DISINFO: There was a coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014
SUMMARY
In April 2014 Ukrainian authorities began military operation against self-proclaimed DPR and LPR which declared independence after Ukraine’s coup d’état of February 2014.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about Ukraine's Euromaidan protests and the war in Ukraine. It was Russia that provoked the war, for further debunking see here. There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s violent dispersal of peaceful student protests against Yanukovych's sudden decision to withdraw from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk here. After former President Yanukovych was voted out of office by the parliament, Ukraine held constitutional early presidential elections. The Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions issued by the IEOM on 26 May 2014 concluded that the election “was characterized by high voter turnout and the clear resolve of the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms in the vast majority of the country. This was despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions and the increasing attempts to derail the process by armed groups in these parts of the country.” See the Final Report of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 25 May 2014 early presidential election in Ukraine.