Tenth Anniversary of 'Euromaidan'; Ukraine Still Hopeful for EU Membership

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, in a message on the anniversary of the 'Euromaidan' protests, stated that the decision of European Union leaders at next month's meeting in Brussels will determine his country's fate. Ten years ago, thousands of Ukrainians gathered in Independence Square in Kyiv to demand a European future for their country. Their actions sparked a decade of revolution, turmoil, and conflict, which reached its peak with Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in March 2022. A decade after these protests, Ukraine's membership in the European Union is set to be determined at a meeting in Brussels, Belgium. In late December 2013, Viktor Yanukovych, then President of Ukraine, under severe pressure from Russia, withdrew from signing an association agreement with the EU and instead signed a loan and energy deal with Moscow. His decision angered Ukrainians who longed for a democratic future in the EU, outside the political orbit of Russia. Thousands of protesters came to the 'Maidan' Square, waving the flags of Ukraine and the EU, which share the common blue and yellow colors. Dmytro Ryznichenko, one of the participants in these protests, said, 'Life in Ukraine during Yanukovych was humiliating. No one cared about the people. Officials did not hide their criminal and completely pro-Russian nature. We wanted to find human value. We wanted freedom.' After several days of peaceful protests, the Ukrainian police resorted to brutal suppression to clear Independence Square of the opposition gathering. In response to this action, thousands of other Ukrainians from across the country joined the protests. In the police's heavily armed 'anti-riot' crackdown in winter 2013, at least 108 protesters were killed by police snipers. The global outcry over this violence led to Yanukovych's resignation and his flight to Russia. These events are known as Ukraine's 'Revolution of Dignity.' Memorials have been placed in Independence Square to honor the victims. Olga Tokariuk, who now works for the Royal Institute of International Affairs 'Chatham House,' participated in the Euromaidan protests. She told Voice of America, 'We didn't know what was ahead. Of course, we couldn't imagine that a Russian invasion would happen, a war that would last 9 years, as well as a full-scale Russian invasion and that millions of Ukrainians would have to leave their homes. [We couldn't imagine that] thousands would die in this war and that many of the people who were in the 'Maidan' would be killed in this war.' Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in March 2014 and fueled a separatist war in eastern Ukraine, which was a precursor to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later in March 2022. Ukraine is now engaged in a full-scale war against Russia. Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, more than ten thousand civilians have been killed. At next month's meeting in Brussels, European leaders will decide on the start of formal negotiations regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, states that this decision will determine his country's fate. In a message on the anniversary of the 'Euromaidan' protests, he said, 'Twenty years ago, this was a romantic dream. Ten years ago, it was an ambitious goal. And today it is a reality that can no longer hinder our progress.' Over the ten years since the Euromaidan protests, Ukraine has suffered death and destruction on a scale that few can imagine. The Russian attack on the Kherson region in Ukraine left four dead. Ukraine shot down 14 Shahed drones; Zelensky: We have repeatedly told the Islamic Republic not to provide weapons to Russia. Russia targeted the infrastructure of Ukraine's Odesa port with missile attacks. Zelensky: Ukraine's accession to the EU is no longer a 'poetic dream.' The unexpected visit of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to Kyiv comes amid intensifying Russian drone attacks. Zelensky's fight against corruption in Ukraine; two senior cyber defense officials were dismissed.