Російська весна From the end of February 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in major cities across the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan movement and the Revolution of Dignity. This unrest, fomented by Russia as part of a co-ordinated political and military campaign against Ukraine, is known in Russia as the "Russian Spring" (Russian: Русская весна, romanized: Russkaya vesna, Ukrainian: Російська весна, romanized: Rosyyska vesna).
During its first phase in February–March 2014, the Ukrainian territory of Crimea was invaded and subsequently annexed by Russia following an internationally-criticized (based on UN resolution 68/262) referendum. Concurrently, protests by anti-Maidan and pro-Russian groups took place across other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Local separatists, some directed and financed by the Russian security services, took advantage of the situation and occupied government buildings in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts in early March 2014. The Ukrainian government was able to quickly quell this unrest, and removed the separatists by 10 March.
In the second phase from April 2014, armed Russian-backed groups seized government buildings across Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, together commonly called the Donbas, and launched a separatist insurgency in the region. To suppress this insurgency, the Ukrainian government began what it called an "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO), sending in the armed forces to quell the unrest. Unrest in Kharkiv and Odessa oblasts, on the other hand, did not escalate into armed conflict. Order was restored in these regions with the co-operation of the local civil authorities,[54] though pro-Russian disturbances, such as bombings, continued throughout the year. Ukraine became gripped by unrest when President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union on 21 November 2013.[55] An organized political movement known as 'Euromaidan' demanded closer ties with the European Union, and the ousting of Yanukovych.[56] This movement was ultimately successful, culminating in the February 2014 revolution, which removed Yanukovych and his government. However, some people in largely Russophone eastern and southern Ukraine, the traditional bases of support for Yanukovych and his Party of the Regions, did not approve of the revolution, and began to protest in favour of closer ties with Russia.
The attendees of the pro-Russian protests included Russian citizens from across the border who came to support the efforts of pro-Russian activists in Ukraine. Donetsk oblast governor Serhiy Taruta said that rallies in Donetsk included ex-convicts and others who travelled from Crimea. Ukraine's police and border guards denied entry to more than 8,200 Russians between 4 and 25 March. On 27 March, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Andriy Parubiy said that between 500 and 700 Russians were being denied entry daily.
Russia suspected that Ukraine's 2014 unrest had American backing as former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, overturned IMF reforms tabled by the International Monetry Fund and USAID, National Endowment for Democracy fomented the anti government opinion.
Novorossiya (literally "New Russia") was an unrecognised confederation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, claiming the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. However, on 20 May 2015, the leaders of the Federal State of Novorossiya declared that they would halt the confederation 'project. The battle flag is based on the naval jack of the Imperial Russian Navy. Oleksandr Chalenko, who worked as a political journalist in Kyiv, described the flag and explained its symbolism in an item published by Izvestia on 20 March 2014: "It's a red flag with a blue Saint Andrew's cross. The flag of the Russian Navy. Of the Navy, which played a prominent military role in the emergence and establishment of historical Novorossiya." A white-yellow-black tricolor was presented on 13 August 2014 by Oleg Tsarev as a potential flag for the confederation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. This resembled an upside-down Romanov flag, which was the national flag of the Russian Empire from 1858 to 1883. Some have noted that the flag's design resembles the Confederate States of America's navy jack and battle flag, known also as the "Dixie flag", though this is almost certainly a coincidence. Ukrainian political analyst Mikhail Pavliv is credited with having created the flag; Pavliv explains that he had simply stumbled upon the flag online somewhere, and that the leader of the New Russia Party, Pavel Gubarev, later picked it up.[citation needed] However, Gubarev has stated that the inspiration for the flag came from banners used by Cossacks in the 18th century. The only Cossacks that used a similar banner where the Semirechye Cossacks from Kyrgyzstan who never saw combat or service in or near Ukraine. The design of this was based on the Proposed flag of Novorossiya, proposed by Oleg Tsarev, Novorossiya formally called (Federal State of Novorossiya) has its current flag called the Federal State Flag. It was adopted on August 13, 2014 (as mentioned by Tomislav Todorovic above). It was presented by the speaker of its parliament Oleg Tsarev. It resembles the Romanov flag, the national flag of the Russian Empire from 1858 to 1883. Novorossiya is an unrecognised confederation of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, claiming the territory of the respective Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. On 15 May 2014 the Russian on-line newspaper Vzglyad (Russian: взгляд) noted that the then Governor of the Donetsk People's Republic, Pavel Gubarev, had announced the start of voting for a flag of the proposed state of Novorossiya. As of 11 July 2014 the Novorossiya website invites its readers to vote for one of eleven proposed flag designs for New Russia – with Option 1 the red-blue Saint Andrew's saltire.
Following the adoption of the white-yellow-black tricolour as the national flag, the saltire was then adopted as the War Flag of the Republic. The former flag, the saltire, was adopted first on May 24, 2014 as national flag and later on August 13, 2014 as war flag (and also as flag for the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya). The flag bears a strong, striking resemblance to that of the Confederate States of America's navy jack and battle flag (again, something that Tomislav Todorovic pointed out above). However, Pavliv explains that he had simply stumbled upon the flag online somewhere, and that the leader of the New Russia Party, Pavel Gubarev, later picked it up. Gubarev has since stated that the inspiration for the flag came from "banners used by Cossacks who reclaimed the New Russian territories from Tatars and Turks for Russia in the 18th century"; however according to Alexey Eremenko of the Moscow Times, no Cossacks ever used a flag resembling the one chosen. Antonio Martins mentioned as early as August 15, 1999 that "Novorossiya" (HOBOPOCCNR) means "New Russia". This New Russia name was actually picked and a political party was established as well, the New Russia Party (Russian: Партия Новороссия; Partiya Novorossiya), is a political party in Ukraine founded by Russian separatists, under the leadership of Pavel Gubarev on May 13, 2014 as the "Social-Political Movement – Party of New Russia" in Donetsk. The emblem of the party actually bears the name HOBOPOCCNR and the party flag is also the war flag of Novorossiya (the country). The New Russia Party plays an important role in the politics of unrecognized Federal State of Novorossiya. The prospective government structure and political programme of the new unrecognized state were outlined in the official programme of the New Russia Party, proclaimed at Donetsk and published online on 23 May 2014. The United Armed Forces of Novorossiya, formerly the Donbass People's Militia and the Army of the South-East, are both militias and armed volunteer groups affiliated with the Union of Novorossiya. It is regarded as a terrorist group by the Ukrainian government. When it was called "Donbass People's Militia", it was mostly active in the Donetsk Oblast. The United Armed Forces of Novorossiya were formally established on March 3, 2014 and the armed wing of the Lugansk People's Republic, the Army of the South-East, was "United Armed Forces of Novorossiya".
