I, Maksym Butkevych, journalist of Hromadske Radio (Ukrainian “Public Radio”) came to Maidan, the central square of Ukraine, between 5 and 6 am to see how several thousands of people standing there, of different age, sex, look and degree of tiredness, were listening to songs, prayers and slogans from the stage.
Nevertheless, at the same time all of them were totally concentrated, carrying on with his/her own task. People were breaking into pieces everything they could to collect woods on the streets surrounding Maidan from Michaylyvska St. to Mala Zhytomyrska St.
All collected wood is carried out to the Independence Monument in the Square and near “Yolka” – central Christmas Tree, which already became a symbol of protests itself during last months in Kyiv. This “Yolka” once colorful and joyful, as it was depicted on New Year cards by Ukrainian illustrator Illya Strongovsky, now adopted almost an apocalyptic image – tents behind it are burning, ground floor of the Kyiv Conservatory is on fire, further fire arc surrounds protestors and goes around the Independence Monument and all the way to the building of Trade Unions. 
All collected woods basically goes to keep this fire going – fire wall is probably the last guard for Maidan defenders from police’ special forces, which keep on repeating attacks on the square. Defenders of the first line of the barricades are throwing Molotov cocktails, stones from the pavement and sometimes even festive fireworks at police, with the latter making the picture even more surrealistic.
“Today is a kind of anniversary since the riots and shooting at Hrushevskogo St. started last month” – says my colleague, whom I meet there, – “So, guys are celebrating”. I cannot clearly see how much irony in his words is, despite the fact that he is tiredly smiling. Those who are falling dead tired are sleeping on few benches. Volunteers are proposing everyone hot tea and coffee carrying around big handmade plastic thermoses – these are accepted with huge gratitude. A man is approaching me and emphatically asking me to take a sandwich, until I manage to persuade him that someone else might need it more than me. Another guy asks for help with pouring petrol into the bottles for Molotovs, then notices a “Press” sign on my jacket and goes away apologizing. There are several field hospitals organized right on the tarmac ground near the main post office and further deep into the Maidan Square – doctors are cleaning and sewing light injuries here in open, taking explosive fragments out of protestors’ legs.
Others injured, in more grave condition, are carried on stretchers past me from time to time. And all this is lit by huge fire inside the building of trade unions, apart from light of burning barricades and ongoing explosions. The huge Trade Unions’ building is flaring on several floors. There are attempts to put down this fire, but rather to pretend than to accomplish the task; it is already quite obvious that the fire destroyed almost everything inside the building.
Trying to understand what police is using against the protestors apart from flash bang grenades, I’m coming closer to the first line of defense. But right after the moment I started filming, I feel a push to the left and parch on a cheek. At the same time I feel familiar tingle in nostrils and throat – clear sign that gas was used somewhere nearby. This kind of answers part of my question and I decide not to push my luck further trying to find out about the use of other special warfare means. At the same time, I understand how unsafe it is here for those who have no protective glasses and respirators.
However, apart from explosions and injuries, Maidan feels almost the safest place in the middle of nighttime Kyiv. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rest of the city center: there are lots of reports coming about the violence committed by unknown plain-clothed thugs, including the use of traumatic and fire guns against those who were trying to reach Maidan. Few hours before I came to Maidan, I was a witness of such an incident: at the corner of Volodymyrska St. and Velyka Zhytomyrska several dozens of men in masks and helmets blocked the street and road, shooting. Once my taxi approached the corner, we heard bangs and realized that they shoot not only at pedestrians who might be Maidan’ activists, but rather at everything moving. On hearing bangs, our taxi drivers was swearing shortly and emotionally and turned 180 degrees into the opposite direction. Much later I found out how lucky we were, as at the same spot at least two persons were killed that night and Kalashnikov shells were found at the street. One of those murdered, a journalist from newspaper “Vesti” Vyacheslav Veremiy, was dragged out of a taxi and shot in cool blood. He died in emergency hospital due to received injuries.
This dreadful crime marked all that is surrounding Maidan territory: special forces in full armor – from one side, and gangs of plain-clothed unwarranted and cruel killers – from the other. Observing the first crack of dawn at Maidan, I remember the quote I recently read at the Facebook page of Roman Romanov, the Rule of Law Programme Director at the Ukrainian International Renaissance Foundation: “An individual, his life and health, honour and dignity, inviolability and security shall be recognised in Ukraine as the highest social value. Human rights and freedoms, and guarantees thereof shall determine the essence and course of activities of the State. The State shall be responsible to the individual for its activities. Affirming and ensuring human rights and freedoms shall be the main duty of the State.” This is just an Article 3 from the Constitution of Ukraine. Everything I saw last night at Maidan and around it makes me sure that this text has nothing to do with my country any more.
These were personal impressions of Maksym Butkevych for Hromadske Radio (Public Radio). Keep on listening and think!
