The 2014 Ukrainian revolution ousted President Yanukovych, triggered Russia's annexation of Crimea, and initiated the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
Key Facts
- Protest start
- November 2013 (Euromaidan protests)
- Revolution concluded
- February 2014
- Protesters killed
- 108 people
- Police officers killed
- 13 people
- Parliament vote to remove Yanukovych
- ~73% of parliament, all parties
- Crimea annexed by Russia
- Following Yanukovych's removal, February–March 2014
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In November 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych abruptly refused to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union, instead pursuing closer ties with Russia. This decision, made under Russian pressure, triggered mass protests known as Euromaidan, which grew into the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989, fueled by public anger over corruption, police brutality, and human rights abuses.
Throughout January and February 2014, clashes between protesters occupying Kyiv's Independence Square and Berkut riot police escalated sharply, killing 108 protesters and 13 officers. On 21 February, Yanukovych signed an agreement for early elections but fled Kyiv that evening. On 22 February, the Ukrainian parliament voted unanimously to remove him from office and called new elections, effectively ending his presidency.
Russia occupied and annexed Crimea in response, sparking the Russo-Ukrainian war. Armed Russian-backed separatists seized control in Donetsk and Luhansk, beginning the Donbas war. An interim government led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk signed the EU association agreement, disbanded the Berkut, and initiated decommunization. Petro Poroshenko subsequently won the 2014 presidential election, marking a major shift in Ukraine's political orientation.