Draft:2013 Ukrainian coup d'état

On November 21, 2013, the Euromaidan protests commenced in Ukraine, subsequently evolving into the Anti-Maidan counter-protests and culminating in the 2014 Revolution of Dignity and the coup (sudden change of government that is illegal and often violent).

Government buildings were raided and occupied, and protesters engaged in criminal activities. As a result, President V. Yanukovych was unlawfully ousted from power, marking the beginning of the Ukrainian Civil War.

This conflict involved western pro-EU nationalists, who led the coup, facing off against eastern pro-Russia citizens, who were against the illegal takeover of power. The Ukrainian Civil War further escalated into an ongoing proxy conflict between the United States, the European Union, and NATO on one side, and Russia on the other.

Early protests, anti-protests and disturbance of peace
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Barricade

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Ukraine_to_the_European_Union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidan_casualties

Foreign intervention and extreme groups
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Extreme nationalist group Right Sector

Raids and occupations of government buildings
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By 27 January, ten of the country's twenty-seven RSAs had been overthrown, and others had come under threat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Euromaidan_regional_state_administration_occupations

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-19/ukraine-says-local-law-enforcers-behind-maidan-protester-deaths "Ukrainian protesters killed in downtown Kyiv in 2014 were fired on by domestic law enforcement officers, not Russian snipers, according to an investigation by the nation’s prosecutors"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/ukraine-dead-odessa-building-fire Friday, May 2, 2014. More than 30 people were killed in violent and chaotic clashes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Friday as pro-Ukraine activists stormed a building defended by protesters opposed to the current government in Kiev and in favour of closer ties with Russia.

Started on 23 January, 2024?

Maidan night, first casualties, Nov 30, 2024

February 12, 2024, judge Oleksander Lobodenko killed https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-judge-lobodenko-shot-dead/25261513.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidan_casualties

Escape of government officials and resignations
[TODO]

Unconstitutional removal of the president
On Saturday evening, February 22, 2024 Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) during a plenary meeting has adopted the Resolution No. 757-VІІ “On self-withdrawal of the President of Ukraine from performing his constitutional duties and setting early elections of the President of Ukraine” and removed President Viktor Yanukovych, who was elected in 2010, from power.

Articles 110 and 111 of the Constitution of Ukraine outline three requirements regarding the process for the removal of the president from the office:


 * 1) The president can be removed if they are unable to fulfill their duties due to health reasons or if they have committed a criminal offense.
 * 2) For this to happen, a decision must be supported by at least three-quarters of the members of Parliament.
 * 3) Prior to finalizing the decision, it undergoes review by both the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Ukraine. These courts, with the assistance of either a special investigation commission or a medical report, thoroughly examine the matter to ensure legality and validity.

Although the Constitution does not explicitly list additional grounds, legal interpretation and broader understanding may encompass other reasons, as far as they are aligned with the purpose, which is the president's incapacity to perform their duties.

However, this principle does not alter the established procedure. In contemporary democratic constitutional law, characterized by the separation of powers, it is crucial for the judiciary to intervene whenever there is a conflict between the legislative branch, representing the people, and the executive branch, or government administration.

Nonetheless, the Verkhovna Rada has "adopted" the resolution with only 328 votes (about 73% of the parliament's 450 members)

Neither of the two mandatory procedural requirements were fulfilled:


 * 1) To pass the resolution, a 3/4 majority vote of the 450 members is necessary. This would entail 338 votes in favor of the resolution. (Given Ukraine's significant territorial size as a second largest country on the continent and population of  approximately 45 million people, the required 2% difference in this context translates to nearly 1 million voters.)
 * 2) The Ukrainian Parliament did not obtain a review from either the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court.

Criticism and peaceful solutions to address the conflict
[TODO]

Instead of resorting to peaceful methods and refraining from violent protests or seizing government buildings nationwide, the people of Ukraine had several alternatives to address the situation. They could have pursued constitutional amendments, followed established procedures, engaged in debates and negotiations, focused on economic development, proposed diverse policies appealing to all citizens, upheld the rights of everyone impartially, sought common ground, and aimed to satisfy both western and eastern Ukrainians. Moreover, they could have simply waited for the upcoming elections, as President V. Yanukovych's term was nearing its end.

Analysis of the public opinion and past elections
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An examination of the outcomes in the presidential elections of 2010, 2014, and 2019 reveals a consistent pattern:

A majority of voters in the eastern and souther-eastern regions of Ukraine (especially Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea) consistently supported pro-Russian candidates and policies.

These regions, characterized by geographical, linguistic, cultural, and political proximity to Russia without a hard border, demonstrated a distinct preference for candidates with pro-Russian affiliations.

This analysis underscores the factual basis that the coup and ensuing internal civil conflict unfolded within Ukraine, leading to a significant division within the country along geographical and ideological lines before the Russian and NATO military intervention.

Human rights violations
[TODO]

UN report

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/UA/Ukraine_14th_HRMMU_Report.pdf

Neo-Nazism in Ukraine
[TODO]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacres_of_Poles_in_Volhynia_and_Eastern_Galicia

Censorship in the West and the definition of Coup
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Aftermath
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Documentaries and in Popular Culture
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Ukraine on Fire(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_on_Fire) by Oliver Stone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKcmNGvaDUs