Not unlike the American Occupy Movement and the Arab Spring, Ukrainian citizens - many young and full of energy and idealism - are fighting to declare independence from rich and unethical politicians and return the power to the people. Here are the faces of some who offered the ultimate sacrifice for independence and democracy.

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Not unlike the American Occupy Movement and the Arab Spring, Ukrainian citizens - many young and full of energy and idealism - are fighting to declare independence from the rich, ruling class of unethical politicians, and return the power to the people.

Protester Ustyn Golodnuk, 19, a student from the town of Zbarazh in the Ternopil region in Western Ukraine, was to meet up with his father on Oktyabrskaya Street, according to intvua.com. His father told him to be careful. Ustyn laughed saying "Dad, don't worry! I have a magic helmet, ... and nothing will happen to me."

Soon after, the father was holding a bloody helmet and identifying his son's body in the lobby of the Hotel Ukraine, which is being used as a temporary morgue.

Olga Bogomolets, the chief doctor of the mobile clinic said, "The sniper or snipers have worked professionally. All injured in the heart or in the head. All killed by bullet caliber 7.62 mm [Dragunov sniper rifle]. They shot to kill."

"I don't know whether Yanukovych to stand on his knees in front of me, but I know for sure that he must go before an International Tribunal for what he has done to my country and to my son," says the father. (Microsoft translator)

According to Kyivpost, at least 49 were slain on Feb 20, bringing the total death toll to at least 75.

Many of the slain have been posted on Facebook pages, including these:

Andrei Chernenko, 35, father of a 7-month-old, died February 19.

Village Golodnûk, 20, was a volunteer for the Democratic Alliance. He died on February 20 at the Hotel Ukraine as a result of gunshot wounds in the head.

Bajdovs'kij Sergey, 23, was killed from a gunshot wound on February 20.

Igor Tkachuk, 38, died from a sniper shot on February 20, leaving behind a wife and three children, ages 1, 11 and 17.

According to NBC news, George Sayevich, a resident of Silver Spring, Md., near Washington, D.C., was recovering Wednesday in a Kiev hospital, where he told The Associated Press that police beat him mercilessly even when he was lying on the ground. "I just got clubbed all over -- on the head, broke my arm in two places."

A young female medic, shot in the neck, tweeted, "I'm dying."

According to CNN, Alexander J. Motyl, professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark, says that Yanukovych is "probably doomed," noting that "in many of the cities and provinces captured by the revolutionaries, riot police and militia have thrown down their weapons and joined the resistance." He calls the government brutality "the desperate measures of a dying regime" and notes that "Yanukovych has effectively lost control of at least half of Ukraine."

America was founded on the kind of revolution that is going on in Ukraine right now. If you want to show support what can you do?

"Like" the Kyiv, Ukraine Facebook page at https://Click Here

"Like" and follow the Euromaidanpr Facebook page at https://http://www.facebook.com/euromaidanpr

(ADDED Friday Feb. 21, 10 am EST:

Attend the "Fallen heroes" silent protest at the White House (Lafayette Park side.) , Sunday 23 Feb., 2-4 pm. This will be a silent protest, staged with "fallen heroes" lying on the ground with Ukrainian flags draped over them. More info at the facebook page.

The Kyiv Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International announced on their Facebook page that donations are being collected by the Ukrainian American Relief Committee, more info here.

Readers are encouraged to include other ways to support the Ukrainian Uprising in the comments.)

Canada's CTV News Regina says that the Ukrainian flag has been raised outside the legislature in Saskatchewan where about 13 per cent of the population has Ukrainian roots. "The provincial government says it decided to raise the flag to show Saskatchewan's support for a free and democratic Ukraine."

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.