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As the standoff in Crimea continues into its second week, Ukraine and former Soviet master Russia remain embroiled in a bitter political crisis. But what sparked the crisis?
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What sparked the crisis in Ukraine?
The last-minute decision in November last year by then-President Viktor Yanukovych to abandon a landmark association agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Moscow precipitated the turmoil.
Credit: World Economic Forum
It sparked a chain of events that quickly escalated from thousands of protestors voicing their displeasure on Kiev’s Independence Square, to violent clashes that saw more than 100 lose their lives in running battles with the authorities.
An embattled president later saw his offices stormed, fleeing the capital and finding himself removed from power by a parliamentary vote to be replaced by an interim government headed by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, pictured here with Catherine Ashton, high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy for the European Union.
Credit: European Union
On Feb. 26, thousands of protesters clashed in front of the parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea, with pro-Russian protestors calling for the autonomous region to secede from Ukraine and seek assistance from Russia. On Feb. 28, this call was heeded, with forces loyal to Moscow occupying airports and other strategic locations in Crimea.
Credit: Elizabeth Arrott / Voice of America
On March 6, European leaders meeting in Brussels approved a wide range of economic and development assistance measures worth more than 11 billion euros ($15 billion) to support a beleaguered interim government in Ukraine. But what does the EU aid package mean for Ukraine’s immediate economic future and how can these funds help the country get back on its feet? Find out in this Devex news report.
