“Why am I here? Because I don’t want to live in a country where they beat up children. So there isn’t a government that sets police on kids – on my kids. I’ve been here since the beginning – about a week. I’ll stay until victory. What does that mean? The departure of Yanukovich, at the very least.
Ivan Perchakov, 34, builder
“There’s a group of us that came down from Novovolinsk – that’s out in the Western part of the country near Lviv. We didn’t organise anywhere to stay – some people come and others go. The point is there are always some people from our town here.”
Sofia Vlasova, 48, factory worker
“The Ukrainians have never had their own country. We’re here because we still don’t have our own Ukraine. And it’s already been, how long? How long can you wait for independence?
Sofia Vlasova, 48, factory worker
“Yanukovich? He is not our president. There were falsifications, even in 2010 [when Yanukovich was thought to have won a relatively clean election]. He just fixes everything. We will stay here until it is over.”
Oleg, 36, potter
“These red and black colours I’m holding are those of [mid-20th century nationalist guerrilla movement] the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and right now they symbolise the struggle of the entire country. Look at the place. Everyone is in the fight.
Oleg, 36, potter (right) and Ivan, 35, art teacher (centre)
“Everyone’s come here for their own reason. Some want to join Europe, some want to kick out the government, some want to grab their own bit of power. I drove down from the Poltava region, 200 kilometres from Kiev. Me, my brother, and two mates, we brought our car down.
“We’re here to help. We’re against the way the government is running the country, and this nonsense about not joining the deal with Europe. We’ve been here since last week, got a place to stay till the fourth, then we’ll see.
“Victory means changing the political regime: the departure of both Yanukovich and of his ministers. And by the way, once we’ve got a new president I’m pretty sure the European agreement will be signed fairly quickly.”
Ivan, 35, art teacher
“I’m here because it’s a revolution today, as it was last week. Why? I’ll say it very simply. I hate my government – it’s not my government. I hate my president - he’s not my president. I hate our situation where the police are beating people up and there are students in prison for expressing their democratic rights. The whole government must go.
“We are Europe. We’re in the centre of Europe here. But our government is just something else.
“Our revolution, like the Orange revolution, has been accused of using blood - it’s not true. I remember the Orange revolution. Back then people stayed on the streets for weeks. We’ll be here as long as it takes.”
Sergey Fedorchuk, 22, student
“I think to start with people didn’t want such a revolution as such, but the authorities have changed that with the force they used against us. Everyone in our country wants change. That’s what we’re standing here for.
Sergey Fedorchuk, 22, student
“First of all, we don’t want an ex-convict running our country. That’s what the president is and everybody knows it. Personally, I only want trade links with Europe. I don’t want to open the borders. People often talk about how Ukraine is stuck between Europe on one side and Russia on the other. But now we must decide ourselves. Every move at the moment is toward something better, and that’s what the whole country wants. But our president doesn’t want change. He wants to keep things as they are so he can rob the country. And where is he now? There is a revolution and no reaction. I haven’t heard him say anything.
“You know, when I first heard people were gathering on the square I frankly wasn’t that interested. I didn’t really care. But then I saw what they did yesterday, where you had riot police running in and beating up unarmed kids – just kicking people on the ground, can you imagine? These people are animals."
Anatoly Rudechenko, 60, retired police officer
“We just want a civilised way of doing things. We’ve earned it. We’ve got a rich country, we’ve got land and resources and industry. So all we want is that our children and grandchildren can have a decent home, a decent job, a decent wage – instead of our “golden class” dividing up the country between their children and their grandchildren. It’s simple – we just want a decent quality of life. That’s all.
Retired police officer Anatoly Ruduchenko, 60, and his wife catch some rest in the protester-occupied City Hall in Kiev
“We came up from Transcarpathia. We’re right up against Europe there, so you can imagine, we don’t see why we can’t live like that too. Why not? Ukraine has always been a European country and the Ukrainians are a European people.
“Yeah, this is a revolution – a bloodless revolution - and we’re in it till the end. Victory means the impeachment of Yanukovich.”
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10489676/We-will-stay-here-until-it-is-over-What-do-the-Ukraine-protesters-want.html
