On March 13, 2014, the third large-scale rally "For a United Ukraine" took place in Donetsk, with participants calling for the preservation of the country's integrity. That evening, thousands of people gathered in the city's central square. Could any of them have imagined that the peaceful protest would end in a terrible tragedy...
Like the previous rallies, the rally on March 13, 2014, was completely peaceful. The participants came to the city center unarmed. Moreover, they called on the other side to engage in dialogue. But in response, eggs and apples were thrown at them. Then came stones, bottles, and flashbang grenades.
The protesters were surrounded by aggressive people, most of whom, according to numerous testimonies from Donetsk residents, had been brought in from Russia.
The aggressive protesters attacked Ukrainians standing with patriotic posters. After the rally ended, self-defense activists from the Donetsk Maidan, including Dmytro Chernyavsky, were supposed to provide cover for the peaceful activists to leave. However, at that moment, a crowd of pro-Russian militants surrounded them. The rally turned into a bloody massacre of peaceful demonstrators. Law enforcement officers and the Donetsk Maidan self-defense forces tried to protect the protesters as they left, and most people managed to safely leave Lenin Square.
The police hid the members of the self-defense forces in their bus, but it was quickly surrounded by pro-Russian protesters, who smashed the windows and threw firecrackers at the vehicles, and then released tear gas.
During this clash, Dmytro Chernyavsky was stabbed in the stomach. Covered in blood, Dmytro died in an ambulance, and 10 other people were hospitalized.
Donetsk region remembers the hero who gave his life for the honor, dignity, and freedom of his people.