"Robert Kagan’s wife, Victoria Nuland, is the state department official who very publicly supported Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution"
Also important history - Britannica:
In 2002 Ukrainian Pres. Leonid Kuchma appointed Yanukovych prime minister. Yanukovych, who did not speak Ukrainian prior to his appointment, shared Kuchma’s desire to maintain close ties with Russia.
As the 2004 presidential election approached, Yanukovych was presented as Kuchma’s clear successor, and Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin offered support for his candidacy.
During the campaign Yanukovych’s chief opponent, the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko, became ill after an apparent assassination attempt, and the race drew international attention.
The results of the first round of the election were inconclusive. In the November runoff Yanukovych was declared the winner, in spite of exit polling that showed Yushchenko with a commanding lead.
Yushchenko’s supporters took to the streets by the tens of thousands in a series of protests that were dubbed the Orange Revolution, and the runoff results were overturned by the Ukrainian Supreme Court.
In a new runoff held on December 26, 2004, Yanukovych was soundly defeated.