The Revolution of Dignity (Революція гідності: Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and the security forces in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of elected PresidentViktor Yanukovych, the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, and the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In January and February 2014, clashes in Kyiv between protesters and Berkut special riot police resulted in the deaths of 108 protesters and 13 police officers, and the wounding of many others. The first protesters were killed in fierce clashes with police on Hrushevskoho Street on 19–22 January. Following this, protesters occupied government buildings throughout the country. The deadliest clashes were on 18–20 February, which saw the most severe violence in Ukraine since it regained independence. Thousands of protesters advanced towards parliament, led by activists with shields and helmets, and were fired on by police snipers. On 21 February, an agreement between President Yanukovych and the leaders of the parliamentary opposition was signed that called for the formation of an interim unity government, constitutional reforms and early elections. The following day, police withdrew from central Kyiv, which came under effective control of the protesters. Yanukovych fled the city. That day, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Yanukovych from office by 328 to 0 (72.8% of the parliament's 450 members).
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The Times first reported that hackers, alleged to be based in China, began targeting Ukrainian websites on 23 February, the day before the invasion. That [suggests] they had advance notice of Moscow's plans and if their intention was somehow to support Russia.
A broad set of Ukrainian government and commercial organisations were said to have been targeted by hackers, including organisations linked to nuclear power. It is unclear how far this activity was scanning for vulnerabilities online and how many websites were actually compromised. The aim looks to have been espionage - stealing secrets - rather than the kind of sabotage operations which Russia was accused of carrying out just before the invasion, and when it started.
