Oleksandr Frolov
movie director

“Ukraine has definitely changed for the better. We as a nation changed completely, all of us. Someone started to see the country in a different light, someone started to treat people better. Some people are happy with what they already have. However, there is no white or black — it’s all in between.”

Kateryna Ray
TV and radio host, art curator

“There are both positive and negative moments. People got more opportunities — to travel, to develop ideas, they got more financial opportunities for the creative class and for the development of culture. It feels like people finally understood that their voice has the power, but only if it’s loud and clear enough. People started to be interested in their own heritage and culture. It’s like we finally understood why we are a separate nation and now we can clearly explain it to others. On the other side, freedom comes with responsibility. Sadly, I also see a bit of division in society — there are people who are willing to change and those who are still living in the old system. Those two groups don’t usually get along well. Everything is still too raw and unstructured. So for us, the main goal right now should be to form a strategic plan of how every person can contribute to the development of the country.”

Artur Gasparyan
philology student

“I think that all of the events on Maidan contributed to unity in society. It seems like people finally understood why we have to belong to one sovereign country, and not be divided for east and west. We became more patriotic, so I believe that the future would be brighter.”

Yana Kuchmus
animation director

“I’m from Crimea, so EuroMaidan events really made an impact on my family. I live in Kyiv and my family is still in Crimea. We usually talk on Skype, but now it is not the same. My family members are too afraid that our Skype calls can be eavesdropped and that fear really affect the sincerity of the conversations — and so our relationship. Our family doesn’t feel like a close family anymore. From the other side, I feel like society became much more conscious and responsible. I don’t measure things in good-or-bad categories. This is the life that’s happening and I like it. I think that all of those events that shaped modern Ukraine are healthy. However, I doubt that even the Maidan can change the rooted culture of some people.”

Yegor Sarahov
product designer

“Maidan was one of the main reasons why we finally saw our future way clearer than before. For years, we had to choose the focus of our development. And now it finally feels like we are on the right track towards modern values.”

The article was published as a part of the Journalist Exchange Program by Media Development Foundation with the support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Content is independent of the donor.