The Ukrainian capital, Kiev has marked the fifth anniversary of the demonstration which eventually led to a change of power in the country. In the years that followed, the eastern European country has been rocked by a civil war which soured its ties with Russia and took the lives of thousands of people. CGTN's Aljosa Milenkovic visited Kiev's main city square where it all started back in 2013.

Just meters from Maidan Square, a small monument to those who perished here on the most violent days of protests. It was nine in the evening and several people were standing in front of the monument in silent mourning for the demonstrators killed. Further down the road at the Maidan Square, there was no sound of fanfare, no massive celebrations, no organized rallies to mark the anniversary. Just a couple dozen people who were here on the first night of protests back in 2013.

ALJOSA MILENKOVIC KIEV "It was exactly five years ago at this very spot that citizens of Kiev first gathered to voice their anger with the government. They protested its decision to stop negotiations toward closer ties with the European Union. It was the beginning of a period of dramatic change that would sweep the entire country -- and be felt for years to come."

Among the people gathered at Maidan square, we've met Sofia, a financial analyst from the town of Lvov. Back in 2013, she was a student who came to the Maidan to protest the government decision to stop negotiations on the trade deal with the EU.

SOFIA RESIDENT "I was here since the beginning. Actually the people you can see behind me are my friends and they were students back at the time, and we were one of those who actually started this whole thing. Back at the time when everything started, our expectations were an Agreement to be signed in the end. We didn't have the expectation to launch a revolution. Let's put it this way, we were standing for proper values, for democratic values, for European values."

The Ukraine government back then rejected the Agreement with the EU saying that it might jeopardize national security. It was a decision that provoked a public outcry.

YURIY LEVCHENKO MP, SVOBODA PARTY "The Association Agreement was the spark and people had had enough. People said that: Well, Yanukovich is doing this, this and this, he is destroying the country, he is stealing billions from the budget, he's totally corrupt, and on top of all of that, he wants to take us into Russia's sphere of influence. So, it was a spark."

After that spark, dramatic changes followed, some of which deeply affected the present and the future of Ukraine. They can be seen in tensions in the east of the country, troubles with neighboring Russia, and a struggling economy. Aljosa Milenkovic, CGTN, Kiev.