When Maidan is remembered today, they speak above all about his "values" - some kind of a collection of wishes and hopes that united protesters. And more about the power that "came on the blood" and forgot about these "values". And more about the victims - were they in vain? Such comments are numerous, but what is behind them? What are the values ??of the Maidan in general?.

Yes, at the meetings of the Rada of the Maidan we tried to formulate these values. But it must be understood that each protester had their own. What could unite the Ukrainian radical nationalist from Sambor, the adherent of the slogan "Ukraine for Ukrainians", the Kiev intellectual of Jewish origin, the Crimean Tatar activist from Sudak, the Russian-speaking student from Vinnitsa, the Ukrainian-speaking unemployed from Cherkassy and the oligarch from the shores of Lake Geneva?.

That's what? European values? But many participants of the Maidan did not want Ukraine to be a part of the European Union, their ideas about the future of the country were more likely to be close to the way built in Russia or simply to the national regimes of pre-war times.

National revival? But many Russian-speaking supporters of Maidan were not interested at all - and now they are not interested in - Ukrainian culture and language, their ideal is "improved Russia", democratic and rich, and in Ukrainian, let them speak in Lviv and in the village.

Struggle against the oligarchs? But the "oligarchs" themselves, albeit not all, were active participants and sponsors of the protest movement.

Reforms? But they quite differently understood the unemployed from Cherkassy, ??a student from Vinnitsa and an oligarch from the shores of Lake Geneva. As we see, no universal values ??of the Maidan were and could not be.

But what then gathered all these people together? What made me stand on the Maidan stage next to Oleg Tyagnibok and other activists of "Freedom" and that allowed Oleg to stand next to me?.

Since the appearance of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukrainian politics, many of us did not leave the feeling that his real political program is a road to Russia. Yes, he did not hide this. I remember well when I spoke at a political show about the importance of European integration - it was for the 2010 elections - he asked me in a commercial break - "but do you understand that our future is with Russia?". For him it was so natural that he believed: this is a common opinion of "normal" people. Conversations about Europe - pretense for the sake of money.

All of Yanukovych's actions as president were convinced: he is not just building a Putin-type Ukraine, but is preparing to surrender the country. Kharkov agreements, Russians in law enforcement agencies, the law of Kivalov-Kolesnichenko ... Against this background, an association agreement with the European Union seemed to be a natural safeguard against losing independence. The first call was made when the government refused this agreement. But when she used force, it became obvious: if you do not stop it today, tomorrow may be too late. Because any attempt to stop the liquidation of Ukraine and turn it into a Putin satellite, such a big Belarus, can be suppressed in the same way.

And the uprising for independence. It was the desire to defend Ukraine and united all the protesters - very different people with often opposite ideas about the future of the country. But everyone understood: there will be no Ukraine - and she will not have any future either.. The future will only be with Putin and his fellow-chauvinists. And we do not have.

That is why Maidan's support was greater where the Ukrainian state was viewed as a value - consciously in the west, intuitively in the center of the country. And less there, where it continued to be perceived as the renamed Ukrainian SSR That's why after the victory of Maidan - a successful uprising for independence - Russia attacked Ukraine. Russians have not forgiven us the desire to live in an independent country. This is our desire - at the cost of the death of people on the Maidan, at the cost of war - we defended.

But now we have to decide what it really will be like, our Ukraine.

Original.