MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. The Maidan has turned out to be a myth for Ukraine, which ruined its statehood and became the basis for a decade of brainwashing of the people, Viktor Medvedchuk, the former leader of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, now banned in the country, has said.

Medvedchuk now leads the Other Ukraine movement.

This week, November 21 marked exactly 10 years since the Ukrainian government announced the suspension of the signing of the association agreement with the European Union. In response, the opposition in the Verkhovna Rada blocked the work of parliament. A long-running rally, dubbed "Euromaidan," began in Independence Square in central Kiev.

"The Ukrainian 'Maidan' is a myth that ruined Ukrainian statehood, caused a split in Ukrainian society and forced the mass of people to act against their interests. It is well seen that the situation with the economy, political freedoms and security after the 'Maidan' has become so threatening that the West is already thinking about discarding [Vladimir] Zelensky's Ukraine as a failed project," the leader of the Other Ukraine movement said in his column on the platform Smotrim.ru.

In Ukraine these days, he continued, some have been celebrating what in reality was a decade of hypocritical deception of their own people.

"The people were used as a guinea pig for the Western special services and forced to believe in something that does not exist," Medvedchuk pointed out, adding that the masses of people believed "false myths and let themselves be drugged by sweet tales about the sinless West." Among these tales he named, in particular, the myth that the Western bias would supposedly lead to the enrichment of the country and its citizens.

"The whole system of past, present and future real economic ties testifies only to one thing: Ukraine can be rich only with Russia, and in no other way. Those who do not believe this should look at the economic indicators of modern Ukraine and see that as soon as pro-Western authorities take over in the country, all indicators plummet in an instant," Medvedchuk pointed out. During the Maidan unrest, he continued, the Ukrainians in reality demonstrated for their own poverty. Ten years after those events this has been fully confirmed.

He also debunked the myths about Western freedoms, peace and stability.

"Modern Ukraine has not become freer after the Maidan. On the contrary, the opposition is repressed, opposition media are closed, the Russian language is banned, and cultural monuments are being barbarously destroyed," he recounted. As for the myth about peace, having chosen the West Ukraine got involved in a war, suffered heavy losses and lost its statehood, Medvedchuk noted.

"The antidote is simple - remember who we are, our history, faith, culture, and language, be proud of them, and not try to earn the benevolence of US patrons, contrary to what Zelensky and his clique are doing today. He has forgotten that he was put in place of those who organized the Maidan. The organizers of the Maidan were simply written off and disposed of. The day is near when Zelensky himself will be written off for irrelevance. He has been used enough. His usefulness to the West is already tending to zero," Medvedchuk concluded.