A year and a half has passed since the beginning of the revolutionary events in Kyiv. They caused a great resonance in the world. Kyiv, Maidan, Ukraine - these words filled the newspaper pages of all the central publications. Now it is already possible to assess the consequences of those events. First, let's remember how it all began. What is maidan? In Ukraine, this was the name of any market square. After the Orange Revolution, this name became a symbol of popular protest.
Euromaidan background
In 2004, the first Maidan took place. Ukraine, it would seem, should have learned from it, but history repeated itself again, and in an even more sinister version.
The fuse was the summit in Vilnius, where Ukraine was supposed to sign an association agreement with the EU.
The Ukrainian president has been actively declaring his commitment to the European choice, striving for integration with Europe, while flirting with Moscow, seeking cheap gas, loans and other benefits from it.
B. Yanukovych faced a difficult choice. The signing of the treaty would have hurt the economy, which was already experiencing difficulties. Renunciation of the association would cause a mass protest of the population, which in recent years has pinned its hopes onEurope. As a result, it was decided to postpone the signing of the agreement.
Peace Stage
On the evening of November 21, calls appeared on social networks to gather on Independence Square in Kyiv to protest against the president's decision. Few people gathered - no more than 2 thousand people, nevertheless, tents and awnings were set up on the square for constant duty. The protesters demanded from the president the resignation of the government of N. Azarov and the resumption of preparations for the signing of the agreement.
All the next week the Protestants sluggishly rallied. From time to time there were skirmishes with the "Berkut" - a special unit of the Ukrainian police, some radicals threw explosives at the police officers, they also blocked the passage to the Cabinet of Ministers. In general, what happened did not portend anything terrible. A peaceful protest of citizens against the president's decision - that would be the answer of an outside observer to the question of what Maidan is. So far, everything is calm in Ukraine.
Conflict escalates
A new surge of protest sentiment occurred after the dispersal of the protesters, on the night of November 30th. In total, about 200 people remained on the square. Videos and footage appeared in all media, where Berkut beat protesters. As a result, a lot of people came to the Maidan. Ukraine was on the verge of great upheavals, everyone was overwhelmed by the euphoria of spontaneous protest.
From the Maidan there was a demand for the president's resignation. Radicals seize the buildings of the Kyiv administration and city council. going onthe formation of "hundreds of self-defense Maidan". The elements swept the center of Kyiv. On the whole, ordinary everyday life goes on in the city and the country. On the square, the confrontation between Berkut and Maidan activists continued - employees of the special forces did not allow the protesters to break through to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Administration, the radicals in response threw Molotov cocktails at the police, burned tires and erected barricades.
What is the Maidan in Ukraine, it became clear to everyone from the numerous broadcasts that covered the events online around the clock.
On December 11, the police tried to push the protesters out of the Maidan - a number of streets adjacent to the square were vacated. But it was not possible to liberate the House of Trade Unions, which became the headquarters of the opposition. Permanent negotiations yielded no results. The President backed down and accepted the resignation of the head of the Cabinet of Ministers N. Azarov, but this did not stop the protest.
Decoupling
In February, the confrontation escalated - firearms were used by the protesters, dozens of buildings were captured. On November 20, a landmark event took place that nullified Yanukovych's chances of remaining in the presidency. Dozens of demonstrators and Berkut fighters were shot dead by unknown snipers. But only episodes of the execution of protesters were caught on camera. The blame for their death was laid on Yanukovych, although neither the perpetrators of this crime, nor their customers have yet been found.
February 21 can be considered the end of the RevolutionAdvantages. V. Yanukovych signed a decision to hold early elections before the end of the year and form a new government, withdraw special forces to their permanent locations. In response, the activists were supposed to vacate the seized buildings and stop the violence. As a result, the president fulfilled his part of the agreement, and the radicals freely captured the entire government quarter.
Ukrainian President was forced to flee to avoid the massacre of an angry mob. Russia gave him asylum. Ukraine, in which the Maidan once again overthrew the president, froze in anticipation.
Reaction in regions
The victory of the Revolution of Dignity did not unite Ukraine. The last time Ukrainians showed unanimity was 24 years ago, during a referendum on the republic's secession from the USSR. Since then, in all elections, the sympathies of voters were determined by the territorial factor - the east voted for some, the west - for others.
In this regard, the reaction of residents to the Berkut fighters who returned from Kyiv is indicative. If in Lvov they were put on their knees and forced to repent, then in Kharkov and Sevastopol they were greeted as heroes. It is time for the south-east of Ukraine to rear up. The essence of the Maidan in Ukraine for the inhabitants of the eastern regions was understood as the coming to power of nationalists and Russophobes. Numerous rallies in Donetsk, Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk were accompanied by the blocking of administrative buildings. Ultimately, Crimea voted to join Russia, and a bloody battle began in the Donbass.civil war.
Achievements of the Virtue Revolution
Perhaps the only requirement of the Maidan, which the new authorities complied with, was the decision to sign an association with the EU. And here is a small list of what it all turned out to be:
- Loss of Crimea.
- Civil war in Donbass. According to independent estimates, the losses on both sides are 30-50 thousand people.
- Decrease in the purchasing power of Ukrainians by 4 times.
- Reduction of car production by 97 percent.
- The growth of tariffs for housing and communal services by 4 times.
- Freezing salaries and pensions at the current level.
Of course, this is not a complete list, but it gives a good idea of what kind of hole Ukraine found itself in after the Maidan.
Lessons for Russia
The experience of the revolutions that took place in Egypt, Libya, Ukraine showed that neither economic success nor other achievements guarantee the government from a violent overthrow.
Media coverage began to play a paramount role. A state that does not control the flow of information within the country is doomed. Also, the authorities should not forget that if society does not have levers of influence on the authorities, or at least the illusion of such, then protest moods will gradually become radicalized and follow a destructive scenario.
I would like to believe that the Kremlin has found the right answer to the question of what Maidan in Ukraine is, and will not allow its repetition in Russia.
An ordinary person canadvise not to be tempted by easy solutions to complex problems. A sharp change of power always leads to a drop in living standards, and often to a lot of blood.
