Евромайдан

On November 21^st protests began in Kiev regarding President Yanukovych's decision not to sign an agreement with the EU - an agreement that would strengthen ties between the two entities. Instead, the Ukrainian government made a decision to align itself closer with neighboring Russia. While it isn't shocking that Ukraine's pro-Russia president would make such a decision, the people's reaction was shocking - shocking and inspiring. Protesters swelled into Kiev's central Independence Square. They were all ages, all genders, from all corners of the country. The media was calling it the New Orange Revolution. While Americans might not recognize the vast difference between being Ukrainian and being Russian, they should. This is something I quickly learned during my first days in Ukraine. If you understand this difference, then you will understand why these protests are quickly becoming a revolution. At the start of the protests, Kiev's mayor, Sadoviy, stated about the protesters, “They will stand here until the end because this is our only chance. We want to be a free country. We know very well how it was to be in that (Soviet) Union. That's why we want to have normal European civilized values, and people will stand for this until the end." And they've been standing for three months – and they aren't going anywhere.

While I'm not Ukrainian and my opinion is really nothing more than simple opinion, I believe it is crucial that we understand what is happening in Ukraine and that we support it. In the last few days we have seen the death of over 100 protesters and the death of a number of riot police, but this violence is not senseless. When the Ukrainian people stand for months on end in freezing winter conditions, when they are threatened by police and their government with violence and death, they do not stand down because they believe in what they are standing for. They are even willing to die for it. Some call it freedom, Putin calls it Western propaganda, but I call it a future. These are a people do not want to return to the past; they want a future in which their voice matters, a future in which their children can thrive, and a future without fear of corruption.

These are the people of EuroMaidan

Even though I live in Russia, Ukraine has my heart and always will. I have learned so much from these people, and as the world watches Ukraine, I hope it learns something too. There is a solidarity, a strength and a fearlessness in these people. They are willing to sacrifice their comfort, their resources and their lives for a better a future. I'm not sure that many Americans are willing to do the same. If we want change and future of hope, we have to go and get it. We might have to leave the comfort of our home, we might have to give up our money and our possessions, we might have to give up our life. There is a cost to having a voice, but when did we decide that cost was too high?

Yanukovych has been dismissed by the Ukrainian parliament, Tymoshenko has been freed, more protests are breaking out across the country, and there is talk of Crimean secession. It is unclear what what the next few months or even years will hold for Ukraine. But one thing is clear, the world now understands the strength of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government understands the power of its people, and the people understand the power of their voice. Let us support that voice and support their future. Слава Украинe!