MAIDAN UPRISING IN UKRAINE

The Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich was not a likeable character. He got elected in a fair election in 2010 and is to serve till 2016. After the election he used patronage and other state power to favor his political party. His sons also amassed large properties. This behavior and his corruption have alienated the Ukrainian people from him. As the Ukrainian economy fell behind Ukraine’s neighbor’s ad public anger against the President mounted.

When he rejected the European Union’s terms for an association agreement in 2013 in favor of the Russian offer, angry demonstrators filled Kiev’s Independence Square known as the Maidan as well as sites in other cities in Nov 2013.  These were led by the opposition parties, particularly the extreme right Svoboda party which hailed Nazis as heroes.

The protests continued for months. In Feb 2014 the clashes between the protesters and the Police have turned violent with the protesters using petrol bombs, guns, crowbars, and any weapons they could lay their hands on fought with the police  resulting in 130 deaths of which 18 were policemen. On Feb 21 and agreement was signed by Yanukovich and the opposition leaders, however, the protesters were not willing to listen and insisted that they would continue their protests till Yanukovich quits. They also hinted at personal violence against Yanukovich if he stays. Fearing for his life Yanukovich fled the next day from the capital Kiev.

The interim government was headed by Yatsenyuk who immediately signed the EU association agreement. Petro Poroshenko of the extreme right wing Svoboda party became President after the 2014 elections. Despite this change in power Ukraine continued to get governed by the same type of corruption and authoritarianism by the successor. Only the person has changed that is all. The only people who benefited in this are not Ukrainians but the EU and NATO and of course also Russia.  

Russia considered the removal of Yanukovich an illegal coup. In Ukraine, there were widespread protests both in favor and against the revolution. Those in favor were in the Eastern and Southern regions where yanukovich received strong support in the 2010 presidential election. The protests escalated resulting in a Russian military invasion taking over Crimea in the south and the establishment of Donetsk Luhansk states in the East. 

Yanukovich was pro Russian and there is no doubt on that. But why did he opt for the Russian agreement against a European Union one knowing full well the people wanted to go with the EU?

His decision had a solid economic reason behind it. At least on this count, he cannot be blamed. His PM asked for 20 billion Euro against which the EU offered a mere 610 million Euro, but also wanted reform measures that are stiff and would be met with resistance by people. However, over the amount promised by them, the EU said it is negotiating with the World Bank & IMF for loans to Ukraine. On the other side, Russia offered USD 15 billion to Ukraine with absolutely no conditions. Not only that they also agreed to cheaper gas prices. So Russia has offered Ukraine a far better deal than the EU.

Western leaders made it clear that they supported the acts of the demonstrators to force Yanukovich to approve the agreement with the European Union and if he does not do so to remove the President before the term expired.

The Republican Senator John Mc Cain who was on the senate armed services committee went to Kiev to show his solidarity with the Euromaidan activists. He dined with opposition leaders and appeared on the stage in Maidan Square during a mass rally shoulder to shoulder with an extreme right-wing party Svobodov leader.

Victoria Nuland, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs travelled 3 times to Ukraine after the start of the negotiations. She declared that she travelled to Ukraine on Dec 5^th when she offered cookies to the demonstrators and expressed support for their cause.

The Russian intelligence intercepted and leaked to the International media a Nuland telephone call in which she and the US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt conversed. Following is a part of the call

Nuland:  “I don’t think Klitsch (Klitchenko) should go into the government”. “I don’t think it is necessary. I don’t think it is a good idea.”

Pyatt: “Just let him stay out and do his political homework and stuff”

Nuland: “I think Yats (Yatsenyuk) is the guy who’s got the economic experience the governing experience. I just think Klitsch going in …he is going to be at that level working for Yatsenyuk, its just not going to work. We want to try to get somebody with an international personality to come out here and help to midwife this thing. “

Nuland also said “Fuck the EU.”

Yatsenyuk became PM after Yanukovich was ousted.

This was the plotting that was going on against a democratically elected President Yanukovich.

The American news media portrayed the demonstrations to be spontaneous, popular uprisings against an unpopular brutal government. No doubt that the demonstrations were spontaneous in the beginning when people felt disgusted with Yanukovich, but later there was blatant interference by the US. 

The events above clearly prove that the US government has meddled in Ukraine and the initial angry protests by the demonstrators have been fanned till they caught fire. And fire once it catches would not douse until it burns up the tinder. The US which talks about Democratic values doing this meddling is simply unbelievable. Despite his corruption, Yanukovich was an elected President.