People have short memories. Recent events replace the older ones, especially affected by the dramatic events of the war. Sometimes, it seems that Maidan happened a while ago. But in fact, only 5 years passed. In 2013, Ukrainians refused to have their European aspirations thwarted by President Yanukovych, who did not sign the EU Association Agreement. When the student pro-EU rally was brutally dispersed, hundreds of protesters were joined by hundreds of thousands in the streets of Kyiv. But the protests emerged not only in the Ukrainian capital: in some places, there were one-man protests, in other hundreds and even thousands came out to rally. However, the majority of protesters still traveled to Kyiv.

Government lawlessness, which most cynically manifested itself in the actions of the law-enforcement agencies, prompted people in Mykolaiv Region to rally long before the events in Kyiv (Vradiyivka, Oksana Makar’s case). People were taking to the streets to defend their dignity and let the authorities know that it was the final straw.

Mykolaiv. Protest Chronicles depicts the key events of 2013-2014 using documentary archives and activists’ recollections.

This film is an attempt to find an answer to the question – what would have happened if Mykolaiv had not risen up? Would Ukraine still exist within the present geographical boundaries? What was the role of Mykolayiv community activists in the failure of Moscow to implant the ideas of Novorossiya and the Russian spring in Southern Ukraine?