system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: The history of the situation in Ukraine, beginning with the coup earlier this year.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I am horribly ignorant on this topic. I realise that the situation in Ukraine has continued to develop over the past months and I feel that I should develop a solid understanding of what is going on.
gpt
This goes back to the formation of the USSR, but let's look at really modern history for purposes of the ELI5.


- Since 2004 Ukraine has been swinging back and forth between pro-Russian puppet leadership and pro-Ukrainian leadership. 

- In 2004, there were mass protests, and a forced re-election after the Russian puppet (Yanukovych) won under a highly questionable vote count. The pro-Ukrainian candidate (Yuschenko) then won during a "fair" election (or as fair as it could be). 

- Then in 2010 the pro-Russian puppet (Yanukovych) won after 6 years of, well, corruption perpetrated by the pro-Ukrainian leadership.

- The pro-Russian puppet then proceeded to be even more corrupt than the previous leaders, and was outright acting like a puppet of Putin. This all culminated in 2014. 

- By this point the Ukrainian population was really sick and tired of mass corruption (by everyone), but the degree to which Yanukovych stole from the people was just plain over the top. **The boiling point came when Yanukovych rejected a deal from the EU** which would bring Ukraine into the Eurozone along with a lot of trade, job, and travel opportunities. It would also give more oversight (theoretically) of the Ukrainian government, and hopefully limit the extent of corruption. 

- Rather than accepting a deal from the EU, he took a deal from Russia. This prompted mass **peaceful** protests urging him and parliament to accept the EU deal rather than Putin's deal. 

- After months of peaceful protests, and time running out on the ability to accept the Russian deal, Yanukych instituted draconian laws against protesters, such that you became eligible for several **years** in prison just for coming out to protest. This was the last straw and Maidan began. 

- It started small, a group of really, really disgruntled Ukrainians calling for Yanukovych to resign in light of a) not taking the EU deal in spite of the general public's best interests/desire, and b) creating draconian laws severely limiting free speech. 

- Then it grew, riots happened, people were hurt, tortured, killed. Controversy. More riots, etc, and then eventually Yanukovych was just forced out. 

- Then the fun began. After Yanukovych was ejected from Presidency without any official procedings, Ukraine was in an interesting situation. Things got worse when basically all members of parliament that were pro-Russia leaving a very nationalistic Ukrainian gov't (with the main party having neo-Nazi ties, whilst not necessarily being a neo-Nazi party). The first thing they did was eliminate Russian as an official national language, an action which marginalized a huge chunk of their population in Eastern, and Southern Ukraine. 

- Southern Ukraine - a.k.a. Crimea. 
Crimea is an ethnically Russian majority area. After the toppling of the gov't, they decided to have a vote to secede from Ukraine (which was illegal). It is widely believed (and blatantly obvious) that Putin helped orchestrate this, and the voting choice was between "Secede from Ukraine" or "Secede from Ukraine and join Russia". 

- They voted to "Secede from Ukraine and join Russia". And Russia begrudgingly accepted /s. Thus, Crimea went from being a part of Ukrain to being a part of Russia. 

- But it didn't end there. Now, immediately after the toppling of the Ukrainian gov't these secretive armed forces began to appear throughout Eastern Ukraine. At first in Crimea, but then in other regions. They took over gov't buildings, and wanted to copy the Crimea action of "voting to secede and join Russia". 

- Ukraine didn't want any of it, and started attacking these forces. More of them grew. No one knows for sure who they are. They claim to be Ukrainian separatists, but high likelihood of Russian soldiers and special forces being present. 

- And so that's where we are today. Ukrainian separatists are trying to gain as much control in possible in Eastern Ukraine, likely in order to facilitate further territorial acquisition for Russia. However, Ukrainian army and volunteer forces are actively trying to kill them/get them out of Eastern Ukraine in order to restore order. Oh, and Russia seems to be actively helping the separatists both financially and as of this week by live artillery fire.