One and a half years have passed since the beginning of the revolutionary events in Kiev. They caused a great resonance in the world. Kiev, Maidan, Ukraine - these words filled the newspaper pages of all central publications. Now you can evaluate the consequences of those events. First, let's remember how it all began. What is a maidan? In Ukraine, this was called any market square. After the Orange Revolution, this name became a symbol of popular protest.
Background Euromaidan
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 summit in Vilnius served as a fuse, at which Ukraine was to sign an association agreement with the EU.
The Ukrainian president has actively declared his commitment to the European choice, the desire for integration with Europe, while flirting with Moscow, seeking cheap gas, loans and other benefits from it.
V. Yanukovych faced a difficult choice. The signing of the contract would have hurt the economy, which already had difficulties. The refusal of the association would cause a mass protest of the population, which in recent years has linked its hopes with Europe. 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 at Independence Square in Kiev, in protest of the president’s decision. Few people gathered - no more than 2 thousand people, nevertheless, tents and tents were installed on the square for constant duty. The protesters demanded that the president resign the government of N. Azarov and resume preparations for signing the agreement.
Over the next week, Protestants rallied sluggishly. From time to time there were clashes with the "Golden Eagle" - a special unit of the Ukrainian police, some radicals threw explosive packets at the police, and they also blocked access to the Cabinet of Ministers. In general, what was happening did not bode well. Peaceful protest of citizens against the decision of the president - such would be the response of an outside observer to the question of what is Maidan. In Ukraine, so far, everything is calm.
Escalation of conflict
A new surge of protest sentiment occurred after the dispersal of Protestants, on the night of November 30. In total, about 200 people remained on the square. Video and footage appeared in all the media, where the Golden Eagle beats 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 elemental protest.
The demand for the resignation of the president sounded from the Maidan. Radicals capture the buildings of the Kiev administration and city council. The formation of "hundreds of self-defense of the Maidan." The element swept the center of Kiev. In general, in the city and the country there is an ordinary everyday life. On the square, the confrontation between the "Golden Eagle" and the Maidan activists continued - the special forces did not allow the protesters to break into the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Administration, the radicals in response threw police "Molotov cocktails", burned tires and erected barricades.
What is the Maidan in Ukraine, it became clear to everyone from the numerous broadcasts that covered what was happening online around the clock.
On December 11, police tried to oust protesters from the Maidan - a number of streets adjacent to the square were released. But it was not possible to free the House of Trade Unions, which became the headquarters of the opposition. Permanent negotiations did not produce results. The president backtracked and accepted the resignation of the head of the Cabinet of Ministers N. Azarov, but this did not stop the protest.
Denouement
In February, the confrontation escalated - firearms started on the part of the protesters, scores of occupied buildings went into dozens. On November 20, a momentous event took place that nullified Yanukovych’s chances to stay on as president. Unknown snipers shot dozens of demonstrators and soldiers of the "Golden Eagle". But only episodes of the shooting of the protesters came to the camera. The blame for their death was blamed on Yanukovych, although so far neither the perpetrators of this crime nor their customers have been found.
February 21 can be considered the end of the Revolution of Dignity. V. Yanukovych signed a decision on holding early elections by the end of the year and the formation of a new government, the withdrawal of special forces to places of permanent deployment. In response, activists were supposed to free the occupied buildings and stop the violence. As a result, the president fulfilled his part of the agreement, and the radicals unhindered the entire government quarter.
The Ukrainian president was forced to flee to avoid the reprisal of an angry mob. Shelter was granted to him by Russia. Ukraine, in which Maidan once again overthrew the president, stood still.
The reaction in the regions
The victory of the Revolution of Dignity did not unite Ukraine. The last time Ukrainians showed unanimity 24 years ago, during a referendum on the republic’s secession from the USSR. Since then, in all elections, voters' sympathies 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 Kiev is indicative. If in Lviv they were brought to their knees and made to repent, then in Kharkov and Sevastopol they were greeted as heroes. It is time for the south-east of Ukraine to stand on its hind legs. The essence of Maidan in Ukraine for residents 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 blocking of office buildings. In the end, Crimea voted to join Russia, and a bloody civil war broke out in the Donbass.
Achievements of the Revolution Advantages
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 short list of what it all turned out to be:
- The loss of the Crimea.
- Civil war in the Donbass. According to independent estimates, losses on both sides amount to 30-50 thousand people.
- The fall in the purchasing power of Ukrainians is 4 times.
- Reduced car production by 97 percent.
- The growth of tariffs for housing services by 4 times.
- Freeze 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 was in after the Maidan.
Lessons for Russia
The experience of the revolutions that have taken place in Egypt, Libya, and Ukraine has shown that neither economic successes nor other achievements guarantee power 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 government, or at least the illusion of those, then the protest mood will gradually radicalize and follow a destructive scenario.
I would like to believe that the Kremlin found the right answer to the question of what Maidan is in Ukraine, and it will not be allowed to repeat in Russia.
An ordinary person can be advised not to be tempted by easy solutions to complex problems. A sharp change in power always leads to a drop in living standards, and often to a lot of blood.