On the night of November 30, 2013, the Berkut, the then-state law enforcement, made their first attempt to violently disperse the protests on Maidan. Berkut fighters beat protesters with batons, kicking them. Authorities hoped that this would completely quell the peaceful protest, but this strategy has completely backfired; they faced an immediate backlash instead. On December 1, 2013, almost 1 million Ukrainians attended the protest rally. At that time, Vadym Vasylchuk, the civic activist and current Kyiv City Council MP from the Holos political party, experienced the first brutal use of force against Maidan protesters. On February 24, 2022, like hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among other things, he took part in liberating of Kharkiv as a soldier of the 112th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Week spoke with Vadym about the night of November 30, 2013, what it meant to him, and how the Revolution of Dignity influenced his subsequent decisions, including taking military courses and joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
About his participation in the Revolution of Dignity
From November 21 onwards, I was practically always present on Maidan. We called ourselves coordinators-commandants. There were several of us, which made it more difficult for the police to identify us. On November 29, 2013, we clearly understood that we were not heading towards the EU anymore. Everyone was deeply disappointed. However, we, the coordinators, said that we would stay on Maidan.
I wasn’t supposed to stay on the night shift, but I decided to help another commandant who was taking over for the first time. Night shifts are tough; I knew that from my own experience. There were fewer people. I sat in a café with other protesters for some time. Then I said that I was going to Maidan to check what was happening there. My friends, on the other hand, decided to have some tea first and then go. Soon after, they ended up outside the police barrier, and I was inside.
Vadym Vasylchuk and his friend Taras Shumyk near the protesters’ tents on Maidan
I started making rounds, I went to check the tents and the campfire; I spoke to people. Then I saw buses arriving, and in of the windows, behind the curtain, I saw a riot police officer wearing a helmet. I realised they were going to disperse us. I immediately ordered everyone to gather at the monument [at the centre of Maidan Square]. Law enforcement officers began leaving the buses. They brutally attacked us – we were beaten and kicked on the legs, kidneys, head, and back. Then they created a ‘corridor’ and beat us again, but eventually, we managed to break free. I didn’t report the beatings, so technically, I wasn’t a victim. I continued serving as a Maidan’s commandant, helping the wounded in St. Michael’s Cathedral, so there was no time for that. I was happy that my hands and legs were intact. We were helping at St. Michale’s for three days until we returned to Maidan.
About the most challenging stages of the protests on Maidan
Mornings and nights were the most challenging times on Maidan because people tended to return to their homes at night, and only a small group of protesters remained to keep an eye on things. In the morning, there was a gap when some protesters would have to leave to get to work before the new group arrived.
For me, personally, November 30, 2013, became a turning point when we did not become Belarus. I know full well that the reason we were dispersed so brutally was to instil fear. In my head, I had an image from the protests in Belarus in 2010. I understood that if people didn’t come out the next morning, November 30, we would be defeated. But people came out. Everyone walked to St. Michael’s Cathedral. We became the centre again, the force.
10 December became the next significant date for us. There was another attempt by the Berkut special forces to clear the Maidan. They began their attack at one o’clock in the morning. At that time, I was near the Trade Unions [premises]. It was really important to see so many familiar faces around me. Serhiy Kvit, the Kyiv-Mohyla academy president, the academy students (the ‘Mohylians’), the rescuers [at that time, Vadym Vasylchuk was the head of the “Brotherhood of Cossack Combat Tradition “Spas” public organisation. — Ed.], Vitali Klitschko, then the head of the UDAR party, and the guys from the Haydamaky music band stood with us. The violent confrontation with special forces lasted until about six in the morning. We’ve resisted. In the morning, a new wave of people arrived, and the Maidan stood strong. Then, on January 16 came [ten laws restricting freedom of speech and freedom of assembly were passed by Ukraine’s Parliament of Ukraine on January 16, 2014, and referred to as ‘Black Thursday’. — Ed.] and then, the Epiphany on January 19, when the protests intensified. The fourth significant date is the peaceful protest held on February 18, when the violent dispersal in Mariinsky Park was followed by the government’s immediate announcement of a so-called anti-terrorist operation and the shootings at the Maidan. I still thank my guardian angels for surviving. For a couple of days, we couldn’t believe we won; he [Viktor Yanukovych. — Ed.] fled, and the system collapsed.
About the decisions influenced by the Maidan
The Maidan was a true haven where I met many like-minded people. These people came from different regions of Ukraine. By that time, I had long been interested in politics and finally understood that we needed a drastic change of politicians. I also had a clear understanding that the opposition figures also had to be changed — an entire ‘rotation’ of elites was absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, the presidential elections were scheduled for much later, allowing the old political elite to regroup. The war also changed a lot. The focus shifted. Not all the people who were the driving force on the Maidan were able to become the new elites. After a year and a half, I managed to secure an MP mandate at the Kyiv City Council. I think I wasn’t alone in that.
About the decision to join the Armed Forces
I submitted my documents to the military enlistment office in the spring of 2014. I came to update my information. Since my military training was related to document management (I have a degree in humanities), I was informed that they would call me when there was a need for people with such background. I then planned to volunteer at the Kruk battalion, but in the summer, I found out that my wife and I were expecting twins. I decided that it was important for me to focus on my family while I continued volunteering to support the military since 2014. Nevertheless, the fact that I was not a serving soldier in the military always hung over me. I also decided I needed to study. In 2018, I enrolled at the University of Defence. I graduated in 2020 and received the rank of junior lieutenant trained for ‘Moral and Psychological Support of Personnel’. Two years after completing my studies, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I volunteered for the Armed Forces.
Why evil must be punished
When my friends and I gathered together to commemorate the first anniversary of the Maidan, I said that we should cherish the fact that we are alive and that life has been gifted to us. And I often think about it. After the Maidan, life gave me my wife and two beautiful daughters. I was convinced that we should move forward, improve ourselves, control the state and authorities, and develop the country. Today [November 29 — Ed.], these thoughts remerged in my head because I was in court. They reminded me again of things that Berkut did. Unfortunately, many people from the Berkut command have not been punished, and it is a well-known fact that unpunished evil can happen again. Today, through the prism of the full-scale invasion, we understand that those bloody events of 18 February 2014 were just another link in a long chain of actions, that the enemy’s agents in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies were trying to destroy us. Yet, unfortunately, 139 cases related to the crimes committed against the Maidan protesters still have no verdicts. For some, the statute of limitations has expired. This is a true test for our legal and political system, which is fortunate to call itself an independent Ukrainian state only thanks to the Maidan protesters. The state apparatus and law enforcement agencies embody the state of Ukraine, free and dignified, not a “state for which all others are just silent links in the system.” It is important for those who work there to understand this. For me, the full-scale war began when I first arrived at the Maidan, together with the Ukrainian state. Before that, there were rallies where I protested the system’s violation of the freedom and rights of its citizens.
