'Ukraine -- Bound Toward Western Europe' - Limited Edition 1 of 18 Photograph

This is an image of passengers waiting on a train station platform in Kiev, Ukraine for a west-bound train. Viewed on another level, these passengers are waiting for a train bound for the West -- toward the countries in Western Europe whose values the vast majority of Ukrainians have been shown to favor. Within about a year after this photo was taken, protesters began camping for months stretching through winter and past that year's end, on the busiest downtown streets of Kiev, Ukraine to protest moves by elected President Yanukovych to ally Ukraine almost permanently with Russia . They said that president was corruptly moving to allow Russia to dominate Ukraine. Protesters alleged widespread corruption including massive payments to politicians and the ousted president from Russia to pursue Russian goals and to ally with Russia. Ukraine is Europe's largest country -- even bigger than France, whose territorial claims are inflated by inclusion of its possession, Tahiti's lands. Street protests of 2013 and 2014 largely were from average Ukrainians, most of whom spoke Russian and/or Ukrainian, or in manh cases both languages. Claims the conflict were based on language and ethnicty aan almost equal number of revolutionaries were Russianspeakers and of Russian stock in nmbers that nearly equalled the Ukrainian speakers and those of Ukrainian stock. very large per cent of revolutionaries were of Russian stock and spoke primarily Russian. In fact, the nation's capital,Kiev is populated nearly equally by speakers of both languages and few openly favored the ousted president. Revolutionaries who fought pitched street battles with police until the ouster were from all walks, ethnicities,and all ages, young to old. In protests the year following this photo through winter of the next year, peaceful occupation and protest in Kiev turned to violent,pitched street battles against police featuring firebombs, pike-like implements, axes and shields,but with noticeable absence of firearms or many deaths -- that is until the final day when hidden snipers fired on protesters, killing about a hundred. The sniper deaths caused protesters to threaten the president's life, and overnight the president fled by jet, ending the conflict. So, passengers waiting on this Kiev, Ukraine train platform for the train west may be viewed in one sense possibly as foretelling Ukrainian wishes to 'go West'. Respected polls. prior to the revolution which overthrew President Yanukovich. showed Ukrainians vastly preferred alliance with the West. Those polls found also close to 90% emulated or sought to adopt Western European and United States values and lifestyle and alliance with the Western sphere. Ethnic Russians -- mostly areas near the Russian border were told by Russian propaganda that the revolution was driven by "Nazis', but in an election shortly after that president's ouster (that are widely regarded as free and untainted) 'Nazi' sympathizers garnered roughly five per cent of the vote. Fueled by such propaganda broadcast by Russia into Ukraine's Russian border to local ethnic Russian speakers, Russian speaking separatists began a now long lasting 'civil war' with Ukraine which has killed over 10,000 and displaced an estimated 1.5 million. A large majority of Ukrainians self-identified with western middle class,' though Ukrainian workers' low pay and lack of material goods excluded them from that class as measured in terms of economic prosperity. The battle to overthrow the president in many enduring images may seem to emphasize the 'older men' who frequently were photographed camping out in city center between battles with the police who fought for the president Closer scrutiny of those forces reveals a great majority of those who engaged in pitched street battles were young man -- many of whom were university students who sought no glory or attribution for their successful efforts. When that president was ousted, students fighters faded into the background, speaking little of their role in that revolution, with many just returning quietly to their university classes. Ukrainians who took over the president's claimed 'modest home' were startled to find most fixtures and other accoutrements were made of gold, there was a private zoo, and a man-made lake there had a newly built fake floating galleon that acted as the ousted president's personal restaurant. The president's fabulous palace-like home belied his statements he lead a 'simple life'. Instead of looting the premises, Ukrainian citizens filed through without looting and soon made the president's enormous, palace-like home a 'Museum of Corruption' open to all so they could see where their richly endowed country's 'stolen wealth had gone.' The ousted president's chief aide, an American who previously had represented Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, later has come to another fame as the campaign manager for US President Donald Trump. That man, Paul Manaforte now is under multiple United States indictments in the so-called 'Russian Probe' and is fighting US claims he cheated the US government of taxes he was obligated to pay on over $10 million his captive company was paid 'off the books' as his alleged his share of looting from Ukrainian corruption. The US case against Manaforte is pending with multiple charges in US federal courts in Washington,D.C. and Virginia/ A US federal judge found that Manaforte had multiple and numerous ties to Russia including to his ousted boss, the Ukrainian president who has fled to and lives in Russia. Note that despite allegations, under US law and constitution, Manaforte, who was the overthrown president's groomer,. and chief aide, is 'innocent;' of all US government charges unless and until found guilty by plea or court conviction. In a sense this photo may be emblematic of the struggle of the large majority of Ukrainians to ally their country to the West and western values which polls say Ukrainian residents overwhelmingly favor. jc

Photography:Photo on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:1

Size:36 W x 23.9 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.