ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
The Orange Revolution occurred November 2004-January 2005 in Ukraine, after a fraudulent presidential election where pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych was declared winner over Viktor Yushchenko. Massive protests in Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, with demonstrators wearing orange, forced a rerun.
What happened
The Supreme Court annulled the election due to fraud. Yushchenko, who had been poisoned with dioxin during the campaign, won the December 26 rerun. The revolution was a peaceful pro-democracy movement supported by the West.
Why it still matters
The Orange Revolution inspired later color revolutions but its gains were partially reversed when Yanukovych won legitimately in 2010. It demonstrated Ukrainians' desire for European integration, foreshadowing the 2014 Euromaidan and current war.
Background
A rerun vote brought a west-leaning president.