Ukraine: A Nation Waits

 A man with one of the self-defense units that protect Kiev's Maidan, Independence Square, sits in his tent near a small fire to stay warm.  Many in the square are paying close attention to the situation in Crimea and fear what is to come for Ukraine.
 A woman carries flowers as she looks over a memorial at one of the blockaded entrances to Kiev's Maidan, Independence Square.
 A young girl stands near one of the memorials for a opposition protester killed in clashes near one of the entrances to the Maidan.
 A single flower hangs from a shield as a memorial to a fallen protester.
 A young girl stands near a piece on exhibit in M17 Contemporary Art Center in Kiev.  The exhibit "The Flame of Love, Dedicated to the Maidan Artists" features work from artists who witnessed the dramatic events of this winter in Ukraine and created works from their experiences.
 Vladuslav Bitkovskuy, 31, an archeologist by trade, now heads a small division of one of the Maidan's self-defense units.  Bitkovskuy says he will continue to protect the Maidan until, "the structure of power is strong, social services work, people who beat people and are responsible for killing and kidnapping are brought to court."
 A woman walks from a barricaded entrance to Kiev's Maidan near a sign that reads: “Mr Putin, you can lie to your own people and humiliate my self-confidence, break my bones, and you can even kill me. However, you cannot take my freedom.”
 A cross hangs from a spot where bullets from a sniper still mark a light pole.
 Members of one of the self-defense units that protect Kiev's Maidan sit near a tent.
 People gather as musicians sing traditional Ukrainian music on a stage.  
 A man with one of the self-defense units stands near a line of people waiting for food as night falls on the square.
 A person stands near a piece on exhibit in M17 Contemporary Art Center in Kiev.
 Elizabeth Bielska, artistic director of M17 Contemporary Art Center in Kiev, says "The Maidan was our war. The United States, Great Britain and Russia, they are the guardians of our borders."
 Artist Boris Yeghiazaryan stands near his work on exhibit in M17 Contemporary Art Center in Kiev.  
 A man with one of the self-defense units sleeps in his tent.
 Kiev's Maidan, Independence Square, was a beautiful destination for tourists and now is a burnt-out remnant of what it once was.
 A Ukranian man lights his pipe as he sits in Kiev's Maidan.
A woman looks over a memorial at one of the blockaded entrances to Kiev's Independence Square.

To read more about the situation in Ukraine read Betsy Hiel's reporting in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman, a freelance photojournalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has traveled the world to cover politics, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest as well as covering assignment throughout the United States. His work has appeared in leading national publications and he has received multiple top journalism awards.   

After covering the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – including the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – Merriman committed to chronicling the U.S. military and its war on terror.  He has followed this story across the United States and into the conflict zones of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He also has covered life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba in 2002, India’s efforts to eradicate polio from its population, the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave and election of Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution and subsequent unrest, Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the international political crisis that unfolded in Ukraine in 2014, a look inside of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in 2015 and its uncertain future, and most recently, traveled the entire U.S. border with Mexico documenting issues on immigration. 

Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and other publications across the globe. 

He has been recognized with numerous regional, national and international awards from organizations including Pictures of the Year International, Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Northern Short Course, the Southern Short Course, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Military Reporters and Editors Association, and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. He was awarded Photographer of the Year by the News Photographer Association of Greater Pittsburgh four times and most recently was honored with the Keystone Press Award’s 2016 Distinguished Visual Award from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. 

Currently Merriman lives in Oakmont with his fiancé, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource. 

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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Ukraine: A Walk Through Maidan

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Ukraine: The Maidan