MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has emphasized the importance of Russia achieving its goals in the special military operation.

In response to journalists' question how the Kremlin assessed the current situation in Ukraine 10 years after the Maidan unrest, he replied: "We call it 'Maidan,' but in fact it was a coup, a coup d'etat by force, which was sponsored from abroad. Let’s call things by their proper names. That it was sponsored from abroad has been directly and indirectly recognized by representatives of other countries. This is an open secret," Peskov said.

At the same time, he added: "For us, the main thing is to achieve our goals. For this purpose, the special operation continues."

On November 21, 2013, the Ukrainian government announced that it had suspended the signing of the association agreement with the EU. In response, the opposition in the Verkhovna Rada blocked the work of parliament. A long-term rally began in Independence Square in the center of Kiev. During the three-month standoff, dubbed Euromaidan, aggressive nationalists seized a number of administrative buildings in the west of the country. In the center of Kiev they set up a tent camp and formed armed groups that clashed with police.