From batons to missiles. Nine years ago, everything started for real.
In 2021, on the 30th of November, the “The dispersal of Maidan. An absolutely documentary film” was published on YouTube.
The name of the film says pretty much everything about its content: these are merely collections of videos taken in central Kyiv between 4 and 5 AM on the morning of the 30th of November 2013. The videos are different – taken by journalists that were present on the spot, witnesses’ phones, CCTV cameras and so on. The sound is original and not a single external audio element is added. The author, Yuriy Honcharuk, simply displayed the fragments, when they were filmed – according to the timeline.
The uploaded and unnarrated footage of the events is very impressive due to its accuracy. It may sometimes seem that within the passing of one hour of the footage, the setting of a gloomy Ukrainian autumn day, the future and past have intertwined. “Your Yanukovych is f**cked”, – someone says from behind the camera, and where one can see that the few hundred people that gathered that night next to the are gathered next to the stele on Independence Square – seemingly empty and creating the impression that the protest is successfully suppressed and virtually over.
After the square was brutally cleared by riot police, the government forces installed a metal fence in order to prevent people from gathering once again. Parts of it were still being installed when protesters would already put posters and “messages” on it. In one of the frames, the remainder of an A4 sign left on the fence is seen saying “UN Statute re-”. What exactly was written there is unknown. What is known however, is that none of the policemen present would ever stop to think about the dangers of violating UN statutes – the world-renowned organization that aims to “support international peace and security and with this aim in hand, to carry out collective measures in order to prevent and extinguish any threats to peace and acts of aggression”. The fragment of the fence is more of a practical phenomenon here and hence must be connected with other phenomena to prevent any further “disruptions of the civil order”.
In another, similar fragment, the operator films a home-made poster from up close. The poster displays a popular internet meme, a character referred to as the drunk “vatnik” – which threatens the audience with “The Union is unbreakable – otherwise we’ll shut the gas off”.
A man is seen speaking to the police (most likely, he was addressing the internal special forces, which would later become the National Guard). They got into formation next to Maidan, the day after the violent dispersal that was carried out by Berkut units (riot police). The man is heard trying to appeal to their sympathy and reason: “How will you look your daughters, mothers and wives in the eyes?” He continues to speak, and the last thing he says is: “Do you understand that this is war? That’s all”.
The video contains a lot more than the unjustifiable violence and brutality that was brought about by the police units in their so-called “clearing the christmas tree area” operation. The christmas tree itself no longer exists and from that point, 9 christmases have passed. Yet, the story seems to live on. Now, Maidan has expanded, it has taken over the whole country, perhaps, even the whole world. Regarding the UN reform aimed at improving the ability to achieve its security aims speaks volumes. Security is absent not only near the stele in central Kyiv but is also absent in the Atlantic region and all the way. The drunken Vatnik continues to make his threats about cutting gas and heat, but now, with the use of missiles and not valves. The reality of war however will not be denied by even those that accused Maidan of depreciating the “dollar for eight” exchange rate. That’s all.
The official commemoration date of the beginning of Maidan is the 21st of November. This day has its symbolism as it was the day of the first demonstrations. It is also coincidentally the anniversary of the Orange Revolution in 2004. Perhaps, there’s nothing bad about this, if we’re talking about state officialdom. However, on the morning of the 30th of November, when the country woke up to the shocking news, it became clear that the real breaking point was the night before. Up until that point, things were a bit too festive and not very revolutionary.
One may expand on this thought. There is a popular cliche that asserts that we’re still stuck in the events of February 2022. One can expand this time frame even further, we’re still stuck in the night of the 30th of November. The real enemy hasn’t changed. If Putin did not force Yanukovych to withdraw the proposed association agreement between Ukraine and the EU during a secret meeting on the 9th of November 2013, then perhaps nothing would have happened otherwise.
This approach has a major flaw. It does not take into account our collective development. After the night of the 30th of November, came the morning when thousands of Ukrainians gathered on the Mykhailivska square and started to form self-defense units, armed with batons and wooden shields. After the new dictatorial laws that were illegally drafted that following January, the revolution showed its teeth. After the shooting of demonstrators and the annexation of Crimea, there were the newly formed volunteer battalions and the struggle for Donbas. After the invasion of 2022 in February, there were victories in Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and recently, in Kherson. Hence, this is not a single night of non-stop violence, but a gradual path to total victory. Every step forward becomes harder and the next episode of struggle and violence becomes more tragic and costly than the one before, but the result is inevitable.
The collective development is incredible. Some became real warriors and paid or will pay with their lives. This contribution is incomparable to any other. Someone became part of a resistance, carrying out their tasks with dedication, despite the fires, shelling and constant risk. Some are paying with their own considerable coinage, and some have changed their worldview due to the events. The last listed change may seem insufficient but it is important to keep in mind that any population is internally diverse and subject to different kinds of change at different rates. Moreover, many make mistakes.
Nonetheless, the most important is the basic understanding behind why it is important to never leave even the smallest bruise from a baton unquestioned and forgotten. After a year of being available, the Dispersal of Maidan movie was only watched by 7 thousand people. This is not enough. Please watch whenever you are able to.
