Many foreigners have been drawn to Kyiv’s pro-European rallies in admiration for the spirited people power that has been on display and capturing world headlines. Most who came to witness what many are calling EuroMaidan – in reference to the first demonstration on Nov. 21, when the government rejected an association agreement with the European Union – hail from former Eastern bloc countries like Belarus, Poland and Georgia. But others have come from other European countries and from as far as North America.
David Kipiani came to the rally from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi with 10 friends. He explains that Georgians feel obliged to come and support pro-EU protests in Ukraine because “Ukrainian people supported Georgia in hard times” when Russian troops invaded the country on Aug.8, 2008.
“I think (Ukrainian) people have made the right choice (of EU integration), I hope this protest will make (President Viktor) Yanukovych resign,” he says. “We plan to stay here till the end.”
Political analyst Vadym Karasiov explains that EuroMaidan supporters from post-socialist or post-Soviet countries prevail because of their close proximity to Ukraine and are interested in the country’s European integration. Should Ukraine join the 28-nation bloc, then countries like Poland will not be on the EU’s eastern border anymore, which is very important to them.
“Distance also plays a big role”, says Karasiov. “It is easier for our neighbors to arrive to Ukraine and to take part in the protest than for people from the UK, for instance.”
Three college students from Belarus came to Kyiv on Dec. 6 for three days only and regretted that they couldn’t stay longer.
“We support Ukraine’s integration with the EU because we hope changes in Ukraine will have a positive influence on our country,” said Kasya Laudatskaya, a student from Belarus who currently studies in Warsaw. Belarus is lead by an authoritarian president who has been labeled Europe’s last dictator.
Roman Protasevych, 18, also came to EuroMaidan from Belarus. He was impressed with “such unity of the nation.”
“There were attempts of protests in Belarus, but there were less people and authorities quickly
A group of Bulgarian students also came to Kyiv just for a few days to stand in solidarity together with their Ukrainian counterparts.
“We came to support Ukrainian students who are under threat of being expelled from their universities for taking part in the rallies,” says Nadya Doykova, a student from Sofia.
Doykova believes Ukraine should develop closer ties with the EU since it far more beneficial than joining the Kremlin-dominated Customs Union with Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Longer distances did not prevent some from checking out Independence Square. It took Stanislav Kormiltsev two days to get to Kyiv by train from Russia’s Yekaterinburg more than 2,600 kilometers away.
“I support EuroMaidan because Ukraine is a European country culturally, anthropologically and for the last 10 years economically,” Kormiltsev said.
Some 40 Lithuanians took part in the rally on Dec. 8 out of belief that Ukraine belongs in Europe and Ukrainians should be free to decide their own future.
The Ukrainian diaspora in the West is very supportive of protests as well. Besides organizing their own EuroMaidan protests in Western Europe and North America, some of them come to Ukraine to join the protests on the ground in Kyiv. According to activist Vitaliy Umanets, nearly 300 Canadians of Ukrainian descent came to Maidan earlier this week.
Serhiy Shvydky from Canada has been taking part of the rally since day one on Nov. 21.
“I hope that Yanukovych is wise enough to hear the people’s voices and resign,” he said.
Few Western Europeans were spotted on-the-ground at the pro-European protests in Ukraine’s capital.
“We are here to show that the UK supports the Ukrainian people, to show it is time for change. We think it’s fantastically impressive what Ukrainian people are doing,” says Dave Young, a board chairman of the European-Ukrainian Energy Agency.
John Mayor, an American who has been living in Ukraine for the last six years, comes to the protest to support Ukraine’s movement to become a modern European country.
Kyiv Post staff writer NataliyaTrach can be reached at [email protected].
