A Few Photos from near the Palace of Sport. February 22, 2014

A few photographs from the rally near the Palace of Sport on February 22, 2014. Under the auspices of Kernes and Dobkin, it was planned to announce the secession of Eastern Ukraine here. It didn't work out.

And Kharkiv is indeed rising... Next to the area where the «Euromaidan» was gathering — «Berkut» with automatic rifles. After a while they loaded onto a bus and moved a bit further away.

After a while more — they cleared out for good.

A fairly long period of waiting Faces tense... The one in dark glasses with an intellectual look was persuading those around him, the more aggressive ones, not to shout «Death to enemies!» so as not to alarm Kharkiv residents who had been frightened by horror stories about «Banderites» They moved!

Can you see what word is written on the black-and-red flag?

The column moves along Moskovsky Prospekt Apparently not police, but civilians.

But they stand as if they're on the job Clusters of gloomy people stand to the sides The column's reception by «locals» All (!) cars the column passed were supplied with campaign materials Everyone was anxiously looking up at the rooftops.

No, those aren't snipers — those are photographers...

Passions are running high among the people, but the sky remains the sky...

It should be said that during the walk from the metro station to the Palace of Sport, a certain transformation of perception occurred.

I went to the rally genuinely worried about provocations.

It was obvious they were being prepared.

We saw people who had been brought in for something of the sort, and one of my colleagues whom I met there said he had seen them unloading a stockpile of shovel handles. The criminal imagination of Mr. Kernes was bound to produce something like that. I had actually come to the rally estimating that something of the sort was possible. I honestly admitted to friends I met there that in case of danger, my priority would be minimizing harm. Then some dark cloud that had been hanging in the emotional sphere began to dissipate. Two factors played their role here. First: there were genuinely a lot of people. Second: the news from Kyiv. It became clear that the provocateurs would not risk confrontation. They are, after all, utterly cowardly, in reality. Well, that is how the situation developed. Can one really allow oneself to hope?

We reached the Palace of Sport. A rally had been held here, to which government employees had been bussed in.

They had almost all scattered by then, only a very few remained Poor policemen! Imagine: they had started duty under Acting Minister Zakharchenko, and were finishing it under Acting Minister Avakov!

We stopped near the Palace of Sport. The people with megaphones can't be heard; the internet is working poorly. An information blackout, broken by snippets of news passing from person to person: «Speaker of the Rada — Turchynov!». «A decision has been made to arrest Kernes and Dobkin!». «Mezhyhiria is being given tours, and papers from a secret bookkeeping system are being fished out of the Dnipro!», «Acting Minister of Internal Affairs — Avakov!» Each wave of news is met with jubilation Police separate the rally from the main event and from the government employees.

But they stand calmly With us — Spider-Man!

It became clear that the rally had fulfilled its role, and I went home.

And life goes on. Here's a fellow selling snowdrops. He saw me photographing him — he turned away. ...Whatever you say, what matters is not changing the individuals in power, but changing the rules of the game!