The Russian Foreign Ministry has released a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the pro-European protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square, blaming Ukraine and the West for the conflict with Moscow. In the statement, Maria Zakharova, the ministry spokeswoman, asked what brought Ukraine its dream of Europe. She stated that Ukraine had turned into a poor, dying region due to the events of November 2013 and those that followed.

Zakharova also claimed that Western colonizers determine Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been waging war against Ukraine for almost 21 months to bring parts of the country back under Moscow’s control. The so-called Euromaidan protests, which later became known as the Revolution of Dignity, began on November 21 when protesters gathered on Maidan (Independence Square) in Kyiv. They demonstrated against Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to annul an agreement with the EU that would have allowed Ukraine to join European institutions. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces during these protests, which will be remembered in Kyiv on Tuesday by international dignitaries.