Ukraine Rising

In November 2013, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian protesters flooded the streets of Kiev, occupying government buildings and taking over the city's Independence Square. Initially, the demonstrators were expressing discontent at President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to pull out of a deal that would bring Ukraine closer to joining the European Union.

After an initial brutal police crackdown, the protests grew in size and became more about toppling the government and putting an end to corruption than joining the EU. The police tried and failed to clear the tent city that sprung up in the Independence Square – also known as the Maidan – and the occupied city hall that was dubbed the "Revolution HQ". Protesters remained in the streets, despite the below zero temperatures.

More from the protests in Kiev:

Police Tried and Failed to Clear Kiev's Independence Square

Ukrainian Protesters Toppled Kiev's Lenin Statue Last Night

Opposition Parties and Vitali Klitschko Are Calming Kiev's Protesters