The revolution followed weeks of street protests and violence after the previous regime, under pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovich, rejected the signing of an Association Agreement with the EU last November, choosing Russian help instead. This sparked initially peaceful demonstrations on the Maidan (‘square’ in Ukrainian) in support of European integration for Ukraine, but these morphed into anti-corruption and pro-democracy forces after heavy-handed police tactics to beat peaceful students with riot squads in the middle of the night.