My European and American friends,
I know that you follow the news from Ukraine, and you have a picture of what’s happening. However, I’d like to explain how it concerns you.
Ukraine was hijacked. You may remember Flight 93, the only aircraft that didn’t reach its target during the September 11 attacks: the hijackers headed to Washington, presumably to destroy the White House or the Capitol Building, but passengers tried to stop them, and it crashed in Pennsylvania. Today we, Ukrainians, are trying to gain control over terror in our country.
We are a hijacked plane. We may crash. If so, you’re next.
Either Yanukovych is just a paranoiac gangster, or manipulated by Kremlin, or both, it doesn’t matter. If we fail, Ukraine is Putin’s trophy. Ukrainian spoils will encourage the Kremlin to become more impudent in achieving its goals. Your borders will not be violated, but your politicians and institutions will face shameless attempts to corrupt and to blackmail them. Your countries will not be the same anymore. Today we stand for Ukraine, and we also stand for your countries.
People in Kiev, young and old, wealthy and poor, students and managers, have to patrol the center of the capital at night because Yanukovych’s regime brought paid gangs to terrify people on the streets around Maidan and to discourage them to join protesters. You may think it’s the job of police to protect citizens from the gangs. In Ukraine, police protects these gangs, and citizens join in to patrol the city.
I’m 35. Almost all my life I have been bitter about us, Ukrainians, being not like Europeans, or Americans. Today I’m bitter about Westerners being not like the brave people on Maidan’s barricades.