DISINFO: LNR and DNR declared their independence after the coup d'etat in Kyiv
SUMMARY
The self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk (LNR) and Donetsk (DNR) declared their independence after the coup d’etat in Kyiv.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution as a coup d'etat.
There was no coup d'état in Ukraine. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was an organic reaction by numerous sectors 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.
The protesters' demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, formation of a government of National unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence.
The territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts (regions) are internationally recognised parts of Ukraine. The EU has stressed on several occasions that Ukraine’s borders must be respected. On the 27th of March 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/262 confirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moreover, the international community, including the European Union, recognises and condemns clear violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014.
See similar cases claiming that 2014 coup in Kyiv led to the Crimea referendum, the Donbas war and that the Western-backed coup in Ukraine has torn the country asunder.