A Russian blogger who became a Euromaidan participant shares his impressions.
Unfortunately, just as in 2004, I could not find a Russian flag among the plethora of international flags of those protesting in downtown Kyiv in photo and video reports. Just like during the Orange Revolution, I decided to correct this omission and come to Maidan with a three-colored Russian flag in a show of support for Ukrainians in their fight for freedom. To make my views clear, I have penciled in “I am proud of Ukrainians” and “For European Union” on the flag, and set out for a weekend of freedom. Unlike my first trip to the capital of revolutionary Ukraine, I have come prepared. From the very first days of Eurorevolution the residents of Kyiv have created a Facebook group Kyiv Host https://www.facebook.com/groups/587023061353491/. People in Kyiv offering beds and those arriving for Euromaidan who needed a place to stay exchanged information about the available beds there. I asked for a place to stay for the night between December 7 and 8th. In a couple of minutes, the admins reassured me that they started looking for a bed. In less than an hour, I had a place to stay in downtown Kyiv, by “Golden Gate” subway station. 15 minutes to Maidan by foot. Naturally, I could have stayed in a building occupied by protesters, but the desire to take a shower and sleep comfortably has won me over. My friendly host of a comfortable two-bedroom apartment in downtown was Sergey, a student from Donetsk. Besides me, there were six people from Lviv, two women from Minsk, and a man from Warsaw. What an international gathering it was. All of the visitors were young, a little over 20 years of age. (Later, on Maidan I met Ekaterina, who said that by using Kyiv Host, her one-bedroom apartment housed 17 people in one week.)
I have found common ground with the neighbors from Belarus; we talked about the experience in Okrestino jail (I spent 15 days there in 2006 for participation in the Jeans Revolution). People from Lviv were also quite friendly. I could not converse with a Pole well; he only spoke Polish. After the morning arrival I ate some breakfast, took a shower and went to Maidan. I put the Russian flag on my shoulders and immediately became the center of attention. Our media falsely reported that “anti-Russian attitudes” were prevalent on Maidan.
The revolutionary Kyiv have reacted to the Russian flag rather friendly.
In my opinion, they were even friendlier than during the Orange Revolution. Many people would come up to shake my hand with enthusiasm. Some said, “Thank you for your support”, “It is great that you are here.” I would respond that they set a great example for Russia on how to fight for their rights and resist the rowdy government. I talked about gatherings in Moscow and St. Petersburg supporting Euromaidan, about letters from Russian writers supporting the people of Ukraine who fought for their European future.
Solitary picketer by the Kremlin, December 1, 2013.
Euromaidan protest by the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow, December 2, 2013
Euromaidan protest in St. Petersburg, December 5, 2013
Some protesters were so excited to see a Russian on Euromaidan, they would take a bow. Many asked me to spend a night at their place. Different media interviewed me. Someone asked me to sign his Ukrainian flag. Those who had cameras hurried to take a picture with me.
If there was one thing the protesters complained about was that I did not bring more Russians with me to see for themselves that what was happening on Maidan and what was being said in the “most truthful” Russian media about it was in fact a big difference.
Obviously, I did not hear any good things about our Russian president from the residents of Kyiv. We really did not differ in our opinions. According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov, it was the president of Russia who “advised” Yanukovych against signing the EU association agreement. This refusal to sign the agreement started Ukrainian Eurorevolution. In 2004, the same wise advisor asked President Kuchma to ignor the legally elected President and put his successor with criminal past in the Presidential seat. Putin flooded Ukraine with Russian political strategists, made generous financial infusions to its budget, and visited Ukraine numerous times with his brainwashing visits. Consequently, Putin had just provoked the Orange Revolution. Kremlin officials started fearing the word “Maidan”. Then and now, the Kremlin keeps trying to impose its choice on Ukraine. This is truly a remarkable contribution by the Russian president to the new history of Ukraine: over nine years, he gathered two Maidans.
Putin’s behavior reminds of a belligerent mother whose children have long grown up and have their own families. But she does not want to admit that and keeps trying to control them. She still lectures them and instructs who to make friends with and what to do, instead of maintaining good relations at a distance. But “the mother” insistently gets on their nerves and does not let them live independently. As a result, she only irritates them. Because the children, however related, have the right to their own lives.
I am becoming increasingly ashamed for the fact that Russia under Putin has always supported authoritarian leaders who lose their legitimacy in the eyes of their own people – Ukraine, Syria, Lybia, Iran, Egypt, and even Zimbabwe, where Russian nationalist interests are nonexistent. Whereas the West has practically always supported the protesting masses, showing the priorities of the civilized world.
Inherently Russia does belong to the European civilization. It is obvious to me that Russia is a European nation like Ukraine. The fact that Russians moved to the Asian territory does not make them Asian, just like England colonizing India and Australia did not become Asian. Russia has its own European future and it does not need to counteract the Euro integration of its neighbors, instead, Russia needs to lead the integration. Under the current Russian government it does not seem possible, since the Putin regime is threatened by European values. These very values would guarantee the protection of the people from the arbitrariness of the government.
By its very birth Russia belongs in Europe. Russian state started from the European democracy. The monument to the Russian millennium is in Veliky Novgorod. In 862, Rurik took control of Novgorod and became the first ruler of Kievan Rus. The Rurik Dynasty ruled Russia by the end of the 16th century. Meanwhile, Novgorod Republic introduced a Veche assembly with elected public officials; Novgorod Republic also provided an organized system of democratic government on local level. The Veche system had existed all across Russia for hundreds of years. Thus, democracy is innately Russian form of government. We just need to go back to our roots.
I completely understand the distress of Ukrainians when Yanukovych stopped Ukraine’s advancement to its European roots and European future. Image that you are not so lucky to be born in a colony under strict regime. Next to this colony there is a big city where people live well than those behind barbwires. The camp government has promised for seven years (the time it took Ukrainian authorities to prepare for signing of EU association agreement) to move the prisoners to this inviting city. Finally, the promised day has come. The gates of the camp opened, and the people went to follow their dream. Coming closer to the inviting city lights. Suddenly, the convoy commander says that the agreement has been changed, turns the people back and orders them to go back to the camp. Why would Ukrainians feel okay with that?
***
Back to my stay in Kyiv. On Saturday, I visited all three “revolution command posts,” the buildings occupied by protesters – Kyiv City Hall, Trade Unions House, and October Palace. Every building was highly organized. The entrances and every floor were guarded, with visitors to the Mayors Office being checked by a mobile metal detector. To maintain hygiene, the visitors wore medical masks, and the volunteers in numerous kitchens wore plastic caps and gloves. Responsibilities were clearly divided between groups of volunteers working in warm clothes’ distribution centers, medical clinics, press centers, housing services, legal services, and others. Opposition and sympathizers among entrepreneurs help their supporters travel to Kyiv, get food and shelter there. Moreover, residents of Kyiv bring the majority of warm clothes, food and water to Maidan. Those who try to give money are called provocators.
I had a conversation with Peter from Chernihiv region in October Palace. He told me that there was a volunteer bus to Maidan in the downtown of his city, organized by the local government official from an opposition party. They promised free transportation and shelter at the “revolution command post.” The bus departed when there were 50 people on board. The bus broke down on the way to Kyiv. People wanted to get to Maidan so badly that they collected 100 Hryvnyas per person ($12) and ordered a new bus. As a result, everybody participated in the historic event. In the evening, thousands of protesters gathered in Maidan. A pianist from Moscow played the electric piano. I took out my fishing pole and attached flags of Russian and EU to it. Hereafter, more people wanted to talk to me. Besides Ukrainians, Russian protesters from Moscow, Voronezh, Saratov, Makhachkala, even ten members of an infamous democratic movement “Oborona” (“Defense”) from St. Petersburg approached me. If every one of them had a Russian flag, the Russian support of Maidan would have been much more visible.
Among those who approached me, there was only one person brave enough to wear the Russian flag. Oleg from Dagestan inherited the flag from three Russians who flew to Maidan from Novosibirsk.
Angelina Zhukova, resident of Moscow
The next day, on December 8, many thousands of people assembled on Maidan for Veche. Many said that there were about a million people on Maidan. Surprisingly, I did not feel crushed standing about 30 meters (32 yards) from the stage (excluding the moment when Ukrainian Cossacks approached the stage on horses). Everyone was courteous and polite. There was no chaos or anarchy (which Kremlin TV presenters love to scare Russians with). The areas occupied by protesters were clean and well organized. Riot police was scarce on Maidan. It looked so unlike Russian processions convoyed by law enforcement and lead through metal detectors. Apparently, they are not needed here.
The gathered protesters listened carefully to Euromaidan host Evgeny Nishchyuk. He also hosted the Maidan in 2004. Here, he asks those next to the stage to lower their flags so that people could see the speakers, and tens of party flags are folded (I can hardly imagine this happening during Moscow protests). Then the host brings a crying boy who got separated from his mother to a microphone. They introduce the boy, calm him down, show him on the big screens, and tell his mother that her son will be waiting for her in a car. Then someone in the crowd gets ill, and the people around him start shouting “Doctor!” Nishchyuk asks those near the man to raise their hands and directs medics there. The protesters make corridors for the doctors. After the Veche announcement, a chorus of thousands of people began to sing Ukraine’s national anthem. Yulia Tymoshenko’s daughter Evgenia read her mother’s announcement with the action plan for opposition and its supporters. ny Yatseniuk, and Oleh Tyagnybok expressed their demands: the dismissal of government, punishment of those participating in violent beating of peaceful protesters and early presidential and parliamentary elections. Later, Oleksandr Turchynov lamented that since Maidan could not accommodate all the prostesters, the government quarter of Kyiv should become the new Maidan. From stage, he led “small groups of 30-50 thousand people” to the country’s main administrative buildings in order to block their operations. Within a couple of hours from his appeal people set out tents and barricades around the government quarter. I could not see that happening because the train took me back to the snowed-in Moscow. That was the end to my freedom weekend.
Bolotnaya Square, December 10, 2011
Symbols:
Orange revolution – orange ribbon,
Euromaidan – yellow-blue ribbon (colors of Ukrainian and European Union flags),
Russian protests – white ribbon.
Main slogans:
Orange Revolution – “Yu-shchen-ko!”
EuroMaidan – “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to its Heroes!”
Russian protests – “Russia without Putin!”
Reasons for protests:
Orange Revolution – fraudulent presidential elections,
EuroMaidan – government lies about European integration,
Russian protests – fraudulent parliamentary elections.
Goals of protests:
Orange Revolution – new presidential elections (achieved),
EuroMaidan – resignation of Yanukovych, signing of association agreement with the EU, early presidential and parliamentary elections,
Russian protests – resignation of Putin, honest parliamentary elections, political reforms (only partial political reform has been implemented).
Photo from Orange Revolution, November 26, 2004
My article about Orange Revolution: “Sold” revolution. Notes of observer.
Part 1: http://ed-glezin.livejournal.com/426.html
Part 2: http://ed-glezin.livejournal.com/559.html
Orange dawn. Ukraine 2005.
http://ed-glezin.livejournal.com/803.html
Protest leaders:
Orange Revolution – official leader – presidential candidate Yushchenko, Tymoshenko as a revolution advocate,
EuroMaidan – informal leader Klitschko, also Yatseniuk and Tegnybok, civil leader – singer Ruslana,
Russian protests – Alexei Navalny as informal leader.
In all cases, the protester coalition was represented by liberals, leftists and nationalists.
Means of protests:
Orange Revolution – tent city on Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Kreshchatyk, blocked administrative buildings, takeover of buildings for “revolutionary headquarters”,
EuroMaidan – tent city on Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Kreshchatyk, blocked administrative buildings, takeover of buildings for “revolutionary, along with barricades in downtown Kyiv,
Russian protests – mass protests, protest camp “Occupy Abai” attracted very few people and lasted for a week.
Government reaction:
Orange Revolution – roundtable with opposition aided by international mediators that helped achieve the compromise,
EuroMaidan – numerous attempts of forceful dispersion of Maidan, absurd roundtable with former presidents of Ukraine without representatives of opposition,
Russian protests – beatings of protesters on May 6 and further repressions; imitated dialogue with opposition during the meeting with Medvedev and Valdau conference with Putin.
Euromaidan, December 8, 2013
***
Even though there are a number of similarities and differences among recent “colorful” revolutions, from Serbian to Egyptian, there is a common foundation behind them. Practically all of these protests are signs of maturity of the people. Historical evolution of relations between the society and its government remind of relations of a child and the head of the household. At first, children deify their parents and obey them wholeheartedly. Likewise, people revere their government in the initial stages of a nation’s development. Later, over conflicts with their parents, the children self-actualize and announce their independence. The parents themselves become dependent on their offspring. Similarly, through revolutions and social conflict, the nations make their governments consider their points of view. And these conflicts will go on until the civil society begins to control the actions of its government and rotate it through democratic elections 
The recent history of humankind has proven such evolution to be true. Overtime, the number of democratic countries keeps increasing. 300 years ago, limited monarchies were scarce. By the end of 19th century the majority of them became limited monarchies. At the beginning of the 20th century there were few democratic countries. Today, the number of tyrannies and dictatorships can be counted on one’s fingers. Evolution (with its ups and downs) is obvious. No Chinese or Berlin wall can prevent it. Historical progress is geared towards societal control over government.
Voices of Ukraine 