The Unknown AutoMaidan: Key Episodes

2013

The Image with Yanukovych (ex President of Ukraine) on a Golden Toilet: In a provocative act of protest, activists used a visual satire featuring a golden toilet to criticize President Yanukovych’s opulent lifestyle and corruption.
Maidan Music Mobile – The Voice of the Revolution: AutoMaidan provided a mobile sound system that became a crucial tool for broadcasting revolutionary messages and music throughout the protests.
Wounded from EuroMaidan: AutoMaidan members played a vital role in transporting injured protesters from the EuroMaidan demonstrations to medical facilities.

2014

End of the Revolution – Transition to Opposition: After the fall of Yanukovych, AutoMaidan shifted from active protest to political opposition, focusing on holding the new government accountable and pushing for reforms.

2014

Beginning of the War: As conflict erupted in Eastern Ukraine, AutoMaidan’s role evolved to support the war effort.

AutoMaidan Battalion (Logistics of War): AutoMaidan organized logistical support for the Ukrainian military, including the transportation of supplies and coordination of volunteer efforts.
Lustration Actions (Garbage Lustration): In a symbolic act of cleansing, AutoMaidan activists carried out lustration actions targeting corrupt officials and collaborators, often using dramatic public demonstrations.
Aero Brigades (Volunteering, Transport): Volunteers from AutoMaidan formed Aero Brigades, providing aerial surveillance, drone support, and logistical aid to frontline troops.

2022

Northern Bridge Defense (Kyiv Defense): During the ongoing conflict, AutoMaidan members were involved in the defense of key strategic locations, such as the Northern Bridge, protecting Kyiv from advancing threats.

Drone Control (Dronkupol): They managed drone operations to monitor enemy movements and gather intelligence.
Drone Range Murovets: AutoMaidan set up a drone training and testing facility in Murovets Park to enhance their aerial reconnaissance capabilities.

These episodes illustrate the evolution of AutoMaidan from a grassroots protest movement to a multifaceted organization involved in war logistics, political activism, and innovative volunteer efforts.

Episode 1: December 23, 2013 – Yanukovych on the Golden Toilet Incident

An intriguing and comical event occurred in the latter part of December 2013, which might seem like a fable, but at the time, it was far from funny.

AutoMaidan in addition to its large-scale operations and protests, also executed smaller, yet striking actions during the Revolution of Dignity. One of the most globally recognized performances was the "Yanukovych in a Cage" stunt. This operation was filled with comedic and unpredictable elements, much like the entire revolution, which was fueled by euphoria and the hope for change.

AutoMaidan primarily consisted of small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs, many of whom were frustrated by the corruption and abuses of the "criminal government," which seized their businesses, raided enterprises, subjected them to audits, and imposed corrupt fees and inspections.

By then, AutoMaidan had evolved into several interdependent units. I was involved with coordinating actions and generating new ideas, as many of AutoMaidan's leaders were wakeboard enthusiasts—originating from the Xpark and the Ukrainian Wakeboard Federation, of which I was the president. Gritsenko, Koba, and Bulatov were among the passionate wakeboard amateurs who first showed civic awareness and took on leadership roles.

In addition to the well-known gathering points at European Square and near the Libedivka waterfront, clandestine locations such as the Extreme Park and my estate "Cuckoo's Nest" were also used. Later, Medvedchuk wrote about it as a place where Bulatov was supposedly hidden.

At that time, there was an urgent need to attract and mobilize people for EuroMaidan, and my old acquaintance from the 2014 revolution, Alexander Horgan (who later became head of Kyiv Oblast), proposed a brilliant yet simple idea for a performance demanded by the public: "The Criminal on the Throne." The idea was to place a mannequin of Yanukovych on a golden toilet, which was popular at the time, and set up a judge's table with robes for photo opportunities, simulating a scenario where the public judged the criminal.

We already knew that among the participants of the AutoMaidan were informants and SBU agents. Phones were being tapped, so we decided to carry out everything in deep secrecy. To implement the project, we needed parliamentary support, which was readily provided by the UDAR (HIT) team and Vitali Klichko himself. We suspected that Yatsenyuk was playing a double game and might betray EuroMaidan at any moment.

In addition to this performance, we decided to set up an exhibition of satirical photos of Yanukovych titled "Vitya Chao" and his government, called "Scoundrels on the Bench."

Preparation took almost a week and a half. Employees under the direction of Xpark's director, Alexander Dubrov, were assembling the exhibition stands in a secret workshop. The most challenging part was creating the Yanukovych mannequin. Sculptors, upon learning where the sculpture was headed, categorically refused to make the figure, let alone sew the prisoner's uniform. Sasha Horgan used all his charm to persuade the sculptors to complete the order under his own guarantees. Once the sculpture was ready, along with the cage, toilet, and judge’s chairs, the issue of transportation arose. Transporting it was like moving a corpse! The mannequin was life-sized, and any police stop could result in discovering... Yanukovych.

Despite the risks and challenges, Yanukovych was secretly delivered in parts to Xpark. The next part of the delivery, including Yanukovych and the cage to EuroMaidan, was to be handled by AutoMaidan activists, with passage and cover on Khreshchatyk provided by Klychko and his deputies.

To avoid compromising our bases (Extreme Park, etc.) and our people, we thoroughly discussed the secrecy of the operation with Sergey Koba and Oleksiy Hrytsenko. Disguising Yanukovych, we waited for a few inconspicuous vehicles at Xpark. We were astonished when Sasha Horgan, Sasha Dubrov, and I saw a column of 20 vehicles with Ukrainian and AutoMaidan flags from a distance, especially the flashing lights on Sergey Koba’s iconic orange car. We realized that it was a breach of security, but there was no turning back. After cursing everyone for compromising the secrecy, we loaded Yanukovych and the cage into the vehicles.

The hardest part was transporting the stage-trailer on which the cage was supposed to be. Such objects usually attracted special attention from the police. However, under the pretense that the platform was for removing trash from EuroMaidan, the police overlooked it and allowed us through! Since the activists were afraid to assemble the cage, Sasha Horgan, Sasha Dubrov, and the Extreme Park staff had to handle the setup ourselves.

Like in the best action movies, we started preparing for the assembly. I, along with Dubrov and the Extreme Park guys, disguised ourselves as Grandfathers Frost. Sasha Horgan put on a military uniform. UDAR deputies Valeriy Patskan brought in self-defense units. The police, plainclothes officers, and Berkut forces began to gather. We realized we had at most thirty minutes!

And so it began. Here is the video of our performance "The People Judge Yanukovych."

Video

At the command, we brought up the trailer, removed the wheels, secured the golden toilet, and, to the cheers of the gathering crowd, unwrapped the Yanukovych mannequin. Then we realized that securing the top part of the cage required mounting it from above, which was impossible without scaffolding. But Sasha Horgan, being the lightest, climbed up and finished the assembly. A few plainclothes officers with cameras showed up, and one began to grab my sleeve, saying, “Let’s step aside,” but AutoMaidan activists quickly pushed him away.

Then we unloaded and set up the stands for the "Vitya Chao" and "Scoundrels on the Bench" projects. AutoMaidan activist Lyudmila Vityryana had spent the whole night printing and laminating photo collages, parodies, and memes from the internet. Everything was up and running in just about an hour.

People started arriving, and within an hour, it was nearly impossible to get close to the stands. Everyone was taking photos, and the crowd started adding new collages to the displays. The self-defense units had to protect the Yanukovych mannequin because many activists wanted to "give him a beating." A line formed to judge Yanukovych and take pictures with him. One of the first to open the location was Sergey Koba.

By the end of the revolution, this location had become a favorite spot for activists and visitors to EuroMaidan. The cage with Yanukovych became a symbol of the protest movement and boosted the morale of the demonstrators.

The greatest reward came from the press service of Klitschko, when, just a few days later, photos of the cage and Yanukovych with striking headlines like "Yanukovych Caged on Khreshchatyk" were published on the front pages and central columns of major global publications such as Times and The Guardian. The world saw our protest, and the awareness campaign succeeded. It was a triumph for the idea and the project as a whole.

Such specific actions by small but active teams contributed to the great victory of the Revolution of Dignity. The slogan on EuroMaidan was "We are a drop in the ocean," and it was this drop that helped drown out the corrupt regime.

We have no trust in the new government, so AutoMaidan immediately transitioned to the opposition after the revolution. We have nothing to be reproached for! We fought not to later worm our way into power. We remained entrepreneurs and businesspeople who create the economy, pay taxes, and provide jobs in this country. And, of course, many sycophants and scoundrels have climbed into power. But that’s a different story.

Fight and overcome. – Taras Shevchenko

P.S. After the revolution, the Yanukovych mannequin and the toilet somehow disappeared. It is said they were taken as souvenirs. Although it would have made a great exhibit for the Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.

Video 2

And the stage-trailer that once held the cage is still in use as a stage for various events. It’s now used for the popular mass flash mob FunUp on Khreshchatyk, right near the spot where the cage once stood. So, the stage, charged with the energy of the revolution, continues to serve a new purpose on its backup route. articles on the topic https://zozulpalevo.blogspot.com/2015/01/music-mobile-mouthpiece-of-revolution.html

https://zozulpalevo.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-unknown-automaidan-episode-3.html https://zozulpalevo.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-unknown-automaidan-episode-4.html

Yuriy Zozulya (businessman, philanthropist, public figure, founder and investor of Хpark, president Ukrainian Wake Federation UWF, officer)