I watched the developments out of Kyiv, Ukraine in late January 2014 with great interest. After the explosions stopped and the fires went out, media coverage cooled. As I read more about the incredibly complex political situation on the ground there, I decided to travel to Kyiv in order to discover what was happening.
My original intentions were to update as often as I could (I have been here nearly a week, and this is my first update) but only now am I finding the time to write and post – my access to people here at Euromaidan has proven unexpectedly large, and the material collected as a result is simply too much information to process while respecting all opportunities presented to me for reporting.
The methods I choose to discover the nature of this developing event are simple: interviewing Ukrainians, taking photos, and listening to everything I can while I’m here.
Currently, things are tense. Some are expecting police action to occur tonight, but these are rumors. Yesterday thousands marched from Maidan to the prosecutor’s office in Kyiv – I accompanied them. Their organization is astounding. At this march I witnessed discipline any military would pay for.
After this – but not officially because of it – the government released detained Maidan demonstrators, which was a great desire among the people of Maidan (demonstrators’ charges will only drop, however, if all government buildings are given up). Tomorrow morning is Maidan’s “viche”, or gathering, when Maidan officials give speeches and announcements, and generally attempt to increase morale among those supporting the movement.
I may stay one more week. Please check back here soon for more updates.