"Ukrainian 'Maidan' (My Don) Revolutionary" - Limited Edition 1 of 20 Photograph

Freely elected Ukrainian President Yanukovych was alleged to be corrupt and was near to signing documents that permanently would align Ukraine and Ukrainian interests to Russia. Ukrainian nationalists from all over Ukraine began an occupation of Kiev, Ukraine the country's capital, placing tents and living on the city's main street and also its 'Maidan' (My Don) Independence Park demanding his ouster. Protests grew from a one-block set-aside on one sidewalk for protestors and to engulf the entire main shopping street and adjoining Maidan (My Don) (Independence Park). Both were blocked and soon barricaded by protesters with everything nearby that could be moved and had weight including park benches, trash bins, any debris, etc. By the first month of 2014, protesters were engaged routinely in combat with with Ukrainian police under President Yanukovych in often very pitched street battles. Large numbers of protesters, mostly male and including many who abandoned their occupations to protest, fought often with home made implements such as axes, axe handles, home-made or converted 'pikelike instruments, and other homemade or 'normal' objects converted for use as weapons. Some protesters, fearing failure or retribution, chose to wear covering head gear such as this protester shown wearing his own homemade 'balaclava' -- a traditional hood, often worn by those involved in covert or military action who do not want easily to be identified. For instance, it is reported American forces often use such head coverings, and clearly their terrorist suspect prisoners are hooded (without eyeholes) when outside their places of imprisonment such as when being transported. Balaclava use is well known and almost universal at certain times by combatants. This man was photographed in his homemade riot gear within the barricades thrown up by protesters on the main street and Maidan (My Don) park. The 'balaclava' clearly shows its homemade origins where eye holes were cut out. Others used 'cold weather gear designed to protect faces from extreme cold that also concealed facial features. There were frequent, violent battles between riot police (militia) with protesters armed with pike-like instruments, home made shields, firebombs called 'Molotov Cocktails (after use in war against Finland by the Soviets around the time of World War II) and named after Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov) but without firearm use. The protest fighting went back and forth, and was quite dramatic, but it was marked by lack of lethal firearm use. The regular military was on the sidelines, refusing to be involved. The few firearms used were almost entirely by riot police and fired mostly non-lethal crowd bullets designed to stop and wound protestors but not take lives. Photo from February 13, 2014, five days prior to the sudden change of unwritten rules of engagement under which firearms were not used but without written agreement or armistice. Hidden snipers on Feb. 19, 2014 fired on the protestors and crowd and killed about 100. Overnight the protestors also changed rules of engagement and vowed in retaliation for those shooting deaths to kill President Yanukovych immediately and appeared capable of doing so. Overnight Yanukovych flew to Crimea, a Black Sea Ukrainian peninsula with a largely Russian speaking population, then soon afterward to exile in Russia, first in Rostov-na-Donu (Rostov on Don [river]) and he now is reported to be living well in Moscow. The Ukrainian parliament immediately declared his presidency abdicated or vacant and new elections were scheduled and later held, reportedly and from my personal observation largely free of irregularities. john Photo and/or text copyright 2014-2018, John Crosley/Crosley Family Trust, all rights reserved. No rewriting, editing, reproduction or other use without prior express written permission from copyright holder.

Photography:Digital on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:1

Size:40 W x 29.6 H x 0.1 D in

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