The Far Right, the Euromaidan, and the Maidan Massacre in Ukraine

Journal of Labor and Society, Volume 23, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 5-29

54 Pages Posted: 29 Jun 2020 Last revised: 30 Jun 2020

Date Written: March 16, 2020

Abstract

This study examines the role of the far right in the Euromaidan in Ukraine, primarily in the Maidan massacre and other key cases of violence. The involvement of far‐right organizations in these crucial events in the Ukrainian and world politics has been politicized and polarized in Ukraine, the West, and Russia. This study analyzes various data sources, such as online live streams and TV broadcasts, videos, broadcasts of the Maidan massacre trials, the database of court decisions in Ukraine, media reports, and field research on the Maidan. The findings reveal that radical nationalist and neo‐Nazi organizations had significant but minority representation among the Maidan leadership and protesters. However, the analysis shows that the far‐right organizations and football ultras played a key role in political violence such as attempting to seize the presidential administration and the parliament. It reveals involvement of the Right Sector in violent clashes with the Berkut special police force during the highly publicized dispersal of Maidan protesters on November 30, 2013. The Right Sector and Svoboda had crucial roles in the violent overthrow of the Yanukovych government, in particular, in the Maidan massacre of the protesters and the police.

Keywords: Conflict; Ukraine; Far Right; Violence, Mass Protests

Suggested Citation

Katchanovski, Ivan, The Far Right, the Euromaidan, and the Maidan Massacre in Ukraine (March 16, 2020). Journal of Labor and Society, Volume 23, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 5-29, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3619458

Ivan Katchanovski (Contact Author)

University of Ottawa ( email )

School of Political Studies
Ottawa, Ontario K2C 1H7
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://uottawa.academia.edu/IvanKatchanovski

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