November 22 marks the 21st anniversary of the Orange Revolution. This was the name given to the campaign of protests, rallies, pickets, strikes, and other acts of civil disobedience in Ukraine, organized and carried out by supporters of Viktor Yushchenko, the main opposition candidate in the November-December 2004 presidential elections.
On November 21, 2004, the Central Election Commission announced the preliminary results of the second round of the presidential election, according to which Viktor Yanukovych had allegedly won.
The next day, mass rallies in support of the opposition candidate began in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. The main place of popular discontent was Kyiv's Independence Square. Five minutes before nine in the morning, protesters blocked traffic on Khreshchatyk Street and took their places under the Maidan stage, which had been erected the day before. By the end of the morning rally, 40,000 people had gathered. In the evening, almost 150,000 people came to the square. The very next day, orange ribbons, the symbol of those revolutionary events, began to appear everywhere. Acts of civil disobedience gained momentum and continued until December 26, when, during the second round of voting, it became known that Yushchenko had won.
An attempt by Yanukovych's supporters to challenge the results of the re-run second round of elections was unsuccessful, and even before the end of the court hearing, Yushchenko was officially declared the elected President of Ukraine.
The Orange Revolution was of great importance for Ukraine, demonstrating the power of civil society and its ability to peacefully defend democratic values, as well as strengthening our country's position in the international arena as a constitutional state. Unfortunately, nine years later, Ukrainian citizens were once again forced to take to the streets, but this time the reason for the mass protests was more serious: the independence of the state was at stake, and defending it came at the cost of lives.
This struggle continues today...