“I’ve been complaining for a long time that the motivation to fight has disappeared somewhere. But I want to thank Mr. President, if it weren’t for the shit that these idiots decided to arrange, I wouldn’t have seen what kind of great children have grown up in Ukraine. They’re worth fighting for. They’ve raised motivation,” said Ukrainian soldier Oleksii Tsymbaliuk.
Ukraine has a rich protest culture. Taking to the streets to hold politicians accountable has become a key feature of its democracy since the 1990 Revolution on Granite that preceded independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the 2004 Orange Revolution, and the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
Now, Ukraine has its so-called cardboard revolution, driven by youth who grew up in a country already on the path to EU integration, while immersed in TikTok, Ukrainian and Western pop culture and literature. POLITICO documented some of the most creative (and profane) signs that dominated the last week of protests that ultimately cowed Zelenskyy.
“This is indeed a very creative and well-read protest. It is within the tradition of Ukrainian revolutions. For example, the Orange Revolution of 2004 was also very theatrical in itself, but the protesters there were playing with color, not quotes,” said Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, director general of the National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex “Mystetskyi Arsenal.”
Before every rally in the current protest wave, young protesters came up with new messages to send to the government. “From a quote of Ukrainian modern poet Serhii Zhadan, ‘Why the fuck do I need a system that works against me?’ to the words of Vasyl Stus, Ukrainian decedent poet from the 1960s, who once said ‘Those who are against dictatorship, rise!’” Ostrovska-Liuta added.
“This protest has more self-confidence and self-expression, as well as an aspect of virality. Someone’s creative cardboard sign gets recreated multiple times,” Ostrovska-Liuta said.
