MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Euromaidan did not bring Ukraine closer to democracy or make the country better in any way, instead putting it and its citizens "on to the edge of the abyss," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary, published on the department’s website.

"Euromaidan did not bring Ukraine closer to democracy and progress. By carrying out the coup d'etat, the nationalists and political forces that supported it finally brought the situation to a standstill, bringing the country and its citizens to the edge of the abyss," the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, the coup d'etat in Ukraine "led to a deep split in society, repression and a war against dissent, rampant nationalism and neo-Nazism, legal lawlessness and nihilism, an assault against the Russian language and history and a total degradation of the socio-economic situation in the country." "This is even sadder because in February 2014, the settlement of the political crisis that emerged then could have been absolutely bloodless. The relevant agreement was signed on February 21, 2014 by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders with the mediation of Germany, France and Poland. Its implementation would have made it possible to avoid the tragic events that have happened in Ukraine over the past ten years. But it was discarded by the 'winners' of the 'dignity revolution' as an unnecessary obstacle to getting what they want," the Russian Foreign Ministry's official representative concluded.

On November 21, 2013, the Ukrainian government announced that it had suspended the signing of the association agreement with the EU. In response, the Verkhovna Rada opposition blocked the work of parliament, and an extended protest began in Independence Square in the center of Kiev. During the three-month confrontation, dubbed "Euromaidan," aggressive nationalists seized a number of administrative buildings in the west of the country, and established a tent city and armed groups in the center of Kiev, engaging in open confrontation with law enforcement officers.

The conflict culminated in the shooting by unidentified individuals on Institutskaya Street on February 20, 2014. According to official figures, 53 people were killed by the bullets. In total, more than 100 people died in the confrontation in Kiev on February 18-20, and hundreds were injured. Protesters and members of the Berkut special police unit were among those who died from gunshot wounds.