Ten years ago, Mustafa Nayyem wrote a Facebook post credited with changing the course of Ukrainian history. On 21 November 2013, Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych announced he was pulling out of a deal with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia. Many young Ukrainians reacted with amazement that quickly turned to anger.
Nayyem, a well-known young journalist, wrote on Facebook: “Come on guys, let’s be serious. If you really want to do something, don’t just press ‘like’. Write that you’re ready, and let’s try to start something.” An hour later, Nayyem suggested a time and place: 10:30pm, near a monument on Maidan, Kyiv’s Independence Square.
