In November 2013, Viktor Yanukovych, the then-president of Ukraine, refused to sign an association agreement with the EU.

This decision led to large crowds of protesters gathering on the Independence Square – Maidan – in Kyiv. Much followed this event. Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia, Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula, and fighting increased in Donbas in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian author Andrej Kurkov takes us to Maidan in Kyiv, starting from the moment that the protests began on the 21st of November 2013. He then recounts the events that followed, interweaving them with everyday tales from his own life.

In the diary extracts, Kurkov remains hopeful despite worries about the threatening and uncontrollable powers roused by Ukraine’s large neighbour.