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12
Opinion&Analysis
Onceaprotester,alwaysaprotester,KaterynaPryshchepa
fromKharkiv–andVakhtangKipiani–todayaleadingjournalist,andbackthen
astudentoftheMykolaivPedagogicalInstitute.
Noperestroika,norevolution
Untiltodaynobodyhasreallytracedbacktheoriginsofthehungerstrike.Pro-
testspointtotheLvivStudentsFraternity,whofirstinvitedtheUkrainianStudents
UnionofKyivtostartprotestingtogether.Puttingasideorganisationalmatters,
itisalsobelievedthatprotesterswerebroughttogetherbyadesiretochangethe
country.Beingyounganddetermined,theysoughtwaystotransfertheirenergy
intoaction.Testudentscamefrommanydińerentbackgrounds.
Hadtherebeennoperestroika,therewouldhavebeennorevolution.Clearly,
theprotesterswantedtomakethebestofthechangingtidecomingfromMoscow.
Teyfeltthethawandthoughtitwastherightmomentfortheirvoicestobeheard.
However,trustinperestroikavanishedafteraseries
Untilnownobody
ofclasheswithauthoritiesandaseriesofprotestsin
hasreallytracedthe
dińerentSovietrepublics.uStartingwithKarabakhin
1988andlater:Sumgaiti,Tbilisi,Uzbekistan,andVil-
originsofthe1990
niusweallsawtheauthoritiescouldnotdoanything
Kyivhungerstrike.
rightinthecountry,”saysKipiani.Inspirationforthe
youngUkrainianswasfoundinthestudentdemon-
strationsinBulgariaandTiananmenSquareinBeijing.Ukrainianstudentsalso
adoptedthetentsandheadbandsasvisibleformofprotest.
Noteveryonelikedtheideaofahungerstrikethough.uIpersonallydidnotsup-
portthatidea,”saysMykailoSvystovych,oneoftheparticipants.uTethingwas
thatthehungerstrikeissuchahardformofprotestthatifitdidnotsucceed,it
wouldhavebeenhardtothinkofsomeotherformofprotest,”heconcludes.Even
thoughhewasnotinKyivonthefirstdaysofthestrike,hestillsoonjoinedthem:
uAlthoughIwasagainsttheidea,Ijustcouldnotstayawaywhenmyfriendsand
colleagueshadriskedtheirlivesandfreedom.”
Svystovychwasnotalone.Manyolderactivistsdidnotjointhehungerstrike,
althoughforotherreasons.Tisincludedthehistorian(atthattime,adoctoral
student)YaroslavHrytsakandthethirdchairmanoftheindependentLviv-based
associationuTovarystvoLeva”–anorganisationwhichmannedtheprotestinhigh
numbers.LevZakharczyszynexplainswhyhedidnotjointheprotesters:uUnlike
myyoungercolleagues,IdidnotgotoprotestinKyiv.Maybeitwasaquestionof
adińerentapproach.Forexample,groupsofolderdissidents,thosewhohadjust
beenreleasedfromprisons,didnotsupportthismovementinthebeginning.Tey
