February – March 2014
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Intro
Samer: “Wow, with everything going on in Russia before the Olympics, it’s a good thing I’m gonna be in Ukraine most of the trip!”
Right… well, this was definitely an unexpectedly exciting trip. I knew there was some civil unrest in Ukraine but it had been relatively uneventful since it began in November, so I was not prepared for what was about to happen! Turns out Sochi was great. Everything was so well done; it was safe, beautiful, well-organized — it was everywhere else I went that was the problem!
Following a brief Valentine’s Day stopover in London, I ‘hung out’ in Kyiv‘s Independence Square (Maidan) with the protesters — 3 days later, violence broke out leaving hundreds of people killed or injured. From Kyiv, I flew to Donetsk. Just 6 days later, President Yanukovich, after being ousted from power, fled Kyiv to his hometown near Donetsk. From Donetsk, I crossed the border into Rostov-on-Don, Russia. That’s right — Rostov is where Yanukovich went into exile, likely crossing the same border I crossed!
Finally in Russia, I felt safe to be out of this part of Ukraine, and after the Olympics, was really looking forward to spending some time in beautiful Crimea (!!!) after a quick stopover in Moscow. Yes, Crimea. While in Sevastopol, I saw pro-Russian protests, but never would