People gathered on Feb. 20 at a memorial for those killed during the EuroMaidan Revolution in downtown Kyiv, marking the 7th anniversary of the bloody murders of protestors on the streets of the Ukrainian capital.
The attendees brought flowers and candles, while the Revolution of Dignity Museum organized a light display of white beams.
In what might be the most important events in the history of modern Ukraine, the demonstrations started on Nov. 21, 2013, in Kyiv’s central Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). The protests demanded that then-President Viktor Yanukovych reverse his decision — under pressure from the Kremlin — to reject Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union.
The unrest grew into a nationwide anti-government demonstration after brutal police attacks ending with bloody killings of at least 78 demonstrators on Feb. 18-20.
On Feb. 18, 2014, Yanukovych ordered his security forces to attack protesters who had gathered near the parliament in Mariinsky Park and on the nearby Instytutska Street. Riot police were aided in the deadly attack by “titushki,” or thugs, hired by the authorities.
Later, on Feb. 20, 2014, protesters were shot by snipers as they advanced towards the government quarter from Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the center of the protests. Amid public shock and outrage, on Feb. 22, 2014, Yanukovych fled Kyiv, first to eastern Ukraine and then to Russia.
Ultimately, about 100 people were murdered as a result of the government’s massacre in central Kyiv. The “Heavenly Hundred”, as those killed are known today, were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously.
To this day, those who ordered the deadly attacks have not been put on trial.
For more about the revolution, read the Kyiv Post’s e-book, “Witness to Revolution” or read our coverage under the hot topic EuroMaidan Revolution.
