DISINFO: There was a putsch in Ukraine and today the country is a totalitarian state
SUMMARY
The putsch in Ukraine celebrated its seventh birthday on February 26. Seven years ago, the coverage of the events on the Maidan in Kyiv was euphoric, and the narrative disseminated by the media was hard to beat for simplicity: The people of Ukraine longed for democracy and Western values, and therefore desired a connection to the EU, which represented and guaranteed precisely these values.[...]
This revolution was called the "Revolution of Dignity" and represents the awakening of Ukrainian society to a better, Western world. For this purpose, the direct interference of Western states in the internal affairs of Ukraine was a legitimate means, after all, it was about promoting democracy and freedom - it was about supporting the legitimate aspirations of the vast majority of people in Ukraine. It was a good project.
In the meantime, the German media has become quite quiet about Ukraine. This is due to the fact that Ukraine is further away from Western values, democracy, the rule of law and freedom than ever before. On the contrary, Ukraine is tipping over into totalitarianism and is destroying everything in the country that could be summarised under the title "European values".
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Yes, it is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine is a totalitarian state. And it could only become so with the vigorous help of Western states.
RESPONSE
There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014; this is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan protests.
Despite a challenging geopolitical security setting, with the ongoing Russian-aggression in the east of the Ukrainian state, there is no proof that Ukraine is tipping towards totalitarism. The democracy watch-dog Freedom House rates Ukraine status as "partly free", giving it a score of 62 out of 100 possible points. Russia, for comparison, ranks only 20 out of 100 and is rated as "not free", Ukraine's northern neighbour Belarus ranks 19 out of 100.
Furthermore, Freedom House concludes in its annual report about Ukraine in 2020:
"Democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Ukraine are seriously challenged by the grinding military conflict in the country’s east (Donbas), Russia’s occupation and de facto control of Crimea, widespread impunity for human rights abuses, and slow reform in key areas, such as the security and justice sectors. At the same time, the flourishing of civil society, major reforms since the Euromaidan revolution, and a vibrant media demonstrate Ukraine’s promise as an open and pluralistic democracy."
The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction from several segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013, after pressure from Russia. See the full debunk The Western-backed coup in Ukraine has torn the country asunder.
The West did not interfere in Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine is a sovereign state. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by almost the whole world, including the EU. The EU and the US work closely with Ukraine and support the democratic development of Ukraine in accordance with the UN Charter’s principles of non-interference into internal affairs and respect towards territorial integrity and political independence.