Over the past decade, Ukraine has been caught in a fierce struggle between the European Union and Russia, its former overseer. The Euromaidan protests in Kiev erupted after then-President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a free trade agreement with the EU, favoring ties with Moscow instead. By December 1, 2013, around 300,000 pro-EU activists gathered in Independence Square, eventually seizing City Hall. The government responded with harsh anti-protest laws, leading to violent clashes, including the first protestor deaths on January 21 and 22 during the Hrushevskoho Street riots. Despite negotiations, tensions escalated with more deaths in February, forcing Yanukovych to flee to Russia after a no-confidence vote loomed, while parliament repealed the anti-protest laws and appointed Oleksandr Turchinov as acting president. The instability in Kiev provoked a strong reaction in Ukraine's east, especially Crimea, where pro-Russian sentiments dominate. Russian troops amassed at the Ukrainian border, and armed men in unmarked fatigues seized key locations in Crimea, including government buildings and airports. On March 1, Russia's parliament approved military force to protect Russians in eastern Ukraine, and by March 18, Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea into Russia. By March 23, nearly 200 military sites in Crimea flew the Russian flag, with 40,000 troops deployed nearby. Despite international criticism and the United Nations declaring the annexation illegal, Russia has shown no intention of relinquishing control, with Putin sending officials to promise financial support to Crimea.