Originally from the Dnipropetrvs'k region and a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, this anti-government protester is the director of a children's hospital and also works for a security agency. He believes that returning to the 2004 constitution with limited presidential power is a crucial step in the path to freedom.
As the Ukrainian conflict drags on, protesters of the country’s widespread government corruption have been increasingly drawn to Maidan Nezalezhnosti; the central square of the city’s capital, Kiev.
The portrait series below takes a closer look at the faces and into the lives of those who are risking everything to stand guard at the Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, where barricades are the weakest.
Most of the protesters are just ordinary citizen, such as carpenters, sales clerk, and a young man who declared that he will “fight and die if necessary to gain freedom for his country.”
Scroll down for the images.
This man patrols the main front beside the access point to Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, an area where the barricades are weak. For months now, he has slept very little. He is a carpenter.
A young man who comes from a small village in the Volinia region in the western part of Ukraine. He’s a carpenter. He declares he will fight and die if necessary to gain freedom for his country.
This man from Leopoli is a carpenter in his daily life. He was watching the riots on TV when he decided to take action and head to Maidan. He now patrols the main front line beside the access point to Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium.
These men are called “the Bears” by the protesters. They are professional security guards, well trained for guerrilla situations and ready to fight. They have been fighting for Maidan since the beginning.
A young man taking flowers and chocolate to celebrate a friend’s birthday in Maidan. He is a native of the Vinnycja region and is a sales agent in a supermarket.
A priest of the Orthodox Ukrainian Church from St. Nicholas parish in Kiev. In early December he was drawn to the people gathering in the main square to protest and fight.
A young woman from Surny in the north of Ukraine. She is a sales clerk in a supermarket. She was shocked to see how well organized the protest has been, like in a military camp. She said she will fight to the death if necessary.
A man in the International Center of Culture and Arts, which has been occupied by protesters. He is a schoolteacher and is overwhelmed by the violence of the riots and the brutality of the government forces.
A young woman from the right wing "Viking Union" faction of the protest, who is a history student from Kiev, says she will fight until the end of this war for freedom, as the Ukrainian people have done before.
A man from Vinnycja serves the opposition on the main frontline on Hrushevs'koho street. He is an artist, painter and photographer. He says he is horrified by the violence of the clashes and the brutal force used by the government's special forces.
[via Al Jazeera America]