Saturday, February 22, 2014

Kharkov Maidan

Crowds tonight at Freedom Square. Some vow to bring down the Lenin statue but allegedly a vote has postponed such action for a few days.


A lot has happened in the past 24 hours.


The President (ex-President?) of Ukraine left the capital. Reports come in periodically- Yanukovich is in Kharkov, he's headed to Russia, he's in Donetsk, he pledges to not leave the country. Meanwhile, the doors of his mansion have been thrown open and some outrageous photos are surfacing on the internet: a golden 2-kilogram loaf of bread, a toilet built like a throne, garages full of motorcycles and luxury automobiles. At the same time, the Parliament of Ukraine voted in favor of impeachment.


Yulia Timoshenko, the (until now) jailed politician, she of the blonde braids, has been freed. She's made it to Kyiv already and speaks to the crowds on Maidan.


The mayor and governor of Kharkov fled the city earlier this evening.


Thousands rose up and marched in Kharkov today. You can see it for yourself in this 30-second clip. They marched against the government, in support of the EuroMaidan movement.


I haven't heard anything so far from my friends and students who support Yanukovich. I did catch up online with a friend from the opposite side who marched with the protestors today. A great day, we won, Kate! It was like an endless unity of the nation and people. I almost cried, it was so true without any masks. Today was a crucial moment; if we didn't rise up — we lose. When I asked him what would happen next, he replied Now we must work hard to exterminate the corruption.


A live stream of the events in Kharkov can be seen here.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the update and your perspective! I am hearing so many different things from so many different sources. I feel like everything will be clear only after some days.

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    1. Isn't that the truth? :p If not weeks, months, or years!

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  2. Thanks for keeping us posted. As a historian I have mixed emotions about removing the Lenin Monument, but that is not my decision. I hope the people of Ukraine can grasp this opportunity to form their own destiny. Slava Ukraina!

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  3. Thanks for the update! Glad everything seems to be relatively calm. Maybe people are just too busy instagramming the outrageousness of Yanukovych's home!

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    1. Hi Polly! Yes, lots of crazy decadence there... paychecks are good and all, but you'd better be saving the world from alien invaders to deserve some of the things at his estate!

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  4. Hello! I'm Mikaela, 15 and from the Philippines. I'm so glad to have stumbled upon your blog!! I've been crazy about everything Ukrainian over the past few days. I really hope i can get to visit your country soon, it looks beautiful and i get the vibe that is is so rich in history. I hope you are safe over there! Hope you reply, reaaaally love your blog!! :)

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    1. Hi Mikaela! It's great that you dropped by : ) Yes, Ukraine is a gorgeous country. Hope to see you here someday!!

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