PKSOI/GLOBAL TRENDS CASE STUDIES Controlling Ukraine, The EU and Russia in Ukraine | Page 9

Case Study # 0517-02
PKSOI TRENDS GLOBAL CASE STUDY SERIES
The previously defeated Viktor Yanukovych was then elected President in 2010. In mid-November 2013 Ukrainian
protesters took up residence on Maidan Square in Kyiv to protest government corruption again and demand closer
integration with Europe. Many violent clashes with Ukrainian security forces took place in the following weeks. On
November 29, at the last minute, Yanukovych refused to sign the above-mentioned landmark Association Agreement
with the European Union that offered limited financial assistance, closer ties to the EU, and preferential access to Eu-
ropean markets in exchange for political and judicial reforms. Instead, allegedly under great pressure from Russia, 33 on
December 17, Yanukovych signed an “action plan” with Russia and received a 15 billion dollar loan from Moscow and
an arrangement for lower natural gas prices. Meanwhile, he stated he would continue to work on more favorable condi-
tions for Ukraine in the EU agreement. 34
Nevertheless, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom stated after lengthy negotiations with Ukraine and Russia
in December 2015: “We were quite close in finding some of the practical solutions that I think had there been a will,
we would have been able to do that…however, today there was not enough flexibility from the Russian side to do that.
There was no agreement, so this exercise is now over.”
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated: “Neither Ukraine nor the European Union are ready to sign a legally
binding agreement which would take into account Russia’s interests.” 35
Ukrainian students and other citizens continued protesting the switch from the EU to Russia on Maidan Square in Kyiv.
Ukrainian security forces, reportedly with direct assistance from Russian officers, began live-firing on the protesters in
mid-February 2014. 36 As tensions rose, Yanukovych fled to Russia on February 21 and never returned. 37
The Ukrainian Parliament voted 328 – 0 on 22 February to impeach Yanukovych, accusing him of mass killings of
civilians. An interim government was formed which Russia refused to recognize, calling Yanukovych’s removal a West-
ern-sponsored coup d’etat. 38
The new Parliament also decreed that Ukrainian would be the state’s sole official language from then on. Previously,
regions could make use of additional official languages if that language was spoken by more than 10 percent of the re-
gion’s population. Thirteen out of 27 Ukrainian regions had declared Russian an official second language. The new law
provided cause for Russia to claim that ethnic Russians in Ukraine were endangered. 39, 40
On March 1, Russian President Putin submitted an appeal to the Upper House in the Russian Parliament seeking autho-
rization “…to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the social and political
situation in that country is normalised.” 41 The Parliament approved the deployment of Russian forces to Ukraine and
subsequently Russia began moving military forces into Crimea. 42
Russian covert forces managed to destabilize Crimea’s local government “through infiltrating and coopting security
and defense forces, which then allowed them to take control of the seats of power and security in the peninsula.” 43 On
March 16, pro-Russian leaders in Crimea held a plebiscite on returning the peninsula to Russian control. The vote was
overwhelmingly in favor, although some Western media reported at the time that pro-Ukrainian voters were personally
intimidated to vote in favor of returning Crimea to Russian control, or not to vote. 44 International observers claimed
reported voter intimidation, closure of critical television channels, and a well working Russian propaganda machine to
confuse voters. 45
On 21 March 2014 interim Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the political part of the Association Agree-
ment with the EU, including steps towards visa-free travel and equal rights for workers. 46 On June 27, after national
elections in May, President Poroshenko signed the economic part of the EU agreement. It commits Ukraine to econom-