We’ll wait until the May 25th elections, then decide what to do next: is what I heard over and over from behind grizzled faces in Kiev’s Maidan. These aren’t the thousands of people leaving flowers or strolling through Kiev’s downtown city center, but rather the hardline minority camped out in green tents that form the new spine of Independence Square.
For them, Ukraine’s presidential elections were a pivotal decision point a few weeks ago when we spoke under dim light filtering through heavy plastic. At the time a certain instability loomed but there remained a lining of optimism – a rarity for eastern European pragmatism.
Although Kiev remains safe it seems as one of the worst scenarios is shaping up elsewhere in the east. Newly elected mayor Vitali Klitschko plans to dismantle the barricades in Maidan Nezalezhnosti since the “main mission has been accomplished.” Many of the protestors living here, drinking cups of soup served freely to everyone in Maidan, have nowhere else to go. Even if they left, none of them would be returning to anything resembling the Ukraine they helped transform. Maidan’s permanent protestors don’t want to go back but aren’t sure where to go forward, which is why they’ll continue to stay in between.
Klitschko lost the confidence of these people when he went to negotiate with Vitya and shook his hand. He was afterwards shamed and shunned by the Maidan. Being mayor and trying to dictate terms to them the very day after the elections is another miscalculation on his part. In my eyes and I’m assuming most of those still on the Maidan as well as a majority of the 60% of eligible who even bothered to vote, there will be no “mission accomplished” feeling as long as many of the corrupt former ministers and Rada members remain in power and in office. If I had risked my life and endured what they have for so many months I would certainly tell Vitali to kiss off at least until early elections for the Verkovna Rada and lustration of the rest of the cabinet. Yanukovich was not the primary problem in Ukraine, he was just the symbol and leader of the gang of thugs that enslaved and terrorized Ukrainians since 1991. Most of the rest are still in power and they will simply move the deck chairs on the titanic which Ukraine will become if corruption is not addressed at all levels. The Orange revolution in 2004 which gave the country such hope came to nothing when the people on that same square celebrated and went home trusting another group of billionaires to change the country. They have learned from that error and know that without unceasing public pressure at all levels of government and society, Ukraine will never clean up the corruption. I guess I know enough about Ukraine that I don’t see the picture there as the black and white you describe. It is far more complex than that from my perspective. I hope you enjoy your time there and get to see and meet Ukrainians from more than a Kyiv perspective while you’re there. Good Luck!
The only thing black and white is the complexity of the situation. I also traveled to the east, Donetsk, and will be writing about those experiences soon.
Great shot! Lots of drama…a good story.
Thanks!