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Disinfo: 2014 coup in Kyiv led to Crimea referendum and civil war in East Ukraine

Summary

Mass rallies in Ukraine in 2014 resulted in a violent coup d’état in Kyiv that forced President Yanukovych to flee the country. After that, the Crimean Peninsula left Ukraine and re-joined Russia, while Donetsk and Luhansk declared their independence and refused to obey the government in Kyiv.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Euromaidan, illegal annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine. There was no coup d'état in Ukraine. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was an organic reaction by numerous parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk of this disinformation claim here. No international body has recognised the so-called Crimea referendum, announced on 27 February 2014, and held on 16 March 2014. Thirteen members of the United Nations Security Council voted in favour of a resolution declaring the referendum invalid. On the 27th of February 2014, when it was announced, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which stated 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 December 18 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of illegal annexation of Crimea. On the fifth anniversary of Crimea's annexation, the EU reiterated its position of non-recognition of illegal annexation and continues to stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, supporting its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The international community, including the European Union recognizes and condemns clear violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014.

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Sputnik English (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 164
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12/09/2019
  • Outlet language(s) English
  • Country: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Eastern Ukraine, Civil war, Crimea, Donbas, Coup, War in Ukraine
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