Ukraine timeline: how the crisis unfolded

Step-by-step guide to the revolt that has torn a country in two

Pro-EU activists launch flying lanterns during a rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on  December 16th last. The following day, Moscow agreed to lend Ukraine $15 billion and slash the price it pays for gas. Photograph:  Sergei Grits/AP
Pro-EU activists launch flying lanterns during a rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on December 16th last. The following day, Moscow agreed to lend Ukraine $15 billion and slash the price it pays for gas. Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP

November 21st – President Viktor Yanukovich's government abruptly rejects a historic trade and political pact with the European Union, saying it would wreck ties with Russia.

November 24th – About 100,000 people protest against the decision on Kiev's Independence Square – known locally as Maidan — and in smaller numbers in other cities.

November 30th – Riot police beat dozens of demonstrators, mostly students, on Maidan.

December 1st – The violence prompts a surge in public anger and protest numbers. Activists occupy Kiev city hall and a trade union building and establish a tent camp on Maidan.

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December 11th – Thousands of riot police storm Independence Square but fail to clear it. They retreat hours later, leaving protesters emboldened.

December 17th – After a series of meetings between Yanukovich and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Moscow agrees to lend Ukraine $15 billion (€10.9 billion) and slash the price it pays for gas.

January 16th – Yanukovich's allies in parliament pass sweeping laws to outlaw most forms of street protest.

January 19th – Radical activists fight riot police and build barricades on Grushevsky Street, which runs from near Maidan to parliament and government headquarters.

January 22nd – Two protesters are shot dead and another dies after falling from a colonnade on Grushevsky Street. Demonstrators blame the police, who deny responsibility. Over the following days, several activists are abducted and beaten, and one is killed.

January 24th – Protesters occupy the agricultural policy ministry close to Maidan and announce the seizure of local government buildings in several cities in western and central Ukraine.

January 28th – The government resigns and the protest law is quashed. Opposition leaders subsequently refuse to form a new cabinet under Yanukovich.

February 16th – Amnesty granted to detained protesters after activists leave some occupied buildings and streets.

February 18th – Riots erupt as police block protesters from marching on parliament to demand constitutional reform. More than 25 people are killed and hundreds injured.

February 19th — The camp on Maidan — surrounded by riot police – is still defiant. Protesters retake government buildings in parts of western Ukraine and reject Yanukovich's authority.

Daniel McLaughlin

Daniel McLaughlin

Daniel McLaughlin is a contributor to The Irish Times from central and eastern Europe