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Pro-Russian protesters stormed the Municipal Administration building in Luhansk, brought down the Ukrainian flag and hoisted the Russian one instead, urging authorities to hold a referendum over joining Russia.
The attendees of pro-Russian protests included Russian citizens from across the border who came to support the efforts of pro-Russian activists in Ukraine. Donetsk oblast governor Serhiy Taruta said that rallies in Donetsk included ex-convicts and others who travelled from Crimea.
Jun 26, 2014 · All the major details of the build-up of pro-Russian separatist uprising around Eastern Ukraine. By Tamila Varshalomidze. 26 Jun 2014. Read here for a timeline of the Ukraine crisis...
- Tamila Varshalomidze
Historical background of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. A variety of social, economical, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic factors contributed to the sparking of unrest in eastern and southern Ukraine in 2014, and the subsequent eruption of the Russo-Ukrainian War, in the aftermath of the early 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
- Overview
- March
- April
- May
- June
- War in Donbass
Main article: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
This is a timeline of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest that has erupted in Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution and the Euromaidan movement.
1 March
On 1 March 2014, the council of Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine's easternmost region, voted to demand giving the Russian language the status of second official language, stop "persecution of Berkut fighters", disarm Maidan self-defense units and ban a number of political organizations like Svoboda and UNA-UNSO. They threatened the Ukrainian central authorities that it reserved the right "to ask for help from the brotherly people of the Russian Federation". Pro-Russian citizens held a rally of up to 5,000 against the new government and demanding a referendum on whether to join Russia. There were reports of busloads of Russian citizens crossing the border into Ukraine to support pro-Russian demonstrators. At an administrative building in Kharkiv, a Russian from Moscow replaced the Ukrainian flag with a Russian one. Demonstrators supporting Russia vandalized the parliament building and beat civilians, but Reuters reported that this had alienated many local ethnic Russians, who were speaking and mobilizing in support of the Ukrainian government. The flag was restored and 200 policemen guarded the building. Protesters in Donetsk reportedly raised the Russian tricolor over the Donetsk Oblast Regional Administration building, in addition to electing a new pro-Russian governor. Demonstrators in Mariupol also protested in front of regional offices, waving Russian flags. According to Interfax, between 5,000 to 20,000 participated in a pro-Russian demonstration in Odessa. Russian flags were reportedly raised in Melitopol and Yevpatoria. The city council of Donetsk voted on 1 March to have a referendum on the status of the region but lawmakers made no mention of what question would be asked or when. In Zaporizhia 1,000–5,000 estimated protesters gathered to save the Lenin monument. There, they also protested against the Kiev government and in support of Berkut troops and Soviet symbols.[unreliable source?] Various Russian news media outlets started to use the term Russian Spring (Russian: Русская весна) to describe the protests.
2 March
In Zaporizhia, over 5,000 protested against Russian intervention and pro-Russian demonstrations, and unity in Ukraine. They also protested against people seizing state buildings and raising Russian flags over them. Similar rallies were held in Dnipropetrovsk (a rally described by local reporters as the largest in years that drew an estimated 10,000 people), Odessa (several thousand), Mykolaiv (according to local media 5,000 to 10,000 people) and Kharkiv (a few thousand protesters).
3 March
Over 2,000 protesters gathered over Donetsk Oblast administrative building, broke through police barricades and retook the facility waving Russian flags. The pro-Russian group is led by Pavel Gubarev, a former member of the neo-Nazi "Russian National Unity" party, who is claiming to be the people's governor of the region. 200–500 demonstrators with Russian flags, opponents of the new authorities in Kiev, attempted to seize the Odessa Regional State Administration building. They demanded that a referendum on the establishment of an "Odessa Autonomous Republic" be held. As the protesters began to break windows and enter the building, Oblast chairman and Party of Regions official Mykola Leonidovych Skoryk spoke to the crowd, saying that the police could not allow an "assault" on the RSA, and that Ukrainians "must live peacefully in a single state." Protesters shouted "traitor!" and "Judas!" at him. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that anti-Kiev protesters have broken into the first floor of the Donetsk RSA building.
5 April
In Donetsk, 500 people attended a pro-Russia rally, which had a lower turnout than usual.[150] in Mariupol, a crowd of supporters of the self-declared Mayor Dimitri Kuzmenko, arrested by the Security Service, broke into the prosecutor's office to demand his release. Later, the protestors surrounded the city council.[151]
6 April
For the insurgency in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that began on this day, see Timeline of the war in Donbass. 1,000–2,000 pro-Russia protesters attended a rally in Donetsk pushing for a Crimea-style referendum on independence from Ukraine.[152] After which 200 separatists took control of the first two floors of the building. The pro-Russian protesters broke down doors and smashed windows. The administration headquarters were empty, with only guards inside, as Government officials don't work on Sundays.[152] The separatists demanded that if an extraordinary session was not held by officials announcing a referendum to join Russia, they would declare unilateral control by forming a 'People's Mandate' at noon on 7 April, and "dismiss" all elected council members and MPs.[153][154][155] Residents of Donetsk submitted an open letter calling for the acting president of Ukraine to protect them from the pro-Russian separatists.[156] In Luhansk, 1,000 pro-Russians rallied in front of the SBU office, demanding the release of separatist leader, Aleksandr Kharitonov. A policeman was injured and hospitalized as the protesters seized the SBU building. One of the demonstrators also reportedly suffered a head injury. Following negotiations, 6 pro-Russian protesters who were previously detained were released from custody.[152] Those who broke into the SBU building raided the armoury and seized weapons.[157] In Kharkiv, pro-Russian rally was held where between 2,000 and 10,000 attended.[158][159] Protesters attacked pro-European protesters, who were protected by a column of police to allow them to escape the mob, while forced to crawl on their knees; the pro-Russian protesters chanted "Kharkiv is a Russian city!" and "Crawl to your Europe!"[158] 1,500 pro-Russians then rallied in front of the RSA, with some making it inside. An attack on the RSA began after the organizers of the protests urged participants "to support Donetsk and Luhansk where government buildings were seized earlier in the day."[152] 500 people were involved in storming the RSA, 30 of which were militants in balaclavas and camouflage, who used stun grenades.[160][161] Ukraine accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of orchestrating the seizures.[162]
7 April
At 3:30am, a group of pro-Russians stormed the SBU offices in Donetsk and Luhansk.[163] They did not make any clear demands.[164] The militants took control of the SBU armoury and armed themselves with automatic weapons, and other supporters brought bricks and other debris to erect barricades. Their numbers were initially at 1,000 but have since thinned.[165] The protesters in Donetsk declared a People's Republic of Donetsk and unification with Russia.[166] Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported gunmen then tried to storm a Donetsk TV building, but were deterred by police.[163] In Kharkiv, a pro-Russian rally was held where about 1,000 attended and a pro-Ukraine rally was held attended by about 300 people.[167] Around noon about 50 masked men with bats attacked pro-Ukraine demonstrators who responded by throwing bottles at them.[168] They also attacked non-Russian journalists.[169] Separatists then set the RSA on fire with petrol .[170] By morning the next day, police had regained control of the RSA save for 10 pro-Russian separatists who remained in the lobby.[171] In an instance that led journalists to believe protesters were not locals but rather from Russia, protesters stormed a local theatre thinking it was city hall.[172] Other protestors seized a local TV station and tower. At night, Ukrainian Special forces stormed a Security Service office in Donetsk that had been taken by Pro-Russian militants. No casualties were reported. In Luhansk, members of a self-styled "Army of the Southeast" asked for support to preserve "our rights and values." They also claim to be ready to send a "reserve" to Donetsk to assist separatists there.[173] Protesters unilaterally declared outside the Kharkiv RSA a Kharkiv People's Republic.[174] Maidan self-defence detained Russian separatists in Odessa, who were in possession of chains, clubs, and guns. The men were then formally arrested by the police.[175] At Mykolaiv there were clashes between AutoMaidan members, riot police and pro-Russian activists when the latter attempted to storm the local administration building.[176] There were ten wounded.[177] Ukrainian self-defence cleared the pro-Russian's encampment and found guns and other weapons.[178] In an address on national TV (Ukrainian) interim President Oleksandr Turchynov stated the current unrest in eastern Ukraine was "the second wave" of a Russian operation to destabilize Ukraine, overthrow the government and disrupt planned elections and an attempt by Russia to "dismember" Ukraine.[163] He also vowed to launch a major "counter-terrorism" operation against separatist movements in the country's eastern regions.[179]
1 May
In Simferopol, a May Day parade was held which included support from Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, whose column's slogans included "Putin is a guarantor of peace and stability in multiethnic Crimea!"[248] Pro-Russian and pro-Communist parades were also held in Odessa (2,000 people), Donetsk (10,000 people), Kiev (400 people), Mariupol (1,000 people),[249] Kharkiv (2,000 people), and Luhansk.[250] In Moscow, protesters carrying the Ukrainian flag were arrested on sight.[251] Ukraine re-adopted conscription.[252][253]
2 May
Main article: 2 May 2014 Odessa clashes A rally by about 1,500 pro-government demonstrators in Odessa was attacked by pro-Russian militants with batons and helmets, leaving many dead and wounded.[254][255][256] The militants were later overwhelmed by the protesters, forcing them to retreat to and occupy the Trade Unions House.[257] Whilst defending the building, the militants tossed rocks and Molotov cocktails at the protesters below, and also opened fire upon them.[258][259] Police said at least three people were shot dead and fifteen others were wounded in the clashes, and another thirty-one people died whilst trapped in the burning Trade Unions House.[260][261][262] President Turchynov issued a statement informing that 'armed saboteurs' attempted to cross into Ukraine overnight from Russia, but were pushed back by Ukrainian border troops.[263] The Federal Security Service's (FSB) border service said information from the Ukrainian side about an alleged attempt by Russian "sabotage groups" to cross into Ukraine from Russia "did not correspond with reality."[264]
4 May
Sixty pro-Russian demonstrators stormed the police headquarters at Odessa and released 67 people held in custody over the 2 May's deadly clashes.[265]
On 14 June 2014, protesters in Kiev attacked the Russian embassy and overturned vehicles with diplomatic plates.[273] Ukraine's foreign minister, Andriy Deshchytsia, showed up at the protest and tried to calm down the protesters and convince them that attacking the embassy was a wrong course of action. At one point he was heard agreeing with the protesters' chants, and said "Yes, Putin is a khuilo, yes." ("khuilo" translates roughly to "dickhead"), prompting immediate outrage in Moscow.[274]
On the following day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters: "The leading role in the attack on the embassy was played by fighters from the Azov battalion, which has been set up and is financed by Kolomoisky, whom the current Kiev authorities have appointed governor of Dnipropetrovsk."[275]
Main articles: War in Donbass and Timeline of the war in Donbass
This is a timeline of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest that has erupted in Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution and the Euromaidan movement.
Mar 8, 2014 · KIEV (Reuters) - Here is a timeline of the fall of Ukraine's government and Russia's subsequent incursion into Ukraine's Crimea region. The crisis began in November when Ukraine's...
