The Day of Dignity and Freedom, November 21: Two Beginnings on Independence Square, in 2004 and 2013

Every year on November 21, Ukraine commemorates the “Day of Dignity and Freedom” (День Гідності та Свободи). The day was established by a presidential decree of November 13, 2014, and the decree says it honors the citizens who rose to defend democracy, human rights, and the country’s “European choice” in autumn 2004 and from November 2013 to February 2014. Both events began with people gathering on Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) in Kyiv.

This article sets out the wording of the presidential decree, how the commemoration’s name and date have changed, and what happened on November 21 in 2004 and 2013, drawing on original texts in the Verkhovna Rada’s legislation database, a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, and encyclopedia entries (as of October 2026). The figures of the 2004 presidential election and the content of the Supreme Court ruling are covered in our article on presidential elections, and developments since 2014 in our timeline of independence and Russia’s aggression.

What Presidential Decree No. 872/2014 Provided

The commemoration was established by Presidential Decree No. 872/2014, “On the Day of Dignity and Freedom,” signed by President Poroshenko on November 13, 2014. The text consists only of a preamble and two items.

З метою утвердження в Україні ідеалів свободи і демократії, збереження та донесення до сучасного і майбутніх поколінь об’єктивної інформації про доленосні події в Україні початку XXI століття, а також віддання належної шани патріотизму й мужності громадян, які восени 2004 року та у листопаді 2013 року – лютому 2014 року постали на захист демократичних цінностей, прав і свобод людини і громадянина, національних інтересів нашої держави та її європейського вибору, постановляю:

Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 872/2014, preamble (Verkhovna Rada legislation database, confirmed October 24, 2026). Translation (ours; no official English text was confirmed): In order to affirm in Ukraine the ideals of freedom and democracy, to preserve and convey to present and future generations objective information about the fateful events in Ukraine at the beginning of the 21st century, and to pay due respect to the patriotism and courage of the citizens who, in autumn 2004 and from November 2013 to February 2014, rose in defense of democratic values, the rights and freedoms of the person and citizen, the national interests of our state and its European choice, I decree:

1. Установити в Україні День Гідності та Свободи, який відзначати щорічно 21 листопада.

Same, item 1. Translation (ours): 1. To establish in Ukraine the Day of Dignity and Freedom, to be marked annually on November 21.

Item 2 provides that the decree takes effect on the day of its publication. The decree was published on November 15, 2014, in Holos Ukrainy (Голос України) and Uriadovyi Kurier (Урядовий кур’єр).

The day is not on the list of public holidays in Article 73 of the Labour Code. It is a commemoration established by presidential decree, not a day off work (confirmed in Article 73 as of October 23, 2026). The list of public holidays, and the fact that Article 73 is not applied under martial law, are covered in our article on Independence Day and public holidays.

Old Name and New Name: From “Day of Freedom” to “Day of Dignity and Freedom”

A day commemorating the events of 2004 existed before 2014 as well. Its name and date were rewritten three times by presidential decrees.

Presidential decree	Name of the commemoration	Date	What happened afterward
November 19, 2005, No. 1619/2005 (President Yushchenko)	Day of Freedom (День Свободи)	November 22	Repealed by Decree No. 1209/2011 of 2011
December 30, 2011, No. 1209/2011 (President Yanukovych)	Day of Unity and Freedom (День Соборності та Свободи України)	January 22	This provision deleted by Decree No. 871/2014 of 2014
November 13, 2014, No. 871/2014 (President Poroshenko)	Day of Unity (День Соборності України)	January 22	In force
November 13, 2014, No. 872/2014 (President Poroshenko)	Day of Dignity and Freedom (День Гідності та Свободи)	November 21	In force

The 2005 decree, taking into account “the historical significance of the revolutionary events of autumn 2004,” made November 22 the “Day of Freedom.” The 2011 decree repealed both this “Day of Freedom” decree and the 1999 decree (No. 42/99) that had made January 22 the Day of Unity, and made January 22 the “Day of Unity and Freedom.” January 22 is the day in 1919 when the unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic was proclaimed (text of No. 871/2014). The two decrees of 2014, signed on the same day, returned January 22 to the “Day of Unity” and separated out November 21 as the “Day of Dignity and Freedom.”

Why the 21st and Not the 22nd

The text of No. 872/2014 does not give a reason for choosing November 21. The preamble names only the periods “autumn 2004” and “November 2013 to February 2014.”

The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINP) explains that the day commemorates “the two revolutions that began on this day, the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Euromaidan and Revolution of Dignity of 2013” (the Institute’s page, November 21, 2025). November 21, 2004 was the day of the presidential election runoff. The Orange Revolution entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine (IEU; published by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, CIUS; written by Bohdan Harasymiw, 2020) says that Yushchenko asked his supporters to assemble in Independence Square after the polls had closed that evening, that they did not disperse for the night, and that “tens of thousands and soon hundreds of thousands assembled and stayed in the Maidan. Thus began the Orange Revolution.” The text of the 2005 decree does not say why it set the date at November 22.

Timeline: From November 2004 to February 2015

The events and documents connected with the commemoration are listed in date order. The dispersals and deaths from November 30, 2013 to February 20, 2014 are covered in a separate section below.

Date	Event	Source
November 21, 2004	Runoff of the presidential election. In the evening, supporters of Yushchenko gather on Independence Square	IEU, “Orange Revolution”
November 24, 2004	The Central Election Commission finalizes the runoff result and declares Yanukovych elected	Preamble of Commission Resolution No. 1273 (December 4, 2004)
December 3, 2004	The Supreme Court holds the Commission’s finalization of the result “unlawful” and orders the runoff to be repeated	Judgment of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court
December 26, 2004	The runoff is repeated	Commission Resolution No. 1273
November 19, 2005	Presidential decree making November 22 the “Day of Freedom”	Presidential Decree No. 1619/2005
December 30, 2011	Repeals the “Day of Freedom” decree and makes January 22 the “Day of Unity and Freedom”	Presidential Decree No. 1209/2011
November 21, 2013	The Cabinet of Ministers suspends preparations to conclude the Association Agreement with the EU. The same day, several thousand people gather on Independence Square	Cabinet Order No. 905-р; European Court of Human Rights judgment (2021) §23
February 22, 2014	The Verkhovna Rada says President Yanukovych “withdrew from the exercise of his powers in an unconstitutional manner” and sets an early presidential election for May 25	Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 757-VII
March 2, 2014	The Cabinet of Ministers repeals the order of November 21, 2013, No. 905-р	Cabinet Order No. 113-р
November 13, 2014	Returns January 22 to the “Day of Unity” and makes November 21 the “Day of Dignity and Freedom”	Presidential Decrees No. 871/2014 and No. 872/2014
November 21, 2014	Honors the courage and the like “shown during the Revolution of Dignity” and posthumously confers the title “Hero of Ukraine” on 99 people (more were added by later decrees)	Presidential Decree No. 890/2014
February 11, 2015	Makes February 20 the “Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred”	Presidential Decree No. 69/2015

November 21, 2004: The Night of the Runoff

In the 2004 presidential election, Yushchenko and Yanukovych came first and second in the first round on October 31, and the runoff was held on November 21. According to the IEU’s Orange Revolution entry, that day hundreds of complaints were filed with the Central Election Commission, and Yushchenko, anticipating fraud, asked people to assemble on Independence Square after the polls closed. The people who gathered did not disperse; tens of thousands, and soon hundreds of thousands, stayed in the square. The same entry also writes that “political technologists” from the Russian Federation directed Yanukovych’s campaign, and that Russian President Putin twice congratulated Yanukovych before the result was announced.

On November 24, the Central Election Commission finalized the runoff result and declared Yanukovych elected. On December 3, acting on a complaint from Yushchenko’s representative, the Supreme Court held the Commission’s finalization of the result to be “unlawful” (неправомірними) and ordered the runoff to be repeated. In its reasoning, the judgment states that the true will of the voters cannot be reliably established. The repeat vote was held on December 26, and Yushchenko was elected. What the Supreme Court accepted and what it rejected is described in detail in our article on presidential elections.

November 21, 2013: Preparations for the Association Agreement Suspended, and a Rally the Same Day

On November 21, 2013, the Cabinet of Ministers under Prime Minister Azarov issued Order No. 905-р and halted preparations to conclude the Association Agreement with the EU.

1. Призупинити процес підготовки до укладання Угоди про асоціацію між Україною, з однієї сторони, та Європейським Союзом, Європейським Співтовариством з атомної енергії і їх державами – членами, з іншої сторони, і дію рішення Кабінету Міністрів України від 18 вересня 2013 р. “Про підготовку до підписання проекту Угоди про асоціацію між Україною, з однієї сторони, та Європейським Союзом і його державами – членами, з іншої сторони”.

Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 905-р (November 21, 2013), item 1 (Verkhovna Rada legislation database; repealed on March 2, 2014). Translation (ours; no official English text was confirmed): 1. To suspend the process of preparation for concluding the Association Agreement between Ukraine, of the one part, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, of the other part, and the effect of the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of September 18, 2013 “On preparation for signing the draft Association Agreement between Ukraine, of the one part, and the European Union and its member states, of the other part.”

The order’s preamble gives as its reasons “measures to ensure national security” and consideration of how to restore production and trade ties lost with the Russian Federation and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Item 2 instructs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others to propose the creation of a three-way commission of the EU, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, and to resume dialogue with the Russian Federation and the countries of the Customs Union.

The European Court of Human Rights judgment (2021, discussed below) states in its facts section that on this day, reportedly further to calls on social networks, several thousand people gathered on Independence Square and protested against the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers adopted earlier that day. The IEU’s Euromaidan Revolution entry (written by Bohdan Harasymiw, 2020) likewise says that, in response to a Facebook post by Mustafa Nayyem, a few thousand students assembled in the square.

The protests then broadened into protests against the government itself. On February 22, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada, by Resolution No. 757-VII, stated that President Yanukovych had “withdrawn from the exercise of his powers in an unconstitutional manner” (у неконституційний спосіб самоусунувся) and set an early presidential election for May 25. On March 2, the Cabinet of Ministers under Prime Minister Yatsenyuk repealed the order of November 21, 2013, by Order No. 113-р. The restoration of constitutional provisions in the same period is covered in our article on amendments to Ukraine’s constitution.

From November 30, 2013 to February 20, 2014: Dispersals and Deaths

In its judgment of January 21, 2021 in Shmorgunov and Others v. Ukraine (application no. 15367/14 and others), the European Court of Human Rights examined fourteen applications concerning the dispersal of protests in Kyiv on November 30 and December 1 and 11, 2013, and January 23 and February 18, 2014, and related matters. The course of events set out in the facts section of the judgment is as follows (the judgment words some of it as “reportedly”).

• In the early morning of November 30, 2013, the police used force to disperse several hundred protesters who were holding a round-the-clock vigil on Independence Square; between 60 and 90 people were injured and over 30 were arrested by the police (§24).
• On December 1, the police dispersed several hundred protesters who had gathered near the Presidential Administration, and over 200 persons were injured. The judgment also states that some individuals present threw stones and sticks at the police officers and seized a loader and reportedly tried to break through the police cordon (§26).
• In the early hours of December 11, the police attempted to remove people from Independence Square, and around 40 persons were injured (§31).
• On February 18, 2014, protesters who went to the Verkhovna Rada and the police clashed; over 1,000 persons were injured and at least eight died. The same day, the police advanced on Independence Square, and hundreds were injured and more than ten died (§§38-39).
• On February 19 and 20, clashes on and around Independence Square reportedly resulted in the death of about 70 persons, most of whom died because of firearm injuries (§41).

The judgment found that 12 of the applicants had been ill-treated and the authorities had failed to conduct an effective investigation, and found a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. For two other applicants it found a violation of the same Article 3 on the ground that they had been tortured. It found a violation of Article 5, paragraph 1 for the detention of four applicants, and a violation of freedom of peaceful assembly (Article 11) for 13 applicants. The judgment was unanimous.

The judgment also states that the then President, Prime Minister, Prosecutor General, Minister of the Interior, and others are the subject of criminal proceedings on suspicion of designing a strategy of using disproportionate force against the protests, and that, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office, many of the suspects fled to Russia, so the proceedings are being pursued in their absence (§§18-19).

How Many Are the “Heavenly Hundred”: The Figure Depends on How They Are Counted

The people who died in the protests are called the “Heavenly Hundred” (Небесна Сотня). The number differs depending on who counted what.

• Presidential Decree No. 890/2014 (November 21, 2014) posthumously conferred the title “Hero of Ukraine” on 99 people, honoring the courage and the like of citizens “shown during the Revolution of Dignity.” There were further decrees conferring the title afterward: No. 94/2015 (February 20, 2015, 5 people), No. 56/2016 (February 17, 2016, 1 person), and No. 158/2017 (June 13, 2017, 1 person), likewise posthumous and for courage “shown during the Revolution of Dignity.” The 99 in No. 890/2014 are not all those who were given the title.
• The national “National Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Revolution of Dignity Museum” gives the “official number” of those belonging to the Heavenly Hundred as 107 and lists their names. It also writes that 107 is not a final figure because investigations are not complete (the museum’s page, dated October 25, 2017). The youngest was 17 and the oldest 82.
• The European Court of Human Rights judgment cites the 2015 report of the Council of Europe’s International Advisory Panel (IAP) and others, and writes that there were reportedly over 100 protest-related deaths, including over seventy protesters shot dead, and that at least thirteen police officers were also killed (§16).
• For the dead of February 18, the judgment separates two scenes, “at least eight” and “more than ten,” while the IEU’s Euromaidan Revolution entry says “26 people died.”

According to the museum’s page, when the title was conferred in 2014 the information from the investigations was not yet sufficient, so the list that the civic group “EuroMaidan SOS” submitted to the Ministry of Social Policy was used.

On Russia’s Claim of a “Coup”

According to the IEU’s Euromaidan Revolution entry, the story that Euromaidan was a neo-Nazi coup was strongly promoted by the Russian Federation’s government and media, and the entry assesses it as “far from the truth.” Its grounds are that Yanukovych “left the country of his own accord; he was not threatened or in any danger,” that “there was no dissolution of the Constitution or of its institutions,” and that the militants of the “Right Sector” numbered “in the mere hundreds while the overall crowds on the Maidan were in the hundreds of thousands.” It goes on to write that Putin invoked this narrative and “immediately directed the occupation of the Crimea and its annexation into the Russian Federation.”

In Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada cited Article 85, paragraph 1, item 7 of the Constitution as the basis for setting an early election (Resolution No. 757-VII), and Poroshenko was elected president in the election of May 25, 2014. The course of Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, the war in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that Russia started, and Russia’s full-scale invasion from February 24, 2022 are covered in our timeline article and our article on Japan’s non-recognition of the “annexation”.

February 20 and November 21: Two Commemorations

There is a day for mourning the dead of the Revolution of Dignity apart from November 21. Presidential Decree No. 69/2015 of February 11, 2015 established February 20 as the “Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.” Item 4 of the same decree requires the administrations of the oblasts and of the city of Kyiv to lay flowers at memorials to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred on the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, Independence Day, the Day of Dignity and Freedom, and the Day of Unity.

November 21 commemorates the day on which the two protests began, and February 20 is a day for mourning the people who died during them. According to the UINP page, the events held by the Revolution of Dignity Museum on the Day of Dignity and Freedom in 2025 were timed to the anniversary of the start of the Orange Revolution.