'Ukrainian Maidan Street Fighter' - Limited Edition of 20 Photograph

In 2013 a few protesters against the regime of Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych were confined to one side of ultra wide parklike Khreshchatyk Street in Central Ukraine's finest district. They also alleged with considerable reason that the Russian-leaning president was about to ally Ukraine permanently with Russia. Russian leadership supports the view that somehow the independent country of ukraine, struggling with democracy and saddled with endemic corruption, was there to protect Russia against NATO, which Russia portrays as a threat. However NATO's structure and mission is one of 'mutual assistance' to member countries in event of Soviet invasion, incursion or other threatening behavior to member states - not one of aggression. But Russia through its 'little greenmen ' its regular soldiers without insignia wrested Crimea from Ukraine -- an international act of aggressioon, followed by a rigged and illegal (under nternationallaw( election-- 'referendum. Russia's leader(s) seem to favor election influence and rigging where possible, Ukraine is not a NATO member, and its joining NATO is feared by Russia;s leadership -- or better yet -- opposed, as there is virtually no possible way NATO could launch an invasion of Russia though NATOI could halt Russian incursions into Ukraine -- which Russia opposes, Ukraine was a Soviet member state and considered 'the bread basket of the Soviet Union.' By and through winter, protesters had grown rapidly to vast tent city that occupied almost all of that park-like street and almost all of Maidan (Independence) park which the short but very wide street bisects,and which gave its name to the uprising. Masses of protesters armed with shields, helmets and home-made instruments wielded from behind huge two-story barricades waged frequent, cinematic battles with Bercut (bear coot) -- riot police who also had shields and clubs and fired from their guns anti-crowd bullets of rubber or larger, but low mass, non piercing pellets designed to stop and injure, not kill. Street battles were at times spectacular, but despite great violence, in the absence of real bullets, the death toll was relatively small. Deaths did occur, but by informal, apparently mutual agreement, lethal weapons were not used in the main. Skirmishes were especially photogenic because protesters were supplied by mothers and wives with cases of bottles in which fabric or carpet wicks were pushed down their necks, and when loaded with petrol/*gasoline' then wick ignited and bottle thrown, then burst burst on pavement in midst of riot police, scattered them and sometimes soaked them with burning gasoline. These were 'fire bombs' or Molotov cocktails, so named by Finns after the Soviet invasion of Finland in which greatly outnumbered Finnish military staved off Molotov's invading Soviet Army.. Interestingly the man who helped groom the corrupt Ukrainian president protesters opposed since has and who has pleaded guilty in US courts to a massive and fraudulent scheme on behalf of that president falsely to portray that leader as 'fair' and 'honest' when in fact his administration was rife with corruption and seemed ready to hand Ukraine's independence to permanent alliance with and dominance by Russia. The so-called 'facts' Manafort presented to Congressmen to prove his point havenow been admitgted by hi to have been false and so-called 'independent experts' used to 'prove' his pioins now he has admitted were captive and paid by hi,m/; by hmi to have been cooked up and did not reveal the truth. Manafort pocketed huge sums of black money for his work but has admitted to avoiding paying US taxies on it and when tried for tax evasion and other crimes now has has admitted lying about that and other things to his accountants and lawyers, hindering his defense against multiple US felony charges. He was paid millions for his work for the corrupt Ukrainian leader, who was apparently a Russian 'captive' He since has been convicted on multiple US felony charges. However since his boss, president Yanukovych fled Manafort continued to spend lavishly and found himself nearing insolvency, so he went on a campaign of fraud to borrow from US banks and financial instuitutions used fraudulent representations abou this financial worth and income. He since has been convicted and now sentenced to about eight years in US prison. But between leaving Yanukovych, one of several corrupt,, authoritarian leaders Yanukovych worked for, as he was committing those finance frauds, he became campaign chairman of Donald J. Trump 's 2016 presidential campaign. causing much consternation how he got that work. Through an elaborate scheme, ge also committed tax fraud which deprived the US Treasury of millions. The regular and periodic battles against these citizens bent on ousting the president and no more ended when one day unknown snipers from hidden perches in nearby buildings picked off and killed about 100 protesters AND civilian bystanders. Protesters immediately vowed to kill the president whom they viewed as responsible. I heard a plane in early morning darkness take off from a mostly unknown field on Kiev's edge, roaring first to Ukraine's Crimea, (now overtaken by Russian soldiers, little green men' as they were called because they bore no insignia. Yanukovych then fled to exile in Russia. The tent city remained for months but with almost no further unrest, and after an election for a new president and a new Kiev mayor as well, the devastation of Maidan park was quickly transformed and beauty restored as protesters were sent away, the crisis having passed. Protesters did as they promised -- they disbanded and went home. Some made their way to hostilities beginning in Ukraine's Eastern border with Russia which Russian separatists, backed by Moscow, threatened to spread to two major Ukrainian cities with large Russian-speaking populations, both former cities I have lived in --- Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk. However both cities repelled entreaties to join separatists and backed independence for Ukraine. They viewed Russia as led by a conspiracy of criminals and government leaders. Although Ukraine has an endemic corruption problem, respected and independent polls showed that the vast majority of Ukrainians sought close relations with the West and admired western culture, lifestyle, and freedom from corruption. That is my own reading from more than 14 years of periodically visiting and even living in Ukraine in three major cities, two of them long term after spending considerable tin=me living part time in Russia. I have also lived in Russia and was friends with an older relative by marriage -- a high retired military officer and former Brezhnev friend, I had heard him speak of Brezhnev's friendship, though we mostly stayed away from politics, but then, in Yeltsin's time people were free to discuss anything. without retribution. I sometimes lived in regional Russia with the family of my bride to be, then together in Moscow, after several year of visiting Russia meeting people and often visiting homes there. I did then what I never dreamed I would when I got sick of ever present, deafening Soviet propaganda of lies and half truths broadcast in English to theUS and many factors worse to the remainder of the world. No short wave listener then could avoid hearing Radio Moscow'si ncredibly powerful beams that blanked the world,with soviet lies and falseness. My bride and I got married but soon after in the midst of significant happiness and even on our happiest day, it ended with our finding a growing and very large tumor, later diagnosed as an always fatal (then) rare brain cancer form, which could be removed, but always would reappear, grow and eventually kill the victim. and spread, always killing after great suffering. john (John Crosley) © 2w014-2019, text and photo, John Crosley/Crosley trust, no reproduction of either or both without express prior written permission from copyright holder.

Photography:Digital on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:20

Size:40 W x 26.5 H x 0.1 D in

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