February – March 2014
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 have thought that within days of leaving, Crimea would be occupied by Russian forces, and then annexed as a federal subject of the Russian Federation only weeks later. Looking back at my photos of the Simferopol airport, several unmarked armed Russian guards were right there in front of me, and I hadn’t even noticed them! After Crimea, I spent some time in what is arguably Ukraine’s most beautiful city, Odessa, and then finished off the trip with a few more days in Moldova and Romania. And let’s not forget the day spent in Transnistria, the small breakaway region of Moldova east of the Dniester River which hopes to follow Crimea’s precedent — days after Crimea was “rejoined with Russia”, Transnistria submitted a formal request to Russia for annexation! Romania’s capital, Bucharest, was a gorgeous and lively city — a perfect ending to a very tension-filled but exciting trip!
Journey Map
Galleries
Featured Image
Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Odessa, Ukraine (Feb. 2014) - I braved the ridiculous #ukrainian winter cold for over an hour to produce this #sketch of what is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful works of #architecture in the world -- the exquisite neo-#baroque-style #odessa #opera and #ballet #theatre, built in 1810
Krasnodar, Russia (Feb. 2014) - my #sketch of the pretty onion-domed alexander nevsky #cathedral in #krasnodar, capital of #russia`s krasnodar krai in the #kuban region. interestingly, it was originally built in 1853, destroyed by communists 79 years later in 1932, and then rebuilt to its former glory 74 years after that in 2006!
Sketches
