Venezuela Faces Situation Similar to 2014 Events in Ukraine - President Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro compared the current situation in the country with 2014 anti-government protests in Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Mass protests have been ongoing in Venezuela since spring. The demonstrations were initially a reaction to the top court's decision to severely curb the legislative powers of the National Assembly. While the decision was overturned, the protests did not abate.

"If you conduct a bit more serious investigation… you will discover… what happens in Venezuela. In Venezuela we face the same that Ukraine faced [in 2014]," Maduro told RT, when asked whom he blamed for deaths during protests in the country.

In May, Maduro announced his decision to call the National Constituent Assembly, which was regarded by the opposition as an attempted coup and resulted in further escalation of tensions that resulted in the deaths of about 100 people.

In February 2014, a series of violent events involving protesters and riot police took place in central Kiev's Independence Square, or Maidan Nezalezhnosti, claiming the lives of at least 100 civilians. The protests spread across the country and led to a government coup, forcing then-President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country.