Anna Reid

Viktor Yanukovych’s palace is full of tasteless treasures – and London auction-house tags

A little bit of Britain in Ukraine’s newest tourist attraction

[Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images] 
issue 31 May 2014

 Kiev

On a cobbled street above the Maidan, an elderly man dressed in fatigues rubs his stubble in the morning sunshine. Would I like a lesson in throwing Molotov cocktails? He picks up a bottle with a long wire loop for a handle, and leads me to a burnt-out public lavatory. A match to the rags stuffed in the bottle’s mouth; an overarm swing, and the bottles smashes against the far wall, flames licking round broken stalls. Would I like to pose for a photo? A young American who has stopped to watch takes up the offer. Three months after protests toppled Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, the Maidan has turned into a tourist attraction.

The scene of the protests is still an impressive sight.

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