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#Babylon' 13 Civil Protest Movies
1+1 Production
THE WINTER THAT CHANGED US ALL
- It makes me shudder. I've got goose bumps. And this means they are with us.
When we remember them, they are alive.
In other words, when we speak of them, they are by our side.
- Thank God, I had a chance to talk to him and see my child.
I had a chance to tell him that I love him. I had a chance to hold him.
- I do not believe I would ever be able to somewhere ... somehow...
well... even when they take away the barricades, the garbage, the tents, etc.
I will never be able to watch this calmly. I just, well... I just remember rivers of blood there.
And ... I don't really know, these are the sort of things
we have probably seen in movies, in books, in our own imaginations.
But it was here, it was us, it was on our own hands.
HEAVEN'S HUNDRED
- Bandits! - Get out!
This is the story of those who died during the protests,
died for freedom and for their own country.
We still do not know all the names, because the heaven's hundred
includes not only those who were killed
in the center of the Ukrainian capitalat the end of February [2014].
It also includes all those who had opposed the regime
all over Ukraine and then disappeared or were tortured to death.
Text in the picture: Ustym Holodniuk
Volodymyr Holodniuk, protester: There was nothing special about our little boy.
Volodymyr Holodniuk, protester: He grew up an ordinary Ukrainian boy.
Do I realize that he is a hero? I realized it as soon as I had to take his body home.
This is a story about one person, but at the same time about all of the heaven's hundred.
Peaceful people with helmets and shields appeared on Independence Square [a.k.a. Maidan]
in the first weeks of winter.
These were the self-defense 'hundreds' [i.e. legions]:
Lvivska Brama, Second, Third, Fifteenth. There were several dozen of them.
And the last one - the Heaven's [hundred].
This one appeared after the most violent fights in the center of the capital.
Almost a hundred people were killed in those three days.
But it all began with a peaceful march on February 18 [2014].
People singing: A tire was burning and a sack, you have brought in titushki [thugs] to us,
- Glory to Ukraine! - Glory to the Heroes!
Ordinary people, surrounded by self-defense legions,
marched in columns from Maidan to the Verkhovna Rada [parliament].
On that day, the opposition was hoping to vote to reinstate the Constitution of 2004.
Oleh Lemiakin, deputy centurion of the 18th 'hundred': The weather was gorgeous.
Those were, I believe, the first days when the spring sun started shining.
Yes, and the mood was this way too. In other words, we did not march there to fight.
We did not march there to provoke or take part in fighting.
Serhiy Samuliak, subcommander of the 3rd 'hundred': We agreed we would go on the 18th.
In other words, we formed up and went to Mariinskiy Park.
Somehow everybody, the majority there was even sort of dressed up,
which is sort of illustrative, that is, meaning that... well
actually I believe hardly anybody expected it all to end in this way.
- I did not feel any danger on the 18th.
That is, it seemed to me it would really be a peaceful march.
But when I saw on TV and on the Internet that there was fighting going on,
then I got in touch with him. And he comforted me, told me, "Dad, don't worry."
The parliament building was tightly guarded by police. (Text on the shield: 14th Self-Defense Hundred.)
Behind the security forces stood rows of participants of the so-called 'Antimaidan,'
the pro-government rally held in Mariinskiy Park.
They were predominantly aggressive young people.
They had helmets and batons like the self-defense legions.
- Those vuiki [word for 'man' in western Ukraine] are there,
the savages who have never seen such a beautiful park.
- You, over there, are you filming?
- Yes. - Going well?
- This government is stealing from us and from you.
You are protecting the criminal government.
- Protect the peaceful march. People, your father and parents are all here, your kids.
They want a better life for you and for us.
The Maidan protesters who came to Verkhovna Rada
were mostly ordinary people, unarmed and
unprepared for confrontations with the security forces.
- Why are we divided?! Why are the police on the people's side in other countries?!
Why aren't you with us?! Why are you protecting them and not us?!
Viktor Tverdokhlib, protester: When you talk to the guys from the Ministry of the Interior,
Viktor Tverdokhlib, protester: all of them understand what they are doing.
When you say: well, you personally, what do you think of all this?
Well, the guys reply, if I were a civilian, I would probably be on your side.
Well, and to the question "Are you going to shoot?"
the answer was clear-cut: if there is an order, we will shoot.
- Well they were shooting over here. I was standing like this, squeezed myself small.
And he was shooting at me. Why?
- Withdraw!
- I'm not doing anything.
- Why are you late?
- I am astonished how can you do this ... I'm shocked.
- Take the poster away! - Were to?
- Aside! - Where should I take it?
- Step aside! - You are also getting in my way, by the way.
- Guys, we have a right to stand here, just like you are standing,
with whatever we want ... why aren't we allowed to stand...
- Guys, don't go here, they are killing here.
- So many of them this is horrible, horrible... so many bandits - horrible, horrible.
Speaker on the stage: Get out of their offices, their homes, and go to the Verkhovna Rada,
because here the fate of Kyiv, the fate of the whole Ukrainian state is decided.
So, those who have the phone numbers of your friends, acquaintances, relatives,
call them to tell that our peaceful march...
- The fight began with [stun] grenades thrown from the direction of Mariinskiy Park,
that is, from the direction of that 'zoo'.
- Come on, come on, come on... Do the job with your baton... Let them wet their pants.
- Bandits! - Get out!
- F*ck, standing in the corner there. - Behind the chimney? - Yes.
- Oh, f*ck, throw it high!
- Guys, who can break those? My hands are aching already. ... - Are there any [Molotov] cocktails?
- The two were firing shotguns at us from the right side. With the bullets just like this.
One was shooting with birdshot. Hit me with the birdshot in the shoulder,
but it did not really hurt. And this hit me in the head -- did hurt.
Beat my hands heavily with batons. I don't know now... If I had to surrender,
would not have been able to lift my hands to surrender.
- Bring that b*tch to his knees! Don't beat him, don't, don't!
- Take him to Berkut, f*ck...
Behind the security forces, who were beating up one and all indiscriminately,
ran tough athletic guys who were brought in by the government.
They finished the protesters off kicking and beating them with batts and even shooting.
- Some beast running with a handgun finishing people off.
Oleh Liamkin, deputy centurion of the 18th 'hundred': He's bad off already, what more is needed?
But no, they had to run up to him and shoot, screaming "Beat the Banderites!"
Indeed, to my embarrassment, I don't really know that much about Shukhevych or Bandera.
So calling me a Banderite is ridiculous at least.
- Have you got a knife to tear off this bullsh*t?
Berkut crushed the Maidan self-defense and started advancing.
The attack of the security officers. The first victims.
Hundreds injured. And dozens went missing. Their fate is still unknown.
Volodymyr Holodniuk, protester: - At that time he was with the 18th, no, 19th hundred,
Volodymyr Holodniuk, protester: which was crushed at Mariinskiy Park,
out of which only six people made it through, including him.
And he used to boast to me: don't worry, dad, I'm the lucky guy.
- Who has minor injuries, minor, get them out of here. There's one with severe injuries, very severe.
- ... a man with a crutch, a disabled man with a crutch...
- It's impossible to convey. There were sobs and screams.
They were screaming 'fascists'. It's still ringing in my ears all those women screaming.
That was hysterics, actual hysterics.
Checking the pulse: - C'mon, at least 15.
Viktor Tverdokhlib, a protester: The scariest of all was to fall into their hands.
I mean it, you know, to fall among them it was... well, believe me, these are not some big words.
Well, it seemed like, well... so what if it's a bullet, for all I care.
I've lived long enough. But for me to be among them and watch them torment others, that was really scary.
- Go away, you with the sticks! Don't touch them! Go away!
Olena Pylska, Maidan Medical Service volunteer: There were many corpses in Mariinskiy Park.
And the fact that the guys, when they were leaving,
retreating through Instytutska [Street], through Khreshchatik...
- Hey, are you alive, brother? Good. Alive. - He's alive. I'm asking the ambulance to carry him...
... they had no time extricate everybody.
Panicked, people ran from Mariinskiy Park to Independence Square, behind the barricades.
It was the only place you could hide from the attack of the security forces.
And people started preparing for the attack.
- Don't, f*ck it.
- That's not normal. Look - they are waiting for the command.
- Attack from above, from above! Attack them from above!
Speaker on the stage: Tens of thousands of people.
And we won't leave Maidan. We will stand until the end...
Serhiy Samuliak, subcommander of the 3rd 'hundred': We were all looking for some centurion,
for a supervisor who would, well, be in charge of those people, that is, of us, essentially.
But we found none. There was some man who said he was in charge,
handed out from his plastic bag a pack of cigarettes to each one of us.
And told us: you stay here, there's either a commission or representatives
of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] coming,
they would like to see what's going on;
do not throw stones or provoke them, well, show that there are decent people here.
- I realized I couldn't throw a stone at a distance of 50 meters.
And throwing a stone 10 or 20 meters, it falls on our own heads.
I realized I'm not a fighter in that sense.
That's why to bring something - firewood, stones,
bring the sacks to the barricades as building material - I did take part in that, of course.
- Some people simply split off into those who were
filming it all with enthusiasm. And somehow that group of people got bigger and bigger.
And then there were those who were actually doing something. That's the way the community split up.
- The water canon, the water canon is driving in. - It's a water canon.
- The barricade is not fortified, come down! - Can't hear you!