Not every explore goes to plan. This is one that didn't. Whilst urban exploring in and around the Ukraine in 2018 ide heard of a camp of protestors camping out side the presidential building.. so I decided to go and have a wander around.. As I turned the corner I could hear sirens and shouting, and it soon became visible something was kicking off. Snow was on the ground so I popped my hood up and just went for it... Firstly I had to get past this lot..
Some how I just managed to walk straight through the lot of them, hood up head down. The euro maiden was an uprising of Ukrainian people in 2014 against their government. A Liberation camp of veterans was set up in the woodland area out side the presidential building.. They had been living here for 4 years protesting on my arrival..
I soon realised that today wasn't a normal day.. something was happening and I didn't know what.. men In black guarded the camp with big sticks.. some in watch towers overlooking the camp, others walking about..
The chanting was getting alot louder so I made my way to the boundary of the camp in front of the presidential building.. A lorry had been piled high with tyres and the idea was to throw them off in the entrance of the building and set fire to them..
I made my way around the camp but could see the atmosphere was changing.. and quickly! many of the vets and men in black were carrying large poles with fire on the end and stoking the fires frantically, tryes where being set a light and the women were huddled round crates making petrol bombs in beer bottles..
A soldier shouted at me in Ukrainian and signalled to me to get inside the tent now! I did. He sat me down on an old box and told me to warm my hands. He passed me a hot drink and asked what I was doing.. he explained that they had been there for 4 years.. silently yet defiantly protesting against the government. Today was the day they wanted to be heard, they wanted the government to know they hadn't forgotten the bloodshed and corruption that happened in the euro maiden..
We sat and chatted as all hell broke lose outside the tent, He looked tired and sad, but as he gently spoke I could see the commitment and fire in his eyes, he wasn't going to let this government forget.. The noise seemed to of moved towards the front of the building so I said goodbye and thankyou and made my way outside again.. burning tyres and petrol bombs were being thrown over the camps fence and the government's army had broken their way into the camp and in a brutal way trying to stop it.. The camp was hugely outnumbered..
Time for me to go.. ide seen enough and I had a feeling it was about to get worse.. As I settled for the night looking through my photos and thinking about what ide seen, I turned the TV over trying to find an English channel and up popped the news..
I have travelled to the Ukraine several times.. a beautiful country, with so much history. Kind, strong people living with such corruption. I Hope one day peace will fall upon their land and they can rebuild their lives once again.