On average 180,000 to 350,000 UAH are donated for the needs of Maidan every day, with 748,000 collected on January 22 or 23, which represented the highest amount collected on any single day so far. This was reported to Forbes by Maidan’s financial department, which is under the direction of the Trade Union house commander Stepan Kubiv.

Maidan has a big transparent plastic box for donations and 16 additional boxes installed throughout the area, which are overseen by the protesters, Kubiv explained. The boxes are brought in to the financial department and opened every day. However, the donation boxes are not the only sources of funds.

“We receive donations from Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Europe. Many businessmen also give money, but they prefer not to identify themselves to avoid problems to their businesses. We even receive funds from MPs from all the opposition parties,” Kubiv said in early February. It is not surprising that businessmen are afraid to reveal their names. In late January, the Darnytsia district court in Kyiv ruled to attach Kubiv’s property and freeze his accounts.

Kubiv’s colleague Bohdan, when asked about the largest collection, answered that the high point was on January 22-23, when they collected 748,000 UAH. On average, the daily donations reach 180,000 to 350,000 UAH. When converted to dollars at the exchange rate set by the National Bank of Ukraine (at the time 8.4 UAH per $1) the daily donations to Maidan came to $21,4000 to $41,700.

Volunteers at Maidan’s financial department display transparent boxes and a plastic container taken from people who ostensibly were collecting for Maidan but who really wanted to pocket the funds themselves. The self-defense fighters inspect all the boxes to make sure they have the seal of the finance department.  Almost 90% of the total funds collected come from the donation boxes, 8-9% from deputies and entrepreneurs, and 1.5 – 2% from Ukrainians abroad.

Often when people bring money the financial managers give them a list of necessary items to be purchased. Kubiv estimates this direct material help represents some 60% of Maidan’s financial support. “We try to minimize the amount of cash, ” he explains.

The money goes for various needs, Kubiv says. It paid for some 201 tents put up on the central square and nearby streets. In December, the tents and the occupied buildings housed approximately 7,000 people. After the beginning of protests on Hrushevsky street in late January, many more protestors arrived. Kubiv estimates the number of protestors housed in early February reached 15,000 – 20,000 people.

Over 60% of expenditures go for food to feed not only the self-defense units and the volunteers, but also all the visitors to Maidan. Some 4% to 8% of the expenses cover firewood and fuel and almost 20% go for utilities in the four buildings (now three buildings with the release of the Kyiv municipal  administration building). The remainder goes for medicine, sanitation, and communication services. Donations also pay for the services of a private waste removal company. Every day some 25 to 140 cubic meters of debris are removed, requiring the assistance of 46 volunteers. More than 580,000 UAH has been spent for payments to families of the people killed and for medical treatments for the injured.

The financial department  has paid more than 300,000 UAH for utilities in the Trade Union House and other seized building. By February 20, another 180,000 UAH will have to be paid. Thus, when asked about claims by government supporters that Maidan is being financed  by the embassies, Kubiv responds with the comment “a stupid bird sings stupid songs.”

Translated by Anna Mostovych

Source: pravda.com.ua