Pics of Protest

Grindzholy

Here is the famous Grindzholy, the group that sang Razom Nas Bahato. At Yushchenko Campaign HQ, they went on stage twice.

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They performed their hit, and in the second appearance a new song, also about the Orange Revolution. It wasn't too bad. They're still going to have to work hard if they want to make a name for themselves beyond Razom Nas Bahato, but best wishes to them.

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Grindzholy rocks on

Vakarchuck

The fellow in the foreground is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, the lead singer of Okean Elzi. The group has actually broken up now, and therefore I think he's coming out with albums on his own now, but they got back together to do an new version of their hit "Vesna" for the protests. It's got a cool Orange Revolution video clip.

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I don't know who the guy sitting next to Vakarchuk is. If anyone can enlighten me, please do by clicking on my name in any of my postings and sending me an email.

Tymoshenko

Tymoshenko comes on stage, taking off her coat to reveal...

Revolution

Her kickin' new "Revolution" sweater. Looks more like clubwear than campaignwear.

Three fingers

I really gotta go back and ask the Yushchenko folks why she was holding up three fingers during her speech. I don't remember why, but I think it was important.

T Talks Tuff

Tymoshenko looks tough, must have been talking about Kuchma.

Tartak

The next few pictures are all of the Ukrainian hip-hop band, Tartak.

Tartak 2

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Zinchenko

This man is not in Tartak. He is Yushchenko's campaign manager, Oleksander Zinchenko. It was considered a real coup when he went over to Yushchenko's side from Kuchma's at the beginning of the campaign.

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CDs and I got one

They handed out free CDs, (as well as free scarves and free pens and free christmas ornaments) at the Yushchenko headquarters. It's the Orange Revolution collection, with all the music played for the protests.

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Skrypka

This is Oleg Skrypka. He is the lead singer of VV. That stands for Vopli Vidoplassova, and the group is tied with Okean Elzi for best rock group in the country.

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While I think Vakarchuk has better rock by a small margin, VV definitely has better crowd skills. He's hilarious, and he got everybody riled up on Maidan every time he went out on stage. That's no mean feat in -5 C.

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Veseli Yaitsya

The guy giving the toast in the one behind Veseli Yaitsya. Please go back to my journal entry on "the mood at the Yanukovych camp" which I contrast with VY's cheerful pro-opposition irreverence.

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birds

Before you ask, I don't know why they used big purple birds.

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There was quite a crowd by the time VY got out there, because Yushchenko was slated to come out right after them. By the time he actually showed up, people were packed in twice as tight as this.

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Lukashenko

Not going to be mending any fences with Belarus today.

Yushchenko

It's exceedingly tough to get pictures that make Yushchenko look good, but you don't really need to anymore. No real need to impress anyone.

smile of victory

Yushchenko smiles after delivering his opening words: "We've done it."

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End of the night

Supporters stream away from Maidan after Yushchenko's speech.

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Yanus Try to Spoil Things

A few Yanukovych supporters came out looking to get into arguments. (or get their butts kicked, one of the two)

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Rose Revolution Flag

A bit of support from our Georgian compatriots. This flag is a composit of the Georgian flag with the symbol of the rose. It commemorates the Georgian Rose Revolution, of course.