Rio de Emocion

The whole central square of Kyiv, Ukraine has been turned into a city of tents. Fires are burning in barrels to keep the people warm, as it's -20C during the day. Food is being handed out by volunteers. Politicians hold speeches on the stage. A big screen is covering the side of a building, providing video of the screen to everyone in the crowd. Having just flown in from Bangkok, I try to find a place to sit down and figure out what exactly is going on.








Life in the camp


The second night after I arrive, the riots start again. It's pretty intense. Everything looks like some surreal painting of hell, or one of those photos from the Gulf War with the oil fields being on fire, or playing Call of Duty 4 on a big screen for the first time. There's clouds of thick black smoke rising from the burning tires. If I don't wear my mask, I'll get dizzy. People are manning the catapults, working together to lob molotov cocktails and stones at the police. All I can do is stand in front of people and snap pictures. Not that I’m the only one. Everywhere I turn there’s another photographer behind the fire snapping away.

The whole thing goes on for over eight hours. It’s getting boring because the cops aren’t responding. Apparently, they’re only up for attacking people when they’re unarmed. Around 5 AM, I decide I’ve had enough, and go to sleep in my hostel. Awaiting the next big event, hoping for more clashes between protesters and police.


Protesters man a catapult to throw molotov cocktails and stones at Berkut.



Fireworks going off in the wrong place, in front of the front line, getting everybody all confused.


Three man team moves in closer to the police so they can hurl the molotovs further away. One guy raises a shield in case the cops start throwing stuff.


Protesters manning the barricades. There’s multiple layers of barricades, made of sacks of ice, blocking the street, as well as a couple of burned-down riot police buses.


Dudes keep supplying tires to the front line in order to keep the fires burning. One tire will burn for about 10 minutes and leaves a bunch of soot and hard fibres behind on the ground. Because the wind was blowing northwards, the cops’ vision was completely blocked by black smoke.

The next day, a group of protesters has a big conference building, the Ukrainian House, surrounded. Inside are about 100 of the 'Berkut' riot police.
The crowd can’t really seem to agree on what to do. Some want to go inside and charge. Some want to smoke them out. Others want to let them go. Occasionally some people start attacking each other over disagreements.
Eventually, the cops are being let go. I’m disappointed, but it ain’t my war.



Cops with shields inside the building, protesters bashing in the windows.

There’s also a dude in a tiger suit walking around.