In a statement to mark the 10th anniversary of the pro-European protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine and the West of causing the conflict with Moscow. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the ministry, questioned what led to Ukraine’s “dream of Europe” and claimed that the country had become a poor and dying region due to events in November 2013.
According to Zakharova, Western powers determine Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policy through their actions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been fighting against Ukraine for almost 21 months in an attempt to regain control over parts of the country. The so-called Euromaidan protests, which later became known as the Revolution of Dignity, began on November 21 when protesters gathered on Kyiv’s Maidan (Independence Square) to protest against then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to annul a deal on Ukraine’s accession to the EU under pressure from Moscow.
The protests resulted in more than 100 deaths in clashes with security forces. On Tuesday, Kyiv will commemorate this event by honoring those who were killed during the protests.