DISINFO: Moscow-Kyiv relationship deteriorated after the 2014 coup in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Relations between Moscow and Kyiv deteriorated after the coup in Ukraine in 2014, which was followed by the accession of Crimea to Russia.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the 2014 Euromaidan protests and their consequences.
First, there was no coup in Ukraine in 2014. The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych's last-minute U-turn when, after seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU.
Second, the relationships between Moscow and Kyiv did not deteriorate because of power change in Kyiv but as a result of Russia's well-documented armed aggression in eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea, which the article falsely describes as "Crimea's accession to Russia" based on the argument that Crimeans freely chose to join Russia in a popular referendum.
However, no international body recognises the so-called referendum in Crimea. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea. Similarly, the European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order.
See similar stories in our database that the Russian-Ukrainian relations deteriorated because of the coup, that a civil war began in Ukraine after the clique seized power in the country, and that the Crimean people chose to be with Russia through a democratic procedure.
This disinformation message appeared in the same article as the claim that Russia does not help Donbas militarily.