Long before violence engulfed the protests, Russian officials began accusing the demonstrators of being neo-Nazis, radicals, and provocateurs. As soon as Ukraine’s then-President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin began engineering the annexation of Crimea.
但俄罗斯的反应既快且狠。在示威还远远没有暴力化的时候，俄罗斯官员已经开始将示威者说成是新纳粹、极端分子和煽动分子。时任乌克兰总统亚努科维奇（Viktor Yanukovych）一逃离基辅，俄罗斯总统普京就开始发动对克里米亚的吞并。