As an eyewitness to events here in Kiev, I want to share observations and comments with other people. The Orange Revolution is a historic event with great consequences not only for Ukraine but for freedom and democracy in Belarus and Russia.

Monday, December 06, 2004

.....SUPPORT CONTINUES THROUGHOUT KIEV.....

Previously, I made a post regarding the evidence of visible support for either candidate. (Please see the archives for November 30, 2004.) Visible support for Yushchenko continues to run at about 1 in 6. Again, to my amazement, I have not seen any visible support for Yanukovich all day.

Protesters still block government buildings. The tent city on Khreshchatyk Street is thriving. Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) is still occupied. The crowds have thinned since the weekend as usual. Almost the whole city has cycled through Maidan.

Although there might be 40,000 people during the daytime and more at night, this crowd is not made up of the same people from hour to hour. Like many people, I might only go down to Maidan for a few hours each day. When you arrive by metro, you will usually see as many people leaving the square as entering it. This constant cycling makes the size of the crowds misleading. That is also why the crowds can swell so quickly.

I figure that the three metro lines that cross in the center of Kiev (Київ, Kyiv, Kyyv) can deliver about 30,000 to 40,000 protesters per hour without breaking a sweat. The surrounding buses and trolleys can do likewise. By the way, this also points out a group of real heroes: The staff of the Kiev City Metro and the other transportation departments. They have kept key logistical arteries for the opposition open and efficient throughout this crisis.

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