Soviet Style

Having been under soviet rule for ~70 years, Kiev shows many nods to this past.  

Stoic faces: we've gotten used to the blank stares & smile-free faces which I've heard were a mechanism to not attract attention

Uninspiring but equal architecture:  a typical apartment building near our house - the uniform units were assigned - not purchased

Bureaucracy - things aren't always easy but DO always involve a lot of paperwork 

In planning our move to California, I've been told "everything you brought in must leave with you OR face VAT fines".   
OK….but - they have sent me 3 vastly different versions of the inventory.  (E.g. one includes "big screen TV", another no mention of any TV.)

One can also see this shadow of the Soviet past at the pro-EU, anti government protests

Resourceful: During Soviet times it wasn't uncommon to go to the grocery store to find only canned beans.   There was nothing to waste.   Today, you see this resourcefulness with the barricades erected by protesters

Snow and ice as barricade materials...

Car tires make barriers too.  AND do double duty - can be burned to make a smoke screen (so police can't see where to shoot) if things get uglier 

Unfortunately, the government response to the protests has also reflected a harsh play book

Propaganda: Someone is working hard to make the US & EU look like they are stirring up trouble.  Local papers are reporting that the US is training & paying people to protest.  Someone (allegedly Russia) also leaked a cell conversation where the US's Assistant Secretary of State dropped the 'F-bomb' when expressing frustration about the EU's response to Ukraine's political situation.   

Punish dissent in the wallet:  2 oligarchs who showed their pro-EU support (by switching an electronic billboard to a live stream of the Kiev protests & waving EU flags) suddenly faced mid-day power outages at malls they own.  Coincidence?   Unlikely

Take out the opposition: A more brutal example - one leader of the protests was kidnapped, beaten for 8 days - including being crucified (nailed down by his hands) and dumped in a forest

(he made it to a nearby village & has since fled to Lithuania)

Meanwhile, some 25 people involved in the protests remain missing today



So what is one to do in these challenging times?!   In Soviet style - drink.  

This past weekend we mirrored a Chicago favorite event (cheers to you Doug Andersen) - gathered a few friends for a 'Metro pub crawl' .  Hop on the Metro, visit a different pub at each stop. 1 drink per stop.  

The first stop bar looked like 'your uncle's basement'

Even with beer can art

The second - essentially a bus stop with a keg & a tent over it

The most random stop - the "Romantic Dolphin show" - note the sexy violinists.... 

And YES - it counts as a bar since they serve beer 

(come to think of it, by that criteria, all of Ukraine would count as a bar)

While 'leisure during revolution' might seem flippant, even the most vigilant protesters need to blow off steam... 

2 1/2 months in, this is what the scene looked like today...

I honestly don't know how this will get resolved.   But I do commend the Ukrainian people for pushing for a brighter, non-Soviet style future.  

Here's to peace, optimism & having fun along the way