This endless February. Which we will survive

To the 10th anniversary of the shootings on the Maidan

...In the morning it seemed that there was no hope.

The Maidan, still full of water and noisy during the day, was burning out in the middle of a frozen city. The House of Trade Unions was burning; The dead were carried up towards the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Flags, outlines of helmets, frames of tents and melted lampshades emerged from the solid wall of smoke on the Maidan. Paddy wagons and ambulances with flashing lights were busily driving along the deserted streets. The entrances to the city were tightly closed. Those last people who supported the burning barricades had no one to count on. And there were too few of them...

...In the morning it seemed that there was no hope. Universal unity, thousands of lights during concerts, anthem, hot tea and jokes around burning barrels – it all already seemed unreal. Not a trace remains of that crowded, polyphonic peaceful protest. The sticky fear that covered the city could be felt with your hands because it was so dense. It seemed that a continuous wave of black helmets, rolling down Instytutska Street at night, would completely wash away all traces of the last months. That the forces are too unequal. That the desperate protest only had a few hours left. And then only if a happy accident happens. And then there will be a new wave of arrests of those people who remain alive, and a new quiet life for those who were not seen in active actions.

...In the morning it seemed that there was no hope. There was no one left on Maidan who spoke from the stage and gave interviews to international media. And there was no one to give an inspired speech about the “last battle.” And there was no one to lead this last battle. As well as giving the command to retreat and surrender to the mercy of the winner. Therefore, those who remained there had no time to think or be afraid. They continued to fight desperately and passionately. While the city, with bated breath, scrolled through the news feed and expressed its horror on social networks behind tightly drawn curtains.

And then morning came. No, it did not bring victory with the first rays of the sun. But it has come anyway. And thanks to those who survived this night, there was confidence that victory was possible. And that the power of the government is not omnipotent.

On February 20, a river of blood will flow along Instytutska Street. And this is literally, that is, in the most literal sense of the word. The snipers were right in the heart of the city. Bullets piercing through wooden shields and construction helmets. Bodies covered with white sheets in the hotel lobby. But this will already be the agony of the enemy. Losing the remnants of self-control, he will destroy what he can reach.

There are only a few days left before Yanukovych’s shameful flight...

It’s hard to believe now that ten years have passed since that day. Ten years, in which it is possible to fit an entire life. And perhaps even several. It seems like it all happened yesterday. An endless February that has been going on and on for a decade. Now retreating, now gaining strength again. The Heavenly Hundred takes on new brothers-in-arms day after day and has long grown into the Heavenly Legion. February, the month that left the city, but did not leave the souls. Hot February 2014.

The war, which crept almost unnoticed onto the outskirts of the country just a couple of weeks later, did not let February rest. Those who managed to resist, defending the country's right to Freedom, left to the east in different uniforms and practically without weapons. These people left to meet the “little green men”, “those who are not there”, Donetsk airport, Ilovaisk and Debaltseve. The war grew stronger and gained strength.

In February 2022, it spilled out beyond the boundaries of what was called the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (ATO) for eight years. And this February was painfully reminiscent of that other one, when in the same way it seemed that there was almost no hope. And that dawn will most likely never come. Because the forces are too unequal. The world froze in anticipation. The world was hiding behind tightly drawn curtains, just like Kyiv on February 18, admiring the courage of those who did not run, but took the fight. 

Admiring, but not believing in success. It seemed that there were only a couple of days left for the desperate attempts of the civilian population to resist. And then only if a lucky chance happens. And then – the death of those who were not afraid to fight back, and a new humble life for those who surrender to the mercy of the winner. The country had no one to count on. And there were too few of us...

...And then morning came. The country kept fighting. Our homeland fought without having time to be afraid or think about the events that were taking place. No, the morning did not bring victory. But it gave hope that victory was possible. And the enemy is not omnipotent. Yes, the next “February 20” is still somewhere ahead of us. And we will need all our strength to survive it. Because the stakes have increased.

But we are no longer like our old selves, like those people who eleven years ago believed that it was possible to reach an agreement with the enemy peacefully. We stopped hoping that someone grown and strong would come and protect us. Because we are the adults here now. This is our February. And we are the ones who have to find a way to spring through it. 

Read this article in Ukrainian and russian.