest in withdrawing from all conflict.

Who are the anti-Yanukovich protesters?

The pro-EU protests quickly came to be called the Euromaidan movement. The name, Euro-

maidan, merges Euro with Maidan (Ukrainian for “square”). Ukrainians often use “maidan” to refer

, B

www

choices

edu

■

atson

nstitute for

nternational

tudies

rown

niversity

■

hoices

rogram

■

Unrest In Ukraine Background Unrest In Ukraine

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories