Month: February 2016

Hotel Ukrayina, Kiev

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Hotel Ukrayina is situated by Maidan in central Kiev. During the 2014 revolution, government snipers killed many protestors around this area. It is believed that some of the government snipers were situated in the upper rooms and the roof of the hotel.

The lobby of the hotel was used a makeshift hospital and morgue to deal with the large number of injured and dead protestors. The protestors were truly a representative mix of society – young, old, men, women, students, priests…

We stayed in the hotel during our stay and it was hard to imagine, looking at people relaxing and drinking in the ground floor bar and lobby, that this had been the scene of unimaginable horror only two years earlier.

Kiev is a wonderful city, as are its people. They have been through so much and still face great uncertainty, both economically and politically. They showed so much bravery, and sacrificed so much, in order to stand up to corrupt politicians.

For me, it was an important reminder that democracy should never be taken for granted.