The Russian Foreign Ministry blamed Ukraine and the West for the conflict with Moscow in a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the pro-European protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square. Using derogatory terms, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked what brought the dream of Europe to Ukraine. From a prosperous, industrially developed, densely populated former Soviet republic, Ukraine has turned into a poor, dying region,” the minister said in a post on the foreign ministry’s website.
She added that Ukraine lost its independence as a result of the events of November 2013 and those who followed after that. “Western colonizers determine its domestic and foreign policy,” Zakharova wrote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been waging war against Ukraine for almost 21 months to bring parts of the country back under Moscow’s control.
The so-called Euromaidan protests, which later took place in Ukraine called the Revolution of Dignity, began on November 21 when the first protesters gathered on the Maidan (Independence Square) in Kyiv. They demonstrated against the fact that the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, under pressure from Moscow, annulled the agreement on the country’s accession to the EU. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with the security forces.
This event will be marked on Tuesday in Kyiv by the memory of the beginning of the protest, where the arrival of international dignitaries is expected.