On “therapy” in moments of frustration

Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei is a cameraman at 2+2 TV channel and Den’s contributor. He had been filming the events of Maidan since the first day. Hundreds of unique photos and videos from the Revolution of Dignity (including events on the Independence Square, on Hrushevsky Street, and the riots near the Sviatoshyn police department in Kyiv), made during the active phase of the confrontation, were promptly sent by him to our office. We selected the best of them to be published in the newspaper, and in the Den-TV project. Many of them became not just a proof of atrocities committed by Berkut and “titushky,” but the documentary evidence in criminal cases. Some of the material still remains in his private archive, due to the tragic nature of the content.

During the confrontation on Hrushevsky Street, Ivan broke his camera – someone threw a cobblestone directly at the operator. Fortunately, he was not hurt, but the camera was out of order. Later, Ivan began to highlight the war in the east for our newspaper. In late August 2014, along with three other journalists he had become trapped at the Ilovaisk encirclement for five days.

In addition to this, Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei is an active participant of Den’s Photo Exhibition, which traditionally sums up the photographic year of the country, a great cameraman of the Den-TV, one of the authors of Den’s photo album People of the Maidan. A Chronicle, and a good friend of ours.

On the eve of the commemoration date of the mass shooting of Euromaidan protesters, The Day decided to ask Ivan about his reflections on those tragic events, about the importance of making photos and video to record the details of crimes against the Heavenly Hundred, and about the ability of Ukrainians to rethink the causes and consequences of the Revolution of Dignity.

“ALL MY FOOTAGE IS AVAILABLE TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, TO THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE, TO THE LAWYERS...”

“At first I tried to film everything that was possible to film – for the history. And for those who learned about Maidan and all its news from the Internet and television, and was not present there in person. In particular, for the international community. I was filming protesters, policemen from Berkut, doctors, and ordinary people who came to Maidan, but did not actively participate in the battles. I filmed everyone as far as it was possible. I have not had a meaningful perception at my role in those events, apart from just recording and showing my records to the world. But everything changed on January 22.

“It was then that I realized that my videos, as well as the videos and photographs by my colleagues, play a much more important role than just recordings of the events. They were important evidence and the testimony for future trials. Additionally, they carried important information for people who were looking for their relatives or were trying to find out what happened to them. The video from January 22, which I made for the Den-TV, had gathered 125,000 views in a few months. It was my personal best. I know that many friends and families of missing activists watched it – on that day policemen had detained many. Although the word ‘detained’ would not describe everything: the video shows how groups of armed operatives snatched protesters from the crowd one by one and dragged them somewhere. Beating their victims as they dragged them. The video clearly shows how Berkut operatives dragged a guy on earth – he did not resist, but they stopped and dealt several blows with a metal shield in his face. I shot beaten and wounded people, and tried to capture close-ups of the faces of Berkut policemen, who were beating and shooting people.

“The worst, perhaps, were the events near the Verkhovna Rada on February 18. There was a lot of blood. There were a lot of wounded, maimed, and dead people. There were a lot of security forces and so-called ‘titushky,’ hired goons. There were people with children, pensioners, and teenagers. Starting with the very morning I was shooting everything. I knew how important it was to capture on camera those who shot, injured, and killed. And also those who died, who was injured, who was bleeding. On this day, I did not think about the news stories I would have made with this video, I thought of the need to capture as much as possible for the human rights defenders, for the families of wounded and killed. A guy near me got injured in the eye. I was afraid that I would be shot in the eyes too, because then I would not be able to continue filming. There was no other fear. During such events, the desire to record the important material dominates all other feelings.

CAPTION READS: “I CAN SEE YOUR DEEDS, HUMAN BEING!”

“Unfortunately, not only journalists understood how important these testimonies were. In the evening, a Berkut operative took from me all of the footage of that day. It was a disaster for me, and it still remains so. The officer who took the memory card from me had many cameras hanging from his shoulders – obviously, taken away from others.

“Many of the footage made during Maidan is available on Den/The Day’s website. But there is still some material that I chose not to make public. I have a video from February 20 which I did not publish on the Internet and did not show to my family and friends – because of its shocking content and of the respect for the people featured there, and their families. But all of these materials are fully available to human rights defenders, to the Prosecutor General, to the lawyers. Today, the task of the society and the media is to bring this matter to its logical conclusion by punishing those guilty of deaths and injuries of hundreds on Maidan. The trials against Berkut operatives are open, and everyone should go there. We should be united in this case just as we were in the days of protests.”

“THE SAME PEOPLE ARE FILMING THE WAR IN THE EAST NOW”

“Ukrainian video-operators and photographers performed a tremendous job at Maidan. I am proud of colleagues who, despite all the dangers and difficult working conditions, recorded the events of the Revolution of Dignity day and night. Their hands were broken, their cameras and heads were smashed, but the work did not stop. Thanks to them the world learned about us. It’s been two years, but new documentaries about these events are still being released, and photo exhibitions travel the world showing photos and reports to the people. It’s very important. And now these same people are filming the war in the east.

“In addition to the work of professionals, the material filmed by the events’ participants is also very important. On the Internet today you can find a second-by-second reconstruction of the February 20 events, made from both the videos of professional operators and of amateur clips shot on mobile phones. We cannot deny the importance of amateur filming in that regard. Imagine what an archive of video footage can be created of those clips made on mobile phones by our military in the east! Hopefully, once the video archive of this war is created – and perhaps it is being created now – it will feature television and documentary footage, as well as the material by military, volunteers, and doctors... Today, this war is filmed by everyone – and this is invaluable in terms of history. And also in terms of future international trials against the aggressor country.”

“DEN’S PHOTO ALBUM PEOPLE OF THE MAIDAN. A CHRONICLE IS  A VACCINATION AGAINST TREASON CALLS”

“Apart from the dramatic events at Maidan, I filmed interviews with the Revolution of Dignity participants during the calm times, together with Maria Semenchenko, Den’s journalist [the wife of Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei. – Ed.]. Some of them are also available at Den’s website. In particular, the story of Ivan Sydor, the bell-ringer at St. Michael’s Cathedral, who struck the bell on the night of December 11, 2013. Or the story of Oleksandr Melnyk, the artist remembered by many, because he went on Maidan with the painting that depicted the eyes of the Lord. There are other stories as well. This is our attempt to show the incredible people that became involved in the events of Maidan. And however these events are interpreted now, whoever uses them to their advantage, manipulates them – you can always refer to these stories, look at these people, listen to them and remember why did we go to Maidan, what was our goal – and remember ourselves at the time. In this context, I am very grateful to Den newspaper for the photo album People of the Maidan. A Chronicle. My pictures are also included there. But it’s not the most important thing about this publication for me; the main thing is that this album tells about the people who were on Maidan. It tells about all these events through the perspective of personal stories. Without any politics involved. All these beautiful people are on the photographs. This album, I think, is a good therapy in the moments of frustration: you open it and remember what we are capable of. People are our main asset. And it is important, as this asset is contained within our military, volunteers, and people who try to change anything on the grassroots level. This album is the vaccination against the treason calls. And by the way, the Den’s Photo Exhibition is another place where you can meet incredible people, looking at us from the works of Ukrainian photographers.

“What is interesting, and I’m very glad about this, is that I know the fate of most people we filmed on Maidan. Ten days after the shootings on Instytutska Street we recorded an interview about these tragic events with Reyinbay Mademinov. In the summer of 2014, when I was filming in the ATO zone, I met Reyinbay in one of the volunteer battalions. We filmed our good friend Hennadii Miasoiedov, a surgeon who was performing operations from February 18 to 21 on Maidan, sacrificing any sleep and rest to save people; and later Hennadii volunteered as physician in Donbas, having saved many soldiers in Debaltseve and Pisky... I have developed a good friendship with the artist Oleksandr Melnyk, we even visited his studio and he invites us to his exhibitions. Moreover, there are many other interesting stories: like the one when Melnyk was the sole person to oppose the inclusion into the Union of Artists... of Leonid Kuchma; and eventually he was featured on the cover of the book by Den’s journalist Ivan Kapsamun – ‘The Trap.’ It is important that these people have not changed, they were not mistaken; those values they spoke of on camera during Maidan are being fulfilled later in their lives. It saves us from the disappointment.”