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A prolonged crisis in Ukraine began on 21 November 2013, when then president Viktor Yanukovych suspended preparations for the implementation of an association agreement with the European Union. This decision resulted in mass protests by its opponents, known as the "Euromaidan". After months of such protests, Yanukovych was ousted by the protesters on 22 February 2014, when he fled the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev. Following his ousting, unrest enveloped the largely Russophone eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, from where he had drawn most of his support. An ensuing political crisis in Ukrainian autonomous region of Crimea resulted in the annexation of Crimea by Russia on 18 March. Subsequently, unrest in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine evolved into a war between the post-revolutionary Ukrainian government and pro-Russian insurgents.

Euromaidan and revolution

Ukraine became gripped by unrest when President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union on 21 November 2013. An organised political movement known as 'Euromaidan' demanded closer ties with the European Union, and the ousting of Yanukovych. This movement was ultimately successful, culminating in the February 2014 revolution, which removed Yanukovych and his government.

Post-revolution unrest

Following flight of President Yanukovych on 23 February, protests by pro-Russian and anti-revolution activists began in the largely Russophone region of Crimea. These were followed by demonstrations in cities across eastern and southern Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Odessa.

Crimean Crisis

Starting on 26 February, as protests gripped Crimea, pro-Russian armed men gradually began to take over the peninsula. Russia initially said that these uniformed militants, termed "little green men" in Ukraine, were "local self-defence forces". However, they later admitted that these were in fact Russian soldiers without insignias, confirming on-the-ground reports of a Russian incursion into Ukraine. By 27 February, the Crimean parliament building had been seized by Russian forces. Russian flags were raised over these buildings, and a self-declared pro-Russian government said that it would hold a referendum on independence from Ukraine. Following that internationally unrecognised referendum, which was held on 16 March, Russia annexed Crimea on 18 March.

War in Donbass

From the beginning of March 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, together commonly called the "Donbass", in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the Euromaidan movement. These demonstrations, which followed the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and which were part of a wider group of concurrent pro-Russian protests across southern and eastern Ukraine, escalated into an armed conflict between the separatist forces of the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR respectively), and the Ukrainian government. Prior to a change of the top leadership in August, the separatists were largely led by Russian citizens. Russian paramilitaries are reported to make up from 15% to 80% of the combatants.

Between 22 and 25 August, Russian artillery, personnel, and what Russia called a "humanitarian convoy" were reported to have crossed the border into Ukrainian territory without the permission of the Ukrainian government. Crossings were reported to have occurred both in areas under the control of pro-Russian forces and areas that were not under their control, such as the south-eastern part of Donetsk Oblast, near Novoazovsk. These events followed the reported shelling of Ukrainian positions from the Russian side of the border over the course of the preceding month. Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said that the events of 22 August were a "direct invasion by Russia of Ukraine". Western and Ukrainian officials described these events as a "stealth invasion" of Ukraine by Russia. As a result of this, DPR and LPR insurgents regained much of the territory they had lost during the preceding government military offensive. A deal to establish a ceasefire, called the Minsk Protocol, was signed on 5 September 2014. Violations of the ceasefire were common. Amidst the solidification of the line between insurgent and Ukrainian territory during the ceasefire, warlords took control of swathes of land on the insurgent side, leading to further destabilisation. The ceasefire completely collapsed in January 2015. Heavy fighting resumed across the conflict zone, including at Second Battle of Donetsk Airport and Battle of Debaltseve.

Elections in Ukraine

Amidst the prolonged crisis, multiple elections were held across Ukraine. The first election held since the ousting of President Yanukovych was the 25 May presidential election, which resulted in the election of Petro Poroshenko as president of Ukraine. In the Donbass region, only 20% of polling stations were open due to threats of violence by pro-Russian separatist insurgents. Of the 2,430 planned polling stations in the region, only 426 remained open for polling.

As the war in Donbass continued, the first post-revolutionary parliamentary elections in Ukraine were held on 26 October 2014. Once again, separatists stymied voting in the areas that they controlled. They held their own elections, internationally unrecognised and in violation of the Minsk Protocol peace process, on 2 November 2014.

Effects of the crisis

The crisis has had many effects, both domestic and international. According to an October 2014 estimate by the World Bank, the economy of Ukraine contracted by 8% during the year 2014 as a result of the crisis. Economic sanctions imposed on Russia by western nations contributed to the collapse in value of the Russian rouble, and the resulting Russian financial crisis.

The war in Donbass caused a coal shortage in Ukraine, as the Donbass region had been the chief source of coal for power stations across the country. Furthermore, Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Station was forced to shut down one of its reactors after an accident. The combination of these two problems led to rolling blackouts across Ukraine during December 2014.

Proposed new pipeline to Turkey, with an annual capacity around 63 billion cubic metres (bcm), will carry natural gas to Europe completely bypassing Ukraine as a traditional transit hub for Russian gas.

References

1. "A Ukraine City Spins Beyond the Government's Reach". The New York Times. 15 February 2014.
2. Balmforth, Richard (12 December 2013). "Kiev protesters gather, EU dangles aid promise". Reuters. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
3. "Ukraine Opposition Vows To Continue Struggle After Yanukovych Offer". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
4. "Ukraine crisis fuels secession calls in pro-Russian south". The Guardian. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help)
5. "Gunmen Seize Government Buildings in Crimea". The New York Times. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014. Masked men with guns seized government buildings in the capital of Ukraine's Crimea region on Thursday, barricading themselves inside and raising the Russian flag after mysterious overnight raids that appeared to be the work of militant Russian nationalists who want this volatile Black Sea region ruled from Moscow.
6. "A Look Back At How The Ukraine Crisis Erupted And What To Expect In 2015". Forbes. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
7. Karmanau, Yuras; Vladimir Isachenkov (17 April 2014). "Vladimir Putin admits for first time Russian troops took over Crimea, refuses to rule out intervention in Donetsk". National Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
8. "Warning shots end OSCE Crimea entry bid – Europe". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
9. Jones, Sam (21 February 2014). "US scorns Russia's version of Crimean intervention". Financial Times.
10. "OSCE team say Crimea roadblock gunmen threatened to shoot at them". Reuters. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
11. "Armed men seize two airports in Ukraine's Crimea, Yanukovich reappears". Reuters. 1 March 2014.
12. "Putin ready to invade Ukraine; Kiev warns of war". Reuters. 1 March 2014{{inconsistent citations}}{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
13. "Telecom services sabotaged in Ukraine's Crimea region". United Press International. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
14. Loiko, Sergei L (1 March 2014). "New Crimea leaders move up referendum date". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Kiev, Ukraine – Crimea's new pro-Moscow premier, Sergei Aksenov, moved the date of the peninsula's status referendum to March 30. On Thursday, the Crimean parliament, which appointed Aksenov, had called for a referendum on May 25, the date also set for the urgent presidential election in Ukraine.
15. Grytsenko, Oksana (12 April 2014). "Armed pro-Russian insurgents in Luhansk say they are ready for police raid". Kyiv Post.
16. Leonard, Peter (14 April 2014). "Ukraine to deploy troops to quash pro-Russian insurgency in the east". Yahoo News Canada. Associated Press. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
17. Strelkov/Girkin Demoted, Transnistrian Siloviki Strengthened in 'Donetsk People's Republic', Vladimir Socor, Jamestown Foundation, 15 August 2014
18. ^ "Pushing locals aside, Russians take top rebel posts in east Ukraine". Reuters. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
19. Представитель ДНР назвал процент российских добровольцев в местной армии. 27 June 2014.
20. "Российский Наемник: "Половина Ополченцев - Из России. Мне Помогают Спонсоры. Мы Возьмем Львов"". M.censor.net.ua. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
21. "Interview: I Was A Separatist Fighter In Ukraine". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
22. "Whisked Away for Tea With a Rebel in Ukraine". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
24. Denver Nicks (22 August 2014). "NATO: Russia Artillery Fires on Ukraine Forces". Time. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
25. JIM HEINTZ Associated Press. "Ukraine: Russian Tank Column Enters Southeast - ABC News". ABC News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
26. "Ukraine crisis: 'Column from Russia' crosses border". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
27. ^ "Ukraine Reports Russian Invasion on a New Front". The New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
28. "Ukraine accuses Russia of invasion after aid convoy crosses border". Reuters. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
29. "Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels sign ceasefire deal". BBC News. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
30. Ukraine rebels warlords "Ukraine rebels a disunited front run by warlords". Associated Press. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
31. "Ukraine peace talks collapse over ceasefire as fighting rages". The Australian. Agence France-Presse. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
32. ^ Poroshenko Declares Victory in Ukraine Presidential Election, The Wall Street Journal (25 May 2014)
33. Ukraine President Poroshenko Calls Snap General Election, Bloomberg News (25 August 2014)
34. "Russia calls for talks with Kiev after separatist elections". The Guardian. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
35. "Ukraine economy to contract by 8% in 2014: World Bank". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
36. "'We are hardly surviving': As oil and the ruble drop, ordinary Russians face growing list of problems". Financial Post. Reuters. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
37. Ukraine turns off reactor at its most powerful nuclear plant after 'accident', The Independent (28 December 2014)
    Ukraine Briefly Cuts Power to Crimea Amid Feud With Russia Over NATO, New York Times (DEC. 24, 2014)
    Coal import to help avoid rolling blackouts in Ukraine — energy minister, ITAR-TASS (December 31, 2014)
    Rolling blackouts in Ukraine after nuclear plant accident, br>Mashable (Dec 03, 2014)
    Ukraine to Import Coal From ‘Far Away’ as War Curtails Mines, Bloomberg News (Dec 31, 2014)
38. "Russia to Shift Ukraine Gas Transit to Turkey as EU Cries Foul". Bloomberg. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.

Template:Ukrainian crisis navbox

v t e Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity
21 November 2013 – 23 February 2014
Main topics	Timeline of the Euromaidan Domestic responses to the Euromaidan International reactions to the Euromaidan Casualties Heavenly Hundred Order of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes Damaged communist monuments
Main events	1 December 2013 riots Fall of the monument to Lenin in Kyiv 11 December 2013 assault Ukrainian–Russian action plan Anti-Maidan Vasylkiv terrorists case Anti-protest laws in Ukraine 2014 Odesa clashes 2014 Hrushevskoho Street riots 2014 RSA occupations Agreement on settlement of political crisis in Ukraine Revolution of Dignity
Aftermath	2014 pro-Russian unrest Timeline Russian military intervention 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia Timeline War in Donbas timeline First Yatsenyuk government Lustration in Ukraine Decommunization in Ukraine
Elections	2014 Ukrainian presidential election 2014 Ukrainian local elections 2014 Kyiv local election 2014 Crimean status referendum 2014 Donbas status referendums 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Main places	Maidan Nezalezhnosti Mezhyhirya Khreshchatyk Lypky Bankova Street European Square Hrushevskoho Street Dynamo Stadium Kyiv City Council Trade Unions Building Ukrainian House Mariinskyi Park October Palace Kyiv Conservatory
European integration	Ukraine–European Union relations Eastern Partnership European Union Association Agreement European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement Constitution of Ukraine
Protest figures	Organizations Maidan People's Union Euromaidan Press Parliamentary opposition parties Batkivshchyna Svoboda UDAR Other parties Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists Democratic Alliance UNA–UNSO United Left and Peasants Civic organizations Automaidan Road Control Vidsich Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Militant groups Right Sector Spilna Sprava Lead figures Vitali Klitschko Arseniy Yatsenyuk Oleh Tyahnybok Petro Poroshenko Yuriy Lutsenko Oleksandr Turchynov Yulia Tymoshenko Andriy Parubiy Andriy Sadovyi Arsen Avakov Ruslana Tetiana Chornovol Dmytro Bulatov Dmytro Yarosh Refat Chubarov
Anti-protest figures	Organizations Second Azarov government Ministry of Internal Affairs Internal Troops of Ukraine Security Service of Ukraine Berkut Militsiya (Ukraine) Party of Regions Titushky Night Wolves Don Cossacks Antimaidan Lead figures Viktor Yanukovych Mykola Azarov Serhiy Arbuzov Vitaliy Zakharchenko Oleksandr Yefremov Andriy Klyuyev Hennadiy Kernes Mykhailo Dobkin Viktor Pshonka Olena Lukash Yuriy Boyko Leonid Kozhara Dmytro Tabachnyk Oleksandr Klymenko

v t e Political scandals in Ukraine
Gas disputes	Russia–Ukraine gas disputes 2005–2006 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute 2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute 2010 Kharkiv Pact Cases against Yulia Tymoshenko against supporters
Other scandals	2000 Cassette Scandal 2000–01 Ukraine without Kuchma 2004–05 Orange Revolution 2006 Ukrainian political crisis 2006 anti-NATO protests in Feodosia 2007 Ukrainian political crisis 2008 Ukrainian political crisis 2010 No to police state 2012 law on languages 2013 Rise up, Ukraine! 2014 Lustration in Ukraine 2020–2022 Ukrainian constitutional crisis
Euromaidan and Revolution	2013–14 Euromaidan 1 December 2013 Euromaidan riots 11 December 2013 Euromaidan assault 2014 Hrushevskoho Street riots 2014 Euromaidan regional state administration occupations Revolution of Dignity 2014 pro-Russian unrest 2014 Odesa clashes
Russo-Ukrainian War	2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia War in Donbas Kerch Strait incident Martial law in Ukraine Russo-Ukrainian cyberwarfare 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

• 2013–15 Ukrainian crisis
• 2013 in Ukraine
• 2014 in Ukraine
• 2015 in Ukraine
• Conflicts in 2013
• Conflicts in 2014
• Conflicts in 2015
• Conflicts in Ukraine
• Ongoing conflicts
• Post-Soviet conflicts
• Russia–Ukraine relations