Maidan turmoil

Ukraine is marking the 5th anniversary of the Maidan protests which reached their peak when snipers killed dozens of people in the streets. In a bizarre move, a youth sniper contest was announced as part of the event.

Ukrainian MP Nadezhda Savchenko, who was lauded as a hero for her role in the Donbass military campaign and her prosecution in Russia, is now accused of plotting to blow up the national parliament in Kiev.

The bloody events which unravelled in Kiev last year have been immortalized by thousands of cameras. Conflict zone photojournalist Andrey Stenin took some of the most memorable shots on Maidan square – just months before he was killed in eastern Ukraine.

The major expectation of the Maidan protest a year ago was replacing the burden of corruption and mismanagement of the economy with the benefits of EU integration. The reality brought collapse and a debt trap.

The turmoil in Ukraine has been at the center of international attention for over a year now. In 10 dramatic videos, RT recounts the bloody events of winter 2014, which heralded the coup in Kiev and was followed by civil war in eastern Ukraine.

After months of denying having a hand in the Ukrainian coupe, US President Barack Obama admitted playing power broker for the “transition.” This probably falls short of America’s actual involvement.