From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 636):
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
Psalm 36:10
November 2004. Nineteen years ago. I was an exchange student in a small town in Minnesota when my country was consumed by what would later be called the Orange Revolution. The people were offended by the massive corruption, voter intimidation, and electoral fraud during the presidential elections, so they went into the streets to peacefully protest it. I remember how hard it was to be away from home, trying to make sense of everything going on there (especially when it turned out that often truth was distorted by the media) and answer all the questions of the people who had heard very little about Ukraine. Three months later, in January 2005, the crowd at the Independence Square celebrated victory as the newly elected president was sworn in after a re-vote. It was a time of bright hope for many and a time that brought many positive changes to Ukraine.
Fast forward to November 2013. Ten years ago. At the time, Ukraine had a very corrupt president with a tight connection to Russia. On November 21, 2013, the Prime Minister suddenly announced that Ukraine would not sign an association agreement with the European Union (which was anticipated as the next step in the policies and goals established after the Orange Revolution) but would instead continue “an active dialogue with the Russian Federation.” It felt like a slap in the face, and people were offended by such a blatant abuse of power, so they again went into the streets. After about a week of daily protests, when only a couple of hundred people, mostly students, remained on Independence Square, the government sent special police units to beat them up and brutally disperse the protest. This advice came from Russia, as they always resort to cruelty and brutality when they need to control people through fear. However, the unexpected happened. The next day, hundreds of thousands (some say, up to a million) of Ukrainians joined the protest, not only demanding European integration but protesting the abuse of power and police violence. That was the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity. After months of peaceful protests, the government made another violent attempt to suppress the demonstrations, with snipers targeting the protesters and the special police force trying to take over the central square. Those were some of the darkest days for Ukraine, but by God’s grace, the tyrannical president fled to Russia, which caused the police forces to withdraw from Independence Square. About 100 people were killed during that violent stage of protests. They are remembered as the Heavenly Hundred. While Ukraine was in mourning and turmoil, Russian troops illegally crossed the border, and Russia started its planned occupation of Crimea. If you want to learn more about those events, the documentary “Winter on Fire” is available in English.
November 21 is remembered as the Day of Dignity and Freedom.
It is our dignity and love for freedom that help us resist Russia in this full-scale invasion, which is simply a new phase in this series of attempts to take over Ukraine that started more than twenty years ago.
We remember.
Voice of Ukraine 